12-8-14 I walk between the stars.... I know that's my beautiful dreams.

(I hope mom or abbie get my title...) 

So Monday I cut my hair. The good news is it's super healthy, bad news... there's not much left of it. haha. But I hope it grows before I come home.

We changed rooms. Now our room you can actually turn in circles without hitting the walls! Only, we shower with COLD water, and also when it rains, water enters everywhere so that's an adventure. ...Really I love our new house though :)

We are teaching a sweet little family named Beatriz, Eva and Efrain. Please keep them in your prayers. They are so wonderful but they have a very humble situation which makes a lot of things hard--- but we aren't giving up on them! :)

We are also teaching Angela, the daughter of my perfect recent convert Janeth! We had tried teaching Angela about 4 months ago, and she didn't want anything to do with us, but she is now doing AWESOME! She has accepted a date, and attends church every week with her mom. :) 

Also we have found and are teaching some super wonderful new people with LOTS of potential. I hope that we are able to help them make covenants with God- I will let you all know about progress of more people as they well, start to progress. haha

Villa Rica is perfect. My comp and I call it "La Ciudad de la gente bonita" because everyone is SO nice and loving to us. We get free food, honey, fruits, hair conditioner, perfume, earrings, lotion, bug spray, free moto rides, etc. God is so good to us here :)

Christmas is coming all!!! This place actually puts up trees and lights! It's wonderful, I remember last year in Huanuco, it didn't feel a thing like Christmas. Here it does! But don't worry, its still 80 degrees hahaha.

And now for the not so great, actually really sad news...

"Our understanding of the Atonement is hardly a shield against sorrow. Rather, it is a rich source of strength to deal productively with the disappointments and heartbreaks that form the deliberate fabric of mortal life. The Gospel was given to HEAL our pain, NOT to prevent it."

This quote has been my saving grace this week. I don't want to explain too much into details but...  Erica and Armand will not be getting married or baptized. At least not for now, and not with me. Honestly, I am not OKAY. It's one of the harder things I have gone through on the mission and I am heartbroken. It's hard for me to understand why this had to happen NOW, and why I can't be there for their baptism, and why they have made this decision. But I want to be clear on something. I KNOW God knows why this had to happen. And I have full and complete trust in Him. Our lesson when we found out was one (if not the) most powerful lesson I have had on my mission. The spirit was working through us and I literally felt like Christ was in the room testifying with us. We had scriptures and testimony and explanations perfectly in harmony with each other and with what God wanted us to say. ( I have a terrible time remembering exactly where scriptures are) but I did not have a single problem. We left tarea con ella to read that went right along with what we had taught, and when we came again, she said she believed it all. Unfortunately, that's not enough RIGHT now for them. But I am SURE someday they WILL be baptized. 

This small experience is helping me understand Gods will and timing for EVERY little thing. We have to learn to trust in HIM and not on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Also to really let the atonement into my life and heal me of any pains or weakness or sadness I have or am passing through. Christ's sacrifice for us was not only for our sins. It was for any pain or sadness or depression or hurt you or I have or will EVER feel or pass through. Even though it's so sad, We will keep working. We will keep helping others along the path to Jesus Christ and we will do it happily and with full faith!!! 

If any of you return missionaries have any advice or stories on this topic, I would LOVE to hear them (Brooke, aunt Kim, brothers, etc)

I love you all. I hope you all are learning to also trust in God and His timing and learning to do His will. Because He will make of us something WAY better than we could EVER make of ourselves. Of this I testify with ALL of my little heart.

Hermana Whitlock