This week was so good and then Saturday came haha. I was a little irritated becauses my Spanish was not good during one of our lessons witha couple teenage girls and one of them had really hard time focusing on what we were saying. She was funny and just kept trying to make us laugh but I felt like the reason she lost focus was because my Spanish is so bad. Anyway after this we tried to find an investigator's house. My companion didn't remember where she lived but I remembered her and her directions really well. Which is very rare for me because so often I get turned around here. The streets and house numbers are so unorganized I have to remember most of the homes we visit by trees or stores that are nearby haha. She was so happy to see us and we got talking with her about her family and found out things aren't so good with her husband. He is not good to her at all and she is depressed most of the time because of the way he treats her. So when we explained the plan of salvation she started crying. It was such a precious moment for me to feel how much the Savior loves her and how important our timing was to share the things we did with her. She accepted a baptismal date in March! I am so excited. I was feeling so good and all charged by the spirit and then we went to a baptism for a little girl in our ward and I was asked to give the message. I don't know why but I got so nervous. I was so afraid to give a talk on baptism, I felt like I couldn't do it and I started to cry. My companion helped me find a scripture and told me to just bare my testimony afterwards. I fumbled through the whole thing fighting back tears. Afterwards I bawled like a baby, I honestly had no clue at this moment why I was sent to Bolivia for my mission. My companion said so many things that helped me feel better but the one that helped the most was when she told me the Lord can see how much this experinece will help me in my life and I need to trust in him and not in myself. And on the way home the thought came to me that I promised specific people that I would find and teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't even explain how this made me feel. Even now I can feel the same strong spirit testifying that this is true. I am so grateful I was given such a powerful witness of the Spirit, it has helped me so much. My companion is so stressed and unhappy because she wants so much to be perfect. It makes me really sad because I can see how much of a toll this takes on her. I tried to help her but she isn't doing much better. I am really missing food from home haha. Even quick spaghetti, I know I can hardly believe it myself. I'm so looking forward to the time when I'll be with my family again. I miss you all so much. Tell everyone I love them and think of them often. I hope you all have a really good week. I won't be able to email next Monday because there is a holiday called carnival where people soak each other with water and paint for three days haha. So we won't be able to leave our apartment for the 6,7, and 8 of March.

Hola Familia! So much happened this week but first I want to tell you about the baptism. Hermana Aide was baptised on Saturday!!! She was so happy. I love the spirit that is present at baptisms. She was nervous but so excited. We took pictures of her with her new ward family. After her baptism, she prayed before she got changed because she felt so grateful to the Lord for taking away her sins. It was such a beautiful experience. She is such a social butterfly she already has friends in the ward, she won't have any trouble at all adjusting. I'm so grateful everything went so well because our day before her baptism was crazy. All of our citas fell through. We had almost no success that day. My companion took it really hard becacuse she is a perfectionist. She wants so badly to be perfect. Its so sad because she stresses so much about things. I really admire her desire to serve at her best but its getting to the point where she has trouble liking herself. I 'm trying my hardest to help her but its hard when I can't express myself fully. I asked her to read the talk by Pres. Uchtdorf about slowing down and remembering the important things. I hope it helped her. We have two families I'm so excited about. I feel like they are my family. I love teaching them because they have desires to learn. There is so much joy in my mission, the Lord blesses me so much. If the day goes bad, it always ends well. My prayers are answered constantly. The spirit helps me everytime I try to speak with our investigators. I could go on and on but the point is I feel so blessed. We got a shower yesterday haha. It pours here, literally. We were soaked in seconds. It cracks me up everytime that happens. I love being here. This work is so hard but I love it so much. I'm so thankful for my eternal family. It comforts me so much tha if we live the way we should we can have the greatest blessing our father in heaven has to offer. I love you with all my heart. I am so happy to hear all is well with everyone! I love hearing about the things that are going at home. Its so nice to feel connected. I can't wait to hear from you. I love you!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

I love you all so much! Parents can make such a difference in the lives of their children. The other day I had the worst luck haha. I hit my head on the doorway of a bus because they are built for people who are a foot shorter than me. My skirt flew up around my waist because the wind here is so crazy, and I had a little two year old swear at me when I said goodbye to him. Honestly, the most heart breaking moment was when the little kid swore at me. It was so strange to feel so hurt by a word I couldn't understand. It hurt to think of him hearing that word often enough that he could understand what it meant and how to use it. He was upset because he wanted to leave so bad but his mom wanted to listen to us. I'm so grateful that I was able to grow up in a home where the Spirit could always be felt. Sometimes I feel like when I overcome something the Lord immediatly presents another opportunity to grow. I have to work really hard to remember that I don't need to trust in my abilities or what I think I can do but to trust in the Lord. We have had two all day meetings with missionaries from other zones that lasted from eight in the morning till six at night. we had to practice in front of everybody, talk about nerve wracking because at the same time Pesident Calderon would critique us on the spot. I think I did okay. But at the end of our last meeting he said we'll be getting 25 new misssionaries this next cambio. And five of them are sister missionaries, Hermana Calderon said this is evidence that the lord has a lot of trust in us because that means a lot of us will be training. I almost said "crap!" haha because that scares me so much. I just can't imagine myself ever being ready to take on that responsibility with what little knowdledge I have. But I'm trying to learn as much as I can to prepare for it just in case that's what the Lord wants me to do. Thank you so much for the ipod. Tell Hayley thank you, thank you!! My companion loves it too. (That's the only package I've received of the ones you've sent mom). I found out that not only do we have to wait for the packages to come from the US but sometimes the Elders don't pick up the packages that are in the offices. So I have to be really patient with them haha. We got to go to the baptism of Claudia! It was so beautiful. The Spirit there was so sweet. I loved it so much. I felt so excited about our work. Also, we have a baptism this weekend for Aide! I took a picture of her daughter Angi she is so crazy haha. I love her. She is so sweet and fun. Her mom read all the pamphlets we gave her and she answered the questios in the back of them which investigators rarely do. She is so well prepared to recieve the gospel in her life. I miss singing with my mom. Singing with people is a different experience here. My companion along with the majority of people here are tone deaf haha. It cracks me up when we sing without a piano. Anyway, I hope your week is fantastic and full of happy moments. I love you so much!!

I love my family!!! You are all so special and wonderful. I love you with all my heart. I found out all the letters sent to me need to be addressed to the package mailing address. It is the one now on my blog. My debit card works. I have been able to get money in Bolivianos. I am the proud owner of a shoe brush now. haha. I never thought this day would come. HaHa. I am doing really good. I don't feel any real pain where my appendix use to be. Only when I eat too much. I'm getting chubby haha. I eat so much at lunch because that is our only real meal and then I can't exercise like normal because the doctor said I can't for three months, especially not sit-ups and that's what I need most right now. I hope I don't come home round haha. I'm going to try to figure something out. But it's hard when families offer us pop and dessert stuff, or full on meals. I am so excited that we have baptisms coming up!!! This weekend is Claudia's baptism, she got married this last Saturday. Her wedding was small and only with family but it was so beautiful. She has such a strong testimony and desire to follow the Savior. My Spanish is getting better. There is woman we are teaching who has a baptismal date for the nineteenth. Her name is Aide and she has a five year old girl named Angie. She is such a doll. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week full of warm moments.