Ready for lots of pics!!! - October 24, 2011

Hola Family!!!

Well I spent a ton of time uploading pictures for you all. I will let the pictures tell the story of the week. It was a GREAT week!!! This Saturday Familia Navarro are getting BAPTIZED!!!! They have their temple date picked out for 1 year, Matias the older son wants to SERVE A MISSION!!!!!!!!!!! HOW AMAZING IS THAT!!! He is anxious to go out teaching with us. Knowing that we have the fullness of the gospel has just lit them on FIRE. They want to know EVERYTHING!! (It keeps me on my toes with hard questions!) Anyways, I am super stoked and the members are finally helping a ton with them. 

Pray for this week to turn out well. We are going to work very hard. This week Pte Audikaitis (quorum of 70) comes to do a training. He is notorious here and usually tears the missionaries apart on everything they are doing wrong. I am excited, it should be interesting! That is this Friday and the Saturday night is the baptism. Great week no?

Well, I love you all and thank you for your prayers. Shall we not go forward is such a great cause?!

Hna Thatcher
 


Eating with all the Elders and Hna at a family´s house this pday



Familia Navarro!! This is their second Sunday and this week they all bought church clothes and dont they look SHARP??

  

One of the many sweet signs here



tourist board



visiting flia Garrido´s new house

Visit to my 2nd favorite family



This week everyone voted for the Argentine President. Here it is a law to vote. There are these posters ALL over but now Cristina won so I thought I should take a picture!



When I met up with Hna Diaz and Zepeda during my training meeting in Mendoza

Tortuga!

goofing around like I love to do



walking an investigator to a primary activity




The last pday we did a picture scavenger hunt in two groups and this was the last picture we needed



Familia Navarro is ORO‏ - Oct. 17, 2011

Springtime in San Rafael. I love it.

I officially have spent three seasons here. I got here in fall, went all the way through a very cold winter, and now spring! This week was lots of HARD work but great. We were so tired one night I am pretty sure I walked home 30 minutes while power napping. But so it is on the mission....I LOVE IT.

Familia Navarro is amazing. We found them in a very simple way about 1 month ago. We have to do a certain amount of contacts each day and I always try to contact every family I see, kind of like I have a radar for them. I saw this cute family walking in centro and introduced myself. Knowing quickly that I was not a native Spanish speaker, they began to speak broken English to me. The hav¡d lived in Florida for a few years. We both laughed as we talked in a fun mix of English and Spanish as I asked if my companion and I could come by during to week to teach their family. They agreed and we went by the next day. 

We faught with them about 2 week. They were never there, but Hna Dana and I stopped by about everyday to see hopefully if they were there. We would run to their house at the end of the night to see if they were there. Well, lets just say our efforts were worth the time. We brought a member couple who were converts in the church 15years ago and now are the Stake Relief Society President and in the Stake High council, and they were instant friends. Familia Navarro have been assisting a baptist church (one that has a rock band to sing to and they shout and scream in their meetings) but every lesson we showed them love and showed them the spirit of reverence and love. They are a super unified family and already pay tithing in their church and have lived the word of wisdom as a family for some time. It took a lot or re-teaching, but finally they came to church yesterday. The family consists of Gustavo (dad), Virginia (mom), Matias (18yrs), Luna (7) and Morena (4). They are fireballs and have tons of doctrinal questions but have come to love the Book of Mormon. They are on fire right now and know the church is true and have been reading and praying as a family. The ward members helped us SO much this Sunday because we called them all ahead of time and let them know we had a special complete family that needed lots of support. Sunday each class they felt comfortable to comment, participate and ask questions in which each member testified to them and helped them along the way. I have never felt so much joy since the night Karina and Marcelo Garrido got married and baptized. They are scheduled for baptism the end of this month!!

To make the Sunday even better, we got permission to visit Flia Garrido in the country since we met our goals early in the week. We took the 30 minute drive out there with the help of a member with a car and surprised them. They CRIED when they saw us! I played for about 2 hours with the kids in the vineyards and orchards and we had a great family home evening after. Their branch is small and seems like they are having a hard time adjusting to being in the middle of nowhere but I am sure they will be ok. It was overall a great day! (It was Mother´s day here so it was a little sad to wait and study while Hna Dana called her family but it is ok, I will have my chance in May).

Thank you for your support and love. The Lord is putting amazing people into my hands I am sure I dont deserve but I am soooo grateful. We are being obedient and working hard to keep receiving the blessings. The vineyard really is ripe and ready to harvest here, even in your 7th month in San Rafael!!

Love,
Hermana Thatcher

Lovely Week - Oct. 10, 2011

AMAZING WEEK!!!

Well there is great news and bad news this week.

1) Bad news first. Familia Garrido moved. The owner of the house recently passed away and a lawyer came last week and told them they have one week to leave. So we scrambled and helped them find a house but they found a great house in the country far into the boundaries of another branch. I tried to be happy for them even though it will be hard not to see them basically every day. It will be good for them because the neighborhood they live in is kind of harder. I think it is small steps preparing me for the day I have to leave here permanently. I will ask for permission to see them outside of our area before I leave. They made me a huge poem in a picture frame they all signed for me. So Sunday morning we helped them move and I will pray the new branch will keep them going strong. Sad........

2) Good news. We are teaching FOUR complete families!! Wow the Lord has blessed us!! They are all very strong in the catholic, evangelical, and methodist churches but they are ALL reading the Book of Mormon and have had small answers to prayers. YEAH!! I am so pumped!! 

3) I forgot, more good news. We went to Mendoza this Thursday for special training. It was a long bus ride there early in the morning and back late at night but we learned A TON from PTe Avila. I was sooooo happy to learn more. You can never learn it all and I loved to hear the new ideas from our new assistants. Plus I got to see Hna Zepeda there! 


Well, I love you all. The pictures wont upload this week so very sorry. Pray for our families! I pray for you!!!


Hna Thatcher

Week 25 in San Rafael, I still love it!‏ - Oct.3, 2011

Hello All!!! 

Wasnt Conferencia General amazing!!!!!??? I loved everything! I loved the Japanese Elder´s talk (long name I don't remember) about missionary work and Elder Scott´s on scriptures, and Elder Christofferson on repentance and Elaine Dalton´s. Overall I was taking notes like a mad woman. I am also very proud to say that I watched the whole thing in spanish and understood it all. I had the choice to watch it in English but it was amazing to hear it and understand the apostles and prophet in spanish! I am so grateful for both the amazing conference and the gift of interpretation of languages. We had a few investigators there and I think besides being overwhelmed, they overall liked it alot! 

So this week has been pretty calm. Lots of good hard work. Found another choice family, Flia Araniz. They are married thank goodness! Hna Dana has been amazing this transfer, and is no longer nervous or timid. I am helping her learn English and she throws out the funniest one liners in English that keeps me on my toes laughing all day. She has come out of her shell so much because she feels better she is no longer the ¨new one¨. I am having a great time and loving everything more than ever!

Hna Anderson is training Hna John who is from Fayetteville, North Carolina which I was excited about. She is quiet, but we will soon change that haha! It is going to be a great transfer I can tell!

So the pictures will tell all the fun from the week:
1.´Making tacos in between conference 
2.3.4.  There was a spring concert and parade downtown so I convinced the other Hermanas to make a stand and talk to people. I had a super time and there were TONS of people we contacted!
5. To end the last transfer, we had a slumber party in the living room!
6. Hna Dana´s sister just had a baby so we sent this to her in honor
7. Hna John and Dana made us something since we are their ¨mothers¨ on the mission. How cute!
8. Part of our zone
9. San Rafael view from the hospital (we were visiting someone)


Love you all!! Keep close to the Savior and He will be there in every pain, joy, and experience of this life. He is watching me and blessing me as I try to bless His sheep. How marvelous is this work!!

Hna Thatcher

Transfers......kind of haha‏ September 26, 2011



Heating water for the font




Filling the Font



Hola ALL!!

So, crazy news. I looked at my mission call and I am pretty sure I missed the fine print that read:

¨Hermana Emily C. Thatcher, you have been called to serve the Lord in the Argentina Mendoza Mission¨
 
(Barrio I San Rafael)

Haha, just kidding. But yes, we got transfer calls and I am staying here!  But by the time I am done with this transfer, I will have spent half of my mission in San Rafael. Another 6 weeks here. I was a little suprized and am going to find some special people that obviously I didnt find or baptize the last 6 months. I am going to find people like ¨Where´s Waldo¨ but more like ¨Where are the Lord´s Chosen¨ in this beautiful area.

This weekend, another daughter in Flia Gonzalez´s family got baptized. The parents now no longer want to get married so I am really bummed but we will keep working. Funny story on the baptism this weekend. Brisa, is 9 years old. She is loud and very outgoing. But, when it came time to get in the fount, she cried like a baby and refused to get in. We waited for 5 or more minutes until I thought  ¨well maybe if I get in with her since she trusts and loves me, she will feel more comfortable¨. So I walked down into the fount until the second to the last step barefoot with her to then hand her off to Marcelo Garrido and he baptized her very quickly. We also closed the baptism doors so the witnesses where behind me because she was so nervous. In the end, it was an awesome experience. I learned a lot and it is fun to laugh about now. A few of the elders from our zone went to support us and they joke that that is the closest a Hermana has come to baptizing haha.

So, springtime is wonderful here. I have major allergies to some kinds of plants that obviously are not in the states or maybe is it from walking in dirt all day, who knows. I really am enjoying myself a lot. Hermana Wilde is going to San Juan so I am sad because she is one of my closest friends but Hna Anderson is training and her new companion will be here Wed. which is exciting for her.

Love you family and friends,

Hermana Thatcher

Baptism! - September 19, 2011

Hola Family and Friends!!

It has been an amazing week. WOW. I am exhausted. Week of a baptism is way more stressful. But, one more soul is saved here in San Rafael. And three more are planned for next week.

Romina is the oldest daughter of Familia Gonzalez. She was the most ready to make the step on baptism. But, we have the invitations ready and poor thing, Friday night she got super sick with high fever. She still wanted to do it, which we were very happy. The longer time you wait for a baptism, the longer time Satan has to try to mess it up. So we knew the water heater in the fount was broken and it was supposed to be fixed. Well, Saturday afternoon when we were supposed to start filling it, the repair man called and said he didn't fix it. So, we went to all the member's houses around the church (which really isn't that close) and collected big pots. We spent the whole afternoon filling the fount and we studied as we waited anxiously.

The night time came and although the water was very low, the baptism continued. We asked Marcelo Garrido (the father of the family we just baptized) to perform the baptism because he received the priesthood 3 weeks ago. He was stoked and very nervous. He said the prayer 4 times before he got it completely right and baptized her twice. She was a great sport about it though. Everything turned out beautifully. Her younger sister Brisa was there watching (and waiting for her turn next week) and the other two kids that are going to get baptized next week (Ruben, family friend of Familia Garrido, 12yrs old and Agustina, 9 years old). 

I sometimes wonder why I have had such success with children. I really hated babysitting when I was younger, which my Mom can attest to. So it is weird really. We have great adult investigadors too, just all of them are taking a long time to decide to be baptized. Children are pure and have great faith. My zone leader Elder Gonzalez told me this week " I think God is preparing you to be a great mother". I thought about that for a long time. I believe it is true.

President Hinckley gave a quote
"Many young women are serving missions and many more are preparing to serve, not because they aren't married or have nothing else to do, but because they have the desire to serve and therefore are being called to the work. The reason there are so many going is because in the next generation Heavenly Father will be sending his Priesthood army to the Earth and he wants to send them to mothers who have been properly trained and taught in the gospel, and what better training can a young woman have than that of serving a mission". 

I am so so grateful that God prepared me my whole life to do His work. I love it. It is very hard but I wouldn't be anywhere else in the world. I am grateful for the blessing and responsibility to teach the children and adults here. Pray that this week we can bless the lives of these kiddos, because they this gospel.

Pictures wont load this week. Lots next week!!


Love, Emily

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