Awesome Alameda

Dear Family,

So we found out our changes. I am going to San Fernando and Hna. Vorwaller is going to Santa Cruz. I am going to have another Brazilian companion Hna. Araujo! It is so crazy! Now I can use all the Portugese words I learned with Hna. Mota with Hna. Araujo! Tell Uncle John that we will speak Portugese when I get back ;) I am super sad to leave La Alameda, but I know the Lord needs me to learn some things up in San Fernando, so I am all good. 

This week we had a MIRACLE!! So I´ll set the scene for you guys okay? I am sitting there in Sacrament Meeting, singing the opening hymn as loud as I can so that everyone can know I am gringa and even sing in a gringa accent, and all of a sudden, a lady just plops herself down on my right side and gives me a hug. I can`t see who it is because her thick brown hair is over my eyes, but when she lets go, tampoco puedo reconocerla!! I smile and just look forward to not make it awkward. Then it hits me, FABIOLA!!!!! She is a lady we contacted maybe 2 and a half weeks ago and we invited their family to come to church. They said the regular things like, a lo mejor (probably) and si no tenemos flojera (if we aren`t lazy). So we didn`t think they would come. And we were right, they didn`t come. So they weren`t high up on our priority list. In fact we had been considering dropping them. Then we found out Fabiola moved out of her Boyfriend`s house (they have three kids and were living with his mom, and we contacted them there) because they were having problems, so we figured we would never see her again. But here she was!! Right next to me on my right side!!! I almost had a heart attack. I wanted to jump up and scream to the world that miracles DO exist and that they come in the strangest of ways sometimes. Turns out that her mom, who she moved in with, lives really close to the capilla, so she just decided to come to church!! ¡Que valentía!! I don`t think I would have done that if I were her. I asked her if she has ever come to church, and she said no. She came alone, but wants to bring her three kids with her next week, because she met Coni Rios who works in Primary, and Coni told Fabiola all about the games and songs and learning about Jesus that they do there. She really wants to come next week and I could just see her and her boyfriend getting married and sealed in the temple to their three kids and I PRAY that happens. After all, miracles do happen. 

Anyway, that was my super awesome experience this week. Also, we had an awesome lesson with Claudio and Pamela where we showed the video about the Restoration. Pamela got emotional and Claudio recognized that he needs to ask God which church to join. We just hope he doesn`t end up going to an Evangelica church, because his friend invited him to come see it. But Claudio accepted the invitation to prepare for a baptism the 6th of September!! So that will be awesome.

And last but not least, we had the awesome idea of fasting for rain down here in Chile, and I think Heavenly Father must have understood that we want a flood, because we have been getting TONS of rain! It is awesome and Hna. Mota and I LOVE singing in the rain. I kind of want winter to last all year. :) 

I love you guys!! Have an amazing week! Read your scriptures!

Hna. McCubbins

Hna. Andrea and all of us. She is also a convert of 2 years. She and her husband are getting sealed this October! She is super cute and works with the Mujeres Jovenes. (Hermana Vorwaller, McCubbins, and Mota)

Hna. Angelica Ugas

She is a convert that used to be Evangelica (I don`t know the translation to English) and she is seriously like my second mom. Her husband always travels to the states and there is a big possibility they might come visit us after the mission. :)

Hna. Carmen Gloria

Also a convert. She is so cute and her son just returned from a mission in Santiago Este. He might do the Pathway program for BYU because he really wants to learn English.

Hna. Juanita Barahona.

She is the President of Relief Society and Return Missionary and AWESOME. She has three little girls and a husband who knows perfect English and she STILL finds time to accompany us to visits. :)

Hna. Paredes is a ward missionary with her husband and they teach the early morning seminary. They are awesome! 

Hna. Orrogoa is the president of Primary and also knows English and LOVES movies from the States, especially Hunger Games. Her husband fell from a really tall building and lost all his memories when they had maybe 5 years of marriage, and he didn`t recognize her. Then a while later he started regaining memory, but he still hasn`t completely recovered. That was 12 years ago... They are SO funny and cute :)

Viki is a future missionary! She is preparing to go on a mission. A year ago she was inactive because her mom decided to go be Evangelica. But then Viki came back and wants to serve a mission! She comes and helps in lessons all the time and is only a little bit crazy, just like me and Hna. Mota ;)

This is an Hermano that comes to church despite all his health problems. I want to be like him when I grow up.

This is the Bishop`s wife, Marcia. She is the coolest! Her husband is super funny, like Jim Carry funny, and she has a TON of patience, probably because she is a psycologo (I cant remember the word in English). Their little daughter Rafaela is the CUTEST and I love them tons! The bishop guessed changed before they happened and I hate him for it! ;)

Hna. Carmen Gloria again. 

This is Nicol. Our recent convert. She doesn`t talk much, but she likes to laugh, and so do I, so we get along ;) She has been coming on visits with us, and is super cool! She just comes whenever we ask even though she has only been in the church for like 5 months. I love her tons! 

These are Nicol´s parents. Jorge is a menos activo and her mom Alejandra is preparing to be baptized!! She hasn`t accepted a baptismal date yet, but she will soon :) She has been working to drop tea and coffee and now only drinks at school with the rest of the teachers. She is SO awesome. 

This is my crazy companion Hna. Mota from Fortaleza Brazil. I love her tons! And she is seriously thinking of coming to the States to learn english, which would be super awesome. She just needs to save up money.