SPRINGTIME!!! - September 12, 2011



Augustina




My Smily Pizza



Kids from the Primary Program



Fried Blood Sausage



Acting like Utah Girls



The girls here still love Justin Beiber


HOLA~!

Here we have another week that passed by very quickly. Always the end of the transfer goes by really fast. This week was CRAZY!!! Here is why...

1) I learned lesson about poverty. Our area is very mixed. We have people who drive Mercedes Benz and then some who cannot afford a bicycle. It keeps you on your toes, because each person has very different needs. One of the families we are teaching, the parents we not progressing much and looked always distracted and stressed. Then as we were leaving the lesson on Saturday, one of the daughters ran up to us and asked us if we had any food because they hadn't had any for a while and the dad wasn't getting paid for a few days. My heart broke. They have 5 kids under the age of 12. I had never seen them eating, and the time we brought them snacks they ate like there was no tomorrow, because there really wasn't. I wasn't paying good attention. We went to the grocery store and I used my money to buy the basics for them. They probably weren't progressing because they didnt have food in their stomachs and were so stressed financially, they couldn't think about anything else. I went to a member's house to eat "canalones" a lasagna crepe yummy dinner and my stomach felt sick. I felt so bad for these people I loved who had nothing when I was eating a king's dinner. Be grateful for the food you have, the spare change you have on your dresser, because many have none. Poverty is real. 

2) We found a GOLDEN INVESTIGATOR named Viviana. She has been through the ugliest and hardest situations I think this life can throw someone. I thought Law and Order SVU was complicated, just wait til you hear it real life. She came to church this week and knows it is true. It is amazing how prepared she is!! I have never know someone who lived all the commandments and knew certain principles were true before we even explained them to her. Please pray for her. She has lots of anti Mormon friends and got a little worried this weekend. We will work with her this week and hopefully get her baptized this weekend or next. 

3) The primary program was this week. I guess it has been a while since they had one because they never have enough kids. I was about as proud and happy as a missionary could be  this Sunday. Seven out of the nine kids in the primary programs were my recent converts and they sung and gave their talks beautifully!! I felt so much joy. It was such a strong testimony that God is sending down very strong spirits in these last days to prepare his way. They all wore missionary tags and committed to prepare for missions!! Yeah whooo!!! 

So it is finally warm here. My missionary tan has already begun and I love it. San Rafael is now my second home, I will have a hard time leaving. God loves me so much, every day I can barely believe it! Keep strong! Til next week!! 

Pics>
1) Agustina. Granddaughter of a menos activo. She is a love bug and reminds me a lot of Aubrey although she is 2 years younger.
2) We fasted and then made our personal pizzas. mine was happy >)
3) The kiddos in the primary program!!
4) This is or was the grossest thing so far I have eaten here. I shouldn't of asked why the sausage was black but out of curiosity I did. Fried pig blood covered in stomach to keep it all together. Yuck. 
5) Hermana Anderson, Wilde and I posing as Utah girls....just having fun
6) We did a family home evening last week and Nazalena and her friend had to show me their love for Justin Bieber. I guess he is even famous here haha


Love,
Hermana Thatcher