Go Shawty, it`s ya Birfday

Sydney's 20th Birthday!

So, this week was my birthday! Thank you so much to everyone who

Presents from Great-Grandpa and Great Aunt Dayna!

emailed me to wish me a happy birthday! And, the secret is out... I
can`t get on Facebook while I am in the mission. BUT, my mom sent me
an email with everyone who posted on my Facebook wall. Thank you all
so much! For my birthday, my companion and the elders in my area
surprised me with a birthday cake! It was really nice, and a great
birthday. And for my next one I will be home! So, I expect double the
presents. Haha. Just kidding. Well, not really...

This week we went to visit the family we met last week again, the one
I danced with. And we visited them with a member of the church. When
we went to introduce him, the mom of the family already knew him! It
turns out that she and her oldest daughter are members of the church,
but just had not been attending for a while. But her younger daughters
and her husband are not members. But they really like having us there
to visit and listen and ask questions when we teach. They are a really
great family.

Also, this week my family has emailed me about a lot of great things
that are going on at home! I can really see the blessings my family
has received from my work here. I know that God is taking care of them
while I am here far away.

I hope everyone is doing well and has a great week!

Person who cooks for Sydney and her companion.

P.S. Pictures And yes, it`s cake. They do a thing here where you bite the cake when it`s your birthday, and usually someone just shoves your face in it when you get close. My comp shoved my face in.

Elders and her Companion bought Sydney's cake!

Dancing Queen and Thank you for the Birthday Wishes!

French fries, ketchup, guacamole! Yum!

Thank you so much to everyone who emailed me this week to wish me
happy birthday! I really appreciate it! I am not sure if I will have
time to reply to everyone this week, but just know that I got them and
I love you all!

So, this title to my blog has two meanings. One, in the internet where
I am, the lady who works here is blasting ABBA, and it is...not my
favorite. The other, I dance this week! At a 1 year old's birthday,
with a bunch of little kids. It was just as adorable as you can
imagine. My companion took a video of it on my camera, but I do not
know how to send it.

We went to visit someone who was a reference from the Elders from our
branch, and they were about to start a birthday party for one of their
grandchildren. So, we were going to ask if we could come back another
day, but they were like "Come in! Don´t be shy!" So, we went in, and
they gave us birthday cake. And there were a ton of little kids there,
and music playing, but they were all sitting down. Then a song came
on, which was kind of like a Spanish hokey pokey, that tells you what
moves to do, came on, and I had all the little kids get up and dance
it with me. And the parents played it like...5 times. Haha. And then
when we were going to leave, the parents didn´t want us to, because
the kids were being entertained. Haha. Babysitting is in my blood.

So, this was Saturday, and Sunday we came back and taught the whole
family. The grandparents, their two daughters, and their nephew who
lives next door. They were all very nice, and we are going to meet
with them all again.

It really is funny sometimes how we meet people. The Lord puts people
in our path for us to teach, and we just have to take every
opportunity we get. Even if I have to make a fool of myself dancing
with little kids.

I hope everyone is doing well! And again, thank you so much to
everyone who wished me happy birthday!

Great sun tan!

Oh NO! ABBA again!

Todos Santos

So, this weekend in Bolivia was Todos Santos, which is basically Dias
de Los Muertos, for those of you who are familiar with Latin American
Culture. I don´t know why it is called Todos Santos here, but my
companion said in Peru it´s called Dia de Los Muertos, too. Basically,
it is a day/weekend where people remember their family members who
have passed away. They visit the cemetery and put flowers and food and
stuff on graves. And they make like, shrines in their houses of people
who have died, with food and drinks that the person liked, and
masitas, which are like cookies and breads. And little kids can go
door to door and come into people's houses, do a Hail Mary or
something in front of their shrines, and take the masitas.

It is an interesting tradition, and a lot of people gave us free
cookies. But, the down side of it was that we could not visit a whole
lot of people, because no one was really home, or they were busy with
family stuff. And there were a lot more drunk people in the streets
than usual.

Also, something really cool, I went to the doctor this week, and they
said I have chronic amoebas (parasites), or something like that. Basically, when I
was sick like 5 months ago in Cochabamba, I never really got better.
And the amoebas invited their parasite friend to party in my tummy.
But don't worry! I got medicine and I am better now! I just have
some...bathroom problems for a while.

This weekend was transfers, and Hermana Rumualdo and I are staying
together in Tupiza for one more transfer, and I am very happy. So, at
the end of this transfer, I will have been in Tupiza for 6 months. And
I am happy to be with Hermana Rumualdo for another transfer, because I
can learn a lot from her. She is a really great missionary. I have
already learned so much her, and I know we are together another
transfer for a reason.

I guess being a missionary is a little more than just wearing
midi-skirts and living in Bolivia. Who knew? Just kidding, I knew
that. But it can really be hard sometimes. You really put all your
heart, might, mind and strength into helping other people. I am very
grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here, and to learn.

I know that this church is true, and I know the the gospel of Jesus
Christ can bless us and our families, if we choose to use it. I am so
grateful to have the gospel in my life, and to be able to share it
with others.

I hope everyone at home is doing well!

Dang it

I have to have a picture of Sydney on her blog even if she couldn't send me new ones!

I think my camera or the memory on my camera has a virus. So I might
not be able to send pictures home for a while. Which is pretty lame.
I´m sorry you guys won´t be able to see my cute little face for a
while. Or, maybe you´re sighing a sigh of relief, because you´re tired
of my pictures. Who knows.

Anyway, I think the dogs here in Bolivia (there are a ton) are in heat
or something. Because there are just big packs of dogs running around
fighting each other. And doing motions that leads me to believe that
they are fighting over a lady dog... It´s kind of annoying.

Also, this Saturday is Todos Santos ( All Saints) , which is kind of
like El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), or Halloween. Little
kids go door to door and ask for bread or something, and people go to
the cemetery and get drunk. It should be pretty lively, I would think.
I am hoping to get a lot of bread and not encounter a lot of drunks.

This coming Sunday is transfers, so I could potentially leave my area.
That would be pretty sad, because I really love this area. I´ve been
here for a little over 4 months, which is the longest I have been in
an area. I really love the people here. I also really love my
companion and I don´t want to leave her!

This week we were exploring our area a little bit, and we realized
that on top of this huge hill there was a house with a family living
in it. We started teaching them this week, and there dad had a lot of
questions. But he was really willing to listen to us. I am really
excited that we found them, and I really feel like they are ready to
hear us. A lot of the times here it is hard to get a whole family to
listen, with both parents. But the gospel can bless families so much!

District Conference

This week the mission president and his wife came to Tupiza, because
we had district conference. He also had interviews with all of the
missionaries in our zone. He told some missionaries that they would be
leaving and going to different areas this transfer, but he didn´t say
anything to me. But he did comment that I have been here for a long
time. But it hasn´t been that long! I would like to stay here another
transfer with Hermana Rumualdo, but I feel like I will probably leave.
Especially because my companion and I get along so well. Dang it.

In the district conference, they called a new branch president for our
branch. It was pretty exciting, and also a little sad. the last
president had been president for 4 years, and I think he was a little sad
to change. But he was called to the district presidency, and the new
branch president should come with new ideas and energy to help the
branch progress.
My companion and I have been working really hard to find new people to
teach, because we don´t have a lot of people who are progressing, like
coming to church or reading scriptures or praying. But this week we
found some people who seemed genuinely interested. We also had a
lesson with a family last night, and they seem very excited to learn
more about our message, and to strengthen their relationship with God
and in their family.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ can bless families in very big
ways. I know that we have the fullness of the Gospel on Earth today,
and that families can be together forever through the saving
ordinances in the temple. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life,
and this opportunity I have to share it right now.

I hope everyone is doing well!

P-day!  Near Quiriza.

Our area in Tupiza.

Tupiza.

This is a toilet Sydney actually used!

Papa Evo

So, yesterday were elections in Bolivia for a new president. This
whole week we had to be in our house by 8 pm, and yesterday we were not
allowed to leave the house except to go to lunch and dinner. I guess
there was some anti American propaganda going on, so just to be safe.
The current president of Bolivia, who is very likely to be re- elected,
does not like white people. So I guess some of his supporters share  his feelings.


This week should be pretty much normal, hopefully! Last week we did
not teach a whole lot of people, because pretty much nobody was home
ever. A lot of people had to go out of town to vote, and the schools
were putting on a parade, so everyone was busy or traveling.

I love my area, but it a little hard to work in. There are a lot of
families with parents who work in the mines, so they are never home.
There are a lot of kids and teenagers here who just live with their
brothers and sisters, or live alone. It is really hard to find full
families to teach, and when we teach teenagers who want to join the
church, it is hard to get permission from their parents.

The ideal situation is teaching entire families, because the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is made for families! When a whole family can go to church
and learn together and support one another to stay on the right path,
it really is beautiful.

So, right now we are not teaching a lot of people who are really
progressing. But my companion and I are working hard everyday to talk
to new people and share our message with them!

Speaking of my companion, I seriously love her. She is so funny. and
she always says "Oh my gosh!" and "Dang it!" She wants to learn
English, and understand a fair amount. I`ve been talking to her in
English in the house to help her. And she calls me by my first name a
lot, which is funny, because she doesn`t really say it right. there
aren`t people named Sydney in Latin America, that I have heard of.

Well, I hope everyone is doing well at home!
Have a great week!

Beautiful Personal Day trip.

Wild donkey

Wild sheep.

Trot It Like It´s Hot

Silliness with a little blurriness!

This week my companion and I have been jogging every morning for our
exercise. And jog in Spanish is like, trotar, or something like that.
So now you get how PUNNY my title is, ho ho ho. But my knee has been
kind of hurting, so we might have to only do it every other day.

This weekend was General Conference, and it was really good! Per
usual. I was able to watch the conference in English, which was great,
because I could get more out of it. But it was hard to take notes in
English, because I spelled everything wrong. Whoops. Except with the
two guys who gave their talked in Spanish, we watched them in Spanish,
just because we could. When the one Elder said he married someone from
his mission, all the missionaries were like "Nooooooo! You don´t do
that!" Because they stress that a lot in the mission, to lock your
heart, because we´re not here to find our spouses. But, it worked out
for him and his wife, which is good! That is the way God prepared for
them to meet each other.

My favorite talks were by Elder Jeffry R. Holland and Elder David A.
Bednar. Elder Holland talked about doing everything we can to help the
poor, and he made a really strong point, that a lot of people have
qualms with helping the poor and less fortunate because they "brought
it upon themselves". But, in reality, we all make mistakes and bring
bad things upon ourselves at some point in our lives, although it´s
not always financial. But we still ask for help and forgiveness from
God, and hope for help from others. We should be willing to help
others always, no matter what their situation is.

In Elder Bednar´s talk, he talked about missionary work, and why
members of the church are so interested in sharing their beliefs. It´s
not because we want more numbers, or because we want to force our
beliefs on you, but because the gospel of Jesus Christ has made us
genuinely happy in our lives, and we want to share this joy with our
friends, family, neighbors, and our brothers and sisters of our
Heavenly Father. And that really is true. The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints is the true church of Jesus Christ, and is the
only one on earth that has the fullness of the gospel, and we just
want to help others know it for themselves, by sharing our knowledge,
and inviting others to know for themselves through prayer.

The church is true. I am grateful to be a member of this church, and
have the fulness of the gospel in my life.

"Choco" is like, someone who has blond or light hair. People call me
Choquita all the time.