Last Week in the CCM

Wow, I can't believe how fast time flies here. 

I am working on my last  week here at the CCM. I am sad to be leaving my district and the amazing people that I have met here at the CCM, but at the same time I am so excited to go to El Campo. I want to work so hard and be the best missionary I can be. I am realizing how little time I have to serve the Lord, I am already down to 17 months. In comparison to all the life I will live, 17 months is nothing. Being in Chile has already changed me. 

So today for Pday, we went to McDonalds to get ice cream as a district with Hno. Figueroa and one of the teachers who has become one of my really good friends, Hna. Alfaro. Both of them had the day off of work today and both of them decided to come to the CCM to spend time with us on our last pday. It was so fun. They are both so funny and nice. 

So there's a tradition in Chile that all of the freshman starting college have to go through this initiation where people throw all sorts of garbage and fish and paint on them. They rip their clothes and then take their stuff. And then all of the college kids have to beg on the street for money so they can buy their stuff back. So we had lots of stinky, dirty college students asking us for money today. Hna. Alfaro told me that I should be talking to them about the gospel. So, a boy and a girl came up to me and asked me for money and I said, "I don't have money, but I have a gift for you." And I started talking about the restoration of the gospel with a pamphlet. A minute in, the boy said oh I'm christian too and took the pamphlet and walked away. It was super funny. I hope he actually reads the pamphlet! 

For my BYU friends, I ran into Cole Anderson on Monday on the temple grounds! When I saw him, I was so confused. I at first thought I was just imagining things and then he got closer and I thought it was Hunter, but it was Cole! He didn't get his visa so he was sent to Santiago Sur. It was so great to see him! I thought about how we threw those ice cream cones at that window together and thought about how different things are now. It's so funny how much a mission changes you.

Living at Alcantara has been so great! The Gilberts are the greatest people and they feel like our mom and dad at the ccm. Today during exercise time they filled up a bunch of water balloons and we played water balloon volleyball and it was so fun! I admire and am so grateful for how hard they work for us. We can truly feel the love they have for us. They were so happy to see all of us having fun and laughing. 

I hope all is going well at home! I want to hear from all of you! Love you guys!