This week was crazy fast. we spent all of tuesday running around punta arenas saying goodbye to people and taking care of last minute things before hermana baker left. we met with Nibaldo for the last time and then went to the funeral (day 3) this time there was more of an actual service, we sang again, and then we all walked in the streets and followed the hurse to the cemetary. i guess people do that here. we taught victor and blanca for the last time, super sad. they showered hermana baker with gifts. they gave us matching journals and victor decorated a little glass vase for her, he etched a flower, a profile of Christ and her name and Punta arenas. it was so sweet. blanca knit her a scarf and victor wrote a three page letter. we sang for the last night, we sang Abide with me tis even tide and blanca cried the whole time. it was so bitter sweet.
Hermana Jenkins is my new companion, shes from Utah and has only been in the mission for about 6 months, not much more than me. but her spanish is super good. shes very different from hermana baker and it took me a couple days to get used to her. shes super funny and the members and investigators already love her, shes just super chill and laid back and willing to joke around and have fun with them. shes also completely okay with staying completely silent for 20 minutes while we walk which was hard to adjust because Hermana baker hated silence and was always coming up with conversations, so now its my turn to break the ice haha. but shes great and we're getting to know each other more and more everyday and its fun.
im leading the sector now which is kind of overwhelming and its a sink or swim moment now but i feel like im swimming. seriously, wednesday, my first day without hermana baker was a day of miracles. i was actually able to understand victor and blanca and talk with them. suddenly spanish doesnt seem so hard, i can speak without thinking. its still hard and i still make lots of mistakes and there are still people i cant understand but im a lot more confident know. i feel like now i can really say "yes, i speak spanish" and its fun to see that progression.
we taught Nibaldo and we tricked hermana Jenkins into thinking he could only speak spanish. in the middle of the lesson he started talking in english and she started freaking out. it was hilarious. we got to teach him in english and she felt so weird, it was her first time ever teaching in english. we have a rule with nibaldo that we cant speak english with him in public, but if he wants we can teach him in english. Nibaldo is hilarious, hes like our best friend. he had his interview with the bishop and is probably going to recieve the priesthood next sunday! and his mom is in town here in punta arenas, we're hoping to be able to talk and share a little with her.
im out of my training so now we work in the morning before lunch and its hard because no body is awake or wants to answer their doors. we dont have very many people to teach because we just had two baptisms and we focused all our efforts in that and now its kind of "now what?" lots of contacting and knocking doors. exploring parts of our huge sector that ive never seen. its been kind of hard.
dad thanks for sending your testimony to victor, he probably didnt respond because he just doesnt know how to
i wish i was home to help you decorate the house mom, im gonna miss that alot. tonight we´re going to help Juan our ward mission leader and his mom decorate their house for christmas. their house is enormous! we're excited! with Juan we're planning to have a ward activity to go caroling and drop off cookies for menos activos.
i dont know a lot about christmas here. i know that people have nativity scenes theyre called Pesebres. and their not huge, or super common but people do decorate like crazy with santa clause stuff. its interesting, more people are into or excited for the new year than for christmas.
i dont know if you all have already seen it, but this week we've been sharing the mormon.org video " He is the gift" with everybody. in spanish its " Él es la Dádiva" its fantastic, i love it. please share it with everyone! put it on my facebook!
I know that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world and through him we can gain the life eternal. i know that this church is true, i feel it everyday. there are really hard days but im really glad im here.
love, Hermana Williams
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