Wherein Sadie Has Her First Easter in Uruguay.

 April 10, 2023

 Hi guys!! mba'éichapa reime? That means "how are you?" in Guaraní which is a language in Paraguay. But there's a bunch of missionaries here from Paraguay so we kinda get to learn a little just for fun. 

Anyways, this week in Uruguay was good. Mostly just met more of the members and amigos here and ate wayyyyy too much! Or at least it felt like it! I'm pretty sick of the food already, not gonna lie. It is just like straight carbs like pasta and meat or rice and meat and then to kinda give the meal some pazazz you eat it with bread! Then for dessert sometimes we are lucky and get some fruit but if not it's arroz con leche here, which I have quickly decided I'm not a fan of. The taste is great but rice aint the move after a whole plate full of rice. It is just so heavy. We can hardly move after lunch and we just go home and take a quick nap and try to recuperate. Good thing we walk a decent amount. 

The other day we had a 3 hr lunch and wow its honestly one of the hardest parts of the day sometimes when they just want to talk and talk. First, they stuff you so full you can hardly breathe, then the room suddenly gets nice and hot, and then they sit and ramble on and on and in a different language and it is so beyond difficult to stay awake. I just about threw up the other day at lunch because they kept telling me to eat and eventually I just had to say I couldn't do anymore because I really could not do anymore. there was seriously still a bowl full of probably like 5 chickens' worth if milanessas in front of me and I just couldn't think about even taking one more bite of food. They had made mashed potatoes for me and they were sooo good but I seriously was choking it down by the end. I told them "Thank you so much but I'm full." And they said, "Oh hermana we still have the dessert!"  I said "dame un minuto" and laid my head on the table. They laughed. We've done a lot of laughing this week. I'm not complaining, I am so grateful to be given such good food here! I know there are so many people who would love to get just a little of what we get! It really is such a blessing! Just funny how pregnant we feel after every lunch. (Not as pregnant as my sister though :) )

The weather here has been so nice recently! Feels like fall! However, sometimes it's still pretty hot in the middle of the day and then drops pretty cold in the evening so deciding what to wear is a struggle and I hope I don't get sick again. My voice came back and now I just get a few comments that I sound weird - haha. The mission leader this week said ya we weren't gonna say anything but it was really bad. You sounded bad. Lol. Glad I have my voice back now. 

    I love it here and it has been fun meeting and working with new members and friends. We are like besties with the taxi drivers lol. Also, this week was like a vacation week, called "Semana Turismo" so it was hard to have lessons because nobody was home or they had people over, but this week now we will really hit the ground running! Also this week Hna Heyborne made me mate dulce (you put a bunch of sweetening in the water so it's not so bitter) with an orange-flavored yerba and it was soooo good!! So ojo, cuidado, I may end up with an addiction if I ever have that again.

    One day we were getting out of the taxi at our house and this drunk guy was coming right for us. We ran inside so fast but I had the keys and was trying to unlock it while panicking and it was just a whole chaotic moment. 

     I loved getting to follow along with the Easter study schedule that was on the gospel library app this week. I think Easter may just be my favorite holiday now! Holy week is a really good week. Also, our president let us have an extra hour to study specifically the Resurrection and learn something new yesterday. I loved getting that time to study and feel the peace and joy it brings to know that Christ lives! Something new that stuck out to me in my reading is just the flip perspective kinda, that Yes, He overcame death. Death isn't the end. That brings me such hope, but it is also a good reminder that our actions and choices on this earth do matter. Like a lot. There are eternal consequences. We can't just do whatever we want on this earth and then think that death is like an escape from it - because He lives, so death is not the end and we need to do what we know we should because there are eternal consequences. Our choices now do matter in regard to our life after death. We can be sure we are making good choices when we are following the example of Jesus Christ and living His gospel. I am so grateful for Christ's Atonement, His sacrifice for us, and that He lives so that we too can live. I am grateful that all our pains and sorrows can be swallowed up in Him and His love. I am grateful we too can live again. What a literal superhero for overcoming death.

     Easter was a tranquil day here. I hope you were all able to go to church and focus on Jesus Christ! 

     I was surprised that at church there were only 35-40 people which was sometimes how many we had in our branch in Pan de Azucar, but this is a ward here! Lots of inactive members, but we can work with that! The members here are all so awesome I love them! Our mission leader is still so over the top involved but we will take it - it's better than doing nothing!! He brought us more empanadas this morning! 

Also yesterday after church Hna Heyborne and I took turns hiding the chocolate easter eggs we bought for each other and it was so fun! I love Heyborne. She is so funny and has the most beautiful testimony and is just all around the best! I am learning a ton from her. I think it is so cool what we are able to do as missionaries. The truth is we are really just 2 like 20 yr old girls living on our own together in a foreign country and we just arrived here 4-5 months ago but we are able to communicate with everyone and do everything we need to in Spanish in order to share the gospel! The Lord provides a way. He takes our efforts and makes it enough!

Time is going faster this transfer it feels like but that's because I'm having fun! 

Please pray for our friend Mauro that he can stop smoking 

Just like I was always told, the mission is hard. But it's also such a privilege I would genuinely, sometimes generally, not rather be anywhere else right now.

Life is good here in Uruguay, sharing the Light of Christ! It is so cool to see the Spirit teaching people and seeing the change in people's lives as they come to Christ! 

I would love to hear how your week was or what you did for Easter or something you've learned in your scripture study recently... because I know you've been doing it faithfully every day!

Love you all,

Hermana Bailey

Spider Count: too many but luckily still never in my bed so all is well. Knock on wood.

Pictures: empanadas, Easter eggs, the coolest agricultural supply store sign, laughing trying to slide little pictures of Jesus under people's doors, the sky, happy easter, donuts!!!, my comp and I!!!!!