Ok I'm really bummed that you haven't gotten that package! I sent it my first p-day here...3 weeks ago! Ugh. I really want it to get to you! There's a letter in there that's way outdated now, but the chocolate is the important part!! I don't know what the deal is. Let me know when you do get it...if you do get it.
Anyways, how is everyone? It was great to get your emails! I will read them more in depth later after I print them out. And Grace, thanks for the letter! I liked the pink pen. And it was fun to hear all about what is going on. You RAN the Y? That's awesome. I will do that sometime when I get home. I weighed myself this morning (big mistake). I need to stop eating chocolate and cheese. Well maybe not stop all together, but definitely back off alot. I promised myself I wouldn't buy anymore at least for the rest of the transfer...about 2 weeks. Pray for me that I can be disciplined enough ok? haha.
So we didn't have super high numbers this week as far as lessons, etc. We realized that we were filling our time with a lot of easy rendez-vous with people that weren't really progressing and probably don't have the intention of progressing much. So we prayerfully made the decision to take a break from some of these and focus a big majority of our time on finding. It's hard! Like I really enjoy talking to people and knocking on doors and stuff, but if I'm going to be honest, people are not really interested. And then the people that we do find and set up meetings with end up not showing up. It's a little discouraging. BUT I've been studying about/praying about/working on patience a lot lately and I just have to remember that the Lord knows our efforts and the perfect timing for everything. Plus, having the ability to patiently work and wait for things is something that is NECESSARY for us to be perfected like Him. That applies to alot alot alot of things, including learning French and Spanish. Hmm. Hard but true, right?
We did teach this couple the other night. They are the neighbors of the Cornettas, a member family in the Sal鋦e (French) ward. So we had a big family home evening type of thing with Romano and Magali (the nonmembers...I can't remember their last name), the Cornettas, and theVolpacellis (a really great couple...they are originally Italian, grew up here and speak French, Italian and English...I love them). It was so fun and we ate a lot and then we had a really great lesson about prophets and just the blessings that the gospel brings to our lives. Since there were a lot of people there and a lot of people talking, it was hard to get a word in (especially since it's hard to keep up with minimal French) but Fr鋨e Cornetta specifically gave me the opportunity to bear my testimony. It was awesome. THEN we invited them to start reading the Book of Mormon and to come to Church the next day, and they did both! But they won't meet with us yet. We'll just keep praying for them, because I seriously want to teach them so badly. Think how amazing it would be for the whole family to accept the gospel and the blessings. We are going to keep trying.
So I've got some stories for you. Most of them are little and probably super insignificant, but a lot of times, they are what make our weeks interesting haha. On Sunday, Hermano Chumi (I'm confident that I spelled his name incorrectly) told me I needed to present myself and bear a testimony in Sacrament meeting in Spanish... bah! Remember how I can't really speak Spanish? Also, the other new missionary in the ward, who already spoke it fluently, had to bear his testimony too. So he gets up there and bears this lovely thing in perfect Spanish, with a scripture and everything, and then I get up there and struggle through some super simple sentences haha. My opening line was this: 'Como pueden ver, o como pueden oir, no hablo espanol. Pero...' But I said some stuff and it wasn't terrible. The elders were so impressed haha. Yesss. Sister Metro was like a proud mother out in the congregation. I feel pretty good about it haha!
We went to the Natural History museum last P-day because it is FREE and it was actually pretty cool. It was like a bigger Bean museum kind of. I attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Just shows what your daughter is up to on her mission haha.
Also, on Thursday, we got onto the tram, and I was just sitting there minding my own business, when I felt a little pain on the back of my arm. I thought at first that it was just a weird itch or something, so I touched my arm, and then there was a dead bee on my hand! I got stung by a bee! I flicked it off of me in disgust and horror and surprise, and I really hope it didn't land on someone, but I don't really care because it stung me! Sister Metro picked the stinger off of my sweater and I started feeling a little weird because I had just gotten stung by a bee. Apparently my sweater saved by life because the stinger didn't go all the way in. But I took my sweater off and my arm started turning all red and white (I attached a picture) and it hurt and I wanted to cry. But I didn't. We called some elders and asked if they knew what to do for bee stings and they said put mud or baking powder or meat tenderizer on it. Well, we didn't have any of those, and by the time we got home it didn't really hurt anymore and the redness had gone down. Basically it wasn't even that bad, but it kind of was haha.
On Friday, we spent a lot of our day in the apartment because we had to paint our kitchen. Nuts, right? They made us do it, and we didn't really want to, but I guess we would have had to do it on Christmas if we didn't do it last week. So we did it. It was kind of fun though. We listened to conference talks and just painted away. It was good that we did though, because the walls were kind of disgusting before. Bleh. I'm pretty sure I still have paint on my arm though. It doesn't come off very well.
The Spanish ward had this talent show the other night and it was a huge deal apparently. There are people from all over in that ward...lots of countries in South America. So they had a bunch of dances and songs and stuff that were pretty cool. Not going to lie though, it reminded me alot of that Latin night at the Rodeo we went to during the summer, where their dances consisted a lot of cool costumes and just kind of swaying to the repetative music. Hmm.
It's been getting really cold here. Like these last two days have been SO SO windy. Yesterday Soeur Lehmann (the lady that we eat with every week) said the news or soemthing said 60 kilometers an hour wind... it was so so strong. We were walking in that wind and a leave hit me in the head! At 60 kph! It felt like a slap haha. But we made a cool discovery of the garage underneath our apartment complex and we've been jogging around in there in the mornings instead of outside. We don't usually have a ton of time, but I estimate that we get about a mile and a half in... another reason why I need to back off on the chocolate haha. uggggh.
Ok one more funny story. So I've told you about our French class right? They are so funny. Yesterday, Soeur Metro was teaching and there were about 7 men in the class. Almost all Hispanic and they don't speak any English. Like at all. There's this one guy who was sitting in the front. His name is Christian. He asked Sister Metro how to say 'Profesora' in French and she was like 'Professeur...nope, actually, Master.' So Christian has been calling her Master Metro since then hahaha. We laughed a lot about that one. I love it.
Thank you so much for getting that package together with the contacts and the CDs! I really do appreciate it. I made a countdown chain... naturally. Also, the stores here totally have Christmas stuff out already. Like little advent calendars but with decent chocolate...hmm. Speaking of Christmas, have y'all signed up for tickets for the DAVID ARCHULETA and MoTab Christmas Concert? I hope you get to go to that one! From today, there are only 60 days until Christmas! I am excited to be able to talk to you again. We only get 45 minutes I guess though. So prepare for that haha.
Anyways, here are some pictures for you. My time is about up, but I love you all very very much!? Thank you so much for your prayers and your letters and everything! Have a marvelous week and I will talk to you next week!
I LOVE YOU!
Love, Allie
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