10/01/23 General Conference Weekend!!! And I got flight plans! 😮

This weekend, two people I found and
taught got baptized!! One in Antofagasta-->
Carolina, and another one in Copiapo ---> Kamilaaa!!!!

 Buenos días 

Every week gets faster and faster, I cannot believe that we're already in October!!!! 

This week was a lot of things, both good and bad haha. 

On Monday, just as we were finishing a very chaotic p day (I had to buy new shoes because my old ones died), the elders in our ward asked me to make a birthday cake for their friend... at 6:30pm, for her mini party at 7:30pm and we were across town. So we ran across town and I had to make a cake really fast (cinnamon cake!!) and then we went and sang to her!! I convinced one of her housemates that I was Chilean. And then we spent the rest of the night contacting on the way home. 

Later this week we found a guy who was interested but had a lot of doubts, so we go in and start talking to him, and he starts trying to Bible bash. The problem is, he doesn't have much knowledge of the Bible and his most convincing arguments were scriptures taken out of context. So I was able to explain the context of the scriptures and the history of the new testament, and then I was able to explain the apostasy and why we needed a restoration, and then we were able to explain about the book of mormon and Joseph Smith. By the end of all that, he had big eyes and told us he loved the word of God, and asked us if he could be baptized. Not even joking. So we were like, uhhh are you married? And he's not married, but they're legal! So they can get married. But then his wife got home and was not very interested, so there's some work we'll have to do. But they have two little boys and I know the gospel will bless their lives immensely! So yeah, we're planning on them maybe getting married and baptized at the end of the month!! 

We also were able to go knock doors in some apartments here! The apartments were a lot more high security than in Copiapó, which is lame because we have to be a lot sneakier about knocking doors, and we can't be there for too long. But we found some cool people!! One of them was telling us how he would love to learn more and to introduce us to his daughter! The sad part of the apartments is that my comp doesn't like that something that was my idea worked... so she was kinda angry the whole time we were there. Sigh. I feel like I'm in this toxic relationship that I'm not allowed to leave. But anyways, after all that we had a family home evening with a bunch of friends and it was great! There were like 14 of us, and we all learned and played a little game and ate a snack. And then when we went home, my comp was mad about something and said it would be better if we walked home (for 30 minutes) in silence. Uncomfortable. 

But just when I thought I couldn't take any more of the drama, we had exchanges in alto hospicio!! I was with my companion's previous companion and it was a huge relief, because the things I'm struggling with about my companion, she also struggled with!! I wasn't alone! She gave me some tips about how to kind of work around her personality, and I know I need to sit down and have a conversation, but it's like every time I prepare myself mentally and spiritually to do so, and to not have the influence of the adversary in the conversation, she like avoids me. But anyways, during the intercambio, we had a family home evening with this crazy Chilean girl who was like, we're all gonna paint today! So I did this painting of the sun the moon and the stars, and it turned out really cool looking, but I left it in alto hospicio  we also had a delicious lunch... milanesa!!! It's an Argentina thing, but the member that gave it to us was Bolivian. We actually had milanesa twice this week, and I'm not mad. That stuff is delicious. It's basically just fried chicken breast that you eat with lemon and mayo. Which sounds weird, and it is! But it's sooo good!!! 

That day we were also able to work with the Pierces!!!! I was able to talk to hermana pierce a lot about things I'm struggling with and also about my plans for after the mission. They're doing well here in Iquique and Alto Hospicio, but they miss vallenar. Me too haha. 

Literally the very next day I had another exchange but this time I was in my own sector. We went to visit a bunch of people my comp had found last week while she was in an exchange with a different hermana. And it turned out that half of the addresses were fake or wrong... awkward. In the evening I accidentally knocked over some hot non-coffee coffee (it's called Ecco, it's a thing that all the Chilean members drink). All over my pants and the ground  it was uncomfortable. But the hermana that I accidentally made to drop her drink was very kind about it. Afterwards we went inside and had a really good conversation about mosiah 14! They're recent converts and got baptized 2 months ago! And they have already read the book of mormon up to alma 40  they got married in order to get baptized, even though they're super young (20 and 23), and the hermana just happened to have made gluten free cake that day, literally for no reason, and my comp for the day was gluten free so she could eat the cake!! 

Also, earlier in the day we had gone to a youth activity briefly and they gave us 2 pieces of cake (not gluten free) and neither of us wanted to eat the cake because we had already eaten too many sweets that day, and because she's allergic to gluten, sooo we were going to give it to the converts, buuuut when we got there, hermana greenwood was like, uhhh I don't know what happened but there's only one piece of cake now  

Truffles!

So on Saturday when I got back with my normal comp, we were both feeling a little better, but I had decided to definitely have a conversation about what was going on, so we go through weekly planning, and at the end, right I was about to start the conversation, we get a call that we had to go pick up lunch before general conference. But the hermana lived at the top of the mountain that is our sector, which is about 40 minutes walking straight uphill.  and she would be leaving in about 30 minutes to go to the stake center to watch conference, so we had to basically run to her house, all uphill. It was exhausting. And then we had to go back to where we were at the bottom of the mountain to eat lunch while watching conference. Sigh. After the first session, we had to go back to where the hermana lived at the top of the mountain for a lesson with a friend, which turned out awesome!! And we somehow convinced her to put conference on her TV and we watched the second session in her house. Later we worked like crazy to try and get people to go to the conference the next day... aaaand 2 people showed up.  

The nice thing about Sunday was that we got up and ready and planned, and then I watched the third session, and then we left to go try and convince more people to go to the conference (didn't work, waste of time, climbed the mountain for nothing). And then we went to the Sunday morning session, and then to lunch, and then back to the church for the afternoon session, and then we had to go do phone audits for all the sister missionaries here in iquique and alto hospicio, and that was it. It went by really quickly!! 

And that's pretty much the whole week. 

Exchange with Hermana Greenwood
I don't have any pictures
 on my phone with
Hermana Brodowski
from the other exchange :,) 

Oh yeah, and on Friday I received my flight itinerary  I will be traveling from 9am Utah time (1pm Chile time) until 3pm Utah time the next day in about 2 1/2 more weeks. I go from antofa to Santiago to Atlanta to salt lake to st george. With 7 hours, 3 hours, and 1 hour of layovers. I'm sure I'll be exhausted when I get home! Haha. 

From general conference I loved a lot of things, I most of all felt spiritually refreshed and recharged! I loved the focus on how to be happy and how to raise a happy family! I loved the focus on maintaining personal purity and focusing on the Savior! I loved the focus on the plan of salvation! I loved the focus on loving others and stopping prejudices! 

I went into general conference with some questions in mind about what I should do with myself when I get home, what the Lord's plan for me is, etc. And for like 2 years now I've kind of had the attitude of "I never wanna get married..." but what hit me hard was when Elder Christofferson was like, to get sealed with someone for eternity is literally why we're here  

So I guess I need to change my attitude about that. I guess I need to be striving afterwards to find someone to build a family with, but to be honest it stresses me out a LOT, because as someone else had said (I don't remember who), the decisions we make today will have a huge impact on our futures. And I don't want to choose poorly. 

I've also found myself thinking a lot lately about how I'm reaching the end of the mission and just generally feeling anxious about the future. But I also loved the overall feeling I came away with, which is that the mission will not be my spiritual peak, but that my greatest work is still ahead of me. I had this weird thought about how the many things I've learned on the mission will help me continue to share the gospel. Specifically I had the thought, "your greatest work is ahead of you." 

And I was thinking about John the Beloved, when his desire was to stay on the earth and preach the gospel until the second coming, and how Jesus says that John desired to do a greater work than he had done before. I guess I feel that a little bit. Like, I have a desire to do more than I have done here in the mission. But in a different context. I don't know, just a thought that's been floating around in my head. 

I also loved President Nelson's talk!! Like when we choose to live by telestial laws, we are choosing to not live with our families. I loved his emphasis on the importance of personal purity and keeping our thoughts and minds clean. I loved it. The whole thing. I want to go back and study it. 

And they announced another temple in Chile!!!!!!! In Viña del Mar!! Which is not super close to here, but closer than Santiago! And it'll be closer than Antofagasta for my people in Vallenar!! I think  

Anyways, this is already bastante largo, as always! 

Love you all!! See you soon 

xo-hna griffin 

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