Week 71

Fiestas hispanas>>>

Hola amigos!!

I am writing my email from the bus central station in down town Nashville:) Funny story, we originally came down here with Kelsey to visit the science museum and then eat popusas with a Salvadorian family from Providencia but we ended up driving around Nashville going across a pedestrian bridge, walking down Broadway and eating some really hipster pizza, oh! And buying cool souvenirs that I will have for the rest of my life! <mostly cool TN jewelry. ;D and then Kelsey had to leave so she dropped us off at the science museum only to realize, after she had already driven away, that we didn't have enough to time to stay at the museum! We ended up getting refunds and walking to the nearest bus stop so that we could get to the Salvadorian member's house. So this is where we are at! :) I already got winked at a couple of times by some men on the bus. I still have another bus ride... Wonder what other silly business will happen... 

This week we had our Decades Dance! It was really fun and kind of stressful trying to set it all up. All I did was make the poster and then everyone just wanted me to give them all the decoration ideas. So we came up with having one of the Elders spray paint a cool banner, make big flying pac-man posters, and a ginormous ballon peace sign. < that was the toughest part! I was stressing so bad about it that I couldn't sleep Friday night and God finally blessed me with a semi- awake dream about how to do it. It turned out pretty great!:D I give all the credit to Heavenly Father though because no matter how much I thought about  I couldn't come up with how to do it. Everyone dressed up so cool! And we even made tie dye shirts to go along with out matching skirts:) we had a blast just sitting and watching everyone else dance. It was really really hard not to dance but I did it!:D kind of... My arms were doing all sort of twitchy things while I was sitting.:P 

This week we also had some amazing miracles with some investigators. We have two new really amazing families. The Sanchez family from Cuba and the Murillo family from Honduras. We found both families in an apartment complex with a whole bunch of No Trespassing sighs all over it. We prayed about it thought and we knew that we just had to knock there. We figured that if they kicked us out we would leave right away. But no one has stopped us so we kept going and we have found some really amazing people!! They have committed to come to church and they have both been reading the Book of Mormon. They see the blessings and want to continue learning! It's for people like this that I just love! I love being a missionary! 

There is not much else. This week we will be going to the temple!! It will be loads of fun!:) 

Until next week!;D

Hermana Orellana

-tie-dye 

-pac man!! Eating Hno R

-coolest tie-dye

-trying out cool things!

New friendships!! #younglove

On the bridge with my hommies

At "pizza by the slice" with my hommies

Sis Schenk and I doin weird things:)

Week 70

Mid Transfer

Hola Familia:)

This week went by supper dupper fast! We had a lot of things going on.

We have been really tying to find new investigators and it has been

going great! The theme of this transfer is Cubans! Cubans everwhere!

They all want to be baptized:D

On Tuesday, as usual, we went to do service at the bishop Storehouse.

This week was even funner than other weeks because Paola was there:D

She stopped by to do some service! It was loads of fun! It was a

pretty busy day at the storehouse though. We stayed in till 4 because

we couldn't finish the orders. Tuesdays are my favorite part of the

week but they are also the days that I am the most tired:P This time

was also pretty cool because as we were filling orders we got to talk

to the other Elders about dinosaurs. Elder Hernandez wanted to share

his question with us and so we spent the time debating about how and

when dinosaurs came into the creation. It was actually pretty

interesting and a lot of the Elders had really good input. It reminded

me that I still have a lot to learn and also now I know who to go to

when I have deep questions like that...:)

On Wednesday Hna Rudolph and I trained at our district meeting and in

the evening we got to help the Young Women make posters and handout to

pass by for a carnival activity that they having been planing for.

This week I also had exchanged! I got to spend the day in Lebanon

Tennessee with Hna Torres:D What a blast! Our comp unity was

unbelievable! It was almost like we could read each others minds. I

think it might be because we are both from Mexico or something but she

is just simply amazing. I enjoyed spending the day with her but it

also helped me realize how grateful I am to be serving in

Goodlettsville. This is seriously the best area in the world! This

place feels like home.

This weekend we got to help one of our members with her baby-shower

and we also got to attend a three year old's mini birthday with

delicious carrot cake. Also! Paola gave her first official lesson in

Relief Society! I cried like a proud missionary...:'D

Also I just want to give a little shout out to my broskie! He will be

3 months out on his mission this week!:D He is totally killing it.

Hermana Orellana loves Elder Orellana<<

That is it for this week folks! On to a new week full of more

adventures <mostly spiritual adventures (the best kinds of course) I

hope yall enjoy this week. Ours will be full of rain and humidity.

Hermana Orellana

-us at Sophia's birthday and Milo, the most photogenic dog I have ever met.

-Sophia's pictures... She took all the pictures... The three year old...

That like the best picture of me and Hna Rudolph

I blow-dried my hair... Hna Rudoph freaked out!!! I am a lion!!!:D

Why grown men don't go to baby showers... They make them eat baby food! D:|

It was pretty funny though

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