Week 49 Overcast Skies, and a HUGE Sector

Well, here we are at the beginning of another week. I really enjoy recieving emails from all of you every week, it brightens my day to know that things are still moving in the real world. Time is interesting here. It feels like everything should be put into pause while I am here, and then I get back and everything starts up again. But the world moves on. I was very concious of that this week when my little sister sent me pictures of her Graduation dress, and my other little sister danced in a dance recital. I dont know what the deal is with my little brother. He is super bad at writing me. But no one said he died. So Im sure he´s great, haha.

Things in Antofagasta are much different that things in Tocopilla, and even more different than El Salvador! This city is HUGE. Seriously. I have never lived in a big city before. Because you really cannot count Provo as a big city. But everything compared to my home town is big I guess. Our sector is relativly new. It used to be two sectors for one ward. But they recently spilt the ward into two wards because there were so many people that they couldnt all fit into the building for sacrament meeting (and it is a good sized sacrament hall). So the ward Las Rocas, is now Las Rocas, and Cerro Moreno, which is my sector. And the name really gets you, because cerro means hill. And it is one of the flatest sectors in the mission. Of which I am grateful haha. But our sector is in the extreme North of the city. So we have to take a city bus into town to go to the downtown to shop and write. But good news is that there is a Lider (Walmart) about 20 minutes walking from our apartment so I have access to peanut butter and maple syrup at a moments notice. And our sector is huge. Literally walking across our sector would take the entire day. In order to get to church we have to take a bus. It is a looooong distance. Never again will I complain about the largness of sectors. Haha.

My new companion is Hermana Jimenez, I was a little nervous when I heard that she would be my companion because I have a strong personality and it was even worse in the MTC because I was nervous and uncomfortable a lot of the time, and apperantly I frightened some of the Latinos.... But getting off the bus in Antofagasta and seeing Hna Jimenez, I knew that we would get along. This week has been lovely withy her. We have worked hard but not just as companions. We have become friends. Which I think is very important. Some of the missionaries that I have met here seem to think that if you open up to your companion and become friends it means that you are not being a missionary. That you are not focused. But I feel and have learned the exact opposite to be true. When you are friends with your compaions, when you are willing to open up and to share. That is when the miracles happen, not just in the work, but as people. As companions. You are all each other has in a world that more often that not rejects you. And if you feel alone with your companion, you will have a really hard transfer (been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt and outgrew it).

But seriously, I can tell that Antofagasta is going to be a wonderful time in my mission with many miracles. There are different challenges here to learn from and overcome, but there are also many people who are prepared here. Who are just waiting to hear the truth before they can follow it.

And that is why I am here. 

I love you all, I hope that you have a great week and that all of you are doing whatever you can to grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sometimes we overlook the obvious things like reading the scriptures, praying, and going to church. These things are incredibly important when done in faith. And they are very easy to discard as unimportant or basic. They are basic, but never unimportant.

Les quiero mucho,

Hermana Randall

Week 48 WHAT? Transfers? And a Happy Mother´s Day!

Hey there world!



Before I really begin the email I just want to let you know that I am alive. I survived. And I will continue to live. Haha. I had a pretty miserable week, but it all turned out fine. The tests came back negative for an infection more severe, so they changed a couple of my medications, and gave me a lovely shot in my lower back, that fixed me up pretty quick, and I was weak but walking well Tuesday in the afternoon.

The week went really well after that and we were able to help the work progress here in  Tocopilla! Then surprises of all surprises, the transfer call came as expected. But it did not send Hna Challco (who has been here for 4 months) away to another city. It sent me away! I spent the weekend packing suitcases, because tonight my bus leaves for Cerro Moreno in ANTOFAGASTA! Whoohoo! I always wanted to go to Antofagasta! But I am beyond sad that I only had 6 weeks in Tocopilla. It is truly an amazing city and the people are amazing. I have really made some wonderful friends here. And Im leaving just in time for other baptisms which we had planned for Saturday. So I will not have photos with Mariana. But Im glad to have been a part of her conversion. 

And I begin a new adventure here at night with my new companion Hermana Jimenez. She got to the mission at the same time that I did, and if Im not wrong she is from Ecuador. So here is hoping and praying that all is looking up from here!

Also I would like to wish a Happy Mother´s Day to all of the Mothers in my life. I love the definition of a mother given to us in the last Womens Conference. ¨Mother means to give life.¨ In one way or another all of you mothers have been a mother to me because of the life you have given to me. By sharing time, talents, stories, and general life and love. Thanks for everything. I love you all! 

Have a beautiful week and Dios les bendiga!

Hermana Randall

Week 47 Sickness and Tender Mercies

Hi there family, friends, and rabid fans!

Well, another P-Day is here and I sit in a Ciber in Tocopilla with a broken keyboard to regale (did not spell that right) you all with tales of adventures.

This week had a bunch of ups and downs. The week started out super great. P-Day, planning of Skype calls, Tuesday we had intercambios with the Hermana Leaders, and they came here to Tocopilla. I was with Hna Carabine, and she only has one cambio is the mission more than I do and had completed a year in the mission.... So if the time isn't smacking me in the face right now (I complete 11 months tomorrow). We had a great day with teaching a lot of lessons and finding new investigators. I was just filled with love this day. Realizing that I could really speak Spanish, I can communicate with these amazing people in their own language and help them to know that God loves them more than they know or can understand here in this world. 

This is something that I have really experienced more than anything her in the mission, just knowing that we as humans only have a limited amount of love that we can feel, but as a gift, God bestows moments where we are so filled with love for the world, for a person, for our families, that we cannot express it. Where all we just want to do is drop to our knees and pray wordlessly, thanking God for our lives here on this planet.

I love the feeling of love.

Then Wednesday we went to Antofagasta because Hna Challco needed to have some dental work done. Let me just say, not being racist or countriest. But I am so grateful to have grown up in the United States with good Dental care. They looked in her mouth, and showed us with a camera, and there are many problems. It hurt me to look at her mouth.....  She is going to have to go back 3 or  more times to do progressive root canals on 2 different teeth. She has another infection in another tooth because whatever dentist did it didn't finish it. She has a fake tooth that is only temporary that falls out sometimes so he had to glue that back in , and then he had to remove a tooth right there on the spot because of how infected it was. And she has to have another tooth pulled another day.... Poor Hna Challco. 

We made it back to Tocopilla Thursday in the morning, planned for the next week and ate lunch. Or I tried to eat lunch I was not feeling good at all. We went out and proselyted, but as soon as we finished everything for the night I started throwing up. 

Friday I was super sick. And made worse by the fact that Hna Challco told me that it was all in my head and that I needed to work to feel better. .... So that is a great boost to self esteem.  We ended up doing divisions because I could not work. SO a member stayed in the apartment with me and Hna Challco went to proselyte. I was miserable.

Saturday, basically a repeat of Friday. I was miserable again. And the nurse and President Dalton told me to go to  the hospital. So I went. They looked at me, ran some tests and I have a pretty big infection that they think may have spread to my kidneys. Nothing life threatening, just painful and  annoying and miserable. SO I was with bed rest Saturday.

Sunday I made it to church because a member gave us a ride. But we had to leave early because I couldnt sit up anymore. And I had to go to the house of a member to sit because we couldnt find anyone to stay with me in the apartment. Luckily it was my favorite family here in Tocopilla.  And they are both returned missionaries with a little girl. So they understood exactly how I was feeling. It was nice to be understood and looked after. 

And here we are today. I am feeling better, and I have been able to eat more today and Im trying to rehydrate myself. I have no strength, but according to the mission nurse and Hna Challco, and  the inner missionary, I have to try to go out and work tonight.  And tomorrow I go back to he hospital  to see if the things they gave me are working. 

But I am fine. Sort of miserable naseaus and achy, but not dying. My spirit suffered a little this weekend too. It is amazing that we can be flying on Cloud 9 at the beginning of the week and Satan  can hit you just when you are feeling the strongest. 

So stay strong all of you. Bulid spiritual muscles every day, and never leave the house, without spiritual armor. We never know when Satan will attack.

I love you all. I'm going to finish this email because I never realized how much energy typing takes. 

Love you. Stay strong. Stay happy. Change lives. Start by changing yours if that is what is needed.

Hna Randall

Week 46 Easter Island!

Hey there everyone!

I received about a billion emails today, so I just wanted to tell you all, that if you don't get a reply, it is because I ran out of time. Not because I don't love you. (Well.....Just Kidding)

This week was rather good to be honest. Haha, Hna Challco and I had our moments. She likes to do her study at 8 in the morning instead of 9, so I have an hour to myself to shower and all that. It is nice. But turns out she still times me and analysis how I use my time. Haha, she told me that I wasn't allowed to eat and study. I had a half hour to get ready completely and a half hour to eat...... I think it is funny now. But at 11 at night I was pretty annoyed. I still eat when I am studying. I just like doing that. She´ll understand with time and other companions. She is still a newbie. Haha.

I also got a haircut this week. And never tell someone you barely know that you want it a little shorter.... Because it will become MUCH shorter. The last time my hair was this short was like senior year of high school. I like it though.

Also, got hit in the eye by gifts from a teeny bird perched from above. Unfortunately I was so concerned with getting it  off of my face that I did not take a picture to send to all of you for your enjoyment. 

We taught many lessons this week and we were able to set a couple baptismal goals with dates attached! So we were pretty happy. The dramatic thing that happened this week was that we have an investigator who is the mother of a recent convert. The mom had a date for baptism, which fell through this week because she didn't come to  church, because of some drama with her daughter. 

But after all that drama, this week has been really great and pretty calm. We are reactivating a  few families, and teaching even more. I love this work. I know that I would never be where I am spiritually and emotionally without being a missionary. I have heard many times that the mission is the training that you need for the rest of your life. And I truly believe that. 

I love you all. I know that this work is  true! LES AMO! Dios les bendiga.

Hna Randall

PS- Easter Island is not a part  of my mission. But we do have one of the heads replicated here. So we visited that this morning. :)

Week 45 Baptism Days are the Best Days

Hello Friends and Family Alike!

Hope this email finds you well and in a good state of mind. I hope you all know that I miss you and I appreciate all of the emails that I receive every week. I feel very loved and supported. Thank you for all of that and the prayers that are send my way. I can feel them strengthening me every day.

This week was a great week. My companion and I are getting along great, and she is opening up a lot. We still have things to work on. But they are more detailed missionary things like timing. Less personal things. So I'm happy with that. 

We had a beautiful baptism on Saturday. Norma was baptized! She is 26 years old and from Bolivia. Her parents are active members there and she wanted to learn more about the church to follow their example. She started coming to  church by herself, and made the decision to be baptized by herself. She is very prepared. It was a beautiful little service, and the feeling of love that was there was amazing. I love being a part of this work and helping those who are searching for something more, to find it. I am so grateful that families are forever!

 Also, I promise that everyone was happy this day, even if my companion and Norma are not smiling. They are not smiley people. 

We also had our last interviews with our Mission President before he finished his mission the first week in July. So that was fun. I received some advice to  help relieve the back pain that I have been experiencing again . (Prayers in this area would be very welcome.) And basically we had a great week! 

I love the mission. I love all of you. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ.  I dont imagine, I cant imagine. What my life would be, not only right now, but after, without my mission. I know that I am learning and growing here in ways that are not only  blessing me and my family right now. But that will continue to help me to grow and bless my family and me for the rest of my life. Not to  mention the temporal and eternal consequences that my mission is having on the lives of the people I have come to love in Chile. I just want to end this email ssaying, who ever you are. Whatever yor situation. If you are thinking about a mission. Do it. Go for it. You will NEVER EVER regret it. 

I love you all, I know that this church is true. I testify of that every day, in every way. 

¡Ser mormón, ser feliz!

Hermana Randall

Week 44 Winter is Coming......

Hello rabid readers, and fans of all ages. Welcome to another week of emails! I think we are on week 44 or something like that.... So that is terrifying and we are not going to think about it.

This week has been a lot of things. And most of all the things were ups! The main down was that I got sick. Sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, headache, all the fun stuff. I bought some medicine, ignored well meaning advice from members and I am getting better. (When I say ignored, I ignored things like ¨Here is a tomato. Heat it up in the  microwave, and use saran wrap to paste it to your neck while you sleep. Its really messy, but it wont stain.¨ I kindly accepted the tomato, and I ate it with a salad instead.) 

We had a zone meeting this week too. We met and talked about success stories, doctrine, etc, and basically got us all pumped up to share the gospel and baptize. It was pretty cool because we were also able to do companion exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders in Calama, so I was able to learn even more from even more sisters. And my companion as well. It was good for her, because before I could sense that she was annoyed with me, but that she wasnt saying anything. Even though I asked. After the exchange, she had enough courage, or was annoyed enough to tell me everything about me that annoyed her. Which although bugged me a little bit. I realized that everything that she was telling me  was just a difference in style of doing things more than anything else. So I told her I was sorry, explained that although I had 10 months in the mission, I am not perfect. (One of the things was that I wasnt helping her to find directions and plan at night. I had to explain that she was leading the sector for a reason. Because she knows the streets and the people, and that she couldnt expect me to know them after a week.) We had a good little talk and I was just praying to know what to say to her. And I ended up saying very little. Basically what I did was sit and listen. And then we both cried together. And every day since then has been great. When she is annoyed or doesnt understand. She tells me now, and we talk about it. If I dont teach her anything else, I will feel good knowing that I am helping to teach her to  communicate.

We also have an investigator named Norma. She is progressing amazingly and is planning on being baptized this Saturday! We had a lesson with her this week and we were nervous because she still hadnt recived her answer to know if these things were true. But then this day, she told us that during General Confrence she had recived her answer. She began to cry and tell us that she knew that it was all true. We all cried together. And I recived another witness that these things are true. I know they are.

We have other people with baptismal dates as well, and we are constantly finding new people and helping them to also prepare for the first covenant of  baptism. 

I love being a missionary. Meeting new people. Working with people who become my best friends, and teaching people that families are eternal. God loves us. 

He loves each and every single one of you. Keep smiling. And keep your chin up. Families are eternal. They can be sealed together in the temple of the Lord, and after death reaches us, it will have no hold. Christ rose from the dead so that one day we might also rise. I celebrate and preach of a LIVING, TRIUMPHANT, Christ. He loves you. He supports you. Just turn to him. Call to him, and he will be there.

Love you all, Dios les bendiga,

Hermana Randall

Week 43 TOCOPILLA!

Hey there world! Its good to talk to you again. I feel like the last Pday didnt count because I was on a bus all day. So its nice to relax a little bit here.

First of all, here I am in Tocopilla! It is right here on the ocean and it is gorgeous. It is also dirty and humid, but somehow I can live with that, BECAUSE THERE IS OCEAN!!!!!!

 The  sector that I am in has houses right up on the beach. Not even kidding. My second day  here I felt so free to just walk along and proseltye  on the seashore. Ahhhhh, life is good. I love the ocean. 

We have a rather giant sector, and the downtown with all of the stores and everything is a part of our sector. There are a ton of people, and a bunch of things to look at. I need about 8 more sets of eyes.

The Area Book here, that has all the records of the people that we are teaching, is GIANT. There are a billion people here who are listening to the missionaries. When we plan we literally could  fill  every single space with an investigator.  It is a dramatic change from  being in El Salvador for 6 months. I miss El Salvador a little it is true. But what is more true is that I love Tocopilla!

My companion Hna Challco is a little interesting. She has about 3 months in the mission. She is 22 years old, from Peru, the only member in her family , and she never smiles..... Like seriously. She is a very serious person. She has her moments. But every single photo that I have of her is  of her looking super serious. She is actually a fun person. But we are working on unlocking that.  We get along pretty well   The only thing that really gets me is the smiling thing... I dont understand how someone doesn't smile......  EVER. Well not ever. Just rarely. Haha. We are getting alone just fine. But prayers are always welcome.

I hope that all of you had the chance to watch General Conference this week. I had to watch  it in  Spanish. Although I understood it all (GO ME) I am currently downloading it all so that I can listen to it in English and get even more out of it. I love listening to the prophets seers and revelators that we are blessed to have in our church. I know as they know that this is the true church of Christ and that He is at the head.

Things really are good here in Chile. I am offcially into the double digits with the months that I have in the mission. And I am old. I am working hard every day, and the random cramps and muscle pain are proof of that haha. Hopefully I have more stories to tell next week. I just have no desire to write today for some reason. This keyboard is really crappy and the space bar sticks. But as for one story. We were doing our weekly planning and a Jehovahs witness came a knockin, I got a  picture of him through the peephole,  he proselyted to us for a sec, gave us a pamphlet and we gave  him a card too. Then we politely told him that we believed something different than what he was explaining (some tangent about Jesus being the son of Jehovah.....) And he left. He was certainly one of the nicest Jehovahs witness I have met. Haha.

Well I love you all and I hope that you have  a great week! Dios les bendiga!

Hermana Randall