My beloved family and friends, I´ve missed you! Sorry I didn´t write ya´ll monday but they changed our p-day to wednesday because it was our yearly temple trip!!! Talk about a spiritual high this week with conference on top of that. We went to the temple as a zone and rented a mini bus and took the 2 hour trip to Santiago. We got lost and got there a bit late but they were able to squeeze all 23 of us in a session, it was my first time in spanish which spiced things up and made it a new and interesting experience for me. The temple looks small and simple on the outside, but once you enter the wooden double doors it is absolutely spectacular inside! Quality craftmanship all around as do all our temples. I went fasting for guidance for my investigators and anything else the Lord wanted to teach me in his house of instruction and I felt such a special spirit. It´s so beautiful to see how it doesn´t matter where in the world you are, the temple is always full of that peacful and sweet spirit of the Lord. As I walked to the session all dressed in white we passed by the sealing rooms with their gorgeous chandeliers and sacred alters, I couldn´t help but shed a few tears, one day I´ll be in a room similar to those with someone special, but that day is far far away and I´m not allowed to think about it right now hahaha In fact there was a bride and all of us hermanas were like "We can´t look! Hurry run! Lets get out of here!" hahaha. But seriously, it was so special to go to the temple, to think I won´t go back for a year! :( We also ate McDonalds on our way back and they had some delish Maracuya Chili wraps, McDonalds is definitely waaaay better foreign. Conference was also AMAZING, I looooved Elder Holland´s talk. To think it´s already been 6 months since I was sitting there in person with my dear friend Chase Bryan, CJ & Chelsea (how are their wedding plans btw?) time flies when you´re having fun! This saturday I will reach my 2 month mark, doesn`t sound like a lot, but it went by super fast and I know the rest will be a blurr next thing I know it so I´m trying to enjoy and make the most of every cold shower, bug in my food, power outage, appointments falling through, and creepy old men whistling at us haha. But seriously, the time on my mission is precious and I want to make the most of every second of this sacred time the Lord has entrusted me with to serve his children in Chile. Our investigators weren´t progressing which is frustrating, Mario and Pamela haven´t kept any commitment we´ve given them and we were about to have to let them go and move on to people who were actually willing to exercise their faith and want to change when we ran into them in the street and they told us they read 2 verses...AAAAHHHHH!!!!! We were jumping for joy!!!! 2 verses doesn´t seem like a lot, but it´s better than nothing and we´re still trying to work with them. Javiera is still terrified of her mom and won´t talk to her about her baptism or that we´re teaching her so we told her we can´t teach her until she does, we talked to her brother who is a member and are hoping he can help us out and praying her mom will soften her heart. Our other investigators seem hopeful but we can´t give them a baptismal date cause none of them are married...Laaaaaaame! But we are going to continue working with them to show them the blessings of marriage and get them to the font. Besides that all is well in Santa Maria, I´m eating a ton, it´s kinda crazy I don´t think I´ve ever eaten so much in my life and my companions are literally freaked out, but we walk all day and I burn a ton of energy, but I´ve gained 5lb´s which anyone that knows me knows what a miracle and joy that is to me! haha It´s starting to get chilly, fall is officially here and the leaves are changing colors which is super weird because we´re in April, the seasons have me totally twisted in South America. Also I want to give a birthday shout out to my beloved niece Bella! Girl you are 12 years old, officially a beehive in young womens, woohooooo!!!! I am so excited for you, you are going to have some of the funnest times of your life these next couple of years, go to girls camp EVERY year and make new friends and do your personal progress so you can get your YW´s medallion and get into BYU ;)! I miss and love you and wish you the best this b-day! I sent mommy (Sherlyn) a letter, there is some $ for you to buy something you like from your tia :) Welp that´s all this week! Thanks to everyone who reads my blogs and e-mails and for all your love and support! I need it because the mission is challenging, but your words of encouragment give me hope and strength :)
peace & blessings,
Hermana Ibarra
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