Feliz cumpleaños América!

Hola amigos! 

Sorry, I don't have a lot of time this week, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

Happy Independence Day! None of the patriotic hymns are in Spanish, so I hope you appreciate getting to sing them all for me. Have a lovely day celebrating this beautiful country in which we live. We talk to a lot of people who have given up everything to be here, and continue to have to give up everything to be here, so appreciate and love every single day. And for all the faults and all the things we need to improve, be grateful every day for the oppurtunities we have here. 

And the biggest news, Orlando passed his baptismal interview! We are so happy for him. He was really, really scared and didn't think he knew everything, but we said a prayer with him, and our District Leader was really sweet and patient with him, and afterwards he was grinning from ear to ear, still so so excited to be baptized :) And if all goes according to plan the baptism will be this Sunday. 

1. Chalking this week!




















2&3.
Last zone conference with the Forbes. 

It was so sad, and it's really hard to see them go. They have been such incredible examples to me, and I have learned so much from them in my short time here already. They made me feel so loved from the moment I arrived, and their love for each and every one of the missionaries is truly astounding. We got to be their very last zone conference on the day before they went home, and everyone was crying during the closing hymn, and it was a very sad day. 
But we are so excited to have the Barney's here now! Since we were the last zone to get a zone conference, we were the first zone to get to meet President and Sister Barney the next day. I don't have a picture of them yet, but we are so happy to have them here. They have a lot of good ideas about the mission, and they have the sweetest, strongest spirits, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and learn more from them in the mission.

4. The members we live with have a cat, Oliver, and he is our only friend, and sometimes we just hang out with him on P-day when we can't find anything else to do. He also wakes us up every morning at 6 o'clock by meowing louder than I thought was physically possible asking for food. But he's pretty cute. 



5. Duolingo always trying to be funny

6. Scripture thought for this week! 

I have really been focusing lately on making my studies more meaningful and I have learned so much I wish I could share it all with you. Go look up Acts 24:25, also Acts 20:24. The New Testament, and the Book of Mormon, and all scriptures are just so amazing. And how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth these good tidings, that published and publisheth peace throughout the world. For truly how beautiful is this message of salvation that we get to share with the world. Christ lives!

Sorry this is kind of random and crazy, but that's how missionary work turns out sometimes. Have a great week! Keep sharing the gospel!

Hermana Meredith