Cauquenes it is!

My dear people, it is time.

I'll not keep you all in suspense and just tell you- that's right, they finally transferred me from Lirquen. But it'll all be ok! I'll be going to almost the border of our mission, to another little city called Cauquenes. I don't actually know how that is spelled yet... We'll see.

Lirquen to Cauquenes!

My companion is from Mexico, we´ll be 'co-companions', meaning no one is senior or junior, and that is all I know right now. Also don't know how to spell or pronounce her name, so I'll get back to you on that also. But I love her! It'll be a grand adventure in a new area and with yet another new companion. Now, for the past few days-

First of all, it hailed here. Hailed!! Who would have thought? Second of all, I barely remember all that has happened... Usually I try to make a list of things to tell you, but this week it slipped my mind. Ooh! I suppose I could give you the update on Victor. We had a lesson with him on repentance, planning to explain to him the necessity of being clean with the law before getting baptized. We were about halfway into the lesson, and it was going well, when we began asking more specifically what his restrictions are with the law. Turns out, instead of owing 5 days in prison like we originally thought, he actually owes 25--five days for every fine that he has, a grand total of about 200 thousand mil, which is about 400,000 dollars. Oh dear. He can't be baptized until he resolves all of that, and I'm thinking it'll be a process of a couple months until he can finally be baptized. The good news is that he isn't too discouraged and has agreed to work towards paying his fines and progressing towards his baptism. Keep on praying for him!

As for my birthday, it was a really good one. Thanks for all your birthday wishes!! (And yes, Kirsten, I really am 20 now!) Sundays are always one of the best days of the week, so that definitely didn't hurt. It also happened to be Dia de Niños, and it was fun to see and learn about that. Dia de Niños is kind of like a mini-Christmas, where all of the kids in the family get a present, and all the businesses and cities host little activities for children. I must admit, I really like the idea. Why not have another present-giving holiday in the middle of the year? Here in Chile, it falls on the second Sunday in August, though it happens on different days in other countries in Latin America. Apparently the United States is one of the only countries that doesn't celebrate it... Anyone else find that a little sad?

Erica, Sister Mena and a birthday frog!

Well, we woke up Sunday morning and ate breakfast together, then off to church. Relief Society was so sweet, as always, and Jonaton, Henry, Victor, and Jose Garces remembered right away that it was my birthday. Henry slipped me three big candy bars that he had bought me, and Victor asked me what kind of party I had planned for later. As for sacrament meeting, you´ll all be extremely proud of me, and perhaps a bit incredulous, if I tell you that I didn't even cry. We even sang 'El Fin Se Acerca', (umm, I don´t remember the translation in English. Something about the end drawing near.) and it didn't even phase me.

We went to lunch with Lorena Rubio, Marylou's sister. Of all the sisters in the ward, she always gives us the most food. We started with a yummy soup,some bread, then tacos! It was after my third taco that I saw her go back into the kitchen- maybe time for dessert? Nope! She'd also prepared Pastel de Papas, basically a potato casserole, for each one of us. We continued eating, laughing, and chatting with Vicente about Dia de Niños. I almost finished all the food, but not quite, and then came our first dessert, a ginormous serving of gelatin with caramelized sugar. Second dessert was a birthday cake that the Hermanas had bought for me the day before. Wasn't that nice of them? We lit the candle and everyone sang to me, and I was quite content.

Emotional climax of the day, week, and perhaps month, was that night. Sariah got set apart as a missionary, and she invited us to a little devotional that night in her honor. We gathered with all the Cortez family, lots of dear ward members, and the bishopric and stake presidency in the chapel. We kept doing business, asking members to come with us to visits, verifying a FHE that we have tonight, etc. until Sariah and the family finished getting set apart. They quietly came in and joined us, and we took our seats. The bishop conducted the meeting, and announced a short program. Sariah, her dad, the Bishop, the stake president. There was already someone at the piano, (a cousin, or something like that), but the bishop looked around for a moment and asked "Is there anyone that could lead the music?" After just a second or two, I jumped up. Aww, it felt good to lead the music again. They might sing the hymns a little differently, but there is nothing like singing praises and observing all the dear faces of the members that I so love.

Sis De Leon, Sariah and Erica

Believe it or not, I made it though the first song without crying. Sariah went up to the pulpit, however, and that was when I felt it really strongly- that sense of eternity, that recognition that something was happening that was always meant to happen, and that would never happen again. When I heard them say ´Hermana Farfal´for the first time, I felt the strongest sense of identification with her, and I know that we have touched each other´s eternities in this short time. She left this morning for Brazil, and I will miss her like crazy.

The rest of the program went really well, and then came the big whammy- our closing song, 'Para Siempre Dios Este Con Vos', or 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again'. You just should've heard them sing. Standing there, seeing their faces, listening to that song, I sang and prayed with all my heart that God really would be with them until we meet again. Meeting eyes with Hermana De Leon, we both started to tear up, and she cried even more than I did for the rest of the song. I don´t think I will ever forget the intense spirit, the intense connection with eternity that I felt in that moment.

Erica and Sis De Leon

The Bishop and his family prepared some little birthday treats for me that night, and we hermanas all slept together awaiting the news of transfers. We shared our feelings, etc. and Hermana De Leon got emotional again, saying how that night she'd realized it was probably our last real day together. She said she´s learned so much from me and that I've had such a great effect on her.

Sisters, Bishop's wife and son

As for today, I think I'll get everything in my suitcase! We've got some goodbyes ahead of us, but I know that the Lord orchestrates this work. My only purpose here is to help others accept the gospel, and if that means taking a little Transfer heart-ache here and there, I will come and go wherever the Lord wants me to be. Part of the mission, right? So grateful to have been here in Lirquen, so grateful to have this opportunity to continue serving the Lord. I love you all dearly and wish you all the best!

Hermana Oldroyd

And so it came to pass that Hermana Oldroyd was transferred from Lirquen.