Bucket Showers

HOLA! Well here´s to another week. A week full of ICE cold bucket showers and hour long bus rides. And I have loved every second of it. haha. I love being a missionary and I am so happy to be here. So I will let you all know what has happened with Cambios. On wednesday we had the cambios meeting and I received my "hija" (my new missionary) who will probably be my last companion. Her name is Hermana Timoteo and she is from Taylorsville, Utah! I am so excited to be with her. Her dads side of the family is from Samoa. She is such a sweetie, super excited to be here, and has a lot of faith. This is what I pictured training to be like. So Ill tell you a little about the week. last monday was pday so we took the bus as always to write the family. Then tuesday i had a meeting for trainers and had to take another bus ride to santa ana. Wednesday was the meeting for cambios so another bus ride. Thursday we have zone meeting as always so another bus ride. Then friday we had to go to san salvador for the ID visa info for my companion...so another bus ride. So ive spent all the mornings this week in the bus. And because of that we´ve had to wake up early ...which means we have to get ready early...and we don´t have water until 6:30 or 7am so YEP bucket showers all week this week. My poor comp. Especially cause at this time of the year the water is even colder. But this week we wont have to travel so much and it will be normal. But apart from that I really love it here.. This week it has hit me. I think especially being with my last comp. I dont want to end. Training is exhausting and the days are long and tiring....but I have found myself each night this week laying in bed with tears in my eyes. Cause Im not ready for it to end. The mission is so hard, but I love it. I love the privilege I have to help people and the privilege I have to be a representative of Christ. Especially at this time of year I am really feeling the Christmas spirit. We have been showing a video to everyone that all the missionaries around the world are showing to people called "He is the Gift". we´ve been focusing with people on helping them understand the true meaning of Christmas and helping them realize what they want to give to their heavenly Father this Christmas. I´ve been thinking about what I can give to my Heavenly Father this Christmas....and I want to give him my all as a missionary. I am so grateful that I get to have 2 christmas´ in the mission. I will be honest that last year I wasn´t too excited that I would end up having 2 christmas´ away from home. not that I didnt enjoy christmas last year because I did and it was a neat experience...but I wasnt sure that I wanted to be away from home for another christmas...BUT oh how things change in the mission. I could not be happier to be here for another Christmas in the mission. I feel like I am going to have lots of good memories of this Christmas in the mission. Everything is going well in our area. We are still working with some of our investigators and we are also dropping others and looking for new people. I´ll let you know a little more next week how everything is going with the investigators. Im just focusing on helping my comp. Her spanish is probably how mine was at the beginning...but i think at the end of her mission she will have a better accent than I have. I feel bad because I know how she feels when she wants to express the feelings in her heart and she just doesnt know how. Its hard but she´ll get it. Im expecting that this week will be a little harder for her now that the first week excitement is wearing off a little, but she is super excited to be a missionary and she is really great. Today we are going to buy a small christmas tree and decorate a little in the house :) But I love you all so much. Thanks for your support and prayers. Im glad you had a good Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoy the Christmas spirit! Hermana Groneman