Hermana Hess en Chile: I'm Never Having Daughters

hola familia!

I don’t know what to say in this email.

The only thing that I know is that Padre Celestial loves us. He will never abandon us and will always been there to help us when we so desperately need it.

It sounds like you as well as I have had a pretty crummy week... I’m praying for the Blackledge family. I am so sorry. Mom, reading your email brought up all the old emotions of when we found out that Russell died and the memories of the funeral. I started crying but luckily we were able to go out hiking and we found a cool private beach. Sitting there with nothing but the sounds of the ocean and the birds and feeling the sun on my face helped to heal old wounds that never heal.

We have all had a very stressful week, and maybe right now we can’t fix the outcome or we don’t know how, but that is what I love about this gospel. No matter what happens, we have the hope that in the end, EVERYTHING will be made right. EVERYONE that was obedient and faithful will be happy eternally.

I know that Padre Celestial lives and oh how He loves us. He sent His Son even Jesus the Christ to come and walk in the exact outline of every single footstep. This week He has carried me and my compañera. Are you asking Him to do the same for you? It’s free. And it’s the only way that you can overcome this. All He asks is that we ask in faith and obey His commandments. Such a small price for a gran Alivio (great relief). I love Him and am so eternally grateful that He allowed me to be born into a family that also has faith and that He permitted me to come here to Chile, to try my failing best so that I might bring one or two souls unto Him, knowing far well that I would be the one to experience the greatest change.

there is always beauty when you look for it!

I’m going to start with the bad news and end on the good news because that’s how I get myself out of a slump. I allow myself a 5 second pity party and then look at all the blessings and wonders around me.

As the title says, “I’m never having daughters.” Someone before my mission told me that there are sisters and then there are blisters. We had to deal with 6 blisters this week. You ready for this rant???

Okay first off, for all of you that are going on the mission, realize that YOU are PROMISING to GOD that you are going to be OBEDIENTE and follow the mission rules. I do not understand why people go on missions and then are super disobedient. It makes me so mad because you are not only spiritually killing yourself, but you are killing your sector and making you companion suffer, you’re wasting the hermana lideres (leaders) and president’s time. You, yourself, covenanted with God that you would be obedient. Stop wasting the Lord’s time and go to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So that just about sums up my week... calling and dealing with very disobediente hermanas. But it was really interesting because we both got a blessing from one of the hermanos in our ward who is awesome. In my blessing he said that the Lord put me here so that I can better develop my leadership skills and learn how to correct people with love.

This is the first time in my mission that I have had to tell a missionary directly to stop doing something or there will be severe consequences. It was intense....

On a happier note... presidente put hermanas on the island of Chiloe!!!

There had been hermanas there about a year ago but they got taken off because it got really dangerous because of prostitution at night and witchcraft. But now things have mellowed out a little bit and he got the revelation to put a companionship back on.

We are now the hna lideres of those sisters so this Tuesday we went to visit them! It was so fun! We had to take an hour bus ride, then we got on a huge boat, while still in the bus. We were able to leave the bus and take pictures. The boat ride was about 45 minutes long and then another 3 hours in bus.

It was sooo cool! We saw about 8 penguins swimming while we were on the boat!! And there were a lot of sea lions. The island was really pretty. And the hermanas are super boss there.

On the way back home, I got really sick and almost threw up... we got home all happy and excited and then the phone calls started coming and the paragraph above sums up what we did for the rest of the week.

We needed a de-stressor this p day so we did what de-stresses us, starting with my companion: there is an hermana in our ward that does facials and pedicures. She did our for free. I got my eyebrows waxed for the first time. It didn’t hurt as bad as I thought it would. Then we got our feet done.

Soooo... when I was in Punta Arenas, my big toe started hurting really bad out of the blue. I wasn’t sure what it was but pressed on. Then about a week later there was a patch of something the color of rust under my toenail. I thought that maybe I had slapped my toenail at night because it felt bruised and this was a bruised toe nail.

With time, my toe nail then started turning green and dead. I thought it was normal part of getting a bruised toenail. Apparently it isn’t.... I have a fungus growing under my toe and now it is starting to grow under 2 more toenails.

Nice.

I have to start a 6 month treatment to kill the fungus and try and save the nail. I guess that’s what you get from walking around with wet humid feet for the past 15 months! Wow I cant believe have been out 15 months....

My comp was thoroughly de-stressed. Then it was my turn to destress and we went to another isla to go hiking with some elders. It was sooo much fun and it felt so nice to be away from everything. We found a hidden beach and I just sat there listening to the water and birds and smelling the salty air. It did me lots of good.