WOW! December is flying by! I cannot believe that it is almost Christmas.... I am way excited. Mom, we found this cool guy in our ward with a giant tv to skype you guys! I hope that the connection and everything is good! But I am excited.
How are things going there? I hear the weather is nice in Colorado! It is nice here, too. Everyone keeps saying how weird it is that it isnt pouring rain every day. We are now in the rainy season..... it is still hot as ever!
This week was really really great. It was one of those weeks where I really felt like I was making a difference. We had so many opportunities to serve people this week, in many ways. I really felt like I was being the Savior`s hands here in Cochabamba.
I have so many stories and dont know how to organize them all.... BULLETPOINTS!
- Tuesday we had a family night with our pension. They are investigators. I helped the Hermano set up his Christmas tree! It made me think of you, dad. It was a really happy day. AFterwards, I finally was able to try the "famous" paneton aka fruit cake of Bolivia that EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT. Literally, that is all they eat on Christmas. Remember Stanley saying that it was really gross? I didnt think it was! It was just like a raisin bread thing. Nothing like the fruit cake of the US. Anyways, so now we have a cool tree in our pension when we eat lunch. It feels a little like Christmas.
- We helped so many investigators and members this week in service projects. We picked spinich, cleaned garbage, crushed like a million soda bottles, cleaned out a room FILLED WITH DIRTY CLOTHES, moved rocks, etc. It was a tiring week, but I have never felt so happy.
- Friday we had a zone conference, and GUESS WHAT THE ELDERS BROUGHT ME?!?!?! MY CHRISTMAS PACKAGES! I am so excited. But mom, they got here so early, and I didnt know if you wanted me to open them NOW or on Christmas Day? It is getting harder to resist not opening them....
- Christmas is so close, and I am way excited. Have you seen the new church christmas message? It is so great. I am really excited to share it with people here. We are going to carry around our little dvd player to show it to everyone.
- DEREK! I got your letter! It always makes my day to get random letters from my friends. THANK YOU!
- One night, I literally could not sleep at all because there was like a million dogs barking outside our window all night... .Oh Bolivia...
- I am NOT SICK, MOM! Do not worry. I feel completely normal. NO WORRIES. DONT FREAK OUT!
- We had a cool experience with our ward yesterday. We had a Dia Misional, where everyone met at the church, and we all split up to go visit the less actives in the ward. I was with this really sweet, old lady. We had a lot of success! So my advice for you all is DO YOUR VISITING AND HOME TEACHING! It really makes a difference.
- I have been studying this whole week the Atonement.I have really made it my goal to understand it better before I end my mission. Today, I was reading from a list of scripture references about the atonement that our president gave us. If any of you want it, just let me know! Two references really impressed me today---
3 Nephi 17:13-17 and D&C 45:3-5
Christ prays for us. He prays with His whole heart that we can be happy, accept HIs plan, and return to Him. He doesnt want us to feel sad. He doesnt want us to feel afraid. He wants us to take advantage of the enabling power of the Atonement EVERY DAY. He prays for us by name.
I love you all. I hope you all strive to be a little more like Christ this month. Make it a habit to be a little more kind. To laugh more. To help others. To be yourself. And to be brave.
I`ll write next week!
LOVE
HERMANA ROUTSONG... have I mentioned that no one says my name and just call me "that hermana" because no one can pronounce ROUTSONG? Bahahahahahah
How are things going there? I hear the weather is nice in Colorado! It is nice here, too. Everyone keeps saying how weird it is that it isnt pouring rain every day. We are now in the rainy season..... it is still hot as ever!
This week was really really great. It was one of those weeks where I really felt like I was making a difference. We had so many opportunities to serve people this week, in many ways. I really felt like I was being the Savior`s hands here in Cochabamba.
I have so many stories and dont know how to organize them all.... BULLETPOINTS!
- Tuesday we had a family night with our pension. They are investigators. I helped the Hermano set up his Christmas tree! It made me think of you, dad. It was a really happy day. AFterwards, I finally was able to try the "famous" paneton aka fruit cake of Bolivia that EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT. Literally, that is all they eat on Christmas. Remember Stanley saying that it was really gross? I didnt think it was! It was just like a raisin bread thing. Nothing like the fruit cake of the US. Anyways, so now we have a cool tree in our pension when we eat lunch. It feels a little like Christmas.
- We helped so many investigators and members this week in service projects. We picked spinich, cleaned garbage, crushed like a million soda bottles, cleaned out a room FILLED WITH DIRTY CLOTHES, moved rocks, etc. It was a tiring week, but I have never felt so happy.
- Friday we had a zone conference, and GUESS WHAT THE ELDERS BROUGHT ME?!?!?! MY CHRISTMAS PACKAGES! I am so excited. But mom, they got here so early, and I didnt know if you wanted me to open them NOW or on Christmas Day? It is getting harder to resist not opening them....
- Christmas is so close, and I am way excited. Have you seen the new church christmas message? It is so great. I am really excited to share it with people here. We are going to carry around our little dvd player to show it to everyone.
- DEREK! I got your letter! It always makes my day to get random letters from my friends. THANK YOU!
- One night, I literally could not sleep at all because there was like a million dogs barking outside our window all night... .Oh Bolivia...
- I am NOT SICK, MOM! Do not worry. I feel completely normal. NO WORRIES. DONT FREAK OUT!
- We had a cool experience with our ward yesterday. We had a Dia Misional, where everyone met at the church, and we all split up to go visit the less actives in the ward. I was with this really sweet, old lady. We had a lot of success! So my advice for you all is DO YOUR VISITING AND HOME TEACHING! It really makes a difference.
- I have been studying this whole week the Atonement.I have really made it my goal to understand it better before I end my mission. Today, I was reading from a list of scripture references about the atonement that our president gave us. If any of you want it, just let me know! Two references really impressed me today---
3 Nephi 17:13-17 and D&C 45:3-5
Christ prays for us. He prays with His whole heart that we can be happy, accept HIs plan, and return to Him. He doesnt want us to feel sad. He doesnt want us to feel afraid. He wants us to take advantage of the enabling power of the Atonement EVERY DAY. He prays for us by name.
I love you all. I hope you all strive to be a little more like Christ this month. Make it a habit to be a little more kind. To laugh more. To help others. To be yourself. And to be brave.
I`ll write next week!
LOVE
HERMANA ROUTSONG... have I mentioned that no one says my name and just call me "that hermana" because no one can pronounce ROUTSONG? Bahahahahahah
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| Our Christmas Tree |
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| Lunch with Rosario |
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| All the spinach we picked |
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| Our Chrismas tree lunch everyday |
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| Our Pension made us fettucini alfredo |
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| Chantiline mmmmmm |
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| We made Chantiline... it was so good |
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| Look what I found |
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| Helping Daniel Crush bottles on pday |
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| Daniel he sells bottles to earn money |
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| Daniel |
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| Cochabamba |
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| Picking Spinach... reminds me of Grandma Margaret |
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