IM GOING HOME!!!!

AHHH!! TIME FOR CAMBIOS!! AND I'M GOING BACK TO THE PROMISED LAND OF PUENTE ALTO!! BUT IN AN AREA I HAVE WANTED TO SERVE IN SINCE MY FIRST WEEK ON THE MISH!! AND I'M TRAINING!! ANOTHER PERUVIAN!! SO, SOPIPILLA TUESDAYS ARE BACK!! I AM SO HAPPY!! HOME SWEET HOME!!

Basically, I started my mission in the south of the mission (Puente Alto), and even though I froze every day (because I arrived during winter and it's close to the mountain range of the Andes + my house was an icebox), I loved my area so much. On my first exchange, I went to an area even further south, and ever since, it has been my dream area. AND NOW I GET TO SERVE THERE WHOOP WHOOP.

Anyways...

I was studying the life of early church apostle Parley P. Pratt, and he is incredible. He was a missionary in the early years of the restoration of the church in the mid-1800s. After arriving home from his most recent mission in Chile and previously serving for almost 25 years, he thought he could finally rest and take care of his family. However, the prophet Brigham Young called him to serve yet again, but this time in the eastern states.

If this were any of us, we would honestly think, "AGAIN? Isn't it time for me to enjoy the blessings of my constant labor? What about my family? Why me?" However, Parley P. Pratt is an example to all of us of being a consecrated disciple of Christ. He responded by saying, "God's will be done, and not mine. If it is the will of God that I should spend my days in proclaiming this gospel and bearing testimony of these things, I shall think myself highly privileged and honored. And when the spirit of God is upon me, I think it matters but very little what I suffer, what I sacrifice – whether I secure the honor or dishonor of men, or where I die, if it be that I keep the faith, fight the good fight, and finish my course with joy. I have all eternity before me, in which to enjoy myself."

He took the counsel of Amaleki in the Book of Mormon seriously...

Omni 1:26

"Yea, come unto [Christ], and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him."

Parley P. Pratt's example made me seriously reflect this week on my level of consecration and devotion to Christ.

How am I putting complete trust in God and His eternal perspective?

What am I holding back from offering Christ my "whole soul"?

Am I giving every ounce of energy, every conscious thought, and every drop of passion to the Lord and His work?

We will never be perfect in this life; however, WE CAN put forth our best effort, and Christ's grace will carry us the rest of the way. We, too, should follow the example of the apostle Paul in Luke 18 when he told Christ, "we have left all and followed thee".

The times when I have had exploding amounts of happiness are those when I have tried to put my fears, selfishness, and laziness aside and follow Christ with my whole mind and heart. He is not only the way to eternal life but the Guide to receiving joy TODAY, tomorrow, and for the rest of eternity.

It is our choice to be just disciples or to be consecrated disciples of Christ. It takes constant effort; however, "[we] have all eternity before [us], in which to enjoy [ourselves]."

Highs:

Panchito (Francisco) was baptized!!!

Sary texted us saying she got the job at the cafe that allows her and her family to come to church. YAYYY! Hopefully, she never finds out we talked to her boss 

Lunch with Hermano Ronald four times this week.

Teaching a lot about temples. #familiasare4ever

Thrift shopping activity in Relief Society, and all the hermanitas forced me to take their old dresses from many, many decades back. I wore one of the dresses on Sunday, and it made me the favorite missionary of every old lady in my ward. #YESSS

Chilean postre.

People were so nice in the streets!!!!

Church tour with Grisell.

Movie night with the ward and eating the best popcorn I have ever tasted.

Creating a story of Alma the younger and Nephi being companions with Hermana Gonzaga 

Lows:

Going back to sharing a bathroom.

Leaving Hermana Gonzaga and our friends in La Florida.

My feet are always cold.

Hermana Pickett