January 15th - Hermana Pond & Brown

January 10th 2011

First want to start off this email with an apology...

So never in my life have I ever felt so much love and respect for leaders in the church and for EVERYTHING they do for the ward and all the things and activities they organize just for us. I apologize to every leader I have had in my life in the church for not showing up to those cute and fun activities you planned for weeks on end and spent money, and I either forgot or just didn’t have time to go, or just didn’t care. I am sorry for being such a diva and I hope I can be forgiven.....haha—(you know what’s coming next) –BECAUSE, since I have been out here in the mission we try to plan SO many things - like English or music classes - to get members and in-actives or investigators to, and we spend so much time making and passing out fliers, baking or making food for it, and what do you know the day rolls around and guess what---EVERYONE is too busy or forgets, or just doesn’t care to come and I sit there with my companion in the empty church with our treats we made, and our stuff all set up, just wondering-do people really have better things to do - do people really not care? Is it that hard to remember or attempt to come? So to all you leaders out there - THANK YOU for all you do! Keep it up! And to everyone who is contemplating whether they should go to those things or not - just picture me literally laying on the church ground eating all the cookies I made for the activity with a bitter look on my face - just go...it will be worth it!

Wow...I feel like I just wrote since these past few weeks have been weird with intercambios and everything……but there is always a lot to tell! All is well! I am back in my lovely area Arroyito, and things are OK, not great. When I was gone for a few days it was really hard being away from my companion, my area, and away from the investigators - it was hard not knowing what was going on with everything and knowing that all I could do was hope and pray was tough. But once I got back we just got working hard and visiting all of our investigators. I am not going to lie these past few days have been really rough - it seems that every single one of our investigators we have been working sooo hard with this whole tranfer are allllll backing out or can’t get baptized for different reasons....like really?...all of them?! And of course we have to go from house to house all in one day and be rejected by each individual one. I would just look at them and wonder how - how it is they can feel the spirit so strong, and know something is true, and then want to reject it or back out or want more time. I knew the mission would be hard and I knew that things take time, but this really was a moment of a trial of my faith like it talks about in Ether 12:6. “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because you see not, for you receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” So many times we just want instant results or things to just happen when WE want them to - but I have realized that so much in life we really need to just trust in the Lord, have patience and faith, and know that all things are in His time, and will work out in the end -like in D & C 121:7-8 – “My son, peace be unto your soul; your adversity and your afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if you endure it well, God shall exalt you on high; you shall triumph over all of your foes.” We just can’t give up.


Oh believe me - did I want to give up this day - and even worse so did my companion. We were just so frustrated, and almost mad about our investigators, and couldn’t understand why this was happening. We went to our apartment to get something before our next lesson, and we knelt down to pray, and my companion asked me to say it. I literally fell to the ground……because I was so hot and just physically and emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed. I began to say the prayer - and just right away I felt so much love my Heavenly Father. I asked him for his help, light, love, guidance and strength……and I felt Him comfort us and my heart was softened. I thanked him for our Savior Jesus Christ, and right when I began to talk about him I just began to cry, because I knew that He was with me, and He knew how I was feeling in that very moment - because he suffered these pains and trials and hard times just for me, and knows what it is like to be rejected. After the prayer I just felt so much love and gratitude - because although I knew this work is hard - and these people and investigators will be tough- I knew Christ would help me and be with me through it all because I am his representative, and He wants his light to shine to all and to help all the people of this area hear the gospel and accept Him. It’s just through time faith and patience and hope that I will be able find those people that are prepared.

After we went to Lucy and taught her, and of course she was having problems with her son and needed some help……and I talked about how I cannot even imagine what it is like being a parent. It takes so much faith in Heavenly Father and time and patience and help from Him to help families and kids. But I told her about my life, and my parents, and I just testified that through all of her prayers and faith and love for her kids, and just by her example her kids will make it through and will grow up and mature and change. I said that if my parents would have given up on me in those hard times and trials in my life, I wouldn’t be here today - but it is because of them I am here! And it is because of them that I have the testimony I have and know my purpose in life and have changed! I just said – don’t give up - with God-all things are possible.

Truly the mission gives you a little glimpse and tiny experience of what it’s like to be a parent. Every night I am just on my knees pleading and praying sooooo hard for these people - for our investigators and inactives, and sometimes its just so discouraging and disappointing when they don’t do what you know will make them happy. I just think of all the parents our there - more importantly our Father in Heaven - and they just love us sooo sooo much, and want the best for us, but sometimes in life we don’t do the smallest or simplest things - and why not…….we want to be happy, and we know what we need to do, so why is it so hard to do things that bring us, our parents and more importantly ourselves happiness? It is so important to remember how blessed we are to have a Father in Heaven that loves us soooo much and wants us to be happy, and wants us to follow Him! We have loving parents - they truly just want the best for us and would do anything for us to just make the right choices and be happy.

This mission is changing me every single day. I am always learning and growing as a missionary, and I truly am sooooo happy to be able to be here sharing the gospel. The mission is so hard and difficult at times…. but every single moment is worth it! I love and miss you all! Thanks for all your support and prayers and love! This is the last week before tranfers – I hope I am staying – I will let you know what happens in a week!!!

Besitoooooossss Nos Vemossss
Love, Hermana Pond

Let's get a new YEAR started here! January 7th, 2011

Friday January 7th

Family!!!!

I am sorry our schedules have been off since the holidays with our p-days, but starting next Monday it is back to normal so I will then be writing every Monday!! Where do I start?! I feel like I just wrote, but there is always so much to talk about!

I want to mention quite a little miracle we had last week in Arroyito. Remember the crazy Jehovah’s Witness that dresses funny and put underwear on her head? Well over time since we have been visiting Claudia and Juan’s house, Maria is always there and has really warmed up to us. At first it was sooo hard to try and be loving and nice to her when she was just yelling at us and saying crazy things. Truly, I wanted to make fun of her, because she was so out of control, but we got used to being really patient with her and working better with her around. It is actually sad, because she is kind of homeless, and just always goes to this house because she knows the grandma there but no one really likes her, and everyone is always yelling at her and making fun of her. One day one of the kids was teasing her and threw water all over her - I actually felt so bad for this woman, and wanted to cry - precious little homeless crazy thing. Every day we go to the house we always make sure we go and talk to her, and kiss her cheek and ask her about her life, and how she is doing.

One day we were teaching Juan and Claudia, and she called me over to sit by her under a tree. She asked me if she could come to church with us on Sunday, and what time it is at - she was nervous to ask because she wasn’t sure if she was allowed, and she said she really wanted to try it out. At the end of the lesson she was by us, and kind of got to listen to it all, and we asked her to pray - in her prayer she thanked God for sending us to her to help her change her life and hope she can change - it was seriously such a tender moment and small miracle of the week because someone who we had so many problems with - her heart has softened and through just showing her some love and talking to her, she has changed and has a lot of respect for us.

Another cool thing that I forgot to mention was our p-day last week in Villa Maria with our zone. We got to PAINTBALL!!! It was honestly sooooo much fun. We all went out by the river in these trees and had teams, and were just running around and shooting each other-haha- it was great- definitely the best p-day yet. I love our zone so much - we all bond!!

As you all know these past few days has been intercambios, which is where we switch companions and areas for a few days. I went to Bellville with the girl from Chile, who is way new in the mission also. At first, I was a little nervous because she doesn’t speak English, but it honestly went so well and was such a good experience! I love Bellville, and the ward! I want to go there someday - maybe in a few transfers! But it was truly a miracle I am really understanding soooo much Spanish, and was teaching in the lessons too! Me and Hermana Arbarsura got along so well and we were able to communicate fine. First of all I love the apartment in Bellville! It is sooooo much nicer than the one in cute Arroyito - this one is sooooo much bigger, and has a glam nicer shower, and they had EFY music that we would play every second, I was in heaven!

One person I LOVED in Bellville was an older man that is 77 and he is a recent convert named Teofilo - he is honestly the cutest thing I have ever seen! Whenever he talks I just want to cry he is soooo tender - bless his little soul. He has never been married or had kids and is very much alone-his dog just died, and his brother recently died, so he has been sooo sad these past few weeks. One day when we past by his house and surprised him with a little party – we brought all this food and we brought a member with us, and he was just sooo happy! Cute little thing. I taught the whole lesson to him too, and read out of D and C 121: 7-8, and talked about how times are hard, and we will be sad, but the Lord is with us and will give us peace and light, and help in time. “My son, peace be unto thy soul; your adversity and your afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if you endure it well, God will exalt you on high; you will triumph over all of your foes.” It was a good message for him and he was soooo happy and we just bonded!!
We also found a lady one day filling up water, and we were just walking in the street with a member, and he looked at me like - go talk to her! So we both went up to her, because my comp was busy talking to someone else, and we contacted her and she invited us over to her house! She is so cute! Her name is Christina and she and her family are from Bolivia, and came here for work. They are honestly the cutest most humble people ever, and loved listening to us and were just beaming! The next day we came back and found them all together, including her boyfriend who had been at work the day before (they need to get married!). We found out that in Bolivia his uncle is a member of the church and he had been to church a few times and liked it, and had always been interested but then moved to Argentina...miracle!! It was so neat - he had sooo many questions and was just so interested in bettering his life and helping his family! We talked about the temple and how they could go someday as a family, and we talked about baptism and they accepted!!! Butttttttt the only problem is they are not married....and they are not from Argentina, so I am not sure how they are going to do it, but we have faith and really want to work with them……well one day I want to come back and serve in Belleville, and I told them I would come and visit and work with them! It was such an awesome experience, and when we talked about eternal families the spirit was sooo strong.

So the changes were only a few days but SO worth it! I am so grateful I got to work in Belleville and get to know a new area, and work with a different comp for a few days - it defffff helped my Spanish!

Today we came to Villa Maria, with our whole zone and we all had a meeting together, and then a HUGE Asado (BBQ) after - it was way fun! The meeting was so spiritual - our zone leader is ending his mission in 2 weeks! So this was like a little goodbye get-together as a zone, and it was neat because he had us all go around and share why we are all on missions. It was so neat to hear everyone’s personal stories, but mostly everyone are all here for the same reasons - to invite others to come unto Christ and just help others and share the gospel with people! We have people from the states, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, and Paraguay, so it is quite a diverse group, but it was sooooo cool to hear everyone’s personal testimonies and a lot of people talked about their families, as well-being good examples to little siblings, or doing it for their moms because they love them so much.

One elder talked about how he knew that in heaven before this life he promised someone that he would find them on this earth and share with them the gospel so they can be happy and enjoy this earth life. He just knows that they are out here in Cordoba, Argentina, and he will do whatever it takes to find them and share with them this gospel to change their life and give them his love. It was so neat.

This experience really made me think about my life, and why I am really out here on a mission. Of course we come on missions to preach the gospel, but I thought about how I got our here and what was my drive. I truly thought about the good example and love of my wonderful parents, and I just want to thank you mom and dad for everything you have helped me with in my life, and never giving up on me, and always encouraging me to be better and just always being strong in the gospel. I also thought of the good example of my siblings – Camille, my best friend ever, who just loves and gets along with everyone she meets! My brother Nick - I hope you know how much of a good influence you have been in my life and you are a lot of the reason I am out here today. Thank you for always being such a loving and caring person - I will never forget the looks on those peoples faces in Uruguay - that just couldn’t express in words how happy they were that they met you, and what an influence you were to them. Never forget those experiences you had in the mission - and never forget that I still look up to you and love you so much for your strong and shining example to me.

My friends - all of you that have served missions and came home just glowing in the light of Christ and truly just shining to everyone you come in contact with. I felt that light at everyone of your homecoming talks, and I thank you for your powerful testimonies that drove me to have the desire to come out here and do the work of the Lord, as well and to have that same light and those same experiences!

I cannot express the power of influence in this life. People are always watching everything we do - and I just hope we all remember how much we can have an impact on the people and the relationships we have in this life. Everyone that has been on missions - keep sharing those amazing experiences you had and always remember them to give you strength and keep being those good examples to all. Anyone who is on a mission right now - I hope you realize, like I am beginning to realize, how crucial it is and how much you are helping and affecting the people in your life for the better, not just on your mission, but back at home too! Remember your siblings and friends and extended family and never forget that these experiences you will remember for your whole life, and anytime you share them with others, you could be inspiring another person to go out and want to serve the Lord as well and have those same amazing experiences.

I thank all of the missionaries out there seriously - for their examples to me and their hard work - the mission is truly so hard and just know that no matter what - being out in the field, you have so much love and support at home and everyone is just so proud! Anyone that is thinking about going-truly know that this is the best place you could ever be and that it will change you for the better! Even people that are not going to serve or can’t for whatever reason, its still just so important to remember that we are always an example to someone in our lives and sometimes we don’t know it, or we forget, but its so important to always know that people are looking up to you, and watching you and really can always be inspired just by the little things you say and do in your life. Remember your testimonies and always just have that light of Christ burning inside of you and have that unconditional love for all, so you can continue to grow and improve yourself.

I am sooooo happy to be here in the mission right now and truly am learning new things every day! Of course its soooo hard and at times, I wonder why and question, and want to doubt, but I just always remember that this is the Lord’s work and His time, and its all his will, and if I do my part he will do his in time. I LOVE YOU ALL, and will talk to you Monday!!!! Chauuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Love,
Hermana Pond!!!

New Years in Argentina

Monday January 3^rd, 2011

Friends and Family!

Oh my gosh I don’t even know where to begin!!!! It has been such an amazing past few weeks, and I am sad because it has gone by so fast! So I will start with Christmas - Christmas is CRAZY here! Literally there are just people out in the streets everywhere, and everyone has huge BBQ’s and fire works are going off left and right. We ate with a member’s family and there were like 50 people there - it was such a party - and me and my comp were just like cracking up the whole time, because it literally was like World War 2, just bombs going off everywhere, and it doesn’t even phase anyone. Everyone was just tranquilo and like eating and loving life - haha - I loved it so much. Me and my comp also got to lay on our roof together and just look at the stars and talk about Christmas and memories, and it was just such a good day, one I will truly never forget.

So some funny things – always - from this week....

So this family that we are working with that I always talk about - there are just always tons of people at their house, and it is just so unpredictable what is going to go down when we arrive. One time we were just sitting outside about to teach, and the grandma comes up to us and just starts pouring water all over our feet, because it was hot - haha - and it was just so awk - we were like in the middle of talking and she comes and just throws all this water all over all our feet. Also one day we were all talking, and I just smelled something so gross, and I look down and there is this dog on the ground and it had flies all over it, and all this blood starts coming out everywhere, and the mom finally looks down and notices and freaks out and tells everyone in the house to clean up this dead dog. She just starts like sweeping it away with a broom – hahaha - it was sad but funny. Also there are always tons of random men there that help build this new house they are getting, and one day they were all out front and cooking an iguana!!! I was so freaked out - it was funny - we took pics. Then they asked us to take pics with their horse, and the grandma kept trying to get in thre picture, and they were yelling at her – hahahaha - it was so funny. This family is nuts, but I LOVE them.

We are working with their 2 kids who have baptism dates for Jan 15^th - Claudia and Juan - they are SO great, and so escogido (translation: choice, chosen). We just need to get permission from their mom, who is stubborn and doesn’t want it, so we are going to have a fast with Claudia this week and just pray really hard her mom will let her and her brother get baptized.

We also found this family-the Toledos - who are an incomplete famiily and they have 9 kids! They have been inactive for a while, and for missionaries it has been SO hard to find the parents ever to talk to them, but it was truly a miracle - one day we got in and found both the parents and talked to them and invited them to the ward Christmas party and guess what....they all came on their own and had such a good time! It was such a Christmas miracle! We are teaching them now and they really do want to change and get the rest of their kids baptized so they can go through the temple when it is finished in a year or 2!!! This is so exciting!!! I love their family so much, and it honestly is a miracle that we are working with them. We are going to try and get their kids baptized by the end of January!

Another miracle is that one of our investigators got married and they stopped drinking coffee after we taught them the word of wisdom. They said they will get baptized this month!!! So we are really praying hard for them - it is a couple and their son who is 10, and they have progressed a lot - they just need to go to church, and its hard because she always works on Sundays, but she is going to try and find another job so she can go to church so we are really praying hard for them!

Also Lucy - my favorite and most precious investigator - she has been tough, and we haven’t been able to teach her in a while and it’s been really hard for me. She has also become more flojo (loose, non-committal) and just doesn’t seemed as pumped to get baptized...BUT, we had a really spiritual lesson with her a few days before Christmas and she was crying about how its hard - her family never has money this time of year, and it makes her sad and feel like a bad mom and it is hard for her to enjoy Christmas. We said that we understood, but then we talked about the true meaning of Christmas, and our experience out here in the mission, and how much it is more focused on Christ, and how happy we are, and it was just so spiritual we were all crying and filled with the spirit…….it was a miracle. So we are hoping she will go to church this week and we can get her ready for her date in Jan.

Also this week we have been really working with inactives. There is a family that I LOVE that lives below us named the Britos and they have been inactive for awhile, but have been in the church longer than any family in the area, and I just know they have such strong testimonies, and we had a noche day hogar (translated “night of home” - FHE) with them and the whole family, and it was so tender and spiritual and we talked about setting goals for the new year and they talked about how they really want to go back to going to church as a family. It was so great!!!

Also I taught a whole lesson by myself! We had a noche de hogar with my favorite family, the Barbosas, and it was honestly one of the most spiritual experiences in my mission so far. We went around and we all talked about our favorite part of this past year - our favorite and most memorable experience or what we are grateful for-and they all went around and its been such a hard time for them, but they just were all crying and sharing such powerful and tender experiences, and just talked about how grateful they were for the gospel and for their families. Me and Hermana Brown shared as well, and I went last. I talked about how I have been so lucky this past year - I have traveled so many different places, and done so many fun things, but truly the best experience of my year was when I first went through the temple and to have all my family there all dressed in white - it truly was like heaven to me, and I have never felt so close to my Heavenly Father and the heavens in my life. I was just filled with so much peace and so content, and in that moment I have never felt so grateful for my beautiful family and how families can be together forever and how in that moment I knew that this was true.

Like you all know, the mom in this family is deaf, and doesn’t really understand, but honestly her and I just have this bond, and even though my Spanish is not even close to that good - she was able to understand perfectly, and the whole family understood, and all of us - even the inactive dad-were just crying and so filled with the spirit. I am SO grateful for this experience because I know that it was only through the spirit I was able to give this lesson. In the end I talked about how fun and great our years can be but in the end......we always start and finish with families, and how important they are to us and our lives, and how we always need to focus on improving our relationships with each other, and always improving ourselves. It was so neat!

So we had New Years Eve last night in Bellville with 2 other sister Latin missionaries. It was SO MUCH FUN! We had all this food in their apartment and did cheers, and we sat on the balcony all together and watched fireworks……it was SO magical and such a great night!!!!

Today I am starting INTERCAMBIOS!!! I am staying in a different area – Bellville - for 5 days with another sister missionary who is from Chile and does not speak a word of English…...so I am nervous! But pray for me! I know it will be a good experience and will help my Spanish a lot, but it def will be a challenge.

There is sooo much more to tell, and I wish I could just write every detail, but I have to go! I cannot express enough that I know without a doubt in my mind this gospel is true, and can change peoples lives - it can truly make you HAPPY! Every day I am just in the streets, and its hot, I have blisters all over my feet, people are all asleep during ciesta or they are rejecting us, or I can’t understand the Spanish, but it doesn’t even matter. I am still like skipping in the streets just beaming with joy, so happy to be alive and sharing this gospel with people! I bet people think I am crazy when they see this tall awk white girl just with this huge grin on her face saying hola to everyone, and has a huge messy bun on her head - haha - but it does not even matter. I want the world to know what joy this gospel can bring to lives……what light and love and peace can fill the soul through coming unto Christ and following him. These past few weeks its been so hard, because I have seen so many SAD, SAD family and living situations, and it has just reminded me what an important role parents have for their kids, and how their example and influence will change everything. Be SO grateful for the lives you all live, and the wonderful families and parents you have. You are all truly so blessed to be in such homes filled with much love and appreciation and good morals. I am sooo grateful for my parents and so thankful for growing up in this gospel.

I just want everyone to know that I am so thrilled to be here. It is hard, but I am enjoying learning, progressing, and loving every moment! It is a new year, and so I hope everyone is thinking of the things they can work on, and improve this year! I know I am. Oh and I FINALLY finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish!!!! I am starting D & C in Spanish now, and reading out of the New Testament in English. I just finished Matthew. I love the scriptures and every day I read them I am filled ith so much inspiration! How lucky we are to have them!!! I hope everyone has a good week!!! Love you ALL!!! Feliz Ano Nuevo!!! Chau!!

Love Hermana Pond!

Christmas in Argentina

Hola everyone! Sorry this email won’t be very long but we have like no time this week - we spent all p-day in San Fransisco playing uno with our district and making snow flakes - it was fun! But I have so much to tell you all, so I will try and be quick-it has been a great week!!!

First of all I want to thank all my friends and family that write me - I truly love you all so much and miss you - and thanks for the support and know I am reading your emails and love you all!! Thank You!

Also something I am very thankful for in my life and have been missing a lot this season here in Argentina - AIR CONDITIONING! It doesn’t even exist here, and I don’t even know how these people live - its getting hotter and hotter and sometimes those little rotating fans in houses just don’t do it for me....so be thankful for every place you step into this week that has cold and refreshing air conditioning!!! You are all truly blessed with the smallest and simplest things we just take for granted and don’t think about every day.

So all is well in cute little Arroyito Candy Land! The work is progressing and we are just always working hard and seeing miracles! I love my companion and we are just so happy and get along sooo well!! This week was a little different, because we were traveling sooo much - we have a zone conference one day and we have a mission conference for Christmas - both were so much fun!!! The Christmas conference was the best day ever - we had spiritual devotionals where missionaries got up who were leaving and bore tender testimonies of the mission, and talks by the president- then work shops - practicing how to be better missionaries - and then we had an asado!!! Just HUGE feast of meat for lunch- it was so good - then we had all these activities and games the rest of the day outside in this big field like relay races and played volleyball - they also played Christmas music to get us in the mood! At the end we had a water balloon and water fight with everyone, and we all just soaked each other including the mission president and his wife - it was SO much fun - and we had ice cream after. Then the mission president dressed up as Santa Claus and gave us all gifts for Christmas, and handed out packages! It was seriously the funnest day ever!!! I love the mission! And I got to see friends from the MTC so that was way fun.

Something funny is that one night we were planning, and a little tiny orange kitten came in our apt and we kept it for a few days and named it Dulce - haha - of course- everyone is thinking creepy cat lady- Jami finding pets on her mission, but really it came to us!! Haha -it was so cute, but then we just let it free - cute little Dulce...

Also we decorated our apt for Christmas!! We have a little festive Christmas tree- its soooo cute- and today we cut out snow- flakes to hang all around! Its so cute! I love it- and really gets us in the spirit of Christmas!!!

A tender moment that happened this week is we were at choir and everyone knows how much I love the members and we are singing Christmas songs for our next meeting to sing in and this night was just really peaceful, and we were all just really thinking about Christmas and getting excited and feeling the spirit of it. 3 people sang a little trio to silent night, and we were just all silent and listening and it was just sooo soo peaceful, and the church was just filled with the spirit and we could all feel it. One of the most recent covert families who I love, and are just so strong in the gospel she just began to cry listening to the beautiful words of the song and it was just so tender - the gospel truly does change lives- and especially at Christmas time. This family is going to celebrate it, and think of it in such a different way and really just ponder about Christ and his birth and life and his example and it was just such a neat moment.

Also one of the members I love in the ward – Mercedes, who is deaf - one day we were helping her clean and we were talking about the holidays and Christmas. She is just so happy and such a positive and inspiring person who has been through so much but is so strong in the end - and we told her we loved her Christmas tree and it was sooo pretty and she said that it was from her mom who past away a few years ago and she just started crying. I just held her and hugged her and she cried and talked about how its always hard at this time of year around Christmas because she was so close to her mom and it was her favorite holiday, but the tree and everything about the holiday makes her feel her spirit still, and love her mom has for her and her family and is watching over them. She is just so thankful for the knowledge of the gospel and the comfort it brings her. This just made me think of my mom and family and Christmas- and yes its hard right now around the holidays, being away from home, but I am just so grateful that I got to be with Mercedes in this moment and share with her my love for her and show her that I am here for her, and we are like a family. She just truly inspires me, and really made me remember the true meaning of Christmas - how we need to serve others and remember and love our families.

We still have some really good strong investigators and some came to church this Sunday and are progressing! We have faith and hope they will be baptized this transfer!

Truly there is soooooo much more I want to tell you all, but I have to go - sorry this is so short, but I will tell you ALL the details when we talk on CHRISTMAS!!! Can’t wait!

I truly love you all so much, and know I am safe, happy, and loving every second of my mission!!!!! Its truly the best thing that has ever happened to me! I am learning so much every day!!!!! I hope everyone has a good week

Cchaooooooooooooooo and Happy Christmasssss!!!!

Couple of Zone Conference Pics

December in Cardoba Argentina

Monday December 13th…….

Hello family and friends!!!! Is it not crazy that Christmas is so close?! I can’t even believe it! The other day we were planning our meals with members and what days and we asked one member if she could do it not this Friday, but the next, and she was like Christmas Eve.....whatttttttttt!! Its almost here! I hope you are all excited!! So I do not know even where to begin - it has been the most crazy, fast, busy, wonderful week ever! So let me just start with how happy I am with this transfer and how much I love my companion! We get along sooo well its sooo great - and she is soooo obedient and such a hard worker - I love it!!! At first it was a little hard, because I have been in my mission a little over a month, so I am way new- and she is new to this area - and only has 5 months in the field, so we both are just learning together and progressing together, but it is SO good. This situation is really pushing us and making us step up - raise the bar, as my dad would say-and really rely on the Lord and have so much faith.

So let me start with the awk sitches that happened - of course with me there will always be a few of these. So of course I am still a little new to this place and don’t know where I am going all the time so my comp just has to follow me and I always just have to -follow my heart (my favorite line) - and hope that I know where I am going, and that we’ll end up somewhere good. So we were biking in this dirt rode and this family walked by us on our bikes, and their little boy was running after this ball that was coming my way. For some reason I thought I could make it around this young child in time, so we wouldn’t collide, but of course with my luck- not knowing Spanish, and being a missionary, in front of this whole family, run over this little boy with my bike and we both toppled over! Oh my gosh! I can’t even tell you - I wanted to cry and I thought my life was over. As I got up, I literally just kept thinking to myself - like what? Did I really just run over this family’s little boy - and to make things worse and make me feel even worse, it turns out the little boy was handicapped. I got up and tried helping the boy, but he just ran away, and I just kept saying ahhh perdon- perdon - perdon! I look up and the family is like laughing and they just say it’s totally fine and don’t even care, and they said the boy is fine and everyone is just like laughing...literally this would happen to me. Just to make this situation more awkward, we end up contacting this family of like 6 and get their address, and we might just have a cita (discussion) with them and they might just be baptized one day....maybe not – haha- but could you imagine that story....

We also found a family of 8 this week and have been teaching them! They are great and its super sad they are way poor, and live with and have like nothing. Like 20 people live in this little house and there are just kids everywhere! It’s soooo hot in their house with no air or fan, and we are all just crammed in this little room just sweating. I feel awkward, but what can you do. They have this crazy neighbor that is always there when we go by named Maria, and she is literally nuts…..like its hard for me not to laugh at her when she comes around. She is always drunk or smoking and is this huge chubby lady with long gypsy type skirts and hiking boots with high socks. She always is just like sweating and pacing around and she will randomly come in and scream at us - she is a Jehovah’s Witness - and yells how the bible is solo and goes on randomly about Noah in the bible and I can’t even tell you how interesting this is. One time she said since we are baptized, and they are not, we should cover our heads. We said no, but she felt it was important, so she grabbed a little kids underwear just lying on the ground and put it on her head and just kept going off and pointing her finger in our face...it’s so hard for me not to laugh, but lets just say we try to keep her out during our lessons or its hard to take anything seriously.

Normally, every day we are fed by members, but yesterday we did not have anyone to feed us, and we had noooo food in our apartment. We figured this was just a chance to be humble missionaries and we literally looked for anything in our place to cook. We had rice, peas, and onions....we ended up making this poor mixture, and blessed it, and were so ready for our cute little humble meal together, but then of course a knock came at our door and my favorite members EVER found out we had no food and brought us a big chicken and French-fries and ice cream. We are so lucky - they are the best!

Also last night right before choir, we were in the library in the church looking for paper, and this little girl came in with us who is about 6. She closed the door behind her and five minutes later we just hear her screaming bloody murder and pounding at the door and we turn around to find out there is no door handle and we are locked in. We try to calm her down but nothing works and of course at this time there is a ward counsel meeting with all the important members, and they are just interrupted by this little girl balling and screaming in this closet. Finally someone came and opened it, and we just looked so dumb- haha- the two missionaries locked in this closet with this little girl- poor thing.

Sorry that was a lot of stories! But so much has gone down - and not just funny stories, but we have truly seen SO many miracles here in Arroyito this week!!!! First of all I have been speaking Spanish like crazy, and it’s truly such a blessing, I can’t even tell you what has happened! Everyone has been saying how much I understand and can speak! I have been teaching lessons a lot too, and contacting like crazy- it’s been so good. I finally feel like a missionary, and I am useful and working! We also have found tons of news, and this week we set 6 baptism dates with people!!!!!! It’s so exciting! Lucy’s of course for this month- and then one family - the parents are not married but are getting married this month and their date is for January and also the family of 8 - its a single mom Lorena and her daughter Claudia who is 14, and their son Juan who is 8 - the rest of the kids are super young. We have been teaching all of them every day day and really working hard with them! It was hard though, because one of the families – his name is Diego - only works Sundays in the morning so they couldn’t come to church and we are really praying they will find a new job. Only Lucy an Claudia were able to attend church yesterday, so that was hard that not everyone can come, but it was a good spiritual Sunday and we felt good about it. I truly have had the best week ever!! We have just been working sooooo hard, because we just have so much faith in Arroyito, and know we can find those people that Heavenly Father has prepared for the gospel, and teach them!

I truly do feel so blessed to be able to be out on my mission in this time - this wonderful season of Christmas. What better place to be then serving others and looking for people to help every minute of the day. I have never focused so much on the true meaning of Christmas in my life - how happy and how much joy we can feel while we focus our thoughts on Christ and his birth, his life, and really try to feel of His love and be charitable and serve others as he would. As much as I love the spirit of Christmas, with the lights, music, snow, food and decorations - I have never felt this type of the spirit of Christmas in my life. It is filled throughout my whole soul and heart daily, and I just feel so grateful and thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ, and for his wonderful perfect life and what an example he was to us. I try to just let this beautiful spirit of light carry me daily in the streets and lead me to those people that need it to shine on them a little this holiday, and to be able to better come to know their Savior Jesus Christ, and how he can make their lives happier and more full of joy!

One of my favorite things we say in contacts with random people in the streets is “Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Of course - everyone here says, “Si, si, si - and then we always ask them what their relationship is with him, and how He helps them in their lives. Sometimes people don’t even know what to say or don’t really even know what Christ did for them...so many people believe in Christ, and as Christians, we celebrate Christmas, but who is Jesus Christ really - and why do we celebrate this holiday?

I would just like to share with all of you how I have come to know my Savior and Redeemer throughout my mission, and who He truly is to me. A quote I really like, that I heard on my mission was - you cannot invite others to come unto Christ unless he is standing right next to you....every day since I have been set apart as a missionary, I have prayed so hard to have my Savior and Lord with me in this time, because I am his representative - that is my calling and that is what my name tag says. This is His work, his gospel, and His time that I have given Him - and just in these few months in my mission I realize that never before have I felt such unconditional love, peace, guidance, hope, help, strength, courage, and light from any other source in my life……and through developing my testimony and my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, my Savior, I know that without him this work would not be possible.

In this season of Christmas, as we ponder and remember the birth of Jesus Christ, I am so grateful for the things He did in his life and the example He was to all. Through coming to know him personally, is how I can testify with power and love to the people of this country of His truth, and of his gospel. It is through these experiences that we are able to fulfill our purpose as missionaries-invite others to come unto Christ - and oh how I know of the promises and changes that await these people, because I have seen them in my own life - and literally in times where I feel like I cannot go on any more - Christ has given me that strength and encouragement and love that has lifted me up physically, spiritually, and emotionally, that has really been carrying me the whole time that I have been here as his representative and his witness.

One of my favorite talks that I heard in the MTC truly changed my life, and I want share a part of it.......Missionary work is not easy, because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy - we are the church of Jesus Christ - this is the truth - and He is our great eternal head. How could we believe it would be easy for us, when it was never ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane, and at least take a step or two toward the summit of Calvary. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember that you are not the first one to ask that - someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way. Remember this that when you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, YOU ARE STANDING WITH THE BEST LIFE THIS WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN - THE ONLY PURE AND PERFECT LIFE EVER LIVED. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the living Son of the living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane, and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him - the way, the truth, and the light of this world. “The Miracle of a Mission” by Jeffrey Holland

Every day I am reminded of the sufferings and the sacrifice that my Savior made for me, and through the experiences I have with the Atonement daily, and coming unto my Savior- it just strengthens my testimony of Him and leads me to those people who need to hear my testimony! This is our message and this is our gospel……the gospel of JESUS CHRIST…..and in this season - this holiday, this month, we need to ponder, remember, and be grateful for the center and purpose of our lives - our Redeemer Jesus Christ - and what we can do in this wonderful holiday and time, is to be with our families, serve each other, and truly pray so intently and powerfully daily to do whatever we can to come closer to Him, because it is through Him that we find ourselves - our purpose, our happiness, our joys in this life - it is His life, and His example, and His way that we are free. This is my everlasting, ever joyful, and never ending testimony of Jesus Christ - and I hope during this Christmas, when you are with your families and feeling so much unity and love and peace in your hearts and in your homes-that you remember where it comes from- remember His birth and His life and remember who He truly is to you.

Family and friends - I love you all so much with all my hearts, and I do miss you, but there is nowhere else I would rather be in the world right now than a missionary - preaching this wonderful life changing and loving message to people that will bless their lives forever!

I hope you all have a good week, and I can’t wait to call you on Christmas!!!!

Love - Hermana Pond

Week 5 through 7

December! Finally- my favorite month!! While all of you are getting on your winter clothes and drinking hot chocolate and having fires - I am walking in the streets sweating like crazy, while it gets hotter and hotter here because its summer…..so much for tis the season.....it feels nothing like the season! But of course it is still the month of Christmas, and although they are not as into it here, and instead of singing Christmas carols and having Christmas trees, the people here light fire works and stay out all night - either way its a great holiday- and I am so excited for it to come!! I hope you are all getting excited and all festive with decorations in the house and listening to Christmas music. Last night when we had our usual choir practice with like the three people that attend...haha- love it - we sang some Christmas songs to get in the mood and it was really fun! I think me and my comp are going to buy a tree this week to be more festive...and guess what today was....TRANSFERS! My first one - I was so nervous! I thought I was for sure going to get a Latin comp and just never speak again and give up and become a mute- haha- buttt I got a way cute sister named Hermana Brown and she is from Arizona! She is super cute, easy going, happy and positive and ready to work- so I think we are going to get along greatttttt! She has only been in the mission like 5 months so she is way young, and I just got here, so I don’t really know the area here, so we are like training each other- haha- it will be a good experience.

So this week has been great! My last week with Hermana Dickey, everyone like knew she was leaving since he had been here for sooo long, so it was sad, but she is way excited for change. So we decided to try a new finding activity this week, and it is soooo awesome - I love it SO much. We did the same thing with the Book of Mormon, but this time instead of scriptures about the restoration, we did about 11 different scriptures about CHRIST! All of them are SO good, and talk about Christ and the Atonement. We also wrote a description that we give with the book that talks about the Christmas Season, and how this is a time to really think about Christ, and how this book will help them understand Him, and the way they can follow Him and His teachings and how He can help us in our lives! We also put red ribbon on the books and have been giving them as Christmas gifts to families – it has been so good so far, and we found some awesome families! One lady, Celeste, has 4 little kids and she seems really interested. We are going to go back and see how the reading went.

I truly do LOVE Christmas so much, because it is the perfect time to talk to people about Christ and who He really is and how we can personally develop a relationship with Him. Everyone here is catholic and they say they believe in Christ but no one ever can really say who He is and what He did for them and it is sooo important in our lives to understand who Christ really is and that He truly does live today and we can come unto Him and feel of His love!

When we were doing the finding activity, we got to this one man’s door and talked to him forever. We had a member with us and that is always good, because they can talk –haha- but this guy kept going on forever about doctrine and just kept trying to talk about facts and proof. Everyone was going back and forth, back and forth with their opinions about the Bible, and such and I just had this feeling I should really say something, but I kept fighting it, and kept doubting myself, thinking my comments don’t matter. I felt like my comp and this member could take care of this, but this feeling kept coming, and I really felt I should speak.

Finally, the man actually looked at me and wondered why I wasn’t talking, and what I had to say, and so in the best Spanish I had, I told him that this book - The Book of Mormon - is the reason I am here in Argentina. I talked about my own personal prayer to my Heavenly Father after I read it to know if its true – and that I got my answer, and that now I have that confirmation for myself - and that’s how I know that he can receive the same answer through prayer, if he really wants to know. He has two daughters around my age, so I asked him what it would be like for him as a father, if his daughters, being very young and going to another country, where they don’t know about the culture or don’t know the language and I asked how he would feel about that. He said it would be hard and he would be worried about them. I told him that I have a family of my own, and things in my country I could be doing like school and work, but because I have so much faith in these things I have learned – and read the Book of Mormon and got my answer that it is true - I knew that in this time in my life, as I am telling people in this country how I feel, that I would be taken care of and blessed from my Father in Heaven, and I have so much trust in him to help me – and trust that he will bless my parents! It’s hard for them to know I am out here doing this, because they worry, but they know of my testimony, and with all of our trust and love and faith in the Lord - everything will be taken care of and work out. I said, “That’s why I am here…..to tell people about this amazing Book of Christ that can change their life and bless their family forever!!” So of course I didn’t even get close to saying all of this in perfect Spanish- haha - but that was what came from my heart, and I knew he understood it all. He said he would read it and we are going back next week to see how it went!

So we worked a lot with Lucy this week and she has progressed so much. One night we were teaching her, and after talking about the plan of salvation and the 5 things we need to do on this earth, we talked about how she really needs to strengthen her faith in Christ and know she can be forgiven, and she agreed. We told her that we have been praying and thinking about her a lot lately, and we really feel she needs to come to our church to feel of the peace and love inside, and feel the spirit and meet the members. She agreed - and she came to church on Sunday!!! I prayed so hard all week she would come and she did - on Sunday morning we showed up at her house and she had the door open was all cute in her church clothes- at the table drinking mate’ all ready to go! She is the best! Her husband drove us and we invited him, but I have a feeling he will take a bit of time. Church went so well - the members were so awesome and the spirit was sooo strong in every meeting - it was testimony meeting so everyone just bore such powerful tender- hearted testimonies and everyone, including Lucy was crying. After we ate lunch at Lucy’s house with her whole family!!! It was soooo good to finally get to know them and talk to them- they are all sooo great- we really want to start teaching them all. We had my first asado, which is just like a huge BBQ and feast of all this Argentina meat- haha- it was good - and we made them tacos - it was so fun! We hope to set a date with Lucy this week!

Truly miracles are happening in Arroyito. I think this change will be good too. Last night 2 people randomly walked in the church, and just moved to the area and are looking for a good church...so cool! We gave them a tour and told them about it and we are meeting with them this week. We also found our good investigator, Blas, who is 19 and speaks English, and he is sooo cool and he definitely is going to be baptized - I love him!

So I am a little nervous, now that my comp is gone and I am the one that has to know everyone, and the area and everything, but I have tons of faith, and I know my new comp and I will get along great, and just work really hard and witness tons of miracles this Christmas season!!! I love this work and I love you all!!! Hope you all have a good week!

Chao!
Love, Hermana Pond!!


Monday November 29th

Family and Friends!!! I truly just want to testify that I know that the Lord lives and with him by our side, we are capable of doing and overcoming anything. Without a doubt in my mind I know that this work and this gospel is the way to be happy in this life. Last week was definitely a challenge for me and I did get to a point where I didn’t think I could do it. I truly questioned if I was ever going to be able to overcome the things I was going through and feeling. After so much transformation in myself, and pleading to my Father in Heaven to help me and give me strength and a way to change, I really do feel like a new person. It is like I am in the exact same place -same people -same things- but I am just looking at everything in a different light now-a different perspective-and through this simple act -this slight change on my part-I am happy and I am enjoying everyday. I know that Heavenly Father loves us and he never wants us to be unhappy or depressed or feel like we can’t do it. Through these experiences, more than anytime in my life, I know so clearly in my heart and mind that through coming unto Christ and having his help in everything we do-anything is possible.

I do know too, that anything can be fixed by comfortable and healthy communication. It is so simple, but for some reason we all just get so prideful or scared, and I really thought that communication was something I was good at! (haha) I am not going to lie, but we are all learning and growing so much. My companion and I finally just had to air the grievances (as my dad would call it) and just vented and talked things out- and she had no idea the way I was feeling, and she felt bad. It’s still a process day by day-because we are VERY different- and do not always agree - but really, that’s why its SO important to always be in tune and communicating and know how we each feel so we can just have unity and love and always have the spirit with us.

So it has been a good week here in Candyland Arroyito! Something that is really exciting is we are starting to run every morning, and I am learning to love it! So ready for a marathon when I get home! And something that I love about the people here is that they are just super honest. We were at lunch with one of my favorite families and the daughter that just got back from her mission was asking us if we have gained weight in our missions. After my comp talked she asked me, and I was like- uh I am not sure- I think so- and my comp was like, no no she is flacita- whatev haha- but then I showed the girl pictures of myself before I entered the MTC and she definitely confirmed that I am getting fat...like she said that bluntly...hahaha shoot. So I am stoked because it just motivated me to stop being such a fatty and eating so much- just because people always are like oh you are so skinny your lucky you can eat what you want...false! I think its a trick...haha -so yeah that was a good wake up call. We also had to clean the church this week. Missionaries are normally not suppose to -the members are- but things happen -so we always get that call and they need our help- and of course when we show up they just send us straight to the bathrooms...haha -good times.

Also it rained super hard this week which was way fun and nice for a change since its SO hot- but one day as we were riding on the road on our bikes and I was just super happy waving to everyone in the streets loving life and all the sudden like 2 HUGE semis drive by and just water splashes ALL down me -like you would see in the movies- hahah -how embarrassing! I laughed it off as others that saw laughed about it as well with me.

So we were super lucky this week! Our district only has six people and our mission president drove out and picked us up and got us all together and we had a training meeting all day -just us!- And it seriously changed my mission. My mission president is my inspiration. He is such an amazing person and such a good leader. I just feel so blessed to be able to be counseled and taught by him. It felt so good just to get together again like MTC days as missionaries and talk about the gospel, and learning ways to be better teachers and how to have more success. We really focused on finding people’s needs and how we can get to know them sooo well, and truly listen and understand where they are coming from, so we can receive inspired questions and comments. If we truly understand them, then we can plan for the message or lesson to go directly to their heart, and help them feel the spirit and help them teach themselves, and know what change they need in their life. Its so simple too, and I just loved that the president kept focusing on the feelings, and always reminding people and having talks about how they feel - recognizing when they feel good or bad in situations and which path or way they want for their life and for their families - recognizing and just wanting to be around positive and good places that are for your higher good so you can feel the spirit and live to your highest potential.

It’s just so crucial we are all always remembering those people and places and things that inspire us and makes us happy! Why not do those things every day if we know the results of them - going to church, praying, reading, serving others - its so easy for people to get distracted or lazy, or feel fear or doubt, but I know that through doing these things we find joy and happiness and we will always ALWAYS come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ and develop a better relationship with our Heavenly Father through these things which can then better our life. So the meeting was awesome and just got my SO pumped! My comp did too…. and as we were there she just said so many good things, and really does all the things the mission pres was telling us to do- and I just was overwhelmed with this love and appreciation for my companion, and how lucky I am to have her. I have just learned the more you are grateful for the things in your life, the happier you are, and then you appreciate and even notice better and greater things about people and your life by doing this. It’s great! Especially after celebrating this wonderful holiday of thanks-back in the states- its SO important to live in thanks daily and in that attitude of gratitude-attitude is just SO crucial to how we experience things. If we have that positive energetic and happy attitude and outlook on things-we will appreciate love and be thankful for the things in our life so much more.

We also did a really cool finding activity this week where we gave 4 different members in the wards families like 5 Books of Mormon each and the marked them all up for us - these scriptures and sayings we asked them to do. Then we went around in each neighborhood and handed them out with the members just testifying of the power of this book and telling people it is a gift, and promising them if the read it they will feel the spirit. We told them about church and the time and everything. The cool thing is that a few elders have done this activity before and had tons of miracles and also this is how the mission president’s whole family converted! 2 missionaries came to the door one day and gave them the Book of Mormon, told them a little about it bore testimony and left. The whole family read it, prayed about it, and knew it was true and all got baptized! And look at what has happened to them now! I think we forget how much power the Book of Mormon has in converting and our mission is really trying to hand out more Books of Mormon and get them in peoples houses and people to read them. We are doing it again this week but we are marking all the scriptures about Christ and the doctrine of Christ! Last time we did the restoration. So we will see how that goes.

We found a girl this week named Claudia who’s family had met with missionaries like 12 years ago when she was little and she remembered them and all, but she was so young and didn’t know or understand much about the church. She had the Book of Mormon in her house after all those years -now she is married and has a family of her own- so we are really excited to teach her. We have hope- she is amazing! Also the next day during the finding activity we randomly knocked one door and it was the mom of Claudia! And she had the Book of Mormon too and we talked about it with her, and we really want to teach her as well!! It’s so crazy how we find these people that other missionaries before us have planted seeds for-people here have heard about the church or been taught once and then so many years later we show up! So we have hopes in this family!

We also are still working with Lucy and we just really need to get her to church!!! But I love her with all my heart and I have faith. She just has so many hard feelings and problems at home, and I know if she met the ward and walked in that church she would feel the contrast, and just desire that good and loving feeling always in the church and know it is the way to change her life and be happy! We also have another cute girl Melissa, who seems very positive and could progress! She is young, but married and has a little boy! There are so many options!!

The only thing it’s just sooo hard to find people to progress. We don’t even have any baptism dates because people are so lazy, and want to talk about Christ and faith and they feel its right, but they just have a hard time with the doing part of it, which is the most crucial part. But I have patience and I know things take time- but I have faith! I know we can see miracles here in Arroyito. We are just going to continue to work so soooo hard and do everything we can on our part, and I know that through our obedience hard work and love of the people and positive attitudes we will be blessed and we will see results.

I love the mission and I would have my life no other way right now than right here in Candyland hot crazy Arroyito with my cute little tiny ward and my comp. Life is beautiful and I truly do feel so blessed. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Know that I have such a strong testimony of this gospel and especially of my Savior Jesus Christ. He truly is the light and hope and true way in this world. Come unto Him and feel of his love. Develop a personal and lasting relationship with him and he will always be by your side. Remember what he has done for you personally and do all you can to strive to become more and more like him. In doing this I promise you that all of your life will be full of light, happiness, faith, joy and peace! Until next week! Miss you love you all Chaooooo!!!



Monday November 23rd…..

Wow!!! Hello friends and family! I cannot even believe I am getting to the end of my first transfer. Time flies!! So all is well here in lovely Candyland Arroyito!
So let me give you the DL on what it was like when I got here so you can all understand my situation well...

My companion has been serving here in this area for 7 months now so she has been here forever! Last transfer her companion was sick the whole time so they couldn’t even work at all for a whole month because they were in and out of the hospital. So when I got here she was just picking back up on the work and the ward is way small here, but good-really strong amazing members. But - since we have gotten back and are working...the ward got a little weaker and so we have building back those good relationships with the members with activities and recent converts to strengthen them AND at the same time working to find new people. And something else that is a little annoying is out of the whole mission we are an area that is really far and not close to anyone, so we are pretty much isolated when it comes to anything...like today pday. We can’t do much but just hang out here with ourselves because normally you do stuff with your district and fun things as a zone buttt we cant because ours are all so far from each other. It’s hard. So anyway that is a little background.

So with me just being new and not really knowing anything about the field, I am just curious, and always asking questions and commenting on what we are suppose to do, and my comp gets a little defensive, and lets just say our personalities kind of hit. At the end of this week I decided for the first time in my life that I never want to get married.....K well that is dramatic, but it just seems way too hard!!! I don’t know how you do it...it is still crazy for me to wake up everyday and remember that I am in this foreign country with this person I just met, and she is the only one I can communicate with.....sometimes it is hard, when you are mad or annoyed with your comp and all you want to do is vent to someone about it, but you can’t- because no one speaks your language. Something I have learned this week is it is not just Spanish I need to work on while I am on my mission……but is definitely patience, unconditional love, listening, being calm, humility......and so much more.

Sunday was just the worst for me and all these feelings just hit me all at once. I literally just wanted to cry or as someone would say just be over it...but let me just express to you how much stepping out of yourself and just listening and hearing other people will change you. I still will never forget the talk someone gave in the MTC about the secret to this life to being happy is to stop thinking about yourself all the time and think of others. Like I said last week, I am just so lucky to be surrounded by such awesome members in this area and their vibrant and powerful testimonies just radiate love and care to all, and really lift and inspire me. One of my favorite families in the ward-the Barbosas- ...Cynthia is the one that is super cute and my age and we get along SO well...their mom is deaf and has been since she was 8. She is a convert and has been a strong member her whole life. She has been through so much with her family and just with her condition- people treating her badly and being rude to her, and she is just such an incredible woman. In a class in church she spoke (she can speak pretty well just sounds a little funny and kind of can read peoples lips so can communicate) and was just so emotional and expressed how grateful she is for the gospel and the spirit and how without it she could never feel and understand so many things in her life. The spirit is the one language we all speak and through it, we are all in tune and love and feel for each other. She talked about how neat it is that we can be on missions and how jealous she was of us that we could do this in our lives because she could never and would just dream to do this work. I just cried as I watched this woman express such a tender and heart felt testimony because all this time- I have just been thinking of myself and how hard it is for me to not be able to speak Spanish and how I sometimes don’t get along with my comp and just little things that bug us, and make us just really focus on ourselves, but I just looked to this woman who has never even been able to hear the beautiful sound of a melody or hymn, or heard her children’s voices or can’t talk to other people without her daughter there to help her, and I was just completely humbled. All this time I was just SO focused on all the things that I was suffering with everyday, and how unhappy or bugged I was, but really I just have so much to be grateful for- and even though every moment is not perfect and we are always just wishing for the next best thing to come- or thinking of how great our past was, or what we miss or want to change....the moment is just as wonderful- and every day we are just as blessed, and we have so much to be thankful for.

Yes this has been such a hard week….. but I am just learning SO much it is incredible. My Spanish is progressing every day and we have some good investigators, even though both could not come to church this Sunday, because one got sick and one had to travel.....I was SO sad…..we are just still going to have the faith and work hard and be obedient and expect to see miracles. I gave a little lesson with some members the other day and I shared this scripture that I really like in D & C 123-17...that I got from my teacher in the MTC Hermana Lakip --she is the BEST!

“Therefore dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power and then may we stand still with the utmost assurance to see the salvation of God and for his arm to be revealed.”

This is definitely a journey and a process- the mission- but I would have it no other way. I am trying to even figure out where I would ever learn all these things for my life that are crucial if I were not here. This is the time. I really do love missionary work and feel so blessed for this opportunity. I have one more week and then it is transfers, so be praying and we will see what lies ahead. I love you all soooo much and thank you for all your support and prayers. Chao!!!

I am sorry if this just sounded like a venting letter haha but I guess I needed it. Love you!!