A Week of Critter Infestation!!!

TALOFA AIGA!

(Hola familia in Somoa)

My first trip to Mickey D's - Argentina Style! Mcflurrys with Dulce de

Leche- theres nothing better

 What a week! I´m officially in love with the my crazy comp and her Tongan way of life haha. We had a very adventurous first week together and as Jack Johnson would put it: "I can tell that we are gonna be friends". :) Hermana Toala is a life loving Tongan/Samoan and has no fear. She also knows how to have a good time haha and has the kindest heart. We have been learning to adjust to the change of transfers and also the change of WEATHER. I am going to die in this heat. Satan is working extra hard and sending his fire bombs to the missionaries here in Argentina, making it difficult to tract or breath for that matter.

Thanks Satan.... "Its pronounced, 'Sat-IN'" -Wreck it Ralph quotation.  I dont even know what degree it is in Fareinheit but its the humitity thats killin. PRESERVERAR HASTA EL INVIERNO! All I know is that it would be in vain to begin dreaming of a White Christmas haha.

So on Tuesday we were waiting for the bus and we decided to go talk to this family in the street. The mama told us that her husband died about a year ago, and I looked straight into her eyes and testified with all my heart that I knew her husband still lives- that he is learning the same gospel that we as missionaries are teaching the world, and that she can find the truth of this and the fullness of these things in el Libro de Mormon. I also told her that I had felt my cousin, (Callie) and her spirit and for that I know she lives still also. Monica, this woman, had her heart touched and she sincerely wanted to hear our message. The next morning we found her house, she was waiting for us at the door and had read "The Family Proclamation" twice. She accepted a baptismal date for the 16th of November and says that she knows without a doubt that everything we say is from Jesus Christ. It feels so good to be a representative of Him and to testify without fear of the good news and basic truths of the Gospel. There is power in simple testimony.



This is a picture of her showing her gratitude as she stuffed
frosting in my face right before I snapped the picture.

Since Thursday was Hna Toala's big bday and she almost no one knew due to her newness in the area, I planned a secret surprise party at our usual Noche De Hogar on Wednesday and she cried when everyone sang happy birthday before she blew out the candels to her giant cake. The members here are so giving! They didnt even know my comp yet and they helped throw an awesome surprise for her.

 

 

 

Another really cool thing that we did this week was we took a vacation to the CAPITAL! Whoohooo! Haha no, Hna Toala had a doctor appointment ..................Two hours of train and 2 Subways later we arrived to the big city. The Capital is HUGE and full of city life and more exotic trees. And guess what? We're going to be on TV! Haha some broadcast came up to us and asked us our favorite food from Argentina and filmed what we said. I told them I love the Neukies. You can probably find it on Youtube or something the show is called 'Que Mañana' with Paula and Christian haha I´m going to be FAMOUS! I just hope they got my nametag.




Okay so along with the heat of the summer comes along the creepy critters...



....We were washing dishes one night and the biggest stinking Satan of a spider came along to tempt us and to move us off the strait and narrow path but we used the Armor of God and bugspray to kill the feller...



...He is a whopper!

...That same night we killed his esposa and also
his cousin Mr. Whopper Cucaracha...

 ...We burned them all outside and had a funeral and even sang a hymn haha it was so funny scary and sweet all at the same time.

 

Model shot haha just kiddin... playin with the niños

Pizza tyme with Hna Lily!

 

 

'All these changes... different changes' - Jack Johnson



Our zone practicing for the Capilla Abierta, or goofing off. One of the two!

Chicas de la Capilla Abierta (They wouldnt stop coming up to us, hugging us, and telling us how beautiful we are haha)

Elder Suarez goes home this week.... and us Hermanas all know what he's focusing on next (Take a look at the picture)

Getting the font ready for the Capilla Abierta :)

Our zone had the opportunity to participate in la Capilla Abierta (open chapel) in San Jose and that was such a cool experience. .... it was so fun and challenging because we had to teach the first 3 lessons all in 11 minutes. Everything had to be really quick and finish before the next group came in. ....As soon as we ended one group we started the next and did that for about 3 hours. Haha it was a teaching spree! I absolutely loved it!

Afterwards all the missionaries and everyone who participated feasted on Palitos and Cookies and Pie. It was a fulfilling day.

Capilla Abierta, feasting after our hard work

We also had a great Noche de Hogar this week. We taught about the importance of Prayer and how special it is that we can talk directly to our Father in Heaven. We played the game 'Telefono' where you pass a phrase around the circle in whispers and find out how it changes through many people? Haha it was so stinking funny because Hno Hilario couldn't hear anything that they told him and so he just kept passing the phrase 'bla bla bla' EVERY TIME hahaha I just love that sweet cute old man! He is so precious!

Yesterday we had a fiesta at a less actives home to celebrate Elder Mendoza's birthday. We ate pizza, empanadas, and a giant pink cake. We all told jokes and popped a piñata. Haha it was super funny because I tried to tell Dads favorite joke- the one with the Captain and his brown pants? Hahaha and no one got it at first but after a moment of silence everyone started laughing and clapping and for the rest of the night every time I would say something everyone would cheer and clap and I would stand up and take my bow haha. I have made such good friends here. I really love Burzaco.

As you know, this was my last week with my trainer, Hermana Jimenez, and I am leaving the nest like a big girl! I sure am going to miss her, she has taught me so much!

 

MY NEW COMPANION is seriously the best! HERMANA TOALA is Tongan/Samoan! But she lives in Washington and so she already speaks 3 languages and is learning the Castellano still. She has 6 months in the mission and only 1 transfer more than me, and so we are definitely learning a lot together! I don't know a lot about her yet because we just met like 2 hours ago but so many have told me that she's hilarious and not afraid to talk to anyone, so I'm super excited about that! She just told me that I am never going to have to worry about theives when I'm with her because when they see her they take off running! Hahaha she's so funny and I feel super blessed to serve with her in Burzaco! I´m super excited to get to know her!

Hermana Quintero picking bugs out of my hair like a cute little monkey haha (There really weren't bugs in my hair I promise)

 

Singing to Abuelita Baez

Obisbo Baez and his familia

 

There can be miracles when you believe!!!!!

 

 

This is my district with P. Thurgood :)



Us with Hno Garcia and his painting on his house

Just drying my shoes the good ole Argentina way

 So gracias for your patience as Sid the Sloth would say 'Phewww thankshhh for waitin!´' Argentina has its quirks and every once in a while there is what is called the fariado and everything closes- that includes the Cybers where we write emails. So when that happens Pres. Thurgood tells the missionaries to find another time during the week so write. Its not a Missionary Monday but Tarde Tuesday will have to do. :) This week has seriously been a week of miracles! I've been so excited about what's happening in Burzaco.

 

First of all, remember Susana? We had our first lesson with her this week and it went incredibly well.  She accepted the invitation to be baptised and has a date for the 15th of November. She is so stinking cute, blond hair, glasses and all. She is so tender and feels the spirit so easily. She cried when she accepted to be baptised and is so excited to continue learning. She told us that 'she would be baptised tomorrow if she could' but hasn't had the chance to go to church yet so we´re continuing teaching her.   :)

Second of all, remember Laura? This week we had a lesson with her about testimony and the importance of gaining our own. She now has a baptismal date for the 22 of November, the week after their wedding.  Everything is almost ready for the wedding, she is making everything by hand and its going to be so dang cute!
We also have many new investigators this week. One of them is named Mariana and lives with her boyfriend Gabriel who is a less active member. They just had  their first baby very prematurely and it barely survived  They accepted us into their home when we were looking for somebody else. I can´t even explain the spirit we felt in that lesson, when we told this couple that they can be together forever with each other and their baby they both started to cry and Mariana wanted to get baptised this Sunday!

I feel so stinking blessed to be having these experiences! Seriously I was excited to write them all to you all but I can´t put them into words. The miracles that I´m witnessing are indescribable.


Damian wearing the missionary tag

Damian's Baptism

We had another baptism in our ward this week with a man named Damian, who is full of questions and desire to learn. He is such an example to all of us already and he can´t wait to serve a mission. His baptism was incredibly special. When he came out of the water his feelings overcame him and he started to cry. His testimony at the end was one of the most beautiful I´ve ever heard. The Elders were both crying haha cry cry to the mommy cry. It was precious. We sang The Spirit of God and in that moment I literally just felt like I was in Heaven.  A soul had just entered Gods kingdom and nothing else mattered in the world. I know Heavenly Father and his angels were rejoicing. :) The cutest part of the baptism though had to be when Hilario (recently baptized older chap who loves to talk) got called to say the closing prayer and got up there and gave a 7 minute talk instead hahaha! He just kept saying how grateful he was for the ward and how good he feels here at the church. That man right there is an example to me of how someone can accept the gospel solely based on the love they feel from the members. He might forget a lot of things concerning the doctrine but he knows what he feels.


More Pictures of Damian at his baptism ^^^^^

This morning I made No bake cookies for all our zone because it was our last meeting together. They don't sell cocoa here so I had to use Nesquik haha plus its super hard to find peanut butter and I used this Bon Bon stuff instead, they were pretty different but everybody loved them! I think I´ve started what Hermana Caitlin Christensen started in Chile haha everybody wants me to make more!

 

Conference High Anyone?

P-Day Activity - Bowling with the District



"This is me being a complete gazzell hahaha mom your not allowed to put this on the blog! ( unless you really reall want to )"

This week's letter is too good not to share the whole thing: 

 

Hola fam fam!

I hope you´re all relishing and breathing in that beautiful General Conference! I can´t tell you how wonderful mine was. It rained the whole weekend here in Argentina. Because I serve in an area real close to the mission offices, all the Yankees (North Americans) got to watch the conference in English upstairs on the computer if we wanted to. I chose to and I'm glad I did! It felt like I was home hearing the real voices of the prophets and not a Spanish translation haha. Plus I missed talking in English and being a part of that sweet corny Mormon humor. We did watch the Spanish talks in Spanish though and that was cool! Plus I´m sorry but the whole time the Chinese man was talking all I could think about was 'Noodles..... noodles

noodles.....noodles...` hahaha  My favorite talks were by Richard G. Scott and David A. Bednar. I absolutely loved the promises in Richard G. Scotts voice as he told us to make a habit of these 4 simple things 1. Family Prayer 2. Scripture Study 3. Family Home Evening 4. Go to the Temple Regularly , and that as these things become a habit, we will set our lives at peace with the Atonement of Jesus Christ, who is, the Prince of Peace. So many times we forget the power in obeying the small and simple things but I know that those are just the things that make all the difference in the world. We can´t afford to shrug them off! Also what David A. Bednar said about the motivation behind missionary work.

It is so true that if we are sincerely converted to the Lord, sharing the Gospel will be a natural consequence because we cannot hold in the joy that fills our hearts from truly dedicating our lives to Jesus Christ.

I could talk all day about the conference. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I made a list of 27 things, one for every talk, small specific things that I am going to do to change. I have never felt so happy and content. Of course these things aren´t possible to do all at once, but I now that I understand the Atonement more clearly I understand that God does not give us word that we cannot follow line upon line, precept upon precept. I hope the conference has helped change you and brought you closer to putting Jesus Christ the center of your lives.

Okay okay sorry for the preaching haha I can´t help it the missionary adrenaline is running in my veins haha this week was just an awesome one. We had interviews with President Thurgood and he told me straight out that Hermana Jimenez is getting transfered this transfer. We were both expecting that cause she´s been here almost 8 months! The APs won´t stop telling me that I speak the language well enough and that I´m ready to train this transfer, and I was laughing along with them until I found out they were serious! I sure do not know how I feel about that haha. It´s also so fun to chat with Hna Thurgood about how much we miss Walmart.

So they called me to be in charge of the missionary stake choir and I am the director haha! I have never directed a choir before and our first practice was pretty much a train wreck but a really fun one. My choir is a mix of everything There are a couple tone-deaf Yankees Edleres, typical tenors, and a couple Native Elderes that have never looked at music before. I decided that we´re going to sing Our Saviors love for Stake conference.

So a quick cool story from this week. We were clapping on doors with a RM Hermano Gaston when we felt we should clap on a certain yellow house. A woman answered and looked at us disgustedly and waved us off, but we explained that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and then she stopped, and walked toward us, apolagizing and saying that she thought we were Testigos. (So many people confuse us with Jehovah Witnesses here, and nobody likes them because they are insanely persistent and pushy) We talked to her a little bit and I had a feeling I should show her el Libro de Mormon. I told her that we are known as Mormones because of this book, and she took one look at it and started to cry. We just stood their in silence and she finally explained that her father had connections with that book and that she wanted one. We visited her again a couple days later and she had already started to read it. We´re really excited to start teaching her. Her name is Susannah:) Well that´s about it folks. I hope yáll know how incredibly happy I am here. Conference made me miss you but I am so sincerely content because I am learning to align my life with Jesus Christ. The more powerful our conversion, the greater happiness we feel from every single moment.

Con mucho amor

Hermana Flake

She found a piano!!!!

Elisa, Hna Flake, Hna Jiminez, Sofy eating Empanadas!!!