Everyday Is Fantastic Because I Am A Missionary!

(September 15, 2014)

Hola, hola! What a week! Man, it was rough!! But it’s all good. Hermana Gomez and I keep pressing forward. Some days are hard, but every day is fantastic because I am a missionary! I love it. I celebrated a month on the mission on the 13th! My first month in Chile literally flew by! It is still really hard to understand the people here. Haha I pray for patience every day. It’s gotten easier. I love being here in Chile! It’s so great. 

Hermana Mittleman & Hermana Gomez

We had a Zone Conference on Thursday. Elder Resek from the Seventy (I think) came and spoke to us, as well as Presidente and la Hermana Wright. Elder Resek is from Argentina, but he didn’t really have a heavy accent, and I was able to understand most of what he said. I got to sing in a little musical number with some hermanas. It was nerve racking!!! And my prayer went well!! Simple and short! Haha good times. Elder Resek spoke about how we need to teach with power as missionaries. The message we have is so important. We need to study hard and prepare well so those we teach can feel the truth of it. It was a powerful meeting. As the closing hymn, we sang Yo Se que Vive Mi Senor (I Know that my Redeemer Lives). Of course I thought of my dear abuelita Ana! I miss her, but I feel her close to me here in Chile. Especially when we teach little old ladies. I can just see her sitting next to me rolling her eyes as these little old ladies go on and on and on about their lives and what not haha. 

On Saturday there was a huge stake fiesta celebrating the 18th of Septiembre, which is a big holiday here. There was a lot of meat and empanadas. Each ward put together a little skit of dancing. It was fun to learn more about the culture of Chile. All the ladies had on these beautiful dresses. Love it!!! The traditional dances were so presh and legit! It was raining so hard! Everyone was packed into the cultural hall. After the activity Hermana Gomez and I, and Hermanas Huber and Alcantara helped clean the chapel for Sunday...it was pretty dirty. I loved being able to serve and beautify the chapel. 

Sunday was good. I have a little cold, so I woke up feeling exhausted and a little miserable. I was crying a little bit before we left for church. Stress, sickness, and homesickness.... However! Church was awesome. Sacrament meeting was awesome. I pondered on the Savior during the Sacrament, and I felt the spirit very strongly. Often the Savior does not take our problems away, but he gives us the comfort and love we need to endure!! We can always access His love and mercy. He is never far away from us. I have learned this for myself while here in Chile. I have had to rely on my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ so much! I know they love us. So for lunch on Sunday we went to la case de la familia Ortiz Cortes. They have this huge house! It’s so nice. And they are both so nice. They have two hijos who are probably like 10 and 8 or something. They remind me so much of my cousin Brody!! All they want to do is play and run around hahaha. They fed us lasagne (spelling?), chorizo, carne, and ensalada. Hermana Gomez and I were so full after haha! They even gave us ice cream! It made me feel like I was home in California with my dear family. Miss y’all. 

I am doing well! I love being a missionary! I am learning to be more like my Savior. Hope you all have a lovely week! Remember who you are! 

Hermana Mittleman