Happy New Year!

Hola familia y amigos! 

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I sure did! I got to spend it with some of my very favorite people. And I got to have some awesome phone calls home! 

 

This week was...well, it was a little bit of a struggle. Ha. I was really, really sick at the beginning of the week. We tried to go out teaching, but I couldn't hear anything that was happening. And I was kind of miserable because I couldn't breathe. So I wasn't able to participate really in the lessons. 

 

The good news of the week is: 

THE RODRIGUEZ FOUND BETO'S EX-WIFE AND SHE AGREED TO SIGN THE DIVORCE PAPERS!!!!!! So we printed out some divorce papers (at which point I further vowed to myself that I will never get divorced, because it's WAY too complicated) and helped him fill them out. (We filled them out on Christmas Eve.) Haha. But we're really excited about that. So Beto and Noemi will probably be getting baptized next transfer. Please pray that everything goes smoothly! 

 

Julian got baptized on Saturday. It was the most awkward baptism of my life, but we're really excited that he's a part of our branch and that he got baptized! When he was going to get dressed, he turns to his dad and says, "Papi! Tengo miedo!" But his dad reassured him that everything was going to be okay. And it was! 

companionship picture for Christmas. :)

 

Okay, I'll tell you about my Christmas! 

We spent Christmas Eve with the Schillers. They have a tradition of having Chinese food. And it was delicious. We had a white elephant gift exchange. And it was a really fun night. 

Christmas morning, we had with the Schillers. :) We opened presents with them and ate a "brunch". We skyped with our families at the Bugarin's house, and then we talked with them for a long time. It was basically the most spiritually uplifting thing of my life. It made me feel so much better about life. The Bugarins are fabulous. We ate dinner with the Archer family. And we caroled with Elder Pulsipher and Elder Scott. It was a lot of fun! :) 

 

I've been reflecting a lot on 2015, since it's ending this week. And it has been quite the crazy year. But I'd say it's been the best year of my life. 

In 2015, I have: 

-Served in four different areas (Denver 1 North, Eagle Valley, Glenwood Springs East, and San Juan)

-Had 7 different companions (Noakes, Hansen, Adair, Bauer, Moody, Salazar, and Chavez)

-Seen 6 beautiful souls enter the waters of baptism (Juan, Adamaris, Abraham, Dayanara, Dorothy, and Julian) 

-Met a lot of amazing people. I can't even list those out, it'd take entirely too long. 

-Most of all, I've learned a lot about myself, who I am, and who I want to be. I've learned how to deal with trials. And I've really developed a very close relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. 

I am grateful for all of the things that have happened in this year of 2015 and am SO excited for all of the adventures that lie ahead in 2016. :) 

 

I love and miss you all. Stay up until midnight for me to ring in the new year! :) 

 

Con mucho amor,

hermana sherilyn harper