Anyway. Week highlights, anyone?
On Tuesday I had to go to Guayaquil again so that I could become a legal citizen of this country. I got to meet one of the new sisters that came this transfer. Hermana Garlock. She is absolutely adorable. I hope I get to serve with her someday. It took me back to the day so many weeks ago (ha) when I was brand new in the mission. I still feel like a baby, but I am glad I never have to experience that again. It was overwhelming and stressful and I had frequent thoughts of running away (maybe I shouldn´t admit that). But I´m glad I stuck it out. Being a missionary is the hardest but most delightful thing on the planet. Certainly a one-of-a-kind experience. Anyway. It was good to talk to her, and I think she was glad to be able to talk to someone who just barely lived that whole newness too.
My identification card picture is the most hideous thing on the planet. And I am not just saying that. Some elder was talking to me and the man failed to inform me that he was snapping the picture. So. I am mid-word, looking like some stoned psycho in my picture. I am so thrilled that all of Ecuador will remember me as such.
I got sick when we got back from Guayquil. I have no idea what strange disease I picked up, but I was exhausted. My body refused to function and I felt like I was going to faint at any moment. So I slept for a good 24 hours and felt much better. And then the zone leaders came and gave me a blessing and I continued to rest. After a while I felt on top of the world. How lucky are we to have God´s healing power on the earth? Note to every single priesthood holder on the planet: gracias. Please always be worthy to give blessings and don´t ever forget how lucky you are that God trusts you with His power.
So then Christmas. We had planned to eat on Christmas Eve with my favorite Ecuadorian family ever, the Arteagas. Everything was going to be perfect. We would eat turkey and stuffing and tres leches. My mouth had been watering all week thinking about tres leches. Seriously. And then we got a call the morning of the 24th informing us that we had to be in our house from 2pm on Christmas Eve until 2pm on Christmas. 24 hours en casa. So our big, exciting Christmas plans were kind of shattered. But that´s fine.
Instead I spent the day knitting myself a scarf. I am turning into a grandma, I swear. Also we played nertz. Also I made the tastiest spaghetti of all time, accompanied by the famous Angie Salad. If you don´t know what that is...ask my mom to make it for you. You will die and want to eat the entire thing. That´s a fact.
Christmas Day was the best thing of my life. I got to hear the voices of the people I get to spend eternity with!! I´m sorry if you´re under the impression that you have the best family ever. Mine takes the cake. They sang me "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and told me about the new wii they got and lots of other lovely things. Of course I cried the moment I picked up the phone. I am convinced that it is impossible to describe the emotions I felt talking to them. But. It was lovely.
And then that night we had a baptism!! My first of the mission! Remember Javier Chuñir? Yep. Totally got baptized. I couldn´t be happier for him. Also I can´t think of a more exciting way to spend Christmas. How rad is it that he had the chance to be reborn on the same day the Savior was born?
We joined with some other elders in our zone for the baptism because attendance was going to be low due to the holiday. They had 3 baptisms and we had 1. Who knew I´d have a white christmas in Cuenca?
I will never forget seeing Javier watch the people before him get baptized. His expression was a funny mix of nervousness and pure giddiness. He looked up at me and mouthed "me da miedo!" I´m scared! Ha. But he knew that it was right. He was willing to leave behind his entire old life for a newer, fresher, cleaner, brighter, happier one. He quit drinking coffee. He quit smoking. He promised to keep the commandments and prepare for the temple.
The joy of seeing someone change their lives to follow the Savior makes every single challenge in the mission worth it. It made sitting in the freezing cold without a way to get home worth it. It made spending lots of money on bus fare worth it. It made studying the lessons in PME worth it. Perhaps that is very cliche to say. But it´s true! I can´t even fathom the joy Alma must have felt when thousands were baptized in the Waters of Mormon. And I definitely can´t imagine how thirlled God must be every time one of His children accept the gospel and show faith to follow the Savior.
So. Good week, all in all.
I hope you all had the most delightful Christmas of all time. I hope Santa brought you a new pony or bicycle. And I definitely hope you spent oodles of time with the fam.
In the words of my dear companion, Hermana Castillo, "Peace out a todos!"
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