transfers?!?!?!?

email sent 6/6/2011

So. I´ve got news.
Last night at 9:15 (aka really early) they called us with transfers. It was Elder Edwards, my good old ZL from Copiapo, who is now assistant. Hermana Coppins, are you busy? No, luckily I´m in the bus terminal dropping off Hermana Marin, who is going home (see photo number 3), because if I weren´t, I´d probably be in a lesson. Good, because I´m calling with your transfers. Yeeeeeeah. Hermana Coppins, do you like Arica? I LOVE Arica. How much do you like Arica? So much that I´d love to finish my mission here. Those are strong words, Sister. I know. Let me talk to your companion. HL talks to him for like 10 HOURS and he finally gets the point across that she is going to Antofa with Hermana Ramirez to open a sector. Then he talks to me again. Hermana, you´re leaving. WHAT?! No, just kidding. You´re staying in Arica to die. Hermana Canto (a Chilena who has 9 weeks in the field) is going to be Terminator. She has 9 weeks on the mission and she´s going to be senior companion! She must be an EXCELLENT missionary (I don´t know her) and I´m really excited. But terribly devastated about HL leaving. I LOVE her. I have been so happy since day one and it´s going to be sooooo sad to be here without her. But, I guess it did have to happen. I am very thrilled with my transfer, because I REALLY wanted to stay here. Yesterday at church I was kind of sad thinking that I´d be leaving and we told everyone that we had transfers and that we´d be by tonight to say goodbye if one of us left and they were pretty sad too. But I am so grateful for six more weeks that I have with this wonderful ward and I am really excited to help it progress in the time I have left!!
In other news, training on Tuesday was pretty fun. All the missionaries who are going home in the next two transfers (aka, just 9 sisters) went to learn how to DIE. Obviously, strong, working hard, etc. It was a really great meeting, but it was only like two and a half hours. Then we ate a really good American lunch, cooked by Sister Bruce. All the other sisters, who were coming from Iquique, Copiapo and some from Antofa, went to their sectors or to the bus station at like 3:30. Hermana Montandon and I didn´t leave until 9 pm. We went to visit a few people in her old sector in Antofa, and then we went back over to the Bruce´s house. Which is the nicest house I´ve seen here in Chile, btw. They were in their NORMAL CLOTHES. It was so weird. That´s the first picture I attached. We were kind of weirded out but it was a really nice evening. We ate popcorn and just chatted about our lives. I felt like they were my parents and not really like I was on a mission. Then two office Elders came over to take us to the bus station and they just hung out with us for a while too. It was really fun and I am going to miss them soooooo much when I have to leave. It´s funny because I have never been in Antofa, but I´ve still spent a really good amount of time with them, probably more than most of the missionaries who have been in Antofa, because I´ve never heard of stuff like that happening for them.
Our bus was supposed to leave at 9, so we headed over to the bus station a little early, and before it left, at 9:15 pm (see the second picture, and look at time on my watch) I finished the Book of Mormon! The last day of the month :) It was so great. I love that book. And now I´m reading again where I left off (the never-ending Alma) and planning to finish before the end of the mission.
The rest of the week was good, normal. I´ll tell you next week about my new companion and how many (millions) of people we´re going to baptize.
I love you! Have a great week!