Dear family,

So this week was good. My companion went to the doctor this week and she prescribed her some medication for depression... but she gave it to her in a lot smaller dose and said that it would take away her headache. She has been taking them, and they have taken away her headache... but its a little sad because I think they are having another effect on her. She has lost all desire to laugh and play and smile and everything. She just sits there and says she doesnt feel sad, just plain. It worries me a little bit and I have told her that maybe she shouldnt take the pills, but she still takes them because they work for her headache. We will see how this goes. Please keep her in your prayers. 

We have had some awesome lessons this week. We have put 4 people on a baptism date for the next month and we are stoked. First there is Sergio, he and his wife just had a baby last month and she is a less active member. Then William, his wife is one of our recent converts and they seperated (not divorce, just different houses) because she said she wanted to be strong in the church and it wasnt a game for her. They have been seperated for a few months and he just barely started taking the missionary lessons. At first he found the whole Joseph Smith story really hard to accept, but as we have prayed and pointed out the spiritual prompting that he has recieved he has come to accept it. The next is Astrid, dad, dont laugh. She is a young women and is super awesome. She became interested in the church because of the young women choir that we started, and now she is reading the Book of Mormon everyday and says that she knows its true and is super ready to be baptized. The last is a young man named Bolivar. He is a teen with a teen girlfriend who is pregnant... yeah, there are enough problems there (Its really sad because that happens so much here I am completely used to seeing it). He has been through a lot, and despite his age, he acts really mature. He has this huge desire to change and wants to have an eternal family.

This Saturday we were able to watch the Relief Society Broadcast for General Conference. I loved Elder Uchtdorfs talk. It was so unique. The story was so special and I just kept picturing it in my head. I especially loved the part about the painting... I dont know what it is, but I have developed such a love for paintings on my mission. Like I legit love them, I love to make stories out of them and try to interpret them. Maybe its weird, but I have developed that love here. Anyways, the conference was really beautiful, I love the choir. I loved the spirit that was there. I am so excited for General Conference this week... it is going to be amazing! Also, this week is our temple trip and I decided we should fast this week too just to make it overwhelmingly spiritual and full of revelation. I am so excited.

This week the topic at church was the Atonement. The talks that we heard were really good, but as they were talking about the Atonement (or Expiación in spanish) I just couldnt help but thing how hard it would be to talk about it. It is impossible to COMPLETELY understand the Atonement, therefore, we cant explain it perfectly. I think it would be a very humbling experience. What our Savior did for us, I will never be able to comprehend. My testimony is that it is real. That it really does change our lives. It is perfect. It is divine. It is love. I dont know how else to explain it.

I love you all so much and I hope yall have a wonderful week! I know the church is true. I know this is Christs gospel. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know he loves us. 

With all my love, 

Hermana Eardley

Dear Family,

This week was a struggle. My companion isnt doing good. She has an appointment with a Neurologist on Tuesday and hopefully he will be able to tell us what is wrong with her. I love her to death, but I am super frustrated because we cant work effectively and I feel like our area is suffering a little bit. I have talked to our Sister Training Leaders and they agreed that we could do divisions this week, because I honestly need a break and want a good working day. I am sure it will help me relax. I havent been able to sleep very well these past weeks and it is showing on my face. I recieved a comfort blessing yesterday from my district leader. Its hard, but I love my companion and told President Carmack that I wanted to be with her until we figure out what is wrong. I feel like I need to stick it out with her. We will get through it, but if you could put her name in the temple, I would be ever grateful. (Madelyne Maria Garcia Armas)

My English class is going really well. We do a lot of role plays. Its super fun! My students range from the ages of 8 to 40... its legit and everyone helps eachother. I told them that we were there to have fun and help others have fun, and the only rule is that you cant get embarrassed... I think I would be an awesome teacher. 

We played the movie Meet the Mormons (by the way, Stephanie, I hope you are keeping a list of all the movies that come out that I will want to see) and we had 3 investigators show up. One has a baptism date for the 6th of October. Her name is Astrid. She is super cute. We were teaching her brother one day and she came outside and sat on the hammock... we asked her if she wanted to join us and she flat out told us "no". Then, I felt the impression to ask her again, so I said, "We are going to sing a hymn if you would like to join us" and she was immediately intersted. She loves to sing. She is helping us with our young women choir.

So, speaking of the choir. we are having a lot of fun. I will be honest, they arent that great at singing... but they are having fun and that is what really matters. The whole point was to get them excited about church, and I feel like we are accomplishing that. I learned how to play the piano so that I could play while they were singing. I am not that great, but every chance I get, I practice.

We are focussing a lot on getting our branch to support us. We have prayed about it and feel like if we could just get them 100% on board and dedicated, missionary work in our area would sky rocket. Its a challenge because they are all Panamanions, but with a little faith and effort, I am sure we will be able to accomplish everything that the Lord has prepared for us. 

I am so thankful for my mission. I am so thankful for my companion, and for every single one of you. I am especially thankful for the challenges that I have. I know that they are given to me to help me grow and become a better person. When I think about that, it always turns my mind to the grace of God and my favorite scripture in the Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:48. Susan, I think it has a lot to do with gratitude as well. It is essencial to our spiritual progress. If we arent grateful, we arent humble, if we arent humble, we can never become like our Heavenly Father. Being grateful means being grateful for EVERYTHING. The good and the bad. We have to be grateful for the sun and the rain, because our Heavenly Father knows what we need in every moment of our lives. 

I love you all! I am so blessed to have you in my life. I hope yall have a great week!

With all my love, Hermana Eardley

Dear Family,

How are yall doing? We are doing great here in Chorrera! My companion is feeling so much better this week. Her body has started to heal itself or something... she still gets headache attacks, but its not all the time and she is able to work a lot more now. President Carmack put an appointment for her to go see a nerve doctor this week. They are all still really concerned, but her and I are happy because she seems to be getting a lot better. Thank you for your prayers on her behalf.

Our young women here arent very animated (that word is totally functionable in Spanish.. but as I stare at it I have no idea if it works in English... if it doesnt, I am sorry, I hope yall understand) and so the presidency asked us if we could help them... we brainstormed a little bit and decided to start a young women choir! Its legit. I am very forward and animated (that word again) and they looked at me weird like they were judging me for the first little bit, but then they realized how fun I am and started to chill out. We have been working with them twice a week and it is super fun. We split them up in supranos and altos and I am working with the supranos and my comp is working with the altos... my group sounds great... the altos need a little help... but we are going to be performing our song in sacrament meeting in 2 weeks and we are all super excited... (THATS THE WORD!!!)... excited :))

We have also started English classes whichno one showed up for like, the first 3 classes... The 4th one our Ward Mission Leader didnt even show up... but this last week we had 14 people in our class... It was super fun especially because half way through the class we decided that I would only talk English and if they had a question they could ask my companion... It was so funny to see their faces... Some just stared at me like I was speaking Chinese... It was so hard to not laugh.

There is some wicked awesome rain storms here... So we were standing in the street planning what we were going to do for the next couple hours when we hear this noise (like.. chhhhhhhhh, it sounds like a bunch of little rocks hitting the ground) anyways, we look around, see nothing, and go back to talking, but then we start to hear it stronger... we look around and all the sudden we see a wall of rain coming towards us. My companion yells, "Corrrré" ("Ruuuuuun") and we take off running down the street... we were running right in front of the rain.. it literally stayed behind us and followed us, but I think its just because we were running ridiculously fast from adrenaline. We got to the house of our investigator... stopped and yelled "BUENAS", but she wasnt home. In that instant we got hit with like 10lbs of water. We ran to a little store (they call them chinos, because its always chinese people that own them) and when we got under the cover we just started laughing. We couldnt go anywhere, so we just started to contact the people that were stuck in the Chino same as us. It was really fun and there are a couple people that seemed really positive. 

Roysel messed up a little bit last week and now he doesnt feel like he will be able to go to the temple. I was so sad because I was super excited to see him be baptized for his father, but we told him that we all make mistakes, and that is why we have the Atonement, and that he needs to repent, but he will be able to enter the temple... we just have to wait a little longer. We are trying so hard to keep him positive. I love him so much and my only desire is to be able to help him. I know he will be able to overcome ever struggle that he has, it is just going to take some practice.

I love this gospel so much and I love how it can help us become more like our Savior. He loves us unconditionally and will always support us. I know that he is supporting me, and you. We need to fight the good fight of faith and hold fast to the rod, and I know that our Heavenly Father will be proud of us in the end.

I love yall so much and I hope you have a wonderful week! You are in my prayers always!

With all my love, Hermana Eardley 

Message from Kalie's campanion

Hi Sister Eardley im your daughter`s companion and i just want to say you that your daughter are the best companion ever!

You have a lot of luck, she wants to make a difference in the mission, she worries about others and she loves others how Christ would do it! And she`s amazing!

Sincerely: Hermana García!  

LLUVIA!!!

Dear Family, 

How have you been? This week it started RAINING. We have been in rain the whole week which is awesome and I love it, but our area has a deficiency... when it starts raining, EVERYONE SLEEPS. You may think I am joking. You may not believe me. You may think I am overeggagerating, but I assure you, EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. SLEEPS. Our investigators, even our members, have told us, "if it rains, dont bother coming because we are going to sleep". The rain seriously stops missionary work in our area. 

BUT! That doesnt stop us. We go from appointment to appointment soaking wet (we have umbrellas but the wind makes it impossible to use them) and even though no one answers the door we just keep praying that God will help us accomplish something. There have been a few times when the rain was so strong that we decided it would be better to deep clean the house or organize the area book or study the scriptures because leaving the house is very dangerous.  It has been fun and we have had a little luck because when the rain clears up for a little time we have people ask us why on earth we are walking around the streets in the rain, and it gives us a prime opportunity to share the gospel and our testimonies.. and the best part is that they dont doubt it because they saw us walking down the street soaking wet. 

I have been studying a lot about charity. I have many faults, but I knew this one would be very hard to fix. The pure love of Christ includes everything. It encompases your actions, thoughts, intentions, words, and feelings. I have seen the way my thoughts and feelings about others have changed, but I know I have a long way to go. I have been studying the chapters of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John in the Bible side by side with Moroni 7. It really has opened my eyes to understand charity, but its a whole other story practicing it. The Lord loves us unconditionally. He has shown us the way. He helps us in every step. I know that I can never demonstrate the love he has for us, but we should try everyday to love others in the same way that he loves us. Its a commandment.

Sorry this one is going to be short... yall can thank the rain. Right now, its pitch black outside and its 5 in the afternoon. its raining strong, the power keeps going in and out, and the only thing we can see is the lightning... its pretty great, but also not so great. 

Love you all! You are in my prayers. I miss you. I hope yall have a great week!

With all my love, Hermana Eardley

New Fruit . . .Lychy

My new companion... 6 weeks ago.

Roysels Baptism!