Lovin' La Paz

Wed Jan 20, 2010

Alrighty then. This week has been another adventure! So on Thursday we met some people, an old man named Enriquez and his grandson Lucio. We had talked to Enriquez like two days before and we were just like hey we can help you stop smoking we are coming by again to help you. So on thurs when we saw him again, he was like oops you caught me smoking. And we were like put it out! And it was ok and threw it down and stomped on it. Then we were like sorry that’s not good enough…..and he was like why? Because you have a pack still in your pocket! And he was like well… i dont know. Hermana Bohning. Said, give them to me. So he handed them over. She snuck them to the neighbour kid and he ran and threw them in the scum pond. (don’t worry we saw him do it). Then we were like alright we are all going to church on Sunday. We are coming to get you at 9. So Sunday morning we passed by and he was there, he shaved, we went and got lucio (he is about 22) and then we all went to church together. It was so cool! Just Enriquez looked like a totally different man. He hasn’t smoked since then either. So we are teaching them more and more. And since they don’t really do anything in their lives we pass everyday to get them ready for a baptism on the 30! I hope. Except one thing. Yesterday we found that lucio left to go visit his mom. And my heart broke, cuz I know he is just so ready for the gospel in his life right now and he wants to get baptized! I thought he just like changed his mind or something and wanted to escape us (cuz people will do pretty ridiculous things to escape us as missionaries, haha) but come to found out, Enriquez said Lucio was up til 3 in the morning reading the book of mormon and kept reading about repentance and forgiveness so the next day he just felt like he had to and see his mom whom he hadn’t treated very well and ask forgiveness from her. WOW. I was like woah this is the coolest thing ever! I just really hope he comes home soon! We have no way to contact him. Also Enriquez is the coolest old man, he tells us stories about his dad saving a perrito de un tigre. He makes me laugh so hard. We have to be like no you cant tell us more stories, not until next time. He also talked about when he was in jail in the 70s cuz of the political regime changing. He told us he lost his faith, and that now he knows God sent us to him to help him change and refind that faith. He knows that we are an answer to his prayers about wanting to quit smoking. The only thing is, he is a little deaf. So we have to talk VERY loudly for him to understand us. But what a great guy.

Another family we started teaching are so good, Monica and Javier, her brother is a really strong member, but his family basically disowned him when he decided to go on a mission. Anyway its cool the power of our message, the last time we were sharing, Javier wanted to listen so bad that he stayed to hear and then had to RUN to work and ended up arriving late. I felt bad but it is good to know the level of his interest. Then Another family Paula, Cassandra and their mom Delia. We programmed them for a baptism and to go to church but when we went for them they weren’t there. It was sad. BUT the two girls Paula and Cassandra (9 and 13) are so good. Me and Cassandra are good friends already cuz we have the same birthday! But they are so good, they both offered the most sincere heartfelt prayers. And then after paula taught her little brother to pray. It was so powerful! I was just sitting there, thinking, this is why I am on a mission. There is just no other way to feel this or experience this.
So this last weekend too there was an international triathlon. The finish line was RIGHT outside of our apartment. There were so many people there. It was really fun and cool. I bet you could find pics online? And yes I watched for just a little bit while we were walking to our appointments. La Paz, Entre Rios, Argentina is this rad little tourist town like beach hangout. I definitely want to come back and visit for fun someday.
I really love this area. I love the elders in my district and zone. It was fun we had a road trip After zone conference because the Assistants were coming to do splits with the other elders in la paz (haha so there were 8 missionaries in this little chapel on Sunday) but we drove like 4 hours to get back and we were squished in this van. But it was really fun. I don’t think many missionaries have the opportunities to have road trips. We missed the turn off for Santa Elena though and so the sisters just slept on the wood floor in our apt, and then had to catch a 6 bus the next morning. It was pretty fun. Then Elder Hildreth an AP , and elder Graham my Zone Leader, these awesome missionaries did divisions in our area and basically converted the whole town. It was cool to see the way really really good missionaries work, like just by the way they interact with people in the church. Elder Hildreth programmed someone for a baptism just walking down the hall at church with them. Haha its great. I really love my new area. It’s a lot of fun.
I know this is the true Church, I love testifying of that everyday to the people. I know that the gospel and the Atonement can change people´s lives. I know that I am here on a mission to help people know that. I know this is the place I was supposed to serve. I grateful for the blessings I have in my life. I am grateful for the love I feel always from my Heavenly Father. I know I am His beloved daughter. I love you all! Until next week

CHECK IT OUT!!!:

Here is a link to a cool commercial for the La Paz International Triathlon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ1BGGHMznw

and a homemade video clip that shows what looks like toward the end of the race, so probably right in the neighborhood where she is serving!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO3yYkx4M3M&feature=related

Five Lost Missionaries for a day

Wed Jan 13, 2010

Hey fam. This week, as I would call it, HOly Adventure week. Super crazy. But really fun too. So on Wednesday we went to travel to our new place, and it took us all day. Through out the day I came to find that We weren´t going to whitewash an area but rather split an area with some elders already there. And we also found that we don’t have a place to live. SO, we travelled all day and finally got to La Paz. But the bus driver kicked us off at the arco, we were with five other elders. Because they are opening a new zone so the zone leaders whitewashed the area and we all had all our luggage. So basically we were out in the middle of nowhere. Cuz the bus driver kicked us off way too early. And then we asked this little hut where we could go to get to the terminal, because us sisters had to travel back to santa Elena one hour to be able to stay witht the sisters that live there. So we are hauling all of our luggage super far to be able to catch the bus to get to the terminal. So we have about 30 suitcases it seems like, when all of the sudden a truck pulls over with some kids sitting in the back and this super classy 60 year old woman asks us in perfect british English, where are you headed? Do you need help? And elder graham my zone leader asked wow how do you speak english so well and she answered, because we´re civilized. It was awesome. So they offered to throw our luggage in the back of the truck, and hermana bohning and I hopped in the back too. And we talked to their grandsons that also spoke perfect English. It was so fun. When we got there we tried to pay the man, but he said no please I just like to give service. And I tried to get his address so missionaries could go for him, but he was like I live too far im sorry. But he said we will see each other again. It was seriously a miracle, an answer to a prayer I didn’t even know I had. It was definitely an awesome experience. So finally we arrive to Santa Elena at like 9 pm. And the sisters are there waiting for us. (ps none of us of the missionaries had cellphones so we just were kinda hoping someone would come to be able to help us. We were the five lost missionaries all day. No one had any idea where we were. But we finally made it. We had no idea what we were supposed to do though. I finally called the elders and the assistant was like we are so sorry, yes please go help your district leader and his comp find you a place tomorrow it would be so great, whatever you find that is nice and that is good just take it you deserve it. Haha. Anyway so we weren’t able to find place so the next two days we just stayed in santa Elena with the other two sisters and did divisions. It was so awesome! I really loved being able to get back to work again and not have to think about all the dumb living things. Hermana Peterson made me think of me my first transfer she did a lot of the same things I did when I felt like I couldn’t speak Spanish. But we taught together and it was awesome! We had like 7 lessons with a member, 3 other lessons, 14 new investigators and 3 programados. We also were able to help some struggling invetgiators come to some decisions about where they are headed. The spirit was super strong all day, and it was a great blessing for me to be able to work with this sister- she is a sweetheart and is always working really hard. It was definitely a change too to be here rather than in santa fe capital where it would be more rare to even get let into a house. Hna Peterson and I found a family of 13, 11 kids, all super nice and well behaved. We said a prayer with them and they were all like shh, we need to listen. It was awesome! They are all 18 and younger and the sweetest ever. It was a really cool experience. Saturday the elders found a apt for us! We went and looked at it. Super tiny but really great price and good enough. We have nothing though… Then Sunday we went back to la paz and went to church were able to meet the members (the branch pte´s wife totally threw a curveball and we suddenly had the assignment to teach principles of evangelio, but it went really well) and then we were able to eat with their family too. It was really weird though to have four missionaries in the same branch! The members are super excited though I think because there have not been sisters in la paz for like 15 years or something like that. Anyway. Then Monday we went back to work again finding good deals on beds and fridges and stuff and today we have been able to figure some things out. But through all this we are spending more than 50 pesos a day to travel back and forth. We have no book of mormons to give out, we have no folletos. We have no phone and neither do our elders. We have NOTHING. Sorry it really got to me today. Not only that my comp is super depressed and is convinced she is going home. I feel a great burden right now to keep working and do all I can to keep her excited and share my testimony with her, but its really hard. Yesterday we were able to find a lot of people to teach in La Paz but, I was having to be the strength for both of us so that she would continue working, because she says she hates being a missionary. I know she has a testimony but she says it has gone away now. So then whenever we teach I feel like she just might be lying then. This is definitely a transfer of surprises thus far. Also we got money to buy things, but it is not sufficient. Ay yayay. Also there are about a million creepers in this town. Haha, a member from the other ward asked the elders when the ¨two blonde norteamericanos¨ were coming because he had a lot of refernces for us and wanted to go contact them with us. The elders were like alright lets go we can go with you , and then he said no no im too busy, and plus I have an appointment with the sisters. I have never talked to him…but there are a lot of cool places here. Our apt is right next to the port so we have this beautiful view of the river. We went tracting like halfway in the jungle yesterday, we saw a deer (the person had one for a pet) and a carpincho like a giant rat otter thing, it was actually really cute, and then also a lamb just like eating, tied up to a post.
Everyone here is from the campo and so their directions are terrible. Like the yellow house for este lado, with the fence. Its about three blocks from the big tree. AGH!! I hope we can find these people. There are also a bunch of legit gauchos walking around, with the hats pants and boots. Its rad. This place is so different than the City Santa fe, I love it so much. Im just sad we have a lot of distractions right now that are keeping us from the work. But, I do know this is the true church on the earth today. I know that jesus Christ is my Savior. I know that the power of God is in the earth and that it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know obedience is absolutely important for everything we do. When we can show God we are humble enough to follow the example of His perfect son and the commandments he has mad to protect us, He will just bless us all themore. I have a very strong testimony of the principle of obedience. It is absolutely necessary for our growth and our salvation.
I love you all so much. Curtis you make me really proud, I am so stoked that you are such a rockin wrestler!! Nelson thats really cool you got to speak polish again, I am so excited that I can speak anoter language what a great blessing! I love you all so much. And sorry I seriously have NOT HAD TIME TO WRITE A REAL Letter. I m clearly a little frustrated by this. But I will do all I can to send some out soon. I love you guys!

Whitewashing! New year and new area.

Tuesday Jan 5, 2010

So every transfer I am convinced will be normal and without dramatic change. However I am continually proved wrong. hahaha.
So this next transfer will be quite an adventure. First of all, yesterday Elder Solis, an assistant called and we are going to have our area be white washed. so we have to make sure the area book is perfect and the apartment is shiny and new (which is very difficult considering our apt....haha) And i was like wow! and the Elder was like yeah and dont think its cuz your work was bad or anything, its just the Lord needs you in another place, and I was like ok..I didnt even think that until you told me. haha oh well. Our work wasnt super great to be honest. Thats ok.
So all day my comp and i were like ok who can be our comps, whats going to happen, me just thinking, whatever im just going to a new place and my comp will show me around whatever. nope, we found out last night from our district leader that we are both going to the same place, and we are white washing. I pray the elders before us had a nice pension and are going to clean it well. But holy cow! Im a little nervous! ut it should be good. I am grateful for the opportunity to be with my same comp (she is too she told me :) and the opportunity to prove ourselves mejor, with obedience and more hard work. I believe in the Book of Mormon with all my heart, and the counsel that is CONTINUALLY given is that if we are obedient to the commandments of God we will prosper in the Land. I know if I am more obedient and a better example to my comp I will be able to receive more help from the spirit and the Lord and ´prosper´in the mission- for example have way better dats. (and seriously the verses in the book of mormon that promise this prosperity, hay un monton! I never noticed until i started highlighting all the verses about obedience. But its crazy because yes the Lord will bless us with everything= but I also noticed that the people always turn wicked from these blessings. So we always have to check ourselves with pride. Im super stoked to go and check out a new area, we have already asked some people here what its like and they say its super beautiful, its a little pueblo and that its more dry! WOOHOO! i am so tired of being soaking wet. (ok sorry a little complaining snuck in there)
Alright so this new years was SO FUN. new years eve 4 sisters came to stay with us and there is no room in our apt, so there was someone sleeping on a desk and then me and hermana barriga slept on the floor. it was so fun to be able to see her again. i love her so much. we stayed up super late talking, one because of the uncomfortablemess of the floor, two for the NOISE! oh my gosh they turned up music so loud, our neighbors and were super drunk and there were so many fireworks it was crazy. we just stayed inside and tried to sleep. ha. so hermana barriga and i talked a bunch about our areas and the work. I love all of the best friends i have made here. I am super sad that my zone is changing. The missionaries in my zone here are so rad. i love them! All day new years day we went and played soccer and basketball and a little football. It was with 3zones and it was a blast. I also scored a couple goals. I was throwing around the foot ball with hermana Nalerio from uruguay, elder cristancho from colombia and elder quezada de peru. it was so fun, and cool to have friends from all these different countries. haha i sound so cheesy. alright so i have to go. but wish me luck. also mom i found some rockin shoes, so cheap and i got a suitcase my last transfer [she needed a bigger one - was determined to not take a really big one when she first went out, but came to realize she needed the space], and the package i had to pay for [she had to pay almost 300 pesos (about $80) to get her Christmas package!!- that's after I spent about $60 to mail it!!-Yikes!], thats why i have been spending money.... and i am going to the leather shop later today to order some cool scripture covers cuz the guy that does them for the whole mission is in our ward! let me know if there is anything else i can order because he does awesome work. and i want to get things like that for the family., alright

Hemana Barriga (aka 'Fiona') and Hermana Dunford