Truly good and without guile

Tomé. I finally feel at home here. I really am growing to love the ward and the sector. It is so small I already feel like I have knocked every door but everyday we are finding new people.

We had cambios today- Hermana Gonzalez is leaving me:( She has been such an incredible companion. I really feel so close to her. She has taught me so much in these six weeks. I will be very sad to see her go. But we will continue to see each other in the office on Mondays. 

My new companion is Hermana Domingez from Mexico! I am pumped. I have heard she is a great missionary and I am thrilled she can keep helping me polish up my Spanish (I am realizing I speak a lot more 'Chilean' than Spanish.)

I have to admit that I have just felt like I needed to be the best. The best example, with the best numbers the most organized with the teaching skills. Well this week when I over heard the other Hermanas had higher numbers than us this week I felt frustrated. I was like ''Ugh- they both have less than 6 months in the mission and we are in the same sector! We are working just as hard and we have more experience. How can this be?'' I find that the Lord is really working on shrinking me pride. I was reading the conference from last April and a talk that is called 'truly good and without guile' by Elder Ringwood. I highly recommend it. I was really touched by it. I realized my motivation has been in the wrong place lately. I am glad God keeps reminding me of that. Needless to say I don't feel so frustrated any more. I am really excited to keep working hard- for the right reasons. 

I had some really close friends from the mission finish today. They will head home this Wednesday. Seeing some of my best examples from the mission head home reminded me of how they served even when they thought I wasn't watching.

I want to be truly good- even when only God is watching. 

I love you!

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

One of my old investigators got baptized this week with Hermana Rigby!!!! oh I am so so happy. She comes from a really tough family life- Her husband is a total loser but she is incredible and it was so amazing that we found her. Lots of miracles

The Silver Lining

Well the slowness of last week definitely hasn’t lingered. We had a busy week with our last interviews with President Arrington and the news conference.

Our interviews were so spiritual! I can not explain how much I am going to miss President and Sister Arrington, I love them so much! President shared his testimony with everyone of us and expressed his love and gratitude for our service- basically all of the Hermanas came out crying and most of the Elders too. He has helped me conquer so many Goliaths in my life. I am forever changed by their influence. 

With the news conference we got to go on a mini cambio with new sisters from around the mission. I was will Hermana Hansaker, from Heber. She is such a sweety. We had a great day… even though all of our plans fell through- just a normal day. She is being trainned by one of my old comps.

We are finally seeing a few people progress in our sector- I don’t want to ginx it so I’ll let you know more about them next week, but lets just say the Lord has been blessing us with lots of miracles- we completed almost all of our weekly goals last week and we most cried with joy- it has been a long time since we have been able to do that. 

WOW I love my comp so much. We are so unified. I am hoping and praying she doesn't get transferred this next week but the odds aren't exactly in our favor. I don't know how she will ever be replaced.

I love you all and I am so grateful for this gospel and for the opportunity I have to know that families can be forever through priesthood power.

Be Good. Love you

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

Tea Party

Well it has been a long week. Good, but long. We continue to find many to teach, but it has been a little difficult helping people progress to being more that 'news' Despite the frustration we are enjoying ourselves. That has been something Hermana Gonzalez has been working on- not stressing. I am loving getting to know the ward here. I feel like I have been so blessed with the sectors I have been in. There are so many examples. They are all so willing to chip in and work hard with us.

We did see a little miracle this week when we found someone on Saturday and they came to church with us yesterday. That doesn't happen very often. Her name is Eva. We hope to get to teach her again this week, she is a sweety.

Today we had a 'Tea Party' with the Hermanas in our zone in President and Hermana Arrington's apartment. Hermana Gonzalez and I prepared a small class about spiritual gifts and a talk from the November conference from Elder Nelson. I highly recommend it. We had the girls search the house for puzzle pieces with scriptures. It was a lot of fun. 

Not much else to report. Love you!

Besitos 

Hermana Saunders

Happy Mother's day

Good week. I was so happy to see the family.

Not much happened. We continue to look for more people to teach. We had another mini cambio this week with Frutillares and I got to go with my 'hermanita' who was also trained by Hermana Ormeño and my old comp Hermana Ovando. It was really fun to talk with her. We had a little miracle. Our investigators weren't answering the door when we had planned to visit them with a member so we panicked a little. Said a pray and started knocking some doors. We got a phone call from someone that lived around the corner who wanted us to come by and teach them English! It was a young girl who had let the missionaries come by to use the bathroom one day and they had left their number just in case she ever wanted help with Her English. It was a real answer to our prayers. 

Here are some photos of the view from our house and me with my comp.

Les amo!

Besitos

Hermana Saunders

Mini Cambios

Great week! It was a wet one, it rained most days but it was fun breaking out the rain boots again.

I went on my first 'mini-cambio' this week with Hermana Calderon from Peru. The last time we were in the same zone was a year ago when we were 'born' into the mission. She will complete 9 months in this sector at the end of this cambio. She is breaking records. I expected to find her completely sick of the area. Hermana Gonzalaz told me that she hasn't really opened up to a lot of Hermanas about her feelings and wished me good luck as I left with her after district class. Big headed me thinking- I am going to crack this Hermana, so I can be one of those 'cool' sister leaders and she will tell me what's up. Well every day I am learning I am a bigger idiot. She taught me so much. It was such a fun day. We talked about how she felt staying there so long and she was like- Everyone thinks I am dying inside or something for being here so long but the truth is I just want to do what Jesus did and love the people and do what God would have me do, there is more for me to do here. I was really humbled by her attitude.

We have been really focusing on finding this week and were blessed to meet a lot of new people. Unfortunately they all 'died' before the weekend but it has been a real blessing and faith builder to know that God answers our prayers and that he didn't let our numbers drop even though we don't really have anyone to teach. 

Love you!

Hope you have a great week and I will see some of you on Sunday ;)

Besitos

Hermana Saunders