"Con Dios nada es impossible"

April 12, 2013

Dear fam and friends

Hellooo! Hope all is well! Everything in Chile is just peachy. And VERY rainy. Rainy and foggy. Fun fact: at times it is like living in that scene from Marry Poppins because there is fog and smoke everywhere, and in order to clean the wood burning stoves that everyone uses to heat their homes, they are actually chimney sweeps...IN REAL LIFE! hahaha!! I was pretty stoked. 

Alright, to explain my heading. We have this song here that goes ¨Con Dios, Nada es impossible¨ and our companionship thinks its really funny. In the words of Hma Centurion "it´s super evangelical!" (she uses this word for everything-- from super cheesy songs to the not so fashionable shirts that the sisters wear in the District DVDs we watch) because the Evangelicals here are kind of...super duper EFYish I guess would be the best way to describe it? Anyways, we love to sing that song as cheesily as we can, because it is just SO kind of well, cheesy, so there was a moment as we walked through the pouring rain and hermana centurion put up her hands to the sky and sang ¨Con dios, nada es impossible!¨" and I laughed so hard. It´s a semi joke, but at the same time not at all because it´s a good reminder for us. Only thing--we had a lesson with a less active (like....twenty years plus inactive) and her daughter, and this sweet sister leaned forward and said, with all sincerity, ¨Con Dios, nada es impossible¨ and tapped the table for emphasis. And thank heavens NONE of us laughed because all we could think of was the song. Whew tender mercy!

Now, for an update. Elma is super awesome! She is progressing, and I think we are finally learning to teach in unity (most likely because hermana reese and I are finally figuring out how to help teach...). Helma is the definition of humble and patient learning, and she said the other day ¨maybe I haven´t received an answer yet about Joseph Smith because I don´t believe it yet--it will come little by little!¨She is better at teaching faith than us!! 

small miracle--we were teaching a woman named Carolina who is super wonderful, and she was talking about reading the book of mormon and she told us ¨So I read it the first time, and didn´t understand anything. the second time, it was a like a miracle, I understood it all!"

There are two things I want to share though. One, the hand of God is Real in this work. I have been writing down a miracle for every day, and there is ALWAYS at least one. I am not saying every day is pure gold easiness, but I can feel his love and power. Other thought--I have never loved a people more than the saints here. Our ward is pretty darn small (with a TON of inactives) but the members have SO much faith and are willing to sacrifice, work and do SO much. Sometimes I want to cry, because they believe, and then they are willing to work and sacrifice. They are literally pioneers. 

And one more fun fact before I have to run: Manjar. Ringing a bell with all those who served in Latin America? They use it like we use nutella--it´s like caramel mixed with sweetened condensed milk and it is quite the snack. Hma Centurion eats is with toast, cheese and toast…on everything. YUM! oh, other fun fact, we had crepes for dessert yesterday at our Mamita´s...and I was thinking of you, Pops, the whole time!! 

Love you all!!

Hermana Monroe