Hey everyone!!!

I hope you all have had a great week!!!! I know I have... especially today... :)  we got together as a district to play vollyball but there wasnt a volley ball... and soooo we played basketball.. I havent run around and played basketball in so long. it was so much fun.. Hermana Franco (one of the hermanas in my district/apartment)  is a blast... she didnt know how to play and Elder mullenaux said that she just needed to keep me from getting the ball... and she doesnt really know the rules of basket ball so she would grab me so that i couldnt move... it was funny... :)

Thank you everyone for your love and support on my mission :) I really appreciate everything that everyone has done for me and my family..

This week we had a baptism!!!!!! oh man it was sooo happy! we found out thursday when we were planning for the night (or was it wednesday.....)  but Malena is this 10 year old girl that the missionaries have been teaching forever.  Her parents are divorced and inactive and she lives with her mom in santiago. but for hte weekends she comes to visit her dad and her grandparents (the grandparents are active) and she always goes to church with them. She knows a lot and has wanted to get baptized for a LONG TIME.  but the mom always said that she couldnt.  she wasnt ready... and the hermanas before tried everything... but the mom didnt want any of it. and then this past week we called the elders and they went and the mom gave her permission!!! woo hoo!!!! so we baptized her saturday. and oh man baptisms are the best especially when the people are so valient to get baptized.  the water was cold and we started late. but she did it anyways.  with a big huge smile on her face. 

sooo i just finnished my email and the computer stopped working and sooo it erased a whole lot... dang it... so that must mean i need to write something else....

I love the people here sooo much. I love to see the valient people. the members who come no matter what  The people (like malena) who have such a strong testimony of the gospel that they do everything they can to do everything.  There is this man, Nelson,  and he had a stroke and then got baptized.  he doesnt talk well but he can talk now and he knows that it is because of htis gospel. he is such a sweet person.  and is always worried about others.  he is studying computers now (hes like 60 something...) to help the church and every sunday rain or shine. hot or cold he walks to church.  He lives in one of the furthest barrios (neighborhoods.) and he gets up and walks because the buses arent very reliable sundays (they come like every hour or 2 hours...)He went to the temple recentlya nd he is just amazing.

And also there is Alfredo and Antonela. and they are a couple but they arent married.  for reasons im not exactly sure... but they cant be baptized until they are married. nad they are some of hte most active people in the church. they go to all of the activities. they have little assignments (like put the hymns up so everyone knows the numbers) and are so friendly nad amazing.  They have burning testimonys that this church is true and are waiting anxiously for hte day that they can get married nad be baptized. they bring all of their kids etc... They are really amazing too

This makes me think a lot about how faithful of a member am i? Would i be willing to walk to church every sunday? and have callings that i dont feel adequate for adn try my best happily? how willing am i not to murmur when something happens? when i cant do soemthing that i want?  Am i really willing to stand as a witness of God at all times, in all things and in all places? Do i even understand what that means completely?

Ive been thinking lately about how sad it is when people lose their faith. when they decide their problems are bigger than anything else and give up... I dont want that to happen to anyone.  that would make me really sad. 

that was just my thoughts this week.. and i had a lot more... but thats just what came out...

love you all sooo much. thank you for everythign!!! for all your love and support :)

les quiero!!!
hermana Applegate