Week 20

Hey Hey!

How is everything going at home? I am sure that fathers day was fantastic.  So i guess i will just dive right in.

So last monday we thought that we were going to get free breakfast... but it just ended up being a sales pitch for a diet drink thing called herbalife... lame... and gross.  do they honestly think that poor missionaries can afford an expensive diet drink... haha dream on. 

i heard that elders can leave on their missions when they are 18?! wow.  is that true in utah too or just south america? 

Well dad.  you are right.  liquado is definitely popular down here.  it is a really good and simple banana shake that everyone drinks down here.  it is hackin delicious.  yum yum.  the members make it for us all of the time. I drank it all during my childhood, and now i am still drinking it.  it is just so fantastic. 

We had a training meeting, so my comp went there, and i got to spend the day with my old companions from the mtc.  it was so much fun!!  we visited some members and investigators in a different area.  it was a lot of fun talking to them.  especially because it was in english... haha

so the members fed us lunch yesterday... i have never seen so much food piled onto one plate in my entire life... ooooo.  man....  hahaha.  it took us like two hours to eat it all... ugh.  i never want to eat noodles again...  but it was really good.  i wish i would have taken a picture. 

So we had our baptism on saturday.  it was supposed to start at seven, but naturally it started 45 minutes late.  and my mission president and his wife came!! it was so great.  I gave my talk on baptism... i think it went okay... i said one word wrong i think but no one explained exactly what i accidently said... so... o well.  all three of them got baptized.  it was a little tough for daniela because she was afraid to go under the water.  but we got done.  after my comp and i sang a song... i dont think it was very pretty... haha, i am not much of a singer.  esta bien.  but then william got up to give his testimony.  he said that he had a dream about joseph smith and that he was reading the book of mormon with a bunch of people that he didnt know... he shook joseph´s hand and woke up.  he said that it was a sign from god that this church was true.  he was absolutely sure that joseph smith was a prophet and the book of mormon is the word of God.  it was so amazing.  the baptism went amazing. and the confirmation in church went just as well.  they were confirmed, and then i got to speak on missionary work.  it went okay.  i read a lot of quotes and stuff.  i dont if they understood me but it was okay.  i think it went well.  thank goodness... phew.  first talk in spanish... check.  done.  o man the meeting was so spiritual.  and now the ward has a new family to take care of.  my companion and i are so happy for them.

Haha! i dont think that this would ever happen in utah... so before church started... a dog found his way into the chapel... there are more dogs than people here in bolivia... they are all over the place.  so one of the dogs decided to do a few laps around the chapel, and all of the people were trying to chase it back onto the street.  i just couldnt help but laugh.  only in bolivia...

well i gotta go.  i hope that you enjoy the pictures.   and i hope that everything is going well.  i love you!!

Hermana Milne

Week 19

Hey!!

how is everything goin?  so i dont have alot of time, because this computer is so hackin slow. ugh.  o well.  i guess i will just dive right in.

Our bbq last week was totally lame.  it wasnt super great, and the elders just came and ate, and then left.  we had to buy and cook and do everything and it just didnt turn out amazing.  i guess i am used to the totally awesome bbqs in the united states... i dunno. sigh

so guess what? we have three baptisms this saturday night.  it is an entire family.  they are really great.  the dad has such a strong testimony.  their faith is so strong.  we are going to get everything ready for saturday.  i am so excited... except i have to give one of the talks at the baptism... and the president is going to be there maybe.  o man.... and then guess what??? i have to give a talk in sacrament meeting the next day! o boy, here we go.  needless to say. i am going to be doing some major preparing and praying this week.  holy cow.  pray for me and my language skills.

i am going to give another shoutout to my earplugs. they have saved my life (or sanity)  multiple times this week.  our neighbors have decided to blast their music late into the night. o man.  i might have gone crazy without my celestial earplugs.  so i am so grateful for the little things in life. you know?

so i finished the old testament this week! pretty crazy right?  it took me forever, but i am officially done with the bible.  wow, there are some good stories in the bible... and some really tedious parts also.... multiple times i asked myself if i was reading a different language or not. but the bible provides a lot of guidance.  it was ensured my testimony that the book of mormon is a second witness of jesus christ.  the book of mormon really clarifies what the bible is trying to teach.  .... now... the bible dictionary. ya!!

So there is a lot of beautiful vegetation here in cochambamba.  the climate is so mild, so there are a lot of cool plants and trees.. but the trees are so.... sneaky.  they have beautiful flowers on them, but they are really dangerous to a person like me.  the people do not trim the branches overhanging the sidewalks well enough for a 6 foot tall american missionary to pass safely... ugh.  yes you can have the mental image of me walking down the street and then getting a face full of leaves .  ugh dumb trees.  and yes it happens to me at least once or twice every... hackin,..... day.  there is one tree near our house that gets me every time. hahaha.  my companion thinks it is hilarious.  along with every other bolivian on the street... o hackin.  haha

well i hope that everyone is doing well.  i love you so much!! have a great week.

hermana milne

Week 18

Greetings!! 

How is everything going?? so it is June! i cant even believe it!! So it is supposedly winter right now, here in Bolilvia... but i dont feel it at all.  it gets a little cool in the mornings and evenings, but that is it. nothing a light jacket cant take care of... i dunno.  i am beginning to realize that reaaaaallly cold,  means about sixty degrees. haha.  they think i am crazy because i am not wearing a coat.  haha. o man i wish that they could see utah in feburary.  They think that i am going to get really sick if i dont start wearing a coat, but honestly, after running to make an appointment... i am sweating, not shivering.  haha.  o ya, so i am totally going to have a bolivian spanish accent... cool right?  Instead of rolling their tongues on double r´s  they just make the z sound.   so perro sounds like pezo.  interesting.  they just really like the z sound here.  it is a lot of fun to talk with the z and it is a lot easier for me.  haha score!! 

O man, so i read the Our Heritage book, in the missionary library.  it is a brief history of the church.  wow. it blew me out of the water.  It was so amazing, and i have recieved an even stronger testimony that this church is true.  there were some really amazing miracles during the restoration of the true church.  Wow.  I am so grateful to have so much time here to study the gospel and learn even more.  I sure hope that you are taking up my challenge and reading the book of mormon this summer!! i promise that you will recieve blessings and knowledge. 

Today we are having a BBQ with the zone.  and naturally the my companion and i are in charge of all of the food... what the hackin...  mental note.  take cooking class when i get home.  i dont know how to do anything.  But ya we have been running all over the place this morning trying to buy all of the food.  phew.  i hope that it turns out well.  bbq and soccer,  what else is there in life?

We have a baptism this saturday night!! ya.  Brayan is 15, and he is a really good kid.  he is so humble and he really loves his family.  We are finishing up the lessons with him.  His mom is so nice and is supporting his decision.  we weren´t sure if she was okay with it for awhile, but she came through and gave permission.  we are so excited.  He is a little shy and quiet, but he is a really deep thinker.  He really wants to learn more,  we brought a teenager member to one of the lessons,  and brayan told the member to be quiet and pay attention to our lesson.  haha awesome!! Brayan is just so super cool.  We are going to have our other investigators come to his baptism to check it out.    

we went to ward council yesterday.. and they started to talk about finances and some problems... and i didnt understand a word they said... crap.  i guess i have more to learn.  eh?

Funny fact,  everytime that i tell the members that i am from utah they always give the same reply.... O! you are from The Factory.   hmm. what is that supposed to mean? haha!  so ya, i just thought i should let you know that we need to change the name of utah to the factory.  because we ship out so many missionaries or something.  i dunno.   

well, i hope that everything is going super great!! i hope you enjoyed the pictures.  Enjoy the summer, and good luck with everything this week.   love you !!


Hermana Milne

Week 17

Hey Hey!

How is everyone doin?  So i am sending some more pictures. it took hackin forever to load so now i dont have much time.  ugh.  well I finally got my mail.  I would like to begin with a giant shoutout to everyone that sent me letters!! Mom, Dad, Aunt Julie, Grandma, and Danica.  you guys are the coolest.  i got six letters all at once.  my zone leader finally went to the mission office and picked up the mail.  so ya, pouch mail and normal mail works, it should take about three weeks. more or less to get here.  sweet sauce.

Well yesterday was mothers day ... here in bolivia.  so naturally everyone was visiting family, and no one wanted to talk to us.  our appointments fell through and we were just lost and alone yesterday.  hahaha.  esta bien.  i was able to study and write some letters.  but something crazy happened.  we had lunch with a family yesterday, and they had the cutest dog.  it was a cockerspaniel. the same type of dog that i had when i was a kid.  and so i asked what her name was... her name is Nena.   wowowo! that was my dog´s name..... so ya, i played with a cockerspaniel named nena.  same name, same type of dog... cool. 

we have three baptisms scheduled in the next two weeks.  brayan is scheduled for the 9th of june, and william and leticia are scheduled for the 16th of June.  it is going to be amazing. they are super great investigators and they are so ready to receive the gospel, 

i have realized that i cannot understand people from Chile.  they talk like three times faster than everyone else. o my hackin.  the elders from chile are sooo hard to understand.  ppl from chile and argentina talk a lot faster than everyone else.. ugh  patience. ahha

so there is a new culture difference i have discovered.  shrugging your shoulders means for americans... i dont know.... but for latinos it means... i dont care at all.  haha.  woops.  my companion let me know the difference.  haha sorry!!

we went to an appointment. it was a first contact because they were a reference from a member.  so they let us into the house and then.... ya we walked right in during a funeral.  their uncle had died and there were like 30 ppl just sitting there... awkward.. their faces just said... what the hackin is that blonde girl doing here?? o welll needless to say we rescheduled. 

okay well i have got to go. i hope that you enjoy the pictures. they are from bolivia and peru if you are confused.  thanks for all of the emails and letters. they are so awesome.   i love you!!

hermana milne

(Here are some pictures.  Some of them are from peru, and the others are from here in cochabamba.  I have pictures of both temples.  they are sooo beautiful.  I hope that you enjoy them!!)

Week 15

Hello hello hello.

How is everything going?  So we had transfers yesterday.  And i am staying here in Jaihuayco! I have one more transfer with my trainer, and then I dont know where i will go next.  It is crazy that our entire zone is going to change this week. 

O my goodness, i need to write this before i forget.  So my mission president has challenged the entire mission read the book of mormon in 90 days.  He has also invited our families to read the book of mormon this summer as well.  So if you want to be cool like me and read the entire book of mormon this summer. then ya your awesome.  it is about 8 pages a day for the spanish version of the BOM.  i am not sure about english.  someone can do the math for you guys.  i hope that you guys can do this with me.  of course i am reading in spanish, but you dont have to do that.  hahaha.  so ya this is your summer challenge.

This week was .... interesting.  I was a little sick, but i have medicine.  But the worse part is that i am on a white diet right now.  all i have eaten for like three days is crackers and plain chicken and white rice.... bleeegghhh.  white diet is not very good.  but then again i dont have much of an appetite anyways.  My comp got shin splints, and a part of her front tooth fell off on sunday... ahhh.  we did an emergency trip to the dentist, so it is all good.  i would just like to thank my parents for forcing me to brush and floss my teeth, and that they paid for my dental care throughout my life.  and i would like to give a shout out to my dentist and orthodontist also.  i am beginning to realize how important all of that was.... haha.  thank youuuuuu.  so ya... my advice of the week is to please take care of your teeth, becuase i am witnessing the consequences if you dont.  ha. 

so i have two things that i have observed that drive me crazy with worry, even though they really dont matter.  i dont know, i guess this is my dramatic side coming out.  So every sunday i go through the same thing.  we have to kiss cheeks with all of the women as a greeting.  but the problem is when i wear hackin glasses.  ugh they are just in the way.  i am afraid that i am going to poke someones eye out with my glasses.  woops sorry!!!! sister.  i guess it doesnt sound as awkward when i just tell you about it. and also.  at church, i have to make sure that my hands are completely dry after we wash our hands.  because i know that the moment i leave the bathroom, i will be shaking hands and attacking peoples faces with my glasses. because everyone is in the hallway of the church.  and i always think it is so awkward to shake hands when your hand is wet.  ughhhh.  hahaha it really doesnt matter, but ya.  that is what goes through my mind.  i am giving you permission to judge and laugh at my ridiculous worries.  haha. 

We had such a crazy saturday.  we helped clean the church, because a less active member died.  we helped clean for the funeral.  and then we had to run to a birthday party for a moment, and then we ran to a baptismal service.  and then we ran to a wedding.  our investigators got a civil marriage this weekend. it was totally awesome.  so a tradition here is that the guests sew money to the clothes of the bride and groom.  pretty cool eh?  and also everytime they dance or recieve a gift, they put a handful of confetti on eachothers heads. ahahah. awesome.  the confetti was everywhere, but it was a lot of fun.  i was the only one who brought a camera, so i ended up being the photographer for the evening of festivities.  ... okay cool.  what a day!  it was a lot of fun.  

We have a baptism scheduled for the 9th of June. i am so hackin excited.  our investigators are just the best in the world.  we have been visiting a lot of members and less actives, and they are so helpful and welcoming. i am just so glad that we are staying here for six more weeks.  the members are finally getting to know us.  well i hope that everything is going well at home.  congrats aubrey, for getting the lifeguarding job.  awesome!! hopefully i will see my zone leader, and hopefully he went to the mission office to pick up our mail, and hopefully he will actually give me my mail this week. hahaha.  o man.  well i love you!! good luck this week. 

Hermana Milne 

Week 14

hey hey hey 

 

how are you?? well everything is going well here.  it was so great being able to talk to everyone yesterday.  it was so much fun and i had a blast.  i am so glad that it actually worked.  well, a few things happened this week.  o ya and i forgot to ask how lily was doin??  o man.  well, believe it or not i almost forgot that it was mothers day yesterday.  mothers day is the 27 in bolivia, so i assumed it was the same, until the last minute.  last monday i wrote an email super fast to the family... because the elders informed me that mothers day was this sunday in the united states... phew.  i am so glad that they said something.  i almost forgot. that would have been soooo bad.  

 

i had zone conference last week, so i got to have an interview with the president.  he is really cool.  i just listened and he really cares about all of the missionaries here.  i am so glad that he is our president.  well, my companion´s family never called her yesterday... craziness.  i think that something came up and they werent able to call.  i think that they are going to call next week though... much better.  she was pretty bummed about it, but she is okay now.  o ya and guess what?!! my companion doesn´t know anything about harry potter.  o my gooodnesss.  i was humming the theme song and she asked what it was from.... what?? it completely blew my mind. 

 

well we are teaching this family that is so awesome.  they want to get baptized, but they cant come to church next week because they are getting married.  they invited us to the wedding. o man they are so nice.  we are also teaching a few other people.  brayan is 15 and he knows that the book of mormon is true.  his mom said that he needs to learn more before he accepts a baptismal date.  but he is progressing alot.  we also found a few girls that were taught by other missionaries before us.  they are so excited to see us when we contacted them in the street.  i hope that we will be able to teach them this week. 

 

we had family home evening with the family that we are teaching, and we watched the restoration video. they are really interested about getting married in the temple.  o man i cant even believe it.  but after we played the game telephone.  where you whisper something into someone´s ear and then they have to pass it on... are you hackin kidding me?  i cant even understand them when they repeat something to me a few times out loud. hahahah needless to say... i was the worst one.  and eventually they just skipped me, because i couldnt even play at all.  so now my goal in life is to be able to play the game telephone in spanish.  just watch.  next time i can call home i will know this language, and be able to understand everything.  i am just so grateful for the members that are helping us with our investigators.  we could not do all of this by ourselves.  well i have got to go.  i think that we might go and play volleyball after lunch.  good luck with everything this week.  i love you!

 

hermana milne

Week 13

Dear Family and Friends,

I have to brag about Janessa this one time while sending out her e-mail.  Janessa was selected to be the Valedictorian for her graduating class from S.U.U.  The President of the University selected her by her perfect 4.0 and the difficulty of the classes she took.  We went down to Cedar City to accept her award, it was awesome!!  The college she graduated in was Education and Human Development.  She wants to go to the U.Of U. when she gets home and get her degree in Physical Therapy.  At least that's the plan.

-Carolyn

hello hello hello.

 

   how are you doin?  how was the avengers movie??  o man i cant wait to watch it.  it is gonna be awesome.  okay so, once again... i had a crazy week.  so before i forget, no i havent received any of your letters yet. and i dont know if i will this week because we have zone conference tomorrow, instead of district meeting.  so ya.... o man!!! i guess this is just testing my patience right?  so thanks for the emails.  and it is good to know that i am officially graduated.  phew.

 

okay so i have been in the mission field for four ish weeks.  an hermana told me that i am allowed to be dramatic for the first month of my mission.  so i am going to take advantage of this opportunity and just be crazy.  o ya and by the way,.... dont worry. i will probably be dramatic for the rest of my mission. because it is way funnier than being normal right? 

 

so i barely avoided a catastrophe by like one inch.... i was drinking hot chocolate at my desk during breakfast.. it  was a good morning until .. boom. i spilled my hot chocolate all over the place!! it missed my new, beautiful scriptures by like 1 inch.... o my goodness.  ahhhhhh.  well it totally destroyed my agenda book, and it got at my language book... but o well. esta bien.  o my hackin.  that is one way to wake up in the morning.  phew.

 

An elder in my district is in the hospital.  his appendix burst.  o my goodness.  they said that it is a good thing that he came in when he did, or else he could have died.  the lord is protecting his missionaries.  we visited him in the hospital, and he said that he is going to be fine.  o my goodness i hope that i dont get sick.  but its okay he is going to be better really soon. 

 

we are teaching (reteaching) a inactive member named vanessa.  she was baptized when she was ten, but she said she has forgotten most of the principles of the gospel.  i am so excited for her.  she is full of questions, and she really wants to become active in the church again.  she visited the temple this week, and she wants to get her recommend.  she is so full of enthusiasm about the church.  haha i was surprised when she actually like studied the readings that we gave her.  wow! 

 

outside of our apartment, every weekend.  there are a few people that dance in the middle of the street.  it is so cool.  it is like the classic dances of bolivia!! i just want to go out and learn the dances.  so ya... that is what they do for fun on the weekends... thats cool... cooler than anything i ever did.  i so want to go and join them, but i cant right now... o well. esta bien.

 

so we had a lot of appointments set up this last week.... and you would not believe it.  every.... single... appointment ... fell through this week. no one was home.  what?! how often does that happen?  haha... we knocked doors... and found no one... there is a really strong catholic influence in this neighborhood.  unbelievable.  but no worries. we met with the bishopric on sunday and we are going to work with them this week.  the only people we actually met up with successfully was the members. ha.  o man.  we are going to ask for my references. 

 

o but guess what?  we were walking past this restaurant, and we started talking to this lady.  and then an old guy came up and started talking to us too.  i did not understand a single word that he said. and i dont think my companion understood him either.  he was missing some teeth,  and looked a little crazy.  but he was realllllyy funny.  so after he talked to us, he turned around and started talking to the cats that were sitting in the shade.  o man i just want to be that guy´s friend.  he was really funny.

 

hey! someone threw fruit at us this week.  crazy.  luckily, they missed.  o ya and they call me choca or chocita.  i dont know if it is an insult or just another name for gringa (american) 

 

okay so ya, we ate some bad chicken this week and i got another cold.  so we were out for the count on saturday,  but its okay.  we are doing alot better now.  o ya and our neighbors were moving out, so they had a party from midnight to six in the morning... ahhh o my goodness. what a crazy weekend. 

 

okay so ya, i have gotta go.  i hope that everything is going great.  good luck this week.

 

hermana milne.

Week 12

hey hey hey,

 

how are you?   so what has happened in the u.s. this week?  anything super exciting?  okay where to start....

 

may 1st is workers day in bolivia.  so naturally, the bolivian people take three days off of work. awesome.  i dont know how much i will be able to get done in the next 2 days, but whatever.  everything closes down. haha o well.  happy workers day everyone!

 

i found out that everyone gains weight in cochabamba... crap.  i refuse to accept that!  i wont.  ughhhh.  so ya, it has been really crazy in the last couple of days.  we have literally been running to our appointments.  but it has been really fun.  we have an investigator that had a sick baby.  we had the elders come to give him a blessing, but we waited for an hour and a half for her to come home.  but! it went really well.  i hope that she felt the spirit and her son gets better.  a lot of people seem to be sick right now.  because it is getting a little cooler.  so it was winter when i left utah, and now winter is just beginning in bolivia... o man!! but luckily, winter is not bad at all in cochabamba.  i really cant wait to know what the definition of reaaaally cold is here.  because so far.. i think that it has been great.   

 

i have discovered that shining my shoes is very relaxing.... just saying.  you should try it if you are stressed.  and my shoes looked awesome afterwards.  much much better than hand washing my laundry... blegghhhh.  ugh. i have to do that today. i am not looking forward to it.  but o well... i have to do it right? 

 

the stake had a talent show this week.  it was supposed to begin at six.... but it didnt start until like eight thirty. haha.  we had two investigators come to it. so it was really good.  and there was an awesome fireside on sunday.  the first three missionaries to come to bolivia and preach came and told stories and showed pictures.  one of those missionaries, just so happens to be my mission president.  and the other two are serving in the temple in cochabamba.  it was really interesting. 

 

the family that we are teaching came to church yesterday! it was awesome.  so we woke up and realized that our water wasnt going to be turned on in time for us to get ready, pick up our investigator, and go to church.  so we just skipped the whole showering thing and went to pick up daniela.  she was the only one that was going to come... because the rest of the family said that they needed wash their clothes.. but guess what? their water was off too... so all of them came to church.  yes!!! in your face satan. 

 

we had lunch with a family yesterday.  so i got a good piece of chicken breast in my soup, but the father got the chicken foot in his soup.... phew... i missed the chicken foot by one bowl.  yesss.  o ya and they have these really gross potato things here called chuño.  it is like dehydrated freezer burned black potatoes. ew.  i think i am going to avoid those from now on.  but no worries.  i am definitely over my dislike of tomatoes.  i have to eat them all of the time here.  but now i am used to them.  it is amazing what you will eat when you are hungry.  haha. 

 

we did some service on saturday for daniela. we helped her clean her room.  she is going to be baptized on may 26.  i am so hackin excited she is so faithful and strong.  the rest of her family is taking the lessons too.  she just showed up to church one sunday and said that she wanted to learn more.  now we are teaching her and her family.  yesss. blessings!! 

 

the hunt.... my companion walked into the apartment and then all of a sudden she started to yell and grabbed the broom.  she then proceeds to try and tell me something, but i dont understand any of it.  and then she tips over a bookcase and spills the books everywhere.  i am just standing there wondering what the hackin is happening right now.  she has me move the bookcase and then tells me to run... haha okay.... well needless to say, there was a little scorpion under the bookcase. and she starts smashing it with the broom.  my companion is very persistent... haha.  i think that the scorpions in her country are really poisonous. so she was afraid of them.  the neighbor said that they arent super dangerous.  ahaha i bet that we were quite a sight to see. at that moment in time.  her smashing the scorpion.  me looking totally confused and a million pamphlets and books all over the floor. hahaha.  maybe you had to be there. 

 

well i have got to go.  thank you for the email.  i love hearing from ya.  good luck this week. 

 

hermana milne

Janessa's Pouch Address

Family & Friends,

Here's is Janessa's pouch address if you want to send her a one page letter.  It only costs one U.S. stamp, but you have to follow the following instructions for them to send it:

Lay the letter blank side down.  Fold the bottom of the letter about one third of the way up the page and crease.  Fold the top of the letter to the bottom of the first fold and crease.  Secure the long side with two pieces of tape about one inch in from each end, but do not seal the ends.  in the top left corner write your name and complete return address.  Affix a first class stamp in the top right corner.  In the middle write the missionary address as follows:

Janessa Milne
Bolivia Cochabamba Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City UT 84130-0150

From: Carolyn

Week 11

o my goodness... how is everything?? 

 

i have so much to tell and so little time to tell it.  if this email is completely fragmented... sorry.  how is good old utah? 

 

okay here it goes.

last pday, we played soccer, ate burritos, and went bowling. it was a lot of fun.... except the elders really dont talk to me.  english or spanish.... why? am i that scary?  i dunno. i guess i am going to have to force them to talk to me today. muahahahaha.   o yaand a member bought us some bolivian pizza. it is not the same, but it was still hackin delicious.  the food is actually really good here.  i really enjoy it.  yum yum.  i havent really run into anything that has been gross.  if i do... trust me... i will let you know.  but ya it has been good.  i handwashed my clothes.... boring and lame.  but ya i am sure i will get used to it.  it is the little things that i miss about the u.s.  today we are playing soccer again because none of us have money because it is the end of the month.  and then the hermanas have lunch with the mission presidents wife at the mission home. i am so hackin excited.  i got to go to the temple last week and the cochabamba temple is soooo beautiful.  and then i got to hang out with my old companion from the mtc. because hermana fuentes was in a training meeting.  it was a lot of fun..  but one of the hermanas from chile that came with me. got really sick.  she couldnt even function while she was here in bolivia.  and i just found out that she went home... o man i am sooo sad.  she was really amazing.  we dont know why she got sick... but ya.  ugh...

 

so i had to buy a backpack, so i dont look like a tourist.  so naturally that blew all of the money that i had for this month.  ugh....  my companion and i may or may not have borrowed some toilet paper from the church because we have no money left... haha.  i only got a portion of my budget this month because i was not here for the entire thirty days.  but have no fear.  the end of the month will soon be here.  my comp doesnt have any money because she had to go to the dentist this month.  so we are just living off of what we have.  it is a lot of fun. and i am now learning how to budget my money.  yesssss.  my companion is really good. this is her first time training so we are figuring things out together.  she is really patient with me.  she is pretty new to the area too. so we dont know anyone.  it is like we have had to start from scratch.  but we got a new ward  mission leader and he is ready to work.  he helped us come up with a plan, and he is really trying to get us more references.  we knocked doors all week. because we had to drop our two investigators because their mothers didnt want them to recieve the lessons.  that was a downer, we are tryng to find new people to teach. 

 

we found a family yesterday that has a lot of potential.  we taught them the restoration and they seemed really receptive.  i couldnt really add much, but we had a member there. so he helped my companion explain everything.  the father prayed at the end of the lesson, and it was so awesome.  i didnt understand all of it, but i could definitely feel the spirit.  so my area is pronounced hi- why- ko    by the way. hahaa.  the people are really good here.  it has been really good.  o ya and guess what. i had to intorduce myself and bear my testimony in sacrament yesterday.. .i think that it went well.... i dont know if they understood me.. but whatevs.  our ward is really cool. 

 

tell aubrey and artem good luck with everything. i hope that everything works out with cadets and lifeguarding.  o ya and valedictorian.  for realsies?? awesome.  thank you for emailing them back and saying i cant go to graduation.  hey i am just glad that i know for sure that i am graduated now... yesss.  well, i hope that everything is goin great.  i gotta go.  i love you so much!! good luck this week

 

hermana milne

Week 10

hey hey hey!!

 

how is everyone?   you would not believe what i have been through in the last five days.  holy cow, where do i start.  well i guess i havent written for two weeks. i will just start at the beginning.  easter wasnt that exciting.  all we did was eat a chocolate egg and watch a bunch of bible videos at the mtc in peru.  our last saturday in peru, my companion and i went tracting in lima.  we had a lot more success than when i was with hermana caicedo.  we taught a few lessons and got some references.  my companion, hermana moscoso is just the coolest in the world.  she knows english and spanish, she has been a member her entire life. and she is just so smart.  i hope we are companions again once i learn spanish.  we would rock!!  well anyways, i guess i need to get to the good stuff.

 

the flight there was so long.  we went to the airport early in the morning and flew for two hours to santa cruz, bolivia.  and then had a nine hour layover... so much fun... not.  but! i can officially say that i have been in the amazon.  because that is where santa cruz is at.  so then we had a 25 minute flight to cochabamba... it took us all day to fly for two and a half hours.  o boy.  we were taken to the temple, and they have a sweet hotel on temple grounds. so we got to stay there.  we didnt get there until like midnight. one of my suitcases got left behind in santa cruz. so we had to wait all day the next day to get it.  ugh. but we got to hang out at the presidents house for eight hours.  my president and his wife are so cool.  they have only been here for nine months. so they will be here for my entire mission.   

 

the climate here is totally perfect.  it is cool in the mornings, but then it is just perfect during the day. 

 

we woke up the next morning to finish up all of the paperwork for our permanent visas.  and then i met my trainer.  her name is hermana fuentes.  she is from argentina, and she has been out for nine months.  we are going to be companions for 3 months.  and the ward we are serving in is called Jaihuayco.  i dont know how to pronounce it either, dont worry.  she is from argentina and she is very proud of her country. that is all that she talks about. ahaha i dunno.  she still cant pronounce my name at all. she is a hard worker.  and we really have a language barrier problem... hopefully we will get over it soon.  this is her first time training so neither of us know what to do.  it is tough, but i cant imagine that first five days of any mission is easy.  o ya and she has no desire to workout in the mornings.... she would rather snooze a little bit.  so i am working out by myself in the apartment.  so ya. chelsea!! you should definitely send me those little workout lists, because i dont even know where to start. when i am trapped in my apartment. she has only been in the area for a month so both of us dont know the area or the members. it has been interesting.   

 

my apartment is really small. it is just me and my companion.  our toilet barely works some of the time. and we have no food in the house.  and if you touch the showerhead or handle on the shower... you get shocked.  i learned that one the hard way.  the electric coil heats up the water as it comes out of the shower head... ugh.  unpleasent.  o ya and sometimes they turn off our water.  hahaa.  that is always a pleasent suprise when you try to flush the toilet.  i am adjusting okay.  i think i need a few more days and it will be awesome.  o ya and guess what!!  i have to hand wash my clothes.... wow.  this is just going to be quite the experience. and then we hang dry them outside of our apartment.   

 

the food is really good. they like chicken, rice, pasta, and really randon natural teas and fake coffees.  bleh.  not my favorite. the almost coffee is the worst.  but everything else is good.  we actually have a cooking lady that makes all of our meals for us.  her name is carmen and she is a member of the ward.  she is so nice.  she cooks lunch and dinner for us, and we are on our own for breakfast.  but my companion doesnt eat breakfast, so i just have to starve until one o clock everyday.  so i dont know what to do.  they really dont have cereal or milk here... as far as i know... of course i dont know much at all. we arent allowed to eat pork, lettuce, strawberries.  we only really have eaten bananas and apples because they are easy to clean.  so i havent been able to try any cool fruit.-  

 

we study for four hours every morning.  1 hr personal. 2 hrs. companion. 1 hr. language.  my companion is supposed to be studying english but she just goes and lays down during my spanish study. then we go eat lunch, and then we tract or go to our appointments.  then we have dinner.  it gets dark at like seven thirty and there arent many streetlights in this part of town. so if we dont have an appointment. we have to go back to the apartment.  it is a little sketchy here. but it is fine during the day.  but there are a lot of barrachos around here.  they are kind of like these random drunk guys that wander the streets.  they usually cant even stand up.  but sometimes they yell at us.. i dont know what they are saying, so whatever.  one of them tried to talk to us and followed us into a store.  the store owners chased him off, and then we got to ride in a police car to try and find him... that was interesting.  that was one of the most interesting things that happened so far.  the people are so nice here.  they are patient and try to help me speak as much as i can.  we got to go to a primary activity on saturday and all of the primary kids in the stake did all of the different dances from the different countries.  they did an elvis song for the united states. it was so cute.  it reminded me of the dance recitals i had when i was a kid.  their costumes were totally cool and traditional.  it was fun to experience the culture a little bit more.  it is funny when they try to make me translate all of the songs into spanish.... haha then they realize that it is my third day in the mission field. and then they tell me that it will get better soon. yaaa..... sure.... ahaa the streets here arent very crowded and there is much organization to the city... i have never j walked so much in my life.... haha.  and most of the time we just walk down the middle of the street.

 

okay the mailing situation. they said that most of the mail gets here just fine.  all of the mail goes to the mission office first. so i am pretty sure that the address i gave you is right.  you can double check in my missionary packet.  they said it usually takes 2 to 3 weeks to get a letter.  so ya you should definitely write me a letter. ahaha. i reallly really hope they forward my mail from the peru mtc to here.. but i dunno if that will happen.  well i really hope that everything is going well at home.  i gotta go.. and i love you!!

 

hermana milne

Week 9

Hey,

so i made it to cochabamba. it is so beautiful here. the presidentand his wife are really nice. my companion is really nice. she isfrom argentina. hermana fuentes i love you so much!

hermana milne

Week 8

hey how are you??  thanks for the pictures!! they were amazing.  i know i say this every time but i dont have enough time.  but i just wanna say. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM  (yesterday)  you are the best mom in the world.  now i thought that i would send some pictures right back at you.  i am going to take more pictures today, so ya.  how is everything going??  how did  you like general conference?  i thought it was just so fantastic.  we got to watch it live... IN ENGLISH. o it was so amazing.  but it was hard to transfer back to spanish after two full days of blissful english.  we also got to watch the world report and stuff inbetween the conferences and i thought it was really interesting.  i just have tons of notes on it all and i cant wait to read them again.  

 

so mail is really rare here.  so my district decided to write letters to each other and put them in the mailbox.  it is so hackin fun.  i got a letter from the flash yesterday.  pretty cool right?  and elder murdock got a letter from harry potter.  can you tell that we have been in the mtc for nine weeks?  i dunno.  we are getting a little stir crazy, but it is alot of fun.  i just cant believe that i am leaving for bolivia in less than  a week.  ahhh.  i am so hackin excited.  

 

so i have discovered something delicious.  they have these banana chips things.  they are so amazing it is like salty dry bananas that somehow taste like potato chips.  best thing this wweek.  and we got to listen to the lord of the rings soundtrack this week.  it was totally awesome.  but now i am dying to watch lord of the rings again.  but ya anyways. enjoy the pictures.  there are some from provo and my old district.  and some of my old latina companeras.  and some of peru. and the three musketeers of course.  haha i hope you enjoy.  good luck this week. i love you!!

 

 

PS - here are some more pictures.  enjoy

 

i dont know when i will be able to email next. i leave next tuesday.  i hope that i will be able to email in bolivia, but we shall see.  o ya and these are my addresses i think...

 

letters...

hermana janessa milne

Bolivia Cochabamba Mission

Casilla de Correo 1375

Cochabamba, Cochabamba

Bolivia

 

packages...

Hermana janessa milne

Bolivia Cochabamba Mission

Edif. Confort Piso 7-C

Av. Villarroel 1132

Cochabamba, Cochabamba

Bolivia

 

love,

hermana milne

 

 

 

Week 7

hola everyone!! 

 

i am going to have to be really fast.  so i recieved two questions this week and i am going to answer them first so i dont forget.}

1.  all that we eat here is rice and meat and soup.  every hackin day.  we get a pile rice with a slab of meat on top.  i usually dont get the soup, because it is too much food.  you have to eat everything or else it is really rude... ugh.  the elders in my district complain all the time. ahahaha all they say is it is arros y carne every day. hahaha.  but it is really good actually.  it takes a couple weeks for our stomachs to get used to the food. but i am  used to it now. 

2.  also the time zone that i am in is the same as the east coast of the united states.  it is weird to think.  but i am right below florida and georgia right now.  i didnt realize that south america is shifted to the right on the maps.  i dont if that makes any sense. 

 

okay so ya anywaysss......

the tour was okay.  we got on a super nice bus and drove to the beach and took a couple pictures.  it was pretty, but i really wanted to see the palace.  but we werent able to go there, because there was a big demonstration there and there was so much traffic.... ugh.  so we just went to a cool black market  ish place to buy cheap soccer jerseys (that is the fad down here, but i didnt get one)  and then went and ate the best american pizza i have ever tasted.   pizza hut is the best!! yummmmm we got to go to the temple and then we played soccer under the lights on the turf field.  so we got new companions. and all the new latinos are super competitive, so they really dont let us play soccer anymore.  they wont pass the ball to us or anything.  it is totally lame now.... ugh whatever. 

 

i would just like to say that matte is gross, but this drink is really popular in bolivia... bleh.  okay i got that out of my system. 

 

my new companion is awesome.  i actually know stuff about her, because she speaks english.  she is a psychology major and she is super cool.  we have a lot of fun. we also have 22 girls on our floor and 3 showers.... needless to say.  it is battle royale in the bathroom like every hackin day.... and then our teachers yell at us for being five minutes late.  sorry! we really try hard to be there, but sometimes it just doesnt happen. 

 

so i had the scariest wakeup call of all time this week.  i dont shower in the morning so i just wake up at six thirty.  i sleep on the top bunk and one of the sisters suitcases is just above my head on a closet.  so i woke up just as my alarm clock started to go off.  and i opened my eyes and my clock fell on my face, because the sister was trying to get her suitcase off of the closet.  so i grab my clock and look up again, and i see a giant suitcase wobbling over the top of my face.  i jump like ten feet.  my companion thought that it was hilarious.  i guess it doesnt seem so scary now, but when i was half asleep and disoriented it was really scary.  but ya, i know that it was a really random story but whatever.  i choke under time constrictions. 

 

funniest moment this week... all of our latina companions were giving us etiquette lessons.  one of the sisters was trying to teach us how to hold our silverware correctly.  and we are all a little confused why, and we just started laughing.  i guess table manners are really important in ecuador.  haha woops.  they tell us we have bad accents too.  haha sorry! 

 

i finished the new testament this week and paul is like my hero now.  how come i didnt know that he was so cool?? o man. also, you should all read james chapter one.  i got so much out of the entire chapter. o man i am out of time.  enjoy general conference.  i feel like it is christmas.  i am just so excited for this weekend. yes!!!!  i love you

 

hermana milne 

Week 6

hola! 

how is everyone doin?   so has anything really exciting happened in the last week?  it has been so crazy here.  so i have officially come to the half way point in my peru mtc experience.  we just got a new batch of missionaries this morning.  there are more north americans and the other 150 latinos will trickle in all day.  it was weird being alone for the past 24 hours.  all of the latinos leave after three weeks and the americans remain... but!! we get to go on a tour of lima today. i am so hackin excited.  we get to see the beach and the palace in lima.  we might even see the changing of the guard. and the most exciting is that we get to go to pizza hut for lunch... yesssssss.  best day ever. i get to eat real food again.  i just cant wait to eat pizza.  so ya anyways.... we get to go to the temple in the afternoon, and then play soccer tonight under the lights on the turf field.  i am just pumped for today.  so ya i am going to be fast.

a ver.... so my latina companion left and it was really sad.  i just met my new companion and she is from ecuador also.  but she totally speaks english.  yesssss.  she is really nice, her name is hermana moscozo.  she is going to cochabamba too!! i hope that everything works out.  none of my other roommates are here yet.  but ya.  so ya i will tell you about my tour next week.  o ya and i took some amazing pictures, but i dont know how to get them on the computer. so ya... sorry.  i am technologically challenged.

we totally had a soccer showdown against the other north american district, because we had gym together.... we killed them.  hahaa it was so much fun.  we are playing them again tonight.  it is goin to be awesome.  i used my earplugs for the first time this week, and it was heaven on earth.  my companion didnt wake me up at 550 and i got to sleep in til 630.  i can honestly say i would never think i would be grateful to sleep in til 630.  pero whatever... its amazing.

  o ya!! and happy st patricks day.  the elders taught the latinos what it was, and so everyone was pinching each other all day long.  it was sooo funny. it was really sad when they left yesterday. it is amazing how close we can get when we have only known each other for three weeks.

  

 so everyone down here brushes their teeth after every meal... and now i am addicted to it too.  we all go into the bathroom and have a teeth cleaning party three times a day.  we think it is torture when we dont have time to brush our teeth now.... weird.  i am becoming a latina... all i have to do is learn a language and then i will fit right in...

so it was saturday again. and this time we went out proselyting in lima.  we just had to go knock on doors for four hours.  it was a good experience.  we were in a wealthier part of town. so we didnt get a ton of success,there were a lot of big gates around the houses.  but we talked to a lot of really nice people.  and i said more than five words this time.  thats good...  it was really sunny, but my companion and i just kept walking up and down the streets.  o ya and i got a coca cola, it was hackin delicious. 

o ya!!!! the most exciting thing happened!! my companions and i were planning a lesson on keeping the sabbath day holy and all of the sudden the ground started shaking.   it was an earthquake!!!!!wowowoowow  it lasted for like 30 seconds.  we were just so amazed and our desks were shaking and it took us awhile to figure out what it was.  it was just a mild earthquake, but it was totally cool.

so funny stuff that missionaries do for fun is match other missionaries with characters.  for example.  there is a kid who looks just like woody from toy story. i seriously just want to slap a cowboy hat on his head and scream. theres a snake in my boot.  and then run away.  he is woodys twin. and there is an elder who looks like captain america and of course we have the three amigos.  and i am rapunzel.  there is also an elder who looks just like clark kent.  so ya i know that it is totally random. but these are the things that keep us entertained.    haha o man. its true. you do get weird when you become a missionary.  or in my case... even weirder.

well i have got to go.  i hope that everything is going well back at home.  i love you guys so much, and im sorry that my emails usually dont make any sense.  have an amazing week.  love you!

Hermana Milne

Week 5

Hey hey hey!

how is it going in utah? is it still snowing? it is a little hotter here. but ya okay i wont talk about the weather anymore. so life in the mtc in peru goes like this.... all that i do everyday is study, read, learn grammar, attempt to teach in spanish, play soccer, shower and get ready frantically (sometimes i have time to do my hair.. sometimes i have like 10 minutes to get ready... we battle for showers) and also i try to communicate with my companion. Hermana caicedo is from ecuador. she was a nanny before she came here, so we call her mom. she keeps track of all of the hermanas in my room. it is a lot of fun. i can say that personal study is the best thing ever. i never really got into it before the mission, but i am telling you. i have recieved so much strength my personal study. in fact... guess what?! i am about to fininsh the book of mormon tomorrow. it took me two weeks to read it all of the way through. yesss. next i am going to start on the new testament and pearl of great price. i am so hackin excited.

you would not believe what i had to do last saturday. i had to go out and visit less active members in the streets of peru. it is soo so different here, there are a lot more locks barbwire, and bars and no one has any yards. weird.... most of the people on our list were not home. but it was hot and we got lost a couple of times. i am so grateful that my companion speaks the language. i have been humbled once again, because i didnt understand most of what the people were saying... o boy. there were stray dogs everywhere!! unbelievable. no animal control here. and we got the talk about rabies. so now i am officially afraid of all of these dogs. probably the biggest culture shock came from my companion. it is so simple, but it made me realize we were from different places. we bought some bottled water and drank it while we were walking... then my companion crumpled up the bottle and just threw it in the street!! i was just so confused by this.. i dont know why. i had to stop myself from yelling, litterer!!! wow it was weird.

we got a visit from a ward here at the mtc.. all of the young women wanted to talk to us, but we couldnt understand them. they just had this pitying look in their eyes. they would try to correct our spanish a lot. all who read this... please pray for the poor north americans at the mtc in peru. we really really need to learn spanish... and fast. but it was a lot of fun.. the young people of the church are so faithful here.

soccer is getting a little crazy. we had four minor injuries in one day. ankle, hamstring, nose, and foot. we need to calm it down a little bit. i dont know if i am getting much better, but o well.

i was reading the story about alma the younger, and it is so great. you should read that story this week. o ya and i just got back from the temple and i want to give all of you a challenge.... i want you to go to the temple once a month for the next 17 months. can you do that? it is so simple and doesnt take much time, but it will make all of the difference in your lives. so ya. that is what i want you to do. i am going to ask you if you went to the temple faithfully when i get home. i am giving you a commitment, just like all of my future investigators.

Thanks for the emails. they are so much fun to read. i get so excited every week to hear from you. i am out of time once again. so ya i learned a new phrase.... are you ready.

the church is true, the book is blue, and Jesus is a mormon

hahaa have a great week.

hermana milne

Week 4

hola!

how is everything going at home? my address is... i will give it to you before i forget.

hermana janessa milne

Centro de Capacitacion Missional

Melgarejo 159 La Molina

Peru

this email is going to be all over the place because i have even less time than when i was in provo.

so ya. hahaha where do i start? we just got back from the temple and it was beautiful... the bus ride was not as beautiful though.... it was so crazy and crowded. but luckily for me i was taller than everyone else on the bus. i was a head taller and my head touched the ceiling... there is no such thing as personal space here. hahaa.

today was a little warmer but it isnt as hot has it gets in utah. the weather is perfect everyday! it is so crazy. okay so ya. the mtc here is almost like the other mtc in provo. we workout and shower and then study study study. we are focusing a lot more on spanish here though... o ya because no one else speaks english. our teachers only know a little broken english, but we communicate well enough. i am pretty sure i only get about sixty percent of what is going on here... owelll. so my companion is latina. her name is hermana caicedo. she is from ecuador, and she talks really fast so i dont know anything else about her... woops. we are companions outside of class. but i am in the north american class, so i have american companions too. the same ones from provo. we are growing really close. it is hard to believe that we have known each other for less than a month.

most disappointing part.... they dont know how to play volleyball at all... no!!!!!!! o well. i knew it was too good to be true. so ya... they have a really nice turf soccer field here. needless to say, i am now slowly learning how to play soccer. why didnt i learn this skill before i came here. i have no skills and the latinos just laugh at us. one of my companions is going to teach me the basic soccer skills this week though. i am gonna be a pro when i get home. we have to play soccer five days a week here. but! we played north americans vs. latinos and we tied.... that has got to count for something.

it has been a blast talking with my companion. i think that i am picking up spanish so much better here. i am always surrounded by it. i am trying to teach lessons with hermana caicedo but i only have like five minutes worth of spanish vocabulary... and then she just takes over. ahahah. my latina room mates are now calling me rapunzel... i wonder why.... haha jk.

the food is okay here. it is different. and they have weird juices... the corn juice is the worst. the orange juice is the best. i honestly dont even know what the other juices are. o ya! and i have already accidently said my first swear word. i was trying to practice joseph smiths first vision and i mixed two words together... all of the latina hermanas froze and then started laughing. they said that the word i said was really bad.... sorryyyyy! i am not even sure exactly what i said. but mental note.... pronounce all the words in the first vision story..

gross moment. we cant chew on our fingernails or else we will get a parasite!!! wow. no way! that kind of scared me to death a little. at least i havent seen any huge bugs yet. and it was gross when i got a cold a couple days ago. it was the worst cold that i have had in quite a long time. thank you for dayquil, it is my salvation. the jet lag plus the cold was not fun. the president told me to clean out my nose. he said i have to breathe in water into me nose and then breath out. ugh is was like when i get water up my nose in the pool. but it helped a little.. unpleasant.

on the first day of the mtc. we had to introduce ourselves and bear our testimony in front of the entire zone in spanish. the latinos chuckled at our accents but it was really intense... i am pretty sure i dont even know exactly what i said... ugh ..... language will come.

the best part of the day..... Fruit time!!! at 845 every night we get to go to the cafeteria and eat fruit... it is the best thing ever! it is what i look forward to every single day. the fruit is really good, and sometimes we get ice cream. it is all that we talk about here.

i love you all!! o ya and i can only send letters if i have american stamps.... i dont have any. so if you send a letter... send stamps too. because i wont be able to mail any letters before then. i am out of time. i love you

Hermana Milne

p.s. funny random english phrases that the latino elders know

im the best in the world

are you talking to me??

pokemon, i choose you

sometimes they will just scream I LOVE!!! to the american elders, they always forget the you at the end. they are so funny to talk to.