Hermana Gracie Beck's Weekly Email - Six Months to What Now?

 It's been another smelly week in Alto Hospicio <3 

I can't say I love the Christmas traditions here. In fact, there's really only one tradition and it actually fills me with rage. It's a "parade" of regular cars honking their horns continuously for hours on end. I'm not sure how to explain it well, but I added a video so you can see. It start's before we wake up at 7am and continues until after we go to sleep at 11,and it's been going on every day for two weeks now. Bah Humbug.

In other news, this week there was a MASSIVE spider living in our kitchen. The only reason I let him stay there is because I was pretty sure if I asked President Wu to give us a new house, he would say no. So I let him chill. Also I named him Alfonzo Joaquín Ruzo De Las Calles. It was all fun and games until his friend showed up. And his other friend. And his other friend. At that point Hermana Velasquez brought out the broom💥💥💥. I think we have a problem. We did have a moment of silence for Alfonzo though.

So far Hermana Velasquez hasn't needed my help learning English, she's doing just fine on her own and she's learned a lot from her old American companions. She's also famous mission-wide (among members and missionaries alike) for being VERY serious. Like, all the time. Which makes it 10x funnier when she pulls out English phrases she learned from her companions. For example, this last week she celebrated one year as a missionary! She came downstairs while I was eating breakfast and said in English, very seriously, "Hermana. Starting today, I have six month to get sexy." ...I choked on my oatmeal. Hopefully that goes well for her.

On a more serious note, I had a pretty cool miracle this week. Friday was my first experience with exchanges! I spent the day in my own sector, but with our sister training leader Hermana Newlon from West Jordan as my companion. It was a really good exercise for me to have to lead the way all day, and lead all the conversations with people. I feel like I grew a lot through doing that. We arrived at our lunch appointment early, so we sat at a nearby park to pass the time. President Wu has asked us to always have a physical Book of Mormon in our hands to be ready to gift it to someone at any given moment. I set my copy down on the park bench to make some phone calls, and accidentally left it there. After lunch we went back to grab it, and next to it was Eduardo. Eduardo recently moved to Hospicio with his wife and kids, and loves Jesus. He asked us why on earth we would leave the United States to come walk around all day in Alto Hospicio, and I told him I love that question. We talked for a really long time, he asked us to come teach him and his family some time, and we exchanged information. It might not sound like much, but it's pretty rare to find a person who genuinely loves Jesus and wants to learn His Gospel. I loved that day with Hermana Newlon.

Yesterday was the Primary Program in our branch!! Before my mission I served as the primary chorister in my ward, and we had our program right before I left. So even though this program was absolutely nothing like back home, it was making me all sorts of nostalgic <3 I miss that calling.

Christmas time in the desert is a little underwhelming. Mostly it just doesn't feel like Christmas. But one thing I've been doing to bring the Christmas Spirit is studying all the different scriptures I can find that prophecy of/testify of Christ's birth. There's so many!! I have a big/beautiful/organized list of them back at the Yellow Box, but my very favorite account is in 3rd Nephi chapter 1. The people are so desperate for their Savior to be born, even from across the world! And Christ assures them that their faith is not in vain, He is coming. And then He does! (spoiler, sorry) I couldn't help but feel for the people. I am desperate for my Savior to come. I know He will. Anyway, I would encourage you to read that chapter. I read it 5 times this week😅 

This week I also found the most "Gracie" conference talk of all time. It's called "The Poetry of Success" by Elder Sterling W. Sill in 1978. You'll have to read it to fully understand why it was written just for me, but the whole thing is about the spiritual, healing power of poetry and music. I was eating it up. 

I'm currently on a bus to Antofagasta! We're celebrating Christmas as a mission tomorrow, before a long bus ride back to Alto Hospicio at midnight so we can be ready to work again Wednesday morning😀 It should be fun! Today I also got a taste of Iquique, a city that Hospicians and missionaries glorify here. It's certainly much better than Hospicio, but in my two hours spent running around Iquique I'm not sure I understand the hype.

Until next time!