Encarnacion 9

4 January 2016
Semana 39


S/O to Brandon and Maggie for making my email time interesting with the news of your ENGAGEMENT!!!!!! Woahhhhh

anyways, where to start...
setting: New Year`s Day.
tone: not a care in the world because it`s 2016 and we have PDAY TOTAL (pday all day long)
After staying up past our bedtime watching fireworks and getting in our morning studies we followed with the next planned activity for the day: SIESTA! haha but, within 5 minutes of getting settled in under the covers, the phone rings. typical. PRESIDENT LAPIERRE WILL BE AT THE PENSION IN 5! 

Nothing gets missionaries more organized and tidy like surprised company jaja. Pte and Hna didnt end up coming up to the apartment, but were just stopping by to deliver...CHRISTMAS PACKAGES!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO


sidenote: for family that, just a week ago, were telling me to tone it down on the empanadas, you sure did send me a lot of FOOD...thank you for that... ahhhhh I LOVED EVERY SINGLE THING!!!!!! Especially the brown sugar!!! 

When I saw the box of plain noodles, I did have to question: wow ?.... they really think I cant buy food here...haha a few hours later I realized that noodles actually did sound really good and decided to open up the box. PLOT TWIST! There was a Ziploc baggy with enough noodle for one portion and in the rest of the space was filled with PRESENTS!!!! what a sneaky mom I have...while waiting for the noodles to cook, I thought: huh, I got that box of cake mix in the other package....yep! 

NO CAKE MIX :( BUT CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS to go along with our little tree. jaja so NOW we are all decorated for Christmas.


We spent the rest of the day in centro and at the beach riding those four person bikes, playing volei, and UNO and I`m pretty sure it was the best New Year`s I`ve ever had.
ehmmm the rest of the week is kind of a blur...we have our two progressing investigators, Magali and Magali (have I mentioned them before, not sure) they are doing awesome, such a joy to teach! There baptisms are scheduled for the 16th of January so we are super excited for that! WE HAVE TO FIND HIS PEOPLE! If we want to have a baptism for February we have to find them, like now...and we are struggling to find new investigators that we feel could progress. This past week didnt allow us too much time to work in the area, which was hard, but we are working our best with the time we have. BUT I know there`s more to give. So we`ll just keep going...
Do I really have 10 months in the mission??...
I can`t help but feel stressed and overwhelmed right now.  It`s all going so fast and I just want to make sure and feel confident that I am doing my best, giving ALL of me to this work, and not wasting any time. The time feels so unreal.  I`m happy, having fun, learning so much from the people here. Everyday Heavenly Father has something new to show me, teach me, and I know it`s helping me to become the teacher and disciple that he needs here to labor among the people of EncarnaciĆ²n.  I spent close to all of 2015 in the mission, but if I look back to 2014, I`m blown away by the difference. So much has changed. All good. And I`m so blessed and grateful to be here, to have this time away, focused on centering myself so fully on the work and Gospel of Jesus Christ;  I want Him to carve out the masterpiece that I know He can make out of me. I pray everyday that I`m giving enough. I pray everyday that I can give a little more.  I know that through the Atonement we can all become like our Savior, Jesus Christ, who is perfect.  I`m grateful for everyday that I can see his tender mercies in my life and in the lives of the amazing and humble people here.
Happy 2016 !, focus on the goals, and how you're going to ACCOMPLISH them. He wants nothing but our success.

love you
thinking of you

hermana cannon