He really does have a plan; we just have to decide if we are in or not.

OK, first of all, can I just say how much I love you all?  I think my favorite part of this week was all of the fun pictures. Oh my heck taylor and heather you have two very cute little boys. I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited to play with that freaking toddler I cannot even express myself.  I know that trunky is super bad, but I have to admit I am a little trunky to kiss Evan's cheeks, and play with Alden.  They are pretty cute.  Other things, I am not ready to go home and face, but playing with that little boy and holding that baby look really, really, really, really good to me!!  Thanks for all of your letters!  I really, really like them! I always end up crying with joy as I print off and read your letters ... they are so fun!

How are you all!? We are doing great! This week was the fiestas patrias in Chile! They are crazy about their fiestas patrias. EVERY house has a flag, EVERY family BBQed their faces off, EVERY business closed down for the entire week. It was pretty funny.  But I really like it because they are really patriotic. Not like the 'I am just better than everyone else', but let´s celebrate our país!

The good news of fiestas patrias is that we get to eat lots and lots of BBQ the bad news of the fiestas patrias is that there is NO ONE in the streets.  Missionary work for Violeta Cousiño is contacting in the street so when we did not have any one to contact we just kind of walked around ... I walked in the middle of our busiest street and we just laughed because there was not even a single car.  They all leave, because it is against the law to open businesses. We ate SO MUCH MEAT!!!!!  When Lauren is resurrected, I found where she should poof herself to in September ... CHILE!!  I think I have eaten half of a cow in these last couple of days and it has been very fun!!! 

The sweet experience of this week was the last moment of the day.  We had a really hard week with lots of time in the street, and few moments talking to people.  We had both passed through a harder week, and we were both feeling pretty discouraged, but it ended on one of the highest notes of my mission.  We had been passing by a Menos Activas house probably at least two times a week, and every time the woman opened her door and said to us that she could not let us in because she was too busy.  But yesterday she told us to come back at the end of the day.  So we waited and came back for our last cita.  And she was waiting for us.  Every time we ring the doorbell, her son always comes out first.  When we got into the house I caught right on, ... her son has been diagnosed with Aspergers.  He has the most famous symptoms that there are. But this little boy was extra special. He is barely four and he is ADORABLE!  I fell right in love with him.  We could not understand much when he talked but then his mom showed us how he reads.  She kept saying 'my son knows how to read', and I kept thinking maybe she just thinks that because she is the mom, but really ... this little four year old could read!!  My companion pulled off her name tag, and asked him to read it.  Her last name is Zelaya!  He read it perfectly!  He read mine perfectly also.  And it was even cooler because the spirit was really strong, when he did it.  It is like he finds his voice through words that he reads.  It was really beautiful!  We were freaking out!  There was this huge spirit in the room, and it was really, really beautiful!  This woman got baptized, then got married to a very messed up Mormon who was addicted to drugs.  She did not know about this problem until he called her one day and told her.  Long story short, this man abandoned her and so she got divorced and is now living with a really good man (B_'s dad) and is afraid to go back to church, because she is not married and her kind of husband does not want anything to do with the church, but is a good man.  We sat and talked about the gifts that children have to give her strength.  She is a school teacher and finds a lot of strength in the kids she teaches.  She continues super firm in her beliefs.  She taught her cute son to pray, and the spirit was way strong everytime he prayed. (He needed to pray to start and to end;))  She became a real hero for me.  She told us that maybe she just was not strong enough and she let herself get taken by the current.  But, we got the beautiful chance to testify to her that Christ´s power is real, and that she was strong with him.  I felt the power of kids with Aspergers or Autism again and it was beautiful!  My companion started crying when he read her name tag perfectly and looked at me and said "is this why you want to teach children with special needs?" I responded with a BIG smile!  They are connected to heaven!!!  You feel it!  It is just really beautiful!  Their world is different from ours. There was an Elder that blessed her after her husband had left her who, after (or during the blessing) started crying a lot and said that she would have a baby and that the baby would be a boy and that he would be extremely important for the church.  So we have the goal to get those two back in church.  She told us that her and her husband have sworn to not talk about religion because it makes them fight, but B__ made the difference!  He wanted to pray with his daddy, and when he askes his daddy to do something he is there and ready.  So when he called his daddy for prayer, daddy came running ... now they have a tradition.  I love little kids!  They help us be closer to heaven!  It was a really nice personalized tender mercy that I got to enjoy.  At the end the mom asked me to help Bruno give the prayer.  What a blessing!  Those are moments that I just won't ever forget! 

This week was really interesting to me.  I am about to finish the Book of Mormon.  What an intersting book!  I find something in every verse!  That is why I know it is true.  Something that I found really interesting is Mormon and his realistic optimism.  I say realistic because Agency is something real and he understood that!  This can create real problems in this world.  His world was the worst!  He was with a people who had become the worst that we can become. He saw wars, and sickness all of his life, but in the beginning, middle, and end of almost all of his letters, he always expresses hope!  He understood that his situation was terrible but he chose to be faithful to the end.  I looked for why he was so good at that and I came to the conclusion that he knew who Christ was and he understood his power.  Sometimes it is hard to feel overcome with a lot of agency and not a whole lot of good choices to go a long with it.  It is hard to hear people use silly excuses for why they should not have to listen to us and for why we don´t need to worry about them.  We respect their agency and continue, but it is never fun to say okay bueno que tenga un buen día igual.  I don´t like leaving them.  But I love how Mormon felt.  He always always trusted in the possiblity of repentance, and the power of the Savior.  I discovered that this week.  There are SO many people that tell us no every week, and every week God continues giving me hope.  I don´t get it because I should not have hope, but he keeps showing His good hand in what we do.  He respects the agency of His beloved children and keeps working with us.  I love being an instrument in His hands!  Look at how He respected the agency of the Nephites, and the Book of Mormon still came forth.  It works the same here. A lot of people don´t want to listen to us.  People don´t really want to help but His work moves forward!!  There was one night when I had listened to a lot of success of other missionaries, and I felt crappy because I felt like I was working double, and getting less than half.  So, I went to my roof (I am a spoiled missionary, remember?) outside my bedroom window, and I went to talk to God.  I went out with my sleeping bag, and like mom said in her gratitude thing, I went to tell Him that He was not being fair, and the only words that could come out of my mouth were words of gratitude.  He filled me with his love, and gave me the strenth to do it all again.  He is a good Father! He really does have a plan; we just have to decide if we are in or not.  And, once we decide that part and keep deciding it every day, we can be full of hope, even in situations like where Mormon was.  We can see that life is hard, and we can understand that we have a challenge ahead but we can rejoice in the hope that we find when we are "clasped in the arms of Jesus." (Mormon 5:11).  What a blessing!  God is real!  I know He is because His plan keeps working!!  I love you all!  And, I love to see that His plan is working in your lives too!  I testify of His power!  Like Mormon said in Moroni 9, I recommend you all to Him!  He is good!  He really does have the power to save, and strengthen us! 

Love you all

Hermana Webb

(Who she is trunky for  ...... :-)  The rest of us, she can wait for.)

Mision Chile Santiago Este
Cristobal Colon 6824
Las Condes
Santiago, Region Metropolitana
Chile

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