RAHUE

Jan 13, 2014

Dear Family,

I was sitting in the black beat up collectivo on my way to the Cyber to write you all, ricketing past the colored houses and grey buildings, smooshed in with five other people, trying not to be distracted by the Bob Marley music blasting and so to keep myself occupied I wrote you a little anagram for the week: 

Reuniones

Activar: Plan Menos activos

Hermana Rivas

Urban Suburb

Eliana y Jorge

And together...it spells RAHUE!! Rahue is the suburb of Osorno where I am, and it is pronounced Raw-way (Hue is a maphuche--the indigenous of Chile-- word, and it actually means way. cool, right?) 

But the fun thing about my little anagram is that each work has a little smidgeon about my week. So...here goes with the details..

Reuniones: we had a HUGE meeting with president on Friday, with all the zone leaders and sister training leaders and we were there ALL day. Alllllll dayyyy. ..because after we had a meeting for just the STLs. This really wasn’t an important detail about my week, but it IS where we took this photo that I am sending you 

Activar: in this area we seriously have SO many people to work with that many times it´s a bit overwhelming. In the best way possible…Of course. But the really incredible part is that our less actives are progressing! we visited three complete families this week, had lessons that slammed the spirit, asked the what was THEIR goal to come closer to Christ, and the THREE complete families came to church on Sunday. I have never had a week where so many people that we had visited showed up in the chapel

Hermana Rivas: Love her. She is 23, from Nicaragua, has fiercely curling hair, and we do NOT leave the house until she has done her hair, has all her makeup on, has her matching earrings and her lip gloss placed. And you know what? I adore her. She is a phenomenal teacher, hard worker, and SO dedicated and easy to get along with. She also has the really incredible ability to stop in the middle of the street and say "you know what? can we knock THAT door?" and it usually opens...she is someone who has dedicated herself to work in the hands of the Lord, and I am learning so much from her. I am also learning, to my UTTER surprise,. that I need to calm down sometimes. She tells me "hermana! jusst relax! (she says it in english too haha)" It´s true…I am learning that sometimes I have to realize that just because the Lord wants us to do everything in our power doesn´t mean, either, that I am have to be power walking down the street contacting every single person. I am learning to take a deep breath and take it easy. (and I always thought I was relaxed. what do you mean I am not relaxed?? what? relaxed? of course I am relaxed!! oh...maybe not soo much as I thought..)

Urban suburn. Rahue is a summer paradise with a TON of families, parks and filled with cookie cutter concrete houses. it´s a missionaries’ dream.

Eliana and Jorge: they are one of the families that we visited this week that came to church. They have been sealed in the temple, are an older couple (about forty years old I think?). They have one dog that is the most SPOILED and love dog that I have ever met named "Pequeña" or small..and pequeña herself, when we went, was in charge of picking who was going to say the first and last prayer. Oh heavens. But they have been less active for years, Eliana had assisted for the first time in many years last sunday, and as we shared with them Jorge (a returned missionary and everything,)  explained that Eliana had inactivated first, and it was so difficult for him to keep going without her that he decided that he wasn’t going to come back until she did, but that he was just WAITING to come back. But not until she had a testimony...whew. (sometimes I think my mission should count for therapy practice...like for being a marriage counselor and therapist all in one). Anyways, we had arranged with Eliana that she was going to come to church with us, and so Hermana Rivas and I arrived there on the corned and waited...and waitied...and waited..and were about to leave when we decided to wait five more minutes. And just exactly at ten, we saw Eliana, and she was accompanied by JORGE!! THEY BOTH CAME! It was un utter miracle, and he was glowing the whole time in the chapel. 

It was a family saved, on their way to healing. 

Well family, I love you all, and I hope you all take the time to really study the scriptures, and that all is well!!

Love 

Hermana Monroe