oh Santa Baby...

I don´t think I can put into words how great it was to talk to you guys on Christmas day. To have to old banter and old laughter..and old cats. It was so great!! Thank you for y´alls counsel and support in my mission :) It really means everything.


It suddenly got HOT HOT HOT in Chile. Seriously, I wanna fan soooo bad. Like the little touristy ones that everyone has at Carowinds and Disney world that squirt water. Ahh yeah, that would be nice haha. Plus there´s a big ole hole in the ozone above Chile, so when I say hot I mean HOT. I feel like I can feel my skin baking when we are walking around. BUUUUUUT, atleast I´m getting a pretty sweeeeet tan (with really weird tan lines)!! Whooop whoooooop!


So on Friday, we were visiting our recent convert Carla, and we were about to leave when she suddenly said "Can Oscar (her son) get baptized tomorrow?" Uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh DUHHH! He already had his interview a few weeks back and he has all the lessons but there were problems with his dad, so he could get baptized before. But when Carla said that I thought I saw the heavens open and a chorus of angels came down singing "It´s rainin´ [bautismos] HALLELUEHHHH! It´s rainin´ [bautismos], AMEN!"
So we spent all Friday running around and telling everyone and calling all of the ward counsel and all that jazz. And it turned out that this baptism had the largest attendance than any other! It was super sweet and special. Carla started crying when Oscar actually was baptised. Everything was just super cool how it all worked out. A miracle of the Lord!! (I have such a firm testimony of miracles cause of my mission....THEY EXSIST. everyday!).


But that´s all I have time to tell y´all about this week cause the timers tickin´.
Just know I love you all there and back again.
Go on an adventure. Use 2014 to be a little better and stretch a little farther...especially dad with the stretch part in his yoga. I believe you´ll reach your toes one day!! Si se puede!
Try not to conquer the world while I´m gone.
Love always and always,
Hermana Abigail Page

holy guacamole with sugar on top...

First things first: I´m gonna call/Skype you guys on wednesday 25 around 5ish on the afternoon. Esta bien? I hope so cause that´s when it´s goin down. We only have 40 minutes to talk though :( so maybe we should note the important stuff to make sure we cover it!

Second things second: FELIZ NAVIDAD PARA TODOS!!!!!!!!

Now onto the real news report:
Well y´all are never gonna guess what happened in the past week...
My Argentina Hermana Barros got transfered and called as a Sister training leader in a different zone. So (sorry mom!) we had an "early christmas" and opened all of our presents cause we wanted to do it together. THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! I was in Heaven! And Hermana Barros was too. Thank you so much :) So I know have a new companion se llama Hermana Perez de Salvador...and she is a baby in the mission (like only has 5 days).....which means......................... I´M HER TRAINER!!! :D Yep that´s right, I´m training Hermanita Perez. Crazy right? That´s what I´m sayin..
Getting the news that you are going to train is like finding out your pregnant...and that your due the next day.
I don´t even know what to say about everything. I feel so inadequet, but I know that the Lord is supporting me. I´m so sad and I miss Hermana Barros sooooo much cause she literally was my hermana and is such a great missionary. I´m excited the President and the Lord have such great faith in me to trust me with a new missionary. Nervous cause now I have to lead out in finding, teaching, talking, helping, and in everything when I still don´t know Spanish. Excited to see miracles in the work and to help a new misionary start out. No sé.... lots of different feelings mushed together, causing me to be a squishy mess that is on the verge of a nervous breakdown at any moment... All I know is that is this is what it feels like that have kids, I dont know if I want ´em! Haha

But that´s all the time I have to explain all the nonsense, so I guess I explain more when we talk in 2 days!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...it just hit me that we really are gonna talk in 2 days! I´m so excited :)

Hasta miércoles!
I love y´all to the states and back!
Have a great Christmas Eve and do something nice for someone else!
Love always and always!
Hermana Page


____________________________________________________________

Happy Birthday Zachary!

Happy Birthday Zachary! This was one of your many birthday parties, I believe your 4th, so cute. Last night you celebrated again with a few of your dear friends. What a joy you are, so happy you are in our family. May you have many many more birthdays to celebrate through the years. Love you!!!
.

4 months...

Hola mi familia! Como estan?
Sabe que? I have 4 months in the mission. Can y´all believe that? I can..but can´t but can... Eh, I don´t know. It´s weird. And then after this next transfer is my "yearish left" mark. Que en el mundo?
But I´ve been doing a lot of reflection this past week about the mission. And honestly, it sounds cliche cause it is what everyone says, but it really is the best time of your life...and the worst time, all wrapped up into one. One day you are on the verge on tears and super depressed cause...tons of different things. And then in a different moment, you couldn´t image being happier in your life because of simple things or steps of faith oooorr I don´t know, lots of stuff!
In a mission, I think that this is the time in your life when you are going to be closer to God and the Savior than in any other time in your life. You learn to literally rely on them in every moment, with every problem, saddness, and doubt. And yeah, at times we all forget stuff like that and then we learn it again and our testimonies of the divinity of Christ grow. It´s kinda funny isn´t it? How in one moment we have a super strong convinction of something and then after time, we forget or we lose it and then we learn it again....siiiiighh human probs I guess.
But really, this week, I have spent a lot of time on my knees. And now, I can testify that prayer is real. God really listens. He listens to every question, every sad event, every happy moment..He listens. And He answers. Always, He answers. It´s not always through the means that we are expecting. Sometimes He answers through ourselves, sometimes through feelings, sometimes through things that happen in our day, and sometimes through other people. But it doesn´t matter in what form He responds to our needs and questions, because the point is that He does. I know that with all my heart. And I am so grateful for the peace and rest our souls can find through prayer. And I´m so grateful for the miracles big and small that we can see in our lives through prayer.


And about Christmas, apparently we use Skype in this mission, so Mom, if you would be so kind to send me my old skype info (like username and password) so I will be able to skype you guys on Christmas, I would be extremely grateful. As for the time...I have no idea. Sorry :/ We are going to be in the house of a less active and her family so we need to confirm the plans with her first. So I´ll let you know next week at what time exactly...we are thinkin in the late afternoon though.


But that´s all for this week! I love you guys sooo much, and I´ll talk to you in 9 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love always and always,
Hermana Abigail Page

Nativity Night

Last weekend we had a Nativity event at the church. It was a lot of work to pull it together, but it turned out to be a beautiful couple of evenings. There were nativities from every where, all over the world, different renditions of the Saviors birth, it was a sight to behold.

Baby it's HOT outside...

To start with the most important news first... (coughcoughcough) I GOT 3 PACKAGES THIS WEEK!!! Woooooooooooooooooooooooo and a boat-load of letters!!!!! Whooooopwhooopp! But now all the elders in my district officially hate me haha. Poor fellas who don´t have a ´Momma Page´ like mine ;) I´m so excited to go home and open ´em all up...EARLY CHRISTMAS! whatwhat!
After mom told me that a package for Hermana Barros was in the mail, I told her that I was going to pray for a package for her. And she (on multiple occasions) called me crazy and told me no and didnt believe she could get one. But I just kept asking her, "Donde esta su fe, hermanita??" tehehe....Secret Santas are the best! Today she was so confused when the elders handed her her big ´ole package! She is so grateful for it Momma, so thank you! She kept telling everyone "this is from the family of hermana Page!!" :) (she is gonna write you an email to say thanks, mom.....but it´ll be in spanish. so dallin or matt...or google translate should be able to help you).
Oh, one more things about packages that is super funny but slightly uncomfortable. Our zone leaders and district leaders pick up our mail about once a transfer and then bring it to us. But of course they are curious, so they read the customs form on the outside that says whats inside...eh ya mom, next time PLEASE don´t put "tampons and bra" on the customs form!! Oh how uncomfortable it is when the other elders ask the ZL´s/DL´s what I got and they turn a little red and say "ask hermana page youself". Bahahaha...poor little guys. (I LAUGHED WHEN I READ THIS BUT THEN THOUGHT HUM SERVES THEM RIGHT FOR SNOOPING)


Summer Christmas is so weird. I don´t think I´m gonna get used to it anytime soon. In general I´m just really confused with the other hotness and Santa Claus and Christmas lights and the sun not setting til 9 stuff all at the same time.. Eh, whatdaya do.


Anywho, to be honest, I don´t have much to say this week. It´s been a crazy week...but crazy normal for a missionary. Lots of walking (and sometimes running). Lessons...spanish (ha)...more walkin.. ya how we do.
Oh! We are in a trio until 18 de December with one of the hermanas of the other side of Limache (there are 2 areas en Limache), pero ahora we have both areas to manage. Limache is en our control!!!!!! Nahh, just kiddin´. The only difference is that know, we walk and contact TWICE as much. Wooo. But I really like Hermana Lopez and Hermana Barros, so ´erdays a fiesta...but all we want is una siesta. Haha, see what I did there? Ahhh, I crack myself up sometimes.


Oh pucha! It´s time to leave!
I love you all and I hope the you all are enjoying the Christmas season! Please remember your Savior in this of the year. Through Him, we are never alone; through Him we have hope and joy in this life; and through him, we truly can live again. Of this I am certain. Oh what joy this sweet sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives. With all my heart I know He lives. Turn to him, and watch the miracles.
Love you all to the moon and back again. More than words can describe!
Choose the right.
Love always and always,
Hermana Abigail Page

Thanksgiving was a little different this year...

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone. I really can't wrap my head around time any more, it just goes much too quickly. We were missing so many that we love this year, it just felt a little different than in years past. I miss my Aunts, and Uncles that are no longer with us, but most of all Momma. Holidays are so very strange without your mom there to make things like they are suppose to be...you know, perfect. There were missing siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews and some of my children...they are what make everything perfect too. My heart was in many places this Thanksgiving, here with family, in Utah & Chile with my children who were not with us, with Mom...but it also caused me to stare away thinking of memories I have made with all of them, which made me laugh and also cry. I have so much to be thankful for, so very much.

Cowboy take me away...

This week we had intercambios (splits) with the sister training leaders..and it was my turn to stay in Limache. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous after they called us cause it was going to be my the first time in Limache without Hermana Barros. And then after the sister training leaders phone call, our district leader called and asked if I could teach in the district meeting the next morning...and that the assitants were going to be there. Of course I said yes, but after I hung up, I kind of had a panic attack (not gonna lie). The next day, there were no buses in Limache so we were late to intercambios and then late to the district meeting...and so when we got to the district meeting we started opening the door saying "lo siento, lo siento, lo-- PRESIDENTE??" ...Yep, the mission PRESIDENTE was sittin´ in one of the chairs cause he had decided to attend the meeting as well. I about turned around and left the meeting..or died right there, one or the other. Talk about crazy day, ya?? It was crazy when ya think about all the stuff that happened. But to be honest, it was one of my favorite days in my mission so far! I think it´s because I kinda of proved to myself that I know more than I think I know, that I can lead out, and that I am a good missionary. It was a day of...progress? Ehh, that´s not the right word, but my english is failing me and I can´t think of the one I want. That´s a good sign right??
And there is no doubt in my mind that the only reason things worked out okay and I was about to do everything during intercambios is through the grace and power of the Lord. I prayed like the dickens during all of this, and I know that the Lord was there helping me every step of the way..with spanish, with confidence, with remembering stuff, with the spirit, with TODO. I am so grateful that we have a merciful and powerful Savior who can help us with each unsure step and make our weakness strengths. Surely he is a God of miracles :)

yyyyyyy Yep, but other than that, it was a normal ´ole week in the life of a missionary...and I´m here, livin´ the life :)


(Oh and yes Mom, I got more letters! But I myself won´t get them til our next district meeting....and the zone leaders are going to Viña next week, so I´m hoping they will come back with my Christmas package! YAAAYY CHRISTMAS)


Let´s all for this week folks!
I love you all there and back again!! Thank you for your prayers and letters and emails and for being my family/friends. Y´all mean the world to me!
Til next week!
Love always and always,
Hermana Abigail Page