{ Pringles } #7

                                                                                                                                               

Happy Monday, my loves! 

Hello! Wake up call to Kendall.. You're speaking Spanish now?! Okay! Let's just throw you into Relief Society and have you teach the 30 minute lesson and also give a Sacrament Meeting talk!  Well sure.. Why not?! Thankfully both went super well...I think!  Haha I'm sure I said lots wrong but I'm guessing they got the point! 

I haven't figured out why yet, but when I go to bed at 10:30 pretty much every night there is a horrid noise outside that literally sounds like an end of the world alarm... No one does anything about it and I'm just laying there like... Okay...???  But then I go to sleep and wake up with horrible memories of all these strange dreams! It must be because of that eerie alarm that lulls me to sleep.  However... Last night,  I actually dreamt in Spanish! I Said "Hola" to a cactus. Haha That counts right?! One more step to fluency!

Hermana Rodriguez is getting better at English! She speaks to me in English and then I respond in Spanish!  She continues to ask me the meanings of "hither" and "strife" and "inasmuch" and other scripture words.. Haha She's super smart but still manages to call her pimples "pringles" even after reminding her each time that "pringles" are potato chips haha. 

I love getting to know the culture here! It's super different but so neat! Like how the heck do people hear us clapping outside their houses 75 yards away? People drink yogurt like milk and there is a whole aisle for bagged mayonnaise. What??  Pretty sure there are more dogs than people and you could probably hear a pin drop during Siesta time! Soccer is the competing religion..haha I love this place and it's people! 

Eva, our investigator, is just the best! Her testimony is soaring! We took her to another baptismal service and she brought along Susana who we are teaching again. They both have baptismal dates for the 7th of December. I am so excited for Eva. She is so energetic and full of life. She can't help but smile and want to share her knowledge of the gospel. It was a miracle of how we found her! I will be writing her story after her baptism. Another  miracle is that Eva received a priesthood blessing to stop smoking and since then she has not had one desire!  She has strengthened my testimony so much. 

Here are some more notes on what Elder Holland taught as he visited with us. He mentioned that our purpose as a missionary and in life from morning to night is trying to save a human soul. Bringing them to the way, the truth and the light. He said "Look, I could stand here and talk for hours about what you're supposed to do as a missionary, but I care infinitely more about what and who you are. What we do leads to who we are of course, but who we are supposed to be is a deeply converted person." So it isn't what we say to our investigators but it's who we are.

I am understanding how my time here as a missionary is a true privilege! It's not a sacrifice, it's a gift. I am enjoying my time here more and more every day. Hermana Rodriguez and I have so much fun while inviting everyone to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ!  Few actually listen to us, but those that do are those that want this happiness I love more than life itself.

Sister Holland spoke also and she talked about D&C 88: 63-68.  As we keep our eyes single to the glory of the Lord we will comprehend everything, things of God. It's so true! We have been seeing amazing changes in our branch... There is new leadership and the members seem so much happier than normal.

I know that my faith is like a little mustard seed. Starting out my mission I only believed a lot of things but every single day my testimony grows like a seed as I nourish it.  It grows even deeper when it is tried. It grows even more as I see the people we teach gain a testimony and discover the happiness ahead of them. 

So have a great Thanksgiving everyone! I'm going to try to make a squash pie and some mashed potatoes! That's about as American as it gets! But really, I'm so grateful for you all! Love you lots! :)... Until next week!

-Con amor,

Hermana Barrett

P.S. We are helping the Young Women with their very first Night of Excellence! I am putting together the choir and we are singing three Jenny Phillips songs. Although I have no idea what I'm doing in Spanish sometimes... I do get to serve as much as possible in other ways, like with music!



Where's my boat?

I have no idea what this is! HaHa

#7