Hola from Punta Arenas at the end of the world!

Oh my goodnesss so much has happened in just week. It`s going to be hard to fit everything into one email.

So I found out I was going to Punte Arenas and after I finished my letter to my family I found out that I had to take a small plane to my area and could only bring two suitcases with me. They would have to send my other suitcase on a bus but it would take two weeks to get to me in my new area! so I spent the rest of the night trying to repack and make sure i had everything i would need for only the next two weeks. i had a weight limit too, it was rough and stressful but i got it done.

Hna Coombs left her passport on the plane but they have in the santiago airport and they`re going to send it to the mission home. until then shes gonna hang out in a trio in orsorno.

I had to wake up earlier than everyone else the next morning to drive to the airport. It was just me and a couple other missionaries going. we landed and had to take a bus to the church building in Punta Arenas. there i met Hermana Baker! she`s so great and sweet and patient and I love her so much. she`s really good at spanish and only speaks spanish to me (unless i really down understand her) she`s from utah, has nine siblings and has been out on her mission for nine months. she`s the best, we have a lot of fun.

my first day was stressful we went straight away to have lunch at the relief society presidents house. I had no idea what she was saying, it was like she was speaking a different language...

The people here sometimes talk like they have cotton balls in their mouths, they`re lazy with their words and drop the last constenants like im not hermana williams, im hermana william

they had random slang words like po to the end of everything and words like cachai and bacan. its crazy.

Im getting a little bit better and better at understanding day by day. sometimes i get frustrated and i have to remind myself that it hasnt even been a full week yet, ive got time.

The people here are super nice and friendly. they all do the cheek kissing thing.

okay our casa is really small. there only three rooms. bedroom, livingroom and kitchen and our bathroom. We have a radiator for heat but it only really warms the living room, the bedroom gets really cold and the bathroom is an icebox.

It`s super cold here, and windy. It snowed on Friday. At night I have to sleep with six blankets and wear long thermal leggings, wool socks, thermal pullover and a wool hat. its really hard to get up in the morming.

the best thing i brought on my mission are by Bog boots, they are life savers.

its also super windy, powerlines get knocked down or snap all the time so we have to be careful.

this city is full of stray dogs, so many its ridiculous. and they poop everywhere. if you`re walking on the side of the road or in grass you have to watch where you step. sometimes dogs will follow us around as we knock on doors.

the main meal here is lunch. we eat something small for breakfast like cereal and hot herbal tea. then we go to a members house and eat a huge lunch with like three courses. we dont really have dinner. its just whatever we can find in the house when we come home at night. they eat a lot of pasta, sausage, chicken, rice, potatoes, bread  and tomatoes. the bread here is ridiculously delicious. the average desert is fruit, cakes or icecream. its delicious. way better then the food in the CCM haha.

we`ve had several lessons this week with some really wonderful people. I was able to invite a girl named Luz to be baptized. There are some lessons where I can understand and talk but then there are others when i have no idea what is being said and i sit there in silence

The things that prepared me most for my mission I think are seminary, my year at BYU and going to France, because of france im already used to sitting in silence and not knowing whats goin on haha.

we knock a lot of doors. we have goals like we always knock doors with yellow houses, green fences and we always talk to people who are smoking on the street haha (because the two times we talked to people who were smoking they were our best  contacts that day haha) (every house has a iron fence and if its locked we have to bang on the fence with a rock to get their attention inside)

the people here will never flat out tell you no, they tell you to come back another time. they`re super nice even if they dont mean it haha. and they love to talk.

Church yesterday was super fun. the ward is small but amazing, like one big happy family! they are all very welcoming. I had to get up and introduce myself and give my testimony, and it went pretty well.

the day before, saturday, the ward had a service activity and went to an old folks home. we sang hymns, passed out hot chocolate and cookies. some niños performed skits and plays and some young men and young women performed the traditional chilean dance the cuaca (not sure on spelling) it was awesome to watch. the girls wear big full skirts and the boys wear boots with spurs they dance around each other with handkerchiefs. it was so cool.

oh so much has happened. i really like it here, it feels like a blur though. i dont feel too culture shocked or homesick. i havent cried yet, only from the spirit.  i just really want to get better at spanish. i make a lot of mistakes everyday but i just laugh at myself. no pet penguin yet, i heard that in november is when they show up. Mom what i could really use if you havent sent that package yet is hand warmers and something to keep my ears warm.

the spirit is strong, i love reading the scriptures. being here isnt as hard as i thought it was going to be... but maybe it will get harder.

I know the church is true. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior, i have felt this testified to me time and time again. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be a missionary. this truly is a message of happiness.

Until next week, i love you all so much!

love, Hermana Williams