Transfers, Socks, and Chicken Nuggets Well Done.

Mom and Dad on Trek at Martin's Cove in Wyoming.
This is Devil's Gate behind them on the trail.

Sorry for the delay with this week's blog, but my parents were off on a Pioneer Trek with the Stake Youth and could not upload everything until they got back. They said other than the swarms of mosquitoes, constant Wyoming winds, and the bus breaking down on the way home (resulting in a 4-hour delay), they had a great time. The youth were well-behaved for the most part, and Martin's Cove is a very spiritual experience. The trek experience gives you only a small taste, but it truly makes you appreciate what the pioneers went through.

My awesome brother! Watch out Nicaragua.

The first thing I have to do is give a big shout out and congratulations to my brother who just got his mission call. He will be leaving in September and will serve in the Nicaragua Managua South mission. I'll still have about 2 months left on my mission mission when he leaves, so we won't see each other for almost 3.5 years! Oh well, I know that the Lord needs him in Nicaragua. Wow! I am so freaking excited for him! And, we're both gonna be able to speak Spanish when he gets back ha ha! When I write him on his mission, I'm gonna write him in Spanish ha ha. That is so cool! I wish I was there in person to tell him congrats and give him a freaking huge hug and kiss from his sister, but this will have to do. I am so proud of him!

Hermana Jaramillo and me in our new Zone Polos.

I would warn him not to look up too much about Nicaragua, because really the mission is so different than what the pictures show or what other missionaries say. Where he's at, he'll feel just at home and get to love the people of Nicaragua and their culture. It's normal to be nervous or scared. When I found out I was going to Peru, I immediately thought of desert and snakes and really poor people that would rob me. But now that I'm here it's nothing like that. It has a culture all it's own and I love the people here. The more time I spend here, the more I love it and want to stay. When I got here, I wanted to go back home to what I knew and where everything was comfortable. But now, I want to stay because this feels normal. I know that it will be the same for my brother. Like my Uncle Joel told me before I left, the mission will the hardest years of my life, but also the best. I'm understanding that now!

Some of our neighbors' laundry.
This was just one of the clotheslines.

Hermana Jaramillo saying goodbye to the Guillen family.

Well, last Monday, we found out that Hermana Jaramillo was being transferred and leaving El Trebol! She was really sad to go, so we went and visited about half the ward, including the Guillen family who we have been working with to reactivate. They are super nice! Also, when we got back to our apartment that night it looks like our neighbors decided to wash all of their pairs of socks! There were 3 full lines of socks hanging up to dry haha! We thought is was pretty funny.

Hermana Jaramillo and her new companion,
Hermana Villalobos, at cambios.

Hermana Jaramillo was transfered to Las Palmeras, which is really close by. She's in the same zone as the mission offices, so that's pretty nice for when there's conferences. This is her new companion, but I can't remember her name. ¡Qué verguenza! 

Hermana Pinto's chicken nuggets.

So my new companion is Hermana Pinto. She's from Bolivia, La Paz, and has been a member of the Church for about one year and 8 months! She has been on her mission for about 6 months now, so that's pretty amazing! She is really nice and is a pioneer in her family. While she has many aunts and her mom that are members, she is the first in all of her family to serve a mission! How cool is that? She's super nice and really organized. I'm super excited to be with her and learn from her.

Anyway, Hermana Pinto decided she wanted to try to cook chicken nuggets in the microwave, but she cooked them for way to long! They burnt through the plastic tupper ware and it smelled terrible! Oh, the adventures we have in the kitchen!

Me and Hermana Pinto at cambios.