Pics gracias a Hna Call!‏ - January 23, 2012

Hola Familia

This transfer is almost done. Next week is the last week. Where is the time going? I am going to hit my year mark very soon. I might cry when that happens!

This week was great but lots of hard hard hard work. We had a few physical problems: Hna Call has 40 bug bites that are turning into boils, she hurt her knee, I sprained my foot, and BOTH of us were in the bathroom with you know what all week for eating something very very bad. So, we must be getting ready for a great week of blessings this week.

The six people that can get baptized this weekend:

Alberto: Viejito. 77years old. Has been to every church I think that has ever existed except for ours, and has been searching for the true church all his life. His wife died 4 months ago. He plays guitar and has a garden comparable to the movie the secret garden. He is the best old guy ever and cries ever time we leave. He needs to stop drinking wine!

Agustin: 55 year old. Very humble. His wife left him and took everything. He still loves her and the kids so just left them everything and started over. He built his own house. His job is watching that no one robs the cars at the Catholic church. He absolutely loves the Book of Mormon and has read the bible all his life. Great man, needs to stop drinking wine!

Cristina. 50 years old. She is the one with epilepsy. She has tons of health problems but very valiant and spiritual. She knows the church is true and wants t olive with God but her mom who is 70 (haha, but since she is epileptic, she is dependant on her) is trying everything to not let her get baptized. She thinks we are too young to be preaching anything. So we sent the bishop over (who is probably 28 or 30) and the mom finally is ok with it all.

Juan: 63. His wife died very unexpectedly 3 months ago. He is the typical Argentine man- very macho. Mechanic. But he has a very soft side. He loved her more tan anyone I have ever seen love their wife and wants to be with her forever. He treats us like his granddaughters and always has something to say in priesthood class but the members love him. He needs to stop drinking wine!

Maria and Maite – 12 and 10 years old. The most prepared kids in the Sanchez family. They remind me lots of Agustina and Lucia in San Rafael.They just want to read and learn everything about the church. They are dying to get baptized but the Dad is still a little hesitant. We will see if we will wait for the rest of the family or if they can get permission, this weekend.

So as you can see we have tons of work to do. The vice here is definitely wine. They are all slowing down on drinking but haven't stopped completely yet. Tonight and tomorrow we will see. Please pray for each of them. 

We had zone conference today. Presidente Avila is AMAZING: He has such a deep deep gospel knowledge it is incredible. No wonder he was an area 70. He made a great comparison today I thought was cool. He said living the gospel of Jesus Christ is like riding a bicycle. You have the choice to get on, but once you are on, you have to peddle hard to keep going. The second you stop peddling, you fall over hard. We have to always keep working on our testimonies, always be looking for a way to get closer to Him. The second we think we are good and get prideful and forget the little things, we fall over. But, the Atonement always gives us a helping hand to get back on. So that was only one of his examples he gave in his inspiring 4hour sermon. What a rock star, I have such a sweet mission president!

Love you all. Hope you like the pictures. Zonda is a hike we went to again with Hna call and all the Elders. Then the other day we went to Alberto's house because he wanted to sing us folkloric. Then, this Sunday there way the end part of this road bike race here is San Juan. They shut down the highway (which goes in a huge circle around the city) and the bikers go 7 laps around. The whole town comes down and sits on the grass on the highway and watches. It was AWESOME!! Not only did I get to see a little sports which I have been deprived of, but we talked to about 100 people and got great contacts! What a blessing no?! The poster is something we made this transfer to see the progress of the investigadors. They are all almost at the pool party!!

Love you all!!




Jumping at Zonda



Zonda



Alberto playing his folklorico music




Alberto's garden




Me at the bike race




The bike races




I'm an 80's missionary (jumping again!!!)




Our investigator's board




Serious business



Me and Hermana Call at Zonda

The only good thing about a baptism falling through is you get to eat the refreshments for breakfast the next day.............haha‏ January 16, 2012

Hello Family and Friends,

Where do I start with the week? The fact that we have amazing investigators, we are working out booties off, the weather has become a little bit more tolerable, and we ALMOST had a baptism. Almost, like about the closest you can get.

First, the people we are teaching. This is definitely the most interesting group of people. We have 8 people that could get baptized this month. EIGHT. We found a family with 6 kids that are AMAZING. I have been praying since the moment I got here to find families like the Lord gave to us in San Rafael. Familia Sanchez. One day we were walking home in this neighborhood near the pension and a little girl came up to me and said she always sees me and wants to know when she can go to church with us. Ok miracle or what??? Her name in Maite (10) and her sister Maria (12) and Carlos (15) are AMAZING. They have never been to church and want to go to every activity and read everything we give them. The parents are a little behind but will get there. The other siblings are 6, 4, and 3 so too little for baptism.

Cristina. Age 55. She has had epilepsy since she was 13. Her family treats her terribly and it is really hard to watch. People here are still a little far behind the times in the medical knowledge and her family thinks she has epilepsy because she is mentally crazy or Satan knows she is weak and takes over her. Not at all. No one wants to take care of her and just want to send her to a hospital even though she only has seizures like once every week.  Really, we have been around her a ton and is very smart and knows exactly what she wants. But, since they cant find an exact cure or remedy she does still have seizures and so she is dependant on her mom. Her mom does not like the church for various crazy reasons. So this complicates things, but we finally got her mom Carmen to like us and we got her all ready for baptism because she had been going to church for a month.

Well, as she changed her clothes into the white dress and was about to get into the fount (we were waiting for one more witness for the baptism who was running late) she had a seizure. I was sooooooooo sad!! I couldn't believe it. The members knew she was epileptic but freaked out. Hna Call and I took care of her and called a taxi to take her home because she was pretty out of it afterwards. We were just so bummed because her mom saw us coming home and she first thing she said was ¨it is a sign she shouldn't be learning these things¨. She told us not to come back.

So, we walked home in silence not knowing what to do. How did it go from Hna Call´s first baptism to not having contact with our special investigator. We prayed and tried to sleep that night but not much sleep as you could imagine. But don't worry. When all things go terribly wrong on the mission, it is because there is about to be something great happen.

Sunday morning came around and we started our wild goose chase picking up the investigators. Well, this has never happened but we had 6 NEW investigators come to church for the first time this week. The Stake President was there and met them all, the ward took them in and they all loved it. Cristina couldn't come because her mom was still mad at us and one other person´s aunt died died and couldn't come so we would of had 8. Amazing no? We showed them all the baptismal fount and they are progressing amazingly. I was SO So SO happy! 

So last night Hermana Call and I sat on the bed and laughed and almost cried and sighed mainly. Did all that really happened within 24hours? One investigator upon entering the baptismal waters had a seizure, we then ran around for 3hours the following morning with almost no sleep waking up people to got to church, and then 6 amazing new investigators came to church. Oh also I forgot to add that our piano player moved out of the ward. So guess who used her kindergarten piano skills to play in front of the WHOLE congregation for sacrament meeting in front of the Stake Presidency?? Yup, shout out to my piano teacher in Ohio and my amazing mother who made me take the lessons. I plead apologies for complaining, you were right. Piano is important. Top hand and an occasional bottom note were good enough I guess. Hna Call and I are practicing during siesta a few times a week now. You never know what kind of crazy talents you can develop on the mission. 

I am pooped. Not sure if that is missionary language but it is how I feel. To get these people going we are going to do family home evenings almost every night with members and the investigators and work like crazy women. Please pray for us, but even more for them. The names are Cristina Villafona, Juan Valdez, Mario Pena, Agustin Esequivel, Alberto Zapate, Maria, Maite and Carlos Sanchez. Thank you for the prayers, I will be praying for you.

Love you all!!

Happy New Year!!!‏ - January 2, 2012

 

 

Hola Family and Friends!! Happy NEW YEAR!!!!

We went to Mendoza this Wednesday for an awesome Christmas conference. Then for new years we went to a members house and ate dinner and stayed out until 11:45 which was a treat for us. Then on Sunday we went to pick up the investigators for church at 830am and the people where still partying and dancing on the streets! The people here party like crazy!!

Besides that, it has been an amazing week. I was taught by some people how to kill a rabbit for dinner, I talked with a real gyspy, I survived a week of 105 weather with my new companion who loves the cold weather, and went to one of the only walmarts in our mission about 1 hr away! It doesn't have things from the states but it was still fun to go. I have had a great week and the people we are teaching are progressing a ton! Pray that we can fin more families here so that the gospel can bless their lives!

The church is true. Make changes and give things up in your life and follow the Savior. He will lead you where you need to go. Luke 5:11.

-- 
Hermana Emily Thatcher

Misión Argentina Mendoza