Una Semana Hermosa

I just have to let you know I loved your letters this week. I am so excited to write you all and tell you about the great, great week that just happened. I know the Lord loves me. He has blessed us so very much this week.

Well, as you know, we had Elder Scott come and talk to us. It was a 6 hour conference...it felt like 30 min. It was so great. He is hilarious, by the way. I know that you all would be looking at the picture on the blog, so when we lined up for the picture, I made sure I got to stand in the middle....my height really helped too (thanks, momma). It was so neat. We got to shake his hand and talk to him for a little bit. And then we had a 20 minute break during the middle, and during it I noticed that he was just sitting on the stage by himself, while all the missionaries were talking amongst themselves and what not. I grabbed Hna Kelley, and I told her, "An apostle of God should not be sitting by himself talking to no one." So we went up there and we welcomed him to Chile and we thanked him for coming, and he talked to us about how special it is that we are sister missionaries. He said that there is no better place to prepare for being a mother and wife. It was so neat to talk to him for a little bit. He´s so, so nice. He was telling us that his wife served a mission, and he said she always told him it was the best thing she ever did. Not really mentioning the fact that she married him :) It was a very great special day.

READY......THE VERY BEST PART OF THE WEEK: KAREN GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes that´s right, we had our first baptism! It was such a testimony to me that the Lord´s hand is so very much in our lives. Karen was prepared before we met her to hear and receive this world changing message. She latched on to it, even when it didn´t make sense to her, and I am telling you there was such a great change in her after it happened. I could literally tell that she was a different person. She was so happy. She´s a happy person anyway, but I am telling you she was SO happy. Gosh. I really can´t do this justice in an email. It was just so powerful. Also, her mom was there--who has been menos activa for most of her grown life, but she was there and she was crying. Before she left, she pulled Karen, and us aside and asked to say a prayer with us. We were all in the chapel standing in a circle (holding hands...some people like to do that here) and her mom thanked our Father in Heaven for letting us find her daughter and showing her this path of happiness. She prayed for the work, and she prayed that Karen would seguir adelante en este camino and that she would maintain her heart clean and pure like it is right now. It was so neat to hear her mom pray and remember how she felt many, many years ago when she was baptized. We are going to work hard with her family to help them come back to church.

I gave Karen my red skirt to use for her baptism and to wear to Church (she hates the fact that she has to wear a skirt). But I am telling you she looked just like a missionary. We even put our name tags on her just to make sure it fit right. She really could be a missionary...and a very excellent one. We are going to tell her to pray about it. She´s kind of dropped hints that she has been thinking about it. She´s 20 years old, but she has been going to tons of citas with us just because she wants to learn more and more. We told her now that she is baptized, we are going to teach her how to teach little parts of the lessons so that she can practice "just in case you should decide to go on a mission" :) She just smiles at us. I would love to see her serve. I think part of her really wants to. Whenever we slip it into the conversation, she just smiles. She so, so great. I am really going to have a hard time saying goodbye to her. She really wants to go to the temple. Gosh, she´s just so perfect. It´s so great. I just love her so much. It was neat, yesterday we went to a cita with her and without us even asking, she just started teaching and explaining things, and then she´d turn to us and say, "Cierto?" It was fun. She´s so great.

Side note: also this week I might have gone swimming...it wasn´t my fault. There was the worst storm that I have ever seen in Ancud, and we had to walk along Costanera to a cita (the street that is right next to the ocean.) and the waves were so big that they were splashing up over the wall onto the sidewalk that we had to walk on...we got a little soaked that day. But now I can say that I have been surfing. :) It was pretty funny. I am sure that anyone that drove past just thought to themselves, "Man those missionaries, they must get paid a lot to work in conditions like this." It was pretty funny. I took a video of it, I´ll have to send it to you or show you when I get home. Funny stuff.


Well, I love you all so very much. Thank you to infinity for all your love and support. I really couldn´t do this without you all. Thank you for being such a blessing in my life. Tell the brothers that I love them so very much. I miss you all. I pray for you all often. Mom and Dad: you are so so, so wonderful. I can´t express how much I love you both. Gracias por todo que han heco en mi vida. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!



Les AMO,

Hermana Bertagnole


P:S. oh answers to questions: It is hard learning Spanish with a gringa. :)