Hermana Mercado's 38th letter from Chile!

Things are definitely getting colder in Chile. A nice steady rainfall is going on outside as my companions and

 I type to our families.

This week was a little rough. Hna. Moody has continued with her cold, and we've all had varying levels of health, 

but we're pressing forward and determined to make this last week the best. Max y Conti, two of our investigators and the

 children of a menos activa hermana, had their baptismal interview this past weekend and passed! 

Mati came to sacrament meeting with his mom, but they had to leave right after to do some things so we're going to try

 and set up his interview for Tuesday.

I also did divisions with Hna. Grimaldi in Nueva San Martin this past week. She is an amazing missionary. 

She is diligent, loving, and humble. Her back isn't in the best condition, and the health of all the Hermanas in the 

pension is fluctuating, but she still took me out to work. 

It was really weird being back in my first sector. Everyone was like, "Hermana Mercado, what are you doing here?" 

But it was a lot of fun. The day we did divisions just happened to be the day they were doing a talent show in the ward,

 so I got to see almost everyone! Each organization did a number from a different decade, like the primary was in 

charge of the 60's I believe. It was a really fun show. 

And I got to see both Alejandra and Alejandro there! My first converts! They are both ward missionaries now;

 Alejandra is also the ward historian, and she was there taking pictures of everything. They used to be so closed and 

reserved, but they were both just glowing! Alejandro was even one of the animators for the show! It was so good.

Changes are coming up this next week. I'll probably be getting moved to a different sector.

 And my babies are finishing up their training this week! It will be interesting to see what happens.

--Hermana Mercado

Hermana Mercado's 37th Letter from Chile!

Things are going a little slow, but good. Mati y Fran came to church this week and they're doing great. Isidro... well, we haven't seen him but we have been keeping tabs on him through our ward mission leader. He says Isidro is talking things out with his wife. Hopefully everything will work out. We hope to be able to meet with him this week.

Hermana Moody and Hermana Selk are doing great. Since we have ward missionaries, we have lots of opportunities to do splits. Last week, one night I went of with one of our ward missionaries to teach a lesson and Hermana Moody and Hermana Selk went off to visit some new invetigators we had found the other week. They taught the whole first lesson by themselves! And they said it went awesome! They are progressing really well. They both are amazing! Hermana Selk has progressed by leaps and bounds. Hermana Moody has also come very far, but she holds back sometimes and doubts her abilities. She reminds me a lot of me at the beginning of my mission, but she is far ahead of where I was when I only had two months in Chile, so I know she's going to be fine.

Love you all! Sorry me messages are short. I'll try to be better for next week!

--Hermana Mercado

Hermana Mercado's 36th Letter from Chile!

This past week was a little rough. Isidro couldn't come to church this week because it appears that he is still having conflicts with his wife, so his date will need to get pushed back again. We thought his wife had become alright with his continuing to meet with us, but now it appears that their neighbors have started to talk about the young ladies that come to see her husband, which is really wierd since we almost always have another male member with us when we go to visit him. The situation just is complicated all around because we don't want to cause conflict in their marriage. 

And Fran y Mati stayed sleeping in this Sunday so their baptismal date will also need to be pushed back, but we're confident that they will keep pressing forward. The extra time will just give us more time to spiritually strengthen them. And we've found a few more people to teach. 
I feel like this week was a little bumpy, but I know we just need to keep pressing forward and maybe refocus a little bit. The work has been going so well so far it was about time we got a few obstacles in the way to keep us on our toes. We might have been becoming a little pacified, so now we have the motivation to take it up another notch. 

I'm loving the mission. It is the most challenging and rewarding experience I've ever had, and it is always pushing me to do more, to progress more, to become more. It continually asks more of me than I ever thought that I could give, and has only increased my testimony that we can do anything with the Lord's help. It has definitely changed my life because it continues to change who I am every day. I am not the person I was when I got here, and I love the opportunity to become more like Jesus Christ everyday. 

Another new challenge the Lord has chosen to give me was to call me along with 9 other hermanas in the mission as Hermana Lideres Entrenadoras. We are each in charge of a couple of Sister companionships and are in charge of doing divisiones with each one of them and providing training. So that should be interesting. And that's about it folks.

Love you all!

--Hermana Mercado