speaking of poptarts

there are so many foods that i'm remembering just now that i havent had in a year and a half 

poptarts

cream soda

rootbeer (floats)

chili (how ironic eh)

pumpkin pie

cherry pie

real apple pie (they do it different here)

poppyseed muffins

bacon

hamburger helper

split pea soup

tater tot hot dish

green been casserole

hawaiian haystacks

craisins

snickerdoodles

life cereal

cream of wheat

summer sausage

green chili

and the list goes on

but also there are so many foods that i am going to miss from here (and neighboring countries [i had to put that because in reality i eat more peruvian and venezuelan food than anything else hahaha])

sopaipillas

cazuela

empanadas

completos (and panchos, as my companion says)

ají de gallina

papas a la huancaina

pabellón

arepas

arroz con pollo

pastel de papas

humitas

pastel de choclo

papas rellenas

calzones rotos

leche asada

flan

arroz con leche (y mazamorra)

duraznos con crema

salchipapas

churrascos

manjar

that list also goes on

oh man

guys can you even believe it's been almost a year and a half?

i'm still basically in shock because it doesnt feel real... i dont feel like i'm scheduled to go home in less than two weeks... i just feel like

i dunno

like i'm just missionary-ing and i'll just be doing that forever, hahaha 

but hey, let's not talk about that because IT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE

let's talk about this week

this week i think i figured out what the Lord is trying to teach me this change. This change has been kind of difficult; all of our investigators are disappearing and it seems like the harder we work, the more of them disappear and the less receptive the people are, but I don't think it's because we're bad missionaries nor because the sector doesn't have any potential, nor anything else; I think that this is happening to help teach me the importance of perseverance. 

Perseverance is the fifth and final part of the gospel of Jesus Christ that he taught. To refresh your memories, the five are faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, or as the phrase translates from Spansh, persevere until the end. 

I was thinking a little bit about that word the other day and the difference between 'endure' and 'persevere'

I dont know about you but when I hear the word 'endure' I picture a person making an ugly face and is probably sweating and (the first time i typed swearing haha which could also be but we shouldnt swear no no) is red as a rocotto and is almost not accomplishing the thing that they need to accomplish but darnit they are ENDURING and they are gonna get it done

but when I hear the word 'persevere' the picture changes a little. I picture somebody that is pushing forward; even though what they are doing is hard, they are pushing forward, not giving up, and definitely gonna get it done

Enduring for me is a person hanging from a cliff and persevering is a person pushing a really big rock

and maybe i'm crazy and just talking crazy talk, but i like a little better the word persevere.

but anyway, that's not what the point is

the point is that the perseverance is something hard I would say for pretty much anybody, especially the farther along we get. As we persevere, we learn things; we make mistakes and learn from the things we do wrong to be better and progress more, but the farther we get, the more we learn, and the more we learn the more we can handle, and sooo, the trials get bigger. The Lord knows he can trust us with bigger problems and in order for us to learn and progress more, he entrusts us with those bigger problems. If this life was easy, there would never be any progress! 

And that's our purpose here after all. Before this life we lived as spirits with our Heavenly Father, but there came a point as spirits that we couldn't progress anymore, we couldn't do anything else, unless we obtained bodies and learned to use our agency well, and so we came to earth! So, if we find that everything is easy in life, are we really progressing? Or are we waiting for the day when everything will be easy? Is it wise to wait for a time like that?

Or should we just be happy and grateful in the state that we are; falling and getting back up, learning, growing, being tried in a myriad (is that a word or am i making it up?) of ways?

I think that that is one of the keys to life; finding happiness and having an attitude of gratitude no matter what is happening in our lives; a difficult task, but one that will help us to feel fulfilled throughout our entire lives. 

I hope something that I've said has made sense... I feel like my grammar is so bad and I'm using so many made up words that nothing makes sense but I'M TRYING FOLKS

but anyway, that's why I like to use the word persevere; because it implies happiness. It's like... we're going to suffer, but we're going to be happy about it (10 points to the house that names that movie). 

Sometimes we have to persevere through things we dont want to have to go through, but I know that the blessings we will receive for our faithfulness to the Lord are a lot bigger than we can even imagine and they will come with time, through patience and perseverance. 

I know that this gospel is true, really and truly I do. I know that it blesses us more than anything else on the planet; I have seen the blessings in my own life, in my family, and in countless people that I have met here in Chile. The gospel is a blessing in my life and I am infinitely grateful to have it. I know that Jesus is the Christ, that he is our Savior, and that he suffered and walked alone to the very end so that we don't ever have to do this alone. I know that God has a plan for us and I testify with all that I have that he lives and loves us, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

that's all the time i have for this week folks

next week we'll talk again

for

the

last

time 

I love you ALL AND I WILL SEE YOU LITERALLY SO SOON I CAN ALMOST TASTE THE AMERICAN FOOD HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND ALL THAT 

CCCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Camera shutter is broken
but the hermana photos are still beautiful!

Face painted at the church carnival