42nd B-Day the random thoughts of Broccoli, Brooker, T Brook and Hermana Talbot

42nd B-Day
The Random Thoughts of Broccoli, Brooker, T Brook and Hermana Talbot

Just so you all know I think I have calculated correctly and will be coming home around the 29th of December.

Hey Family,

Okay. So this week.... We have a 25 year old investigator (Mayumi) who just had her first baby (girl) like a month ago. Well, Saturday we went to go see her and she was just stressed to the max because the baby couldn't breathe... wheezing... gasping... etc..... Mayumi was trying to put some of her milk in the baby's nose to soften the boogers and remove them with a q-tip... not working... and the baby just started choking... (I think my eyes were bigger than a plate when I saw her do this...) So I asked if she had a "booger sucker" and she had NO IDEA what I was talking about.... I was so thankful for Summer Johnson and The Ingraham family in this moment... So I go to the store with Hermana Tax and we bought her a booger sucker. It was a miracle worker. In 30 seconds she could breathe again... stopped wheezing and gasping for air... miracle! Thanks booger sucker.


MOM: I got your package!!! I might have eaten a lot of it already.... =) Thanks for the girl scout cookies. Hermana Veron today asked me for "a cookie from the girl scouts" this morning. Hahaha. YUM.

So I am not really sure about the earthquake that I told you guys about.... I have heard that it was 6.2 and 6.8.... Not 5 point something... Anyway, it was a shakin' our apartment hahaha.


The smoke and smog here is so bad in Santiago. You should be able to see it in the picture I sent of the city from our hike. And that picture was like at 11am... it was 100%s worse when we were coming down the mountain at 2pm... I started wheezing one night this week. First of all, there's a lot of pollution. Second, I might have showered one day this past week with freezing cold water (long story, but the water heater stopped working while I was in the shower and my hair had shampoo in it). BUT it stopped after I went to bed. Not sure what happened, but anyone with lung problems should not live in Santiago, Chile... that's for sure.

I found out this week that one of our recent converts (Filomena) never went to school!!! She said when she was little that school was too far away and too much time because they had to walk up and down two mountains to get to the school. She taught herself how to read and such. She told us that she does not like to write letters or such because she doesn't understand where the commas go and when to capitalize words..... I told her to go back to school!!! She told us no, that's she's too old (87 years old) and got by for so many years... why now?...... hahaha. I am so greatful for the schooling I have received and how easy it is to be educated in the States.

The time change is soon Mom. The 26th if this month. That will help you out with not having to drive home and talk to me at the same time.

It is getting cold here... well some days... the weather here is seriously weird... one minute it is boiling hot and the next sooo cold. Bone chilling cold. I think when it comes to the cold, my body has gone through a change. I really am cold here. It's amazing. I don't know if my blood is thinner from the heat or what... but it's stinkin cold somedays. I am going to die in the winter... especially when I come home... I will be leaving 100% summer here to come home in the dead of winter. AHHHH.


We set some baptismal dates this week!!! =) We have 3 people with dates for a goal... Boris. Maria Ortega. Mayumi. Pray for them please. They are going through some hard times right now with their significant others...


This week is Semana Santa here! For the Catholics it is a huge week to celebrate the Passover. I am excited to see their celebrations. I hope I will get to take some pictures. Usually there's a parade and such.

Oh ya... a good story... sorry this email is full of just random things, but.... We had a meeting the other day at our Bishop's house, just me and Hermana Tax... anyway... so we're leaving his house (around 10pm... it's dark outside) and hurrying home to make it in time for curfew and cause it was really cold... and I hear this manly voice yelling "HERMANAS! HERMANAS!!". I said to Hermana Tax, "oh no. let's go!" and I took her by the arm. And he continues to yell "HERMANAS!.... NO HERMANAS!". So I turn around with my hand grasped onto Hermana Tax's sweater... and I see this tall man, yelling, running towards us. My fists were ready. I pretty much had Hermana Tax behind me... and he tells us that his name is Javier... and he's an investigator of the church, but he just recently change his house and is living in our sector... I literally was shaking with adrenaline, but phew... he's pretty much a harmless fly. HAHAHA.


Oh ya... The hike... We went to "Aguas de Ramon"... Ramon's Waters. It's here in Santiago and you have to climb mountains to get there. It was a good hike... Thought I was going to die the first kilometer, but after that it leveled out a little and we could all breathe. It was sooo hot!! We started at 10:30' in the morning and ended at 2 in the afternoon. I have pictures of wild horses, cows, lizards, and such. I'll show ya all when I get home. The trail ends at a beautiful waterfall... we only went half way... to a mini waterfall... but it was still beautiful. Go google it. You've got some pictures. =) It was great to be outside, to sweat some more, to see more of Santiago from above... and to feel like Maria in the "Sound of Music" as we were climbing... Hahaha...

I got this email from Hermana Jennings last week and thought it was absolutely inspiring, so I am sending it on..... She said:


"There are many spiritual gifts. One that would help you develop all the rest is the gift to forget oneself. Christ is the perfect example of this gift put into action. The Atonement did not begin in Gethsemane. It began when Christ was selected or volunteered to be our Savior. It is not a one time event. He has been carrying our sins since the time of Adam until now and he will continue to carry them until all sin has been resolved. So this thought came to me during zone class 'Sure, what you did or have done on your mission was great! You changed for the better and you helped others do the same... Come unto Christ... but all of this is in vain if you stop progressing after the mission. If you can continue to progress and grow, your mission was the sturdy foundation for the rest of your life. If not, go do something to change that TODAY.' Go read Isaiah 53 and think about what Christ did for you. Where are you going spiritually? 'And the Lord called unto (-----) and said unto (him/her) where goest thou?' - Moses 4:15. This was so neat because God knew where Adam was going, but it was a question to help Adam to evaluate his life just like we can if we place our name in the place of Adam's name. We can answer that question and we can also ask ourselves: 'what is holding me back?' Farmers have to get up at 3:30 am to feed the animals. This hour is crucial. If they don’t get up and feed the animals, then they will not have the strength to work the rest of the day. They may not love getting up at 3:30 am to go outside and feed a bunch of smelly animals, but they know what their sacrifice will bring and what blessings they will receive from their sacrifice. We can apply this to our lives. We also have 3:30am moments... they are trying, but they make all the difference. What we do in those times determines our later down the road results. What are your 3:30am moments? What are you doing during this time? Work now. The work you don’t do now, when you should, will be paid for in the future in regret."


Have a wonderful week!!! I love you all!!!!