March 28

Yes, I do have cambios. i am going to Sucre!!!!! The ward is called Estacion and I will be with Hna Vilchez, who I already know pretty well. I am really excited because I know that Hna Vilchez is a hard worker who will help me to be diligent and to learn more. Also, the new ward will stop me from thinking too much of home because I will have to get used to a brand new city and a brand new ward.

I´m a little sad to not end the mission with Hna Bender, but I know that it´s for the best and that we will get to hang out in the US. I am not too sad to leave the ward. It´s a good ward, but it is also not the most supportive of the missionaries and I didn´t form strong friendships with many people.

This week we went to the temple with Brayan and Roberto, which was very special and very spiritual for everyone. I love visiting the temple and I am glad that I was able to go before I leave for Sucre.

Easter was very chill and uneventful. Really there was nothing Easter related going on. There were a lot of chocolate eggs for sale and we bought some. The catholic churches had a lot of stuff going on, but we barely even mentioned Easter at church, which was kind of weird. Here, the catholic tradition is to visit 12 different churches on Friday, which caused a lot of traffic. And no one eats meat for a few days, which is hard because no one eats fish either, it´s just a lot of pasta and rice and some lentils.

As you have seen on facebook we had the sisters´ conference on Saturday which was very fun and also spiritual. Hna Bender and I were assinged to teach about sacrifices. We dressed up as lamanites and sacrificed Lambie in a tissue paper fire. We then talked about modern sacrifices (our time, a broken heart and contrit spirit, personal interest for a more important task) and asked the sisters to write a personal sacrifice on a scrap of paper and put it into our ¨fire¨.

Hna Bender is feeling much better. We finally just figured out that she wasn´t still sick, but had been so sick for so long that she just had to take a lot of care of her stomach and let the good stomach flora grow back. However, she´s okay now.

I don´t really want to work at Kmart because I want to try out babysitting and get at least a little experience with it. I already know how to work at kmart or a similar store and know how to do it. However, I have almost never babysat and I think it is something that I should learn how to do at least a little.

I will fill my time with good things. I plan to volunteer (food project probably), visit the temple, get organized for classes (review some stuff for calc 1), help with the dog, etc...

That conversation about doubt and belief and everything sounds so interesting, but it is very hard to have deep conversations by email. I hope to be able to chat and philosophize with you all soon.

One of the things that I have learned about faith recently is that it is avery personal thing. By that I mean that you cannot borrow it from another personal or try to lend it or even tell someone else how to get it. Everyone has to find their own faith in their own journey. While we can try to help and support each other in their journeys, we can´t do it for them. For example, as we have taught Brayan and Roberto, who were recently baptised, we don´t know which things that we teach will really touch them or not and the moment when the faith and testimony really come is generally not a moment when we are there, but when they decide to pray or to study the scirptures on their own.

It sounds like my little brothers are all grown up now. Robert has a real summer job and Charles is all thoughtful and independent. I have missed a lot and also missed a lot when I was in college. I´m used to Roberto as someone who still doesn´t make his own snack and takes an eternity to put his shoes on, so I will be very suprised to see how much you have all changed.

Mom, your new hair cuts looks good. Roberts new glasses do too. I am hoping to also get new, cooler glasses and cut my hair to my chin or maybe a half and inch longer than that.

Well,  next Monday I will write to you from Sucre. (I´m traveling there tomorrow morning. It´s only a 30 minute flight.)