Bautismo - si o no? And a little bit more serious

May 24, 2021

 Hola a todos!

This is going to be long. I'll start with the jokey stuff and then with the serious stuff.

This week we have been a lot better, becaue we're not sick and also I can hear!

When I went to the doctor I couldn't really hear the lady outside asking me questions so I couldn't understand very well and so they thought I couldn't speak Spanish so they let my companion in with me. 😅 That was a miracle because I would have had no idea how to do anything inside the clinic, like pay with foreign credit, show my insurance, and wait until they call me. Now I know for the future if I ever have to go again... It was funny, my companion came in with me to see the doctor and sometime in the middle of talking to him he was like, "wait but your Spanish is good" and I was like "hehe 🤫"

We had district council in person for the first time with this district!! We're currently trying to help our district leader with the Word of Wisdom and get him to stop drinking Monster every day. 

It was so strange when we met our district leaders in person because they're incredibly tall, they look so small on Zoom. We talked a lot about our friends and how we can help them, one of our goals this week was to be more direct with our friends so we can figure out if they're interested or not. Elder Araya (DL) jokingly told us we should be more direct with people and say "Bautismo: si o no?" And if they don't answer ask "Baptem: wi o non?"

We asked "bautismo: si o no" with one of our friends Luis and he said "si!" Just kidding. but we did ask him if he wanted to be baptized and he said yes! We set a goal for his baptism in the beginning of July.

I learned a valuble lesson this week and I would like to share with you guys the experience I had. 

One of my biggest challenges recently has been getting to know people and share things according to their needs. 

We were planning a lesson with a member and my companion got frustrated with me because I didn't know what we should share with her, and half-heartedly suggested the first two points, god is our heavenly father and the gospel blesses families.

She told me something along the lines of "Hermana, you've got to think about what she needs and what will help her. She lives alone most of the time. Her husband has a mental ilness and can't take care of himself. Her son who lives with her is inactive and her other kids don't talk to her."

And I felt terrible. I was wallowing in self pity and telling myself that I don't know how to get to know people and help them. I felt really sad.

So after that when I was supposed to be studying Spanish I said a prayer and started reading the hymns in Spanish. I immediately opened to Abide with Me tis Eventide and Abide with Me. I knew straight away that this is what we needed to share with her, because she loves hymns, and we sing a hymn before every lesson. And I read the scripture passages that go along with the hymns and they were perfect. One was Luke 24:29 that is the story that the hymns are based on, the two disciples that walked with Christ after his resurrection, and how they wanted him to stay with them for the night. The other was John 15:1-10 or so. It's about how we should stay with Christ and he will stay with us, and how we can do all things with Him.

I told my companion my idea while we were walking to her house. She told me it was perfect.

We taught the lesson and it went very well. The whole time I knew it was exactly what she needed to hear. She loved it. It was a very tender, sweet lesson. She told us she knew it was true, and told of her love for her children and her husband even though they don't appreciate it, and we talked about how that is following Christ and God because they have never ending love for us and we don't appreciate it sometimes.

This taught me so much. 

1. Listen to the Spirit. 

2. Listen to the people. 

3. Plan lessons with love. 

4. Imagine what life is like for people, and if you can't fully imagine, remember and remind them that Christ knows exactly what it's like.

I've learned so much from having a companion from Venezuela, a place that is having so much difficulties and turmoil. Her family moved to Chile and had basically nothing. The government of Venezuela doesn't let you come back when you move from the country, so she will never be able to see her grandparents or cousins that live there still. She gets so sad whenever someone talks about the reality of what is happening in Venezuela.

Our friend Leo from Venezuela this week told us that his cousin Susana is in the process of immigrating to Chile. He told us that she made the trip through Columbia to Ecuador on foot, and got robbed of all her money when she was in Ecuador and Peru. 

My companion told me that it takes a week to walk the trail, and it destroys you physically. She told me her aunt made the same trip, and also got robbed in Ecuador. 

She told me her family almost had to make that journey on foot but her uncle paid the passage by plane for them.

It is starting to get cold, and my companion asked Leo if Susana has clothes for the winter and he said no. We are going to give her some of our winter clothes, and ask our ward to help.

When I was packing my bag to leave for Chile I didn't know if I should take all 3 pairs of gloves I had, but now I know why. I'm giving her my gloves. And some of my sweaters. And some of my warm socks.

I will keep you updated about Susana, but for now, would you pray for her to make a safe journey to Santiago? 

I hope this week goes splendidly for you all.

Hermana Smalley