Arroz Chaufa... I'm grateful for my Peruana

Come and See - He is Risen!

I love being a missionary! I'm more grateful every day to be here in Las Flores and know these people and live every day teaching the gospel. I read in the Liahona this week David A Bednar's talk  "Come and See" and he says that every disciple of Christ is a faithful missionary. That is so true with every member of this church. If we love the Lord and His gospel, sharing it will come as a natural consequence. It is something so simple as talking to others about what we believe and standing up for truth and right. What have you all done this week to share the gospel? When was the last time you prayed for an opportunity to do so? I believe EVERY DAY God gives us an opportunity to share it if we look for it. Sometimes we make it more complicated than it is. The good and solid truth is that is makes us happy when we do it. We are better off thinking of how we can serve others. It is something that I am so sure of. 




my companion beats me up

NO TE ENOJES CONMIGO PORFAVOR

This week we finally got together as a branch and had Ward Council. I was so happy I was singing afterwards! The members are really coming together and are more excited about the Capilla Abierta in May. So am I. But both me and my companion are a little nervous because transfers fall the  on 18th, one week before the Capilla Abierta, and chances are one of us has gotta go. The thing is we have no idea who it will be haha it's a battle of who will get to stay and who won't. On top of that, you all have heard about the new mission Buenos Aires East no? (EAST, I thought you said WEAST... ) Well that new mission is taking HALF of our mission, and whoever is going to the new mission all depends on what happens these transfers. So that makes us pretty ansy. It could be either one of us. 


Glorious Food!

Remember Corina and her boyfriend Sebastian? Corina wants to be baptized but Seba is totally opposed to it, this guy is complete atheist and he mocks us and critizizes us every time we teach them. Well Moses split the red sea and then THIS happened: He came to church with us this Sunday! He was grumpy the whole time but hopefully something entered. It just goes to show you never know. 

We had a lesson with Ismael- the elderly who came unexpectedly to church this week - and he admitted that the only reason he went was to look for a wife haha. SO CUTE but he accepted to keep taking the lessons! 

Nora is hanging in there. The truth is that she's fighting that dang cigarette. We gave her another pep talk yesterday and she is going to try to go today, just today, without smoking. We are calling her every hour or so to see how she's doing. 

This week I also ate about 3 or 4 plates of homemade french fries for lunch haha but the truth is that I'm losing weight on the bike! 

The Pensioneros brought us a heater this week cause we were dying of cold at night. Its starting to get chilly here. :) I love the fall! 



This is our friend Jorge he follows us EVERYWHERE...



...sometimes even into the church haha.... That's what he did this time. 

yummy sorrentinos......... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm que Rico! 

Oreos and Popcorn!

This week has been one of great progress despite the additional days of traveling. Monday was SUPER fun cause we went to Ezeiza for our Zone activity and then had our meeting right afterwards. We got to watch Meet the Mormons in spanish and I loved it!

The miracles started flooding in at the end of this week and I know it was because of one thing: Our fast. So we might have forgotten to fast these past few weeks (DONT JUDGE US) haha so we had it planned out for this Saturday. We had a lot of time to think about the specific blessings that this town and these people need, so it was a very spiritual experience for us. We prayed earnestly and didn´t give a thought to our rumbling stomachs. Familia, It was seriously amazing how answers to our prayers started flooding in yesterday. We fasted for our ward members, that they can be more excited about sharing the gospel and feel the spirit of missionary work. And just yesterday a married couple of missionaries came to our church and gave an orientation for an  OPEN HOUSE that we are going to have here in May! The members are starting to get excited and we now have a force of support behind us. They called me to be the executive secretary of the Open House and I get to help organize and plan everything. MIRACLE! 

We had interviews with President Thurgood this week and he told me something that I know is true. He said he KNEW that I needed to be here in Las Flores. That made me feel so good. I know I need to be here. It is so beautiful here and I love every day. I am so grateful to be a missionary every day. I hope you all can find opportunities to share the gospel this week cause it just makes you feel so good! :) 



Found this baby in my ham and cheese tart!

Gotta love surprises! 



LOOK WHO I GOT TO SEE THIS WEEK!!!!! :)

Laura y Yona! What a blessing!!! 

 

 

And I think to myself... What a wonderful WORLD!

uhhhh.... hi :) 

¿Que tal cómo anda cómo le va todo bien? ¡Que BUENO! 

It's been a great week of work! My compa peruana and I are giving this transfer our ALL cause we kinda know its our last one together. We have organized every day which area we are going to sweep and then we just use every minute we have to talk to every person we see. We made a rule that when we are riding our bikes and we see someone- ANYONE- outside or in the street we HAVE to stop and talk to them (as long as we're not late to an appointment) We are loving the rule and even though it's exausting we have so many future investigators and we are finding out more quickly who in this tiny town is ready to recieve the gospel. 

I love this beautiful place!
 

This Sunday was really special for me cause my Heavenly Father made me see some of the fruits of my labors. He always seems to do that kind of like a tender mercy, right when we desperately need it or when we start to think that maybe we're not making that big of a difference. Out of all the people that we invited to church this week, the one person that I would have last guessed would come, CAME. It is so true that we really cannot tell who will accept the gospel and who won't. That is why it is so important to just share the gospel with EVERYONE. This older man whom we met in the park one day and had given him a Book of Mormon was the last one on my mind Sunday morning, but lo and behold he showed up and really liked the church meetings! Haha his name is Ismael, we invited him to baptism in the Gospel principles class and he accepted. At the end of church I asked him how we felt and he said he was tired haha SO CUTE! 

This hermanita Loraley reminds me

 SO much of my Elle girl!

Every time I hug her I feel like

 i'm hugging my baby sis:) 

Also we are teaching a  8 year old boy named Fabricio. He came with his mom this Sunday and he really liked church! This boy reminds me so much of Porter haha he's super smart and knows what to say. I love teaching him. 



I love this familia! Familia Berasain!

We have dinner with tthem every thursday.

Theis little girl Maya reminds

 me SO much of Bailey Arave.

She is a sweetie :) 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the biggest tender mercy that I think I recieved this week in testmony meeting was the testimony of a member in our ward, Julia Berasain. She told of how she was really down this week- that for some reason it was difficult to feel the love of God for her no matter how hard she tried. And then one day the Hermanas came to her house, and Hermana Flake gave her a hug, and she could literally feel Christ's love for her fill her whole being. She felt as if it were Christ himself wrapping HIs loving arms around her. I could not hold back the tears as she bore her testimony. I am such an imperfect being, but I am so grateful that Christ can use me as His representative to help another precious soul feel of His love for them. I had been praying this whole week for opportunities to comfort others, but had ended the week thinking that maybe I hadn't done a good job because I couldn't think of anything special that I did. But I testify that these simple acts of love are what make the entire difference. In the same way that God used me to help someone feel of His love, He used HER to help me feel of His love and feel important in His sight. I testify of His love. I can feel it every day out here! If you have trouble feeling it this week, pray to Him earnestly for an opportunity to serve. I know He will answer you. His tender mercies and miracles are ALL around us! 

The sign on the giant catholic church says:

 God lives ! hallelujah! 

Can't argue with that. 



holaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 letting you know that someone

 loves and misses you!!!!! 

I love this fluff of PJ LOVE !!!  She has taught me how to SERVE! I'm pretty sure we are TIMON AND PUMBA FOR LYFE! 



BEAUTIFULL IT RAINED FINALLY! 

umm... we have a SNAKE! He is a wanderer and always knocks on our door and wants to drink mate with us haha and this time he brought us homemade honey! Haha Caitlin I always think of YOU when I see him I dont know why! 

Easters Anyone? Conference Anyone?

Ahhhh what a great CONFERENCE! I'm with dad- I feel a little bit closer to all of you during Conference cause I know we are all watching together and that makes me happy. Maybe you're watching in PJs and I'm listening to a Spanish translation but its all the same Spirit and the same uplifting messages.

. I loved SO many of the messsages but some of my favorites were: 

Deiter F Uchdorf and his clarification of what grace really is and what it can do for us. 

Dale G. Renlund "A saint is a sinner that keeps on trying" 

Neil L. Andersen and his testimony that miracles happen every day in each one of our personal lives. 

Russel M. Nelson and the Sabbath day. 

Caught Red-Handed!

I LOVE what Jorge Zaballos (I know him! He is in the Presidency here in Buenos Aires!) said "If we know that Salvation is possible, why would we settle for anything less?" That is so true, we have been promised by the Lord that it is in our potential to become like HIM. It is our decision to choose it. 

I thought I had forgotten English for a few seconds when Elder Uchdorf started to talk in German haha that was so funny cause the Spanish translater didn't know what to do! It stumped him and me too haha I was like "Is that english? Have I really forgotten that much?" 

All in all it was a wonderful conference. I  hope you all follow the prophets counsel and put into practice everything you've learned and that you keep listening to the talks! That is really when the real blessings of General Conference come. I am making a list of one thing I can change or a goal for myself from every talk.

After the conference my comp and I ran into two different people who ridiculed us for believing in Christ. One was an atheist old man who we had to walk away from, and the other is the boyfriend of one of our only investigators, Corina. Corina wants to be baptized but her boy doesn't want her to have anything to do with the church. Especially when Corina explained to him the law of chastity.  He didnt like the sound of that. We met him yesterday and he started to straight out mock everything that we believe. We testified of Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurection and he looked at us and laughed out loud. But I had been so spiritually edified and strengthened from the testimonies of the prophets that it honestly had no power to diminish my faith. I was so sure of what I testified. 

And then today I read this scripture: 

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all thesewitnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in thename of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea. (Jacob 4.6)

After listening to such powerful testimonies of Christ, and applying what we've learned this weekend, our faith can become unshaken

I know God lives and that He loves us. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that this is His gospel today on the earth. Nothing can change this testimony. My faith has become unshaken. 

Everything is good here in Las Flores! We found out that we're gonna be here another transfer together and we are super excited with all our new goals and plans that we've made. We gonna sweep this town. haha