LONGEST TRANSFER POSSIBLE!!

As luck would have it, Pierce wrote this am as I was rushing the boys into the car for school.  His Companion completed his mission and went home to Peru.  Pierce was TRANSFERRED!  My Momma nerves are kicked into high gear.  I was sort of an emotional wreck this am as he told me he is being sent back to where he started his mission 18 months ago.  He was there for 6 LONG months.  The hardest part for me was also learning that his one and only companion that he had issues with, (and who seemed to changed the whole course of his mission)..., will be in his district.  WHAT THE WHAT?!!  FAITH FAITH FAITH FAITH!!!!

He's happy..., I think.., for the change.   He gets pretty restless.  He seems to have a great attitude about going back!  Needless to say, I'll be praying extra hard for him.

"Hey, so I’m getting transferred....to ARICA again!   25 hour bus ride..., 26 from Huasco..... AGAIN.  I think I deserve an award for that?"

"It was weird saying goodbye to Elder P, because we got along great even though, Oh my it required a lot of patience sometimes, but it was good!"

"My new comp is Elder J.   He’s a  GRINGO, full blooded, I imagine!  (first Gringo companion) He’s new- ish I guess.   I’ll be in the most north part of the mission, closest to Peru.   Huasco (where he was) is the farthest place away possible. LONGEST TRANSFER POSSIBLE. But it’ll be cool.., I hope.

All is BUENO!!

We heard from Pierce today, since the Mission President was in their area yesterday doing interviews.  He sounded good, just has a lot on his mind as he gets closer to coming home.  He only has 1 more week left with his companion.  His Comp completes his mission and is going home to Peru next week. Change is coming!

Here are some excerpts from today's email:

" The interview with Pres. was awesome.   It felt like I was with Bishop Moss actually.  Just a conversation about various topics which really made me think about some stuff. It was cool talking to someone in English!   English humor and conversation!  Good wholesome ENGLISH conversation!  Basically, he told me to be like Superman and not Clark Kent, because Clark Kent lives a boring life.  It was good."

"I heard some kids listening to A-HA, “take on me” remix or something in the street. I talked to them because usually the kids all listen to reggaton. (Worst music ever made) They were listening to some classics.  They actually said they didn’t like reggaton. PROGRESS!! "

" V is doing really good!   K and C have been putting the Word of Wisdom in practice and have really begun to see the blessings, which is awesome! Now they are planning on getting married, but they have to get their parents to come.  No, Claudio and K aren't married yet, but all in due time!  It was so good seeing them last week!"  

"One thing the mission has taught me is to.....GET MARRIED TO THE RIGHT PERSON. PERIOD.   I see SO many people who have messed it up!  You get a lot of time to think from watching a lot of other people make mistakes out here, which is good.  I just don’t want  that to happen to me! BAH, makes my brain hurt!!! "  

Reunited and it feels so good......:)

We didn't hear from Pierce on Monday.., not sure why?  It sounds like he was on exchanges though??  Anyway, I was relieved to hear from him today.  He is looking pretty darn skinny though!  He's always thin.., but he's seriously SKINNY.  He is missing his weights.   That's about the only way that boy can put on weight.   :(

Here are a few excepts from today's email:

"This week was pretty good.  I went to Baquedano (Vallenar) again, except this time I got to see Claudio and Karen.  SO AWESOME to see them again!!  They made us Asado because I was coming.  Elder P (the new missionary with Elder G in Baquedano) got lucky!    It was really cool being with a gringo again, even if it was only for 1 day. It was funny to realize how backwards I am.  Since he’s pretty new, he was asking me stuff about the mission and people and customs, etc.  Things that I thought were normal but really aren’t that normal.  He asked if, in all the cities, the power lines were everywhere outside?   I was like, it’s the same at home....oh wait it’s not!  And a bunch of other stuff like that that now is normal for me…., but isn’t normal in the States"  

"I had a dream that I was home.  (ALWAYS HAPPENS) They’re always funny and retarded with random craziness.   In this dream,  I was at home bored and I yelled "Mom I'm going out."    I guess it was in the morning, because I got in my car and went to Home Depot and parked.  Then I went with all the Mexican guys there that wait to get picked up to do work.  I sat down with them and they all looked at me weird and I said "¿Que pasa?" Pretty funny, then we got picked up and were making cement and all that good stuff.  Weird!"

"There was a person who saw us helping someone carry stuff.  He came up to us and was like "hey did you just help that lady?" In my mind I thought he was impressed or something because we did something nice?   I said yes, then he asked if she paid us.  We told him no.  He  then started telling us that service is bad and you need to charge people and blah blah blah."

"Then in another service project, my Comp, fell backwards into some barbed wire. He was  wearing a lot of clothes,  so it wasn’t that bad."

"Yea I know I’m losing weight.   I’m trying to gain weight,  but its hard because I want to gain it the right way.  I'm gonna work out hard to gain like 10 to 15 lbs at home.   I hate it."

" V" won’t accept a baptism date yet.  Her son is getting worse.  He’s an ex drug addict, but I think he’s back at it.  She comes to church, but she cried a lot the last time we went.  Good thing we had a couple there with us.  The wife was able to help a lot." 

Cristian (a really awesome less active) and Elder McMullan

Elder P, Cristian and Elder McMullan

Karen (an awesome investigator from his old area!)  

Elder P  (They were on exchanges)

Elder G

Another week, chicken and companion (almost) down!

We found out via Skype on Christmas, that Elder McMullan is apparently making all kinds of new rules for the mission.  No more using heavy machinery, (Once on P-day, he jack-hammered a huge hole for an investigator building his house.  The man spent his months salary on renting it, then got called into work.)  No more roofing, (apparently they helped roof someone's house once? Never heard about that one) and perhaps soon, there will be no more killing innocent poultry??  I can't remember if there is a no tilling farm-land rule now??  He just may be the only Elder disappointed about those new rules?  I completely see the wisdom in them, (so does he) but I also love that Pierce jumps at the chance to serve.  (Even though, thinking it through first, would be wise!)  For the record, the no playing sports rule is NOT his fault.  He's pretty bummed about that one too.

Pierce also sent us that amazing recipe for Banana bread/carrot cake deliciousness he made last week! Kind of funny that he's sending ME recipes.  :)

Here are few excerpts from today's email:  

"Our investigator, V is progressing great basically!  She agrees with everything we teach her.  The law of chastity, she said was obvious, and tithing she said, makes sense." 

"Well.., one more dead chicken.   We killed one for New Years.  Don’t know if there’s a rule for that?  I  couldn't find it, but the Hermana wanted us to do it, so we did.  We had to go to their house early anyways.  There was like no meat so we made the cookies too."

"Elder P and I are starting a diet thing.   He wants to lose weight and I want to gain weight.  We are eating better and running every day now."  

"Oh my,  Elder P is losing it finally.  Just like all the missionaries I've ever been around that are "dying."  It’s so funny, there was a kid the other day in the road on  a skateboard.  He was just learning. (or, at least I hope so) The word they use here in Chile is "eskat" (skate) like the exact same as English.   Elder P was like "Hey are you learning to ride your motorcycle?" The 2 of us, me and the kid, just looked at him like "what?" Then he tried to correct himself and said moped.   Then we all started laughing.  The mind just starts to deteriorate little by little at the end."

"Yesterday, this missionary who got home in May, brought his fiancé to church and they were.. kissing in SUNDAY SCHOOL!  YOU DON'T DO THAT.  They sat RIGHT in front of Elder P and he was like oh my gosh.., WHY ME?!" 

"Mom you KNOW me, I’m cheaper than Mr. Krabbs, but it (belt) should break any day now I think, but until then I'm using it! ahahahahahahaha."

Elder P and Elder McMullan.  Eating their cookies /side dish  

Headless chicken :(  It's what's for dinner.

Yum :/

AWKWARD MOMENTS

Here are some excerpts from today's email:

"Calling (Skyping) home was good!  I wish we had more time though.   I miss the McMullan humor and all your voices!" 

"AWKWARD MOMENTS this week:   My comp asked a lady how many months she had being pregnant......she wasn't exactly pregnant.  AWKWARD

Then, we had people answering the door naked....... AWKWARD

My Comp told someone that they'll be able to lose weight in the Millennium as a solution....  AWKWARD!"

"Today we made a cake/ banana bread/carrot cake and frosting thing.   I got the recipe from Hermana Garrison.  (The senior couple here) It turned out AMAZING!!"

"Someone asked us to give water to their chickens everyday while they are gone....Day 1 :   1 DEAD Chicken"

"Also this week,  because people think it’s HYSTERICAL here to YELL words in English. (I swear the word "Hello" for me…, I just completely ignore it now.) But they yelled “goodbye” to us, so  of course me being me, (I often, finish  phrases and words with a song)   I finished that with  "Goodbye world Goodbye!" Then I started to sing the whole song from what I could remember.  Dad would be proud!"

"Someone invited us over for January 1st, to kill a pig.... don’t know how that’s going to go but eh, it’ll be interesting. Farm life…, how I love you! "  

"We got talking to an Evangelical pastor. That was interesting. My comp started to get pretty heated.  It turned into a “proving the Bible in my way,” sort of thing.  I kid you not…, 2 hours with this guy!  He contradicted himself so many times. The Evangelicals (or at least this guy) all have different ideas from what it sounds like.  So many divisions under the same roof."

"2 of the funniest members here.  (That's olive oil, not wine)" 

There was a RS activity representing America

The "Super gift"from Mamita and Papito

"Mamita and Papito"

Christmas dinner!  (They celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve)

Sad/dead chicken 

Delicious banana bread/cake/carrot cake/ frosting thing he made.   

Weirdo

Yum? I have no clue???

 

Christmas Skype/ Testimony in Espanol

We had an AWESOME 40 min conversation with Elder McMullan yesterday!  It made my day..., rather my year! (At least since Mother's day)  It's comforting to know that this is the last Christmas without him with us!   I asked him to bear his testimony in Spanish since I love to hear that Gringo of ours talk like a foreigner!  I could understand a few things (VERY few) but for the most part, I haven't a clue what he said.  It was BEAUTIFUL none-the-less!!!

Here is Elder McMullan bearing his testimony in Chilean Spanish :)  :

Impresionante Español!

Pierce didn't have much to say today, since we will be talking to him THURSDAY!!  2 more days!!!

Here are a few excerpts from today's email:

"We had the Christmas conference yesterday which was really good."

"Apparently, Elder P lost his identity this past week. We went to go find an old investigator and a lady answered the door.  We started talking to her and she was like "Where are you guys from?" She looked at me and was like, "Well you’re gringo, and you?” (pointing to my comp) But before he could answer she was like "you’re Mexican or something ?" (note EVERYONE CALLS HIM MEXICAN) He said “no.” Then she was like, "But you do have Latin roots, right?" Looking confused, he said, "yea I'm from Peru." And then the best…she says, "Then why do you speak Spanish so bad?" I was like in my mind "WHAT!?" He was stunned too, like "what do you mean?" She then went on a rant about how he's lost his identity, how he needs to keep his roots, and how I, the gringo, speak better than him in Spanish...... Hmmmm. People tell me a lot that I don’t have a gringo accent at all.  That was funny, didn't know what to say. He doesn't even speak bad, at least, I don’t think!  He did forget a word though while we were talking, but it was funny. So that happened. "

"The whole branch on Sunday, went to the Santa Isabel, (super market) the police station, and the plaza and sang Christmas songs and handed out those “He is the Gift” cards and stuff.  It was really cool."