Well, i know that Texas has been having some really weird weather, but it has been hot as ever here in Quillota! Send a cold breeze my way! Wow, never thought I would say that in my life... I guess life changes a lot when you are a walking missionary in Chile. haha
So this first week of changes has been really interesting. Hermana Boud came to join me here in my lovely ward in Quillota and I have been showing her around (in other words we have been getting ourselves very lost and confused and have found many future investigators that way! woohoo!)
I love being with Hermana Boud. We laugh all day long and we are going to start doing English classes and yoga classes in the chapel! yay! This Tuesday we are also going to teach the Relief Society how to make Muddy Buddy Chex Mix. It is going to be so fun!
I am really exited and have great hopes for this change. I know that the Lord sees our efforts and is going to bless us greatly! We were reading in Alma together yesterday and it talks about the thousands of people that he baptised and I know that that number is not a mistake. It is so possible! With faith all things are possible. We just have to give everyone a chance. Who wouldn't accept this wonderful message that we have to share? Only crazies!
I love you all and want you to know that I know this church is true. It changes lives. It is changing mine still. I love this gospel and I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows each and every one of us individually and loves us. Believe it!
Hermana Canal with President and Sister Gillespie
In front of the clock in Vina del Mar
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2111
Well, I'm sending a ton of pics today! hope you all enjoy them. Sorry it has been a while since Ive written everybody, but i have appreciated all your emails of love and support. Some of the pics are with members,others with investigator lots with my comp and of us with the youth of the ward in a hike that we did with some investigators (Jorge and Carolina). Sorry I can't explain each one individually, but enjoy them all the same.
Finally Patricio is divorced! woohoo! Now he and Vanessa just have to get marrieD already so they can get baptized already and have a beautiful eternal family with their beautiful little girl, Sophia. I love her so much. She makes me want to have 8 kids someday! Is that crazy? haha.
This week we have changes! loco... 6 weeks goes by so fast. I am staying here in Quillota and Hermana Argueta is leaving me...sad. But I am going to be companera mayor and with my sister, hermana Boud! I am so excited to be with her! Hermana Jones trained us both(which makes us sisters because hermana jones is our mom) and I just know we are going to rock the socks of Quillota!
I love you all so much. sorry this is short, but i just don't have a ton of time. i will try to send snail mail so watch for a letter in a month or so. haha.
love,
hermana canal
Finally Patricio is divorced! woohoo! Now he and Vanessa just have to get marrieD already so they can get baptized already and have a beautiful eternal family with their beautiful little girl, Sophia. I love her so much. She makes me want to have 8 kids someday! Is that crazy? haha.
This week we have changes! loco... 6 weeks goes by so fast. I am staying here in Quillota and Hermana Argueta is leaving me...sad. But I am going to be companera mayor and with my sister, hermana Boud! I am so excited to be with her! Hermana Jones trained us both(which makes us sisters because hermana jones is our mom) and I just know we are going to rock the socks of Quillota!
I love you all so much. sorry this is short, but i just don't have a ton of time. i will try to send snail mail so watch for a letter in a month or so. haha.
love,
hermana canal
Monday, January 3, 2011
Can't believe it's 2011
Hello All!
Well this morning my companion and I ran all around town making copies of paperwork, getting more paperwork, making more copies, and getting everything done for my carnet. In 10 more days I will actually be legal in Chile! After 5 months of being here illegally it should feel really good. haha. After all that run around we finally got here and I was excited to see lots of emails! Thank you all for the updates and love. It makes me so happy to know how everyone is doing.
I don't know how many of you heard about the earthquake here in Chile, but no one should worry. As far as I know it was in the North and I didn't feel a thing. Darn! I think it would be kind of fun to feel one...we have had some little trembles but they always happen in the night and I sleep so good normally that I have not felt a single one. I did hear that something burnt down in Provo UT. Was it the temple!? Someone sum it up for me. We, missionaries don't see the news...
So I hope you have all thought about some good goals for 2011! New Years eve guess what me and my companion did...SLEPT! haha. We went to bed at 11 o clock pm like every other night. Hermana Argueta woke up at midnight with all the noise that was happening outside, but I didn't hear a thing. oh well... Happy New Year!
So turns out the bigger the city the more busy the people...In other words, we walk A LOT! At least it is nice and sun shiny though. But we are teaching a mother and son that have baptismal dates this month. The mom is Inet and the son is Pedro. They live with the dad and two more sisters. I would love to teach the whole family... I only pray that one of these days we will find them all home and willing to listen. Since I have only been here two weeks I am still getting to know the area and the investigators. We have like three investigators that want to be baptised but can't because they aren't married and they can't get married because they are waiting on a divorce. Chile is really slow with the whole divorce thing... it's horrible.
Well I really don't have too much to say today. I hope you all celebrated new years well and are enjoying every moment of life. It is only so long you know, we have to enjoy it, every second! If you could all keep our investigators in your prayers I would really appreciate and so will they.
Love,
Hermana Canal
Well this morning my companion and I ran all around town making copies of paperwork, getting more paperwork, making more copies, and getting everything done for my carnet. In 10 more days I will actually be legal in Chile! After 5 months of being here illegally it should feel really good. haha. After all that run around we finally got here and I was excited to see lots of emails! Thank you all for the updates and love. It makes me so happy to know how everyone is doing.
I don't know how many of you heard about the earthquake here in Chile, but no one should worry. As far as I know it was in the North and I didn't feel a thing. Darn! I think it would be kind of fun to feel one...we have had some little trembles but they always happen in the night and I sleep so good normally that I have not felt a single one. I did hear that something burnt down in Provo UT. Was it the temple!? Someone sum it up for me. We, missionaries don't see the news...
So I hope you have all thought about some good goals for 2011! New Years eve guess what me and my companion did...SLEPT! haha. We went to bed at 11 o clock pm like every other night. Hermana Argueta woke up at midnight with all the noise that was happening outside, but I didn't hear a thing. oh well... Happy New Year!
So turns out the bigger the city the more busy the people...In other words, we walk A LOT! At least it is nice and sun shiny though. But we are teaching a mother and son that have baptismal dates this month. The mom is Inet and the son is Pedro. They live with the dad and two more sisters. I would love to teach the whole family... I only pray that one of these days we will find them all home and willing to listen. Since I have only been here two weeks I am still getting to know the area and the investigators. We have like three investigators that want to be baptised but can't because they aren't married and they can't get married because they are waiting on a divorce. Chile is really slow with the whole divorce thing... it's horrible.
Well I really don't have too much to say today. I hope you all celebrated new years well and are enjoying every moment of life. It is only so long you know, we have to enjoy it, every second! If you could all keep our investigators in your prayers I would really appreciate and so will they.
Love,
Hermana Canal
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Feliz ano nuevo
Wow, what a crazy week it has been. I have been getting to know my new ward little by little. This ward is amazing. There is a unity that screams ZION! and I love it. I know that part of that has to do with the fact that there are four missionaries in the field from this ward right now. The missionary blessings aren't just for the family. They are for the entire ward. I hope my home ward is receiving these same blessings of unity too. I sure am grateful for all that my ward at home does to support us out here in the field. Thank you all so much!
When I changed wards right before Christmas I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have felt such a great love from all the members and investigators here, and like always they are showing their love in food. haha. I'm sure you all are realizing from my fotos that my cheeks are getting fuller and fuller. haha. good thing I only have one more year or my clothes might stop fitting! (I can laugh but no one else should be laughing! :) and no one should be forwarding pictures to Caleb so he can laugh too!)
Christmas Eve was wonderful. We had mission conference that started at 8 am and lasted until 5 pm. It's a good thing Hermana Argueta and I practiced all the Christmas hymns in the bus ride to the church because when I got there I was asked to lead all the music for the entire day and then later I was asked to sing a solo in the conference! I think the Lord is trying to tell me something about my future in music...I may be returning to a previously thought about major directing music. I absolutely love doing it. Well, we will see in one year how I feel. When the conference ended we worked and then went to the house of the family Osorio, a young couple with a little baby. They are both return missionaries and we had so much fun listening to them talk about their missions. We even had permission to be out until 11PM! WooHOo! haha.
The next day, Christmas day, our zone got together, all 20 elders and me and my companion, to cook breakfast, watch a movie, and play dodgeball. The dodgeball part was super interesting. haha. Then we went to sing Christmas carols in a nearby hospital. It was a beautiful experience. We all had Christmas hats(Hermana Arguetta and I wore ours all Christmas Eve evening and all Christmas day!) Then Christmas night I got to talk to my family! Yay! It was so great. Hard to talk in English...but still great. It's weird to think that I have been away from them for 6 months already and that in 1 more year I will see them all. I got an email from my companion, Hermana Barre, that is now in her house in Ecuador and that was even stranger...to think about my companion at home. Really though, I was a bit scared to talk to my family. I thought it might distract me, but it was all the opposite. They gave me the energy and strength that I needed to push on and do what the Lord has called me to do, to teach the people of Chile about Jesus Christ and His restored church in the earth with a baptism that is authorized by God. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to share such a wonderful message during this beautiful Christmas season and every day of my life! I love my mission! I love every minute of it. Its not always easy, but I am learning and growing to love my Savior Jesus Christ in a way I never thought possible. Thank you all so much for your love and support. It means the world to me.
Just so you all know, this Christmas I celebrated Halloween with a package from Janay, Thanksgiving with a package from my memaw and Christmas with a package from the Duncan family. haha. I guess the mail between the states and Chile isn't the greatest, but that's ok. It was super fun and I loved it ALL. Thank you so much! If you sent packages and I did not get them yet, don't worry, maybe I will get them for my birthday in March!
love
hermana Canal
When I changed wards right before Christmas I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I have felt such a great love from all the members and investigators here, and like always they are showing their love in food. haha. I'm sure you all are realizing from my fotos that my cheeks are getting fuller and fuller. haha. good thing I only have one more year or my clothes might stop fitting! (I can laugh but no one else should be laughing! :) and no one should be forwarding pictures to Caleb so he can laugh too!)
Christmas Eve was wonderful. We had mission conference that started at 8 am and lasted until 5 pm. It's a good thing Hermana Argueta and I practiced all the Christmas hymns in the bus ride to the church because when I got there I was asked to lead all the music for the entire day and then later I was asked to sing a solo in the conference! I think the Lord is trying to tell me something about my future in music...I may be returning to a previously thought about major directing music. I absolutely love doing it. Well, we will see in one year how I feel. When the conference ended we worked and then went to the house of the family Osorio, a young couple with a little baby. They are both return missionaries and we had so much fun listening to them talk about their missions. We even had permission to be out until 11PM! WooHOo! haha.
The next day, Christmas day, our zone got together, all 20 elders and me and my companion, to cook breakfast, watch a movie, and play dodgeball. The dodgeball part was super interesting. haha. Then we went to sing Christmas carols in a nearby hospital. It was a beautiful experience. We all had Christmas hats(Hermana Arguetta and I wore ours all Christmas Eve evening and all Christmas day!) Then Christmas night I got to talk to my family! Yay! It was so great. Hard to talk in English...but still great. It's weird to think that I have been away from them for 6 months already and that in 1 more year I will see them all. I got an email from my companion, Hermana Barre, that is now in her house in Ecuador and that was even stranger...to think about my companion at home. Really though, I was a bit scared to talk to my family. I thought it might distract me, but it was all the opposite. They gave me the energy and strength that I needed to push on and do what the Lord has called me to do, to teach the people of Chile about Jesus Christ and His restored church in the earth with a baptism that is authorized by God. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to share such a wonderful message during this beautiful Christmas season and every day of my life! I love my mission! I love every minute of it. Its not always easy, but I am learning and growing to love my Savior Jesus Christ in a way I never thought possible. Thank you all so much for your love and support. It means the world to me.
Just so you all know, this Christmas I celebrated Halloween with a package from Janay, Thanksgiving with a package from my memaw and Christmas with a package from the Duncan family. haha. I guess the mail between the states and Chile isn't the greatest, but that's ok. It was super fun and I loved it ALL. Thank you so much! If you sent packages and I did not get them yet, don't worry, maybe I will get them for my birthday in March!
love
hermana Canal
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Feliz Navidad
Wow...I could write a 5 page letter full of all that I have done, felt, and learned this week, but I will try to contain myself...where to start?!
Last Thursday my companion went home...it was really weird. Wednesday we had a group family home evening in the kitchen of the church with our three converts and their families. Also one of Hermana Barre´s converts and his family from La Ligua came (that is an hour and a half drive for a family home evening! wow) It was sad but fun at the same time. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and crying and eventually when I just couldn't handle the tears anymore I went to wash dishes. haha- my stress relief. When it was all finally over and we got to the house I was up until 2 am with Hermana Barre packing. It was fun to talk to someone who knows they will be home in the next 24 hours after a year and a half without seeing family, giving all of your time and energy to the Lord. Her thoughts are probably a lot like mine will be in one more year. Hermana Barre was a great example to me and I hope to finish my mission having learned as much and become as close to my Savior as possible, like she did.
The weekend was super interesting. I did a lot of splits because we were left with 3 missionaries in a ward with 2 areas. I still needed to be in my side of the ward and so I spent part of Friday and the entire day Saturday with one of the 21 year old girls in our ward, Valeria. This day I learned so much about so much and I feel like I still have so much to learn and will never learn enough! At least I am improving... I hope. haha. A lot of what I am learning is more like relearning and refining. For example, Valeria helped me remember how it is to be a member of the church and not a missionary. She has a boyfriend who is not a member and they have been dating for a year now. She has talked to him a little bit about the gospel, but is scared to really bring it up. I had forgotten about this fear that members have about sharing the gospel with their loved ones, but I hope that now that I remember I will be able to use this experience to help the members understand how to be missionaries. I really hope Valeria decides to serve a mission. She would be an amazing missionary.
I also learned this past week, little by little, how to be more humble...I don't know how many of you know this but before the mission I was very proud...I'm sure you all know. I am sure it was obvious to everyone but me...the sad thing is I had no idea! Now that I am realizing I feel absolutely ridiculous. I hope you will all forgive me for the ingrate that I was and the stubborn impatient prideful daughter, sister, grand daughter, niece, or friend that I was. I will not promise that in one more year I will return much better, but I want you all to know that I have realized, I am sorry, and I am praying for help and working my hardest to improve.
Something, more like someone, that helped me to realize my faults is Elsa. This lady of about 55 years is absolutely wonderful. I love her. In our first lesson with her she cried with joy when we explained the restoration and living prophets and she accepted the book of Mormon immediately as the word of God. In her second lesson we presented and she accepted a baptismal date for the 22 of January. Ithe her third lesson Valeria and I explained Joseph smith more in detail and taught more about prayer.When I told her at the end of the lesson that she needs to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet she looked at me and said, "like I'm doubting?" ...WOW. amazing. This is all possible because in her first lesson Elsa felt the spirit, we were able to explain what she felt, and she recognized it for what it was. She feels the spirit testify to her that what we are teaching is the truth and has such great faith that she accepts without doubt all that we teach. Her humility and faith is astounding. I have so much room to grow.
Sadly I will not be in San Francisco to learn more from Elsa and watch her progress and change her life...I have been changed. Tomorrow at 8am I will be leaving San Francisco for Vina and then for my new ward in Trunk al uno Quillota. It's like 3 hours from Vina. woohoo! I am excited for the bus ride. haha.
Not gonna lie, it was a big surprise to me that I am moving, but the Lord knows best. I am trusting in him. My new companion is Hermana Arguetta. She is from El Salvador. I know her a little bit already from a few days we had together in my first month here. She will be a wonderful companion and I will learn so much from her I am sure, but it is still sad that i am leaving a place that i love so much. i didn't want to cry in church so I didn't say anything to anyone, but somehow in the primary Christmas presentation last night the word got out...I was crying, everyone was crying, it was horrible. haha.
Well next week I will let you all know about my new ward and companion and everything, but I am out of time and you are all probably tired of reading.
lots of love,
hermana canal
Last Thursday my companion went home...it was really weird. Wednesday we had a group family home evening in the kitchen of the church with our three converts and their families. Also one of Hermana Barre´s converts and his family from La Ligua came (that is an hour and a half drive for a family home evening! wow) It was sad but fun at the same time. Everyone was saying their goodbyes and crying and eventually when I just couldn't handle the tears anymore I went to wash dishes. haha- my stress relief. When it was all finally over and we got to the house I was up until 2 am with Hermana Barre packing. It was fun to talk to someone who knows they will be home in the next 24 hours after a year and a half without seeing family, giving all of your time and energy to the Lord. Her thoughts are probably a lot like mine will be in one more year. Hermana Barre was a great example to me and I hope to finish my mission having learned as much and become as close to my Savior as possible, like she did.
The weekend was super interesting. I did a lot of splits because we were left with 3 missionaries in a ward with 2 areas. I still needed to be in my side of the ward and so I spent part of Friday and the entire day Saturday with one of the 21 year old girls in our ward, Valeria. This day I learned so much about so much and I feel like I still have so much to learn and will never learn enough! At least I am improving... I hope. haha. A lot of what I am learning is more like relearning and refining. For example, Valeria helped me remember how it is to be a member of the church and not a missionary. She has a boyfriend who is not a member and they have been dating for a year now. She has talked to him a little bit about the gospel, but is scared to really bring it up. I had forgotten about this fear that members have about sharing the gospel with their loved ones, but I hope that now that I remember I will be able to use this experience to help the members understand how to be missionaries. I really hope Valeria decides to serve a mission. She would be an amazing missionary.
I also learned this past week, little by little, how to be more humble...I don't know how many of you know this but before the mission I was very proud...I'm sure you all know. I am sure it was obvious to everyone but me...the sad thing is I had no idea! Now that I am realizing I feel absolutely ridiculous. I hope you will all forgive me for the ingrate that I was and the stubborn impatient prideful daughter, sister, grand daughter, niece, or friend that I was. I will not promise that in one more year I will return much better, but I want you all to know that I have realized, I am sorry, and I am praying for help and working my hardest to improve.
Something, more like someone, that helped me to realize my faults is Elsa. This lady of about 55 years is absolutely wonderful. I love her. In our first lesson with her she cried with joy when we explained the restoration and living prophets and she accepted the book of Mormon immediately as the word of God. In her second lesson we presented and she accepted a baptismal date for the 22 of January. Ithe her third lesson Valeria and I explained Joseph smith more in detail and taught more about prayer.When I told her at the end of the lesson that she needs to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet she looked at me and said, "like I'm doubting?" ...WOW. amazing. This is all possible because in her first lesson Elsa felt the spirit, we were able to explain what she felt, and she recognized it for what it was. She feels the spirit testify to her that what we are teaching is the truth and has such great faith that she accepts without doubt all that we teach. Her humility and faith is astounding. I have so much room to grow.
Sadly I will not be in San Francisco to learn more from Elsa and watch her progress and change her life...I have been changed. Tomorrow at 8am I will be leaving San Francisco for Vina and then for my new ward in Trunk al uno Quillota. It's like 3 hours from Vina. woohoo! I am excited for the bus ride. haha.
Not gonna lie, it was a big surprise to me that I am moving, but the Lord knows best. I am trusting in him. My new companion is Hermana Arguetta. She is from El Salvador. I know her a little bit already from a few days we had together in my first month here. She will be a wonderful companion and I will learn so much from her I am sure, but it is still sad that i am leaving a place that i love so much. i didn't want to cry in church so I didn't say anything to anyone, but somehow in the primary Christmas presentation last night the word got out...I was crying, everyone was crying, it was horrible. haha.
Well next week I will let you all know about my new ward and companion and everything, but I am out of time and you are all probably tired of reading.
lots of love,
hermana canal
Monday, December 13, 2010
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