Well, I'm a little shaken up... Don't really know what to write, to be honest. I'll start with your questions. :)

Hermana Merejildo talks JUST like Tiffany. She loves iCarly (I know that Tiff doesn't anymore, but it just throws me back), Victorious, and all of those Disney shows... She tells stories in the exact same way... She's a hard worker, but is happy and is always laughing just like Tiffy. When you're walking with Tiffany and she's wearing a backpack, she does this little hop thing to adjust the backpack... Hermana Merejildo does the same thing. It's weird. It doesn't make me homesick at all, it makes me feel more at home. It makes me feel like I'm hanging out with Tiffany.

It's supposed to be warming up, but it's just... Not... Warming up. Sometimes cold fronts come from Argentina and they call it "el sur" here. But the weather is supposedly changing a lot here. Global climate change. ;) Doesn't help that we don't have hot water.

Conference was great! Probably my favorite conference from my mission. My favorite talks were by President Uchtdorf, Elder Hales, President Nelson... there were SO many good ones. 

"Sometimes boys dig holes."

I'm so excited that you're going to ponderize! I'm ponderizing Alma 5:16 this week. We should ponderize together! 

The thing that hit me the most was "Straighten up and fly right." Sometimes we overcomplicate things so much (including missionarywork). The most important thing is to just do the things you know are right. We're the pilots, and we're in charge.

Also, I got transferred. Last night after the conference, the assistants called us and told us that we're having an emergency transfer. Hermana Merejildo and I are going to Abundancia. We're opening an area there. We're going to keep living in San Pedro until they find us a house out there. It's kind of in the boonies, as far as I understand. I was actually really enjoying paved streets, but I can't complain. The Lord is in charge of this mission.

I love you guys to death! I hope you have a great week! 

-Hermana Hall

Can you believe that on Saturday three new apostles will be called?? I'm so excited for Conference... It's going to be a GREAT one. :)

San Pedro is a pretty great ward, as it turns out. A TON of sister missionaries finish their missions here. The members keep telling me "you're going to be the next to die (a.k.a. go home) here." It makes me miss the good old days when they told me "whew, you still have a tonnnn to go."

The bishop is Bishop Takei, who is from Japan, but married someone from here and had basically grew up here. He's traveled ALL over the world. He also speaks Spanish with a Japanese accent, which is awesome. 

San Pedro is SO different from la Cañada. It's on the other side of Santa Cruz, and while la Cañada was a poorer area, San Pedro is a bit more well-off. You should see the houses, they are BEAUTIFUL. 

Hermana Merejildo is amazing too. She's from Ecuador, and she turned 20 like ten days after I did. It's like finishing training the latina version of Tiffany. She is SO MUCH like Tiff it freaks me out. She's a great, sweet, driven, hardworking missionary, and we actually have a lot of fun too. I love her already.

 I can't believe how fast time goes. I love being a missionary. With all of my heart, I love being a missionary. I even love being with a companion all of the time, haha. I feel as though I just got here and every time someone tells me how little time I have left, it sinks in a bit more that I'm going home one day. I have no idea what I'm going to do when I can't be a missionary anymore. I love this work, and I love Bolivia. 

 

 Kaitee and her companion, Hermana Limo on Kaitee's birthday

 They have a tradition that the one celebrating their birthday has to bite the cake...

and here's Kaitee being a lady and covering her mouth after biting the cake,  Notice the teeth marks

Hey Mom! Yeah, the mission office changed... and I have no clue WHAT the new address is. I'll try to get it figured out though....

I'm in Santa Cruz... I've been here for like 3 hours... Transfers are crazy. We got Celi's parents' permission... I'm bummed I won't be there for her baptism. She's awesome though. Vivian is GREAT. That was a rough goodbye.

I'm in a ward called San Pedro, we're four sister missionaries, which means for the first time in my mission I'm not living alone!! I'm living with a gringa! :) My companion's name is Hermana Merejildo from Ecuador. I'll be finishing training her because her trainer finished her mission. She seems really cute!

I'll try to get my camara replaced next Monday if we don't have an activity... if not, it'll have to be the NEXT Monday. 

I'm sorry, short letter two weeks running.... I'll have more details next week about the ward and about how everything is running here. :) But I love you, and I miss ya and you guys are the best! 

 

We're running into some problems with Celibelsa's baptism, because she
has to get permission from her parents, but the bishop is going to go
talk to her parents this week... And.... this week Jefferson and Carla
told us that they want to get separated... They both want to get
baptized, but there are some big lack-of-support problems with
Jefferson's family.... They don't want him to get baptized. We're
doing everything in our power with them. We appreciate your prayers a
whole lot. :)

I'm keeping it short this week because there's not that much stuff
going on.... But I love you guys and I feel your prayers... :) I know
I'm never alone, no matter how far I am from home. :)

LOVE YA! :)
-Hermana Hall

 

 

                                                       photos of Kaitee's birthday

 

 

*in order to understand some of this message, you need to be aware that Kaitee's father and brothers are growing their hair and beards (in some cases) until Kaitee comes home... *

It's good to hear you guys are all doing so well! :) I love hearing how you guys are doing. It's funny, because sometimes my companions or other missionaries have problems back home and it gives them cause to worry... I feel so blessed because you seem to be doing so well (all of you!). I mean, I don't know if bad stuff happens and you just don't want to worry me... Or if you are just all doing so awesome... But I'm just grateful anyway. :)

Hey, I got my package! My card got here safe and sound!! :) The earrings and watch are SO CUTE and they got here right in time for conferences, interviews, and on Saturday we have Elder Uceda from the 70 coming. I have no clue how you found that watch. It's perfect! I always tell my companions that you have a 6th sense for what to send in packages... Also, the face wipes, American Mascara, and candy were perfect. That's not even mentioning the Birthday Cake Oreos. Made it a very happy birthday. :) Thank you! 

Mom. Send me a picture of my dad and brothers. I laughed out loud about JD looking like short Jesus, or like Teen Wolf. I seriously want to see them. I WANT THEM TO MAKE IT. THEY HAVE TO MAKE IT. 

I was talking to my companion about the whole hair thing... and she says that they should let me cut their hair when I get home... I've gotta say, I like the idea! :) I'll chop JD's Jesus beard right off!

 

OKAY. MIRACLE TIME. On Friday we had intercambios (I don't know what that's called in English, but the point is that I wasn't in my area) and Hermana Limo went to visit Jefferson and Carla with a couple that got married so that the husband could get baptized (LOVE that family, by the way) and they had a powerful, POWERFUL lesson, in which Carla said that she'd "get baptized right now if she could, but she couldn't do it alone." Gerardo Martinez told Jefferson like "Don't you want to be with your wife and daughter forever?" and then talked about how big of a blessing it's been for him. The point is... WE HAVE A WEDDING. September 25th they're going to get married, and on the 26th we have a baptism.

OTHER MIRACLE. Celibelsa came to church this week... Took me by the arm and said "can you come with me to talk to my parents? I've made my decision. I want to get baptized." 

Me: "Now??"
Her: *nods*

Her parents don't live in our area, so we can't come with her... But she LOVED young women's... It was exactly what she needed. We have a lesson with her today, we're gonna set an exact date. :)

Welp! :) That was my week! I love you guys too darn much... Can't believe I hit a year on Wednesday... Trying to ignore that, haha. 

Love you to the moon and back! :)

*that's what her watch says... she ends every letter home this way!*

-Hermana Hall

 

Kaitee's PS to her father and brothers... 

I have to authorize all hair/beard/mustache changes.

To authorize a change in hair/beard/mustache appearance, the following must be provided:

• Photos of the article of hair appearance of which the change has been requested. (Profile and Direct view)
• An appeal as to why the change has been requested.
• An explanation of the change that will be realized.
• 200 US Dollars.

We appreciate your compliance.

 

So, I'm going to keep this short.... A lot of people wrote me for my birthday and I want to thank them for the birthday wishes. :)

 

My birthday was great. My cute companion put together a little bag of goodies for me: a little stuffed animal that said "Happy Birthday" on it, a Dr. Pepper (I told her I love Dr. Pepper... You can buy them in cans at the grocery store here) and an Almond Snickers. I love me some American Candy... With a homemade card that she put a lot of time into. She's kind of a beast, that companion of mine. :)

I ATE SO MUCH CAKE. Here, well.... In Latin America, it's tradition that "if you don't bite the cake, your wish doesn't come true." I don't know if that was a thing in Dustin's mission or not, but I bit two cakes. Those are the pictures of me covering my mouth, for the record. Normally they shove your face in the cake, but I'm too sly for them, and they didn't get me (even though they tried) ;) May be a tradition I try to continue when I get home, because it's pretty fun. 

My backpack was on the verge of death, and the cute Barrientos family bought me a little side bag. :) I don't even know if they had the money to do it, but Rosa doesn't even let me buy food when I eat at her restaurant (she just gives it to us, haha) so she's kind of the best. She is seriously one of my favorite people I have met on my whole mission... I love her to death. :) 

Our priorities are a couple, Jefferson and Carla, and a 14 year old girl Celibelsa. Jefferson and Carla are GOLDEN.... except they're not married. They don't believe in infant baptism, and they get mad at how people treat the pope like more than a man. They're SO prepared... We taught them the Plan of Salvation and they LOVED it.... The problem is, they're not married, and they don't want to get married until next year. We're going to visit them with the ward mission leader tonight though. Pray for them. :)

 

We also have Celibelsa, who is the sister in law of a less-active named Vanesa. Vanesa has a restaurant, and Celibelsa works there, and she practically lives with her brother and with Vanesa. She says that she "loves Vanesa like a mom." The last time we had talked to her, she hadn't seen her parents in two weeks. They and her sisters had practically kicked her out of her house. She's suffered a lot. But she reads the scriptures we assign, and she loves the idea of baptism. She says she doesn't want to get baptized until she's 18 because she's "confused about a lot of things." We asked her if she had any questions or anything she'd like to learn more about, and she asked us what she has to do to go on a mission... that "she feels good when we come." I asked how long she's been thinking about a mission and she said "since you guys started coming." She had been really shy before that visit, and she basically didn't talk... But she really opened up to us on Thursday, and she kind of stole my heart... Pray for her, because she's going through a rough time.

Hahaha, this was going to be short... Now it's not haha... Welp...

 

I love you guys a lot! :) I hope you have a good week!

Gonna keep it short this week, probably.

I turn 20 tomorrow!!! Can you believe it? There is no better way to spend my birthday than in the service of the Lord. :)

Haircuts.... *sigh.* I'm doing all in my power to make my hair grow faster. I'm even taking Biotin, haha... I think it's helping. My hair, ever since I cut it short, practically doesn't grow... It's also been falling out a lot.... My hair has gotten a lot thinner since I got here, haha.....BUT.... I'm going to take good care of it... And have long hair again someday.... Hopefully.

It's starting to heat up a bit here in Bolivia. It's still cold in the morning and at night, but during the day it is SUNNNYYY.... Been getting my tan on... It was crazy how much of my tan I had lost over the winter. My companion saw the tan lines from my shoes and said "I thought you were white, but you used to be even MORE white."

Yep. Pretty much.

Speaking of my companion, she is a POWERHOUSE. We have seen more miracles over the last week. This week we were in a lesson with Jefferson and Carla (These names seem so white, but they pronounce them differently, hahaha) and we talked about how the spirit will answer their prayers to know if the church is true... My companion described how the spirit feels, and then I asked "when have you felt like that before?" Jefferson said "I felt it right now, when she was talking." They don't believe in infant baptism and they are PURE GOLD. The only problem is that they aren't married... We're going to talk to them about it today though, and hopefully bring another awesome couple (the husband is a recent convert and they had to get married for him to get baptized). Pray for this awesome couple! :)

Also: Yisela and Victor

Elizabet and Israel

Felix

That's it from me this week! :) Love ya!! :)