Farewell Hermana Paredes!

December 2, 2014

Hey fam!!! 

I don’t have much time, but THANK YOU!  Thank you for writing me such sweet things and for sending me pics.  I am so lucky to have you guys as my family!

It’s been a bittersweet week in Juan Lacaze. We received our changes on Saturday, and sweet Hermana Paredes will be heading off to Flores (a part of Montevideo) and I will be staying here in Juan Lacaze.  Hermana Ventura (also from Peru) will be coming!  I have honestly learned so much with Hermana Paredes...I was praying for a companion to help me teach PEOPLE, not LESSONS, and Hermana Paredes was my answer.  I will miss her like crazy, but we’re both relatively new so we can see each other at mission conferences and such!  And oh my goodness...I really do not know the streets well in Juan Lacaze, so let’s just say I’ll be using a map lots!

I would like to tell you about a few experiences this week.  On Friday, all the missionaries in Colonia gathered together and saw an extremely special video, “EL ES LA DADIVA” (you can find the Spanish version of this video at navidad.mormon.org and the English version at christmas.mormon.org)!  I absolutely LOVED this video and it reminded me of the true meaning of Christmas and WHY I am a missionary.  After we got back from Colonia, a sweet lady in our branch, Hermana Teresa (we actually live in a mini house in her house), made us a Thanksgiving lunch!  Her daughter lives in Boston and called her to remind her that it was Thanksgiving for Elder Ballif and me.  She couldn’t find a turkey so we had CHICKEN!  Just like our fam does it!  It was honestly the sweetest gesture and a Thanksgiving I will never forget.  Afterwards, Hermana Paredes and I put on a little actividad de rama!  It was DIA DE GRACIAS themed.  We taped paper on everyone’s back and people wrote things they were GRATEFUL for about every person.  Afterwards, we had a little lesson, played a game with colored candies (for each color, people had to say different things they were grateful for), and had treats.  It was super simple, but Hermana Paredes and I just couldn’t help but smile afterwards!!!

Okay I have to head out, but I love you so much! 

Hermana Dixon