chi chi chi, le le le, viva chile!!!!

hello erybody!it was such a busy week!!! we worked so hard this week and finally found some new ppl to teach, so thats good. we went to the doctor for my companion, saved a dog from being eaten by ticks, and we had the 50 year celebration of missionary work in chile!!! it was sweet because the missionaries got to watch the show and also we got to sing "i´ll go where you want me to go". the show was so cool because there were people dancing the traditional dances of all the countries in south america and my little anthropology heart was super happy! im going to download all the music when i get home and listen to it in my car... and probably cry while thinking about chile. the chileans have so much pride.. its awesome. they are so crazy. every chance they get they shout "chi chi chi, le le le, viva chile!!!" i like shouting even though im not chilean. when all the missionaries shouted it, the crowd went crazy and were cheering for us. it was cool. the celebration also did a moving rendition of the pioneers crossing the plains and got all teary eyed which never happens. one of our new investigators name is Adrian. He is the boyfriend of one of our memebers who´s son has brain cancer. they had to build a whole new house that was equipped like a hospital for him so he could come home so we went to help them build and paint every chance we had. we also came and sang to thomas (the kid with cancer) and brought him pictures of jesus. one day while we were telling him about the 2000 strippling warriors he started crying (thomas) and Adrian held up a piece of paper with the alphabet on it so that he could tell us what was wronge. he spelled out spirit. he was feeling the spirit. After that Adrian decided to start taking the missionary lessons! how cool is that? so your challenge this week is to go out and do some service. i have heard countless stories of peoples lives being changed because somebody cared enought to serve them. well, i dont really have anything else to say except that im happy and im loving the work even though its really hard sometimes. the time is flying!! i cant beleive i have been out here for 8 months! well, i love you all!love crystal

LUCKY GIRL

Well Crystal is loving the MTC and really getting into every aspect of missionary life. She is trying to get familiar with EVERY part of the missionary training center. In order to do this she has torn her ACL and in so doing has made herself a candidate for a long stay in the sports medicine rehab area of the compound. I had no idea that such a place existed but it does. BUT before she can go there, she will be transported to Payson where she will undergo a little St. Patrick's day operation to reconstruct her bum knee. Lucky Lucky Girl!!!

There she goes...

Sister Crystal entered the MTC on Wednesday. She was excited to get this party started! No doubt Chile will never be the same after they meet Hermana Bates!

AAAAHHHHHHH

I LEAVE TOMORROW!!! tonight at 9 i will be set apart as a sister missionary! :) im super excited and super scared and ready. please write me letters PLEASE!!! my address is in the about me section of my Facebook. i love you all and i will write you back if you write me i promise. k see ya in a year and a half.

copy catter...kitty

Alright so i just read Stephs blog and it reminded me that i have this big list of things to do on the day zero project page, and one of the things on the list is to write a letter to yourself to read in ten years so i thought.. why not go ahead and write it now that im right here before a pivotal leap in my life. so here it goes.

Dear 32 year old self (yikes!)

I hope you are doing well and are still kickin it like a kid. (not in an immature way but like a kid spirit way) I hope you are married and not living with your mom and some cats. Did you marry a mountain man with a good taste in music who seems like a hard a** but is super sweet and rational? Well whoever he is, im sure he's a catch. Do you have any kids? That seems super creepy to me right now... yeah. Well if (we) do i hope you chose some good names like Noah, Jonah, Hannah (named after a beautiful friend), maybe a luke? anyway. So Im about to head out on this mission in Chile. I hope its going to be everything we dreamed it would be. Did you love it? I hope you loved the people and gave them your full attention. I hope you were obedient and followed the spirit without any doubts. I hope you tried really hard to get a long with all your companions... even that one i haven't met yet and wished i hadn't. And for the love! I hope you lost some weight and now you are thin and livin it up all active! I hope that you didn't come home all super weird and scare people away. I think you either go to BYU or BYUH... and if you go back to Hawaii I hope you found some people who you fit with and who will let you be yourself. Right now i really love music and I hope you do too. And i really want to be in a band with my friend Hannah... did we achieve that? I don't even care if we sound good, i just want to make some music. if it hasn't happened yet... find a way to make it happen. Invite the hubs to be in it.. he sings right? I hope that you appreciate your family more and really show love to them because so far I have done a really lousy job. Especially your mom.. you are probably best friends now and you realize how similar you really are. ( eek). Well... I hate cheesy goodbyes so... see ya in ten.

22 year old Crystal

Oh botha

Tonight i disappointed myself. Its really not a big deal, just one of those things where you wish that you would have done things just a tad differently. Kicking myself!!!

No doubts.

I had a really great Sunday today. Church was meh like it always is in my moms ward. I seriously do not like the people in there. They are so.... they just give off a weird vibe that i cant get used to. Glad im leaving it. Anywho. I went to my aunt and uncles for the monthly fast Sunday dinner and today was one of those days where i just felt really good being there with all my cousins and stuff. I have never really been close to my aunt and uncle or their family. just my cousin Jordan (the youngest of them) and my cousin Tomi who cuts my hair. But today I really felt super comfortable and loved? thats really cheesy but thats the way it went. So i decided to ask my uncle for a blessing while my grandpa and everyone were there. It was really cool! I had my uncle, grandpa, Jordan, and Tomi's husband Derick give me the blessing. It was a great blessing. Before I got it, i was having a lot of doubts that im sure everyone has before they go to do something really big and great, and it was really slowing me down and putting me in a bad and worried mood... but my uncle blessed me with peace and calm and a heightened awareness of the spirit which is what i need so badly right now. You are supposed to be so oober prepared to go on a mission and i just feel like i have been flailing! But now i feel like im back on track and just ready to get outa here! Lets do this!

Hipster Mecca

This morning started out as the most stressful and crazy morning ever! Steph was so nice to drive us down to Vegas to the airport so we could start our adventure. It seemed like everything was going wrong! First we got a late start, had to get some gas, and then we got pulled over! (don't worry, no ticket even though steph didn't have her license!!!) We got to the check in for our flight and they said we were too late to check in but were nice enough to still let us in. Then we RAN to our gate and barely made it there before the flight left. Whew. We landed in Eugene and Ellen took us to the Amrack station to ride the bus up to Portland. It was a long journey, but well worth it. Hannah and I are having a lovely time in the grand state of Oregon! Im having so much fun and I love Portland! Such a neat place full of some really weird and awesome people.... Like I went to an oyster bar (don't judge me i just love oysters) and this old man sat next to me and told me the history of oyster fishing. And then another old eccentric bum accosted us outside of a Cajun restaurant and told us many important life lessons... like.. "You know whats good about being good?... being great.... you know whats good about being bad?... being good... you know whats important in life? being a citizen... having a good time with your friends and smiling." yes. it WAS awesome. I met Hannahs two friends today. One, Aaron, who is a tiny little skinny hipster kid who loves living in Portland. and Brycen, who is so nice to let us stay with him while were here. Tomorrow were going to hit up the Hawthorn area for some shopping, go to Voodoo doughnuts, and just chill with the people.

Portlandia

HANNAH AND I ARE GOING TO PORTLAND BEOTCHES! and its gonna be awesome. Im so excited to go and pretend to be a hipster and talk to weird ppl and eat cool doughnuts and shop! And see Interpol!!! And were riding a train from Eugene to Portland and since i have never ridden a train before i am quite excited to add that to my experiences. Well... i haven't got much to say so hasta luego!

ya ya ya i like my life

rock climbing

mountain biking

caving

canyoneering

sky diving

wild animal sightings

chattin it up with weirdy outdoors people

this is what i live for. I would be quite happy and content to do these things for the rest of my life and possibly a career. what im saying is, i want to have fun for a living. i dont even know how to go about making that a career... but i will figure it out. until then, keep livin wild and exploring whats unknown to you whether it be outdoors or a new hobby. Just keep learning and finding new passions. Thats what makes you interesting. over and out.

Like Speeding Through Time...

Time is flying so fast! Yet its passing so slowly... maybe thats they way i would rather have it. Its a nice balance. Some highlights.

1. I went through the temple and it was weird and cool and scary and awesome.... like church on steroids.

2. I have a trip planned for my birthday! Im going to Portland with my friend Hannah to see Interpol in concert. She is probably tired of me badgering her about it but i really need this to happen.

3. My mom, sister, and I have a trip to San Fransisco in a few weeks! That will be fun.

4. Everyone has gone back to school and therefore have forgotten me.

5. I have planned to obtain a caving permit for next week to go into Bloomington caves and I need more people to come.

6. Brandon is weird and im mad about it.

7. Garments are comfy

8. I did another fake tat sleeve... looks pretty bad a.

9. I made cookies for the guys at speed lube and they passed my car for its inspection! :)

10. What could everyone be doing right now thats so much more important than hanging out with me!!??

welp. that pretty much sums it up. Im glad im not going back to school right now and im getting nervous and excited for the mission! Also, im starting HCG tomorrow... so im gonna be SKINNY!