Week 6: Cambios!

Pic with "Hermana" Coke

Close up of Hermana

 Well, this was the last week of my first change. Crazy! We´re getting a new zone leader, and our district leader is training this change. I´m excited to meet the new greenie. This means I´m not the youngest here! Ahah!

Anyhow. I don´t have much time right now, but I went on divisions a couple times (which gringas, yes!) And it was good. I learn much more about the culture when I talk to people who actually find it strange x3

We had an activity for the Gospel Essentials class where all our recent converts and investigators attend. It was this past Saturday, and since on Sunday we learned about service, we decided to all clean the chapel. It was super fun, and we had a decent turnout. Afterwards we celebrated the birthday of the girl that we baptized a couple weeks ago, and we ate sweet bread and fresco de chicha. It´s an interesting juice...it kind of tastes like a hamburger in a juice. At least that´s how it tastes to me.

So yeah. This week was full of walking, Spanish, crazy dogs, catcalls, near death experiences on buses, the works. I love this crazy little country and I´m so glad I get to spend the next 15 months getting to know it even better. Thank you everyone for your love and support, and sorry this email was so short.

This week, I reread the talk by Elder Holland from this past conference entitled, "Where Justice Love and Mercy Meet." Herman Miza has a recording of it in Spanish, so I listened to that and then found the Liahona issue in English and read it in my own language x3 It´s fantastic. If you want to understand the beauty and the complexity of the atonement more, I highly recommend looking that up. 

I also read a scripture somewhere in the Bible, I can´t remember where right now, about being chastized. Specifically that of God. When we´re shown the things in which we need to improve, we often feel taken aback and attacked, which is normal. It hurts to be told that we´re doing something wrong. But I love what the scripture said. When God chastens us, he´s doing it because he loves us. It hurts at first, but if we take what we learned to heart, and try our best to improve, we will be so blessed, and we will see the rewards of our efforts. 

Never forget that God has a plan for each of us! Life is so hard, and it´s so hard to do the right thing. But it´s always possible when we remember the reason we do all this things. 

Until next week! I love you all!

- Hermana Oliphant

After service at the church

all the sisters in the zone

Zone picture

Sunset last Saturday