Week 48

This last week was interesting.

Everybody and their brother invited Hermana Alvarez and I do do a family home evening with them during the week, so our schedule was pretty full every single night. The funny thing is, nobody knew that it was the week of transfers. But it's almost like everyone unconsciously knew that I might be leaving Santa Cruz. Sooooo yeah. I got a lot of goodbye speeches, there were a lot of tears, and I took like a zillion photos. 

Last Sunday, AMADOR BLESSED THE SACRAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!! Oh my goodness I felt like a proud mama. He's been progressing in the church so fast. He was nervous about doing the blessing at first, but he got through it like a champ. And he was a little emotional about it, too. :D

Iiiiiin other news, so I was washing all of my laundry on Monday and hung it out to dry on the clothesline, and the next morning I found that it had all fallen off the line. But it didn't look like it had blown off in the wind; it looked like it had been pulled off. But the grass wasn't wet so I just shook the clothes off a little and then took them inside. 

We finished planning in the night time and suddenly we both noticed that something stunk REALLY bad. So I followed my nose until I found the smell.

I guess I missed the smell when I first got up because I was pretty congested, but I realized upon a tiny initial whiff that either a cat or a dog had entered our yard and peed all over my clothing. 

EVERYTHING. This thing actually made a conscious effort to pull my clothing off of the line and proceed to pee on all of my clothing. I couldn't believe it. I had to wash my clothes three times to get the smell off completely.

Why do these things always happen to me? Just my luck. hahahaha

In other news, Hermanas Vorwaller, Morell, Alvarez and I were headed home from lunch when this guy across the street with a fedora and a guitar yelled in English, "Hellooooo woman! Where are you from?" Hermana Morell yelled back in Spanish, "I'm from Russia!" and we kept walking. Two hours later, Hermana Alvarez and I boarded a bus to go to Chomedague, and the bus had to make one small stop before we were on our way. I was writing something in my planner when I hear, "Helloooooooooo woman!" I was like, "Oh please don't let it be true..." I looked up, and there was fedora guy. He smiled, winked, and started to play his guitar good and loud. And he played and sang at the top of his lungs the whole 8 minute ride to Chomedague. I didn't even look at him. My face was soooooooo red. My companion was dying. Hahahaha

So we got the calls for transfers on Saturday night, and just as I suspected, after four and a half months here in Santa Cruz, I am being transferred out.

And it's back to Buin! I'm going to Buin C. I did divisions there once upon a time.

I'm having a lot of mixed feelings right now. I've gotten used to being here in Santa Cruz and I actually learned to love it a lot. There are some pretty awesome members, investigators and converts here and I am going to miss the heck out of them. But on the flipside, when you spend four and a half months in the same sector, it gets to the point where you're walking around the store in El Centro and you're looking at all the people like, "Heyyyyy! I know you! You slammed your door in my face... You told me I look like Jennifer Lawrence... You crossed the street in the middle of rush hour traffic just to come and tell me that I'm just a kid who doesn't know anything..." Yeah. That gets awkward. But then there are those people who are really really awesome that you just learn to love so quickly. 

I was "born" in Buin! Well, actually it was Paine, but the same zone! I started in that zone and I was there for four and a half months, and now I'm going back.

My companion, for the first time in a long time, is a Gringa. Her name is Hermana Williams. I'll be meeting her on Tuesday. From what I've been told, she's a Ninja. 

Okay then.

Going back to Buin is going to be so weird. I can't believe I was there 11 months ago. It's going to be so weird seeing everyone again. But it's awesome because I can actually talk to and understand everyone now! They're going to be like, "Whoa! This isn't the Gringa we remember!"

I'm going to miss Santa Cruz. I've really seen miracles here - Big and small. Hermana Alvarez and I have a lot of work ahead of us. But when do we ever not? Hahaha

I'm also going to miss Hermana Alvarez. I'm so sad that we have to separate and I'm sad for her because she's really stressed out about having to direct the sector while her new companion, Hna. Smith, gets to know Santa Cruz. 

(On a side note, I traveled to the CCM with Hermana Smith.)

Anyways, that's pretty much all for this week. With all the craziness of cambios, we'll see how things are next week. I'm excited and super nervous, but ready for the next cambio. 

THANKS FOR ALL THE PRAYERS!!!!! They work!

-Hermana Darley

The ladies of Santa Cruz

It took us like three weeks to realize that we had a blonde, a brunette and a redhead living in the same house in Almendroza. Sounds like the start of a joke. Hahaha. And Hermana Alvarez is the one telling it.