WEEK ELEVEN: Six weeks in Chile already?

Friends HI! 

okay so yeah this week was pretty gosh dang sick. I give it a solid 8.5. 

THE SUNRISE THIS MORNING

FIRSSSST of all. I have a cool story. Last Sunday we did open doors in the chappel with our district leader and his companion and the two zone leaders. Basically, we opened the doors and gave tours to people walking by while the elders contacted in our sector. And the Elders found this AWESOME guy in the streets that said he "saw a light in the Elders" and he wanted to learn more! So on Tuesday, we went to visit him. anddd its so sad because he is seriously living in a tent on the side of the road with his brother. He came out to greet us, and he was super super super drunk. Like he just reaked. He kept asking us to come into his house and we politely declined, but we gave him a pamphlet and told him he needs to stop drinking. He said whenever he sees a picture of Jesus he feels super guilty and wants to change.I seriously want him to change! hes got such great potential and I know his life can be so much better if he accepts our message. BUT. We can't teach him if hes drunk. SO we've been calling him every single night in hopes that maybe he'll stop. I dont know whats going to happen. BUT. My hopes are real real high. 

cutie hermana Norton

We had Return and Report this week and it was probably the best day of my life. The night before we had four Hermanas come and stay with us from the south of our mission. Hermana Curtis and Hermana Bowling were both in my group in the CCM, so it was sooo fun to see them. Hermana Bowling has a companion from Arizona, and she informed me that she literally hasnt learned any spanish because she just talks in English with her companion all the time. Like uhhhhh okay glad I dont have a gringa at the moment... 

The next morning we left super early to go to Concepcionnnnn. AND IT WAS SO FUN BECAUSE I GOT TO SEE HERMANA NORTON!!!! Shes the cutest and shes doing so good in her area. We got to listen to Presidente and Hermana Wilhem talk and we learned lots and it was just a grand day. But I did notice something. There were definitely two types of New missionaries at Return and Report. The people who working there hardest and struggling to learn the language and the people who were just kind of waiting for it to come. And I kinda had a moment of panic, WHICH ONE AM I???? needless to say, Ive changed my study habits a lot this week, and Im doing seriusly everything in my power to learn this language. EVERYTHING I CAN.

I seriously cant believe Ive been here for six weeks already. Like how the heck. OHHHH I love it here. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BIG BRUDDA THIS WEEK. you rock dall.}

Okay I love yall have a swell weeeeek. :)

love hermana poyfair

WEEK TEN: Success and miracles during a freaking fast week...

whattuppppppp.

Im not even kidding this was the freaking fastest week of my freaking life. Like seriuosly I cant believe its already monday!

This week was good! lots lots lots better. Every week is just a Little bit better. which is good. and happy.

the best part is that WE HAVE TWO NEW INVESTIGATORS!!!! They're names are Ester and Joseline. I love them both seriously so much. They were just MIRACLES! Ester is living with her pololo (boyfriend) and she has a Little five year old and the cutest Beagle in the whole wide world. Shes super recepetive and shes coming to church with us next week! WOOOOO MIRACLES ARE REAL! Joseline is a Little on the fence... but hey anythings posible. yayyyy.

Last week we had a zone conference! a few weeks ago we found out that our dear President Bluth has throat cáncer, at the moment he is in Utah, and so we have a temporary president. Him and his wife are both Chilean, and they`re so sweet but they talk SO STINKING FAST!!!! So anyways. Hermana Wilhelm was giving this talk. And literally I was understanding NOTHING. Literally nothing. SO then she asks me a question. Just me. And it was the weirdest worded question and it made no sense and she repeated it like eight times and then my companion repeated it like six times and yeah NOTHING. it was so so embarassing! So she asked someone else and moved on. I'm sure my face was like super red haha. But anyways. After, President Wilhem spoke and he said, "Sister Poyfair is going to have success on her misión and shes going to learn this language. Want to know why? because her smile is GIGANTIC!!!!" It was so sweet and definitely what I needed to hear. Made everything better.

Elder Putnam (He's from lehi!), Hermana Peralta and me! 

We had a special broadcast yesterday by Elder Nelson! So on saturday morning, we got a call from our zone leaders at like 8 in the morning, saying they needed our help cleaning the stake center. bueno. Im not even exaggerating, it took us 4 HOURS TO CLEAN THE STAKE CENTER! I swear it hasn't been cleaned in 6 years. It was soooo gross. The conference was great. I think. I didn't understand it. haha.

but it was super cool because Elder Nelson spoke in sSpanish! Hermana Pêralta said that that was the first time she had ever Heard his voice! shoot, I definitely take that privelige for granted.

We visited a less active family last night with our Ward Mission Leader. This family lives out in the country a Little bit! They're awesome, they have been members for almost a year, but they say theyre just too busy for the church. WELL. They're daughter overdosed this week and is in the hospital right now. There whole family is super distraught and realizing they need the church and God in their lives! They have two daughters, and both of them arent members. Hermana Lucia said she wants us to work super hard with her daughters, because she wants their whole family to be members. So thats awesome. YaY.

OHHHHH GUYS. I love Chile. I LOVE CHILE. The people here are just so humble and so nice and sooooo patient with me. The language is still super hard and every day is a struggle but honestly its so worth it. Missions are just the best.

love yall muchas

con amor,

hermanaaaaa poyfaaaair

Week NINE: Working Hard, Learning Patience, Hermana Smith

hiiiiii there.

whatss up.

this week was pretty good! each week just gets a lil bit better. 

first of all. we are still sitting at a solid 0 investigators. haha. its super lame! we find these awesome awesome people and we talk to them and they're super interested, but then they never answer our calls and they never answer the door and its super sad. I definitely think I'm being taught patience here in Los Angeles. but every morning and every night, we pray for the peoples hearts to be softened for us, and I just know there's a miracle right around the corner. 

last week we were eating lunch with the relief societies family. She has two daughters who just returned from their missions in the last six months! One of them served in Salta, Argentina. I was like, "hey, I have a cousin there!" and she was like, "whats her name?" and I was like "Hermana Smith" and SHE SCREAMED!!!! She was nicoles trainer! super duper small world.

We had an "ATAQUE" this week with the sister training leaders and two returned missionaries. The six of us went on splits and just attacked our area looking for people to teach. and we found a lot! we have a lot of appointments set for this week, so hopefully everything works out. 

Hermana Peralta fell last week and landed on her wrist, and its been super swollen and shes in a lot of pain, and also shes had a lot of problems with her stomach as well. SO. We spent most of the day thursday in the hospital. The doctor we were with is LDS and he spoke a little english and he was like, "let me guess, you're from Utah, you went to BYU, and all of your family is members." I guess I live a pretty common gringa life aye? but anyways, Thursday night I went on a intercambio with Hermana Giminez, because Hermana Peralta still felt kinda sick. I don't remember if I wrote about the English Professor last week, but the other Hermanas are teaching an English professor and he LOVES practicing his English with me. Everytime I show up with them he is super excited, and he always asks if I am going to come back. I told him he needs to come to church and then we can talk in English for hours! haha. He's super awesome though and I think hes going to get baptized real soon.

guys. I love it here. This city is soooo beautiful and the weather is great (and actually super hot) but the people are so patient with me and they're soooo nice and life is just perfect. the language is still really hard and I definitely am still struggling with it, but every day I feel like I understand a little bit more, and I know in a couple of months I will be JUST FINE! 

gracias por todas! nos vamos!

con amor, hermana poyfair

Week Eight: Happpy 2 months to meeee!

Hi peopleee!

me and my sushiiiiiii

Two marks two months in the mission and thats probably the craziest thing in the world... like its seriously its been the longest and shortest 2 months of my life... does that make sense? idk.

this week was probably like sixteen times better than last week which ROCKS! it started off with FHE last monday! we went to this awesome families house, they have a son who just got his mission call to Antofaghasta! They are all trying to learn english and it was super fun reading scriptures in English with them. They  have an 11 year old daughter named Anita and shes seriously the cutest and she just sits and laughs at every word I try to say in Spanish and it just kinda makes it all worth it! :) 

on Thursday we had a special broadcast! it was with all of the countries of southern south america, and president bednar spoke! it was seriously incredible. you know when you're listening to a talk, and literally EVERY SINGLE WORD they say seems to be directed at you? yeah. that was this talk. It was also seriously such a blessing to see  ELDER PUTNAM from LEHI! he is in my zone so I see him every once in a while, but it was nice to actually see a familiar face and talk to someone in english hahahahaha!

me and my gorgeous compppp

So hermana peralta was super sick this week. we spent about 2 and a half days in the apartment! I studied lots and it was super good for me. But on friday night, i went on an intercambio with Hermana Naranjo (from Ecuador). we were knocking on lots of doors and having no success (like always) and then she said "hermana poyfair, which door do you want to knock on?" I picked on, super randomly, and when the lady opened the door she GASPED and hugged me and kissed my cheek and it was so cute! She had listened to the missionaries before but had stopped listening to them because she was too busy! we are going to visit her tomorrow, so fingers crossed everything works out! 

oh. with our family. nada. they didnt answer the phone, or the door... twas super saddd haha! but we are super hopeful for this week. 

Today we ate sushi and it was FANTASTIC. We also went to like this huge farmers market and bought tons and tons and tonsssss of fruit. the fruit here is sooo good and so fresh and I just adore it.

things are getting better. seriously. sometimes its a little bit lonely, because there is defnitely still a language barrier, but I feel like I am understanding soooo much more every single day, and its great. my favorite scripture at the moment is Alama 26:12. it talks alot about how without the lord we literally cant do anything. boy have I learned how true that is here. I am so grateful for the lord and for the knowledge I have of this awesome gospel! 

I love you allllllll thanks so much for your prayers this week, i definitely felt them. 

love hermana poyfairrrrrrrr

my view out of my apartment window this morning. ITS SO BEAUTIFUL HERE!