this week`s subject is due to my growing need for my Dr. Pepper. Somebody please call the President of Uruguay right now, because this is such a travesty.
Buuuuuut other than that kids, guess where homegirl is at?
COOOOLOOOOOOONNNNNIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAA.
Buuuut I`m going to start from last week, because there is so much to say!
1. Christmas Eve: so great! We spent it at the house of the 1st counselor in my Bishopric. All of his kids live in Brasil, so they were all speaking Portugese while yours truly, my comp, and the Elders sat and ate our Christmas dinner like a bunch of jolly fat little elves. Christmas dinner, mind you, which included TURKEY. Like, real Christmas turkey. Made properly. Not like Katherine in Christmas Vacation. For real. TURKEY. And it was sitting in a gravy just like my mother`s (although nobody thought to eat the turkey with it...so I just did some sneak-dips while no one was looking.) We were allowed to stay out until 10:30. WE`RE BIG KIDS NOW. Then, sleep just didn`t happen. Why? Because in Uruguay, Christmas involves FIREWORKS at midnight on Christmas Eve. This was perhaps one of my favorite parts of Christmas...(warning: sentimental part ahead): while the other Hermanas were laying in bed waiting for midnight, the firworks started early. I stood and looked out the window, and so fireworks from literally every side. There was color, there was smoke, there was noise. And you know what I thought of? In the book "Our Search for Happiness", Elder Ballard talks about his experience on his mission where he was walking by a river and he suddenly got the very real knowledge of the love His Father in Heaven has for Him and that he`s aware of him. He said he always believed, and always thought he knew, but it wasn`t until that moment that he realized it was a REAL knowledge. Guess what, kids? Standing alone looking out the window, THAT WAS MY MOMENT. And it was so amazing, unlike anything I`ve ever felt before. After many, many, many fireworks (like, the big kind that are illegal in the states), the other hermanas and i exchanged our gifts (because we did a secret santa.) Then went to bed and absolutely did not sleep haha. Because Uruguay did not sleep on Christmas Eve. It was the coolest Christmas Eve ever, and the first for me with fireworks. And guess what, lucky me, I will get to have another next year!
2. Christmas! Christmas morning, I woke up the Hermanas five minutes early and we walked out to our little finger puppet nativity, which I had put on the table. Silent Night was playing in the background. I explained that what my family does before anything else on Christmas morning is say a prayer in front of the nativity, and sometimes even bare our testimonies of Christ. So the four of us did that. It was great to do one of my family traditions, and this year was super special for the four of us because we all had a totally different perspective of Christmas and knowledge of Christ. Right after, we made french toast. What a glorious sight to behold. We then did our gift exchange with the 4 elders across the street (because we also did a Secret Santa with them.) Except, haha funny story, Elder Lufi had drawn my name, and he made me this really great little football looking thing which has the Brasil flag painted on one side, and the Uruguay stripes painted on the other, with my name, the mission, Rivera, and the date. Except when he wrote the date....he accidentally screwed up and wrote the 24th of December instead of 25th. Hahaha so the whole week before Christmas he was trying to convince all of us to give our gifts the 24th instead. We kept saying no, so he just showed up at our house the morning of the 24th with my gift. Hahaha. Special. (I don`t even know if these stories are funny anymore if I`ve just turned missionary.)
But anywho! Us Hermanas did good with our gifts. I got Elder Carvalho silly string, Elder Lufi recieved water shooter thingies and silly putty, Elder Sanderson got water guns, and Elder Rodriguez got a mini pool table. Sooooo....they had fun in their house that day hahaha. After that, we ate muchìsimo asado with the Bishop and his family. And after that? Guess guess guess! I TALKED TO MY FAMILY. And I cried. They cried. We all cried. I told the Bishop how you guys kept saying it looked like I was drinking beer when I was drinking Guarana, and he went telling everyone at church "I gave the hermana her first beer!" hahaha. But it was seriously the best Christmas present ever ever EVER to talk to you guys. EVERYONE. I HAVE THE BEST FAMILY ON EARTH. Okay that`s all.
We visited Dorila with popcorn and chocolate and the Joseph Smith movie to watch with her that day, talked to the cute little old man who lives by himself and has not the best memory but is very lonely, and of course went by the Araujo family. It was such a special Christmas to be thinking of Jesus Christ and others, before thinking about gifts and decorations and food. (although the food was still fantastic.) All the hermanas were sad to think that it was their only Christmas, but lucky me, I get two! You guys. Christmas is so special. Christ is so special. The mission is so special!
3. The day after Christmas, you want to know how hot it was? 115 DEGREES PEOPLE. I died. Almost. But really, guess who got sick? YO GURL. I had actually started to get sick Christmas Eve day and got a blessing from the Elders, mostly to not be sick during Christmas, and it apparently worked perfect for Christmas, because it wasn`t until Thursday that the real goods set in! I guess homegirl from Utah where there`s snow right now and it usually doesn`t go above 90 in the summer...just can`t hack the heat. Haha it`s coo`. I`m mostly better now, except my voice is still a little bit gone. So people in Colonia probably just think I always sound like a high pitched little girl. No biggie.
4. Speaking of heat and Colonia, CHANGES!
Kids, I DIDN`T STAY IN RIVERA.
We were all shocked, seriously. We were all certain that Hermana Goode would be leaving. But nope, she gets one more change, and I am here, in Colonia Centro, to open an area with Hermana Zumeta de Guatemala!
My goodbyes to Rivera were soooo hard. People tell you how sad you are when you leave the actual mission, but the thing is too that every time you leave an area there is a good chance you won`t go back and see those people again. That`s how it felt. Carlos, Dorila, Yeny, Karen, Carol, the Araujos! So sad. Saying goodbye to the bishop and his wife was like saying goodbye to my parents. That`s what they were like to me. Just like I know every area will, Rivera will always hold a piece of my heart. It is so special to me.
So I got to Colonia yesterday, and all we did was pick up our furniture. So there`s not much to say yet haha. Except a few things:
There`s a B E A C H. There`s a river right there, but it`s so huge it looks like an ocean. Magnificent.
The perk about opening an area, is we got all new furniture in our apartment. H O L L A.
It is still hot here, and more humid, but more like 85 or 90 degrees rather than over 100! I think President Smith and the Lord both knew I would die in January in Rivera. So. Thank you. Thank you SO. MUCH.
My companion and the 4 Elders who live nearby are all Latino. So guess who is learning Spanish reaaaaally fast? And guess who is also teaching them true American phrases? Yo gurl.
Another sad thing about leaving Rivera is I am leaving cheap town. Already this day has pained me with how much more expensive things are. Cry.
Hermana Zumeta is A W E S O M E. (to anyone who speaks Spanish, everyone here jokes with her and says "cual es su meta?") hahaha. She actually speaks and understands English really well--she was studying to be an interpreter before--so she helps me when I don`t know a word, but other than that we speak Spanish to each other. Already i can tell my Spanish is getting better! But she is SO cute! I am so excited! Opening and area is going to be a TON of work, because we are starting from scratch, but that`s what`s going to be so exciting! And the Elders in our branch told us that all of the members are so excited to have hermanas again! I am so nervous and excited and happy and stoked out of my mind!
Ok so I`ve taken way to long on this email. I again commend you all who have read all the way until this point. And who are still even reading my emails haha. Just know that i am happy and safe and in a new place near a beach, and surely going to see great things, and more than anything else I am so thankful to the Lord and to the Gospel and to all of you for all the support!
Oh yeah...If any of you have little ones who like to color and paint, or have posters of temples, San Diego, or the beach, all of the walls in our apartment need some color! So, SEND ÈM OVER. Thank you all again for everything! KNow that I feel your prayers!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! May 2014 bring even more happiness, joy, laughter, and even trials to make you stronger! How lucky am I to spend ALL of 2014 in my favorite little corner of the universe. I love you, I love you, I love you!
Hermana Dolan
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