November 25th Update

Well, here we are. The last post that'll be written in Chile. That's pretty weird. 

I wanted to talk a little bit about the Chilean people. You've got to know who they are so you can understand why I love them. Of course there are exeptions, and not everybody is the same, but this is a lot of what I saw this year and a half. 

They are such a riot. So, SO funny. They are so passionate and dramatic. They love their families so much. They are the most passive agressive people you ever did see. If they didn't want to talk to you, they just make up some great excuse. Sometimes when we were contacting, people would just yell, "There`s nobody here!". A few times, they'd go leave to go "find somebody", and then they'd just leave us there waiting with their door open. And they sure wouldn't come back. Anything to not be too rude. If you ask if you can share the gospel, they're always putting the baby to sleep, they can't come outside because they've just drank mattè or ironed and they don't want to get their face messed up, they're with their "babies" that are at least 13 years old, they're VERY busy with watching their soap operas or doing absolutely nothing, or "JUSTO estaban saliendo".

 They are just so so so so funny. They sometimes talk while they're inhaling to emphasize something. Sometimes the women are hilarious and boss their husbands around and aren't very nice to them. Sometimes the men are super chauvinistic. I sure didn't like that. They love their country. They love to party and have a good time. They don't mind if things are a little broken as long as they still work. They are very crafty and just make do with what they have. They usually are very nice to help one another. They LOVE el campo, and usually everybody is from el campo and has to go visit their family on Sundays. That's sort of a joke, future Chilean missionaries; Don't get too nervous. They have the most wicked sweet fashion taste. Some are super classy. A lot of the jovenes look like they are living in the 80's, complete with fanny packs and jean jackets and big hair. And 80's American music. The flitès walk around with a speaker box in their hand listening to their hardcore reggaeton. They have crazy dichos and talk crazy Spanish. I mean they don't speak Spanish, they speak Chilean. They love their completos and their meat. They work very hard so they can be able to go home and have a good time. They eat bread for basically every meal, espeically hallullah bread. Don't contact during the Once, which lasts from 4 until 11.They are a very believing people.They have an open culture of faith. They always give you a little jugito with you come visit, maybe even some cookies. They start their lunches with a soup, and then you get the main course, and then a postre. Always. Welcome to dessert everyday. Some are a little bit on the bigger side, and they don't care one bit. The government has put sweet exercise machines right next to the jungle gym if you want to get crazy. They love to live in the moment. They are very loving. Very "de piel". They want to like you, and enjoy being with you. 

In short, they're amazing. I love them so much, and I know they'll always be a part of me. I have learned a lot from them. 

Thankfully, I didn't come on a mission to get translated, as Hermana Humphrey told me, so I'm still coming home imperfect. Thank goodness. But I've learned how to love more. I've learned how to be happier. And most importantly, I have learned how to better love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I know that I really am not much by myself, but with Them at my side I have seen miracles. I love the idea of the divine discontent that I'm going to keep in my life. To keep striving to be and give the best that is in me every day that I have. I'm excited to see what else Heavenly Father has in store for me, but I am so incredibly grateful for such a beautiful chapter of my life. Thank you for all your prayers, love, and support. They've meant the world to me. 

Just be good, so you can be happy.

Love you all. See you soon enough.

Hermana Lovell 

November 11th Update

Well, we all learned a great lesson in the house in Santa Sabina: Do not tick off the evangelical grandma landlady. For one reason or another, we did. And we had to spend a whole day cleaning our apartment. I also did a crazy mini cambio in Talcahuano one day. It's just been pretty crazy this week.

 

There was a pretty cool miracle, though. We were just using the Ward directory to try to find some of the members, and Heavenly Father definitely lead us to the cute family. Their little boy is named Mosiah and everything, but the RM dad had gone inactive. But! Just the fact that Heavenly Father lead us there, we were able to give him that extra push he needed so he could come back to church. Then yesterday we had this TOTALLY awesome family home evening with them and another family that we're working on. Then this RM dad totally taught the lesson and was this struggling new convert with his wfe and kids that are investigatores. It's just incredible how involved Heavenly Father is in His work. Of course, we do all we can, but we really are just humble and do what we should, it really just all works out in the end. Thank goodness.

 

I'll be honest, sometimes I`ll get weirded out and think, "Oh my heck, I only get three more weeks doing this? Not the rest of my life?" Because really, that normal life of college and family, and thai food (:)) all seems just like something I read in a book. But! I am very excited to see what happens. Life's just great.

 

Whenever you feel bummed out, you should just go serve someone. Just stop thinking of yourself, and listo! You're good to go. When you're unhappy, it's usually just a sign that you're bored.

 

I know that Christ lives, and this is His church. I know that miracles exist. The big kind, and the little kinds that you'll miss if you're not looking close enough. I know that Heavenly Father wants us to be happy, and if we look to Him for Him to show us how, we'll find more joy and happiness than we can imagine. Man! We're sure lucky to be alive.

 

Hope you're all doing great! Take care.

 

Hermana Lovell

November 4th Update

Hey Family and friends,

We're doing good in Santa Sabina. The ward here is a MACHINE. It's pretty incredible. There's like 40 RMs. Like 4 sisters that have served in Temple Square. Our sector is SO so diverse and interesting. We've got some sectors that are SO well off. There's a lot of gated communities, so every once in a while we'll dodge in and out of the gates when cars are leaving so we can get in. It's quite the adventure. 

We had a baptism! The Elders were teaching a man named Pedro who has Parkinson`s. He is the brother of a member, so that was pretty cool that he could get baptized. And do you know what was happened during his baptism?

Mariana got baptized!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot tell you how happy I am. She finally was able to get rid of the skeletons in her closet, and now she's able to move on. It was kind of bittersweet, because if I hadn't of had the emergency cambio, I would have been able to see it. But, I guess it was just the way it was supposed to happen. 

Hermana Romney and I will be staying together till the very end. We`re Mike and Sulley! Woody and Buzz! We're pals. Sometimes we're a little competitive with one another, but it all works out fine in the end :) So, here I am in Santa Sabina. Starting my last month. It's a pretty weird feeling. If I think about all the things that will be happening soon and all the decisions and things, my head explodes a little, so I try not to. Life is good. Life is wonderful as a full time missionary. Life is wonderful not as a full time missionary. I'm excited to keep doing missionary work for the rest of my life, so I'm not too torn apart about that sort of thing. Life is good, and should be good no matter where you are. All that matters is that if you're obedient to the commandments, you'll be blessed.

Just be good, so you can be happy.

I love you all! Here goes nothing. 

Take care.

Hermana Lovell 

October 28th Update

How many emergency cambios can one missionary get? I guess we'll wait and see! 

Due to a series of unfortunate events, my companion and I, and Hermana Ayuso and Hermana Snyder were all transfered out of Chillan. Why not? So now I'm in Concepciòn. Hna Romney and I got transfered together. We're taking over an Elders sector. This is my third time doing that. What a party. But it is the first time that we also took over their house. It smells so RANK! Just in some key areas, I guess. There were some wet gym shorts in the sink when we got there. What a bonus. 

We got to meet the Bishop and his wife last night. They're like 30. Hna Lorena served in Temple Square, and Obispo Riquelme served in Santiago Sur. They seem super with it. We've got an assistence of like 180. I didn't even really know that could happen in Chile! The funny thing is, for whatever reason there were just two elders there. So at the end of this week, we`ll be having the normal planned cambios. And we're pretty sure that they`ll split Hna Romney and I up and one of us will get to open a sector. I'm sure not dying quietly in the mission! 

Conce is different. The people are more city folk. I really haven`t had any of that for my whole mission, so we'll see what happens. We definitely have some good times up ahead, and we're really excited. It's definitely been a whirlwind. Good news is, Mariana is getting baptized finally this week up there in Chillan. Hoorah! It bites that I won't get to be there, but still, she`s my convert :) She's the best. 

In the mission council today, we were reminded that it`s okay if the mission sometimes is hard. How else could we be able to understand the atonement, and participate in the salvation of souls, if we did not suffer just a piece of what our Savior suffered? I don't think that means we have to go around and be depressed all the time, but I do think it means that this work is real. Service and sacrifice are required. We should love it and enjoy what we do, but the hard times are part of the experience. 

I love you all. Thanks for all your support. I hope you have a great week.

Love,

Hermana Lovell 

PS Enjoy every moment for what it is! 

October 7th Update

Doesn't conference rock!? 

I love it so much. 

We had a pretty crazy week, for some pretty crazy stuff. But I guess that's kind of normal in the mission. 

I think one thing I loved most from conference is what type of role the Savior should have in your life. If you really are looking to feel his love, you will want to reflect who He is as you feel His love. You will able to give your heart to His cause because you already know that it's worth it. He will be your best friend. Someone you'll always feel the presence of in your life. 

I love the idea of what a family should be. It should be not only the most important social unit, but also the strongest. I love the focus of helping also those who have fallen away from the path to have the courage to come back. I love the advice to be meek, to be compassionate. To follow the two great commandments of loving God and loving others. You can't go wrong with that, now can ya? 

I love you all. I invite you to pick at least one thing you're going to change from what you've learned from conference. It's the best way to keep that peace that we feel in our heart. 

Take care!

Hermana Lovell

September 30th Update

Hey Fam.

It's been a pretty crazy week. We basically had an impromptu move houses moment, so that cut out a good portion of our working week. The good news is we're in our house now.

We ALSO got to have the baptism of Francisco. What a great kid! He is so excited to keep making changes in his life. He's already made some drastic ones. We're pretty proud of him.

One of the coolest things was that the husband of Julia came with them to church. Now the whole family is on board to investigate the church: Julia, José Miguel, and their 3 cute kids. We're pretty excited about them.

Mariana´s still coming along. She's going to beat her old habits! I just know it!

Love this work. Love you. 

Lose yourself in the service of others. That is where you find yourself.

Hermana Lovell 

September 23rd Update

So this week has been crazy. 

We had our cambios happen in the middle of the week because of a crazy mess up in the MTC. Our house stayed the same! We are all so pumped. We had 18 DE SEPTIEMBRE here, our indepence day. It was pretty crazy. A lot of happy people. A lot of meat. Dancing the cueca, even though I didn´t really do that. 

Hermana Romney and I are still together THANK GOODNESS. We really have such a good time together. The day after 18 it rained. And rained. And rained. And we were for sure outside for quite a long time. And it was really hard. And you know what? For some weird miracle, I was happy during all of it. All of those smiley rejections and not so smiley rejections. All of them didn't matter. After three hours, we looked up at we saw a rainbow. And then we got into a little old lady´s house and taught her about the Plan of Salvation. You know what? That was such a miracle. Heavenly Father needed to humble us so that we could be better. You always just have to keep holding out for a miracle. The next day we today found the cutest couple named Carla and Jorge. We did it by asking one of the members who always goes out with the missionaries to show us some old investigators. And you know what? That was a miracle, too. 

Mariana! That girl! We've had some setbacks, but we're still plugging along! She's an allstar, and she is going to get baptized. Francisco is actually going to get baptized this Saturday. Still awesome! 

The gospel rocks. I love it. SO. Much. It just makes so much sense. I love how Heavenly Father really wants to give us the desires of our hearts. We have to just have the courage to ask and look for it. "The Lord listens to the prayers of His obedient children". I read that in an ensign. True story! 

I love you all so much. Thanks for everything.

Love,

Hermana Lovell 

Picture. P-day madness with Hna Snyder, Hna Ayuso, Yo, y Hermana Romney

September 16th Update

Hey Family!

 

This week started out super rough. We had some weird stuff happen with some new converts. But you know what? Perserverance is the key. If we keep plugging along and do everything we can to do what we know is right, good things are always on the way. And that's true! This week, Francisco´s getting baptized. His parents don`t want to give Nicole permission, so she'll just have to be awesome and come anyway. Mariana and Mariana and still working up to baptism, but we're still just helping them make some pretty drastic changes in their lives.

 

For whatever reason, these past 3 or 4 days have been hilarious. I know it really is just an attitude thing. We are the architects of our own happiness. I know that accountability is the way have real happiness. That, at the end of the day, what we do with our lives is always been us and Heavenly Father. He knows what we're capable of.

 

Our pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of becoming like Him.

 

I love you!

 

Have a great week.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Lovell

September 9th Update

Faaaamily!

Me and Hermana Romney are having an awesome time together. I just know one of us with get transferred soon, because I don't think it's allowed to have as much fun doing the work as we're having. Sure I'm training, but she already knows everything, so not really. 

Please. Everyone. PRAY FOR MARIANA. She is the coolest Chilean you've ever met, and she's got her baptism this Friday. She's fantastic, but everyone needs help! Francisco is still a rockstar, and Mariela is progressing, too. 

It's starting to get beautiful here in Chile! And, surprisingly, hot. Just a little. I know it's going to be just fantastic being here for the summer. Chillan is renowned for their cold winters and hot summers. But, I lived in Utah my whole life, so I'm not too worried. 

Two weeks ago we got a visit from Elder Gonzalez, and he really stressed to us the importance of REAL growth in the church. It's looking to increase church attendance. More people receiving the blessings of the sacrament. If converts aren't being a blessing to their ward and aren't coming, that really isn't really church growth.

Fun fact: I have got a friend who is crazy. I don't know what she has, but she she's got something. She's like 30 years old, and a member of the church. She just does what she wants. Her name is Nancy. She's always got some serious style. She always rocks this sweet blue eye shadow that normally gets smeared everywhere. Somehow she found out that we have district meeting every Tuesday, so every once in a while she'll pop in out of nowhere. Like week she just came in while the zone leaders were giving us a pep talk, and I just like to act like it's totally normal. I just say, "Well hello, Nancy!" And I kindly escort her out. This time she came to tell me that she had a Christmas present for me. Why yes, it is September. But who cares! I sure didn't. She left it with the nice construction workers to give it to me later, but I told her it would be better for her to go get it and bring it to me. She went and got it gave it to me. I opened up the wrapping, and it was a beautiful stuffed doll with a little plaque in her hand that says "Gracias, Mamá". What. a. WIIIIIIIIN! It was pretty great. 

But Fact! I love being a missionary. So, SO much. I love working with the ward. I love teaching the people they love. I love talking to people on the street. There are so many people with desires to follow Christ. And do you what? We have what they're all looking for! The gospel is beautiful because it works, it's true! All the blessings that are promised our real! We've just got to open our eyes and see them! God blesses our lives in so many incredible ways. If we really can remember that, and put our faith in Him and not in ourselves, He really can make miracles happen in our lives. 

Love you all!

Hermana Lovell 

September 2nd Update

Hey everybody!

There is such a thing as an emergency cambio. When even though it's not time to change everybody around where they´re serving and who with, it happens anyway. Why yes, that happened to my sector.

The assistants called me last night to tell me that tomorrow I'll be going to the airport to pick up my new comp. I'll be training. Woohoo!!! Hna Martinez is going to Tomé where the beautiful beach is, and she's going to be in a trio with 2 of the coolest missionaries that there are, so that's not too bad. They told me that my companion is named  Hna Romney, and she played for BYU basketball. Oh my heck. I am so excited. I am sure she is such a rock star.  

Mariana is still incredible. We are pals. She is progressing wonderfully to her baptism. We also had the biggest coolest miracle of all: ALAN IS GETTING BAPTIZED.

Alan is the son of Carmen, he's 19 years old. Carmen and 3 of her kids got baptized about two months ago. When we first started teaching them, Alan was the super skeptic. He didn't really feel like there was a God. But, about 2 weeks ago we were having an FHE with them as a family with some other members, and I don't know who asked who but before I know I knew it our 2nd counselor in the bishopric had gone with Alan to give him a Priesthood blessing of health. And his problem disappeared instantly. And then, out of nowhere, HE came to US asking to be baptized. He told us "Before I felt like you were just here selling the gospel. But now I know that it's true." WHAT AN ALL STAR. So, all is well here in Los Copihues.

Change is a part of life, and it follows you wherever you go. You might as well learn to love it. Like our wonderful prophet says,

"The future is as bright as your faith."

True. Story. 

I love you all! I hope you enjoy every moment you've got. Life's too short to do anything else. Take care.

Hermana Lovell 

PS I think the mail strike´s over, so feel free to go crazy :)

August 26th Update

This week was a week of miracles. One of, dare I say it, the best weeks of my mission? :) And do you want to know what? It's because we're working with the members. And it rocks. 

Real leadership happens when Heavenly Father teaches you how to have success, and then you share that. You share it with your kids. You share it with your friends. That's real service. And do you know what the real way to have success in this life? It's the gospel of Jesus Christ! It's faith, repentance, renewing baptismal covenants or making them, listening to the Holy Ghost and doing to things to keep it a part of your life, and to keep doing all those things. THAT is only doctrine, the advice you need. There are a million other opinions and advice about how to have success or how to be happy, but really if you can do those 5 steps, you're nailing it. Heavenly Father has commanded us to do it, and if we do it, we will be blessed. We've got to patient sometimes, but the blessings. always. come. Believe it! Test it out!

Mariana is still a rockstar. I totally know she's going on a mission in a year. We've been finding some great people to teach by working with the members. I love being a missionary, and I love the things that I've learned that I know I'll apply for the rest of my life. 

I love you so much, and I hope that you take time to look for the little miracles that Heavenly Father does in your life. They're there. The trick in life is to look for them, and realize that you can't do everything. And that's okay. Because He'll pick up the slack. 

Hermana Lovell

August 19th Update

Hey family!

Spring is on the way here, and I'm pretty excited about it. Heavenly Father has really been helping us in the work. We got the BEST reference in the world: Her name is Mariana, and she is one of the coolest Chileans that I've ever met. She's the kind of person that even if I wasn't a missionary, I'd still love to hang out with her all the time. She's 22 and just trying to figure life out. And she doesn't know it yet, but a year from the 6th of September she is totally going on a mission.

My first seminary teacher was the best. He always drew these crazy drawings up on the whiteboard, and for some reason this helped me remember his lessons better. I still always remember when we came in and he had drawn this big football helmet. That lesson was all about how we are all actually on the same side. That a lot of times in life we start fighting between each other, but that's when we've got to remember that we're all on the same time. We are meant to help each other. It never should be me against that other guy that I want to punch in the face. We've always got to remember that the atonement not only works for us, but it should work for others, too. As long as those who have wronged us are trying to repent, we as well should support them in their efforts. I've been reading the new testament, and one of the things that stuck out to me that Christ said is that He invites us to feed the needy and the things we always hear. But He also invites us to visit those that are in prison. I think He was trying to say we've got to support people in their efforts to repent.

Sometimes, that can be so dang hard! You just want to keep being bitter. It takes a lot of effort, but life is definitely more enjoyable when we can have charity and love in hearts for everybody that is around us. I'm learning that. And I'm working on it. We'll still be doing that all our lives, right? Forgiving and being forgiven. And finding joy in the journey. Good stuff. 

Love you all!

Hermana Lovell 

August 12th Update

Hey everybody!

Cambios came and gone. I'm still here with Hermana Martinez! In my group of Hermanas that I'm over, 3 of them just got done with their training, and now they're all training. I'm excited to work with them and help them out.

The Chilean post office is on strike, so..... yeah.... Maybe it'll be over soon and I'll finally get that package that Brittany wrote about like a month and a half ago. I'm pumped.

Crazy day, I've got to go. But I love you all! Thanks for everything. 

Hermana Lovell 

August 5th Update

P-days, ladies and gentlemen. P-days are wonderful. Today we had a zone activity, and it consisted of watching church movies and eating food. I forgot how watching movies really can be so relaxing! We watched God's Army. That movie is a little chreca. We were all scandalized when the missionaries get married in the end. What a crazy depiction of missionary work. But at least it was funny to watch it.

I had some good quality time to write in my journal during the movie. Sometimes that's kind of my way to work things out. 

In life, sometimes it's super easy to get caught up in the details. That "one track course" that you can see in your head, and if it doesn't work out that way you can get really stressed out. But when it boils down to it, with the things that happen in our lives we can ask ourselves two questions: Are you having fun? Are you learning?

Right down to the most perfect person you see, we are all fighting our own demons. We all have things that are hard. But if we're all trying to become better everyday that what we were yesterday, there's really nothing to be ashamed of in our efforts. We are God's Children. He loves us. He trusted me to teach His gospel already full aware of all the imperfections that I have. He gives us our opportunities, even though He is fully aware that we are not perfect. I don't know why we expect to perfect when Heavenly Father sure hasn't ever expected that. 

If we continue on the path of righteousness we have chosen, we have every right to claim the blessings that we have been promised. We may have that one track course picked out for our future, but that's selling ourselves short. Life is meant to beautiful and joyful. We're just here to do our best. That's all Heavenly Father wants and He loves us. We've got so many goals, but if we really have faith in Jesus Christ, we will know that as long as we try our best and have fun, He will give us the desires of our hearts. And He knows those desires more than we do. 

You'll never know when opportunity will come out of nowhere that will change everything. All we need is a heart full of faith and put our faith in Christ. 

I love you guys, and I hope you have a great week. Enjoy the journey!

Love,

Hermana Lovell 

July 29th Update

Hey family,

Carmen and three of her children got baptized. Oh man, mission work is a labor of love. We definitely had a crazy week to help everything turn out but it did. It really is incredible how, if we're humble enough, we're able to see how Heavenly Father is guiding our lives.

I think a lot of times in our lives we just want to get over our trials. To just do what we've got to do. To bite the bullet. But a lot of times it just doesn't work out that way. There are some trials that we get that no matter how much we want to, we just have to live with patience. In Elder Bednar's talk, he quotes Elder Maxwell and says that we all need to "partake of the bitter cup, without becoming bitter". This is one of the things that the Savior showed us how to do. Of course it's difficult, but that's why we have the atonement. 

Heavenly Father loves us enough to teach us. To test us. To give us the things we specifically need so that we will be able to become better. There are so many times when we can become frustrated about the things that happen to us, when sometimes we just need to step back, breathe, and make a game plan of how we are going to STILL enjoy life with all that we have. Come what may, and love it, right? 

This week should be a fun adventure. We're off to go find, reactivate, and retain the converts that we already have gotten. 

I love you so much, and thanks for all the support that you give me. 

Venga lo que venga y disfrutalo.

Love,

Hermana Lovell

July 22nd Update

Once again. Bad time budgeting has taken its toll. But I do love you. My official release date is now my birthday. Crazy, right? Time goes by really REALLY fast. 

 

Keep on keeping on!

Hermana Lovell 

July 15th Update

Usually, I end up just wanting to write about Sunday, because those are the miracles that are most fresh in my mind. It's incredible to stop and think about the atonement. I got to teach about the atonement in the gospel principles class, and it's amazing how studying the atonement can always make you feel better. We got a new bishop in Barrio Copihues, and I am SO excited. He is so consecrated to his calling. He wants to have interviews with new converts every month, interviews with the youth a lot, interviews with every couple in the ward twice a year. And we've got a goal to have our own church soon in 3 years. THAT, my friends, is dedication to mission work. Woohoo!

 

Some things I've learned:

 

A lack of progress upsets the human heart. Improvement is why we are here on this earth. Setting and reaching goals invites the Spirit into our lives. They take us one step closer to the Master. We are here to be "anxiously engaged" in a good cause. The fruits of work and goal setting are an outpouring of the Spirit, creativity, and a sense of purpose in life.

 

Having a clear perspective of what would be the will of God will help us distinguish between what thing we must pass through "cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord", and what things Heavenly Father will empower us to helps us change our lives. Submitting to the will of the Father is not going as "a leaf in the stream" when your circumstances are not exactly what you wanted. It is to submit yourself. It is to choose to change yourself and your circumstances as you draw from "the strength of the Lord." The enabling power of the atonement accomplishes the ever present goal of our Heavenly Father: To help us become as He is. 

We've had some crazy moments with the Family Cifuentes that we're teaching. But you know what? That's when you really realize how much you love them. And then you fight even harder for them. Carmen, Kony, and Patricio are going to get baptized on the 27th, and Mattias is going to get baptized the 3rd of August. They're a funny bunch, and I love seeing how the gospel is changing and healing their family.

Yesterday we found two of the coolest investigatores I've had: Patricia and Teresa. Patricia has a parrot, loves plants, and is about 60 years old. Teresa is 90 YEARS OLD, and quite sassy!

I'm still having a great time. I know that for everything there is a season. I've loved my past. I know I'll love my future. And I love what is happening and what I learn every minute of everyday here. I love the peace that can be found as we just live with all our heart and love every minute of it.

Come what may, and love it.

Love you!

Hermana Lovell 

June 24th Update

It all started with a broken bunk bed. 

Well not really. But this week was pretty awesome. I'm with Hermana Martinez now, a CHILENA from Copiopo. We both talk a lot, we're both pretty bold, and we are having a great time running around in a sector that has never had Hermanas before.

 

So this week we have been getting used to our sector, and it definitely has been a week of miracles. As we've given it our best, the Lord has blessed us with many people to teach.

The broken bunk bed started off quite the ridiculous weekend. I sleep on the top bunk and was trying to fall asleep. I told Hermana Snyder to come up so we could talk about something. Little did we know, whoever had put together that nice little wooden bunk bed had not done it right. It and we all fell quite terrifically. Don't worry. We got pictures. Then the day after, Hna Burgess and I had to go to Conce because we were going to sing in a quartet (with Mikey Carter!) for the big ALL missionary conference to say goodbye to the Humphreys. I just got back from that today. With 250 of us running around everywhere. It was so incredible. I love the Humphreys so much .They are very much about pushing yourself to your very limits, and I've got to learn so much from them. At the very end of the conference, we all stood up in silence as they walked out for the last time. Oh man, so many of us were crying. I'm sure the Arringtons are going to be fantastic, too.

I love this work. I love working as hard as I can to give others the opportunity to grow their relationship with their Heavenly Father. To feel Heavenly Father has forgiven them of their sins, so that they in turn can do so. I love to teach that families really are going to live forever together because I know it's true. I invite all of you to join the missionaries where you are and be apart of this new effort to make members be apart of this work. Love others enough to share your testimony with them. They might say no now, but maybe they won't a few opportunities later because of the light that you've shared with them. Serve others. Be as Christ. And, as one of our apostles said, "Cherish your membership in this the only true church".

I love you. May you find the joy that waits for you as your share the ultimate gift, even the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Love,

Hermana Lovell

June 17th Update

Cambios, cambios, cambios!

 

Hermana Phelps is heading out of Libertador, and so am I!

 

We share a chapel with Los Copihues, another ward. They've got 4 Elders there. But now, they're doing 2 Elders and 2 Hermanas in the wards. I'm pretty excited.

 

It's starting to get a little colder here.

 

We had some pretty crazy experiences this week. We talked to this man a couple weeks ago, and we were going to go see him. And his house burned down. We saw the smoke and everything. His name is Daniel Lopez. We went and saw him yesterday, and everything is burned. Everything. But, he had this stereo playing "How Great Thou Art". The faith in our Heavenly Father is pretty amazing. We sang him "Lead Kindly Light". That was nice. We're going to go this week and help him gut out the rest of his house. Also, we contacted an Elderly man who basically was going to die right in front of us! That's a bit of an exaggeration, but he'd had a work accident, and he said that he was still bleeding from his chest but there were just no more hospital beds. Things like that make you grateful for what you have, right?

 

Well, I guess this one's a short entry, but think about this:

 

Why did none of the Stripling warriors die? What does it say about their faith? What does is say in that chapter about their attitude on life?

 

I love you! I know that a sound mind is what the Lord wants that we have. And that through our faith in Christ, we can achieve it. (Helaman 5:12)

 

Love you!

 

Hermana Lovell

June 10th Update

Well, here we are in Chillan.
 

We're having good times. I get to do mini cambios a lot, and this week with had a capacitacion in Conce, as well. And do you know what Conce means? DOMINO'S PIZZA. You better believe I ate a whole lot. It's actually been surprising warm here this week, which is okay.
 

We've been working with a family, Jorge, Marisa, and Caroline. They're pretty great. They are humble, and they have their priorities in order. They've just got to mosey right over to the church and then they'll really have their priorities in order. We've had all sorts of crazy stuff happen, like normal. We're pretty sure a witch tried to cast a spell on us. We were walking at night time, and then their was someone yelling at us from behind some bushes. We thought it was just a teenager, but then out of nowhere this little grannie's face was there yelling some gibberish and running to keep up with us. We walked/ ran right out of there. We met some gypsies, too. There's just this normal suburbia place, and then to the side of one of the houses there was just this huge tent with stars and moons on it. And then, there appeared to be some people that were not quiiiite all there. We gave them a nice pass along card and went right on our way.

Something that I've like thinking about is being bold. How many times do miss out on opportunities because we're just tiptoeing through life? We just let them pass us by, but we just don't have the gumption to stand up and do something about it!

Also, another permanent theme in my mission/life is that "simplification is the ultimate sophistication". As my sister Liz had posted on her e-mail, "Stop the glorification of busy!" I'm starting to realize that, believe it or not, it IS possible to have a nice successful life without running around like a stress case all the time. Who knew!? I love what President Uchtdorf said in his "Of Regrets and Resolutions" talk:

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life.
Is it?

I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished.  I can’t see it."

I know that Heavenly Father wants to live a fulfilled, happy life. And He doesn't want us to just freeze up with fear and let our opportunities pass us by. As we increase in our faith in Jesus Christ, our hope and optimism with help us see miracles, and make our dreams a reality.

So go on out there, and find your windmill.

I love you!

Hermana Lovell

June 3rd Update

Well, this has been a lovely week.

I won`t pretend it was easy, because some moments seemed pretty terrible. But I know Heavenly Father gave me all of what happened so that it would all add up to be being able to enjoy every moment better. I know that He loves me, and He wants everyone to be happy and to find joy. Anything that says otherwise is a lie. I was reading in Alma today about the conversion of King Lamoni. Ammon says that is what happened:

 6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark ^aveil of ^bunbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the ^clight which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had ^dovercome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God—

Sometimes when I read this in the past, I always thought, "Yeah, that has already happened for me. That was great." But it never should be just a once in a while type of thing. Even in the mission, where we just talk about the gospel all day, it is totally possible to forget what it feels like to have the "veil of unbelief" being cast out of your perspective.

Heavenly Father does not just love the successful clean cut man or the beautiful seemingly perfect woman. He loves the broken ones, too. He loves that teenager who can never seem to make it on class on time. He loves that beggar on the street that seems like he`s not really trying to do other things with His life. He loves all of us. And it doesn`t matter how small our offering it is. If it is what we have, and we love Him and listen to Him with all our heart, it will be enough.

On a lighter note, Hermana Phelps still is ridiculously funny. We see all sorts of hooligans and funny dogs with clothes in the streets. The Pulsiphers, the 1st President and his wife in the mission, are the most WONDERFUL people ever. They invited us over for breakfast in their beautiful apartment, and we are just using their computers right now. They`ve been great to have around.

I love you all! Thanks for everything. Keep sending me pictures.

Nick! You`re freaking me out. You look like you`re 19. Get ready for your mission, pal.

Love,

Hermana Lovell

May 27th Update

Well, Here I am in Chillan!

 

I'm here in Libertador. It's pretty exciting stuff. The people here are pretty lively. Every once in a while we meet a few very interesting people on the street. It rains here. It's just lovely. I love my thermals very much. 

 

Really, I'm just so pumped to just give it everything I got this week. And doing it today. Not waiting another minute to give my all to the Lord. To throw off whatever limit I've put on myself in my life, and just do EVERYTHING that the Lord has asked of me. I won't be able to do it perfectly, but if I give it my all, it'll be enough. 

 

Something that hit me this week is that life is definitely better with giving it all you have. Why yes, I know that's the thing about every entry I do for my blogs, but what do you do? 

 

I was wondering, how many times do we do things because we know we will mess up? Fact: We're going to mess up either way! It doesn't matter if we give it all or nothing, we will always be imperfect. So we might as well just take every chance we got and make the best we can with it. 

 

If we really focused on the enabling power of the atonement, that's when miracles can happen.

 

Also, lack of obedience to the rules of God really means just a lack of faith. There's really nothing more complex than that involved. And when we show our obedience, we show our faith, and we create an environment where miracles happen.

 

I love you! Hope you all have a great week. Keep praying. I would invite all of you to pray for my mission, too. We've got a really good goal for how many baptisms we would like to accomplish in June. So, if you could pray and fast for the people in our mission, and us as missionaries, it would really help us. 

 

Love,

 

Hermana Lovell

May 20th Update

Oh querido Conti...

 

I'm heading out. I've been here for three months and have loved every minute of it. I really love this city. The people are so loving and strong.  They've been through a lot here, and they've just about got their feet off the ground. I love to see ocean, and the crazy way that the houses are just speckled over these hills of Conti. I love this ward, too. They are INCREDIBLE. When people are faithful to gospel here, there is no half effort. It's all or nothing. And there are so many members that have given and continue to give it their all for all of their lives to help the work of the Lord to progress. They emulate the Christ like love that we really all should be trying to have.

 

And let's not mention Hermana Berbert and the other hermanas here! We've all been through some good times, together. And I'll be leaving Clara, Luis, Ignacias, Yovanna, Jorge, Solange, y Flor. They're definitely apart of my family forever, now. I've learned so much from all of them. I'm heading off to Chillan, in Libertador. I'm in THE MISSION CONCEPCIÓN TODAVÌA! Hooray!! Ha ha. I forgot my journal, so I guess I'll do my what I've learned this cambio the next P-day. Here goes nothing. I'm moving out, moving on, and moving up! 

 

It was so fun to talk to you all for Mother's Day. I love you so much, and I can't believe how quickly time passes. It's pretty incredible, right? :) Anyways. Keep me posted with what's going on in your lives, even if it's just the little things. Talk to you later!

 

Love,

 

Hermana Lovell

May 13th Update

Hey everybody!

Well, it really isn't as cold as you'd think it would be. When it rains, it rains A LOT. But, it's not so much. Not since Solange took us shopping so we could find where to buy some sweet polar shirts and pants that are super warm. That's a win :)

Hermana Berbert and I are still rocking up Conti. We've really been focusing on setting goals that are manageable, but still push us. We've got to meet a lot of crazy, wonderful chilenos, like always, and we're still having a great time.

We had a ward activity that was through the rough incredible! They had food, flamenco dancers, and the funniest sketch. By the missionaries. Oh why yes, I HAVE learned how to be funny in Spanish. That's been a very long time goal of the mission. It was pretty silly. There's some pictures on the photobucket account. 

I'm really loving to study about agency nowadays. So many times we feel sad or disappointed about the way life is going with us, when in reality SO MUCH of it is in our control. 2 Nephi 2 is one my favorite chapters because it talks all about this. Really in life, in order to be happy, we've got to separate between what we can control and what we can't control. We can get very unhappy we try to mix the two into one category of our lives. The things you can't control, you put all your faith in Heavenly Father and know that He'll guide that part, because He really watches over each one of us individually. The things we can control, we can take every opportunity we can to be accountable for our actions. 

We can have every desire to be better, and we have all days of our life to work at it! But, we definitely have got to be happy along the way. 

Set some goals, crazy kids. Do the stuff that you just dream about doing. Like President Uchtdorf said, "Life isn't meant to be enjoyed only in retrospect."

I love you! Drop me a line if you've got time. 

Love,

Hermana Lovell 

May 6th Update

This week was pretty sweet.

 

We had a zone conference, and Yovana and Jorge got baptized.

The zone conference is always pretty interesting because we get to hear the testimonies of the missionaries that are going home. It's always good to hear about what things they've realized were the most important things in the mission. Love everybody and do your best. That's solid council, right? :) Nah, but there was other things, too. Like never to forget eternal principles. That miracles really do exist. And that real happiness is found in the service of others. Aren't we so lucky that happiness and love is built into lives? That's why we've got families! We just keep serving each other, and keep getting happier and happier. That's a win. 

 

The baptism of Yovana and Jorge was so wonderful. They really are the best cute little family. At church yesterday, they were holding hands and listening to the testimonies while I was playing with their son Alonso. There really isn't anything sweeter that I've felt than to see the people I love enjoying the blessings of the gospel. I felt like a little proud parent when somebody starts to talk to Flor, or Solange. I'm sure I'm just going to be a crazy mom. Every time someone is nice to them, I just want to run up and hug and say THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LOVING THEM BECAUSE THEY REALLY ARE THE BEST, RIGHT!?! Ha ha. Just kidding. Kinda. I have such big hopes for all of them. Because they really do feel like they're part of my family now. I love them all so much. 

 

I feel like I've hit the point of the mission where I've got to step it up a notch or two. That I've got the basics pretty much down. Now I just want to be an all star!! I'm learning a lot about goals. Before the mission, and up to this point in the mission, I've been so good to set goals, but not so good to reach them. This week, I let all my crazy goals go, and started by setting realistic ones. Good idea, right? I just really focused on one thing: Keeping my stuff clean and organized. Shout out to my mom for what she's told me all 21 years of my life about having a clean room. I'm finally getting around to figuring out that little detail. If other things aren't going right, I can think back on my one little goal: My room being clean. If I'm nailing that goal, I'm feeling pretty good about life :) It's a little bit silly, but simplifying stuff is so important! So, I'm working on being better than that. It's hard to hear Spirit when you're worrying your socks off about the zillion things you're wanting to try to accomplish!

 

Well, We've had quite the flurry of baptisms. And now, we have gracefully passed into a lot of finding. But it's fun. We're really wanting to work with our new converts to find some really great people. 

 

Thanks for all your love and support. I love you so much, and I hope that everything is well with you with all your different lives. Keep up the faith! The why of the gospel is that Heavenly Father wants us to be as joyful and blessed as possible. Test it! He'll never let you down.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Lovell 

April 29th Update

So, I know you've been all holding your breath but....

 

FLOR GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! 

 

Along with her beautiful daughter, Solange. It was so so great. I love them so, so much. They have so much faith. They're excited to get to know other people in the ward. It was incredible.

 

We're looking to help Johana and Jorge get baptized this Saturday! They told us last Sunday that they wanted to be baptized. Isn't that GREAT!?! They are the cutest little family. They are taking everything really seriously and really want to be prepared. There really isn't anything that brings more happiness than the people that you love make good decisions for their lives.

 

Conti is just starting to get cold. I never realized that I really don't like being cold until now... But! Here's the thing: Cold didn't really bother me in the US. I liked it really. Know why? Because it was CHRISTMAS SEASON. Solution: Me and my comp will be listening to Christmas music for ALL of winter here. Merry Christmas, everyone.

 

Did you know you can be unhappy even you really have a successful life? I sure knew that before the mission, too, but true story. Sometimes, even if it seems like we have everything we could ever want, we can still feel unhappy. Happiness isn't just a feeling, or something that comes and goes. Happiness should be a state of being. It doesn't matter if terribly frustrating things are going on in our lives. We can at the least have the peace in our hearts that the gospel can bring us. Of course there are painful things that happen in life, and we definitely have to work through our feelings and not just throw them under false pretentions of perfectionism, but because of the atonement of Jesus Christ we have the opportunity to feel peace amidst our storms.

 

Humility really is the way to happiness and spiritual growth.

 

Men are that they might have joy.

 

I think those are definitely underlying themes of my mission thus far :)

 

Humility is really just our opportunity to accept ALL that the Father has for us. And that will always be better what we can choose for ourselves.

 

I love you guys! Keep me updated on the changes in your life. It's crazy to think that life still changes there, too :)

 

Hermana Lovell

 

April 22 Update

What a week!

 

I am happy to announce that Clara and Luis got married! They got married last Friday in the morning. The following Saturday Clara and Ignacia were baptized. How great is THAT!?

 

Flor and her daughter Solange are getting baptized this week! Here goes nothing to get them prepped!

 

This week has had some hard times, and some really good times, too. I've been really thinking more about what makes a successful experience in the mission, but really it's kind of the same of thinking what makes a successful experience in life. It all depends on what you are using to judge your success. Having a lot of stuff is success to some. Or maybe a lot of friends. Or maybe sparkling shiny beautiful numbers in the mission could be success :) But really, it isn't. True success is trusting the Father, and having the faith to trust His will. Having the faith that He CAN give us all the righteous desires of our hearts is the way to true happiness. That doesn't mean that He WILL do it in our timetable, but it is trusting that whatever happens really is His will. Then, as we are obedient and listen to the Spirit and do the best we can, we can know that what happens in life is His will.

 

But think about it, folks! Between the point of an event happening, and when the actual event happens, there's usually quite a time difference. During all the time of waiting for our righteous desires to come to pass, we can have the faith that if it were the will of God, of course He CAN do everything and anything to make His will come to pass. And we can be happy for  And we can be at peace that if it doesn't happen, it wasn't His will. It wasn't part of this specific plan that Heavenly Father has for each one of us to give us the maximum happiness and bliss.

 

Well, I'm not even sure if that last bit, but the point is that we find peace everyday if we do all we can, and then be happy that Heavenly Father will just take care of it.

 

17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us ^acheerfully ^bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.D y C 123:17

 

Love you all!

 

Thanks for everything.

 

Love,

 

Hermana Lovell

 

My comp has a blog, too, it's annathemissionary.wordpress.com if you want another take of the work in Conti!

April 15 Update

¡Hola!

 

This week was pretty crazy. It was a lot of time in a bus. 17 hours in a bus this week... Wooow. Ha ha.  Hna Chavez, Hna Garcia, and I mosied on down to Conce to pick up nuestras hijas! My companion's name is Hermana Berbert. She is GREAT! She is my first gringa gringa companion that I've had. I told her we lost a little street cred, now that we're two blue eyed gringas running around, but we're managing :P Her Spanish is already great, and we had a pretty fun week together!

 

We've been prepping up Clara and Ignacia for their baptism. I'm so happy for them! They're getting baptized this Saturday. Clara and Luis are getting married this Friday. At first they were worried about doing a big party, but now Luis just said that it doesn't matter anymore. They don't even care if they just get married in jeans, they're just going to go for it.

 

Flor also is progressing. She is still one of the funniest woman I've ever met. There really has been a change in her since she's had the gospel in her life. She's still super hilarious, but she's calmed down. I love her, honestly!

 

I guess one little quick thing I've learned this week is that if there is any thought or feeling that keeps you from feeling the love of Heavenly Father and the presence of the Spirit of your life, it shouldn't be happening. Just get that right out of your head fast! Life's definitely better when you can remember who you are and who Heavenly Father will help you become, little by little, as you follow his plan of happiness.

 

Love you all!

 

Hermana Lovell

April 8th Update

General Conference!

I sure was pretty giddy to watch conference. And to watch it English :) I think General Conference Weekend is right up there with Christmas time for me. I LOVE CONFERENCE. I'm crazy about it. I love the perspective that it gives me. I love that Heavenly Father really does want to give us the specific answers that we need to recieve from Him. I sure know that He really knows us, and wants to support us. As we make room to have spiritual experiences in our lives, we are choosing to be lead by the Lord to become the people we need to be. Who He needs us to be, to continue accomplishing His purposes.

And His pathways always lead to happiness!!

We had some serious up and downs with Clara, Luis, Jorge, and Johanna. Clara and Luis are going to get married so Clara can get baptized, and Jorge and Johanna are married. And they all live in the same apartment. Jorge and Johanna have been kind of luke warm about everything, while Clara has been really excited. We promised them that all the doubts that they had could be answered by conference. And then they didn't come Saturday! We went there in the night, and they were acting silly. Clara was saying she really wasn't going to get baptized on the 20th, but just was getting married. And then Jorge and Johanna were basically saying "no" to a baptism in the near future. They came to conference on Sunday, and it got a little better . Clara is back on for the 20th! And, I think Jorge and Johanna are really starting to try to develop their faith. You could pray for them. They need it :)

FLOOOOOR! She is still A+ wonderful. She is such a crazy wonderful woman. After the first session on Sunday, she came up to us and gave us a big long hug. (Which usually people don't give long hugs. Or real hugs. I've stressed a couple people out here when I've tried to give a hug.) And she was crying, and said "Thank you. I don't have any doubts, now. Thank you for helping me find the truth." Talk about a beautiful experience. She's going to be baptized on the 20th, too.

I'm training again! Hermana Gomez is off to my old sector! To be with the entranee of Hermana Quiroga, my old comp! Weird, right? I'm going to go pick up my new comp in Concepcion tonight.

Still working hard! Still learning how to make Christ more centered in my life.

I love you all, and pray for you. I hope you are all well!

Hermana Lovell

PS Okay all my friends! Why don't ya all just get married while I am gone!!!! Ha ha. I wish I could be there to party it up with you, but, we'll just have to wait a little while. I expect many a good time with blind dating all the friends of your spouses. Just kidding. Kinda. Congratulations, Celeste, Courtney, and Natalie!

PPS Did you guys know you can write me now? I LOVE getting letters still, but you can write me at ashley.lovell@myldsmail.net, too. Celeste, Court, and Natalie! Write me so I can tell you congratulations for reals and have your addresses. 

April 1st Update

Hey folks!
Here we are Conti. It's starting to get a little cold, here. We've got some pretty misty days because of how close we are to the ocean. 

Did you all enjoy Easter!? I actually love Easter. I love to really feel like I know my Savior, and He is watching out for me. I know He is. And I know the more we try to become like Him, we can strengthen our relationship with Him. Our Brother. 

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/ces-devotionals/2013/01/that-we-might-not-shrink-d-c-19-18?lang=eng

Read or listen to this talk. I think it is so incredible. I think a lot of times we can be frustrated because our righteous desires are not fulfilled. That is has got to be because of our imperfections, our lack of faith, that we don't receive them. But it's more than that. We can have all the faith in the world, but we need to have faith in the right things. We cannot have conditional faith. We all have situations that are difficult, when we don't understand why we can't have the good and righteous things that we are trying to accomplish with everything we have. But if we can be as the Savior, to have the faith to drink the bitter cup, and "shrink not" we will not have to fear. It's okay if we aren't giddy or just absolutely excited to go through the trials of our lives, but as we have the faith to put our faith in the will of the Lord, and not the desires of our own lives, we will be able to find a peace that we can not find otherwise. 

I love you! Keep praying. Have the best day ever! Wherever in the world you are.

Love,
Hermana Lovell 

March 25th Update

So!

If I could, I would write my whole letter about Flor.

She is very much likely one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life. She has a date for baptism, and she came to church yesterday. And.... she may just have schizophrenia. One of our members that came with us to the lesson told us that her other sisters had it. She for sure is still a winner. She's just hilarious. She just is so expressive. One time, she started the conversation with, You know, I have to tell you something: I couldn't eat the bread (from the sacrament). Because I saw one of the boys touch his nose and his ears before breaking the bread. I just couldn't do it.

Aw, she's just great. But anyways.

Clara and Luis are having some rough times. Clara is having a rough time quitting smoking. But! She can do it. I just know it! The trick is if she can have the faith to do it, too. 

I'm still learning loads here! One of my favorite things that I'm learning this week is the importance of gratitude. It's incredible really, how much BETTER your day can be with gratitude. My morning prayers, I focus on saying basically everything I'm grateful for, and then 1 or 2 other things. And the day is just so much better. Try it out! 
 

Thank you for all your support and love! I just love you all, and pray for you.

Love,

Hermana Lovell





PS THANKS so much fam for the easter package! It was sweeeet! Who knew Cadbury eggs are so tasty!!! :)

March 18th Update

Wow!

Here we are. Another week in Chile.

This week, I've really got to think about the "knock and ye shall receive" principle that is everywhere in the gospel. How many times is that mentioned in the scriptures, and how many times do we actually have the courage to ask for it?

I know that God really does want to give every righteous desire of our hearts. I know that as we work hard, and are diligently working to obtain our goals, Heavenly Father will provide us with a way to obtain it.

Clara is wants to get sealed in the temple! But first she's got to quick smoking. I've gotten some crazy stop-smoking ideas for some Elders, but we'll see which ones we actually try out.

One thing that I've really been focusing on is gratitude. We can be so unhappy if we forget how to be grateful. Heavenly Father gives us so much, but if we don't acknowledge it, we don't really get anything out of it. Even if we had everything we could possibly ask for, and we were ungrateful, it wouldn't mean anything.
I'm sure grateful that God loves us. I know that EVERYTHING we recieve in this life is for our growth. Even those times when we can't understand why things happen at the time, the experience will only make our future sweeter as we learn what Heavenly Father wants to teach us.

I love you guys! Keep being wonderful :)

Love,

Hermana Lovell 

PS Hey! I met a boy just like by crazy nephew Nick Templeton! And I met a little girl just like my niece Emmie! I sure love my family!! :) 

March 11th Update

Well this week went super fast! 

Fall is coming here in Chile. It's getting a little chilly. Bah ha ha ha. Thank goodness that Constitución is a bit on the relaxed side when it comes to weather. It gets super windy sometimes, though. Not exactly conducive for us skirt-wearing folk. We get by :) 

Clara and Luis and still super fantastic! They are super funny. Luis is a Menos Active, and we found out yesterday that he and is sister were orphans when he was like 15. That's when they got baptized, and it helped them grow up with good principles. And now Clara, his girlfriend, is hooked on reading the Book of Mormon. She's so blunt and honest, and she's hungrier and hungrier to understand more of the gospel. They've got a little 10 year old named Ignacia that is wanting to get baptized, too. They have got to get married first, and then they're planning on the 6 of April to get baptized. They sure are wonderful!

Something a little funny about life is that there's a lot of time when we run around asking everybody else for answers. Maybe our friends, or family, or leaders. But you know what? We've really just got to get on our needs and have the faith that we can recieve answers from prayers. That Heavenly Father really knows, He really cares, and He really wants to teach us something. There are some times when you just have to say, "Well! It looks like I still haven't learned what you wanted me to learn...because this still is really hard." But, it'll always get better. But! The mission rocks. Life is great. Still learning loads here in good ol' Chi-Le. 

Love you folks! 

Love,

Hermana Lovell