Happy President's Day!

(all right, all right, I am a bit behind...but my laptop broke--so what can I do?)

Happy President's Day!

I want to let you all know how truly spoiled I am. Last week was probably one of the hardest weeks I've had in the mission and I was struggling to see the "glass half full." I guess the Lord must have been sick of my whining or otherwise I'm just a spoiled daughter because President Ward gave permission to Hna. Brenes and I to travel to Panama at 3 am in the morning on Friday to attend the sealing of a young couple in our ward. We'd been preparing Karen, the young bride, for the temple and it was going to be the first sealing the Santiago branch has seen in YEARS, so it was quite a deal. Karen's mom told us she was going to call President to get permission for us to come because she said we deserved to be there after all the help we gave her. Personally, I didn't think it was worth wasting her time in asking because I figured there was absolutely no way we'd receive permission to go. Missionaries usually only get to go to the temple if a family they taught is getting sealed, not if ward members are getting sealed. Well, I guess this was something we really needed because President Ward told Karen's mom that we had permission to go. I couldn't believe it. All day Friday I felt like I was just in a dream. We traveled 4 hours to get there, spent all day at the temple and came home the same day. It was tiring, but I have never hade a more beautiful day in the mission. It was such a privilege to be there to see Karen take out her endowments and be sealed to Edwin, her husband. Apart from the parents, the bride and groom and one other couple from the ward, we were the only ones there. It was the first real live sealing I've been to and it was just beautiful. I think I can see myself doing it someday :)

I have about 500 pictures that I'll be putting on a disk to send you all soon, I hope. That's one thing HB's taught me--take pictures! Speaking of, transfers are this Wednesday and President's told me I'll be getting a new companion but that I'll be staying here in Santiago. This also means that Hna. Kennedy is leaving as well, which just about breaks my heart. Yesterday the sacrament was pretty much all about the missionaries. HB and HK gave their good bye talks and then HK and I sang "I know that my redeemer lives" (in ENGLISH) together, with the last line in Spanish. It was pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

So changes are around the corner and the opportunity to start a new slate is coming. Should be good.
l
ove you all very much,
Hna. Brew/"Hannah Montana" (the young women have started calling me this after seeing a picture of me with my hair down and curled. Plus it's a lot easier than "Brewster.")