Another great week here in Northern Chile!

Hello All!!

It´s been another great week here in Northern Chile! I´ve loved hearing about what´s going on at home, and I love all the pictures! Thanks so much! :D This week has been so great. I feel like I have more of an idea of what´s going on, I´m understanding a lot more, and things are great! :D

I wanted to tell you a little about my daily schedule! Our mission has adjusted things to the culture a little bit, so we get up at 7 am in the winter, and 7:30 in the summer, and bed it 11 and 11:30 accordingly. We study until 10:30, and then for the first 12 weeks of my mission we do an additional hour of training where I practice teaching and whatnot. Then we proselyte for 2 hours, go back to our pension for lunch, and study for another hour after that (language study). (Adjusting the schedule for siesta :) Then we go back out until 10 pm and start over the next day! :D Mom, you asked about how we get around and such; we take taxis or buses everywhere if it´s far away, and we walk when it´s just around our sector of course. :) Megan, we´re in the Zapahuira ward, but our zone leaders are over the Arica Central ward! I´ll have to ask them tomorrow if they know Paulina´s mom! :)

Just a couple stories for you all from this week! So, I haven´t changed much, as you will be able to tell from the following stories... :P We had just gotten back to our "pension" and I took off my shoes so I was in my slippery little footlets, and went to walk downstairs....yep. Totally missed the first step and slid all the way down...... Hahahahaha I was laughing so hard! My bottom is a little sore, but we got a great laugh out of that one. :P Hna Delgado was already downstairs, and because the stairs are wooden it echoed a TON and she was so scared because she thought it was an earthquake.... Hahahahaha. It was really funny and it´s still making me laugh days later. :D Other story is I was trying to blow dry my hair (which I´ve done once here before) but apparently the power here is twice as strong, so all of a sudden I smelled something smokyish, only to look down, and the socket was smoking!!! I quickly removed it, only to find that it had started to melt the plastic of the converter.... So that was a little sketchy. Not quite sure what to do, because I don´t know how to explain that I need a converter, or if I should just buy a new blowdryer.... My district leader is from here, but speaks English, so I´ll have to have a little chat with him. :)

One last story, on a little more spiritual note. I had a really hard day last Tuesday, because I wasn´t feeling too well, and I was practicing teaching the first lesson with Hna Delgado, and when I got to the gospel blesses families, I just started to cry. I was trying to explain to her I was fine, I just missed my family so much, and I´m so grateful for the gospel because I know I can be with you all forever. The quote in the kitchen came to mind, and I know that I´m away from my family for a short time so that others can have the blessing of eternal families like I do. So that kind of spilled over into the next couple days, and my body´s just getting used to the newness of cooking & water I think, so I wasn´t feeling good... I asked the other elders in my district to give me a blessing, and they had no idea about missing my family, etc I had been feeling the past couple days. So they gave me a blessing of healing and comfort. One of the things he said was, "Kristen, your Heavenly Father wants you to know he is very pleased with your efforts, and he knows this is the hardest thing you have experienced thus far in your life. He wants you to know it will be but a moment, and to press forward in faith." It was such a testimony builder to me that the Priesthood is real. I am so grateful and blessed to have had access to it my whole life through worthy Priesthood holders. Needless to say, that blessing has helped me so much these past couple days, and my whole mindset has changed. I´ve started talking more and contributing in lessons, rather than sit there and be frustrated about how much I don´t understand. Always focus on the good things in life!! It honestly makes everything better. :D

We have been trying so hard the past week to find investigators, because we were supposed to have a baptism on Saturday, but she called on Tuesday and said she didn´t want to be baptized because she wasn´t ready and that she was going to Peru and didn´t know when she´d be back so not to come by... So that was a bit of a let down, but we are praying that she will see the importance of the gospel, and that we can find more investigators. :)

Hermana Delgado is amazing! She is from Chiclayo, Peru and is 22. Her family is all members, and her parents were married in the temple, but separated when she was 14. She´s 22, and is the oldest of 4, one younger sister and 2 little brothers. She wants to get married in the Salt Lake Temple, and I told her I would be more than happy to come if she does! :) Sometimes we get a little frustrated with each other when we´re trying to convey what we want, and the other doesn´t understand, but for the most part we are getting along just fabulously! :)

Time to go for this week, but I love you all so much, and as always I am so grateful for your love and support! I love this gospel so much, and I am so so sooo grateful for this opportunity that I have to share it with the people here. I know it can bless their lives, as it has and continues to bless mine more and more every day.

Lots of love,
Hermana Tuft
Arica, Chile

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Hello Fambam!!

It´s great to hear that the Trek went so well and that the garage is clean!! :P I´m so sorry, I wish I could have done that before I left.... Thank you so much! :) As I was reading Dad´s letter about the Trek, I couldn´t help but remember the time we got to stop by the visitor´s center at Martin´s Cove, and the spirit that was there. That will be something that the whole ward will never forget. I hope you all have written about it in your journals! I´ve become quite the journal writer out here, because every day you forget things that could be helpful later on in life, or for future generations! :)

I´m sad to hear about the fires and heat you´ve been having.... That´s really scary and sad! I will keep all of those involved in my prayers.... :( (She's referring to Shannon and Sean Reed living in Prescott, AZ and having two friends there who passed away, of the 19 firefighters who died yesterday in the Yarnell fire. SO SAD.)

Thank you to all of you for your support and love. I really appreciated hearing about your weeks, and thank you for the advice and encouragement. Hahaha I had to chuckle about little Audrey and I learning a language together comment, Megan. :) And yes Kyle, I went back and reread your letter in Spanish, and it made more sense these days. :) And to Dad and Tom, thanks to you both as well for advice! I´m becoming Chilean more and more every single day. :)

I really don´t have much time today, it just fliessss!!!! I´m glad to hear the birthdays went well and I will have to try the gnocchi soup when I get home! :D Lots of love to you all!! And one last thing, Kyle and Jess, when do you go up to Washington, and how is it having Nicole here?! Very exciting. :D

Mother and Father!! :) I haven´t had a date with Ruby. She´s a little difficult. So I´ll keep trying.... :) I love you both so much, and I´m so grateful to be your daughter. Thank you for being such wonderful examples to me always. I am so blessed, and I am so grateful to know how I want my marriage to be someday. Happy Aniversary! Again.... :D

LOTSSS OF LOVEEEE!!!!! :D :D :D

Kristen