Another Exciting Week of Transfers!

The Zone in Mar del Plata.

The Sisters that Hermana Squire trained!

Another exciting week!  It was also the week of transfers!  I am still with Hermana Rozsa this transfer.  We were both really relieved when they told us that we were both going to be staying in the area because our investigator Alicia wanted us both to be in her Baptism, and now we both can!

Bueno, this week we did divisions with the Hermanas in Mar del Plata.  The first day I did divisions with Hermana Ibaña.  I lived with her before, so it was so great to be able to talk to her and see her.  The second day, I did divisions with Hermana Peterson.  She is from Boston, but she went to Utah State so we had a lot of things in common.  It was really interesting working in a different area.  It was really fun, and I learned a lot of things.  Mar del Plata is really beautiful.  It has the same climate more or less to Southern California, and the beach is super pretty.  Yeah, I saw the beach!  We were in a bus, so it was only for a few seconds, but it´s still better than nothing.

Anyway, this week we saw some awesome miracles.  We are working with an Hermana that wants to be baptized so bad, but her boyfriend refuses to marry her even though they have been together for five years already.  She was an ex  investigator, but when we went to her house she was super awesome.  She wanted to go to church with us so bad!  We told her that we would walk with her, and we were 3 minutes late on sunday, and she called us to ask us where we were.  Normally, we show up, and they have some excuse as to why they can´t show up.  

Also, yesterday!  We were knocking some doors... a lot of doors and nobody was answering.  Seriously for 3 hours, we didn´t even talk to a single person.  All of our appointments fell through and it was already 4:55. We said, we just want to talk to SOMEONE before 5:00, rejection doesn´t matter.  We knocked a door at 4:59 that had the first person that was actually home.  We started to talk to the lady, her name is Andrea.  She saw us and couldn´t believe it, turns out that she had received some of the discussions four years ago and was pretty familiar with our church.  She began to cry because she explained to us that 2 years ago, her mom passed away; and 2 months ago, her brother passed away in a terrible accident.  I don´t remember exactly what we said, but it was a really spiritual experience.  We said the words that God wanted us to say.  In the end, she said, "You know what?  This morning, I woke up and felt a really strong desire to go to church, but I didn´t know what church to go to, I don´t feel like it´s a coincidence that you are here."

All in all, it was a good week.  No time left.  Love you all.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

New Year's with the Iannone Family.

It´s been a really interesting week, but it´s also been a really good week.  We celebrated the new year!  We were all in bed at 10:30, but still is was great.  The work that day was almost impossible because there was nobody outside. Literally! There was nobody in the streets that day, nothing was open, and it was really really hot.  Even the taxis weren´t running that day.  It was interesting because our zone leaders called us and told us that we were going to be going to Bahía for a meeting with all of the zone leaders and we needed to travel to Mar del Plata.  But there were absolutely no taxis to get to the terminal..  So we walked a pretty good distance.  (But my companion and I love to walk, so really there was no problem.)  The tiring part was the traveling.  It´s about a 7 hour bus ride from Mar del Plata to the mission home.  We left at 11 at night and arrived at 6 in the morning.  The meetings started 8:30 so we didn´t sleep at all.  Regardless of all the traveling, however, it was still a really really good week.  

Alicia is still progressing, they announced her baptism for the January 18, and we was really really content.  Also, we were working with a man named Daniel and his wife.  He told us that he was going to come to church, but there are a lot of people that say that and then don´t do anything.  We were in church and then, BAM. He showed up!  It was super awesome because we didn´t think that he would come.  Really, it´s the best feeling ever to see someone that you care about in the church because we know without a doubt that their week will be better.  Everything here in Balcarce is super great, it´s still really really hot here, but that´s about everything.  Transfers are in a week and we really don´t want to change.  Hermana Rozsa is so great, really.  We get a long really well and everyday we enjoy each other more and more.  We laugh all day everyday (don´t worry, we still do a lot of teaching.)  

Anyway, I am about out of time so that´s about it!  Thanks for the letters, I really appreciate everything!

 

MY PACKAGE ARRIVED!

Beautiful Balcarce

 

 

The Most Memorable Christmas of My Life!

Merry Christmas!

Our Beautiful Christmas Tree

So I am sure that you are all wondering how christmas was for me in Argentina.  Well, it was probably the most... memorable christmas of my life.  In the morning we decided we wanted to do a little christmas caroling because we didn´t have appointments for the day, but we didn´t want the work to stop so we knocked some doors and started to sing christmas carols (note: here, they have no idea what christmas caroling is).  When they opened the doors and we started singing, their faces were the funniest things ever.  And as missionaries, we have seen many interesting faces.  Anyway, one of the houses that we went to, the man that answered had a super funny face, and then he started to scream some names.  30 seconds later, 3 people came out of the house to hear us sing.  Two of them had down syndrome and they started laughing, clapping, and singing with us.  It was absolutely fantastic because they were really grateful for the time that we took during the christmas holiday to spread some cheer.  It was the best.  All day, we were saying, "this is the best christmas ever."  We kept working...  AND THEN.

My companion started to feel sick at about 5:45 (we were going to leave to talk to our families and 6:30)... we decided to go back to the house for a little bit because we didn´t want to be sick while talking to our families.  We were walking, and next thing I know, my companion is throwing up on the side of the street.  We realized that we needed to go to the house.  As we were walking to the house, the other hermanas called us.  They told us that Hermana Ortiz was throwing up.  Yeah, it turns out that we ate something that was super bad in our bodies.  I don´t want to give you all of the details, but let´s just say that at one moment, three out of four of us were puking in various areas of the house.  We ended up in the hospital that night (and our families didn´t know that we weren´t going to be there). We all got shots, but yeah... all we can eat now is white rice.  YAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS.

That is pretty much all.  

Now with our investigators..

Alicia is still doing super well.  The other day we were teaching her (and she absolutely loves joking around)  For example when we taught the word of wisdom, she said, "yeah, I accept everything because I know that this church is true..... I will give up the alcohol, but I will never give up my illegal drugs"... she´s the only 83 year old woman I know that says stuff like that just to see what our faces are going to be like after.  

Anyway, she said, "I don´t want to go to church anymore."........ just to see our faces.  And then she said, "Nah, I am just kidding, I already talked to the bishop, I am going to be baptized January 18, and I want both of you to be there."  It´s right after transfers so we don´t know if we will be here, but the important part is that she is going to do it.  

It was a great week full of ups and downs.  Sorry that all my thoughts are super jumbled, but oh well.  Merry christmas to everyone!

 

With My Gift From Hermana Rozsa.

With Our Christmas Gifts

 

Merry Christmas!

So remember how I was so excited this week because I would finally be able to work all of the week!  Haha Nope.  Tuesday morning we have our district meetings and 15 minutes before leaving, one of the zone leaders called us and told us that we would be doing divisions with the other hermanas.  He told me that my companion would be staying and I would be going (vague right?) because I needed to work with the Hermana Batista. Anyway, I packed all of my bags and we headed to the meeting because I would be staying there for 2 days.  When we arrived at the meeting, the other Hermanas arrived.  The Hermana Batista had a bag packed and ready to go.  We were really really confused because she was supposed to stay.  Yeah, turns out that when the Elder told us that my companion would be staying.  He meant that she would be staying in Mar del Plata for two days after the meeting.  So yeah, I had all my stuff packed and my companion had nothing.  But Hermana Rozsa is a champ and so she said, "don´t worry don´t worry!"  My pour companion, I sent her off with literally nothing.

 

But other that that, everything went well.  We did our divisiones, met some great people, had some good lessons, and that was everything.  It´s so hard to believe that the christmas season is here.  It´s hard for me to believe it because it is so hot here.  Practically unbearable, but that´s okay. 

 

Anyway, our investigators are doing well, (surprisingly because we can´t work too much).  We have one that is 82 years old, but really spicy.  She makes jokes all the time and is practically already a member.  She wants to be baptized, but wants to make sure that health wise, everything is good before hand. 

 

Other investigator is named Enzo.  He is 18 years old and also, is practically a member.  He started going to church regularly 2 months ago and wants to be baptized as well.  The thing is that his mom does not support his decision and doesn´t want him to.  He is waiting for a Little bit because, even though he doesn´t need her permission.  He still wants her permission because he doesn´t want to cause contention in the family.  Anyway, that´s pretty much all that I have time for.

 

Love you all and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I always teach the GRANDMAS!

Dead Toad (for the nephews!)

 

Same Dead Toad

 

 Another week of interesting things.  Monday all of Mar del Plata didn´t have Police or something so we weren´t allowed to leave our house.  Tuesday we traveled to Mar del Plata.  Wednesday was the only day that we had all day to work because Thursday we had to travel again for the activity on Friday (which was all day).  Saturday there was a Baptism in the Ward for the other Hermanas.  I gave a talk and everything.  It has been really interesting here in Balcarce because it´s a lot of traveling, but it is beautiful.  The people here are so nice and the members are fantastic.  AND, it´s not too hot here.  When I say it´s not too hot, I want you to know that it is still really really hot.  The type of hot where you are sweating all the time when you are talking to people that literally everyone can see the drops on your face.  But the good part of everything is that they don´t care because they are sweating, too.  Here, I don´t think that they have Air Conditioning in many of the homes.  It is a luxury.

 

Finally we are starting to get a grip on the work here.  It´s been a Little interesting with both being new the area, traveling so much, and not really knowing the members.  We have a few investigators now that are super great.  One of them is named Alicia.  She is 83 years old, but her health is surprisingly well.  There is a joke here that I always teach the Grandmas... but it´s no joke.  I always teach the grandmas.  ALWAYS.  But it´s great because now whenever I see a grandma, I talk to them because I know that it´s my calling in the mission.  Yesterday we stopped and talked to two grandmas for a while.  They told us that they were in the city til 3 in the morning and when we asked why, one of them started laughing.  Turns out that she was in the casino enjoying everything.  She is 85 years old!  Her health was even better than Alicia´s.  But yeah, I am getting side tracked.

 

So Alicia... she´s super great.  She goes to church all the time.  She was evangelica, but she said that now that she is coming to our church everything in her life is better.  She has already received her answer and knows that it´s true.  The only thing is that she is afraid of the wáter and so she doesn´t want to be baptized right away.  But yeah, that´s her.  She´s super awesome.

 

Everything is going good here.. we are still trying to figure everything out and work with people.  But now, we are only going to travel to Mar del Plata once a week for our reuniones so we will finally have more time to work here.

 

Also, like a month ago I told that there were dead Toads everywhere after it rained.  Here it's more humid so there are a million dead Toads everywhere... it has become really common for me.

 

That´s all, love you all.

 

 

My Companion and I.

Meditating on a Rock - Like Normal!

 

The Other Sisters.

 

Mar del Plata

 

Hermana Rozsa, Hermana Valenzuela, and I.

 

This week has probably been the most interesting week in my mission.  I now live in a little inn where we have to travel an hour to get to our meetings each week.  Not only that, but whenever we have other things in Mar del Plata.  It is pretty fun, but at the same time, it is a little frustrating.  Monday was P day, Tuesday we traveled to Mar del Plata, but we needed to see a doctor so we got home at 7 at night.  Wednesday we worked super hard, but Thursday they split our area so where we worked is no longer our area.  Friday was the first day we worked in our actual area.  Saturday we had Stake Conference so we had to travel to Mar del Plata.  After that, we stayed the night there.  Last night we got to the house at about 8:30 at night.

Needless to say it was an interesting week with little work, but that´s alright.  I am sure that my letter next week will be a little more exciting.  

There are four of us that live together:  My companion, Hermana Valenzuela (from Chile), Hermana Ortiz (from El Salvador), and I.  It´s pretty fun.  We pretty much have a sleepover every night.  

Anyway, that´s pretty much it.

Love you all, Happy Holidays!

Our broken table.

I'm now a trainer of trainers.

The Sisters in 3 zones.

Our district and other random people.

First off, I have not slept in 3 days.  Literally.  Saturday they called us in the morning to tell us that Hermana Gaona was staying and that I was leaving to serve in Balcarce.  We were so sad because normally with trainers, we stay with each other at least 2 transfers.  I really thought that I did something wrong and that I was a horrible trainer because they were taking my daughter away from me (or taking me away from my daughter).  I was having a hard time with it because I didn´t want to go and I wanted a second chance to prove that I could train better.  I was getting ready for bed and still feeling bad, but right before falling asleep, the phone started ringing.  It was President Parreño.. I was freaking out.  Anyway, he called to tell me that I was going to be a trainer sister.  Yeah, I don´t really know what it means either.  But pretty much, there are three of us in the mission and we are in charge of the 60 sisters that are in the mission.  I wish I could explain more, but I really have absolutely no idea.  I hardly understood what President told me, luckily I had latin companions that told me that I would be training the trainers.  So I think that it means that I didn´t really fail at training.  

Elder Hall, Elder Cuadras (my zone leaders) and I . . . old zone leaders.

Hermanas of Hospital.

Hilda and I.

Teresa and I.

My daughter and I.

Anyway, my bus left at 10:30 at night and arrived in Mar del Plata at 6:00 in the morning.  After that we needed another bus from there to Balcarce.  Needless to say, I have absolutely no sleep and so I know that I don´t make much sense.  It´s gorgeous here though, and apparently the members help us out so much!  It´s all super great.  My companion is Hermana Rozsa from Draper, Utah.  She´s super great, we´re both new to the area so I am sure that it will be a week of a lot of confusion.  

Anyway, that´s pretty much it.  Love you all.  Write you in a week.

Our diligent exercises in the morning - a night that we didn't sleep!

We bought burgers in a super awesome restaurant!

I don't even know how to explain this one!

Hermana Vincent and I.