We are officially survivors!

Humor happens just gotta see it! One adventure after another. If my mission were a t.v. show it would get some pretty high ratings I think. With Hna. Marchant, its even better. I swear we have been friends since the pre-exsistence because we can already read eachothers minds. I love to laugh and im laughing alot with my new greeny. Shes such a doll. and is so very entertaining to me because shes so worried about a few bug bites she has on her ankle and worried about getting dirt on her skirt and she makes me laugh. So we have bikes now and we put pics of christ on them so we have luck with not getting them stolen from us haha... but let me tell you that just when we think we are pro and riding all smooth the funniest things happen. My comp was worried about the leaves touching her helmet when we passed under a tree on the sidewalk and she put her head down but looked up too late and screamed all high pitch and her left handlebar took out the bark of the tree and she amazingly and gracefully landed hands down without getting her skirt dirty haha she just hopped up and looked at me like... uh oh im sorry, but look im okay, and look my skirt doesnt have a spec of dirt on it! haha shes so funny! Well the news is we have gotten lost less, we are having lots of success and working very hard each and every day but its like 200 degrees plus humidity and rising. Sometimes its so hot we have to pause in the middle of studies and step into the shower with our clothes on just to cool off. (air conditioning doesnt exsist) Except this week as we were washing all of our clothes in the sink our water stopped... we were completely out of water for almost three whole days! We couldnt wash our dishes or shower or anything. We would come home so tired from working all day and so hot and sit down and laugh at eachother for how horrible we looked. So I just told my comp, dont worry hermana, not having water will one day be a story for us to laugh about and we can tell our kids... sooo back in the day... haha. She eventually went to our neighbors yard who wasnt home and she stood there with the old hose in her hand and her hair all a mess she said... hermana im serious this sucks and I want to shower so bad. im going to figure something out! haha I love her! so we got creative and endured through the drought haha we finally have water... and you can bet that we rejoiced over it! Water ... BLESSING!

So Jesi is progressing incredibly! her family is now active again as of this last Sunday!!! whooo! Jesi will be getting baptized this coming weekend. The ward council was completely shocked that we helped this family back in the church because they said for over 6 years everyone tried and no one could get through to them even once. We care so much about them though that it wasnt hard, we just love them enough and then the work is easier. Also we contacted a reference from a member in the ward his name is Ignacio and he has lost his father, and brother and had lots of trauma in his life. He came to church this sunday and he has a baptism date set for feb. 11th. The same day we are baptizing Emiliano which also came to church. And all of family Diaz is progressing now! They all came to church together and are reading the book of mormon together as a family. We have a lot of progressing investigators that we love and care about. We worked hard all week to have them all in church this sunday and they had a great experience and came to all the classes. We have two couples planned to get married in the month of looooove FEBUARY! Valentines is my fav! and im so excited to see these families completed. SPEAKING OF FAMILIES COMPLETED!!!! guess what!? Family Medina from the first of my mission with alexis david maria and luis and them .... THEY ALL TOLD ME THEY GOT SEALED IN THE TEMPLE this last week!!!!!!!!!!! nothing better than that news! I feel so happy to know that family is so strong. David leaves on his mission when I get home! and another David from almagro leaves right before I get home! SAWEET! We are seeing lots of miracles.

Elder Foster from the 70 came here and spoke to all of us and it was so amazing! President Gulbrandsen is getting more and more inspired by the days because we are really growing as a mission. I feel the impact all of the teaching has made on my life and im amazed at how much ive learned. Elder Foster spooke about the billions of numerous galaxies in the universe and our relationship to God and our potential. We studied our Personal blessings and we all learned so much about selflessness and focusing on all of our generations to come and the generations here that we are saving. We expanded our vision. He asked if we were visionaries in all things of this work and if we were doing right. Real growth of the church, strengthening everyone around us in all of our conversation and deeds. How important it is to be mindful of our value and relationship with Heavenly Father. He spoke about knowing each and everyone of our investigators by name and knowing them deeply like the savior knows all of us. It was some really great stuff we learned.

Anyway... we have another training meeting coming up this week in san fernando and interviews with president.... my last interview until I go home... crazy... I look forward to it. Im learning a lot in this last of my mission. I feel like it all sinks in different now.

I really miss all my converts so bad though. I wish they could all come up here for my despedida and they cant. I really miss Natalia. I really struggled when i had to say bye to her. She will have to come see me in the states though sometime. Im so excited for the day that she gets married in the temple! The mission is so amazing!

So Mom, im glad you got my flight plans but please dont tell anyone because I really just rather have the family there at the airport. Ill talk to everyone else later. Jocelyn you should totally try out for that dance audition and tell me how it goes! Im so proud of you! and depending on school and stuff mom but if I have to Im pretty sure i can fit a trip to Disneyland into my schedule haha. Especially for joces birthday! I wanna spend every second with the fam! I miss you guys like crazy! It will be wierd to be home and not have a companion 24/7 haha. Mom please check with the temple and see about a session that day! and I know you wanna run around and do a bunch of stuff but Im exhausted at this point so we all need to hit the spa first and then the gym then we can do whatever you have planned. Thanks for your emails and questions and all your love, I hope I answered everything. LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!! have a great day and keep being missionaries! Its the best thing to be!

Love,

Hermana Ashley Ann Gillum