Hacer la Vaca!!

Here we are, in the flash...flesh :)

This week we BROKE INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE! We had almuerzo scheduled with a cute hermana in the ward, but last minute she had to leave town?! So she called us and said, "I had to go but I left food for you on the kitchen table!" She then told us all the tips and tricks on how to break into her OWN HOUSE. #whatttt maybe the craziest thing that happened that day.

The title of my email this week...I don't really know either. Vaca is cow. They have some sort of phrase for each of the different sorts of animals. So so so many people were trying to teach us the little Chilean sayings this week, but my brain can't hold them all yet. So here is the one I remember. I think it means to get real rich, real fast...? Now we know! Or do we?? Correct me if you know otherwise!!! 

We started this week with maybe two lessons scheduled.That's no good. So we knocked about 5 million doors and found a whole bunch of new people! By the end of the week, we had lessons scheduled for every hour of every day. It was tiring and my brain hurt afterward from thinking in Spanish, but it was all so worth it.

I wanna tell you about Alejandro! We were looking in our binder of names and dates and missionary things and we came across Alejandro. He was contacted in 2009 (!!!). So many things could have happened in the last almost 9 years!!! But we thought, "What the heck, we'll take a lil' gamble!" So we went, and what do you know? We found Alejandro. He's a cute little old man who is suffering from cancer. The missionaries found him all those years ago, gave him a Book of Mormon, taught him one time, and then never went to his house again. Alejandro was so happy to find us alo-ing outside his door after all these years. Nine years later, he's back on track and learning all there is to know about the Restored Gospel of Jesucristo :)

This week we found all the friendliest people in the ward!! We have always struggled to have members in our lessons with us, but this Sunday in church multiple people, some who we have even asked and said "NO", came up to us and offered to help us in this sweet sweet work. MIRACLE!! 

Everyone here has so many problems that they're dealing with. My mission has been an amazing opportunity to develop charity and the ability to "mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort". I'm not anywhere close to perfect at it yet (surprise! hehehe) but I can feel my love for these people grow and what a comfort it is to know that I am sharing exactly what they need to overcome it all! I love to share about the atonement of Jesus Christ. He felt everything that we feel, and he is there with us every step of the way, through the hard things and the happy things. Every step.

Okay. I could share about a billion more things, but actually I can't. Because of time. 

Ciao! Love! Hugs! Kisses!

Love, Hermana Siebach

The gang's all here! In order, Hermana Ence, beebop, Briggs, y Silva

High kwality hair kutz. You know if they spell it with a k it's the highest of kwality.

Today is Hermana Silva's Birthday! WOOHOO! But, if I put my lil' head right about here,
it looks like it could be mine. Two birthdays in one year? 2017 es BAKAN!

But Behold, the Life of My Servant Shall be in My Hand

3 Nephi 21:10 -- Not to worry. I'm not even scared!! I know that as missionaries, we need to be careful and wise in everything that we do, but also we have a promise that God is always with us and will guide us in what we must do. I'm so grateful for the knowledge of that because otherwise I might be scared out of my mind!

For example, this morning we went to the temple. We got off at the right subway station, ran up the stairs into the real world, and then realized we had no idea where to go. And our phone is garbage and doesn't work sometimes, usually right when we need it. Must have accidentally come up the wrong exit. Somehow we figured it all out though, and walked probably 3 miles in a circuitous route from the train station to the temple AND got there before our session started. THE SPIRIT WAS OUR GUIDE! Lost in the middle of Santiago, Chile, but we were not even scared.

This week has been FULL of listening to the Spirit. I have a testimony tan fuerte that when we act on the first impression of the Spirit, we are protected, we are led, and we are blessed. It's hard to do sometimes, but it's so important.

Let me tell you about Jose Soto!!! He's a cute old man who lives on the corner and is always working in his garden. We've talked to him before and he would just talk to Hermana Navarrete because he couldn't understand anything I said. But! She's not here! And I still am! So I talked to him. We offered to help him with his gardening. Then, two miracles happened. The first: HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT I SAID!! And he responded! The second: he said that yes, we could help him and that also he wants to know more about what we share! Is this real? Yes! Miracles!

This week we have been focusing on finding beauty in everything around us. It's easy to focus on the garbage in the street and the smog in the air, but wait! There's more! There are flowers and cute old people and if you look off in the distance there are mountains there!! This world really is such a perfect, beautiful gift! It's so much easier to be happy if you focus on the good. 

Okay, gotta blast. Ta ta! Love y'all with all my little heart!

Love, Hermana Siebach 

Ojos de los Cielos!

This is Us!!!

You thought one white girl in Latin America was strange, try TWO! Never in our lives have Hermana Ence and I had so many comments on our blue eyes and blonde hair. Sometimes the comments are a little creepy. But! We are figuring out how we can use all this to our advantage. Wish us luck! We haven't found the key yet, but we're alookin'.

This week was so awesome!! Somehow we are teaching these people in Spanish and they are listening! Every day I am reminded of how the gift of tongues is so real and the Lord is 100% guiding this work. From my experience in highschool Spanish, i know for a FACT that I alone am not capable of speaking to these people in their own language. but with God, there is a way.

On Sunday, Emilia got baptized!! She's the cute little 8-year-old whose mom is a member but her dad is not. It was such a beautiful thing and the Spirit was there, testifying to everyone in attendance that this is the way. This is the way that we can receive all the blessings God has in store for us. It's the way we can manifest and progress in our desires to follow Christ. It's so beautiful and so powerful. I love it!

Also on Sunday, Ignacio and Cristobal's brothers came to church!! And they loved it! They have awesome new friends in Primary and are learning so many things that they never knew! We are teaching them too, which has been a blast. They don't read, so we teach them with pictures and games. They love the plan of salvation and could tell you everything about it!

Yesterday, we went to visit a recent convert, Hermano Alberto. As we were walking through the gate to enter his house, his neighbor came running up to us and said "Hello neighbor! Hermanas, when you are done here, please come to my house. I have a few questions." So, we shared with Hermano Alberto and then ran over to Javier's house ALTIRO! (That's chilean slang, good luck figuring out what it means!) He told us about how he's Catholic but is disappointed with some of the things that have been happening in his church. He is losing his faith there, and now is looking for it elsewhere. We know where it is! We do! We shared with him a little bit about the restored gospel of jesus Christ and we have an appointment with him later today! Never in my life have I met someone so desperate to find the truth and so desirous to learn. And he found us! 

i love y'all and I hope you are having a bomb week. Hugs! Kisses!

Love Hermana Siebach!!!!

Farewell...

my dear, sweet...

Navarrete! :'(

Teen Mom Life

Last day as a lil' baby in my Javiera Carrera zona

Wow. Crazy. NOT fake news!!! This week we had transfers and I found out I will be training here in Javiera Carrera!! Not sure at all whether I'm old enough to be a mom. I thought for sure she would be latina, seeing as I still don't really know how to Spanish, but she's not! She's very blonde and very tall and very much white! We are quite the sight in the street. but it's all exciting. We already have plans to use the fact that we are so strange here completely to our advantage. We're ready to take on the WORLD! Bring it! In all honesty, I know that this will be the time when I learn what it truly means to rely on the Lord in all things. So! My compañera is Hermana Ence! She's from Salt Lake City, Utah and she's awesome and we have not even been together a full day but I already love her. 

Something wild, last night we were walking down the street where our house is because it was curfew. I turned around and there was a NAKED MAN RUNNING DOWN THE STREET. First night for my comp in the mish. #welcome

Also this week, President Packer from the seventy and Bishop Davies from the general bishopric came and spoke to our mission and the mission Santiago Norte!! It was amazing. Such a spiritually uplifting experience! We were able to greet each of them individually and I just felt so much love from them.

Okay! I'm sorry I don't have a whole lot of time this week, plus I can't send pictures either, even though I have about 23,423 that I want y'all to see:( Someday I will find the good ciber where everything works well and you can see the things that I see.

I love y'all! Hope you're happy! Hope you're dancing! And smiling!! (<--- this one is so important)

CIAO!

LOVE HERMANA SIEBACH