Kami Letter from Copiapo (dated 8/26/13)

It`s so weird how things at home seem the same, but also seem so different! Like Bentley`s turning 18, Porter`s continuing the piano, the boys and their sports... it`s so crazy! sometimes i forget that life still goes on at home ;)

The conference we had with Elder Viñas was really good, I loved it and learned a lot! He emphasized again about working with members, the mission isn`t a competition of numbers, and so on. It was really good, and exactly what I needed to hear!. So my zone did a musical number. Last Monday, we all got together to practice it, and my companion and I showed up late because we didn`t know where this chapel was. We get there and everyone says "Just in time for your solo!" we thought they were kidding, because we both don`t sing. But then they said "no..really. you have a solo". So, we sang "I stand all amazed" the first verse just us two (and the other 2 verses everyone). And here in Chile, they sing it differently because rarely they have a pianist, so we couldn`t remember how it really goes and couldn`t hit the notes. ANYWAY, during the conferene, we luckily had another sister from the other zone (who DOES sing) help us, and so it went better. But that was interesting.It wasn`t as bad as I thought, but I still don`t want to do it again ;) I just hope that all the assistants and everyone don`t think we DO sing! ;) 

And remember how I mentioned a while back how I always have to pray? Yeah, they asked me again to say the closing prayer at this conference ;) I don`t mind, but really, i always pray! Our ward mission leader also always has me pray..sometimes twice in one meeting! haha

Tuesday in our District Meeting, we were doing mock lessons (practicas in Spanish... I don`t remember how to say them in english). and guess what. President walks in right as it`s time for my companion and i to do ours! we were nervous enough as it was, and now walks in president and his wife! But it wasn`t as bad as i thought either, and he said he liked it. But we were afraid! haha

I played the piano in sacrament meeting yesterday, because we don`t have a pianist in this ward. It was fun! I really miss playing the piano, a lot! I never have time to do it, unless its in a meeting or something (usually a capella). and that doesn`t count enough! haha I miss just sitting and playing and learning new songs!

I bought a recorder thing today... I had seen them in the feria (little... souveneir flea market thing) and i wanted one, but i didn`t bring my money. so I went back today, and it was only 1mil pesos when I was thinking 3 or 4. so it was like 2 dollars or so. which is REALLY good! haha I`m going to learn it really well and use it as a piano substitute until im home ;)

Also at church yesterday, in Relief Society, they spoke about the conference talk about the bullying at QC high! So I raised my hand (i think my first time ever in relief society ever, and it was in spanish! ;)  ) and told them it was my town and the high school of my siblings, and everyone thought it was super cool ;) GO QUEEN CREEK ;)

I read a talk from the YW conference by Uchtdorf that I liked "Your Wonderful Journey Home" you guys should read this one too. I liked the quote "happiness is the journey, but its also the path". ;)

Can you send me that list of Bible Contradictions you have from your mission? I was thinking about that the other day, because we got a lot of people saying to us that the Bible is perfect and the book of mormon has faults and such. ;) I wanted to kindly show them some contradictions, but couldn`t remember any of them! :)

Also, I used my credit card last week to buy a couple things from Lider, so if you could pay that off for me from my checking account. And I might buy something else today. So there might be another charge. Depending if we have time or not. 

ALSO, if you could accept Karlita on my facebook ;)

And, a question. is brother delgado still our home teacher? if so, maybe i`ll email you all in spanish sometime and he can translate it ;)

have a great week, and dad in CHICAGO again! you`ve been going a LOT lately!

love you lots! and miss you too!

--hna severtson

Kami letter from Capiapo (dated 8/19/2013)

Hooolllaaa!!

Wow, this week sure did pass by really quickly! I don`t know much of what happened, and what to say! But it was a good week still, and once again (thank goodness) accident free!! ;) 

We celebrated my 6 months with Hna Delgado´s (from Peru) 9 months. We finally made that peach cobbler recipe Lexine sent me.... yeah it was okay. Our oven is SUPER slow and doesn`t get very hot, so it was in the oven for probably like an hour and a half. It just got really dense. It was okay, a good flavor, but whatever. Still yummy ;) 

We have a conference this week with Elder Viñas from the 70. He`s coming to each city to talk, so we will meet with him on Wednesday. I`m excited! I know it will be pretty good ;)

This week we had the opportunity to talk to a lot of drunk men. They always walk up to us, telling us "I want to hear the word of God!" So for once, we decided to maybe try a lesson. It didn`t go anywhere. One of them was an old investigator, who loves the church and knows its true, and always tells us when he`s having a bad day he sees us. His only problem is, he can`t stop drinking. We tried to tell him its the Holy Ghost and a sign from God to act on his feelings, but he was too drunk to even remember because he asked us probably 15 times. His friend too started drinking in the middle of the lesson. When we told him not to drink that and to put it away, he opened the can and some got on his hand, so he flicked it on us. YUCK. Alcohol smells so bad... haha there are SO many drunk people here! haha The side of the road is always trashed with beer bottles and cans, there`s a ton. But everyone is too addicted to stop... it`s kinda sad. 

That`s weird you haven`t heard from that member yet... I was wanting to get his phone number to give to you guys too, but I completely forgot. Hopefully soon you can hear from him, but I know he`ll be there until Sept 1 or so. So a little while more. 

I attached some pictures of us hermanas, our house, some of the mountains (they`re not very good, because it was super cloudy this morning.. i`ll take more, but i always think it looks like az!)... 

Sorry for the short letter this week, but really I don`t know what more to write! The week was a normal week, nothing super spectacular happened ;)

Miss and love you all LOTS! Just under a year I`ll be home... crazy how the time fliess!

<3 Hermana Severtson

Kami letter from Capiapo (dated 8/12/2013)

Hola Mi Familia!

Si, esta semana pasó mejor! ;) This week was a LOT better. Accident free! For once ;) 

Still loving Copiapo. Everyone told me before I left Antofagasta that it`s a LOT colder. Well, the first couple days it was a little warmer. Then it got HOT. Saturday afternoon was super hot. Then sunday night got really cold again... colder than antofagasta. So the weather here is kinda weird ;) But i love it! 

We live in a house here, with Hna Santos from Honduras and Hna Delgado from Peru. The house is 2 story with 2 bathrooms and a decent sized kitchen too. I like it! I still have been meaning to take pictures to send to you, but keep forgetting ;) maybe this next week :) 

We don`t have a mamita in this sector, so we have fun making food. This week, we made fried rice (which didn`t turn out so good... we had to use hotdogs instead of bacon because there isn`t too much bacon here), pizza, completos (SUPER GOOD, i`ll have to make them for ya when i`m home. hotdog with pretty much everything on it), hamburgers... its a lot of fun, and usually really yummy ;)

The ward here is really small too. In church, there`s an average of about 75 people there. It`s teeny! But still really amazing and helpful for us. I love it! 

We are starting to teach some good people, but so many people just want to know EVERYTHING about the church before they get baptized, so thats a little hard sometimes. But we`re working hard with all of them. 

My dogbite is healing too. Still have a scab and the bruise, but it doesn`t hurt or anything, so that`s good. I didn`t (hopefully didn`t ;)  ) have to get any shots or anything either. It`s doing fine. we thought the dog was from the street, but we were walking in the same area again the other day, and we saw the dog behind a fence. Still as angry and evil as before. Every dog now, big or small, makes me really nervous. haha there are dogs EVERYWHERE and they always bark at us like crazy! We even had dog friends this week that followed us around for a while. haha 

It`s the weirdest thing, we`ve realized we can`t remember hardly any song from home. Something will remind us of a song, and we can only remember half the line, part of the tune, it`s weird. only 6 months gone and i already can`t remember anything!

Speaking of 6 months.... yikes. That`s tomorrow!! 6 MONTHS! a third of my mission. wow. A year from today, I will be home. So technically i have less than a year left, and that kinda scares me a little bit! wowww!! 

I was reading the Conference talks, and wow, the ones from Priesthood session was so good! I liked Stand Strong in Holy Places by Hales, Power of the Priesthood in the Boy by Callister, and Sacred duty to Minister by Beck. in the one by callister, i loved his quote "with increased vision, comes increased motivation" so true! when you really have the goal to do something, and see yourself accomplishing it, you are more motivated to do it! 

I gave the member from Mesa your phone number, and he said he would try to contact you. He also took a picture ofmy companion and I and said he would email it to you, so be expecting that here soon! ;) He said he lives ValVista and 202 area, and will be there until September 1 or so. If you do get a chance to see him, see if you can give him those skirts! Also, if you have time, could you send some music? Just on a normal sized SD card would be good, and I can buy a little player thing here. All the EFY music we have (including from the kids this year, and the years I went) and if we have any instrumental hymns ;) That`s one thing I liked in antofagasta, someone always had efy music to play, and now we don`t have too much! If not though, no big deal ;)

Also, only if you can get with this member, can you send my brown courdory bag I had bought for school? If its not too much ;) I want an easier bigger bag to use, it would be better. ;) But if not, no big deal again ;)

Hope you all enjoy your week and are loving every moment of every day and looking for every opportunity possible to prepare for your missions!! 

Miss and Love you all LOTS!!

--Hna Severtson

Kami letter from Copiapo (dated 8/5/13)

Estoy aquì en Copiapo! 

I like it here. A lot. It`s a lot different than Iquique and Antofagasta, because it`s a little more green and there`s no ocean. The neighborhoods are laid out more like the states (meaning a little more confusing.. ;)  ) and the houses are nicer. There are mountains that look a LOT like the az mountains..or at least what I can remember. ;) I`ll have to take a picture and send them to ya sometime. The weather is nice too. Everyone told me its colder, but I don`t think so. yesterday was super nice all day, we didn`t even use our jackets at night! 

My companion is great too! Hermana Rindlisbacher. She`s from Taylorsville UT and has one less transfer than me. We actually have a lot in common too. We think the same about a lot of things, have friends that are a lot alike, like a lot of the same things... It was funny too. My first day or so here it was hard to speak English with her! I`m a little more used to it now, but every once in a while, we just say things in Spanish without even thinking about it. And, I also feel like my spanish has improved since being here. I feel like I can understand more still and can for the most part speak in spanish without thinking about it. She actually kinda reminds me of Bentley a bit too, she has the same haircut, wears the same style of clothes, and talks like her. And something about her kinda looks like her too.. ;) Its fun! 

So the ride here was interesting. It was an 8 hour bus ride, I left antofagasta around 8:45 ish and got here at like 4am ish. Every passenger is allowed one bag, and us missionaries have 3. So usually, just one person takes them at a time so it doesn`t seem so much ;) BUT I was the last one to be able to take my bags, and since they`re all the same, they knew. and almost didn`t let me take any of them! We had my zone leaders and the assistants begging to take them, but the bus people were just getting mad. Finally, they said "Pleaseeeee, just the little one??" and they accepted that. But of course it had all my books and stuff I don`t use ;) Then Tuesday morning they sent my bags to me and I had them by the afternoon. It was quite the experience, and I thought I wasn`t going to get them for a while, I only had one change of clothes too!! But it all worked out good.

The work was interesting this week too. We had SO many people walk up to us and want to meet with us. One guy met with the missionaries a year or so ago, and they never came back, so he wanted us to come. Another family lived in UT for 10 years and the kids have lots of LDS friends and like to speak English. Another guy came up to us saying his friend is LDS, he has a book of mormon and he likes the teachings of the church. It`s been great! So hopefully we have some more good news coming in the next couple of weeks ;)

So my foot too has been doing a LOT better. A LOT. It`s a LOT flatter here. So that`s healing..and guess what else happened?? Really, if it`s not one thing, its another here..and a little worse, so I don`t want to know what happens next. ANYWAY, a dog bit me. Yup. We were leaving a porch, and next think I know i hear my companion yelling NO NO NO GO AWAY and this huge evil dog came up and bit my leg, and left. I didn`t even see him coming! I thought it was a little scratch and then we went home and I took off my tights, and it was HUGE. I`ll attach pictures. It was actually a blessing I had my tights, I almost didn`t wear them, because it was kinda hot. But I figured it might get a little colder at night, so I put on my only ones I found first, my thick grey ones. So I have a huge cut, like 3 in or so, and a little one above it like an inch. then on the back of my leg, i have a bruise from his bottom jaw. It`s really like his whole mouth was on my leg. It hurt a little, but we went home and cleaned it out and put medicine on it. And we called the doctor/elder again. He asked me a bunch of questions, and it doesn`t seem like it`s infected or anything or I need a shot or something, I really hope not. But it`s starting to do better, so I think it`s good ;) That was quite the experience, and now we are afraid of any dog we see. I think i have a phobia now! haha I at least better get a cool scar from it ;)

There`s a guy in our ward now who is from mesa!! I didn`t have much time to talk to him, but he said next monday he`s leaving to go visit. and if we wanted he could bring us stuff home or contact you guys! do you mind if i give him your phone number or something? and depending on how busy you and him are possibly send me some stuff? ;) 

That`s weird too that gma and gpa never got my emails... I`ll try again. and i didn`t change my password or anything either, so that`s weird. Ill next time just send it to you too to send to them ;)

Ok, well that`s about my week! Pretty interesting! ;) I really hope there`s not a "next" problem coming up soon ;)

I attached some pics of my leg. The first one with it really bad was right after, and the bruise and the other one are last night. then my comp and i making and eating smores on our gas stove ;)

les amo muchìsimo! y les extraño tambien.

Tengan un buen semana y aprenden algo nuevo ;) 

--Hna Kami Severtson