So blessed to LIVE there, So blessed to BE here

(Must have been an internet connection because I just received Nicole's email about 30 minutes ago from last Monday.  Here is her update from last week)

 AND THE THING IS IM ON MY MISSION. its fine.

First. Shout out to Carston Mellies, Lindsey Lomax, Ashlee Hatch, and Cameron Scottland. HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK. MUAH.

Literally, I have no IDEA where to start!! I can´t believe I'm in Bolivia. When we arrived in Santa Cruz, I met my mission President and his wife, I met my companion. Hermana Blanco who seriously rocks... all that jazz. I found out that my area is TARIJA. Its at the bottom of the Country, we can actually see Argentina from my house, its so great.

When Hermana Blanco and I saw the plane that was taking us from Santa Cruz to Tarija I was like..

´´our plane looks like a tube of toothpaste.´´

Definitely the sketchiest flight Ive ever been on. Luckily the shortest! The view of Tarija from the sky is unbelievable.. The homes don't really have roofs, clothes hanging from clotheslines everywhere, hundreds of little shops.. I fell in love with it immediately.

When I first arrived, we went straight to lunch! Our pensionisten is the Bishops wife. We go and eat lunch at her house errday. She has 3 sweet children.. well. 2 sweet children.. and Mikallela (mee-kai-ella). Mikallela is about 3 years old and she is seriously the most hilarious little girl ever. The 2 others are Pablo and Jose. They are alllways trying to tell me jokes.. but they usually end up being the ones laughing at me because every time they hit the punch line..

Me- ´´No entiendo´´ (I don't understand)

They think its hilarious. BUT. Ive never gotten more compliments in my life. People always tell me how good my spanish is even though I feel like the 4 year olds in Primary are more advanced than me. its fine.

Also MY HAIR. I think out of all the times in my whole life that people have touched my hair, more than half were in the past 4 days. These people just cant believe that hair is capable of such things. Unfortunately.. it is.

This is a fun story.. On Saturday we had our first zone meeting. Hermana Blanco and I decided to stop and buy SALTEÑAS on the way. They're like empanadas. But way better. Anyway.. we get on the bus with our salteñas and I didn't know these things were like.. messy. SO. No worries, my first bite went EVERYWHERE BUT MY MOUTH. Before my first zone meeting.
It was so cool meeting the other missionaries. And it was cool that the fist questions asked were..

Them- ´´¿Que paso con-- oohh... salteña?´´ (What happened with?--Ohhh... saltana?)

Me-´´No quiro hablando acerca de eso. adios elder.´´ (I don't want to talk about it.  Goodbye Elder)

Sunday was great. I love sacrament meeting! Today was the Primary Program and Hermana Blanco and I had been helping them practice singing all week, so it was so fun. Before the program started, I gathered them all together and told them..

´´Si ustedes cantan muy muy bien, tengo una surpresa para cada uno de ustedes, okay??´´ (If you sing very, very good, I have a surprise for each and every one of you, Okay??)

Except, claro que si, Mikallela says- ´´STICKERS!!!!´´ (Except of course yes, Mikallela says)

Yes, they all got stickers after the program, they did great haha

I have gotten to know all of the primary children really well. But not their parents.. not much has changed from Utah to Bolivia. But I love it! Yesterday, we were at a members house and two boys, Alex y Denniver were teaching me all sorts of words in spanish.. I later found out that they weren't real words. I dont know what they were teaching me, but It wasn't Spanish haha

I absolutely love it here. I cant thank my Father in Heaven ENOUGH. The people here.. literally have nothing. Ive never seen poverty like this. And yet, they have everything. Every time they here I'm from Salt Lake City its..

´´And have you SEEN the temple?? How tall is it?? Did you go inside?´´

What? How could I have never seen how PRIVLEDGED I AM. I am so ashamed to say to them that no.. i've never gone to the Salt Lake Temple. Why?? When I get home.. I'm going to take advantage of the little things. Of washers and dryers, of chapels with carpet, of CTR rings, of grass.. of the fact that I have so many opportunities that my eyes were never open to.

I've never loved this Gospel more than I do now. If that was all I had.. I would be happy.

"Seek not for riches, but seek ye first the kingdom of God´´

Because honestly, what is it that really matters?

Con todo mi Amor,

Hermana Cedeno