Week 59: FIESTAS PATRIAS!

Wearing the traditional "Cueca" dresses for Chile's Independence Day! 

Hola Familia!!

So this week was Chile´s independence day (September 18th) but it is like a week of fiestas! Everyone has the whole week off of work and gets together with family and has barbeques. Its actually a lot like the United States except Chile doesn't have fireworks (a little lame) But every member's house that we went to fed us carne asada, empanadas and mote con huesillo.  (you can look up what mote con huesillo is... its not that good Haha!) We learned the cueca which is the traditional dance of Chile and we had a big ward activity with more carne asada, more empanadas and more dancing. The night before the activity we had a lesson with Melissa who loves to dance the cueca and she has a bunch of traditional dresses. She told us we had to go to the activity dressed in the dresses haha. So the next day we went early to Melissa's house and her older sister did our hair and we put the dresses on. It was so fun and the ward LOVED IT! Everyone wanted to take pictures with us. haha!

Also, Melissa's dad taught me how to play Chilean folk songs on the guitar! 

Also, the other Melissa that we have been teaching this whole transfer finally came to church yesterday! She told us she is ready to make whatever change is necessary and do everything she possibly can to get baptized. We set the date for October 5 and we are going to work really hard to help her reach this goal. She is amazing! 

So we are teaching 2 Melissas haha!! Melissa H. is the one with the cueca dresses and Melissa C. is the one that finally came to church yesterday. They are both amazing and I love them both so much! 

I love you guys! I love the mission and I'm going to miss Quilpué a lot! I'm pretty sure this is my last week here, but I know I've put my whole heart into this sector. I'll let you know about Cambios next week!

Que tengan una buena semana!

Love Hermana Snyder 

Week 58: So much to be Grateful For

With Melissa and Hermana Varela

Hola Familia!!

Another good week! Melissa is doing great and is totally involved with the ward! She just needs to get her answer because right now she doesn't feel completely ready to be baptized. But she is reading and praying and has been to church twice already. We just have to help her recognize that the spirit is telling her that this is true!  

This week we painted a sisters house from another ward and she made us and the other sisters french toast! I haven't had french toast in forever and it was so good. Just a little reminder that the rewards of serving others sometimes come much sooner than expected. 

We had to leave a few of the people we were teaching cuz they are never home when they say they are (aka, they're not interested) and it's just frustrating us.  So we are still looking...looking for those who are ready to make the changes in their lives to come closer to Christ. The mission is tiring, but through it all I know that Christ knows me. He knows how many miles I walk each day and how many rejections I face because he faced it all too. I think I understand the Atonement so much better here on my mission than in any other time in my whole life. 

Sorry, this is a short one but I'm doing great! I hope you guys are all doing good! 

Que tengan una buena semana!!

Love Hermana Snyder

House Painting for the sweetest sister in a nearby area. 

Some awesome women from Haiti that we have been teaching...their daughters are the cutest. 

A quick drive by the beach!! 

Chillin' in a hammock with Hermana Verela 

Week 57: It isn't easy, but it's worth it!

Hola Familia!!

Lots of miracles happening in Quilpué Centro! So like 2 months ago Hermana Ellis and I found a girl named Melissa (another melissa) and she was nice but we didn't keep teaching her because she said she didnt believe in God and wasn't really into religion. But last week we went back and visited her and invited her to be baptized and she said YES!! and she came to church the next day and loved it! SHE IS DE ORO!! 

We have also been working with the other Melissa. She is so awesome but its hard for her to change. She has to stop living with her boyfriend and stop drinking and smoking and she also didn't come to church the last 2 weeks. She is really confusing because she tells us she wants to change and that being baptized is the change she is looking for in her life but she doesn't actually do it. The gospel is much easier said then done so please pray for Melissa! Both Melissas haha. 

Today for our zone activity we watched "The Best 2 Years" and I had never seen it before. I feel like I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much if I had seen it before the mission. haha. 

Also, I did intercambios with HERMANA DEL VALLE!!  It was soooooo fun! I love her to pieces and it is so fun living with her. 

But we had an awesome week!! We had 3 people come to church and have a lot of people that are progressing! We have seen so many miracles and I know this gospel is true. It isn't easy but it is worth it! I have seen the gospel change lives and change families. I know it's true and even though it's exhausting its worth it to share it! 

Love you all and hope you have a great week! 

Hermana Snyder

Hermana Del Valle - Seriously, love her to pieces! 

Week 56: Walk! Teach! Pray! Dance!!

Me with Hermana Mackay and Hermana Varela

Hola Familia!!

This week was FULL of miracles! It was incredible. We found a man named Juan Pablo contacting houses and he said that the day before we knocked on his door he was trying to decide if he believed in God or not and then we showed up! He is so humble and reads the Book of Mormon faithfully. The only thing is that he sent us a text Sunday morning saying he couldn't come to church after committing to going. But haha thats soo normal!

Also, we are teaching Melissa! Una persona de oro! Ella se cayó del cielo! (She fell from heaven) her whole family is members but she was never baptized. Last week she said she knows her life would be a lot different if she had been baptized. When we invited her to be baptized on September 21 she started crying! She got so emotional and just said over and over again thank you, thank you! She said she really wants to! We could tell that she has been waiting for this opportunity and she was so happy when we invited her. But again she wasn't home when we went to pick her up for church. :( That is the hardest part. Getting people to come to church!

It's so fun living with 3 Latinas! Hermana Varela is teaching me all the dances from Columbia: la bachata, la cumbia, el merengue. It's part of our nightly routine. Come home, pray, change into pajamas, dance!! haha. It's a good way to relieve stress. 

We had a leadership council this week and it was amazing! We talked about the talk by Elder Bednar called the "Character of Christ" if you can find it I highly recommend reading it! It is incredible! Got to see Hermana Mackay again too. 

Im so happy to hear that everyone is doing well and that Parker is killing it at BYU in the marching band! 

I love you guys and I'm praying for you!!

Hermana Snyder

This is a picture of the grandma of one of the hermanas that was one of my roommates in the CCM. We contacted her and it was so funny when we made the connection.

Week 55: Let's here it for another transfer in Quilpué!

Roommates - Love living with these 3 Latinas!! (Hermana Varela is holding the camera)

Hola! 

So this week we had cambios and I'm staying in Quilpué for a fourth transfer. I knew all last cambio that I was gonna have to stay so it wasn't a shock. My companion is Hermana Varela and I LOVE HER!! I have never met another missionary who works so hard and with such genuine love. Every person she talks to can feel that she loves them and knows she is a representative of Jesús Christ. 

We have seen a ton of miracles this past week including a girl named Melissa who we taught. She said her whole family are members of the church but she was never baptized. She said her grandma, who was a really faithful member, passed away 3 years ago and that she had a dream about her. And then after the dream we contacted her in the street! A few days later we taught her the plan of salvation and she loved it! We are really excited to keep teaching her!

Also 2 more hermanas moved in with us one of them being my favorite daughter!! Hermana Del Valle! It has been soooo fun and we still just joke around and make fun of each other like always. I seriously don't know what I have done to be blessed with such amazing companions. All the other sisters that I have met here just give me energy and life and I know I am going to be best friends with all of them! 

It has been getting really hot here so for the zone activity we played with water balloons haha. Everyone loved it (it was mine and Hna Varelas idea) 

But we are searching high and low for people to teach! I know they are out there! The field is white and ready to harvest and I know the people of Chile are ready to accept the góspel! 

I love you all! 

Que tengan una buena semana! 

Hermana Snyder

All the sisters...totally unaware that a pitcher of water is about to be dumped on us. haha!

My Zone