Coyhaique

While I was in my last area of the mission this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time with a great family that I taught. The mother of the family, Andy, is one of the coolest converts ever. So, there I was sitting in sacrament meeting with two of the little kids who are normally insanely rowdy, Ignacio and Cata. Cata is five and is off the wall most of the time. I was trying to keep her busy during the meeting by asking her to draw things for me in my journal. When I was out of ideas I thought quickly and asked her to draw me. She smiled like a skilled artist who has met a pleasing task. She stared at the lines of my face to the point where I decided that every neuron in her brain was firing with her rendering. I was not sure exactly what to expect, but I couldn't help smiling as she just stared at me. At last she began drawing. It took her about 5 seconds to produce a modern interpretation of "the stick figure with large shoes". I, out of respect for the genious herself, laughed on the inside and smiled on the outside. I then asked her to draw a girl beside me so that I wouldn't be alone. She smiled all too knowingly and began her second brilliant creation: "the stick figure with bangs". Note: three out of the five seconds it took her were spent on the bangs. I love that little girl and her family.

About a year ago I was having one of those weeks that I wish I could have just rewound or skipped over. It was really rough. I was walking up the stairs to my apartments when my roommate handed me a letter with my name on it. I quickly opened the outside envelope to find that my mom had forwarded a letter from Andy and her kids to me. Each of them had sent me letters in their varying capacities. Cata's contribution was scribbling on her mom's letter, go figure. Ignacio wrote only a few sentences but it changed my perspective completely. He said that every night as a family they pray for me and that they love me. A six year-old boy at the end of the south american continent was praying for me. There are so many reasons for us to be happy and to be grateful; I am grateful for that little family that always remembers to pray for me.

In short, I feel very blessed.