Intercambios, Papa Johns, and Miracles

Hola family!
This week was crazy! I felt like we only had one normal day to work in our area. we had P-day, but the following day we went on intercambios in La Dehesa, where the Hermana Entrandadores are. I was with Hermana Gonzalez that day, and we got to teach lessons, talk to people, and work hard. Nothing is better than a day of work and lessons! And Hermana Gonzalez is awesome. She used to live with me in the same apartment we had when she worked in the area next to mine.
We had a normal day to work the next day, so we taught a lesson and tried to find new people. But then the next day we had Concillo de Liderazgo, where we got o listen to our president and try to help out our zone. It was great. One thing I like is that I get to learn more from him (our president). He is a very inspired man. We also got to go with a member to teach a menos activo, and it was a very awesome lesson. Her grandma gave us juice, which is blended up fruit and was pretty good. And she was very adamant about her healthy juice and how it helps people stay healthy, so she gave us a bottle to take home. When we left, the member found out that we hadn't eaten yet, so she took us to Papa Johns and treated us to some good pizza.

The following day we had intercambios in our area with some of the Hermanas from Pocuro, which is the sector with the Santiago Temple. My companion for the day was Hermana Dariano, and she is from the Philippines. This is her first cambio in the mission, and she is learning Spanish. She has good Spanish too! She was awesome. We got to see a lot of miracles that day, like meeting a referral that we have been trying to meet for a long time! We had been trying to call him and pass by his house, but because his phone belongs to the house, it has been hard to talk to him. But we finally got to see him, give him a Book of Mormon, teach him a bit, and set up another appointment. I don't know how much I can teach him, because his wife came outside and started to ask us where we were from and about our religion, and he started responding. She asked if we had rules, and he answered saying, "Yes, they can't drink coffee or tea or alcohol. But I like that." Any other questions she asked, he answered, but he sounds like he likes us a lot. He has also been reading the Book of Mormon on his phone. We left them with a prayer, and they were very grateful.
We also had a fireside in our ward, and a lot of people and non-members got to come. We had a lunch with a great family in our ward earlier that day (who are going to move and I am so sad about it!) and told them about the charla. The mom told the daughter to invite her friend and he came! Along with the whole family. We also asked them for references, asking if they knew anybody who needed help. They mentioned their neighbors lost their abuela recently, and said they were very strong in their religion and were mentioning that they might not accept us. But then the dad remembered us and said, "They need to go visit them! I had a dream where the dad was doing family history for the abuela." So we all agreed that passing by would not hurt and we could help them with their recent loss.
It was a good week, despite not having a ton of time. Miracles still happen!
Disfruten su semana!!

Hermana Reed

General Conference

Hola familia y amigos!
This week was General Conference! So pretty much the best weekend on the mission because we get to listen to the prophet and get spiritually fed. Though I do prefer to listen to Conference in English instead of Spanish. My ward has a room for the English speakers to listen to Conference, so we get to go in there except when we have an investigator come. So the last session I watched in Spanish with one of our investigators, Jessica. There were some things that I missed (like I had no idea what the word for firecracker is in Spanish) but it was great anyway. Jessica enjoyed it and thought a lot. She's been reading the Book of Mormon and says she has felt a change in her life. Hopefully for all who listened you got to learn something new. And for those who didn't, you are always welcome to see them!
We got to have intercambios with Apoquindo B this week, and I got to spend time with Hermana Thompson from Mississippi. She's awesome. We got to teach a lesson together and save a pigeon that was stuck under a fence. So that pigeon must be pretty grateful and telling all his pigeon friends about the missionaries. 
I am really grateful for the chance that everybody has to listen to the prophet. It's amazing that we get to receive revelation as often as we do and help that we can use for our lives and our families. I know God is still a God of miracles because I see them every day on my mission. I have talked to so many people who think God has abandoned them or done awful things. I wish people could see what I see, and witness all the miracles all the miracles that happen. Miracles have not stopped in Santiago. And they haven't stopped anywhere else.
Ciao!

Hermana Reed

Hi!

Hola!
Como esta todos? We are getting used to the new changes and with it, working harder in our area! We have been able to meet with new people and see new miracles every day. We do have a little less time working in our area, but that doesn't seem to make a difference with all the stuff that has been able to happen! Since people are back from their vacations we have been able to teach them this week. It's been great!
This week was also the first session of conference for women. Our stake had a tomar once activity before streaming it live in the chapel, where everybody came to eat food, talk, and then we got to hear the prophets. They also had a room for the English speakers (because there are a fair few who exist in our stake) and it was really nice. It was just basically us and a family from another ward. Because it was streamed live, it started at 9 PM, but we had permission to stay until 11. We were super tired in the morning, but it was worth it.

At the General Women's Conference with one of our members, Victoria Hernandez.

We also went to have a lunch in the community La Florida to meet our past companions and see how things have been going. It was awesome and we got to eat some delicious brownies (which doesn't happen that often here). It was great!

Our lovely lunch with the sisters of Los Copihues, Los Cañas, y Vicente Valdes.

Les quiero!

Hermana Reed

My area. Look at the beautiful smog.

A sign we found in an elevator in a subway station. Translated, it says, "This elevator is a huge help for people who have reduced mobility. It is not a bathroom! Please, take care of it."

The 18th of September that Didn't Happen

Hola,
This week was the week where everybody left on a trip. All of our investigators set up citas with us this week because they left, but we ended up finding new investigators, which was a blessing in the end. I have also heard a lot about the 18 de septiembre in Chile, with missionaries saying that I would eat so many empanadas that I would be full, but on the 18th, nobody really wanted to meet with us and the only people in the street were from Brazil or Palestine. But don't be afraid; we managed to make the most of this time by calling a bunch of people and setting up future lessons with them! To make up for the 18th that didn't happen, I will include pictures from last week's party which was fun!

We also had a zone conference to help the missionaries in Las Condes, and with my new calling I had to help facilitate. It was a little scary, but it worked out really well and we were able to inspire them and feel the spirit.

Ciao ciao!

Hermana Reed

Changes!

Hola!
So a new change has come and gone and I am...staying in my same area as before! This will be my fifth change (a change for me is six weeks) in Cristobal Colon, and my hija has left to everybody's surprise. Everybody thought I was going to leave, but the Lord has other plans for me! Besides that, I have now been made hermana capacitadora (I think in English it's called sister training leader) for my zone. My new companion, Hermana King, also has never been hermana capacitadora, so we are going to be learning together! It's going to be so much fun.
This past week we had our ward party for the Chilean Independence day! All of September is full of Chile celebrating and flags are everywhere. There were a lot of people who weren't from our ward at our party enjoying the food, the dance, the bouncy houses, and the trampoline they set up for everybody. Hermana Hirchak and I helped pass out alfahores and cuchufli to everybody who came. We also got to see people dance the cueca, which is the traditional dancing in Chile.

We now have a Chinese investigator! She came into the church basketball court with her little girl when we had our zone activity and were playing soccer and basketball, and some of the other missionaries got her number. We passed by with a Chinese Book of Mormon, which she was really grateful to have. Other than that, we couldn't talk much because she doesn't know much Spanish and her English is survivable.  So we went back with a member who speaks Chinese and are planning to meet her more often! Her name is Dina and she has the cutest two year-old girl named Ming Ming. Her husband works so much we haven't gotten to meet him at his house. But we saw him at the ward party and got to know him there! But the Chinese member is also really excited to share the gospel, so we've asked for a couple more Chinese Books of Mormon for her to share.
We also have been able to share more of the gospel and meet more and more people! It's been crazy how we've been able to find people, but I know it's not only because of me. Not to mention one of my favorite scriptures lately is Joshua 1:9.
Exito!

Hermana Reed

Las Condes and Cristobal Colon

This week has been crazy! Hermana Lewis, the missionary who came to live with us unexpectedly, ended up staying with us until Friday. We tried to work in her area and our area. On Tuesday we did splits with a sister in our wad, who is actually from Australia and doesn't speak any Spanish. Hermana Lewis and Hermana Hirchak went to Las Condes to go to a couple citas that were planned earlier, and I stayed with Sister Clay to go to the things that were planned out in Cristobal Colon.
Hermana Clay was awesome and super brave to go out with me. She moved here with her family to work in the Australian Embassy, and they have been struggling a bit in church because they don't know how to speak Spanish. But she still goes, and the members are trying to figure out ways she can also get something out of church. She came out with me, and I helped her a bit with the Spanish she's been learning. We actually got to contact some tourists on our way to a cita.
One cita fell through, but she got to come with me to another cita. She was mainly silent as I taught, but I got the thought to ask Diego (the person we were teaching) if he understood any English. When he said he understood some, I asked Hermana Clay if she could share an experience she's had with the Holy Ghost. She was really surprised, because I had only helped her write her testimony in two sentences in Spanish. But she shared a great experience and it changed the whole lesson. Even if Diego didn't understand everything, I could tell he was touched by her testimony. He was so sincere as he asked questions and I answered. Hermana Clay was also happy after the lesson and laughing. I was glad I was able to help her and help her adjust to living in Chile.
Besides that, we had intercambios and had to go back to Registro Civil to help Hermana Lewis get her visa card. It was super fun with her around and getting to see some of her sector and letting her see some of mine. We worked hard, going to citas, contacting, until she got a new companion this last Friday. Now things have returned to normal. At least she's in the same ward building, so we get to see her Sundays.

Hermana Reed

New Companions and Crazy Weeks

Hello family!
This week was going somewhat normally until President called us this past Friday, asking if we could do him a favor and have another companion for a couple days. A hermana from our district was going home because she had a herniated disk in her back, and her companion needed some sisters to be with until she could get a mini missionary. He also thought we would be the best pick because we actually both had church in the same building.
So we have been with Hermana Lewis since Friday, until she gets a mini missionary, which should be this Wednesday or so. She was actually in the CCM with me, but she was with the gringos and was there for six weeks. She is also from Utah, so when we tell people where we three missionaries are from, we all say the same place: Utah, USA. Which doesn't help he stereotype here where everybody says all missionaries are from the United States. At least half are Latinos... But she's awesome and it has been a party with her around.
So this past Sunday was interesting too, because we had to go to two sacrament meetings. We had some meeting before church, but then we went to her sacrament meeting, and then our sacrament meeting. Nevertheless, both were great. And in my ward's sacrament meeting, Hermana Hirchak and I sang. And because Hermana Lewis can play any hymn imaginable, she played for us, which was a blessing in disguise.
And because we can't leave her area alone, we have been working to do splits so we can work both in our area and her area. She might be with us until Wednesday or until the next cambio, depending on the mini missionary.
It was an interesting week, but also a really fun one! Hope all of you are doing well!

Hermana Reed