HOORAY FOR MAY (2010)

May 31, 2010

Tomorrow we are having an Area Seventy come, Elder Aidukaitis.  He's from Brazil and the Area Authority will be there.  Today we had a really fun p-day.  I was so sick of doing nothing that we got together a member, our recent convert, Lucas, and four elders and played soccer.  I liked it.

I will have divisions again this week with Hermana Lewis and I'm going back to Aldo Bonzi again.  I love that place.  The people are so accepting.  Hurlingham is great, too.  Last Monday was kinda hard because Norma and Luciano, who were going to get baptized this weekend both fell bak into temptation.  She started smoking again and Luciano started drinking again.  We are working really hard with them and have had some really spiritual lessons and hopefully, if we do all we can, they will get baptized before the end of this transfer.

Say your prayers and then act.  Have a good week!


May 17, 2010

My cough is the same, even though I finished the antibiotic, but who cares....I am fine.  My comp, however, has been waking up in the night with coughing attacks and I've had to help clam her down.  It kinda stinks that we couldn't work like normal this week.  It's getting really cold here.

As far as the work goes, things are good.  We still have the two investigators.  Norma--I LOVE her.  She's 57, a nurse, and super smart, but she has some things to work on.  Her neighbor, Luciano is 72 and comes to church every week and loves it.  Lucas, our recent convert, comes with us like three or four times a week to teach.  He loves the church and is doing really well.


May 3, 2010

Alright, so as far as Lucas goes, he's getting baptized this Sunday!  He's probably the best investigator I've ever had.  The last baptism we had was Sabastian.  He's 22 and wants to serve a mission, but he still has three years of school left he has to finish.  It makes me so happy to see when the investigators progress and I don't feel like they will fall whenever we aren't teaching them every day and making sure they're keeping all their commitments.

Today was zone activity and we played sports.  I loved it!  Yes, I played even though I am sick.  I need the exercise.  Exercising makes me happy and it makes me able to work harder so I like that.

MOM IS REALLY MESSING UP MY BLOG--APRIL 2010

April 26, 2010

Yesterday my comp and I were walking to church in the morning at about 8 a.m. and all of a sudden ten dogs started following us and they were not nice dogs.  My comp’s biggest fear is dogs because she was bit once really bad when she was little.  They were following us fighting and growling with each other for about ten blocks.  Finally we made it to the church and shut the gate in their faces.

I did divisions this week with Hermana Lewis and I went back o my first area and got to visit some of my converts and YES they’re all still active.  I was so happy!  I miss Aldo Bonzi!

April 19, 2010

I have a favor to ask:  I was trying to light the oven to get it going and you have to do it manually here and I had the gas on too long before I stuck the match in there and I almost burned myself to death.  It singed a little bit of my hair, but took off my eyelashes on one eye and part of my eyebrow! It’s not too dramatic, but I’m a little embarrassed.

So I want to devote this email to a good story.  So there’s this less active couple in our ward and they came to church last week and brought a teenage boy with them.  I obviously introduced myself since he wasn’t a member.  Anyway, they left during the middle of sacrament so we went by their house Sunday after church and set up an appointment to teach this kid names Lucas on Tuesday.  We taught him the first lesson and he understood everything more than any adult I’ve ever taught.  He’s 16 years old.  We invited him to be baptized and he told us he had to pray.  Family, you must understand—this is a golden investigator.  We returned again to teach him with these members and taught the Book of Mormon and at the end of the lesson we asked if he had any questions and he asked us if there was a waiting period to be baptized.  We asked if he felt ready so we have scheduled it.  It was amazing! 

The story gets better.  Yesterday at church the less active couple that he was supposed to come with didn’t come to church.  We called them after the first hour and the lady told me they had company.  I had to teach the principles of the gospel class cuz the teacher didn’t come so I sent my comp on divisions to go get Lucas. He was happy to come and wanted to pay for the taxi we used to go pick him up.  Yesterday after church we went and visited him.  We taught him the Plan of Salvation.  Afterward we were just talking and he told us his life story.  He’s only sixteen, but he has more of a life story than more adults I’ve met.  When he was 14 years old he left his house that he left his house that he lived in with his mom and the mom’s boyfriend.  He left to find his father.  He found his real dad and when they met up it was a joyous reunion—crying and all.  Well, the mom warned Lucas that he was a drunk and abusive.  Lucas then realized from the experience when the dad started beating him when he came home drunk every night.  He lived with him for five months in a big city about an hour away from here and started working every day ;to support him and his dad because his dad didn’t work and Lucas just gave him all the money and he spent it on beer and stuff.

One day after those five months passed, the dad just never came home.  That’s when Lucas began to live alone at the age of 14 working and providing for himself living alone.  He got into drugs and stuff.  A month ago he lost his job and had to move back. So now he’s getting baptized.  What a story!

April 11, 2009---Well, Dad.......

Well, Dad, to answer your gospel question (cuz it was what interested me the most), I honestly don’t have a clue.  But if you want my opinion, I feel that as we take the sacrament, we are renewing the baptismal covenanat and yes, being born again each week.  I remember learning somewhere that being born again is not a one time thing.  It’s a process of conversion and conversion is not a one time thing either.  So as I see it,, yes, we literally are forgiven of our sins each week as we take the sacrament if we repent and progress.  If not, we’re stuck in a rut each week from the sins we transgressed the week before. I you look at it as a process of progression, it has to be true that we are born again each week—progressing and repenting.  But I dunno.  That’s just how I feel.

Something that I’ve analyzed and really come to notice is that the gospel in all its truthfulness and profoundness is really the most simple thing that exists.  That’s why the Savior taught through simple parables.  We are the ones that make them complicated.  The principles of the Gospel are pure and simple.  I remember before the mission I was so obsessed with curiosity of the deep doctrine.   Since being on the mission, I’ve come to a conclusion that the deepest doctrine is the most simple.  One of the most simple doctrines that we teach everyday is the scripture that is most repeated in the Book of Mormon, “Ask and ye shall receive”.  Prayer.  It’s weird I still don’t understand prayer and have lots to improve, but that’s my spiritual thought for the week.  Pray.

As far as this week went, we had a baptism yesterday.  Woo Hoo!  Sebastian!  It was my first baptism with just one person and you know what?  I liked it more.  It was special to me because I was able to observe him more instead of stressing out about everything else.  I really saw joy!  I like it.  My companion is amazing.  I feel like she’s training me—so I am happy in that realm.  I’m a little stressed because we don’t really have too many investigators right now.  We’re having another baptism this Sunday though. 

A Clean Pench is All I Ask--April 5, 2009

Well, I had my first whole week with my new companion and she’s amazing.  This morning she deep-cleaned the pench with me and I am so thankful for that.  As far as training goes, I feel a lot of responsibility.  That’s all I’m going to say, but we are doing just fine.

We are having a baptism this Saturday.  His name is Sebastian.  His story is amazing.  He was telling us this week as we were travelling to conference about his life before because he used to so all kinds of drugs, drink, smoke, the works.  Anyway, he was telling us of near death experiences with drug deals and guns and lots of crazy things.  You can’t even imagine the change he’s had.  He came to every session of Saturday.  He got to the Stake Center with us at one in the afternoon and stayed til eleven at night for priesthood and then Sunday he stayed for all the sessions as well.  Anyway, I’m excited for him to be baptized.

As far as other people, we are struggling.  This is why I feel stress.  But my companion is great.  She’s from Argentina from the Provincia Missiones—the Missionary from Missiones.  I’ll forward you a picture.  (Maybe at some point we’ll even get to know her name!)

I liked conference.  I loved Elder Uchtdorf’s talk on love.  I liked President Monson’s talk alot, too, and yes, I know the sister he talked about.  Hermana Gurr is her name and she left about three months ago so she’s home now.  I din’t know the story either, but we were all watching it in English—the north American missionaries—and when he told the story, we all looked around and the assistants told us it was her.  P.S.  I got to watch it in English.  It was amazing.  All the Argentines were in the sacrament room and all the north American elders and me (the only girl) were upstairs.  I bought food and got to put my feet up for the sessions.  It was so nice.  As far as conference goes, I think the general theme was the atonement and families.  Looks like we need to repent more and teach better in the home.  Anyway, pray for me that I can teach my companion!

I'M GOING TO BE A TRAINER!

MARCH 29

Well today we had transfers and I am going to be a trainer.  I will be finding out who my companion is tomorrow when they fly in.  I don’t know what to say.  I’m kind of speechless about the whole thing.  Maybe the next email I send home will be a bit more detail oriented.  I think the Lord knows I need to be humbled so I’ll be on my knees a lot this transfer, I assume.

 
My area is amazing.  We have three people that have bapatismal dates and we will be getting a lot more—so for this I am gratefrul.  I really miss my companion.  She was more of a friend than a missionary companion.  That’s probably why we only had one transfer together.

My friends have written me and everyone and their dog of my friends are getting married.  I guess that’s what happens when boys like girls and girls like boys.

I’m so excited for general conference.  I think it will be falling in the exact moment that I will be needing it the most.