06/19/23 Butterflies...and I got transferred AGAIN

 Hiii 

Random poetic thing (if you're not interested skip down ): 

Butterflies. 

Antofagasta in June is full of butterflies. 

They know where they're going... 

I wish I had their confidence. 

Wise enough to put their wings up.

To hide their beauty

To protect themselves. 

But then when the moment comes, 

they fly 

They let their wings out and show the world 

What was there all along 

What was theirs all along

I long for the simplicity 

For the wisdom 

Of knowing when to let the colors show 

And when to not let them know

To know who will use the colors as a weapon 

And who will appreciate them. 

(For context, there's tons of butterflies everywhere and they've been on my mind. We found one in our bathroom and we thought it was a moth because it had its wings up and closed and it was gray, like the color of a moth or of a tree branch, but then as we tried to get it out of our bathroom it opened its wings up and it turned out it was a butterfly and not a moth. A monarch, I think. Idk I'm not a bug professional.) 

Honestly it's been a good week. I finally got over the sickness of last week and was able to work normally all week. 

On Monday night the office elders sent a text to our zone and told us we were all obligated to go to the hospital on Tuesday and get a flu shot  so Tuesday I got stabbed. My arm still hurts 5 days later. 

Katie met my friend Mark Hendry's
missionary at the
Mission Home!! SO Cool!

Tuesday we also had exchanges and I got go hang out with hermana Jofre who I live with. It was actually really cool, we got churros and taught some people. One person was an inactive member who hasn't gone for years, and loves philosophy. She told us she has no problem with the church but that she just doesn't believe what we believe. So we started talking to her about what it is that she does believe and as we did so she had all these questions that our church and doctrine have the answers to! We shared with her for like an hour and at the end we had created this relationship where we were all able to express opinions and try and understand each other. We had things we disagreed about (for example she doesn't believe we're all children of God-one of the most basic and important truths of the gospel), but it wasn't like an argument, she explained what she believed, and we explained the similarities and differences between what we believe and what she believes, and then explain why our doctrine makes a lot of sense and then she was like, yeah that actually does make a lot of sense. In conclusion, it wasn't that she disagreed with our doctrine, it was just that she didn't understand our doctrine (which is why we're here!!) 

Thursday we had a day of old people  it was like, every person we visited who let us in was older than 70 years old. One of them is 90 years old and perfectly fit. She had a bunch of old pictures and was telling us about how she used to be a dancer and all the adventures she had and mistakes she made. She told us her mom lived to be 105 so she's got lots of time left to keep having adventures. 

Friday I went to the dentist to finish the whole situation  but I did it without painkillers so I didnt have to get stabbed  

Anyways. The dentist is someone in our ward and she's very cool... and was running late so we went to the bakery next door and I bought blueberry muffins and my comp bought strawberry cheesecake. I didnt eat the muffin until afterwards, don't worry (haha) 

My comp is finishing her mission, so on Saturday we had to go to the mission office so that she could have her last interview. And she goes home with 1 other hermana (who wasn't there) and 17 elders. So some of those elders were there waiting for their interviews, and also all of the new missionaries who had just arrived were there... 5 elders (one happens to be from my stake ). So my comp goes into her interview and I'm seated right outside, and I counted... there were 17 elders. And no other hermanas. So that was awkward haha. And then when my comp left her interview, president asked if I could step into his office and talk to him for a couple minutes. 

So he invited me in and asked me if my comp going home has had an effect on me, I said I was sad she's going but in terms of missionary work, no. He asked me some things about my sector about my testimony and the spirit was so strong... and then he told me I was called to be an hermana leader. And asked if I was willing. We talked a little bit more and then he thanked me and he had also said something that made me think I was definitely going to be leaving antofagasta. He said I was needed to be an example in another zone. So the rest of the day I was anxious off the charts. 

After that I left the office and couldnt help telling hermana Cabrera everything. I mean, she's going home, and she's with me 24/7 so I figured it was fine hehe. 

As we were leaving the office I received a message from my dad with a picture of an elder. And then I looked to my right, and that same elder was there in the middle of that giant group of elders. He recognized me and we talked for exactly 5 seconds because me and my comp had to go catch a bus. I also saw him in stake conference on Sunday and so that's the selfie I have attached below haha. 

In that same stake conference the stake president gave a talk about repentance and the joy that comes from choosing to be free of our sins. It made me think about how in a lot of churches they advertise repentance as a way of escaping the wrath of Dios and how we all should be scared of God, but in our church we teach that instead of being scared of God, we can trust Him and feel His love and accept His Son' sacrifice. 

Change is hard. It's hard to overcome mistakes, it's hard to admit when we're wrong, it's hard to be humble, but it's so necessary and such a blessing that we have to be able to overcome that behavior. I think that's one of the things I've learned here as a missionary. Change is freaking hard. And every day im amazed by people here who are choosing to overcome their natural state of being. 

I also have felt more and more strongly these days that I can do anything. Not like personally, but in general. Anyone who decides to chase their dream can make it happen. Anyone who chooses to do the will of the Lord can do anything. Theres a million scriptures that say it, we can do all things with Christ. 

Think about it. If I can learn a whole language in just a few months, you can finish that degree. If I can survive in chile for a whole year, you can get those good grades. Or maybe that's not the best way of putting it, but the point is, in the mission I've learned that I can do hard things. And if I (a crazy st george girl who loves to bake) can do hard things like the things I've had to do here, anyone can! 

During that exchange with hermana Jofre, we talked about what she wants to do after the mission. She said she would love to go to Utah and go to college and do all these things, but she wasn't sure if she could because she would have to learn English. I talked to her about it and we talked about how if you have a dream, you have to decide to go for it, and then you have to align your actions with that decision. If you want to learn English, take advantage of the crazy gringa you live with and learn it! If you want to get an education, take charge of your life and do it!!! You can do anything!!! 

Anyways. 

Also Saturday in the evening we had transfer calls. It was crazy because I knew I was leaving, but I didnt know where to... I had had a feeling about a certain sector but didn't think it would really happen. The point is, my feeling was right and I'm going to Copiapo. I'm going to be comps with a girl from Costa Rica who's 28 years old, very short, and not very talkative. And that's everything I know about her. I've heard the sector isn't very big which is great because that means I won't have to walk so much (unlike this current sector ). Copiapo is about 8 hours south of Antofagasta and really close (2 hours away) to Vallenar so it's possible I'll be able to see people from that part of my mission as well  the sad part is I won't be by the beach anymore  but I will be living next door to the Latino version of Walmart (se llama Líder) so it's very possible this will be a cambio filled with baking projects! I hope my comp likes sweets hehe. 

I ended up in a trío with the other girls from my apartment and it was the best! And we saw elder Hendry again in a fhe, which is funny because now most likely I'll never see him again for the rest of my mission. It was funny because one of my roomies said she was gonna say the prayer in English, and the mom of the family started laughing, and Could Not Stop. Oh. My. Gosh. It was so funny, and we kept making jokes and all of us laughed even more. It was a happy moment in a hard day of goodbyes and also mild frustration and exhaustion. 

So next time we talk I'll be talking from copiapo  

Love you all!! 

xo-hna griffin 

Fotos: 

-that time I met elder Hendry 

-we met this really awesome person I forgot to mention before who makes and sells fancy cakes and fondant decorations and when we went over she was in the middle of making this decoration for a wedding cake, and we had to leave before she finished so we begged her to send us pictures and it turned out SO CUTE  

-butterflies. There are monarch butterflies here. Everyone go read that talk "yearning for home"... that's what I read this week and then all week I saw butterflies everywhere!!!! 

-bus selfie hehe

-empowered's nail salon... the fist for feminism (the good kind, not the toxic kind ) 

-beach selfie from two weeks ago