Last Letter home... I will see you next week! Saying goodbye is hard.

Well this is it. To be honest I never really thought this day would come. My last pday. I remember in the beginning of my mission thinking my mission would never end or that is was WAY far away and now it is a week away. It is a bitter sweet thing. I am so excited to see my family and be able to move on to the next part of my life but I am sad to take off the plaque and stop being Hermana Showalter. But life is always changing and I just have to roll with it. 

So here is what happened this week.

Tuesday. Hermana B Silva and I received our new companion. Everyone say hello to Hermana Marquis (mar-key) from Lindon, Utah. She speaks super well and is awesome. I am pretty sure she came pretrained because she is an amazing example to me.

Wednesday. We had a meeting with president and the trainers and new missionaries.

Thursday. So we had a lesson with a Josefina. Her friend from work had to pass by to pick up something and guess what? Her friend is a member of the church and even better a returned missionary! So Coni ended up staying and teaching Josefina. Then we went to visit Jorge and Maribel with our mission leader and we invited them to be baptized. They accepted! Their date is for the 3rd of September! Then they gave us pupusas and hot chocolate. Then correlation.

Friday. Studies. Lunch with the nanny of some members because they were working. They just got a REALLY cute puppy named polo (see pictures). We visited Juan Sepulveda. Spent the rest of the day walking and contacting. But a reference that we received from the first counselor in the bishopric gave us a reference, his niece, Valentina. She went to mutual!!

 

Saturday.We had lunch with Familia Fernandez. They are such a sweet family. We visited Hermana Veronica and helped her start her family history.

Sunday. Church. Lunch with Hermana Cobo. She made us pie de limon. It is one of my favorites here on the mission. After all our citas fell. But we did visit Familia Ampuero and they gave us completos. 

Monday. Zone class. It was good. We ate lunch and then planned. We visited Hermana Juana Diaz. It is always very humbling to visit her. I am reminded how blessed I am truly am. I know my life isn't perfect but I am grateful for the good life that I have. 

Tuesday. Had a little good bye Hermana Showalter party. With Hermana Jacinto, Wright, Alderete, Gonzalez, La Serna, Araújo and my comps. 

A quote that I love from Elder Holland is "I am not asking you to pretend to have the faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith that you do have." And another quote I love that my mom sent me is "Prayer does not always change my circumstance but prayer always changes me."

Well I imagine that I will see most of you very soon. I know it sounds cheesy but this past year and a half was really the best. I have come to know my Father in Heaven and my Savior on a very personal level and I have been able to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. I love this work with all my heart and I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true church that can help us return to our Heavenly Father.

I love you.

Signing off once and for all as

Hermana Showalter