Week 69

"Las novedades" como dice mi mami:)

There is ether not much to say about this week or i just don't remember....

Ohhh! Monday we went mini-golfing! :D That is why i wasn't able to get

much emailing in last week, but today i am ready to answer TODOS los

emails DEL MUNDO! (Shout out to Hna Eastwood) Miguel, a recent convert

took four sisters with him in his tiny car and we played out in the

blazing heat and had some snow cones. I got like 10 shades darker but

as the summer goes on I stop caring about how dark I get... its just

uncontrollable. :P It was fun and I found out I wasn't as bad as I

thought I was going to be for a first-timer;D

On Tuesday we had an amazing time at Zone Conference. It was just what

I needed to get me up and running this transfer. I was supper inspired

by President Anderson's talk about obedience and Sister Anderson's

talk about faith and there was even a talk about prayers. They had us

commit to pray out loud every night for the rest of our missions. Its

been going great! I am more focused and there have been more than a

couple times where I feel the spirit confirming to me that Heavenly

Father really is listening to me. I have also had some great

experiences with having the faith to reap. With the anxiety of the

having the end drawing near I have found a renewed source of energy

and courage to open my mouth and talk to more random people and maybe

be a little more bold when I testify. Its been great!:D

On Friday night Hna Gladys made us "pollo con tajadas"!! I about died

it was so delicious and I ate way too much:P

Ohhh my goodness!!! We had a baptism! Lalo was baptized this Saturday!

We had some technical difficulties as always but in the end everything

went great:) Lalo was more than happy with the outcome and the spirit

was felt. He is defiantly the most amazing kid I have had the pleasure

of teaching on my mission. He has an inspiring testimony and I know

that he will go far. He truly knows this church is true and he is an

amazing example for his family and for me.

So we didn't have any investigators at church this Sunday but the

Elders in our branch have this Cuban couple they are teaching who are

just AMAZING! I have had the opportunity to talk to them and meet and

get to know them. These investigators are so great they already

consider themselves members of the church. For the last two Sundays

they have brought some friends with them, another couple who have

promised to keep coming! Miracles are happening here! Madison is about

to explode!

That was my week:D

Love,

Hermana Orellana

Pics:

Hna Rudolph eating pollo con tejadas

Gorgeous Hna Gladys

Lalo y los demás "Lunaticos"XD

Paola giving her first talk!... So proud!!

Week 68

6 Months in Heaven ;D

Hello!:)

I have great news! I get to stay with Hna Rudolph in Goodlettsville:D I prayed so much for this! I will have the blessing of staying in Madison for six whole months!! This is truly a dream come true. We had some fun times this week without our car. I feel like my legs and feet are permanently bruised from all the walking and biking. We also got to have some fun activities for sisters Gus' farewell week:) 

On Tuesday I get a phone call from brother Jensen, the institute teacher, and he tell me he would be going out of town and if I would teach institute from him......!!!!!! What?!?!?!!!!! So I taught institute last week... It was one of the most stressful things I have done my whole mission. It actually went pretty great though:) Then on Friday they made us teach English class and a tour of the church. That was pretty stressful too because we had a ton of investigators there and when we got to the Family History center one of our members, I don't know why, but all of a sudden he started talking about temples and doing the work for the dead and the investigators there got kind of defensive and I had to calm them all down.... It was kind of a nightmare, but by the time we got to the baptismal font the spirit was back. And then I finished the week teaching the 8 year old primary class about miracles on Sunday:D

On Wednesday we had a funeral for Sis Gus;) it was hilarious. We all dressed in black and took some hilarious pictures:,D

Well there isn't really much to say. I am just really really really really really happy to be staying here. I am praying for the strength to be perfectly diligent and obedient so that we see miracles this transfer. 

Hna Rudolph says hello:D she is the cutest! Have a fantastic week everyone!

<3 Hermana Orellana 

Week 67

Mid-July heat in the south:P
Bonjour!

This week was great! We worked HARD... We saw a lot of people this week and we got a baptismal date!! Yay! His name is Lalo. He is nine:) and he has the most solid spirit ever! He stays at Paola's house on the weekends and has been coming to church. He set his own date for August 8th. I hope o can stay in this area long enough to see it:)

So this Monday we went over to one of our members house who's name is Yelina. We got there and she announced to us that she had been invited to sing the Nacional Anthem at a Peru celebration at the White House this week!!! She had just a day to accept and she wasn't sure if she was going to do it. She had never sang the Nacional Anthem and so she asked us to help her learn the pronunciation. She did a great job, and in the end she accepted:D she was so exited and she sounds fantastic! Apparently she used to be a famous singer in Peru a while back.... Sometimes I feel like everyone in Nashville is some kind of undercover famous/supper talented person!!

The rest of the week was pretty normal. We finally got the car by Wednesday only to have it taken away again for a "safety recall" Saturday morning. The car has been in the dealership shop since and we hope to get it back tonight... Only to get it taken away again Wednesday morning. I feel like we never have the car:(

This Saturday I met a lady who was from San Luis Potosí. She had her family still living there and as we talked it sounded like they lived pretty close to where my grandmother lived. This lady was Christian though and she told us her story about how she converted after so many years of being a devoted catholic. It was a great story! She had a lot of knowledge about the Bible and was all about Jesus, but she was so closed off by her knowledge she just wouldn't listen. I hope I never get to that point. I love knowledge but let us remember that God is the only one that knows everything. We need to be humble because you never know when God will show you a truth you didn't know before.

This morning we went fishing:) Hno Rene let us borrow his four fishing poles and we went out at around 9. We only stayed for a couple hours by 11 the heat was getting too uncomfortable. :P Hna Rudolph was the only one that was able to catch a fish and I vowed to never go finish again without an experienced fisher to guide me and put the worms on the hood for me. Before leaving though, Hno Rene taught me how to tie the hooks and all the other things on. So I guess I'm learning:) a little at a time.

This is the last week of the transfer. Sister Gus' last week. We are going to see if we have time for a Nashville trip today. This Saturday I will find out if they (and by they I mean HF) let me stay in this area for the last six weeks. It is my dying wish! Please pray for me!:)

Love, Hermana Orellana

PsI'm sorry if I haven't been able to get to everyone's email or letters:( there isn't enough time in the one P-day a week that I have but I promise to try my best:) please forgive me and know that I keep every single one of you in my prayers.


Also PS my mission address changed! Now it is.

****1646 Sunset Road Brentwood TN 37027*****

Don't send them to the old address of they won't get forwarded to me. Unless you have my actual address then I am still there for at least another week:P

The pictures:
This is Rachel and Gabriella:D
Hna Rudolph in Nashville;)
When Natalie stuffs church:P
At Daysi's:D

Week 66

This week was pretty eventful!

So last Monday I got to see Hna Garlitz:D She looked beautiful next to

her boyfriend... We took her to the Popuseria close by and we just sat

and talked. It was pretty exiting:D I had prayed earlier that day that

I would be able to feel hopeful for my future and I did. :) I felt a

little more hopeful for life after the mish. On monday we also ended

up going to the park again! It was loads of fun and I learned how to

do a cartwheel and Hno R, Hna Rudolph and I got soaking wet. :P

On Tuesday we had an awesome miracle. Hno R had left us the task of

finding a table for Hna Daysi. He wanted to give it to her as a gift

and so we found this little furniture place by our house and passed by

on Tuesday. Hna Rudolph had really felt inspired to go there. At the

furniture store we met this man who started asking us about the

church. We ended up teaching him the restoration and having a supper

intense spiritual lesson. We testified and he asked us to come by and

teach him. SOLID!!! Revelation is real!

Ever since Wednesday I have had the worst soar throat. I didn't want

to have to stay in and even though we didn't have the car I prayed

with "all the energy of my heart" that I would receive strength to

make it though the day on bikes in 94 degree weather with 80%

humidity. It was awful! The best way I can describe it is by using a

wise friends own words, it was biking in "the devils armpit"! Every

time I walked out in that heat my throat throbbed, raw with pain....

But I made it:) now I am left with a grows cough but I can live with

that:)

On Saturday we had another branch activity! It was a blast!:D I am

supper impressed with all the great activities we have been having

lately. It was rough at first and it still is but i know this branch

is going to be strong and soon we will have crowds of investigators

coming and feeling the spirit and getting baptized.

We taught two great member presents with Hno R one with la familia

Bautista and another with la familia Ramirez. We have high hopes for

them both:D

This transfer went by supper fast! I almost cant believe we are

already on week 5. Time goes by so fast! I hope everyone is enjoying

their summer:) I am sure enjoying mine. I love being here! I am

surrounded by the best kind of people this world has to offer. Maybe

one day I will be able to combine my home family with my mission

family and just make it the best day of my life.... From now on that

is my biggest hope and dream!

Love,

Hermana Orellana