Week 29: One of the Hardest and Best weeks!

Balloons we got from a member for Valentine's Day! Yes, they celebrate it here in Chile too.

So this week was one of the hardest and best weeks of my whole mission.

Exactly a week ago we got a message from Karen that said, Hermanas after a lot of prayers and thought, I've decided not to get baptized but thank you for all your love and effort. We got that message riding back home on the bus and we both just felt our hearts sink to the floor. We sent her a message saying that we care a lot about her and want to visit with her the next day to find out what happened. She didn't respond to us for 2 WHOLE DAYS. I thought that she wanted nothing to do with the church and that she wanted to leave it altogether. That first night we got the message, I cried so much! I cried so much because I care so much about her. She is going through a hard time in her life right now and I know that the gospel is exactly what she needs right now! I know it will help her so much and it was so hard to see her reject it. We were finally able to see her on Thursday and she told us that she still doesn't feel 100 percent sure. She doesn't feel in her heart yet that this is the true church. She wants to keep trying though! She said she is going to keep reading the book of Mormon and keep praying and going to church! That was a HUGE relief! We had a really spiritual lesson with her and I know one day she is going to be baptized. It may not be this month or the next but we are going to do all we can to help her!

A miracle that happened this week is that we were able to find two families from Venezuela who are super receptive! There are a lot of immigrants from Venezuela here in Chile because things are so bad right now in that country. But Arreany and her mom (two people from one of the families) came to church yesterday! They both don't have jobs right now and are super worried, but the bishop talked to them about how he can help. I hope we can keep teaching them and help them spiritually while the bishop helps them financially. 

Another miracle is that Joel, the Haitiano that we are teaching, told us that he wants to get baptized and set an example for his wife and daughter! He said he knows he needs to fix a lot of things in his life and is willing to make changes to be a "man of God"!! He came to church yesterday all by himself with his little baby Joessie. She was in the cutest little white dress. He is so humble and so prepared by the Lord. I have a lot of faith in him!! 

This week started with a big disappointment, but ended with miracles and a lot of hope! Trust in the Lord's timing because everything is according to his will! We are teaching a lot of people here in Villa Dulce so please pray for them! 

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

Love Hermana Snyder

One night there was no one in the street so we took pictures on random exercise equipment. haha!

Week 28: Que Loco! More family phone calls! So exciting!

My district in Villa Dulce

Hola Familia!!

PARKER, THAT'S SO FREAKING AWESOME! ONE MORE COUGAR IN THE FAM! Seriously, I was actually getting nervous thinking about it right before I got online to write but I'm so happy he got into BYU!! He deserves it!!

And que loco the new announcement about communication with the family on the mission! I'm not sure though how it is going to work exactly. It's a little hard for me because the phone I have won't do video calls and I can't call internationally, but I want to call you guys next week through google hangouts! Here in my mission we can call 2 times per transfer.  This cyber doesn't have webcams but I think I can still call. So just be ready around this time next week! 

Here in Villa Dulce, we are working hard! We are teaching a couple from Haitian people named Mikerlande and Joel. Joel speaks Spanish but his wife Mikerlande only speaks French! She understands and speaks a little Spanish but it is hard for her. We have taught them the first few lessons and yesterday they came to church with their baby who is 2 months old! Her name is Joessie and she is so freaking cute! I really hope we can help them progress and want to be baptized cuz they are so awesome!

Also, Karen got back from Santiago but she hasn't answered any of our calls or messages so I'm a little worried especially because her baptism is supposed to be this Saturday. So please keep praying super hard for her. We still have a lot to teach her and when she left for Santiago she still wasn't sure about baptism. 

I just have to tell you guys that I love the ward here in Villa Dulce! All the members are so awesome and I just love the members of the church here in Chile! They are such great examples to me and I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to meet so many amazing people here on my mission! The church is so true and even the though the mission is hard some days I am so happy to be out here spreading Christ's love! 

Hasta proximo lunes! LES AMO!

Hermana Snyder

Week 27: 6 months!

Hola Familia!!

It's crazy to think that I have been out on the mission for 6 months!! One-third of my mission down! Its so weird I feel like I just got here but at the same time, I feel like I've lived in Chile my whole life haha.

Villa Dulce is good. We have actually taught a ton of people and had a ton of lessons. The thing is there are a lot of people here that are really friendly and willing to listen but that's it. They just want to talk about God. they don't want to come to church, they don't want to read the book of Mormon or pray. That is the hard part. Finding the people that actually WANT to come to church and WANT  to improve their relationship with Heavenly Father. We are going to keep trying with all the faith we have to find "Gods elect" And dad to answer your question we haven't had the family home evening (Mexican Fiesta) with the less active family yet but hopefully it will happen this week. We planned it for this Thursday. 

Karen is still in Santiago but we have been texting her scriptures and calling her and making sure we stay in contact. She is doing good and I have sooooo much faith that she will get baptized this month! 

We had zone conference with Villa Alemana and it was so fun to see my old zone! Especially Hermana Sanchez my best friend in the mission!!! 

For p day today, we went to ConCon, a sector in Viña. We went to these huge sand dunes right by the ocean it was really cool! We took a bunch of pictures and just hung out. Honestly, my mission is so pretty! I'm gonna say it again you guys should really consider coming to visit! 

I can't wait to see what is in store this next year!! I love being a missionary and having the Lord at my side all the time! I have already seen so many miracles and I know so many more good things are coming!! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Snyder

I made pancakes! Yes, I know you're all surprised, but it's true, I actually did make pancakes. haha! 

Zone Conference

Hermana Del Valle decorated the fridge on the day I completed my 6 months!

Eating completos - Chilean Hot Dogs

Week 26: "Just keep swimming," or in our case...walking!

Hola Familia!!

I'm doing great here in Villa Dulce!! My companion is the best and such a hard worker! These past two weeks have been pretty slow with the work. We don't have a lot of people to teach so we have been doing a lot of contacting, walking, and calling random people in the area book. We still get lost a lot but I have gotten so good at reading maps! 

We have one person who is awesome! Her name is Karen. She is 32 and has a daughter who is the cutest! Karen has been to church 3 times, committed to keeping the commandments, and has a baptismal date for February 23. I have a lot of faith in her but she is going to Santiago for 2 whole weeks and I'm just worried something is going to happen (Satan is going to find his way in like he always does) So please please please pray for Karen. She is so sweet and just needs a little encouragement to go through with her baptism! 

Haha not much happened this week. Yesterday we were able to visit a less active family whose son got baptized in December and they are all so nice! We planned an FHE with them and my companion is going to make Mexican food and we´re going to have a fiesta!

Honestly this past week, I have never been so tired in my life. Missionary work is so exhausting. We walk and walk and walk all day long and try to talk to everyone we possibly can. Today, I took a 4-hour nap after our studies. haha! Hermana Del Valle thought I had died. 

I love my companion! She has the best attitude! This week was slow but we know there are people waiting to hear this gospel! We are going to keep going because we represent the Savior and there is no other name I would rather have on my name tag! 

Con mucho amor! 

Hermana Snyder

View of our Villa Dulce

Sunday morning at Church

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!