Hills and Lessons

Feb 3, 2014

Dear Family and friends,

Well...first on the list is a shout out to my now-married brother. How absolutely crazy. I still remember when he used to chase me around with his nerf gun. Yikes.

This week was a week of lessons and some striking experiences. You all know (or maybe I just think that everyone knows these things) that Chile, as far as south america goes, is very well off. It´s one of the wealthiest countries in south america, and so although it's different from home, it's not drastically poor or scaringly different. But this week we went on exchanges with the sisters of a little tiny town that's called Rio Negro, and it's a rural freckle that's nestled in-between forest, rivers and scattered over steep hills. It's beautiful there--but with a life style that would shock the average chilean. (but, sadly, I don't have any pictures because I forgot my camera. Dang.)

There, in Rio Negro, we had two appointments that surprised me. The first was with a recent convert named Victor, a seventy year old man with the disposition of a child. We taught him, and afterward, one of the sisters I was with (I was in a trio) explained that we were going to help him learn how to read. And so there, outside of a wooden shack in plastic chairs, in the midst of long grass, wild kittens and a clear blue sky, we sat and, letter for letter, tried to explain how the odd looking marks on a piece of paper corresponded to sounds that one makes in the mouth. I was humbled--shocked--and said a little prayer. I looked deep into his eye, the eyes of a little wrinkled old man, struggling to pronounce Duck ("pato") ..and saw glimmer, the echo of divinity that was within him. The son of God that had been sent from to a little no-name-town in the south of chile,  but yet was dearly loved by our heavenly father, had a glorious past, had come from so much more. How could I not help him understand that he was my brother? 

One hour later, I found myself in another teeny shack, face to face with a big woman--a version of Gypsy Esmerelda but in her not so elegant sixties-- whose curly graying hairs were escaping from her scarf wrapped around her head, whose wagging teeth and big painted smile appeared every time she told "and PRAISE the LORD. And many GOD bless YOU my DAUGHTER for being HERE. AMEN. sister. AMEN. Thank you for saying that. AMEN. and may God bless your mission." The truth is I adored her within the first five minutes, because I have a special place in my heart for the evangelical church (sometimes..) But she was baptized years ago, but firmly believes in San Sebastian and has strong Evangelical roots (that explains the frequent Amens.) and so is a fun mix of catholic, evangelical and mormon. What touched me about Edith was her story. She had been a prostitute, "child, I sold my body" and had given up her daughter for adoption because she couldn't afford to have her, and had been beaten with rocks by her two neighbors every night after work. And she had read Alma 32, the chapter the sisters had left for her, three times and had taken notes and wanted to go over all of the verses that she likes. She told us "the world..it is gonna BEAT you UP. But you are protected by God, you can walk in the midst of the wolves and they will not take you"

And again...it was the same feeling…when I could look in her eyes, and see who she really was. She was a daughter of God who had come here, and life had beaten her up--almost destroyed her--but she was still a royal daughter of God with a marvelous heritage. 

Do we really understand who we are? I don’t think I truly understand, but I am coming to see. And it is changing everything.

Elder Utchdorf says "this basic truth, that we are children of God, should changed our vision of ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and life itself" (translated Hma Monroe version) 

And its true. we are children of God. I want to invite you all to look every person you meet in the eyes, and search for the divinity within them. Because you will see it.

Love you all!

Hermana Monroe

Oh! here, everything is stove heated..so we made Smores with a family on sunday. WAY too fun!