Week 25: Villa Dulce and My Cutest Mexicanita Companion!

Hola Familia!!!

WOW WOW WOW! So much happened this week it was LOCO!  So as you know I started training and I'm whitewashing a sector. My hija (daughter/ new companion) is mexicana and absolutely the cutest person I have ever had the blessing of knowing. Her name is Hermana Del Valle and she is the only hermana that came in this cambio so I knew exactly who my hija was when she walked into the chapel for the meeting for the trainers and trainees. She speaks Spanish, obviously, and also really really good English!! She has been a member all her life and she is from the northern part of Mexico. She is so so funny!! She makes me laugh all the time and just has so much passion and love for missionary work! 

We opened Villa Dulce (Sweet Village), a sector of Achupallas and it's HUGE! This sector is so big, so we are a little overwhelmed and lost 90% of the time! Its a little stressful, but my companion is so good at contacting and teaching and being a missionary already so that takes some of the stress off me. She is teaching me how to be a better missionary, so I think she should actually be training me. 

But Villa Dulce is beautiful! Pure hills and mountains and we have a great view of Viña and the ocean if we are high enough. The ward is so so awesome! So helpful with missionary work and there is a family (Fabian and Karin) that will drop everything anytime to help us! Fabian and Karin gave us a whole tour of the sector in their car our first day so that was awesome. 

We also had a conference in Vina with the WHOLE MISSION! Even the missionaries in the north. It was with Elder Bragg, one of the seventy and it was so awesome. He talked about focusing on the doctrine of Christ in missionary work. Also, I got to see Hermana Wurdel which was so so awesome! 

We still have to meet an investigator (from the other hermanas that were here before us) that according to all the members is a golden investigator! Her name is Karen and we have a lesson with her on Wednesday. We have been able to teach a few people (all older people who are kind of eternal investigators) but at least my companion has gotten some practice teaching. I know we are going to do some great things here in Villa Dulce! 

But seriously I'm doing great!  I am so blessed to be in this new sector and so so so so so so grateful for my awesome companion. She is the kindest, hardest working, happiest, funniest, most passionate missionary I have ever met. She makes me laugh all the time and I can't even express my love for her.  I am so so happy and I love being a missionary with my whole heart! I know the Lord is helping me every step of the way because there is no way I could train and learn a new sector without His help. Thank you for all your prayers! I love you all!

Con mucho amor 

Hermana Snyder

3 generations - Hermana Del Valle, Me, and Hermana Wurdell

Our whole mission at the conference in Viña with Elder Bragg. Good luck finding me. haha!

With my cutest new companion!

Villa Dulce

Love these people already!

Week 24: A day in Valparaiso and transfers and TRAINING!! (and an earthquake too!)

Hola Familia!!

Oh-kay! So we have cambios (transfers) this week and I'm TRAINING AND WHITEWASHING A SECTOR. (Whitewashing is when both missionaries of an area are transferred out and 2 new ones are transferred in) When the assistants called I was so so nervous and I still am. I have only been out here for 4 and a half months and now I have to teach another missionary in a sector I've never been to! I'm a little excited but mostly terrified. The new area has a reputation for not having that many baptisms or success but I'm going in with all the faith I have. I know I just need to trust in the Lord. There must be a reason he is sending me to Achupallas (new zone) and there must be a reason I'm called to train. Achupallas is actually not too far from here...it's just outside of Viña del Mar.  I know it's gonna be hard but I know I'm in the Lord's hands and it's all going to be ok. 

The hardest part has been saying goodbye to the people here. Peña Blanca is my home and it has been so so hard to say goodbye to all the members I've gotten so close to. The worst was saying goodbye to Marcela, Camila, Anggie, Dennise, Leslie, and Patricio. We visited them last night and when we left I was a crying mess. They are like my second family here and I'm gonna miss them so much. I know they are in good hands with the ward though! It has been harder to say goodbye to my ward family here in Peña Blanca then it was to say goodbye to my family at the airport (haha sorry)

Last P-day we went to Valpo (Valparaiso)! It is a major port city close to Viña del Mar and is known for its colorful buildings and murals. We went to this old looking plaza and then down by the port. We rode up the hill in this gondola thing and took a bunch of pictures at the top. The whole zone sang happy birthday to me at the top of the hill and then we walked down and looked at all the cool murals on the walls! After we went to El Guatón, a restaurant, and ate chorillana. It's like a huge plate of nachos but it's with fries instead of chips. It was an awesome P-day. Valparaiso is so cool! 

Also yeah we felt the earthquake. It was in the north in La Serena but we definitely felt it down here close to Viña. It lasted for like a minute and our whole house was shaking at like 11 at night! 

Sending all my love from Chile! I know this church is true with all my heart! I love the mission. It has been the best 5 months of my life and I can't wait to see what else the Lord has in store for me!

Con amor,

Hermana Snyder

On the gondola

Chorillana

Week 23: Feliz Cumpleaños!

Hola Familia!

As much as I love my birthday at home, birthdays on the mission are BETTER! It was nice having my birthday on a Sunday. All the members knew it was my birthday and they sang happy birthday before church to me in ward council. haha! Marcela, Camila, Anggie, Dennise, Leslie, and Patricio all came to church and they all gave me really special gifts. Anggie and Camila gave me a skirt (that's a little too short to wear on the mission. haha!) a pencil pouch, a mate cup, and a really cute card. Dennise, the older sister who isn't a member, painted a rock with palm trees and a surfer that says california on it. its soooo cute! She also wrote me a card. Marcela gave me a placemat and Patricio gave me a little contraption he made out of a clothespin. haha! I LOVE THIS FAMILY SO SO SO MUCH. They are seriously my second family and mom and dad, I want you to seriously consider planning a trip to Chile to meet them. I'm not even kidding. Like I won't come home until you commit to come and meet them.  They are so full of love and so faithful in the church too! 

For almuerzo (lunch) the members made me a cake and sang happy birthday to me and my companion made me breakfast in the morning! It was such a great day! Also on my birthday we found a couple who is actually married (#miracle) and are really interested in the gospel! They want to be baptized but were hesitant to set a date, so we are gonna work on that. :)

This cambio has been pretty slow with the work. We really haven't had that much "success" meaning number of baptisms, But it really allowed me to reevaluate my definition of the word success. Every time we help someone have a little more faith in Christ, I count that as success. Every time we teach people about the restored gospel, we are giving them a little bit more hope and knowledge that they didn't have before. Even though this has been by far the most discouraging cambio, I don't feel discouraged at all! haha! That sentence doesn't make sense, but hopefully, you guys get what I mean.

I absolutely love being on a mission and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else! Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes, gifts, and the amazing book you guys made! I seriously have the best family ever!

Love Hermana Snyder

Sister Ash made me a birthday breakfast. Cereal, of course! My favorite!

I love this family so much! 

Week 22: Feliz Año Nuevo!!

Hola Familia!!

New Years looked way fun in San Diego. I'm sad I missed it! But don't worry año nuevo was hype in Chile. We got permission to have a sleepover in the hermana leaders house! We all got there at like 7, ordered pizza, and just stayed up talking, eating, making cookies, stuff like that. Then at midnight we all went outside and did the count down and sprayed silly string and confetti on each other and took a bunch of pictures of course haha. We all then slept on the floor of their tiny house and I probably slept like 3 hours total. We then had to get up and work a full day the next day and we all wanted to die! omg probably the roughest day of the mission but all worth it! VALE LA PENA! 

Other than that this week was pretty slow, our persona en ensenañza Ellie is now avoiding us. She is about 50 years old and her son was actually baptized awhile ago. She really likes the church and has lots of neighbors who are members. But this week she just said she was busy and didn't come to church. She is totally avoiding us and we don't really know what happened. 

We also spent an hour and a half looking for an address with some members in their car. The address we were looking for was of a girl in the area book who was baptized but never confirmed! We finally found her street ( a little dirt road with shacks as houses) we talked to her and she is really sweet but we later found out she doesn't live in our sector! so that was frustrating but the whole adventure to find her was kind of a miracle because she lives so far on a dirt road without street signs or numbers. I think we were definitely guided by the spirit.

But the best thing that happened for me this week was seeing Marcela, Camila, and Anggie all in church together as a family and they just look so so happy. The ward has totally welcomed them and I was just so happy yesterday to see how happy they are. 

That's about all that happened. Today an old man jogging ran past us and said in horrible english "I LOVE JESUS" so that was pretty funny.

But I love you guys so much and hope you have a great 2019! I'll be in Chile the whole year if you need me. haha!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Snyder

Things that are just things:

• In Chile they party all night for New Years
• Me and my companion are now really scared of dogs
• There are trucks that drive around and play music (like an ice cream truck) but instead of selling ice cream they sell gas for houses. haha!

Sisters Sleepover

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Week 21: I love Christmas in Chile!

Christmas Eve with the cutest family 

Hola Familia!

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS PAPA!!

Espero que su cumpleaños fuera maravillosa!! 49 años que viejo! 

Y FELIZ NAVIDAD!

I already skyped you guys and told you how my Christmas was but for the people that didn't hear we got to spend Christmas Eve with the members and we got to stay in their houses until 12:30. We had Christmas eve dinner and had a little family home evening. It was really cute! The family we stayed with has the cutest kids ever!! but in Chile they open all their presents Christmas eve so we watched them all open presents and they gave us some gifts too (chocolate) It was so fun and then we spent Christmas day visiting the members and dropping off notes and chocolate for them. 

The work was really slow this week. Everyone is with family and busy with the holidays so we spent a lot of days just walking around without any appointments contacting. It was rough but we do have one person (her name is Ellie hehe) who has a baptismal date! She is really awesome and told us she knows everything we are saying is true! She has been to church one time and loved it! She wasn't able to come to church yesterday which was really sad and we also need to teach her the word of wisdom because she drinks tea and coffee. But I have a lot of faith in her! so please pray for Ellie! and Elly (Me) haha

But omg, a dog bit my companion this week. We were just walking and a dog came and bit her so hard the wound is so deep! We had to go to the hospital in Viña and I thought she was gonna need stitches. She doesn't but she needs to get a bunch of rabies shots. I felt so bad for her, but she is a trooper! 

Your email. mom, about being "all in" is every single day in the mission! I know that you have to be completely 100% "all in" if you want to see the blessings and miracles. There is no such thing as being half in because let me tell you, missionary work takes everything out of you. It is so draining physically, emotionally, and spiritually but it is so so worth it from the miracles I've seen! I know with my whole heart this church is true!!

I love you all so much and hope you have the best new years! 

Con mucho amor

Hermana Snyder

p.s. In Chile, a lot of people go to Viña and Valparaiso to watch fireworks on the beach! it seems really fun, but we can't go cuz it's a little dangerous. (lame I know). Instead, we are having a sleepover with the other hermanas and the hermana leaders. It should be fun! 

More Christmas Eve fun!

We have the same dress. haha!  

At the urgent care with Hermana Ash and some sisters in our ward who drove us there. 
DOGS ARE THE WORST!!!

Hermana Ash, Hermana Sanchez, Hermana Santis (from the ward) and Hermana Wurdell

P-day fun