Monday we spent the night in the beachside Air bnb of our dreams. We had 13 mattresses laid out on the floor of a super fancy apartment in Iquique, that was quite literally on the ocean. Check the google photos for evidence. We had a good old fashion sleepover, complete with lots of Papa John's and megabed and bonding. The next morning Felipe picked all 13 of us up in his kidnapper van (Felipe is an adult service missionary) and he had also picked up eight elders before us, so if you can do the math there, that makes 21 missionaries in the back of the kidnapper van. Every time a cop passed we'd all drop to the floor, but there was so many of us that we were sliding into eachother left and right. At one point Hermana Mondaca got air and did a flip, landing on several other missionaries in the proccess. All the while "You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift was playing in the background. It was a core memory for sure.
Conference with Elder and Sister Nielson has easily made it into my top 3 best experiences on the mission. I loved every minute of it! I was asked to be Sister Nielsons translator for the day, and it started with a special meeting for all the sister missionaries. I was worried that since I'd have to focus on translating everything she said into Spanish for the Latina missionaries/Hermana Wu, that I wouldn't be able to fully enjoy the meeting- but I couldn't have been more wrong. Repeating everything she said really solidified what she was saying in my mind, and being able to look into the eyes of all the sister missionaries as I said it in Spanish- seeing the tears rolling down their cheeks as they were told that they are loved, they are doing enough, God is proud of them- solidified the message in my heart. I knew it was true. I had to hold back my own tears to be able to continue. I continued translating for Sister Nielson throughout the day, and she and Elder Nielson sat by me at lunch! I think we're besties now.
I could go on and on about what I learned from the Nielsons, but instead I'll just say that at the beginning of it all, Elder Nielson said, "I promise that if you can leave outside things outside during this conference- we will go to Heaven together today." ...and it was true.
Other noteworthy things from the week:
- After the conference, made it back to Arica with all the energy in the world to try and be the best missionary Arica's ever seen, and then spent that whole night in the bathroom trying not to throw up. And then trying TO throw up. And then trying not to again. Proselyting while sick is my least favorite thing in the world.
- Our District Leader came with us to a lesson with Charles to help testify in English, but Charles wasn't there. In the mean time the four of us participated in a rumble with 20 Jehova's Witnesses. Wanna guess who won?
...my comp made us drop Charles, I'm upset about it.
- Elder Nielson encouraged us to pray for trials, and after almost a week of doing so, I can't say I reccommend the practice. God answers those prayers a little TOO quick.
- We ran into Patricia on the street, she was wearing an ACDC T-shirt and a camo hat. We talked for a while, she called me her "wawa" (that's how you say "baby" in Chilean) and then she dapped me up and went on her way. Have you met a cooler old lady???
- If anyone else needed closure on my Hospicio friends, (just me?) I got to ask the Hospicio Hermanas at the conference! Marina from the car wash finally ditched her problematic partner and moved to Peru, Paula officially moved back to Santiago💔, The family of girls in las tomas are all going to be baptized this Saturday!! And Diego G. too! So happy for them.
- Paulina came to church!
- Me and our district leader were asked to make a song for our zone, we sang "Rivers and Roads" by the Head and the Heart but added some spanish/missionary lyrics. We only got to practice once and then my comp decided to join us for the performance without knowing the song at all ? But it went okayish. I added a video to the album for mems.
🌊Hermana Beck
