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

Week 54: Evelyn's Baptism! ...And The Blessings keep on Coming!

Hola Familia!!

We had an amazing week!! Evelyn got baptized and her husband Ivan baptized her!! It was one of the sweetest days of my whole mission! Ivan was so so nervous and messed up a few times on the words, but after he baptized her they gave each other the biggest hug and were just glowing. Felipe, their son, said his mom looked like a princess in her white dress and the spirit was so strong. So many members came to support her and it was just such a happy day. They said in one year they want to go to the temple and be sealed together!! I am just so grateful for the opportunity I've had to teach them and be part of Evelyn's conversion. I love that family so much!!

I sent Hermana Ellis off for home today! It was really sad! We cried a lot last night. She is literally my best friend and I know this companionship was only the beginning of our friendship. I know God put us together for a reason! I'm gonna miss her like crazy but it was the most fun I think I've ever had on the mission. haha.

Another companionship of hermanas is coming to our zone leader's sector and they have nowhere to stay so they will be staying with us until they find another apartment. I don't know how that's gonna work cuz our apartment is TINY!! It is seriously so small, but it will be fun because guess who is coming?! HERMANA DEL VALLE!! Yes, she is actually coming to Quilpue and she is gonna stay with us and I am so so so excited, I can't contain it! I love her so so much and I can't wait to see her again! 

My new companion's name is Hermana Varela and I love the heck out of her too! She was in my zone in Villa Alemana and I am so excited to be her companion. She is from Columbia and works really hard and is one of the happiest, most positive people I've ever met! The Lord is blessing me so much with such wonderful companions!! But seriously, I have met some of my best friends here in Chile and I'm so excited to keep working. 

Love you guys and hope you have the best week ever! I'm praying for all of you. We need to find more people to teach so please pray for us!! 

Les quiero

Hermana Snyder

The most delicious waffles that Ivan made for us

Who knew "The Shire" was in our area? Do you think Bilbo Baggin's might want a visit from the missionaries?

Week 53: Buenas Nachos! haha!

Hola Familia!!

Not much happened this week but we are really excited for Evelyns baptism! She called us last night and told us "Hermanas, encontré un vestido por mi bautismo! Y me queda bien!!" in English (Sisters, I found a dress for my baptism and it fits great!) She is so dang excited. She said she and her husband have been practicing haha😂 It will be Hermana Ellis' last weekend before she leaves. I'm so sad to see her go! I know Quilpué will not be the same without her! 

Today for p-day we went to the sand dunes in ConCon. It was so fun! We played capture the flag with another zone that showed up and took some more pictures. I tried to recreate some of the ones I took there like 6 months ago haha. After, we went to papa johns and we are having a little party tonight after district meeting for Hermana Ellis and our zone leader who are both going home. 

The other day the zone leaders told us we have to remember to have fun and not be so stressed on the mission. Hermana Ellis and I looked at each other and we were both thinking that sometimes we have TOO MUCH fun haha. You've got to enjoy the journey right? Life is much more enjoyable and so is the mission when you just learn to laugh and have fun! 

I hope you guys are all good! Que tengan una buen semana!! Les quiero!

Hermana Snyder

p.s. Every night our District Leader as a joke says, "Buenas Nachos!" to us and it has become a saying in our district now. Anyway, he had shirts made for all of us. haha! Hermana Ellis and I designed the logo and if you look real close there are little nacho chips all around it. haha! 

Week 52: Uno Año!!!

Antonella's Baptism

Hola Familia!!

ITS BEEN ONE YEAR!

I can't believe that I've been out one year! Some days I can't believe how fast the time has gone and other days I feel like I've been here in Chile my whole life haha. The mission is just a roller coaster with its ups and downs every day. In the words of mom, it has been a year with a lot of laughter, a lot of tears, and a lot of love. I have met so many amazing people and faced so many challenges. I have faced the hardest moments of my life here but also experienced the pure happiness that the gospel brings. Every day my testimony grows of our Savior Jesus Christ. I know he is my Savior and that this is his church. I know I am his representative and I am here to teach his gospel to the people of Chile (whether they want to listen or not haha) But I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. It has definitely been the hardest year of my life but also the most worth it! I have grown more in this one year than I had all the other 19 years.  All I can say is that this gospel is true and it changes lives. It has changed mine and I will forever be grateful for that.

Antonella got baptized and it was one of the sweetest days of my mission. Her mom got up and bore her testimony in sacrament meeting before the baptism and said that God sent two angelitas to her house (us) and that her family has grown so much closer since we started teaching them the gospel. They had been inactive for a long time but when Antonella saw her cousin get baptized she made the decision all by herself to follow Jesus Christ as well. Because of her decision the whole family has come back to church and will forever be blessed from this gospel. Antonella was soooooo excited to be baptized and looked like a little angel in her white dress! Ahhh I just love this little sassy 9 year old with all my heart haha. She makes me laugh every time I talk to her and it was a blessing being able to teach her and her family. 

We are still looking for more people to teach. We have been a little low on lessons and people to teach but the people we do have are amazing! Evelyn is still getting baptized and is so determined. Keep praying for her! 

I love you guys and hope you have a great week!! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Snyder

With the other sisters in our district. We went out for empañadas.

Pancakes! As you can see, the mission hasn't improved my cooking skills. haha

Week 51: Amazing People, Amazing Week!

Hola Familia!!

This week was AMAZING!! So we have been teaching Antonella who is just the cutest little niña I have ever met. She is so smart too! She always reads what we leave her in the Book of Mormon and remembers everything we teach her. She is getting baptized on Sunday so we are really excited about that! The first day we met her she asked us about our families and I told her I have 3 brothers. She asked me how old they were and yesterday she asked to see a picture of Matthew HAHAHAHA. It was so funny I told her he is 5 years older and she was like " that doesn't matter" But she is hilarious and makes me laugh all the time.

AND EVELYN!!! Let me just say all your prayers and my prayers and her family's prayers were answered because she is getting baptized August 18th!! She made the decision last week and told us before she even told her husband Ivan. And Ivan was soooooo happy he was just glowing when she told him. So keep praying for her that she will stay strong until her baptism. 

Also, I LOVE MY COMPANION! HERMANA ELLIS IS THE BEST EVER!! she is the FUNNIEST person I've ever met and we get along so well. We just love each other and we´re gonna be friends forever.

But we saw so many miracles this week and we are doing great. The mission has its ups and downs and I've had plenty of both. But I know this is the Lord's work and that he is guiding us through it all!

I love you all Que tengan una buena semana!

Hermana Snyder

Week 50: Evelyn said, "YES!"

Me and Hermana Ellis

Hola Familia!!

Estoy bien acá en Quilpué! The biggest miracle we saw this week was when we taught Evelyn. We were really nervous to invite her to have a baptismal date because she hates being pressured but we felt the spirit so strong when we were talking about eternal families and we invited her to be baptized August 18. AND SHE SAID YES!! She was like " yeah sounds good. I feel good about that" We were sooooo happy!. She said she wants to learn more and go to church a few more times but we have a lot of faith. Aug. 18 is the last day of the transfer so we are praying really really hard. Evelyn is so ready and we are so happy that she is finally joining her husband in the church! Antonella, the niña, is also doing great! She is so so cute and absolutely hilarious. She is so excited about her baptism in 2 weeks! 

Also, I LOVE HERMANA ELLIS!!! She is probably the funniest person I have ever met and makes those long days walking in the street in the freezing cold soooo fun. My stomach just always hurts from laughing so hard with her and I know we are going to be good friends after the mission too. Maybe I'm so tired because we stay up every night telling funny stories and talking about life haha.

Quilpué is still the same haha. Not much to do here on P day. But I have really grown to love this sector, the members here, and the people we are teaching. I've almost been out a year so thats crazy! At this time last year, I was freaking out about what shoes to bring and how I was going to transfer flights haha. The Lord has helped me get this far so I know he can help me the rest of the way! 

I love you guys have a great week! Please pray for Evelyn!

Con mucho amor

Hermana Snyder