I am loving this life!!! I think EVERYONE should live a missionary life! It´s the best!
Well, that reminds me that in Preach My Gospel Chapter 1 there is a quote I read just this morning that the greatest work we will ever do is within the walls of our own home. That HAS to be the truth. What I have learned in my own parents’ home and here in the mission field is for SURE the key to how to have a successful future home. I am so grateful for the amazing examples in my life and experiences to learn by and teach by the Spirit of the Lord and gaining full confidence that it is His true Church that we belong to and through His Begotten Son that we will gain eternal life.
This week we have been overwhelmed with amazing people! Familia Carrari have been a great gain to the branch. Hno Carrari is a life-long member whose new almost-wife is not a member. After several years of inactivity, he decided that his life and his family needed the BEST things and he called up the Elders to have them come and visit. 2 months later, they are preparing to get married so that his wife can be baptized! They are so great and faithful not having missed a Sunday in 2 months. Little Lujan, 6, and Ignacio, 3, just LOVE church, primary and reading scriptures. They are just SUNSHINE. A new sister for our Relief Society, another priesthood holder and two great additions to our ever-growing primary. LOVE IT!!
Cesar, a convert from January, received the Aaronic priesthood and is so eager to keep going and growing in his responsibilities of the church. He just loves being there. He´s in the church almost ALL day Sunday when he can. He attends our branch and then helps the branch that comes after us and stays to participate in choir as well. haha he´s great!
The world is so small ESPECIALLY as members of the church. The family I told you about just now, the Carrari´s, know a member family (Barcos) from here from about 25 years ago when they were in the same ward/branch in Bahía Blanca (provincia BS AS). Now they live a block away from each other! Flia Barcos has been making all these connections with our investigators, including being a childhood friend of Enrique! They are often together now doing different activities and teaching and learning. It´s been amazing! Enrique says he´s hooked. haha love him
Monica, a great, great lady, was looking for work and we happened to randomly know that a member from the other branch was looking for someone to help them in their house. We made the connection between them and Monica was overjoyed to get the job the same day!!! She has been having a hard time lately but her faith was strengthened to get immediate answers to her prayers. I love watching how the love and confidence we have for our Heavenly Father can really shine a new light into our lives. It´s amazing!
haha Did I tell you all that the people I tell about my bus driving job in Alaska just stare at me incredulously? haha they stare at me, eyes wide just waiting for me to say, ‘just kidding’. Most women here don´t know how to drive. It´s really a lot more rare to find a woman that drives. There ARE women who do but it´s not as prevalent as the US. And so when I throw in the BUS thing, it´s even more incredible to believe. So I have to promise to bring them pictures the next time I see them and it´s also a great way to set up follow-up appointments. haha win-win!
We were walking up this one street this week to contact a referral when we saw a man sitting outside his house look up to see who was walking by. ( I still CAN´T get over the fact that people just SIT OUTSIDE and chill in their front yard while we are FREEZING and wishing we were inside somewhere, anywhoo...) He looked up and instead of looking back down, he stared and so we felt to go and talk to him on the way back down the street. We knocked on the door of the referral, no one home. Once we had gotten to the top of the street it really was going to be a lot more efficient to not go back down the street and just walk more uphill and have a more direct route to our next plans. But we both looked at each other and with that knowing look that we have achieved as a companionship; we went to follow the prompting of the Spirit. As we talked to this wonderful older man (80 yrs old!!!) about his relationship with God, I felt the strongest impression to tell him that if he came to church with us he would know that this is the true Church that he hasn´t found because he didn´t know where to find it. He looked at me a second and then just nodded his head and said, OK. Well, German Venegas LOVED church yesterday and is planning on coming back next week too. MIRACLES HAPPEN!
We FINALLY met this one kid who was baptized in Misiones (provinicia al norte de Argentina, almost Brazil) 3 years ago that his mom stopped us in the grocery store two weeks ago to ask us that we go and visit him to invite him and the rest of her sons back. I´ll have to tell you later what she said about herself but she knows that her sons were better when they were active in the Church. We are now helping Javier, Andres, Arturo and Martin. Woot! We have a Family Home Evening planned with them for the weekend when they are all home together.
Will someone please tell Nikki, Siostra Stay, that I love her??? I can´t believe that she´ll be home this week! I will let you know what i get from her emails because I’m pretty sure her homecoming won´t be for another 3 week or so because of gen conf and her ward conf and fast Sunday :) haha oh man.
This week we are planning on doing an exchange with the sisters from Rio Grande (the zone on this island Tierra del Fuego to the north of us) I´m a little nervous but very excited. I would be going with Hna Reed while Hna Gutierrez comes down here to be with Hna Shelley. Wow! Pray for us. It´ll be an exciting week! Especially prepping everyone for conference and Easter!
I love you all. Have a wonderful, joyous week. Danny sent me pictures of the snow!!! Wow. It snowed here too. We are finally in the same season on opposite ends of the world :) haha it´s nice today though so we will hopefully be going to a little hike to the Ushuaian Bridal Veil Falls. Pretty. So I hear. I´ll let you know if it is next week!
Love, love, love you all!
I know this church is true!
See ya!
Hermana Gonzalez
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