Bautizar! (Baptism)

I would like to start this weeks update with a shoutout to the torrential downpour the started randomly de la nada, and caught us unawares meaning we had to sit soaking wet on a bus for 2 hours to arrive in Necochea. It was fine though because an Hermana loaned me her hair dryer so I ended up drying off the clothes I was wearing.

The 100 degree heat dried me off just fine too. 

But we were not the only ones who got soaking wet this week, 

Benjamín and Santino got baptized!!! It was incredibly stressful as the time of the baptism got switched 3 times, but in the end they got baptized, the president of the mission came to celebrate with them and it was all a very happy ending. 

This baptism was so special to be a part of. This family has struggled with so many health problems and Benjamín and Santino have been waiting for months to be baptized, but they finally got the opportunity yesterday and it was so beautiful. As I reflect on the baptism I think of the work of a million missionaries before me. 

I was able to be there the day of the baptism, I was able to tell the Mission about their baptism in the Noche de Milagros, but the baptism was the work of so many missionaries. So many missionaries taught them, found them, helped them. I like this quote from former BYU president Rex E. Lee, “We have all drunk from wells we did not dig, and warmed ourselves by fires we did not build.”

In this life our starting circumstances are usually not determined by us, which means we need to work our hardest and show gratitude for the opportunities that we have been given in this life. We need to be humble, and like Ammon is the scriptures, 

"I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

I think it's so important to be grateful in this life, and so important to replant the seeds you've been given, so others will have the chance to reap one day. 

Anyways, Other fun highlights! 

A member made me and my companion dolls of ourselves and they are so cute!!!

I ran divisions with Hermana Costa and we almost died from heat but at least we had ice cream! 

Made Chipa for the first time which is like a bread thats 90% cheese! 

And I'm sure a lot more stuff happened but that's all I remember for today! 

Capa Convention

Conferencia de Zonas

We had a Conference that united the zones of Olavarría, Mar Del Plata, and Necochea (2 zones I've been in previously and the one I'm currently in) all because we had Elder Costa from the 70 come and visit us! He was super awesome and I learned a lot from him as you'll see at the end of this post.

Companion Reunion!

But what also was super fun was seeing everyone from my previous zones!! We reunited the Olavarría gang and took an awesome all generation photo of all the missionaries who have been to Miramar that were at the conference (plus hermana Arbarzua snuck in there). 

It was so fun to see everyone and I got to feel like Santa as I gifted my old companion Hermana Robbins a new pair of shoes straight from the USA. 

Milagros!

Visited a super cute inactive member named Melody this week and she began reading the scriptures again and came to church this week! Please pray for her because she needs God's love so bad right now! 

Met an 11 year old named Mia whose smarter than anyone I've ever met. Her mom doesn't like church or believe in God, but Mia goes to the church 2 blocks away from her house and wants to learn more about God because she knows he's real. We gave her a Book of Mormon and when we came back to her house later that week she pulled up on her bike, Book of Mormon in hand, because she had just finished telling all her friends about this awesome book we had given her. 

She told us it was a little confusing and she didn't understand everything so we gave her a Book of Mormon for kids and she was so excited! We told her about church and she begged to come with us, but her mom doesn't want to come and she's not allowed to come to church without an adult. 

So please pray for Mia, we're gonna do everything we can to find a way for her to come to church this week! 

Spiritual Thought

Elder Costa said something that I haven't stopped thinking about. When we make a covenant with God, it's fact, it's done, it's permanent. We can do whatever we want, we can stray as far from his presence as we can, but he will never stop looking for us. He is always there, he is always trying to help us, he knows us perfectly and he will never stop trying to bring us home. 

It's like Elder Kearon said, God is in relentless pursuit of us. He never let's go, it's our doubts and fears that make us let go of him. In the bible when Peter walked on the water towards Jesus he started to sink because the wind made him fear. But when he sank he reached out his hand to Jesus. 

After, when Jesus saids "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" I think he was saying, "Oh Peter, why did you doubt yourself?" 

Peter trusted enough in the Savior to walk on water and know that when he sank, Jesus would save him. He lacked the faith in himself to keep walking. 

We need to have faith in ourselves in these latter days or we won't survive. We must keep walking. We must have faith in the Lord, in Jesus Christ, and in ourselves, trusting that we can endure to the end. Because we can. Jesus knows we can. God knows we can. And that is why he is in relentless pursuit of us.

I Have a Stalker?

Stalker is clickbait, but my recent convert Artemio just so happened to be in Tres Arroyos for work this weekend and we had the pleasure of running into each other! Saturday afternoon as we were doing a little activity with a whiteboard, asking people questions and writing the answers on sticky notes Artemio walks up! 

He said he was going for a walk, found the church building and was now walking back to his hotel when he saw us and he came over to say hi! We chatted a bit then he left to go get some rest while we did our whiteboard activity.

Artemio is the Best!

 The next day he comes to church and after he gives me a little bag and tells me it's just a little gift from him as a thank you for everything and he hopes God puts us in each others paths again. 

I thought it was cute and the gift was just like candy that he had picked up at a Kiosko or something, but no, it was a premeditated gift because this was not a gift that has a Saturday night - Sunday morning turn around - this was a mate mug with my name engraved on it kind of gift. 

Guys, these kinds of things are expensive and it really is a crazy nice gift. I am so grateful for this awesome gift that I'm gonna have to learn to start liking Mate.

 

Rapid Fire Week in Review

Invited 4 people to be baptized in 2 days, we're crushing our goals. 

Literally met my twin and wondering how we got separated at birth (Shout out Elder Atwood)

Taught an English Class all alone - that was the elder's idea. It was bomb tho

Literally had the skin rubbed off my heel from walking so much, I limp but we keep working!! 

Walked around all morning one rainy day with our new best friend Brenda whose preparing for her mission! 

Walked around carrying a whiteboard for 3 hours, but it's okay because our other new best friend returned missionary Camil came and hung out with us! 

Thats all the exciting stuff that happened this week so I guess I'll leave it there 

My First Pride Parade

This week feels like too much to recap so I'll give you the highlights. 

First we played a get to know you game with the zone where the person asks questions and whichever one of you is the answer to the question gets your face dunked in flour. Safe to say showers were taken that night. 

Cute Milagro!

We were walking on a really hot day in the middle of nowhere and a guy named Kevin pulled up on his motorcycle, told us he saw us and as a man of God, had to buy us cold water bottles. It was so sweet! 

Speaking of motorcycles... 

An encounter we had this week, 

(Guy on a motorcycle stops suddenly and pulls over to us, looking like he's about to rob us) "Chicas!!! Que hacen???" (Girls! What are you doing??"

Nosotras: "Caminando?" (Walking?)

Él: "Son las mormonas no?" (You're the mormons right?)

Nosotras: "Sí y estamo-" (Yeah and we-)

Él: "No, no, no!" (He drives away frantically) 

Pride!!

I thought pride month was june but it looks like it came early this year. We were walking down the street to go to this big Plaza to talk about our English class that we just started and we start to hear drums. It's a little parade and I ask Hermana Orellano about it and she goes, "I think its for Carnaval or something" 

I accept that and we move on, but the parade is following us. I look back and I think I see a little peek of a gigantic rainbow flag. I go... "Hermana... I think those people are Gay." She laughs thinking it's a joke, but I insist that I think that we've stumbled our way into a pride parade. 

Then I get the thought... hey in front of the plaza there's a really important government building. Wouldn't it be funny if they were going to that building to protest? And sure enough, after we got to the plaza about 5 minutes later the pride parade comes up and hauls this giant flag up the flag pole. 

It was majestic and maybe illegal, I don't know Argentinian laws so I can't be sure. I'll never hear a drum circle again without thinking about that day. 

My 1st Pride Parade

Crime

I robbed a member of his drivers license and I literally had it all day. It was his fault he shouldnt have given it to me. 

Proof of My Crime

Musical

Hermana Orellano busted out the old clarinet skills but was blown away by the musical talent of this family whose children all play like 3 instruments.

Trunky Moment

I don't want to make anyone too trunky but safe to say I was very happy with the miracle pday we just had with my sister Kinney and her husband Jeff. 

Thanks for The Awesome Visit!