First Baptisms!!

 Mosiah 12:21 should read ¨How horribly caloused, dry, white, and desperately in need of a major pedicure upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.¨Seriously people, I caught my first glimpse of my leg yesterday. Can we say hideous? It´s okay though because I´m not called to be a leg model, I´m called to preach. Great great week. People, anyone can send me an email. We print them off before we go into Osorno and read them in the taxi. Entonces, Redding emails takes no time away from my emailing time. I haven´t gotten any dear elders here…so maybe that isn´t the way to go. So email away! I can only, however, write one email a week (to the fam) so you´ll have to wait for my responses. Done Sean and Blob, I need your addresses to send you your letters!
> Okay, mom, nix what I said about the Package. I got my first one last Tuesday during district meeting. Halleluja! Happiest day of my life! Can we say Reese´s Puffs. Wow, you are the best. Thank you thank you thank you! Birthdays!!! A big happy birthday to Butter Slice who turns 20 today, a big shout out to Blob hte big 24 holy shrapnel, and to my uncle Jonny B! Feliz Cumpleanos!
> Dad, all Business is taken care of. Seriously. Thank you.
> Zabet: January 2nd! Do you not remember that if you marry before year end you can file with Flamm and reap the lucrative tax benefits of filing a Joint tax return???!!!
> Best news first...first baptisms this weekend! Victoria and her daughter Deisy. All completely due to the loving patience of my comp, but it was so wonderful to see people enter the gate. We had such a sweet experience. I´m excited for the opportunity to be here helping these people. After all is said and done, my favorite part of every single day is sitting in the tiny houses of these people and sharing my testimony with them. Easily the best. 
> Now for more secular things.
> I have noticed recently the physical Chilean equivalent of just about everyone I know. Grandma Cynthia, Bonnie Winterton, Hilary Holland, and Tanna Fox you all have identical Chilean twins here. I´ll keep you all posted on who I see next.
> Cultural note. I know I write about how fast they talk here every time I write, but I don´t think you understand! They talk as fast as they can until they run out of breath, and then they actually continue saying words while they are breathing in! I don´t know honestly how they do it. I tried and just started choking. These Chileans LOVE to talk.
> Cute anecdote: I forgot to write about this my first email. My first day with Hna. Alvarez was awesome! My favorite part was seeing my very first contact...I basically ran at these people with my arm outstretched to greet (and subsequently baptize) them. Hna. grabben me by the arm and whispered ¨tranquila¨. It was awesome. She said it happens with all the greenies their first time. It´s become a running joke between us and whenever I get too excited or frustrated she just says tranquila and everything is better!
> Embarrasing anecdote: Last email I said we run everywhere. I really mean we are scooting all over the place! Last week, we were running to our casa to make it in time for curfew and I tripped, scuttled about trying to catch myself, and totally fell while sliding to the ground. Doing this in a skirt makes is way more embarasing too. Luckily, the only spectators were my comp and a pack of dogs that ran at me as soon as I hit the ground. I´ve only fallen over one other time... it was in the house and I was wearing my sleeping bag at the time and my arms were inside the mummy bag so I had no way to catch myself as I slid across the wood floor and hit the bed.
> Oh yeah! This weekend was Halloween. Contacts were awesome because we bought a big bag of candy and yelled ¨tenemos dulces¨. All the kids (and their parents ha ha ha!) came running. For my Halloween present, the first counselor of the bishopric gave me my first speaking assignment on November 8th. Someone pray for me!
> Mom, I don´t know how you want me to do the newsletter. I´ll write something specific next week, but it´s going to be way short. If you could just cut and past stuff from my letters, that would rock. Love you!
> Shout outs. Jamesy! Good luck tomorrow in your interview. I´ll be praying for you and know you´ll be just fine. You are an amazing artist and characture and I know you are exactly what Pixar needs--don´t be nervous! Andy, thank you for the email. I died when I read the sleeping bag part...you were right all along. Mikey, thanks for the letter. I loved it and am so happy to hear all is well with little baby and wifey. Halsy, good letter! It´s about time. I absolutely LOVE and Adore you. Thanks for YOUR example of missionary work. I need you to send me your address so I can write to you! Love you all!
> Explanation of the pictures:
> we painted the home of members who just moved into our area. It´s me and Hna. Aguilar (she has 1 more cambio in the mission) who´s from El Salvador. NO one here can say my name correctly...they pronouce it ¨BERN¨. but that´s okay. The second is Victoria and Deisy. Hno. Chaipul baptised them. He is such an incredible example of service. Last night, after bishopric meeting, instead of going home to his family, he was out till 10 pm visiting menos activos and giving a blessing to one of our investigators and walking all over the place. His mission meant everything to him and he works so hard (I think he is a janitor at the beach) for his family and for the church. Such an incredible example of joy in the gospel. I think he´s punching Hna. Alvarez in the picture...he´s hilarious. The baptism was such a sweet experience. I love how the Chileans smile all the time except in pictures. Deisy and Victoria were glowing all day, but the picture doesn´t show it! Well, my time is coming to a close family. I love you all. Thank you for your letters, prayers, support, and emails. I think only the RMs understand how much it means! I understand now. Thank you thank you thank you.
> I just realized that my letters probably sound really secular. I just don´t have anyone to tell my hilarious experiences to except you guys. I love the mission. I love thinking about nothing but bringing others to Christ. I love sharing my testimony, I love serving, I love in infinite simplicity and mercy of the Gospel. I love studying and understanding the scriptures with a capacity beyond my own. I love feeling constant peace and warmth in my heart from the Spirit. I love my Savior, I love God, and I love His plan. It´s perfect, and in it, we can be perfect too. Joseph Smith was a prophet. Thomas S. Monson IS a prophet. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. How lucky are we to have pure truth, pure reality, and pure assurance that our lives, accomplishments, families, and deeds, are in the right direction and MEAN something. Thank you for your examples to me--you are all incredible. Love you!
> Hna Bourne
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