Chili and candy...

Hello everyone.

True story.. The other day it was chilly, so we ate chili in Chile... HEHE!

Started this past week off really strong. We had a FHE that every missionary dreams about.  It was at the YM President’s house. We had less-active members, recent converts and investigators all come – a missionary trifecta! The lesson was great and of course the treats were yummy. Yeah, it was awesome - Yay for missionary work, right? 

Hermana Valladares has been out 11 months!

This past week we celebrated Hermana Valladares’ 11 months in the mission. She is the bomb, I love her so much and I told her she is going to have to be my companion until I leave so she has to extend. She laughed and said ok...I don’t think she realized how much I wasn’t kidding.

Anyways we also found this less active and talked to her who just 3 months ago told Hermana Valladares that she wanted nothing to do with us. She was super nice to us and told us to come back. In Chile there are so many less actives. No joke.... It seems every 1 out of 5 people are less actives – well, it sure feels that way.

Hermana Valladares and I pulled a prank on the other sisters in our pension. We left the door a little open and hid behind the couch and jumped out and scared them. They didn’t think it was funny but we sure did.

Hermana Miller is the sweetest. Some nights she leaves chocolate on our study desks and signs a little note saying it is from the chocolate fairy. It is so sweet of her and if you know me I have a huge sweet tooth.

This past Sunday was Stake Conference and it was super great. We even brought a less-active member that we contacted on the street that week. President Wright and his wife spoke about the atonement and how we need to use it to forgive others. Super awesome and a lesson that I learned the hard way.

This past week I had pizza. Finally, some food that I know! It wasn’t quite as good as my New York pizza but hey, I am not complaining. I also had some chocolate flan for dessert this week and I kind of liked it (Mom - don’t get mad now). I didn’t like flan before the mission but now, its actually pretty good. Same with tomatoes now. I guess a mission really does change you…

Ok and now for a funny story. So we have bunk beds and I was sitting on the top. Yeah, cool, right? I go to get off and I put my feet on the bottom bed and some how, not quite sure how, but I fall. Like, completely wipe out and land on my back, all sprawled out. I’m not sure how it happened but yeah. It was really funny, it doesn’t sound funny, but it really was. Oh no… I think that I am becoming like Mallory, lame jokes and all - pretty soon no one will laugh at my jokes. Well, it was funny.

Love you all and thank you for all the prayers. Be good and write me.

Love,

Hermana Showalter

PS..

Candy called MINI BUM.. HEHE!

"T' was I but Tis not I" one of my favorite quotes from General Conference

My companion is a Hermana leader which means I have divisions (splits with other companionships) every week. This week I was with Hermana Sullenger. another gringa! We spoke English and it was the best. It is so nice to be able to talk and not really have to strain my brain (gringas problems). We had sopapillas which are super delicious but don’t ask me what they are because I don’t even know.

They don't have dinner here but they have “once” (pronounced “own-say” like the number 11 in spanish)​. It is normally pan (bread) and empañadas and tea. It is super yummy. We had once with the Tolozas this week. This past Monday we surprised the Tolozas and brought over a cake and a game for noche de hogar (FHE). We had so much fun.

I had a meeting everyday this week except Monday because missionary work equals meetings.

You know how every missionary has that story that they knock on somebody’s door and the person was like, oh my gosh, I asked god for help and he sent you. Yeah well I have that story: her name is Teowalda and she is this sweet old lady that has been looking for more in her life. Her daughter is struggling and her husband is either dead or they are divorced. Anyway she is all alone and she felt like she was missing something. Anyways I am so excited to watch her progress and get the peace she needs in her life.

One of the sisters that lives in the pensión with us grandfather died Saturday. It was really hard for her. Please keep her in your prayers. Her name is Hermana Martin. She is so strong and brave and keeps going but I know that she is really hurting right now.

Well I have now officially completed a month in the field, so yay!

One of my favorite quotes from General conference was “T´was I but Tís not I”.

That is what is so amazing about the atonement. We have the opportunity to change who we are and what we do. We don’t have to be the people we once were. We do not have to suffer and feel pain because Christ is our savior and is there for us. I am so thankful for the savior in my life. I know that Christ is my savior and that I am a child of God. I know he loves me. I testify that this church is true and can bring the peace and the joy we need in this life to us. The atonement is a gift in our lives. Use the gift and always remember that He lives and He is here with us always. Let him in.

Besos y Galletas (kisses and cookies)

Hermana Showalter

PS No pictures forgot my camera.. next week I promise

I have never had so many kisses in my life!

Reunited with Hermana Delagdo!

Grapes on the side of the road that we got to eat.

The Toloza Family

​I have never had so many kisses i​n my life! But don't worry anyone, I'm not breaking rules, that is the way people greet each other down here in Chile, and as a missionary we can only greet other girls like that.  For the boys it is strictly handshakes! 

Last Wednesday I did my first division (companion exchange). Guess who it was with? Hermana Delagdo, my companion for the CCM. Crazy I know! We had a blast and walked at least 10 miles, no joke! She is killing it in her Ward so it was fun for me to visit another area. I even contacted three people all by myself that day. I couldn't say a lot but I was still really proud of myself. It is really hard for me to contact people because having conversations (in Spanish) is something I am still struggling with.

Oh my gosh the food here will be the death of me., it is so good! The chocolate and ice cream here are amazing and my sweet tooth has become a sweet mouth.  But​​ don't worry Mom​, I am being healthy. We have a blender so lots of smoothies. This past week I tried these two types of fruit called Peppino Dulces and Oigos. Really strange but very delicious.

I have met an angel here and her name is Maria Angelica. She is amazing. She is ~50 years old and has a son with special needs who is 12. We stop by to see her regularly. She is ALWAYS giving us pan (bread) or cookies that she has made. It is so humbling. She lives in a humble apartment - just a kitchen and a little bedroom with two beds in it. We teach her in the bedroom. She just got a job and is so excited to be able to pay tithing and receive the blessings of tithing. She calls us her hijas (which means her daughters). I love her with all my heart. I really feel like I am her daughter.

We have some other pretty awesome investigators too. One is named Paola. She has a son named Cristobal, who I am in love with (it's just that he is a little younger than me, well, make that a lot younger than me!). He plays cars with me when we come and teach his mom. She has so many questions about the gospel and reads both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. She wants to get baptized but the problem is she isn't married to her pololo (word for boyfriend). They plan on getting married but not until after they buy a house, which could be a year or more. We pray for them every night. With the Lord all things are possible.

I am really getting the hang of city life: the walking, the buses, the metro, the noise, the people. But I still prefer the peace and quiet of the suburbs.

My favorite thing from conference was Wilford Anderson and his story about the medicine man who said, " I can teach you to dance but you have to hear the music" Um, ...can you say missionary work? I can teach the people the gospel but they have to know it for themselves and that is really hard to see people struggle and not hear the music. Thank you for all your prayers. I use them everyday.

​Hasta el Lunes prximo!

Hermana Showalter​

Easter, no Easter bunny..

Well, 1 month down 17 more to go! It is so crazy how fast time has gone. Happy late Easter to everyone and HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aunt Amanda, Jade, Nora, Lily Uncle Tyler and Uncle Jason, plus any others who I forgot (SORRY)! Well, I missed the Easter bunny this year. Apparently he doesn’t visit Chile. We didn’t really do anything for Easter. But I did watch General Conference (special church meeting held 2 twice a year in Salt Lake City but broadcast to the world), in English, so yeah pretty awesome. I understood EVERY word. Everyday the Spanish gets easier but it is a slow process. A big shout out to Señor O’donnell I don’t even know where I would be with out my previous knowledge of Spanish. I had a meeting for the greenies(new missionaries) I got to see all my friends from the CCM (Missionary Training Center) it was so great to see them.

This past Wednesday there was a little earthquake. (Mom don’t worry it was tiny and I was at church so that makes me safe). So apparently here it is a huge compliment to be called a Barbie and I am proud to say I have received the compliment 3 times. Don’t worry it was by some hermanas in the ward (church) and then a really sweet disabled 12 year old boy in the ward. This past week we ate at the Tolozas house 3 times! They are my family away from my family. Hermano Jose Luis and his wife Hermana Yasna are saints. He was just baptized in January and she was a less active before. They have 3 kids both have a kid from their previous marriage and then they have Coni who is 11, their other kids names are Dil (17) and Pedro (23). Pedro is a less active and Dil was baptized with his dad. Hermana Yasna´s mom Hermana Elsa also lives with them. They take good care of me here. You know what I don’t get? Everyone has at least 2 pets. Cats and dogs are everywhere. I have never seen so many in my life.

Mom you would be proud of me. I eat whatever I am given. Everyone knows I don’t really like tomatoes, seafood and jello. Well I have been blessed to eat all of that yummy stuff on multiple occasions. I’m not complaining though. Beggars cant be choosers and tomatoes aren’t so bad now. Yesterday was a hard day. We found out last night that one of our investigators wants to stop discussions because he felt like he got an answer from God to go back to his church. He is an evangelist. It was hard letting him go. I came to love him and to see him walk away from something as great as the gospel is so dang hard. I pray that he will come back. All I can do is wait and love him. Hope you all have a great week. Love you all and I am not opposed to letters or packages...just saying

Love,

Hermana Showalter

P.S.  treats and cards are always appreciated