Why is it Not Christmas???

Vive Chile! and America! I like that they have the same flag colors because I can celebrate all my favorite countries at once. September 18th is Chile's independence day and everyone is PUMPED. 

This is Us. Feliz! Because life is sweet!

HOLA FAMILIA!

It's crazy cold here, and people have little snowmen in their windows, and half the songs on my little ipod are Christmas songs, and I'm just in the Christmas Spirit, dangit! I'm confused.

I finally made cookies! Happy day! we searched all over our area in the tiny little shops and finally found brown sugar in a little cake making supply store--BLESSINGS! But chocolate chips don't exist, so they are a tiny bit boring but they are GOOD. Now I just need to give them to all my cute friends here!

Yesterday was Sept 11, a sad and scary day in the US, but also here too! Not sure how many years ago, but the president of Chile was assassinated on September 11th and now the people use that day for all their political protests and apparently it gets pretty violent. We had to be back in our casa by 5 PM! Waaaa! That is early! But it's all good because all the people who aren't protesting hide in their homes and don't answer their doors so we didn't have anyone to talk to anyway. Hermana Navarrete is from Chile and has legitimate fear of this day, so I was a little freaked, but nothing too crazy happened. Also I think we are more safe here in Javiera Carrera because there are about 7 people under the age of 65 in the whole sector, and we are sharing the gospel with them all now, so they know you're not supposed to kill. Nice, huh? 

In other news...I am actually kind of like an alien here and it makes me LOL! Hermana and I counted as we were walking down the road this week and twenty cars in a row--TWENTY--came by and the drivers were seriously not watching the road! No, they were staring out their windows gawking at my blonde hair. It's natural, I swear.

Sunday night we had a fireside! It was for missionaries and investigators and recent converts. Technically I was not supposed to attend since it was 3 zones away, but another Hermana somehow convinced me to sing a duet with her there. This is about how it went:

"Hermana Siebach, want to sing in a fireside?"

"Yes"

WILD! We sang 'Divina Luz' (Lead Kindly Light) which is my all-time favorite and I hope it was good, but who knows!?!

Wowowow, Mom and Dad! What an adventure you had in Houston! I'm so proud of you guys. Our ward here has a huge problem where there is zero unity and everyone is so enveloped in their own lives. I get it. Life here is hard and everyone is scraping by. Sometimes I feel pretty guilty for the incredibly privileged life I have. We were talking to the bishop about ways that we can help the ward. I suggested that we find a service project and hype it up so everyone will want to attend. I was told that we are not in my country and they don't have the resources for that kind of thing... it is hard and frustrating because I can't fully express myself and share the fact that in reality, you don't have to have tons of resources to serve other people. Just a willing heart. I'm grateful for y'all's example in my life. I know that at any moment, you would drop everything to help someone in need. I have seen it countless times. Thank you so much. And please pray for the people here to feel a little bit of that same desire.

My birthday last week was the BOMB.COM. I had very low expectations for it, but it ended up being awesome! In Almuerzo, my cute friends in the ward surprised me with a tasty cake and a scarf that I am so so grateful for! We taught this crazy lady named Bernarda the plan of salvation and she was hilarious. We get to teach her again today yeehaw! We ate sushi for dinner, so that was great also because I love sushi. Sushi here consists of rice and cream cheese and avocado (of course!) and sometimes chicken. So not really sushi but still tasty. People are so nice and it's hard to make a day on the mission different and special but they did it! Blessings!

This is me on my sweet lil sushi birthday!

This week was actually really quite hard. Almost all of our lessons got cancelled and no one wanted to answer their doors. Also a few of our investigators just disappeared?? Not sure. We're sleuthin. BUT one big miracle of this week was a full house of Haitians! They are awesome and the most loving, faithful people I've met here. We went to teach Sonel, who is a referral, but when we got there all his friends were there too so we ended up teaching all of them! I love talking with the Haitians because they are also very bad at Spanish so we just struggle together.

I love you and I hope you are all safe from every natural disaster that seems to be happening all at once! Everyone asks me "Como esta su gente?" As if I know all of the people in all of America heheh! I say, "I don't know but I hope they're super duper!" And I do! I hope you are doing well, and smiling and laughing and dancing!

LOVE 

HERMANA SIEBACH

PS: Sorry all my pictures are selfies and inside of the casa! Turns out that's the only time I really use my camera, but please enjoy our fun celebration wall!

These are all my cute little casa friends! They are teaching me patience because I love them but I don't love Glorious by David Archuleta 17 times back to back!

Click here to join in the fun and listen to GLORIOUS by David Archuletta seventeen times :)