Monday, August 25, 2014

Surprise!



Well, it's really happening. The surprise cambio where we all thought Hermana Arndt and I would be staying here together but I'm actually getting transferred! I love Quillón and I love Hermana Arndt and I'm sad to be leaving so soon. 6 weeks is really short to get to know a place. But I know the Lord has another purpose for me.
This next cambio I will be in Concepción. Once again, I'm following Hermana Oldroyd's footsteps! Going to Hermana Oldroyd's old area is good news because all I have to do is tell everyone I'm her cousin and they'll automatically trust me. I'll be with Hermana Meyer, who is awesome from what I've heard. (Obviously never been her companion but we got here the same day and I've always thought she was cool). More news about that next week!
My last week in Quillón has been pretty low key. More trying to play soccer (this time a bunch of little kids who play better than I can were making fun of me), being nervous for cambios and not knowing why (now I know why!), being rejected a LOT for one weekend, basically all of the people we were teaching disappearing right before Sunday, and enjoying all types of weather. You know, just normal mission life. I love being a missionary and I'm learning to enjoy myself more without stressing too much about the little things. I have about 6 months left and I'm going to work as hard as I can but I'm not going to forget to enjoy as well!
Thanks for all your prayers, mail, support, etc. I love you all!
Until next week - in Conce!

Hermana Glazier
Photos: Zone activity on my last day in the Chillán zone...we all had to guess what our cambio was before we could take it off our head.

Looking professional!
 Hermana Meyer is my new companion!

Last photo w/ Hermana Arndt

Monday, August 18, 2014

Short Story


This letter's called short story for two reasons: 1, it's gonna be short. 2, I want to write a short story about this orange tree we always pass in Quillón. If you have any good ideas about symbolisms you can let me know.


Well the big news this week is that we had a branch activity in which we ate crawdads! Yes, I'm being serious. There are areas here where they live in the mud (I don't know if it's like wetlands, farmlands....something like that). Anyway once a year the branch has this activity - they go out and get them in the morning and in the evening we eat them together! I have to say, I prefer the way we prepare them in our family...just the tails.

















                                              

the Week

No time to think of a good title. 

Well the good news of this week is: Special mini-cambio with Hermana Oldroyd! It was such a blast. It kind of just felt like we had been companions forever. She helped me realize so many things about myself that only someone who has known me my whole life could recognize. She reminded me that it's okay to admit when I'm not feeling well. In fact, it's important to admit it so that other people can help us. If I feel so responsible for helping everyone else and am too prideful to admit that I'm no okay, I will never be able to help people as much as I could when I feel confident and happy. 

I just want to share my testimony with all of you that the Atonement is real. These last months have been really hard for me in the mission. Here in my new area I feel much better, but a few months back I experienced a lot of difficulties emotionally. I know that my Savior helped me through. I know now more than ever that I have a Father who loves me. And as much as he doesn't like to see us suffer, he lets us have the challenges that shape us into stronger and more faithful people. I'm so grateful for my covenants that bind me to Him and promise me happiness if I'm faithful. The key is in remembering that we are doing our best and that He will always make up the difference. Thinking that we're okay on our own will never, ever work out. 

This week I am working on being ME. Not some robot version of a missionary that imitates supposed expectations from other people. The Lord called me here and needs me to be myself. (Don't worry, still not a robot, but I realized I was being a little more uptight and hard on myself than I needed to be). 

Keep working hard and doing all the good things you can do. And remember that any effort to share the gospel is valid. Even if you're trying to contact some nice people and a drunk guy comes over to sing you some Evangelical songs. (Yep, just another normal day for me). 

Love you all!

Hermana Glazier







Monday, August 4, 2014

Ski Trip!

Today we had a zone activity in which we went to a ski resort. WHAT THE HECK, ZONE LEADERS, ARE YOU TRYING TO TORTURE ME?
Sorry. Just had to get that out. Everyone wanted to go on a trip to the snow, so we left at 7 in the morning, rode in a bus for two hours, and got to watch other people ski. Am I the only one that finds that frustrating? All I know now is that the first thing I will do when I arrive home is GO SKIING. 


Now don't worry, I'm not getting too trunky. For those of you that noticed, yes, I have already been a missionary for 1 year. Don't worry, I'm going to make these next 6 months better than the first 12 combined! (I have to, because I have 6 months less than an Elder). I'm excited to keep working with Hermana Arndt, not to mention that today we get to have a specially-authorized mini-cambio with Hermana Oldroyd! I'm so excited to get to work with her for 1 day. I know I have a lot to learn from her and I'm so thankful we're here in the same mission. Even though we were never even working in the same zone at the same time, we've kind of been following each other's tracks and I know we'll have a looooot to talk about afterwards. 

This week was full of adventures - MORE mountains of mashed potatoes, a "Family Home Evening" that we could more appropriately name "Empanada-Fest," perfecting my microwave brownie, zone conference in which we played scripture charades and I realized that I need to study up a little more (it's never too late!), and a giant Hermanas sleepover before the zone activity (no way we could all get buses that early in the morning so we had to come to Chillán last night). There were 12 hermanas sleeping the same house! Not sure how we pulled that one off but somehow we survived. Also someone had pop-its, those little firework things we use on the 4th of July, so I even got to feel a little patriotic! 

Anyway love you all. Keep enjoying your summer while I'm here in the snow (ha). 

Love,
Hermana Glazier