Love the Human Heart

Hermana Hansen and Hermana Dunford

photos of our service in La Paz

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Welp transfers have arrived again. I kind of can´t believe it but I´m leaving again. I was convinced I was going to stay with my comp here. We were both sure, but I am leaving to Pergamino, a city in the province of Buenos Aires. It is at the other end of the mission. oh yeah! the new pench is a four man pench (Apartment)! and it is the nicest one in the mission with hot water!!! that is one thing i am really escited for!! woohoo!! wooh- lots of travel tomorrow! Ok I am really excited to go and scared though too. I am also very sad. I have grown to love La Paz, A LOT. I have never wanted to say goodbye to so many people. It was the best thing ever though and very sad too to see already 3 people cry because I am leaving. I never thought people would love me so much, haha that sounds kind of funny. But its true I have received gifts too! wow. I am pretty emotional right now. I have never felt so much love for people here. a woman today at lunch just left and cried for 10 minutes because i told her i was leaving. she is called angelica and she loves me so much- and i feel the same way. She is such a great strong woman and always goes to chruch even when her husband won´t. He has started coming back more and more though. She also gave me this beautiful sweater that I told her i loved once. The other day I was like angelica i love you, you are so great and she said oh thanks. Then at the sewing activity we had on friday (i sewed a shirt it was so fun! i am totally taking a sewing class when I go home) she gave me a letter and i went and read it- it was the best thing ever. she said that my testimony was so strong like a two edged sword, and that she prays everyday that I can have the ´gran bautismo´ that i want so bad. It was the nicest thing ever. I am so grateful that she chose to do that, esp. now that i am leaving. I love the human heart. That we can learn to love so easily and grow close to really, our brothers and sisters. I also love the gospel of Jesus Christ. That I can see these people again. I made my comp promise to baptize all our investigators that I love so much.

I also love my companion a lot. We have grown really close, and I have been very blessed to be her comp. She is so great. My new comp is called Hermana Kusilek. She just arrived last transfer from the MTC. I actually met her in the MTC! she was volunteering there when I was a missionary and she told me she was going to the same mission but didn´t go to the MTC until December. Anyway I joked with her that maybe I would be her trainer. Well not exactly, but her step mom! This is my third step daughter! haha crazy. wow i just realized that. Anyway I am so grateful now that my Spanish sufficeth me. It has been a long journey that will continue for a long time still but the progress I have made in the language is truly a miracle of God.

I love the mission. I find many struggles here just as in my regular life. But its amazing the help I receive from the Spirit, and my Savior Jesus Christ. And what a great time of my life. What a cool thing. THere really aren´t words to express the emotions that come with the mission. THe love, The disappoinment, the heartbreak, the pure joy. But the joy is that much sweeter after experiencing the sadness. I also know that this joy will be exponentially greater and will last for the eternities if I prove faithful.

I am leaving a place I love, and I am very sad, but I look forward to getting to know another wonderful place in Argentina. Thanks for your love! Until next week.

Hermana Dunford.