September 23, 2013

So this week was super slow because everyone was out celebrating! But the good news is that we have a new progressing investigator! His baptism is set for the 12th of October. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll still be here because we have tranfers in 2 weeks.......

But we have the baptism of P this weekend! I'm super excited! He started coming to church before meeting with the missionaries! He also gave up smoking and drinking. he's super awesome! He has a great testimony and really enjoys going to church.

Let's see....nothing very exciting happened this week because of the 18th. I've been thinking about tranfers a lot though. I'm thinking that if I don't stay in Conti with Hna M that I will either be transfered elsewhere or I'm going to train. I really don't want to leave Conti yet. I LOVE it here. It's like being in Moscow....except everyone speaks spanish and there's an ocean and a river.

Sorry for the short email. I don't have a whole lot to say this week. But you have some pictures!

Hermana Hutchinson

September 16, 2013

HOOOOLLLLLLAAAAA!

This email is super late today. We just got back from Rancagua. Hna M had a doctors appointment this morning. Rancagua is four hours away and we were there for about 6 hours. But life of a missionary I guess. But we just got back so I'm emailing now.

I've decided I'm not a huge fan of Rancagua. It's cool there, but it's so big! I love my little Constitución. I don't want to go! Which probably means that I will be getting transfered this transfer.....but we'll find out! I still have three weeks so I'm not worried. I also love ocean and the beach. But I don't like the ugly factory. It's similar to the factory in Lewiston and yeah, it almost smells the same too. Luckily it's not as bad and it's only around the factory.

This week was kind of rough. We had a hard time finding new investigators, but all is well. Our english class was good this week. We ended up starting late because of an issue with they keys to the church, but it was good.

I'm super excited for this week because it's Chilean independence day!!! September 18th. I'm glad you didn't send me a flag because there are plenty of flags here. Hahaha plenty. I can buy one on nearly every street corning. Big ones, small ones, short ones, tall ones. The cool thing about Chilean Independence day is it's not just one day...it's THREE! September 17-19. I bought a dress too! It's a dress they wear to dance the cueca (kweka) and you'll love it mom, it's purple! They're suuuper cute! I'm going to wear it tomorrow to the ward activity :) The cueca is really cool. The other day in the plaza they had a big festival with all the schools. All the kids danced the cueca together. It was really fun...except I forgot my camera.

And we have a baptism coming up!! The 28th! His name is P! He has stopped smoking and drinking and has a great testimony! I'm super excited!

Also, wanna here a funny and awkward story? Hahahah so there's an inactive memeber named E. He's, like 24ish. I met him one of my first weeks here. We went back a few more times with my last companion and taught him and his dad. Sometimes it's hard to find him, but finally, my new companion and I were able to go visit him this week. So we went to visit him, and the weirdest thing, he started flirting with me! He had never flirted with me before and suddenly, he's asking me if I had a boyfriend before my mission and if we're allowed to get married (a frequently asked question---what are we nuns?) and if we can be facebook friends. Then the next day we stopped by to drop off a Book of Mormon because he lost his in the earthquake. I shook his had to say bye but when I tried to pull it away, he wouldn't let go. awwwkwaaaard! We haven't been back since and the next time we go, si o si (as the chileans would say--it means yes or yes) we are bringing a member. Preferrably a young beautiful single woman. Hahahaha

I still love Chile and the people here! I love my mission and I'm excited for this week and conference!!!

Stay awesome and you have my permission to eat cake on Wednesday to celebrate with the chileans ;)

Hermana Hutchinson

September 9, 2013

This week was pretty good. We had a lot less proselytizing time, but we managed to do more than we did last week! The conference in Curicó was really good. Elder Fansico J Viñas came and talked to us about...missionary work! Imagine that. It was cool to meet more people in my mission. I met a sister from Brazil named Hermana S. She's uber nice. We were talking and she told me that she lived in Boise for a while in college. So we talked about Boise for a bit and I asked, "By any chance do you know E M?" And guess what. She knows E! How crazy is that! She's from Brazil, we're in Chile and she knows E M! So that was super cool.  But yeah, there are a lot of really great people in my mission. No, Elder A wasn't there, it was only half the mission. But did I tell you that Hermana M first zone leader was Elder A? She was also in his district. 

So something kinda sad happened this week. We had an emergency transfer. I don't know why, but Hermana S got transfered to the Rancagua area. Hermana S and I were pretty close so I was really bummed. She's also training right now, which is a tad bit scary for her. We were on the same plane to Chile. Not to mention she's training a gringa. Usually the gringas train the latinas and vice versa. But she's training a gringa that doesn't know very much spanish! Hna S knows a lot of spanish, but she's still not fluent. She was scared, but of all people, I would pick her for this emergency transfer too. She's an amazing person. 

But now, I'm currently the only english speaker in the apartment. So I think my spanish is going to improve tenfold this transfer. My spanish is coming along quite a bit. I can understand about 90-95% of everything people say. I still struggle with speaking a bit, but I'm a lot better. And I can get my point across, I just still have to think about what I'm saying. I still have a lot to learn, but it will come. And I'm surprized with how much I know already.

Anywho, I don't think anything else very exciting happened this week. The zone came to constitución today to go to the beach! Woo! Conti is the best! Oh and we've started teaching english classes! It was going to be me, Hna S and Elder S, but now it will just be me and Elder S since Hna S left.... :( Oh yeah, it's slightly difficult to teach your language in a different language. Just saying.

Oh and tell dad I say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Tell him he's awesome and has been an amazing example to me these last 20 years. (yikes, 20 years?!)

I love you all! Stay awesome!

Hermana Hutchinson

September 2, 2013

This week has been awesome! I love my new companion, Hermana M. I have learned a lot from her this last week and we have been getting along really well. We currently don't have any progressing investigators, but we have been doing a lot of contacting and have quite a few new investigators so I'm hoping for the best this week!

So this week, we have a mini conference in Curicó. One of the seventy is coming, Elder Franciso J Viñas. I haven't heard of him before... anywho. Also, my companion and I are going to Santiago. Hopefully for sure this time haha but I'm excited because we can stop by the bookstore by the temple and buy churchy things! haha Also everything is a million times cheeper there so I might try to find a couple things. I want to get a new messanger bag because I don't like the one I have now. Also, no, I don't enjoy the messanger bags. They hurt my shoulder! But the one I have now kind of sucks. It was freaking $34. But I needed a messanger bag so I bought it, but I would like to find a new one that is better.

The weather is slowly getting warmer, but it's still pretty cold. I want summer already! Today it rained, but I'm not freezing in the mornings, which I enjoy. We haven't been using our little heater thing as much. Summer is coming....slowly. I just want watermelon, that's my biggest thing haha

And don't worry, I'm sleeping very well. It takes me about 2 minutes to fall asleep. I haven't had any problems with bed bugs or mold, that I know of. We do have fleas, but they haven't been bad recently. I have some lovely flea bites. Soooo yeah. And don't worry, I'm eating well too. The lunches here are huge! I don't know how I finish them. And we usually eat a bit in the evening. I have been eating a lot of mandarian oranges. They're adorable and delicious! The blue jacket was in the apartment when I got here. It's surpizingly warm.

The spanish is coming along. I can speak pretty well, but I still have a lot to learn. We did a lot of contacting this week so my contacting skills have improved. I can also understand a solid 90% of what people are saying. I still get lost sometimes, but what can I do?

V and M are doing well. V got really really sick, like, right after his baptism, but he's better now. 

I love you all! 

Hermana Hutchinson

August 26, 2013

So after I emailed you last week, we went to the store. We saw the other Hermanas there and they said there were going to get haircuts and asked if we wanted to go. Hermana M has been wanting to get bangs so we went. I wasn't planning on getting my haircut, but after a split ends check, I decided to get a trim. "Just a trim" I said (in Spanish of course) and yeah--chow Katelyn's hair. That was the worst trim ever.

But the good news is, my hair in a million million million million times better that in was before. I can actually wear it down without it going Tarzan on me. The last few weeks has been braid after braid. I'm sad because it's a lot shorter, but it looks way better. I'm back to having random people tell me how pretty my hair is in the street. Like yesterday (I'm pretty sure that guy was gay because how many guys compliment random girls hair?)

¿Oh, wanna know about transfers? Well, I'm staying in Constitución!!!!! WOOO! But I'm getting a new companion named Hermana M (I think). I don't know anything about her yet except she is coming from Rancagua and she's a girl. But I will tell you all about her next week. 

Ummmmm....I don't really have anything else to say. My spanish is getting better. I can hold a decent conversation with people. I still don't understand 100% yet, but it's getting there. I think I'm going to learn a lot this transfer because my new companion doesn't know the area or the people so for the first week I'll be the one leading us around and talking with the memebers and stuff. But hopefully I will survive. I have a feeling I'll be getting a bit more help from the Lord this transfer.

Also Chilean independence day is September 18. I'm excited! The negocios are selling the tradicional Chilean dresses and everyone's talking about empanadas and dancing! I'm excited! They celebrate all week so it will be an awesome party!

Say hi to Ben, Josh and Hayden for me!

Hermana Hutchinson