Hola, Hermanita! A letter from Hannah's friend

This is an email that Hma. Heide, a super gorgeous sister from 

From: Heidy Correa <hcorrea2982@gmail.com>
Date: 2014-11-24 7:30 GMT-05:00
Subject: hOLA HERMANITA
To: hannah.addington@myldsmail.net

HERMANA ADDINGTON:

COMO ESTA HERMANITA, FUE GUSTO HABERTE CONOCIDO EL SABADO UD ES SUPER, ES LO MAXIMO ESPERO TENER LA OPORTUNIDAD DE TENERLA EN MI BARRIO MUY PRONTO, TAMBIEN DESEO QUE SE RECUPERE DE SU BRAZO CON MUCHA FE Y ORANDO A NPC SE QUE TODO SE PUEDE PORQUE PARA NPC NO HAY IMPOSIBLES.

LE AMO MUCHISIMO SE ME CUIDA LE ESCRIBO LA PROXIMA SEMANA.

HERMANA HEIDY

Translates to:

SISTER ADDINGTON:

AS THIS SISTER WAS LIKE have met SATURDAY YOU IS SUPER, ES LO MAXIMO HOPE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE IT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD SOON ALSO WISH TO RECOVER YOUR ARM WITH MUCH FAITH AND PRAYING TO NPC IS THAT ALL YOU CAN BECAUSE IMPOSSIBLE FOR NO NPC.

I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH YOU CARE WILL WRITE ME NEXT WEEK.

SISTER HEIDY

Have you not been baptized? I only believe in science...

That was a quote from Nacho Libre, if y'all did not recognize that. 

Pretty much the entire experience of my mission is a Nacho Libre experience. I am proud of Jack Black for embodying that for all the missionaries, of at least the missionaries serving in Latin America. 

This was the baptism for Jesus Machaca (single) Junior Rico, and his newly reactivated wife Rosemary, and their 2 lil kids, Leonel and Farid. They are crazy, but super adorable. The whole missionary crew joined us after that, and I got to stand next to Hma. Puma! I love the Puma, she"s my favorite. 

Whelp, here ya go

This is the title I want to put in all of my Christmas presents. Well, I would, but it doesn't translate into Spanish to well. The meaning is completely lost. 

I was looking at my missionary badge this week, trying to figure out how to clean it, because the darn thing gets covered in so much dust and dirt everyday, you would think I am working in a coal mine. But anyway, it has my family's name, and then the Savior"s name, they are the most noticeable parts. 

I thought about the way I carry myself everyday as a missionary, the responsibility I have to represent my family and Christ, and if I really am doing that. 

This week, my pride was hurt a little bit because me and Hermana Guelet weren't having the best time communicating with our bishop and mission leader. And any missionary can tell you that is set up for destruction. Its like an employee not communicating with his boss. 

And when we headed off to the baptism this week, me and Hermana Guelet were feeling really bitter and frustrated. We did not shake his hand, and kinda avoided him throughout the night, although it was really hard, because he performed one of the baptisms. 

But then we read a scripture later on, D&C 104:76 That talks about humility before God. And I realized that I at that time was not worthy to wear my badge, because I was not being humble. I had complained, and not held up my part.

 After repenting and talking with our Bishop and mission leader, we all forgave each other and were able to move on. I am grateful for the Atonement in my life,. for the chance that it all gives us to become more like Christ. 

Sometimes admitting your mistake is harder than arranging an Arab Israeli peace talk, but it really it worth it when you can feel worthy to be in the Savior"s presence again.
 
I know that I am not perfect, non of us are, but we can all work on that. It is possible, like the scripture in Moroni. 


I love you all, and am grateful for your examples to me!
Keep pushing, life is going to get better. Just keep on truckin. I think that is going to be my new catchphrase, because I overuse it in every email. Whatever, I am thinking in Spanish. 


Hermana Addington

TIS THE SEASON, Y'ALL

I know we are actually 3 weeks away from the Navidad (or Christmas as my white people say), but me and all of the other missionaries in the world right now are feeling the spirit and ready to celebrate already. Maybe its because we had a mulitzone conference with the president and his wife this week, and they gave us a super spiritual boost, complete with the David Archuleta musicvid for "Glorius", and Sister Douglas gave us her testimony in her limited Spanish, almost crying, and then we saw a video about the spirit of Christmas called, "He is the Gift." And now we have a bunch of little cards to share with everyone, trying to find new investigators and help the church grow. Every single time I get on the web and talk with my family, see a little bit of the outside world, I am amazed at all the changes that have happened, both in my personal life, in the chuch, and in my own growth. We are constantly changing and becoming new and different people. The person I was 1 year ago when I opened my mission call is completely different than the person I am now. I have learned alot of things, mostly how to be more humble, patient, and definitely trust more in God than anyone else in the world. (1 Nefi 9:6, Alma 32:42-43, D&C122:7-9, 121:45) I have never cried so much in my entire life, or laughed as much, as when I have been on this mission. And although it is half over, I still feel like I am starting over everyday I have to correct myself, but that is the beautiful thing about the Atonement, that we can repent every single day and become new people. Better people. Junio and Jesus, 2 investigators preparing for baptism this week, have both told me that they want to be prefect and new pwoplw, and by going to church, reading their scriptures, and praying constantly everyday, they are becoming new poeple. Better, more like Christ. Me and Hma. Guelet had nothing to do with that, we just introduced the lessons and helped them to feel the spirit a little bit more. They really changed, with the help of God.  That is why they want us to share their message with as many people as we can, so that everyone can have this change in their hearts. Not because they want to annoy us, or make us do stuff we don"t like. But really come to them and be better. Everyone neds to share this He is the gift video right now, with all of your less active, investigator friends, and anyone you can think of! Because it is going to change the world. Seriousle, if this was not such a good video, I would not be promoting it so much. The videos in the church are soon stinking good right now, I think I might become a filmmaker when I get off my mission, just to make some of these! Thank you to everyone who always wries me, supports me, and sends their love and greetings. I am doing great, and hopefully after Christmas I will get transferred to the south to get some good walking in and lose all this weight from Paneton. The other day we ate with our pancionista, and her son washed all the fruit for desert, and then said, "I even open up the banana, washed it whole, and sealed it back up." Hma. Addington
Another one of Hma. Guelet cooking up a storm and loving it. Also, view from Hma. Morocho"s 4 floor house, which me and the elders helped decorate for La Navidad.

Temple and Cookies

I went to the temple this week, and it was beautiful beyond belief. Me and Hma. Mendoza met up in San Juan where she is serving, and we got to see our converts from Chincha! Seriously, every single one that was baptized, Maria Torrealba, Juana And Diego, Dara, Fabiana and Hillary, and all of my other families were there! (Except for Emma, but I still got to see a picture of her.)

 It was one of the best experiences of my life. I literally felt like I was in heaven, because I found out that they were all staying worthy to enter the temple, and at least do their baptisms for their families. This must be how Heavenly Father must feel when every single one of his children dies and returns to him in the celestial kingdom. /Alma 40: 11&12) 

And I was even more motivated to return to my area and find people to teach with Hma. Guelet. We saw a huge mountain of investigators (well, 6) and less actives in church, and I know that was another present God gave us for working our butts off. Really, the mission is hard a lot of the time, because we walk all day, trying to find people who will receive us, plus we have to grow like 6 years in a year and a half, but the payoff is even more great. Its like Dickens says, " It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I know that a lot of ya"ll are probably experiencing your worst of times right now, but just keep going, there is light at the end of the tunnel. (Mosiah 7:33& Ether 4:19) 


Keep on truckin! 
P.S. Thank you so much to the lovely ladies in the trailside ward for sending me my lil box of sunshine this week! I literally almost peed my pants to find those limon heads. 


And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY AND ENGAGEMENT, SEAN! 
You beautiful fox you, have a great day, and tell Ezekiel I willl be watching him very closely from Peru. 
Hma. Guelet sends her felicitaciones, a fellow Argentina to another. 


Hermana Bana Addington

Pretty much every other pic in here is explanatory, because the temple is beautiful. But the last 2 have stories; Our weekly planning session is called Plan Somos Uno (We are one) and Hma. Mendoza in her apartment in San Juan has Plan Somos Figuras, rules so she can lose weight before finishing her mission. (I think she is bodacious, but whatever.) But after reading this, I decided to eat a really good fattening Peruvian cookie;)

SOY SOLTERA

I have come across alot of emails from my family, friends, and other youngins that ask me why I decided to serve a mission. I really cannot describe it all at once, but I will begin to share what I learned. Alot of people have fear about serving, knowing if they have the guts to do it, or if they should stay in college or in their jobsand continue on until they feel ready. 


Everyone has different lives, different situations that they are dealing with, and have to take in account if they really could serve missions or not. But for me the decision to serve came from a mountain of experiences. I reas Mosiah 28;3, 1 cor. 13:11&12, and Alma 26.I went out and taught with the sister missionaries. I prayed every single day for an answer, I heard testionies in church. I read my patriarchal blessing, and I looked for ways I could serve. and then I realized that I had already made my decision, my want to help other people had exceeded my fear of not knowin the language, or finding my way around, or having a different companion every 3 or 4 months.   
The mission really is something that helps you grow, because you learn to become like the Savior, constantly putting others before yourself. But you do not have to have a badge to say you are a missionary. Christ never had a badge, but he had a heart, and soul. We do things every day in his name, and hope that other people will follow. 
 
Now is the time to do difficult and hard things. Now is the time to try to plan on things we never even thought we could handle before.You do hard things, you are a strong person, serving a mission or not. 
Sorry, do not have more time to be funnier, I have to leave, but I hope somebody reads this and likes it!
Hermana Addington

Btdubs, I am moving in with Hma. Guelet in Argentina after my mission, because she is a cooking muse. I am also going to personally make the pics of Elba, Stephanie (the one who won"t smile) and Fernanda (smallest one) my future screensavers. Geez, they are so cute and hyper. Fernanda"s shirt says "Soy soltera, y hago lo que quiero." (I am single, and I do what I want.) 
The cow I drew is a dancing fool. 

Do ya"ll remember that song that Marachi had to learn in Milam for the magnet show, De Colores? Good song. Me and Hma. Guelet did service this week, aka helping a mama distracting her kids with colors so that she could take a long deserved nap. I felt pretty sweaty, but I did a good deed. And drew a good cow, if I say so for myself.