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.