Hilario is a Saint!

 

Hilario's Baptism

 

Hilario's Baptism & Friends

 

Hilario & I

This week was a great one and passed by way fast! The highlight of the week was definitely Friday because the Elders had a baptism in our ward. His name is Hilario and is the sweetest old man I've probably ever seen. He absolutely loves to talk and share his testimony and when he does it just melts my little heart, The baptism was such a special experience and went really well. Much of the ward came and everyone helped out. Hermana Jimenez and I sang 'When I am baptized'  You know, the rainbow song? Hilario just stared into our eyes the whole song haha. I can't even begin to explain the happiness and content of my heart that night. I know that baptism is a sacred ordinance of the Lord and that we can find indescribable peace when we honor our covenants. 

We also had our Noche de Hogar this Wednesday and it was another good turn out with investigators and less actives, but still not many members showed up. We are trying to get more members to come. We focused on the miracle of gratitude and The Elders put together a 'Room of Blessings' where everyone had to enter and pick the blessings that they believed they had. I picked family for you guys and also food because seriously I am so grateful for the food here its basically amazing. You all probably wouldn't believe it but I did eat LIVER this week! THAT wasn't amazing but it was an experience haha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story of the week:  Because its the end of the month, we don't have any money haha... That may or may not be because I really cant stop eating alfahores... I was really worried how we were going to survive because we didn't have any food either... Haha but remember crazy Hermana Rita? A member who literally lives in a house the size of a closet and has almost nothing? She offered to feed us lunch this week and during lunch she started crying saying how grateful she was to the Lord because she didn't have food for the week but that someone had given her 5 bags of noodles. She expressed her gratitude saying that the Lord ALWAYS provides, and then she looked at us and gave us each a bag of her noodles. I was amazed at her humble understanding that all we have, we owe to the Lord, and her faith that He will always provide when we give freely to others.

Callie:  I gave a talk in church yesterday and I told Callie's story. I talked about the eternal perspective and the blessings of our covenants. It made a few people cry. I have felt Callie's spirit with me here in the mission. She continues to bless peoples lives even on the other side.

RAIN!!!   It rained this week a couple times and I have really enjoyed walking in it haha. Hna Jimenez always wants to use my umbrella but I prefer to get wet. Argentina is so stinking beautiful, especially when it rained! There are also some exotic trees starting to bloom because of Spring.

Quote of the week:  Remember who you are and dont let it get you down haha.

Hna Flake, Laura, Yonathan

 

Getting ready for the wedding!

Obisbo Baez being his self

 

Hna Jimenez 11 Months Certificate
 

 

Feliz Primavera!!!!

Snow White & Rose Red - 2 Disney Missionary Princesses



Our Zone Activity - Making Tacos

It has been a busy week. It started out awesome because we had our Zone Activity, where we made tacos.. Well the Hermanas made tacos...
haha. We also watched a bit or Ratatouille and Tangledd on the big screen in the chapel! Presidente Thurgood lets us watch Disney movies once a transfer. This is how I know that this mission was made for me.  Although I can´t say it was exactly the same listening to Rats and Princesses in Español... It was even BETTER! 

The Hermanas (us) and the Elderes in our ward are putting on a Noche de Hogar every Wednesday night. This week was the fist attempt and it turned out great! Not a lot of members showed up but investigators..

SI! We played games with balloons and giant crossword puzzles where they had to guess the Prophets. Hopefully more members show up this week. We are really trying to involve them.

Mom- Yes I did get a hold of a guitar! The Bishop found out that I play and asked his brother to bring one in out of town. I played them my song and all the songs I know haha they want me to play it in church sometime. Hermana Jimenez told me that when I play the guitar I turn into Charly. Not sure if thats a good thing on the mission. I am Hermana Flake!

Hna. Barret, Hna. Flake

So we had exchanges this week and I was in charge of directing the area here in Burzaco  without my comp! The good news is that I didn´t get lost, and that we had such an awesome successful day! I was here with Hna Barret, another Yankee and I learned a lot of great things from her.

 

GREAT NEWS! Remember Ramona- Book of Mormon champ? We invited her to baptism and she now has a date for the 11 of October! The only thing is that she needs someone to bring her to church because of her leg, and her daughter always says she´ll bring her but never does. This week we are going to really try to get a member to bring her instead.

Angelina is doing great, and she even invited a friend to our lesson this week who is a new investigator, Patricia. She had so many questions and was super excited to read the Book of Mormon.

 
Laura is doing great- Every Saturday we set aside time to help her with the wedding. She is making EVERYTHING herself. She is a champ.




This is the service with Laura.. Did you know that its spring here?

 

 The Gang

Hna. Flake, Elder Flake

 

I never look back darling it distracts from the NOW

Hna Flake & Jiminez Doing Service

 

Favorite moment of the week: During ward council we were talking about how one of our investigators is trying to quit smoking. Hermano Norman, 1st councelor in the Bishopric, looked right at me and Elder Mcdowell (other Yankee) and told us (in attempted English) that our investigator needs a good kick in the butt! I do not know where he is learning English from but he´s got it down pretty good hahaha.
I have a couple amazing stories for you this week. So we were out looking for a less active member´s house and Hna Jimenez felt prompted to ask this one man for directions (We do that A LOT as an excuse to talk to someone and share the gospel haha) He wasn´t interested, but he pointed us to another house and told us to clap there. A nice lady named A-- answered and I told her that we were representatives of Jesus Christ and asked her if we could serve her in some way. She invited us in and we talked with her and she fed me her whole kitchen (Apparently i´m not fat enough for the Argies) and she shared with us that the Mormons helped her out at a very difficult time in her life when her daughter got ran over in the United States 7 years ago.

She explained the love that a member family showed her when she didn´t even know them, and she feels as if they were angels in that time of her life but lost contact with them. That same morning she had been looking at a picture of her daughter and asking her to send a light into her life because she is 'falling'. Then she heard the clap at the door, saw us, and knew that we were the light sent from her plea for help. She was grasping my hand and looking into my eyes when she told me this. She couldn´t stop expressing her admiration for us and how beautiful angels we were. We talked about how everything happens for a reason, how much Jesus Christ loves her and has a plan for her, and we gave her a Libro de Mormon and promised her blessings of the book. She was so excited she said she was going to read a page each day haha. I am so excited to teach her this week.

Now here´s the funny part haha because there always is: her best friend Ch-- was there for part of our lesson and she is VERY spiritual... :) She believes she is a prophet and she wants to start a church haha we sang for them 'A Child's Prayer' and during the song she grabbed our hands starting shaking them while chanting scripture. She did the same thing when I hugged her goodbye haha she chanted something that sounded like scripture in my ear and shook my whole body. ... We´re working with her haha.

What´s even more crazy- We had to take a taxi from a Noche de Hogar one night and we were kinda bummed because it was taking forever and it was past 9:30. When we got into the taxi we started talking to the driver about the gospel and he explained that he didn´t know much about the Church, but he did know that members of the church helped his mom out in a very difficult time in her life when her daughter died in an accident. We could hardly beleive it when we asked what his mothers name was and found out it was A--.   J--, her son, is going to accompany us in our next lesson. There is no other explanation, God wants this family to know the Gospel.
       Another story: We have an investigator named Ramona that has such a desire to know the gospel. She reads the bible every day. The problem is we can never find a time to visit with her cause her life is Argentina crazy. But we did this week! Turns out that she FOUND a Libro de Mormon in the street, torn and tattered and covered in mud.She picked it up, has been cleaning it and reading it, and she told us that she knows that it is true. It´s just incredible to me how the Lord works. He is preparing people all over the world to accept the gospel because He loves us so much.
He prepared A-- to receive us in her moment of need. Years before, those members never knew the difference that they made in her life but because of them, she always is going to remember the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the love they showed her. So reach out! Be kind, share the Gospel.
You do not KNOW the difference you are making in the work of the Lord!

  

 


"me and Sofy ... she is the best!"

 

 

 

 

 

This pic pretty much describes my life.



"Haha this pic pretty much describes my life. It was taken in our district meeting. "

 

 

I cut my hair! I´m going all Argentina style. I even awkwardly shared the gospel with the barber. And the regular show was playing in the background and even though I was being a good missionary and not watching it I could still hear the 'Whoooaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!' hahaha I couldn't help but laugh and think of Travis and his little Hudson gang!

I´m starting to really love Burzaco, which is weird. I guess it just feels more like home to me now. I absolutely love our ward. All the members are so different and have their own stories. Remember the crazy lady who bore her testimony my first Sunday with white hair? ................... she is always inviting us to her home to eat lunch with her and her son haha and they just argue the whole time. So we are teaching them to say a prayer every time they start to argue.



With Bishop Baez at home ♥ Elders made ​​him a thank you and we did COOKIES ♥

Yesterday was her birthday and we all ate cake and sang to her and played a scripture game. It was crazy yet fun. Laura and Yonathon are doing great! This week we went to their house to help prepare for the wedding. We made paper mache bolbs and painted decorations. I am so excited for them and they are continuing to progress in the gospel.

Hna Flake, Hna Jimenez, Laura, Yonathan

This week we have been visiting a less active named Leandra who, like many people I meet here, has had the hardest life. And lately she has been accepting us, reading the scriptures like a champ and she even came to church with us this Sunday. That made me super happy. :)

Hermanas on P-Day

 

This week it has rained a monton! I have walked in water up to my calves! Okay but it was only because I did it willingly... It was a really cool looking puddle. One morning I was studying alone because my companera had a headache and It started to pour outside. I kindof put on my rainboots and rain around in our small 20 foot diameter yard only for like 5 minutes. It was glorious! Dont worry I got right back to studying.

I have been teaching a lot more English and we are even going to set up and English class in our ward. One of our investigators called us for help and when we got there she just wanted me to do her English homework haha. I tried to exchange a lesson as part of the deal but she 'had to leave'. Service with a smile, right? :) Also NO ONE here can say the word Perdiddle. You know when one headlight is out and you touch the roof? The Bishop was giving us all a ride home and I was teaching them how to say it. Every native in the car was trying to pronounce their 'ers', even the Bishop, and it was the funniest thing you ever saw. We all had a good laugh over that.

"Yes mom, I did school the Elders in Bball! We played futbol and I even scored a goal for my first game. Maybe I can be Argentinan."

Quote of the week:   If you need a lift, live the gospel. If you need an even bigger lift, SHARE the gospel! As Nacho would say, 'Its the best! I LUFF it! '

 

Hermana Flakita

"....... I have many nicknames here: Hna Copo de Nieve (Hna Snowflake)
Hna Flakita (apparently Flaka means skinny)
and of course every North American gets called a Yankee. Gotta love it." 

 

This week was a good one and went by so fast! I have AMAZING news for yall! Thanks to your prayers :) Laura and Yonathon have moved their wedding date to October so that she can be baptized much sooner! I wanted to do Chris Farley summersaults across the room when they told us in our lesson this week. Laura has so much faith. I know its not AS soon as it could be but I know it was really hard for her to make that change because her family is pressuring her to wait till January. Our lessons are going really well with her and she has almost recieved all of them. They come to church every week and it makes me so happy to see her growing in the Gospel.

This week we decided to focus much more on the members of the ward because you know what? They are so stinking amazing. I have never seen such strong members (no offense folks haha) no it is because of the faith they show in the situations they are in.                                                                             

Every member I have met does not have an easy life in the least bit. I have had lunch in a house the size of a closet and left with a bag of fruit, shoes, and sugar because they want to offer us everything they have, no matter how hard I try to resist their offer.



Flake, Jiminez, Mendoza, McDowell

So this Sunday we had a Missionary themed Sacrament Meeting.  We made plauquitas (nametags) for every member and my comp. gave a talk and Elder Mendoza too. The Elderes in our ward and us all sang "Te hallare mi amigo". It was a really great Sunday. We are also having practices with all the members every day and asking for more help to teach lessons with them. So many more have been coming it is exciting! I cant tell you the difference it makes to have the members help.

 



"......one of the rich streets in 'Burzaco'  "

"......I really need to learn the area haha I am trying every day to be more familiar with which bus goes where and where everyone lives. We ride the buses every day and Im trying to memorize the routes. Its a busy city here in Burzaco and you always need to be alert because it can be dangerous too haha (dont freak out mom). I havent been robbed yet but I have heard numerous stories!

 

Well I better bounce.. We are playing Basketball with the zone today and I have to go school some Elders. Hahaha