Week 61/76 Las Chicas De Dios

Do you prefer your hotdogs in a bun, a bowl of mashed peas, or as a layer in your pasta lasagna? Asking for a friend. 

So much has happened this week where do I start? 

I bought better yerba for my mate! I know some of you foreigners are probably asking "what is mate?" It's pronounced (maw-tay). Basically you take some herbs (that smell questionably similiar to what I used to feed my pet rabbit) then you put it in a special cup, shake it up, add sugar if you want, add some hot water, then sip it through a special filtered straw. It's a Chilean classic, and they take it very seriously. 

We casually mentioned the ward family home evening on Wednesday and our friend Cinthia just showed up, then came to a relief society activity, and came to church on Sunday, we love a self sufficient single mom. 

One day while we were sitting on a bench in the shade to avoid heatstroke, our friend Linda walked by to pick up her kids from school, she bought us Chilean fruit otter pops! We also met Carla waiting for her son and we gave her our number. 

Another random rainy day, we didn't get soaked this time, but we did share a loaf of chocolate bread under the cover of a bus stop. 

Saturday was packed, we had a blitz in the morning, and then by the time we finished lunch and got back to our sector it was time for the relief society activity. We learned about the covenant path, and self sufficiency, then we learned how to make economic laundry detergent, and played a questionable ice breaker/get to know you game with matches. 

Sunday was probably the best day of the week. It was the primary program. I always love to see the little kids singing their hearts out and the older kids sharing their first testimony. We also had 6 of our converts, and 3 friends come to church, Ricardo received the priesthood and, to top it off, almost the whole ward stayed after for the baptism of Araceli!! 

I've never seen anyone more ready for to make a covenant with God! Afterward she just kept saying that she felt like new, she was glowing, and later in the week said that she has wanted to go to the temple since the first time she saw it!   

So I was on a spiritual happiness high for the weekend, and the last four days have just flown by. On Monday we got transfer news, and I could not have guessed that I would only have one transfer in Linares. After a few sad days of goodbyes and a final family home evening, I had to say goodbye to my beloved hermana Hafer! 

I'm now back in Concepción, in Chillancito, with hermana Dyreng, from North Carolina. It'll be a good change to be back in the city. And I'm excited to see what happens in this next chapter of my mission, oh yeah I hit 14 months last week! 

Happy Thanksgiving!! Love you guys! 

- Hermana Pratt