look for solutions, not excuses

Argentina vs Chile
Copa America Centenario 2016
(Hna Garcia is from Argentina!)

I have very little time to write today because there were a whole lot of tasks and things to do before writing 

SO

let's make this quick people

let's be honest

i am

freaking

OUT

BECAUSE TOMORROW  WE HAVE ZONE CONFERENCE

AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS IN ZONE CONFERENCE?

WELL

THE NEW PEOPLE PRESENT THEMSELVES

WE CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS

PRES TALKS TO US

THE ASSISTANTS TALK TO US

WE HAVE LUNCH

AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END?

THE PEOPLE

THAT GO HOME BEFORE THE NEXT ZONE CONFERENCE

HAVE

TO

BEAR

THEIR

TESTIMONIES

AND

SAY

GOODBYE

TO

THE

MISSION

AND YOU KNOW WHO IS ON THE LIST OF PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT GOING TO BE HERE THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE ZONE CONFERENCE?

hermana palmer

hermana paulson

(people that arrived with me from the CCM if you get where i'm going with this)

also

mySELF

D: 

i am freaking out

i have tried to keep my cool knowing that zone conference was coming but

I AM NOT OKAY 

I DO NOT WANT TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE MISSION

I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE MY LAST ZONE CONFERENCE

i'm freaking out

okay

but what else can i tell you guys that would be something better and about the week that i've had?

well, on sunday there was a big ol' soccer game

oh man, i wish you guys could have been here when Chile won because it was SO AWESOME

AND ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE CITY CENTER WHERE THERE ARE TONS OF BUILDINGS

everybody was dancing and screaming and singing and we could see them all in their apartments from our apartment and it was so great and just

the sound

it was so wonderful

well, wonderful until about 5 in the morning when it was getting a bit annoying... or maybe a lot,but hey, this game only happens every 100 years, so

eh

*NOTE: THIS IS NOT AN APPROVAL OF WATCHING TELEVISION AND SPORTING EVENTS ON SUNDAY dont do it*

[The hermanas did not actually watch the game; however, they cannot leave the apartment on such a day of celebration (for the sake of safety), so they find their own ways to participate. Face painting and selfies, it is!]

but anyway, this week we also have been finding lots of new people to teach, but it has also been a challenge. The people in the city are really active and move around a lot and go out when they are supposed to be there for appointments and stuff like that, but it's okay. I'm still learning how to work this sector... it's kinda hard, if I didnt already mention that. 

Quite difficult.

But also really great and amazing and one of a kind and I am so grateful to be here :) 

I've been reflecting a little bit to try and figure out what i'm going to say tomorrow (i think i've determined i'm just going to follow the spirit, but i was reflecting anyway) and I have determined that it is simply impossible to describe the mission. There arent words great enough or long enough or that exist that can describe how wonderful and difficult and amazing the mission is; but not only the mission.

Missionary work; the work of salvation. It's amazing what we can do with the knowledge we have, but unfortunately many times we dont realize the power we hold as children of God with a knowledge of his restored gospel. This gospel really does change lives; it really does lead us back to God; and it really is real and true! I know it! We are so privileged to have this gospel; we should not keep it to ourselves. There are so many people in the world that need hope, that need the Lord´s help, that need the truth, but they simply dont know where to find it and if we dont help them, who will? 

Maybe you're saying 'God will help them!'

but do you all remember a story about a man in a boat?

there was a man in a row boat in the middle of the sea and he didnt have any oars

so he prays and there appears another man in a bigger boat with a motor and says 'do you need help?' and the man says 'no, God will save me'

somebody goes overhead in a plane and says 'do you need help?' and the man says 'no, God will save me'

another man passes by in a submarine and says 'do you need help?' and the man says 'no, God will save me'

and then the man's boat sunk and he died and went to the spirit world and in the spirit world he's like 'God, why didnt you save me?' and God is like

'I sent you like a billion people to save you!'

we can look at this story in two ways; first of all, let's not be stubborn and not take the help from other people when we need it and second

we ARE God's hands here on the earth; WE are responsible (sp?) for spreading the gospel. Our Heavenly Father has already provided the way to save us, it's already done, ready, listo, but it is OUR job to get it to the people. If they have the gospel, they will have eternal life, but if we do not preach the gospel, how are they supposed to get it? Don't be shy; don't think that because of your calling in the church or your circumstances you have an excuse for not sharing the gospel. NOBODY HAS AN EXCUSE. 

We have a woman in our ward who is paralyzed and has been paralyzed for almost 4 years; she cannot go to church, they bring her the sacrament every sunday; she cannot go to the temple; she cannot read the scriptures by herself, but you know what, she's given out more Books of Mormon than anybody else I know! She talks about the gospel with EVERYBODY that enters her home. She knows that she has no excuse for not sharing the gospel, and if she has no excuse, then you all REALLY have no excuse.

So stop wasting your time looking for excuses and find some solutions!

Share the gospel! It's not just some cute catchy trend, IT'S OUR SALVATION.

I know that the gospel is true; I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he lives; I testify of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel. I know these things are true and I know that they bless us more than we can imagine, and I share this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

THAT'S ALL THE TIME I HAVE TODAY FOLKS HAVE A GREAT WEEK I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

CCCCCCCCCHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hermanas Before

Hermanas After
:)

sé humilde, reconoce todas TUUUUUUUUUSSSS DEBILIDAAADDEEEESS

"Us with a flaite pig in our sector."

that's how I feel about this week

but not in an entirely bad way

a little bit in a bad way and a little bit in a good way :)

let me explain

oh wait, let me explain first that that's the hymn 'Be Thou Humble' and the translation of the first line there is 'be humble, recognize all your weaknesses'

this week has been a very humbling week, not only with what has happened to me, but also with what I have just heard from my family. Maybe one day I'll have time to tell you all the reasons why i have been humbled this week, but right now I'll only say a couple

well, so there's a story with the first one

So, one day this week we went to a building where half the ward [congregation] lives to look for a few people. The consierge (is that how you spell it... I don't know... how...) that's in the lobby is one of our good friends and we're always leaving them pamphlets and things to read and we always invite them to go to church but they insist that they are too wicked to go, but anyway, so we started talking with one of them that had actually been reading the pamphlet about the Restoration and we were talking about all kinds of things and explaining Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and everything when he started talking about some weird facts from the Bible about Peter... but I didn't really know what he was talking about and I had never read nor heard of that part of the Bible, so I told him, 

I'm sorry, I don't have a clue what you're talking about, but we'll investigate a little more so that we can figure it out

and he looks at me and says

'sister, how much time do you have in the mission?'

and I was like

'15 months'

and he made a surprised face and said 

'you've only got 3 months left then. and you don't know about this? have you really done your job as a missionary? I would be worried if I were you'

and I was like

well really mad for a second like what the HECK DUDE and then afterwards, let's be honest, even though I know that what he said was NADA QUE VER [nothing to do] but it made me think and it made me think badly about myself, like humility but in a bad way

so I started to think and think and think and think

and I thought

'have I done my job? if I don't know about things like that and haven't studied the Bible enough to know, have I really done my job as a missionary?'

but then I remembered something that Hermana Videla told us in a letter one week. She told us that we youth are called as missionaries not only because we're young and can work and don't have families to support and all that, but also 

because we're basically the most unintelligent beings on the planet

if you can't already tell by my horrible grammar

and we have all these weird hormones and we've got weird stuff going on in our heads and we have the whole rest of our lives in front of us and like a WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF and confusion and insecurity and okay-ish hygiene

I don't think any of those things are words but it doesn't matter it just makes my point even clearer

THE POINT IS, we are probably the WORST candidates that God could have chosen to spread his gospel, but he chose us igual [anyway]! 

why?

because it doesn't matter what we know; it doesn't matter how fast we can walk, how good we speak the language, none of that matters, because our God is a God of miracles; he is the all powerful and he can make a good tool out of anything. 

I by myself am not the sharpest tool in the shed, no, and neither is anybody else, but when we put ourselves in the Lord's hands and give our heart and our hands to Him, he can make us into the perfect tool to help His sons and daughters to return to live with Him again. 

And that's something that not only we as missionaries have to know, but it is also something that will surely astound all those learned people out there; that somebody as insignificant and silly as a 18, 19, 20 year old, when left in the hands of God, can become a representative of His Son, Jesus Christ, and bring people unto the gospel.

The district at cambios

I am immensely grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary, and I would also like to send a shout out to ALL THE MISSIONARIES IN THE WORLD and especially the missionaries from my ward at home. Every one of you is an answer to a prayer somewhere; the missionaries from my ward are an answer to my prayers and I hope to do the same here. I hope to always be able to give my whole self to the Lord for the good of His children here in Santiago Chile. 

I love the gospel, I love the mission; I have a testimony of the blessings of the temple and of the eternal nature of the plan that our Heavenly Father has for us. Sometimes we don't understand what he has planned, but we dont always have to understand; we have only to act righteously and according to what he wants and He will be free to bless us with much more than we can even imagine. I testify of Christ; I know that he lives and I am privileged to be able to wear his name over my heart. And this I leave with you in his holy name, even Jesus Christ, amen.

well

i didnt actually end up saying a lot of the experiences that I've had this week, but just know that they were pretty good for the most part! I LOVE YOU ALL AND I AM ALWAYS PRAYING FOR YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK

I LOVE YOU ALL

CCCCCCCHHHHHHAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

also we didnt have changes; I'm still here for a month and a half more at the least with Hna García :D

on thursdays we riot

A girl and her city.

Well, this week went REALLY interestingly

well, seems like you all heard that there was a big ol water main break in the city this week and well

it didnt affect us at all

hahaha nope but ya know what DID affect us was the thursday riot they always do here in the city

there's always a protest on thursday

i dont know why it's always on thursday but every thursday there's some sort of protest or riot or something and sometimes it's students and sometimes it's old people but it's always something different but this thursday it was students

but obviously we dont watch the news or anything so we didnt know and our leaders

well they dont watch the news either hahaha so cant even blame em but 

so

there was a big ol riot and we didnt know and we were walkin around like normal bein missionaries and everything and we had planned to go proselyte close to the Moneda and the Alameda and all that but a little farther down, so we're en route goin south on amunategui and we arrive at agustinas where we were going to turn

and 

there

were

all

the

carabineros

in

all

of

chile

LITERALLY THERE WERE SO MANY CARABINEROS (they're the police i dont remember if i mentioned that at some point) THERE WERE MORE CARABINEROS THAN THERE ARE GRAINS OF SAND IN THE WORLD

THE ENTIRE STREET

CARABINEROS

EVERYWHERE

but they're all just like standing around or in their vehicles and stuff so we're like

'uhhh'

and so we turn east on agustinas and we walked past EVERY CARABINERO IN THE WORLD and then we went and looked for some people and while we're looking for people we start sneezing 

not like a whole lot but sneezing

and our eyes are all like itchy and stuff

but not very much

like we thought each of us 'maybe i'm going crazy' so we didnt say anything

and then

and then i couldnt feel my tongue

and really thought i was crazy 

and then we turned a corner and saw a LIGHTPOST TRASHED AND GLASS AND THINGS

and i said

'hermana garcía, what day is it'

and she's like

'uh... thursday'

and then we were like

let's go to the other side of the sector hahaha

so we went to the other side of the sector and then afterwards they told us that there had been a huge protest and they had used tear gas and stuff and so we arrived much after but

it was actually quite hilarious because afterwards i said something about not feeling my tongue and hermana garcía goes 'I COULDNT FEEL MY TONGUE EITHER I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY' 

but anyway it was really funny and great but we know to avoid that side of the sector on thursdays now :)

La Moneda
(The seat of the President of the Republic of Chile -
where the Thursday student protests take place)

The hermanas pass by this location daily as they walk through their city sector.

so that happened! that and also a lot of work and stuff. we worked and worked and worked and worked and yesterday for lunch we ate

soy meat

i dont know how it works but it was meat but not because it was soy

like soy milk

but soy meat

but it wasnt half bad, i actually enjoyed it

but it is not meat

nonono do not pretend, soy, you are not meat

what else happened? 

oh, continuing with the list of strange things i've eaten; i also tried carrot tea this week and lemme tell ya it was real good

but mostly this week we have just been working hard and talking with people. 

this week we have talked with a lot of people that have doubts about the afterlife and what happens after we die, including a man that we talked to that didnt believe anything about the after life. he said something that really made me think for a second. i asked him, and what if it is true? what are you going to do the day you find out? and he said 'well, if it's all true when i die then i'm going to repent big time'

and i thought

but it will already be too late

and maybe that was a horribly grave thought but it's the truth! this life is what we have to repent and to make ourselves better, this life is a time of... probation?... i dont know if that makes sense in english but i hope you get what i mean. 

and on top of that, what are we living for if we dont think there's another life?

why the heck are we all here? 

to make sure our kids have better lives than us, that's what the man told me

but why?

so their kids can have better lives?

and their's and their's and what else? what in the world are we here for if not to be part of a grand plan that God made for us?

we are God's children and he wants to see us again. He loves us! in a way that we dont understand, nor will ever be able to understand, but we have to know that he loves us and he has prepared a plan for us. We are here for only a short time in this world; what comes after is so much better! but only if we deserve it; only if we've worked for it.

if you dont work, you dont get paid

maybe the rainbow has already appeared but if you dont get off your butt and look for the treasure, you're never going to find it

if you dont follow the commandments, God cannot bless you

and i imagine as a father that that must be hard; keeping something from the children he loves because they won't obey or because they havent learned the importance of the commandments

so

in conclusion

there is such thing as life after death, but we have to work to earn the reward of eternal exaltation and happiness with all the people we love most

what do you say? let's work hard! and let's be happy while we do it! and let's all get there together! 

I know that God has a plan for us and I know that he loves us infinitely. I know that we have a Savior, Jesus Christ who makes this all possible, and i testify of the blessings that will come in the next life to those who obey the commandments during this life. I know the gospel is true! I love it and I love being a missionary! And this I leave you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

have a very super dooper semana

and 

oh

i almost forgot

i hit my 15 month mark this past week :o

where has the time gone?

I LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese - it's the cheesiest.

Bundled up with the heater, eating ice cream.

Creepy Anonio Banderas poster is EVERYWHERE!

Re-enactment from Titanic.

Beautiful sky

More beautiful sky

The stairway leading to a new investigator's home.

A statue outside of La Moneda that looks suspiciously like...

Joseph Smith??

**The Chilean student protests are a regular occurrence which have been going on for years.  They seem to ramp up in intensity during the winter months (it is currently winter in Chile) as the students become increasingly frustrated over the lack of education reform.  Hermana Schomburg was not in this sector last winter, so she was unaware of the riots but has since been cautioned to steer clear of La Moneda on Thursdays.

spiritually minded is life eternal

On top of the world

this week has been a week of miracles and a week of laughter and also a week of a bit of pain and concern. 

let's start with the light things! 

or should i start with the heavy?

let's start with the heavy actually

well, we have an investigator that is REALLY AWESOME and he was really quite alcoholic but he stopped drinking 3 months ago. he has been going to church for a LONG TIME; he is just only waiting for a few government papers so he can get baptized, but anyway he went to church on sunday as usual and we fijar-ed (i dont remember the word) [set-up] an appointment for yesterday

and when we showed up only his wife was there and we asked how she was and she said 'bad. [name] went out drinking again' 

so

we're working on that again...

I'm not super worried, I understand that addictions take more than one fell swoop to get over for the most part, but it would be nice if we could get some extra prayers for him and his family. 

okay, let's talk less heavy now

today we went to Cerro San Cristobal! and we went up and i got to walk through my old sector Los Olivos again! we were going to go to Portillo, but then it snowed TOO MUCH and they closed it :/

but hey, it's okay, we went to San Cristobal and I got to walk through Los Olivos!

we took photos

On the tram - or as she calls it the "thingy."

Yay! Fun!

Yikes!

it was gr9

ay que hace TANTO FRÍO Y VOY A MORIR  [Ugh, it's SO COLD AND I'M GOING TO DIE!]

what else even has happened

i could tell you a bunch of stories of funny things that happened but you probably wouldnt laugh because i'm realizing more and more that what a missionary finds funny is not the same as what the rest of the world finds funny

but i can put down a couple of things like when...

1. i filled the ¿hervidor? [kettle] to the rim with water without realizing it so when it started to boil the water started JUMPING OUT OF THE THING AND FLOODING THE APARTMENT

2. some crazy people (but like really and truly crazy) started yelling at us in the street

3. María and Cesar and Jesús gave us little cactuses :) (that one's not funny it's just really really happy -- i'm taking suggestions for names; i have two little cactuses and one is going to have a baby and the other also is expecting :) )

i was going to put down more but they just wouldnt make sense i'm sorry

maybe one day

one day

oh YEAH i should mention that i had intercambios this week and i was with

drum roll please

...

...

...

...

...

...

Hermana Paulson!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO it was SO FUN we havent been in the same zone or really spoken since the CCM

like

a year ago

holy cannoli

more than a year ago

but anyway, so it was way fun and we told stories and did missionary work but this time when we were in lessons we knew what to say and how to say it in spanish and it was so fun! It was so happy and great :D

also this week it decided to rain

and rain

and rain

and be SO COLD

and we worked IGUAL [equal - just as hard] because we are STRONG INDEPENDENT YOUNG WOMEN 

so that was super fun. super cold. way fun. gr9

we found a wHOLE BUNCH OF NEW INVESTIGATORS THIS WEEK

it was so great

we started a fast on Saturday and asked specifically to be able to find new investigators and by the end of the day we had found 5!! DO FASTS BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY GREAT AND WORK 10/10 WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND

and this week we have been really focusing on our attitudes because of a class the bishop gave a couple weeks ago

he talked about how we 

wait

did i already talk about this?

all the weeks blur together

what day is it?

what year?

where am i?

who am i?

okay but anyway, we have been trying to change our attitudes. the preparation for a good day starts before we even wake up. we have to go to bed thinking the night before 'tomorrow is going to be a good day' and if we think like that, we are guaranteed to have a good day, no matter what happens. if we look inside rather than outside, we will find a better solution to our problems. a lot of the times we think that the problems are outside of ourselves, but problems start in our own minds. it's not a problem until we think it's a problem. so let's all think positive this week and think inwards to find what it is that we're doing wrong that makes us think everybody else is wrong. let's follow the example of the Savior and humble ourselves and look for solutions, not excuses. Let's study a little better the life of Jesus Christ and figure out what it is that he did that we're not doing. But dont feel discouraged when you realize that there's A WHOLE TON OF THINGS, take a deep breath, choose one, and fix it. And smile! Put it in your head that it's going to be a good day and dont let anybody change that. Put it in your head that you're going to follow the example of Jesus Christ and dont let anybody change that. Say your prayers, read the scriptures, go to church, smile! There's some scripture somewhere that says 'spiritually minded is life eternal' and i only remember that part because the letters at the beginning of the words spell SMILE! Think more spiritually! Be happier! Put the Lord first and he'll put you first!

I know this gospel is true; I know that God loves us; I know that Christ lives and that he is our Savior and Redeemer and that every single one of us can return to see and live with him again if we so desire, and if we act on those desires. Of that i testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

that's all for now folks

have a GREAT SEMANA

I LOVE YOU ALL

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO