December 9, 2010--Tardy

So a LOT has happened.  Sorry I didn’t write on Monday, but we had transfers and it was a holiday so when I got back to my area, all the internet places were closed.  I HAVE A NEW COMPANION.  The zone leaders called me and Hermana Hobbs on Saturday night and told us that she was leaving.  I didn’t believe them and neither did she. We were really sad. I was so happy with her!

My new companion is from Jujuy. It’s in northern Argentina. She was just recently companions with Hermana Hulen, my MTC comp. We are having a lot of problems with Hector’s baptismal records. We had it all planned out that he was going to baptize his wife and daughter, but the register that came through from the MLS doesn’t have a baptismal date. I have been on the phone with the office elders and they have been communicating with Salt Lake and it looks like he is going to have to get baptized again. We are pushing for this Sunday that the whole Velazquez family can get baptized.

Yesterday we had a ward activity for the end of the year party in the part of the area that is in the middle of nowhere. It’s like Circleville—Argentina style. Instead of walking around in cowboy hats and cowboy bots and tight jeans, they walk around in beret hats, aparagatas, and these linen pants. That’s the style. Anyway, we had an activity where we had a rope that we threaded through the whole yard of this members’ house. They have a huge yard. We blindfolded all the members. We had different obstacles and stations. They had to hold on to the rope, a.k.a. the iron rod, to get to the end. It worked super well and everyone was just having a good old time. My comp and I were at the end of the obstacle course with a Book of Mormon for each family. Our new converts were there and the Velazquez family, too. It was fun because we had been fasting with Hector and Vanessa for 24 hours before the activity so when we finally got to eat, they were pretty excited.

Hector and Vanessa pray with their whole family every morning kneeling down. They are amazing. They both have to have interviews with the mission president today, so I am hoping all goes well. Helpfully, we can work out all the paper stuff about Hector. That would be super cool if he got rebaptized cuz he doesn’t even remember his baptism.

November 29, 2010--Buen Dia

So how are you guys all doing in the deep dark depression of winter?  Suckers!

Today we have a zone activity so we have to take a train at eleven, which is why we are here early cuz we have to travel far to get together with the other Elders.  We re basically isolated out here.

OH!!  I almost forgot!  Veronica, Laura, and Noelia got baptized on Saturday!  It was one of the most gratifying experiences I have had on the mission.  Veronica was so extremely grateful for Hermana Hobbs and me.  It was nice to be appreciated

Something funny that happened:  We had the baptism in the Elders area in a real church because we thought it would be a nicer experience for them.  We had to take a 40-minute train ride.  When we got to the train station we found out it was cancelled!  I was a little stressed, as you can imagine.  So we called our Branch President cuz they all have cars.  We ended up traveling in a caravan about a half hour to the baptism.  We were about five or six cars full of people.  That is not common in Argentina.  Hermana Hobbs and I felt like we were in Utah just going to church or something.

This next week is stake conference and a general authority is coming.  Hector's family is SOOOOO ready to get baptized.  It's insane!  Yesterday after church we were on the phones with the elders from the south mission, Gavin's mission, where Hector was baptized 25 years ago.  We were finding his records.  We are trying to push so that he can baptize his wife and his daughter.  You have no idea how incredibly wonderful this family is!

November 23, 2010--We Meet Hector

Sorry I did not write yesterday.  It was a holiday here in Argentina and considering we have only two small options of cybers, they were both closed.  Good news though.....We are having three baptisms on Saturday--Veronica, the woman we found on the street and her two daughters.

I dunno if I already told you this story, hopefully not.  BUT, we were found--not we found--but we were found by a man named Hector, who asked us for a Bible when he was pulling out of his house in his car with his two daughters.  I thought to myself, "Well, there is a reason this man is in need of a Bible."  He told us that he used to go to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  So he got out of his car and said, "Look, I have to go drop off my girls, but come with me."  Then he went and got his wife and introduced us and told us to stay there until he got back.  We started chatting with the wife and she told us the story.  Five months ago Hector was stabbed by his brother-in-law.  We do not know many details, but just the fact that they are having a real hard time because the family of his wife basically wants to kill him.  Later we found out that Hector was baptized in the church along with his mother and his whole family, but has been less active for about 25 years.  He even received the Aaronic priesthood.  Well, we got to know them about two weeks ago.  They have already come to church and a bunch of activities that our ward has had and they LOVE everything.  He loves us and he calls us Hermanas and everything and respects us. It might sound confusing for you as to why I like that, but I guess it would be hard to understand.  Usually the investigators refer to us as las chicas and not hermanas or missionaries.  It's funny.

NOVEMBER 15, 2010--THUNDER!

There are large bursts of lightning and thunder occurring right now and my computer keeps cutting gout, so we will see how we can get through this.  We had a great week.  I am happy with Hermana Hobbs.  I am happy with my area.  I think we have finally realized the power of scriptures.  We like the scriptures a lot.  I have discovered the Bible dictionary this week and that I like it.  It's a little more interesting to study that way.

Our two families came to church and all have baptismal dates.  Are the members excited?  You bet!  Are we?  Even more!  I dunno if I ever told you guys this, but all the priesthood and their friends have a ping pong and pizza night here and Hobbsy and I go sometimes to get references and I played ping pong last week and I wasn't too rusty.  It was all that practice at the Rice house!

Well, the computers all just cut out again.  Sorry this will probably be short.


November 8, 2010--Here Come the Cops

Funny story this week....We went to Navarro, which is part of our area apart and it is all country land.  We are talking cows, sheep, pigs, etc.  It was extremely hot that day so Hermana Saren Hobbs and I found two sombreros in our pench and decided we would utilize those.  So we get off the bus in "Circleville Number 2" (a reference to another small town) and started walking around in our sombreros.  Some time after lunch we were walking on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere and up comes a police car to stop us. The two policemen get out of their car and start asking for our documents and who we are and why we are here and where we came from.  Someone had called the cops on us saying there were two girls who got off the bus this morning wandering around town causing problems and bothering the people.  We were having a good old time talking to everybody in our hats and laughing.  That's what happens in a small town.  I think it was the hats that caused all the attention.

Yesterday we went to church out in Navarro.  They only have church for two hours and we had never been there for a Sunday meeting yet.  We got there and we were six people in total.  The meetings are held in a home.  We began sacrament meeting and I dunno what it was, but being only six people out in the middle of nowhere in an insanely hot little house worshipping together hit me hard.  I bore my testimony and I started to cry and told them that I come from Utah where there are hundreds of people always in one testimony meeting.  But in that little room yesterday, I felt the spirit and it made me think how it was for Joseph Smith and the others when they first organized the church.  I can't wait to see these branches grow out here.

My companion spent several hours this week cutting hair.  It is counted as service.  She cuts hair while I teach, it works out quite well, actually.  We had zone conference this week and we were the only hermanas out of more than 50 missionaries.  All the sisters are basically in the same zone back in capital.

NOVEMBER 1, 2010--Tormenta Blanca

We had a "tormenta blanca" (that's missionary term) in our area.  Every elder in our zone came to our area on Tuesday and we all worked here.  It was amazing.  They found lots of good new people for us to teach.  The only problem is now trying to organize it all and find the people and see who will really progress.  On Wednesday we had what is called el censo.  That's when they count the whole country to see the population.  We had to stay in the pench all day until six.  Hermana Hobbs and I took advantage and cleaned, yet again.  It was nice.  I'll send you pictures of the pench, but you can't really get a good feel for how big it is!

We went out to one of the surrounding towns that is 45 minutes away by bus ride to go work.  It is in our area.  It is out in the middle of nowhere.  Last night we went again and waiting for the bus to come at the bus stop we were watching two guys dressed in European hats trying to catch a horse.  Hermana Hobbs and I didn't think they could do it and we were discussing the probabilities.  Then I said that man has dominion over the animals of the earth.  We laugh alot--she and I.

I GOT TRANSFERRED AND MY COMP IS FROM UTAH

OCTOBER 25, 2010

I have soooooo much to tell.  First, we had a baptism yesterday.  Again.  You bet!  Rodrigo, who is nine years old and was an investigator of the elders who were just here in this area.  I got TRANSFERRED!!  And my comp is NORTH AMERICAN from UTAH!  Do I love my life??  We talk English.  Her name is Hermana Saran Hobbs from Ogden, Utah.  We are in Las Heras—two hours away from the mission office and we are out in the COUNTRY.  We walk on dirt roads in the middle of nowhere and see cows, sheep, chickens, all sorts of good stuff.  But I LOVE it here!!  I love my companion and my area and the people are amazing!  It’s completely different and clean.

We are in charge of three branches.  We don’t have a ward, but we have basically three areas and on Sundays we can choose where we wanna go to church.  On Sunday there were about 40 in attendance and they told us that is more than usual.  There’s a family here called the Miguez family.  Remember that name.  They are basically our ward—a family of 7 or 8 or something and then add their spouses.  They basically hold all the major callings of the branch and all the men served missions.  They help us SOOOO much.  We eat at one of the families’ houses almost every day.  They just rotate.

I feel super at-home here and I am really happy.  Tomorrow we are having our entire zone come here to help us work because we had a white wash (when they take out elders and put in sisters).  So Hobbsy and I are just starting from scratch here. 

Yesterday at church we had to teach the gospel principals class and we gave the talks in sacrament meeting.  I remember all of Jeff’s and Brian’s stories talking about the wards on their missions and how they were so tiny and the missionaries had to really involved.  So now I actually feel like a real missionary.

You’d think that the houses would be more humble here cuz it’s out in the country, but they’re actually nicer and a TON cleaner and there aren’t dogs running around all over the place.  It’s super safe.  It’s basically Utah in Argentina.

Oh, Hermana Hobbs did hair before the mission so she’s gonna help me out.   That’ll be nice!  We’re the only sister missionaries in our zone and there aren’t any in any of the surrounding zones either cuz this transfer it was super crazy.  All the hermanas were changed.  My last comp is now training and Hermana Lewis got white washed, too, with Hermana Lopez, but they’re all super far away from us. 

Our pench is HUGE.  But HUGE!  We spent six ours cleaning it when we got here, but it’s kinda creepy, but I like creepy—so it’s nice.

OCTOBER 18, 2010

Well, I have lots of news.  Marcelo was baptized on Saturday.  It was a mess.  We had more investigators there in the beginning than members.  But an hour later we ended up with clothes, members, even food, and the guy who was doing the baptism.

After the baptism my compy and I had to run cuz we had an appointment and we went to the bus stop outside the church where there was an old man standing.  As usual we began talking to him and he began telling us lots of things, which I didn’t believe, like that he was a doctor…I didn’t believe him because he lives in the old folks home that is two blocks from the church and there lots of crazies that live there.  We got on the bus with him and he sat by us and we chatted.  We gave him a pamphlet and invited him to church the next day.

Oh, p.s…. he recited poetry to us.  His name is Oscar.  Well, he CAME TO CHURCH all on his own in a suit and everything.  And guess what?  He is really smart and was a doctor.  I had the teacher teach the restoration and the origin of the church and the lesson was amazing.  Oscar was amazing!  He actually knew his stuff.  I was good.

We played soccer for a good three hours and I loved my life, but now I’m sweaty.  Gavin sent me photos of Kato (the cat).  Mom and Dad, I thought you put him on a diet!  He’s looking plumpily happy.

OCTOBER 11, 2010

Beatriz came to church yesterday.  She’s the lady who doesn’t talk to her husband.  She wants to get baptized, but two of her nine kids refuse to approve.  So we are working with them now.  Maracelo, our amazing investigator is getting baptized on Saturday.  He’s super prepared and excited—inviting everybody. 

This week we helped the Alarcon family put in a tile floor.  My comp took some video.  Mom, I remember how you put in our tile floor in the basement.  I learned how so maybe I’ll be just like you, Mom.

OCTOBER 4, 2010

So I have some things I wrote down.  Mom and Dad, I want to thank you for paying for my mission.  I want you to watch Elder Holland’s talk again cuz Mom I know you tevo’d it and I want you to know how grateful I am and that really hit me—all the things he said in his talk.  I’ve had a charmed life.  Now….my credit card got rejected today…..

Dad, you mentioned how you thought conference was about faith…watch it again and you might pick up something else.  Sister Lewis and I pretty much got the conclusion that here were many talks concerning agency and the Holy Ghost.’’

As far as conference goes I will say one thing:  “I say unto you I cannot say the smallest part of what I feel” and don’t think this is a cop out because of my scarcity in my ambition for writing, but I took more than 12 pages of notes.  I really liked conference!

I am grateful for the growth and the experience of the mission I have had.  I am also grateful for the people who have been able to come to know of the same knowledge.  I am grateful for all the testimonies of fellow missionaries, leaders, parents family, friends, etc.  There have been many examples that have impacted my life.  I find myself being surprised constantly with the strength of the testimonies around me.  I am grateful for all the letters you write me and pictures you send me.  I am grateful that I was born in the United States and one day I will return back to that wonderful land.  I am grateful for my companion who helps me a ton.

SEPTEMBER 2010--WOO HOO FOR GENERAL CONFERENCE

SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

This week is General Conference.  I’m SOOOOO excited.  I love General Conference.  We get to watch it in English with all the North American missionaries and we just get snack and hang out.

Hermana Godfrey, a friend, and Hermana Daniels

(Jill never tells us who is in the photos, so we have to guess!)

This week I had divisions with Hermana Godfrey, who is American.  It’s so weird being with an American.  After she left I missed talking in English.  I dunno if you guys have realized this, but I have NEVER had a North American companion and I don’t see it happening next transfer either.

So our recent convert family—the dad is trying to quit smoking to try to get baptized.  We’ll see how that goes.

We are taking Beatriz’s daughter with us to Moron with the other hermanas.  We had a really spiritual lesson with Maria, but she didn’t come to church.

Hope you are all remembering that I exist.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

I love that you all went to Gavin homecoming!  It made me happy to see those pictures of you in the Rice’s home theatre!

This week we had stake conference with Elder Aidukitais.  We had not even one single investigator in the conference.  Gosh, I hated it so bad.  But my comp and I worked a ton yesterday cuz we were so frustrated and found some really good people.

I feel like I’ve lived in Argentina my whole life.  I’ve been here so long.  I’ve almost been living her a year—nothing compared to the two that Gavin just finished.  But it’s weird.

Maria, who is waiting for a heart transplant, said she wants to get baptized, but she said she wants to wait til she gets better.  Our other good investigator, Beatriz, has nine kids and lives with her husband, but they haven’t talked to each other for ten years and they live under the same roof.  She likes church, but she needs to quit working on Sundays.  She went on vacation this week to see her son in southern Argentina for her birthday, but she gets back this week so we’ll go chat with her.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2010

On Saturday we had four baptisms—the Alarcon family got baptized—three boys and their sister.

Remember Maria, the investigator who was waiting for a heart transplant?  Well, she came to church this Sunday.  She was sitting there with her mom.  I LOVED seeing her there.  I know now more than ever that things do not just happen without a reason.  One of my favorite members, Hermano Peralta (he’s the one whose wife has cancer), gave a talk on priesthood blessings for healing the sick.  During the block we had Hermano Peralta and another priesthood holder gave her a blessing.  I loved what he said about the priesthood blessings in his talk how basically it has no importance the words of the priesthood holder, but the importance is the faith of the person receiving the blessing and how before we ask for a priesthood blessing we have to do ALL necessary with the doctors and medication to help our situation which is good because Maria doesn’t really listen to her doctors. 

Funny story:  There is this couple that just moved here from the states that live around the corner from us.  Both are members, both inactive—but REAL inactive.  The husband was raised in Utah and went to BYU because he was recruited for the rocket engineering program.  We are going to their house today to teach them.  On Saturday I gave him the book, Our Search for Happiness, and I asked him to read it before today.  He said he would do it.  So we will see what he thinks. 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Events of the week:  Hermana Benton came with us on divisions one day.  I really like her.  She is so nice.  It rained all week and on Saturday after lunch the sun came out.  When the sun came out, it was like my comp and I were new people—just loving our lives!  We spend our time in the streets laughing a lot.  She’s from Paraguay.  I also went on divisions back to Aldo Bonzi with Hermana Urdapilleta.  We went to mutual and I got to see a ton of the members—and my converts.

Today we had zone activity and played soccer and basketball.  It was nice to sweat.  I sweated!

Yesterday was fast Sunday.  Our family came and they’re getting baptized on Saturday.  We had another couple come for the first time, too.

AUGUST 2010--FRUITS OF OUR LABORS

AUGUST 30, 2010

Yesterday was a big joke.  We spent the day in the streets yesterday just laughing about what all went down at church.  We finally had a ton of investigators at church and it was the worst Sunday meeting session I have ever had in Argentina.  We had members sit by the investigators and the members fell asleep during the talks.  The investigators slowly started leaving throughout the meetings and by the last, they were all gone.  It’s all right.  Next week it has to be better because it can’t get any worse, right?  My companion and I just laughed about it!  I like my comp.  She works really hard.

This week we found a new investigator named Maria.  She is 45 with three kids and a few grandkids.  In the last few months she has had two heart attacks and now the doctors tell her that her heart has the age of a 95 year old person.  She is waiting for a heart transplant.  It’s amazing to teach her because she’s so sensitive to life because she feels like she could die at any moment.  She’s really receptive to all the things we teach her.  She asked us to pray for her and I have been praying for her a lot and I’ve been seeing the answers.  The next time we went to teach her, she had been waiting for us.  Family, a lot of the time that doesn’t happen—that the people are waiting and anticipating for us to come.  We invited her to be baptized and she accepted.  We’ve just gotta find a way to get her to church cuz it’s not all the easy with her condition.

Our family of boys all came to church yesterday and they all have baptismal dates, but we have to work harder with them to gain real testimonies.    

AUGUST 23, 2010

We have started immigrating working in all the parts of our area—we’ve been working in the rich parts of our area.  And I’m not going to lie, there are some rich parts.  The biggest house I’ve ever seen in Argentina is the house of this old investigator named Damien that we just found in our area book.  We passed by and I was thinking—no way, this has to be the wrong direction.  So we rang the doorbell and the little security camera was just pointing at me and I was thinking to myself that there’s no way they’re going to let us in.  They’ll just talk to us through the microfone.  We sweet talked our way into having the wife come out and she told us all about when the hermanas would come over and all this stuff.  I guess they guy read the Book of Mormon in two months and wanted to get married, but the wife said to choose me or the church and he chose her. 

It sounds really familiar to our investigator named David.  His wife yelled at us this week and told us to not come by anymore and so I asked her if she goes to a church and she said no and that she was actually looking for the true church right now.  Then I asked her if she ever asked her husband why he feels this is the true church and she responded saying that she hadn’t and that her husband is  just confused.  Well, we fasted for them this week and we are going by Tuesday to see what we can do. 

Our favorite family is progressing and another one of the boys came to church this week and the youngest started really listening. 

AUGUST 16, 2010

Today we are with Hermanas Lewis and Godfrey.   We have laughed more today that I have in a long time.  I miss being able to fully express things with common interests and forms of communication.  I can communicate completely with everyone in Spanish, it’s just not quite the same as English.

I get joy and satisfaction out of the work I am doing.  That is one of the fundamentals of my testimony.  The longer I am here, the more familiar I am becoming with the Holy Ghost.  I don’t think I knew him before the mission.

The week we completed the goal I’ve been hoping for—for a long time.  We started teaching the boys in the family we found.  Before we just taught the parents and the daughter, but this week we sat down with all the boys twice.  They are 16, 18, 19, 20, and 23.  Do I think future missionaries every time I think of this family?  Yes!  They came to church this week and when their mom got the Holy Ghost she started crying.  I hope that her kids get baptized.

Jessica, our other investigator that has had a bunch of ups and downs, I think she is one of my favorite investigators.  She came to church with her two kids and got there early and she was sportin’—lookin’ really nice in one of the skirts that I gave her.

AUGUST 9, 2010

Dad, you wanted to know my release date and I told you March 3.  Lie.  It’s March 1.  (Actually it’s February 28, but she’ll probably be home March 1.)  Like that makes much of a difference, but there you go.  Make plans.  It would be cool if you guys could make it to the airport that day.

So this week was kinda bad.  Nobody came to church.  Kill me.  We had three baptismal dates, but now we only have one.  But it’s okay because we will do all we can to get them back on track.  One of our investigator families (ones that aren’t married because the hubby doesn’t want to get married) the grandma died this week.  We taught them the plan of salvation and they totally loved it and felt so much better, but still didn’t come to church. 

Baking??

Can't miss her with that neon bag!

Does she like it or not?

Everybody loves Jill!

I cut straight across bangs. 

AUGUST 2, 2010

I have a new companion.  Her name is Hermana Duarte from Paraguay.  She speaks Guarane.  It’s cool.  We will probably be together for two transfers.

So this is what happened this week.  We were supposed to have three baptisms, right?  Well, didn’t happen.  The two little kids are having the police come to their house today and they are moving out tomorrow to fix all the problems with the dad.  David, our 51 year old investigator drank two days before he was supposed to get baptized.  So none of them happened.  BUT…our family that we have been teaching that has all the boys that could go on missions…well, the mom came to church with the daughter this week even after she told us on Friday not to waste our time with her.  Anyway, in our gospel principles class she bore her testimony.  We were talking to her after and she told us she wanted to get baptized.  The daughter isn’t too sure about baptism yet, but she told us that she feels something different. 

This week was good.  Hermana Perez was trunky, but she finished off well.  Saul, one of our investigators came to church by himself in his car all dressed in a suit. It was nice.  He loves the church, but mainly for social reasons.  We’ll have to work on that.

So today at transfers I felt good cuz I saw the fruits of my labors.  In Hurlingham, Norma, they lady that we contacted one rainy night got baptized and Diego, my last convert in Hurlingham baptized his parents and is going to baptize his daughter next week.  Also, in Aldo Bonzi a bunch of the people we found and taught got baptized so it felt good!