Family!!

WOW a lot has been happening here. This week was really, really hard. I´ve been taken from my sweet home of Miramar and I am now in Troncal, Quillota.  I have not cried yet in this area but my heart aches of not being with my investigators or with my branch family in Miramar. I wasn’t moved with my daughter and I´m now moving on to my 6th companion. It´s so hard to switch companions every 6 weeks. I get soo close to my companions and then I have to start all over again with a new one. 

On Monday morning we got Hermana Nichols, who´s companion finished her mission, she was with us for about 2 days or so. We had a great time together and we worked really hard. We went to see Hernan who is still struggling with smoking but we set a goal to keep working with him on getting rid of the habit. I told my companion to send me pictures when he is baptized in 2 weeks. I´m so sad that I can’t be there but I know that being there is not the thing that is important. I´m so proud of the work that I did there in that branch because I feel that I gave it my all and that I really was an instrument there in changing lives. Even if it was not in the way of baptisms, I know that there were lives that were changed for the better. 

We went to see some of the members to say goodbye and get pictures because I had the feeling that I would be leaving.  I wanted to make sure that I had some of them before I left.  A lot of them were not home and that was a bummer but when I talked with President Gallegos he told us that we will never forget the branch there or the members and then told me that in the end of my mission his house is open for me to come and visit as well as after my mission when I come back to visit.  He told me that his house is my house. That meant a lot to me and I really do miss the love that was there. 

We got changed and my new companion is Hermana Comán. She is from Argentina and is really great. She just finished her training and so this is our first time leaving earlier because we don’t have the same amount of time to study anymore. It´s been good, but she also doesn’t know where she is going in the area and has a lot of concerns about areas that are dangerous or dogs that she says will bite you. I keep trying to explain to her what to do with the dogs but there are a few things that seem to be a little problem that we need to work out.  We have a lot of work to do together to get used to how the other teaches so we will be working more on that this week. 

This area is so pretty. I feel so close to home here because it´s a big town but feels small.  We are also really close to the mountains that surround us. I´m so blessed to be here because I know that this change would have been really, really hard if I didn’t have a little something to comfort me (the mountains). I´m always looking at the mountains and admiring them because it´s been about 6 months since I´ve been close to the mountains. This area is all flat, so I won’t be walking hills anymore. But it’s green and pretty hot here. 

The people here are really nice and welcoming. They seem to have a lot of time so we find a lot of contacts each day.  We have not had any real success with finding new investigators. I feel the love of the Savior so strongly here, I have this peace with me all the time. 

Mom thanks for the part of Landon’s letter! He is such an amazing missionary, I just know it! I´m so proud of all of you with the healthy eating! That is so awesome! but I’m kinda still wanting to come home to a puff daddy, it might freak me out to come home to a skinny daddy.  Well family please keep me in your prayers. We really need some major help here and we need miracles. I love you all so much and I´m so happy to be here. I did a little self evaluation of who I was before the mission and who I am now, and I can honestly say I’m not the same person. I´m different now, but it´s in the way the Lord wants. I´m changing into the person He wants me to be and that brings me so much joy. 

Well fam, until next week!!

con amor,

Hermana Tycksen