La hermanita speaks!

La hermanita calls home just two days out of the year: Christmas and Mother's Day. So you can probably imagine our excitement as we anticipated Christmas morning. We each took turns talking to her, and it was so wonderful to hear her voice!

I apologize for the above photo; la hermanita has been having trouble sending me photos. This one was mailed to my mother, scanned, and then emailed to me.

So why just twice a year? Well, as you can imagine, it's pretty easy to get home sick when you're on a mission, thousands of miles away, etc. So it's pretty standard that missionaries only call home twice a year, to keep them focused. When I was in Argentina I was most homesick during Christmas time anyway, so I thought it was the perfect time to call home (plus it's obviously Christmas day).

So my sis is doing well, and struggling at the same time. She's been working hard, which she says really helps her to be focused. She gets discouraged at times because she feels the responsibility she has to share the gospel of Jesus Christ very strongly, and is afraid she may not be able to measure up. She often feels as though she's not doing enough. She's very hard on herself at times. Each of the letters I write to her include a you can do it part, because she needs it. However, she's always very positive, as well, because she has faith and knows the Lord is with her.

Here's an excerpt from her last letter:

"We found people to teach on Christmas. It was a good, nice day. Christmas was nothing what I thought it would be. I was ready to be sad and stuff, but it didn't really happen.

Changes happened today. I have a new companion. Her name is Hermana Knight. She is from Utah. She seems great. We are in my sector, so I get to show her around, which I am a little nervous about. My (last) companion, Hermana Alegre, and Hermana Talbot, my companion from the MTC, are companions now. Small world! I am excited for a change, but I am scared to have a new companion, a new way of doing things. I know that I just need to trust in the Lord and what he wants."

On a side note, I've been reading a book about Christ and His atonement. I read it years ago before my mission, and it is amazing! It's been a very special thing for me to read during Christmastime especially, and it's addressed so many of la hermanita's concerns in her letters. I know the Lord is helping me to help her at this time in her life, and I'm so grateful for that.