Long time no email..

Well hello there.. I'm sorry it's been a little while. I'm not the best at emailing. Especially when there's not a whole ton to share. It's been an interesting week for me. So as you might guess, I really don't have a ton to share with you, but we had a really great day Saturday.. that's for sure. We talked for quite a while on Friday night about the week because it really just wasn't very great. We were both really bummed out for the week we had had and we decided we needed to turn it around.

 On Saturday we worked really, really hard and were pretty much contacting all day long. But we talked to tons of people and set a bunch of citas.. found three new investigators and taught a lesson to an investigator we have named D. He has been investigating the Church for a long time. He is really good friends with the family that pretty much is the rama here in Llanquihue. He is seriously such a great kid and is really so prepared already. We taught him and his friend Francisco the Doctrine of Christ with a member who is also really good friends with them and it was a really spiritual lesson. The Spirit was so strong and I know that they both felt it. Hermana Carol (the member that was with us) said after the lesson that she would have gotten baptized haha. 

We even put D with fecha (o sea a baptismal date) for the 21st of October, and even though he's had fecha before I really feel like this could be it. That it's his time. He seemed really sure of it during the lesson and he and Francisco both came to church on Sunday and stayed the whole time. D says that his family is the problem. He has permission to be baptized from his legal guardian, but his extended family are evangelicos and he's worried they'll get mad and stop talking to him. I shared my experience and testimony with him, but I really hope that we can help him so that he can get baptized in the next few weeks. I really feel like it's his time. 

This week it was amazing to see how thoroughly the Lord fulfills His promises. When Hermana Chilan and I decided we needed to change some things and when we really put forth our full effort and all of our heart, He blessed us immensely. We went from having a pretty awful week to a miraculous day solely because we took the time to acknowledge our mistakes, repent, and change our attitudes. He always does His part.. we just have to make sure we're doing ours. 

Anyway.. that's what I have to share with you all this week. Sorry that I have been so off the map lately haha. I hope you all have an amazing week! 

Lots of love,

Hermana Sessions

p.s. I don't have pictures this week.. lo siento mucho. Also I have to sing and play the guitar in zone conference in a couple weeks.. I haven't played the guitar in over a year.. wish me luck.. or even better, pray for me. 

Feliz 18 de Septiembre

Well it's Chile's Independance Day.. so I won't be writing until Wednesday.. 

Love you all very much! 

Talk to you soon!!

Love,

Hermana Sessions

21

Well.. I'm legal. I will now, post-mission, be able to enter a bar and order a lemonade.. maybe even with two lemon wedges. Woot woot! 

This week was honestly really great. I waited for my companion for a little over two hours in the terminal in Puerto Montt, but I got to see Hermana Roney and Hermana Hanosek before they took of for Punta Arenas. When my companion showed up, I was really confused because at first glance I thought she was gringa, but President had told me she was from Uruguay so I wasn't sure she was the right one. 

Well, I guess I should tell you all a little about my hija.. her name is Hermana Chilán and she is from Uruguay. She recently turned 19 but she's sure got it all together. She plays piano really well, and can play a handful of other instruments as well.. and she speaks FIVE languages.. including English (which is probably the language that she speaks the least). Oh and she already served a mini mission for a total of 7 months in Uruguay. 

So long story short.. I'm not sure my trainee needs a trainer. SHE'S SO GOOD, de verdad. I mean.. it was a relief to know that I would be training a Latina.. because I knew she would already be able to communicate and I wouldn't have to teach her Spanish. I'm not really sure that I have to teach her anything. I'm pretty sure she's teaching me. I feel like I'm in my training. Maybe I should just resign, and she can take my position as mom.

She is a great missionary. She really amazes me! She's way more capable than me, but we make a good team. Even though she likes to talk and is capable of doing it all on her own, she's not the type to teach a lesson by herself and we've really taught in unity this past week. We taught the Restoration to a new investigator this week and it was such a spiritual lesson. She totally felt the Spirit, I could see it in her eyes, but she still didn't quite understand what she was feeling. 

I also planned five citas in 30 minutes. I've been trying to be a little bit more creative lately.. it's not the easiest thing for me, but I've had this impression/idea to call all of the numbers in our cellphone that are listed as investigators for several weeks now. I wanted to do it with Hermana Rivero, but we never got around to it. Well this week I finally gave it a try and even though more than half didn't answer and about a quarter didn't want anything to do with us.. but there were 5 former investigators that were super happy to hear from us and we were able to schedule citas with each of them. 

The day of my birthday was honestly kind of lame. I just wasn't really feeling it. One of the cute hermanas in our branch, Hermana Carol,  called me super early in the morning to wish me a happy birthday, which was super sweet. The rest of the day was just really weird. We taught a woman who was super evangelica and didn't really let us teach her. She changed the subject so many times we finally just left her with a pamphlet and a prayer. Later we were knocking doors when two women from the Red Cross in Chile came up to us and asked us if we were from the Mormon Church. We said yes and they introduced us to a cute, little, old lady who needed some company. While we were conversing with her an inactive member knocked on the door and wanted to join the conversation. It was really interesting, and I think Hermana Chilán was a little scared by him.

We were supposed to have our meeting with our ward mission leader at 7:30 and we were going to do it at his house. Well we got there and he told us that he forgot to tell us, but that he and his family were getting ready to leave. Then he said he was just messing with us and let us inside. When I stepped inside there were balloons and his cute family was there waiting to wish me a happy birthday. They threw me a little surprise get together and his wife made really good pizza. It was the cutest, sweetest thing ever and really made my birthday special. 

I'm so out of time.. so so incredibly out of time. But yesterday in our Gospel Principles class we talked about our Heavenly Father. It was a short, simple class.. but probably one of the most powerful classes we've had. We talked about all of the blessing that He has given us and continues to give, and about His perfect plan. He loves you all more than you will ever be able to comprehend. Each of you is a son a daughter of God. He knows you perfectly!  He sent His Son so that we can all return to His presence someday. He wants us to succeed. "For behold, this is my work and my glory —to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." I know that He lives, and the He loves His imperfect children perfectly. 

I love you all! Have a great week!

hugs,

Hermana Sessions

Happy Birthday Sister Sessions!!!

Hey everybody! I'm so sorry that I didn't email last week, and even more sorry because I don't have a ton of time to write a group email this week either. I just want to highlight a few things that happened this week.

-Tuesday we had a conference with Elder Bragg (Seventy) IT WAS AMAZING. I don't have words, (or maybe I don't have time) but it was truly amazing.

-We had a rama activity this week too. Noche Boliviana.. I had to direct it. I tried to crack some jokes, but I'm not very funny in Spanish. I'm still a little sassy though.

-We also had stake conference this week. President and Hermana Isom spoke and it was so cute. It's always cute.. they're just cute! Hermana Isom read her talk in Spanish and it was darling! 

-We knocked a lot of doors in the rain.

-I think we ate some really raw meat, but we were desperate and it was Sunday. 

-And.. for my birthday President gifted me a new missionary.. that's right, I'm going to train a newbie from Uruguay! Pray for me.

Love you all so much! Have a lovely week!

Hermana Sessions

(If you have a free minute this week, please send Sister Sessions some birthday love @ abby.sessions@myldsmail.net  Let's fill her inbox this week!!)