Greetings (otra vez)

Hola familia!
This week has flown by. I had a great birthday. Went to church and the hermanas of the ward (who remembered or who were told that it was my birthday) congratulated me and gave me hugs, which was nice. Douglas was confirmed. which was great, and then in the afternoon we went and had a very yummy lunch with one of the sisters of the ward, all new food, but all very yummy. it still surprises me that I have been here for almost 8 months and still am eating new food every so often.(with amazing regularity to tell the truth). Then in the afternoon one of the niñas of the ward was baptised, and we helped with that, so I got to eat cake on my birthday, and then the night of my birthday with 4 honduranias in the same house they celebrated my birthday in typical honduranian fasion, they ambushed me and broke eggs over my head, and then poured eggs and flour over my head. So at 1030 at night I was showering to wash the egg and flour out of my hair. (picture included). Monday I was in the office, my two hondurania companions made baliaras(very very yummy) and I did a ton of health things to prepare for those coming week after next. We have been going to pt every day with hna estrada and the therapist says she thinks after tomorrow hna estrada doesn't need any more therapy just to take precautions. that means that (I hope) that next week will be normal. worked hard all week, today we went to pt with both of my comps, and then after we write we are going to the house of Pres and Hna Cordon to make baliaras for them(they were in belize on mon so they didn't get to try the baliaras in the office). Today we are also going to have a ward mission activity.
The honduranias joke that they will teach me how to dance punta and sing the honduranian national anthem. With all the honduranians that I've lived with its about time LOL. My district right now consists of me, and 6 honduranians. (2 elders, and 4 hnas.)
Thats all I have time for now, thank you all for all the birthday wishes, and for the updates on your lives,
Love y'all
Hna Allen

Happy birthday!

Pictures from this change

Halloween

1st cambios locos

Baptism of Douglas

Saludos

Hola familia, mando saludos de Santa Ana
This week has flown by and much has happened, sat was a normal day, I was finally able to go to work with all three of us and we had fun. Sunday was stake conference, and President gave a very good talk about how all the members are missionaries, and all should be working to get to know people who aren't members, and to share the gospel with all. After Stake conference we went back to the house, president called me and said that he wanted one of the Elders to go to the hospital, so I went to the hospital with one of my companions, and left the other with the other two missionaries in our ward with the hope that they could find a sister to divisions, and we stayed at the hospital all afternoon waiting for why he sisn't recover with the medications we had given him, and why he was getting worse, turns out he had amoebas and intestinal infection, and the antibiotics just weren't enough, so he got dehydrated and weak, but we started him on a different antibiotic and an antiparasite med, and he's getting better, he left the hospital early on Monday, and after he left the hospital Hna Bonilla and I headed to San Salvador for immigration(for her) we got back about 7pm and only had time for one lesson (FHE with some recent converts!) before we had to go and let a couple of sisters in our house, One of the sisters had an x-ray that said she had fractured her foot about 5 weeks ago now, she thought she had only sprained it because she could walk on it, but she was concerned because it was still swollen. She says it doesn't hurt at all now, but the Dr ordered physical therapy and that is here in santa ana, so Hna Bonilla went to Ataco with Hna Pappas and Hna Estrada is my new third wheel for then next week or so. So tuesday we started therapy with Hna Estrada and to the office to do the things that I needed to do there, and Hna Salazar was again in division with a future missionary. Wednesday we left Hna Estrada in the house with a member and we went out to work, but we had to go home early so the member could go home. Thursday Hna Salazar had to go to San Salvador for immigration and I was with the companion of another missionary for all day, and with Hna Estrada, We only got to work for a few hours because of the Physical Therapy and because we couldn't find anyone to stay with hna Estrada in the AM, but in the PM we went and taught a few lessons and then went and traded companions, and when we came back the member had to go back to her house but we did divisions for a little bit of time, and I stayed in with hna Estrada. Today we've gone to therapy, and pulled out money, and after we write we'll go back to the house and leave Hna Estrada with one of the members.
This week I think I have been being taught about sacrifice and to use my time more wisely. My desire to work and find and do all the things that are responsibilities of normal missionaries have been frustrated with all the crazyness of this week, and the little time we have had to work we've had to try to use even more efficiently than normal. Plans a-d for all times of day, and put things close together, things like that.
Thats all I have time for this week, but Love Y'all
Love Hna Allen

Saludos

Hola y'all
greetings from El Salvador.
Just got back from San Salvador again. (went yesterday for migration things as well) Hna Salazar had an apointment with a neurologist about her bells palsy. She is getting better. The process is slow, but is is happening. The Dr said she can work again. I am really excited for that, that we don't have to keep doing divisions with the ward, and finding a sister who can stay in the house with her. Also her PT wil change from every day, to 2-3 x a week. Yeay MWF and we'll be able to work the otherdays normal.
This week has flown by, and sadly I can't think of anything really interesting that happened this week other than our trip to migration(really just the police station in San Salvador) for immigration paperwork. But even that was pretty routine.
we're closing in on week 4, I have got to get on buying the parts for the emergency backpacks. President has been out of the mission this week, and luckily(knocking on wood here) nothing big has happened.
I'm trying to teach my companions english. I understand so well how they feel as they try to say a word, and it just doesn't come out the way that it should, and they can't hear the difference. I remember saying words(and still do say words) and people say the word back to me to correct me, and I say it again, and they still correct me, and I can't figure out why because I think I say it just like them, and they can't help me know why I am not saying it the same as them or how to correct it, just that is isn't right. But we are all stubborn and we'll get it.
This week I have been studying in Mosiah. I'm working my way through the book of mormon in spanish, and it has been a bit of a slow process. But I am reading about King Limhi, and how the lord helped them escape from captivity and guided them to live with King Mosiah. But before that I was struck by the part where he asks Ammon(not the one with the arms) about who could translate to they could learn about this people who were destroyed and why they were destroyed. What a wise man, to want to learn from the mistakes of others. That we may be so wise to learn from the mistakes and successes of others so that we don't have to suffer the same things they did. We have such abundance of sources to learn from. I have also been thinking(and teaching) about the way we use our time. Where are our priorities? The things that are most important to us are the things on which we spend the most time. One of my recent converts was telling me about a conversation he had with a coworker about the sabbath day. His coworker asked him why he gives up a day of fun or a day to earn more money every week, and Lisandro asked him how much time in a week does this coworker give to our heavenly father? He told him heavenly father has given us our lives, and only asks for us to give him one day a week. He said, I don't think that is to much to ask, that I dedicate one day a week to my heavenly father and serving others.
dani thanks for the letters. Did you know that the dear elder letters don't come one letter per page, but stretched over a whole bunch of pages so I recieved 7 letters, pasted into one long letter it was about as tall as me. Thanks it was great. And that talk was a great one too. I really enjoyed it.
Love yáll
Hna Allen

Hola de Santa Ana

Hola familia
THis letter I hope is a liitle longer because I won't have tantos personas talking to me. I realized that I didn't say much about what has happened the week of changes and this week even more things have happened. Last week ( ithink I told you that my companion Hna Sanchez had changes) and I was with hna Bermudez who is from El Salvador. She is a great misionary and will finish her mission this change. Friday was a crazy day, with problems with the computers among other things. Sat and sun passed a little more stressful than normal mostly because of the suspense about what was going on in our mission, the tues before changes it started to rain, and we didn-t see the sun again until this wednesday. Many areas here were flooded, and many people's houses melted with the rain(some of the houses are made of adobe, and with a lot of rain the dirt washes away and the walls disolve). Also alot of people build next to the rivers and canals and with a lot of rain the water leaves and floods the adobe houses and washes away everything they have. Here in my area it wasn-t to bad. We have mostly houses of cement and aluminum. and a few of adobe with plaster on the outside, its the adobe that have't been plastered that melt. Lunes was a long suspenseful day in the office, and I was infomed of multizone for thursday. All of the mission on the same day at different times. Tuesday I was informed that Hna Bermudez was having changes, and my new companeras are Hna Bonilla(from Columbia) and Hna Salazar(from Honduras) Hna Bonilla just got here to our mission, she had visa troubles and has been working in Columbia sul for 4 months. She is trained as far as missionary work, and it is great to learn from her as far as that goes. SHe just has to be oriented to our mission and the things we do differently. Hna Salazar is the Hna that has Bells Palsy, and she is gradually getting better. SHe is here in Santa Ana for PT and we are doing divisions almost everyday so she can go to PT. Also the Docs told her she can-t 'andar por ariba and abajo' which means she is resting for this last week and for this next week. She has some ability to move her face a little wich is great. So Tues in the PM Hna Bonilla came in from COlombia, and Wedesday in the AM Hna Bermudez and Hna Stegelmeir went to their area, and Hna Salazar went and packed all of her belongings and came back. Thursday was a very sad day, as we had our multizona and Presidente informed us that 8 missionaries returned home dishonorable released. We recieved a lecture on obedience and President put emphasis on a few rules for our protection. As well as told us that from now on we will only have 45 minutes on the computer on P-day.
But it made me think about the purpose of rules and commandments. It reminded me of the general conference talk where a cow gets into the wheat and bloats and dies because she was pushing the fence. That is what happened to these missionaries they were pushing the rules, seeing if they could just reach a little farther if they could maybe taste just a little bit of that wheat on the other side. and they succeeded in tasting it, but it had dire consequences. The commandments(and for us misioneros the mission rules) are like the fence. We as members who have these protections should see them as a huge deterent that we shouldn-t be anywhere near them. Don't push them, don't see how close you can get or how far to the other side you can reach. They are there for our protection, not for our restriction.
I need to write president still, but I love you all, if you've heard about the flooding here before I mentioned it, don't worry I am fine and the sun is shining and we are drying out.
Oh something funny We were talking the other day about how many companions and areas we've had and I realized that I have had 4 areas and 8 companions in my 7 months in the mission field. Chistoso. :)
Love y'all,
Hna Allen

Hola Y'all

Hola,
changes were this week. My changes were interesting. My companion went to chalchuapa. Which is weird because we were only together for one change. and I was training. But now my companion is Hna Bermudez. SHe is from here. THings that are weird that have happened this week, One on the things is that one of the hnaas has bells balsy, and an elder had a suspected dengue. But all is well, and all will recover. ALso Hna Montalvan is is my house now. She is in the other half of my ward.
I am of course growing and loving hte mision.
SOrry is it so short
Love ya
Hna ALlen

Saludos de Santa Ana

Hola familia!
This week has passed by rapidly, for the most part we have been healthy and working hard(I haven't been sick, don't worry, its is my comp) Monday I had a video conference with Dr Drake the area medical advisor, and assorted mission nurses from all of central america. It was very informative and helped me understand a few things that we need to do, and a few things that we need to stop doing.(or rather we get to stop doing) After that we had interviews with president, and he helped me see a few areas that we need to be working more efficiently. Tuesday the zone leaders had their monthly meeting with president and from what I understand the ax came down and the pressure was turned up, needless to say we've been asked to give more.
Conference was amazing of course. A little interesting for me, as I have come to realize I don't understand very well when I know they are speaking english, but I am hearing spanish. I got to listen to the last session in English(I finally found a sister to be in the room with all the north american elders.) and it was amazing. I am so excited for the Liahona for November.
Changes are this next week. It will be interesting to see what will happen.
I have been thinking about pressure this week. And I remembered a story about the potter and the clay. I'll butcher it, but it goes something like the potter applies pressure to the clay from the outside against the hand that is inside, and is able to form a beautiful vase. So if we feel as though the pressure is too much or that we will collapse under the pressure, maybe the problem isn't how much pressure is being applied, but rather how much of the potter's hand we have permitted inside our lives.
Love ya all
Love Hna Allen