Week 33

Flu Season

How terrible it is to be sick on you mission! Other than that though, its been a good week.

On Wednesday it seriously rained all day and my companion and I got to experience riding our bikes with umbrellas. We didn't make it very far though because even with umbrellas we were soaking wet after half a mile and we were both trying to get better from our sicknesses.

This weekend though I completely lost my voice and y poor companion had to teach mostly by herself while I prayed that they would listen and feel the spirit. We saw some amazing miracles! Hermana Smith and Hermana Eastwood had been working with a couple people who had randomly disappeared right as Hermana Smith was leaving and we hadn't talked to them since. There were these two young guys, Josue and Adiel, who had nothing to do with each other but both had baptismal dates.  So I hadn't met them and I had gotten a hold of Josue on Facebook and he had given us his new address or so we thought. We got there last night and Josue was on his way out but he had given us his neighbors address. So we had knocked on his neighbor's door but before his neighbor came out Josue walked out of a near by car and tells us that he was about to leave and as he is talking the door we knocked, (Josue's neighbor) answers the door and its Adiel! The other guy that had dropped off the face of the earth and Josue and Adiel had absolutely no relation. So Hermana Eastwood starts jumping up and down and we cant believe it. We have an awesome lesson with Adiel and his roomie Angel and then hey decide to make me some home made lime and honey for my throat, so sweet! So I made new friends yesterday that will probably be baptized in the coming transfer and all this happened while I stood miserable by without my voice...

We had our Zone meeting on Saturday and were able to go to lunch with all the sisters in the Zone and it was a blast! The trainings were really good and I specially liked the one about obedience. We are missionaries, but we are also imperfect and we have all at one point or another made a mistake and have been disobedient but because of the atonement it is not something that we need to dwell on. We can choose to change now and if we do we need not look back. Sometimes you have to learn from experience though. I am like that. Sometimes I need to live it to be able to learn from it. One thing that I loved that my trainer Hermana Garlitz did was that she did not push me but showed me by example. I had no desire to be a perfectly obedient missionary and she knew that those feelings would lead me no where so she just simply left me to see for myself. It didn't take me long to figure out what obedience meant and how important it was. I started to see the blessings of obedience and my desires changed. I repented and she did not judge me because she knew better. She understood that I was learning and had faith that I would figure it out. How grateful I am for her. I know that in her eyes I am not that disobedient missionary but one that had desires to change. I have been working on that since then. To be able to judge not and to forgive and forget. I understand this now a lot more as I have studied repentance and as I have seen my investigators change their life. I will not remember them as they used to be but as they are now. I am grateful for my Heavely Fathers love. His perfect love for all his imperfect children. Remember to love everyone, specially those who are struggling or are trying to change.

Con mucho amor,

     Hermana Orellana

week 32

Well it finally got cold here and when they say cold it means cold!

Halloween was a blast! Hna Eastwood and I got to dress up like each other during the day and in the afternoon we painted our faces like cats and got to eat our candy as we sat and weekly planned till we went to bed. For lunch a Sister York invited us to eat at Toots and then Hermano Oaxaca invited us to Camino Real for dinner it was fun to see all the waiters dressed up. The most common costume I saw was the hippy look from the 70s? I'm not sure what century its from... none of the missionaries seam to know ether...

So Hna Eastwood and I got sick this week. On Saturday we ran to the nearest Walmart to buy us some warmer clothes and come earmuffs and we find all these Mormons at the store! They were all wearing their BYU sweaters and shirts and everyone is going "Hey there's the Sisters (im not a sister by the way.. Im an "Hermana")" and we are like "Heyyyy y'all". It turned out to be the BYU and MTSU game and all the Mormons came to town for the day:) That same day we had gone to a members house for dinner and surprised them, because I guess they had forgotten so they quickly got some tuna together with relish and sour cream... and by the time I was trying to choke my third bite down they say "oh yeah so I guess the sour cream was expired but it didn't smell bad..." Well I was about to throw up and they go "here smell it.." and I had to just laugh at that because I didn't want to throw up what little food I had in my stomach. We shared a message with them and hurried over to Hardies (Carl's Jr. on west side) and walk in to a restaurant full of more Mormons and of course they bought us our food:)

Today Sister York took us and the Murfreesboro Sisters to Nashville to the Opry Mills mall and met up with brother and Sister Hatcher and Sister Price:) It was a blast! Brother and sister Hatcher literally had me rolling on the floor laughing (not missionary appropriate but I couldn't help it) Then they took us all out to lunch at chilies! One of the best P-days so far:)

Last Sunday we got a random investigator at church! He walked it and Hna and I were standing outside so we got to welcome him in and it turns out he had met with missionaries before. Well awkward for him the class in sunday school was about the lawe of chastity and ofcourse it was fastsunday and the testimonies were awesome. We had a family from Honduras visit for about a month and they were so sweet sharing their testimony and friending out investigators!

Last week we had forgotten our helmets in the car and Hna Capener and I's investigator Erick came up and dropped them off. Well somehow he got our number and has been making sure we are alright all week bless his heart...:) haha Erick will be Erick. On Halloween he brought us some candy and on Fiday he is coming down to feed us. I think he is trying to convince me to make him my favorite convert... I think it might be working:)

I cant even express how amazing the members are down here. They are the biggest reason why I love my mission so much.

This week was my dads anniversary and thank you all who sent me such wonderful letters and emails<3 It warms my heart to hear how much people loved him. He was the best father and a wonderful roll model. the memories I have of him reading his scriptures and how much he loved the Lord and how much time and service he put into the church are the most precious and push me ever day to better myself and to serve the Lord and he did.

Until next week:)

    Hermana Orellana

Week 31

It looks and feels fantastic outside! All the trees are different colors and we are currently experiencing some warmer temperatures. Its around 70 degrees outside. Hopefully we will be able to go outside and enjoy it. 

Last night we had another music night. The Nashville Tribute came to perform for the youth in the area and we got to go with out investigators and watch too. They even had all the missionaries stand up there and sing with them. The Nashville Tribute for those who don't know is a group of singers who are members of the church who got together to make some really cool music about what they believe in. They have four CDs out right now: Called to Serve, Trek, The Work, and Joseph and they are currently working on another CD called Redeemer that is coming out next month. As missionaries we are allowed to listen to some music and TND is one of the groups we can listen to so we all know their songs pretty well:)

This week we also had exchanges. That is when we go on a 24 hour change with another pair of missionaries usually the Sister Trainer Leaders and we get to learn from how they teach and they get to see how out area is going. I got to go over to Mt. Juliet (supper close to Nashville) for a day with Hermana Smith while Hermana Eastwood received Hermana Holman here in Murfreesboro. I met some awesome people and also got to eat pupusas:D 

The other day we also ate some seviche:)

...I cant remember the things we did but we had a pretty nice week:)

This week was bike week and I have been practicing ridding without using my hands and its comming allong pretty well!

We had Juan Carlos and his little daughter come to church with us! Hopefully we will convince his lady to marry him and then we will have a baptism party!:D

Enjoy your Halloween!:) Love ya'll

        Hermana Julia Orellana

PS sorry for taking so long to answer the person emails... im a little behind:)

pps I only have ipad photos this week:P

Week 30

David Archuleta

YES! David came to do some recording work in Nashville and passed by to sing to my mission! He answered some questions and shared with us his testimony and it was so amazing:) I guess some people knew he was coming but everyone else had no idea because they had kept it hush hush. He is definitely as cute as can be and seriously has an amazing voice and such a strong testimony of this gospel! His story of how he decided and was able to go on a mission is truly inspiring.

I wasn't able to send a letter last week, forgive me, but it has been a good couple of weeks. I have a new area and a new companion who is supper sweet and a cool area next to Middle Tennessee University! I met some pretty crazy people.

There are a lot of Hispanics here and many progressing investigators. The member families are still the same ones I worked with in Smyrna, kind of, but now I get to see them much more often because I am closer to them.

Here are some random things that have happened.

-A member randomly took us out to eat at a place where they threw shrimp at my face.

-My apartment complex has a GYM!

-We got permission to use the "Seven" app for exercising and it is killing me:P

-I found out that there are many Orellanas in Bolivia and I met a couple people with my last name! (I took a picture of it for proof! Also we might be related:)

-I found a love for cake pops

-I found more love at Waffle House! #betterthanihop #tryitforyourself

-Saturdays are the days to talk to crazy drunk men

-We walked into a party of drunk Hispanics and invited them to church

-one of the drunk Hispanics asked me to marry him after my mission #atleastherespectedTHEMISH #awesomejournalstory

-Bought ugly sweaters at goodwill:)

-Survived a tornado warning

-Carved pumpkins

-Met a man with a snake and my companion touched it

-mom sent me new clothes:)

-Got to listen to David Archuleta;)

*There will be a lot of pictures! and a video or two of David;)

I have a testimony of the power of the Atonement. It has been on my mind lately and I am just so thankful that Heavenly Father has made if possible for us to have a Savior. It seams impossible but it is real. There is no reason for anyone to be holding in pain of any kind. There is something powerful about being able to say I am sorry and having all those regrets, inadequacies, and sadness be lifted of ones shoulders. Thought the atonement we can all be made completely clean and be able to stand in front of our God and say that we don't regret a thing and that we are worthy to be with him.

Love y'all

    Hermana Orellana

Week 29

I have never missed a transfer meeting

I was really hoping to be missing this transfer meeting for various reasons but of course Heavenly Fathers plan is much more wise and important than mine. When Hermana Capener and I got the call we were both extremely shocked. We are being whitewashed by Elders! We both burst out in tears and just hugged each other. I then realized that I wouldn't be going very far though. The ward that I serve for had two sets of Hermanas because the area was so large. One set in Murfreesboro and us in Smyrna. So now I get to move 20 min away to Murfreesboro and serve with Hermana Eastwood who I know very well:) I can't say the same for Hermana Capener though... She gets to move all the way out to Kentucky to a college town named Hopkinsville or we call it Hoptown. She is exited...:)

Oh man will I miss her! She has stretched me more than I ever knew I could go. I wanted to be able to serve together much longer, but we are both hoping that we get to become companions again... no it is not too uncommon! It will happen!... If I pray hard enough.

This week was full of unforgettable moments as well as stressful ones. First of all on Tuesday Hna Capener lost her ipad! We have been trying to search for it all week and now that we are both leaving we really don't know what to do but we are not giving up! We will be posting "missing ipad" all over town today.

On Saturday night we met a man knocking who was a Baptist preacher and he called us the devil church. That really hurt my feelings, but all is well. We invited him to conference and he declined. My purpose is to invite!

Conference was phenomenal! I specially loved Elder Lynn G. Robbins who talked about the way we face and how we should search for praises from God instead of mans. This talk really helped me in making goals to be more valiant when testifying and teaching. Others that I loved were Elder Jorg Klebingat, Elder Bednar's, Elder Holland's and of course my dear prophet's President Monson. I will definetly be re-listening to them:)

Well, here I go off to another transfer! I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

     Hermana Julia Orellana