This week was pretty much boring. Nothing all that exciting happened. Talking the week over with Hermana Lyons, we came up with basically one thing: Navarro.
For those of you not "in the know," Chile will be holding presidential elections on November 17th. This means that there are campaign posters, billboards, flyers, calendars (we collect these because they are actually useful), and every other kind of paraphernelia everywhere on the streets around here - and have been for months.
Though we have basically no opportunity to actually learn anything about the different candidates since we don't watch the news or anything like that - and none of us are Chilean so we don't know that much about the government here anyway - we have gotten to know the candidates just by seeing their advertising.
There are two main candidates for President that we see on a daily basis - Michelle and Evelyn. And each of them has their "entourage" of people who are running for different positions in the same party. We have been especially "impressed" by Navarro, who is running for Senador along with Michelle Bachelet for Presidenta. Mostly he is our favorite because he is seriously the least photogenic person we have ever seen. He has pretty good hair, but his eyes always have this scared "deer in the headlights" look in every single campaign photo. He has become like a beloved mascot for the Hualqui hermanas. It is a common thing for us to pick up Navarro paraphernelia off the street and turn it into greeting cards for the other hermanas.
This week I got sent to Penco for another mini-cambio, but this time I was with the trainee and Hermana Morán went to Hualqui to be with Hermana Lyons for a day. Anyway, while I was at lunch that day with Hermana Haymond (Awesome. From Utah. Went to Utah State for a year and studied voice.), we got to talking politics with the family. Just technical questions, mostly, about how the election works and things like that. For example, if a President won the last election, they cannot immediately run again, but they have to wait at least one term and then if they want to run again they can (Michelle Bachelet was the Presidenta before Piñera who is in now). Also, this election they are going to be voting for President, Senador, Diputado, and like Executive Commissioner or something like that. It is new for them to vote for Executive Commissioner, it is usually a position that is filled by the President.
Anyway, so while we were talking about this, do you know what I found out? That Navarro lives in Penco, and that this family where we were eating lunch actually knows him!!!! I was so excited. I tried to get them to give him to me as a reference but they said that we wouldn't be allowed in. I did encourage them to invite him over for a family night or something like that. They said they are unsure he has the time.... Such little faith. Hermana Bowns and I totally taught the ex-mayor of Chillán a couple times. That was cool. So I know it is possible to teach political figures. Kind of.
Anyway, that Navarro thing was pretty much the most exciting thing that happened to me all week. That and how they changed the location of our district class so that we could walk past the political rally being held a couple blocks away from the chapel. Michelle was supposedly there. We hoped Navarro would be too, but unfortunately we didn't see either of them. And I was dressed all presidential too, with a blazer and everything. Bummer.
Also I made Hermana Frandsen the best Navarro card ever when I found one of his pamphlets on the street that had his baby picture in it. It was an incredible find.
Anyway, that's a pretty thorough report of my week.
Except to say that I was studying from Preach My Gospel about Christlike attributes, and I really liked what I studied about hope. There is a scripture that I love, which is in Ether 12:4. It reads: "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." So basically, the hope that we have in obtaining a "better world" (i.e., the celestial kingdom), is what impels us to have faith and to be obedient to the commandments of God. I am trying to infuse my life with a little bit more of that hope, so that I can be more faithful and more obedient and more happy and help more people to acheive that as well.
I encourage each of you to look to the Savior with hope and faith and confide in Him, so that you can have the strength to do the things that you need to do.
How are we doing with the reading???? KEEP DOING IT - EVERY DAY!!!!!!!
Love you all. Talk to you next week. :)
Lovelovelove,
Herman
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