Week 45 - San Martin

So, I'm lame at taking pictures lately.  Haha.  I'll be better next week.  I snapped this picture today when we left the apartment.  This is where I live.

So, this week we had our big training meeting with Presidente.  We have new standards for the mission = STRESS!  But that's fine!  Onward and upward!  ONE baptism a week.  10 new investigators each week.  50% of the investigators challenged with a baptism date.  5 people in church week.  3 lesson (sit down, with a prayer and everything) each day.  15 contacts (like number and name or address and name) each day.  They's don't seem that hard, but wow!  We are working hard to get to that level!!!!

Also, there are lavender plants EVERYWHERE!!!!!!  ALL OVER THE PLACE! Paradise.  I love it!

This week we had a family home evening with a young woman, her aunt, ad the friend of the young woman.  It went SUPER well.  M=She is awesome and is accompanying us every week :).

Also, Madelen finally went to church yesterday!!! YAY!  Qui disappeared off the face of the earth and his neighbor told us that he is an alcoholic.  So sad.  We will keep looking for him.

There is this one hippie who always walking by the river with his super cute wife.  I'm used to hippies because of Bolson but Hermana Coman was like, "Don't say hi to them!  They're bad people!  Always by the river ... That's bad."  I laughed and said, "They are good people!"  This week, he stopped us on the street to talk to us.  Turns out he investigated the church in Brazil.  My comp LOVES Brazilians!  She'll talk to every single one of the, ALL day.  We talked to him for a while and we walked away my companion was like, "I love this guy!  Such a good guy!  We should talk to him more!"  I just laughed and laughed and laughed.

Also, yesterday when we were walking with Madelen to church, there was a little kid, take and REALLY skinny, who followed us the 12 blocks to church.  We had  no idea who it was but followed us.  He didn't really understand what we said but we got his name and the name of his mom and dad.  When we got to church we had a member call the police because the kid didn't know where he was when he started following us.  The police came and got him.

Love, Hermana Sant

Week 44 - San Martin

HOW IS YOUR TUMMY?

Im fine. It hurts still pretty frequently, but I just dont care enough to go to the doctor again. Plus, Im waiting for Hna Casariego to get here with the results from the tests I did in Esquel. 

the companionship?

Its good. Im realizing its an answer to my prayer to be happy in ALL circumstances no matter who im with... or in other words to be patient. oops. Its fine... Im happy with my answer from God! 

funny?

My companion threw and entire bucket of water on the floor to wash it today. Needless to say, it did not dry like she hoped in the humid, moldy aprtmant haha 

the area?

REALLY GOOD! 

the investigators?

REALLY GOOD! We found this old investigator that didn't remember a single lesson that the missionaries taught so they left him. When we went, he said he's been reading every day and knows the book is true because he feels good about it even though he doesn't remember what he's read. He went to church yesterday and he will be baptized on the 4th of march:) Also we found a young mom who WAS studying with jehovahs witnesses but then we found her and visited her every day and now she wants to be baptized in this church. Idk if you got the pic of that kkitty asleep in my lap, but that was a miracle because I was praying that either her little toddler or the kitten would be calm during the lesson because with both running around, she doesn't concentrate. I got there and the cat fell right asleep in my lap:) BLESSINGS! 

Have you won over the other missionaries with your righteous dedication and winning ways?

Uhhhh. YES! What kind of a question is that? The mission leader told us the reason why there were so many white washing and changes... lots of disobedient missionaries.. really good ward. 

good?

FOOD! 

bad?

MOLD 

dogs?

They loved me this week:) They folllow me in the street 

new?

New investigators! YAYA! 

dead animals?

No. but a few injured ones:( 

Is San Martin the biggest town you've served in?

YES! There are a lot of people. But our area is all of down town and the mountains around it. So we climb. a lot. There are LOTS of staircases. The one I sent a pic of is the fanciest one there is. 

have you gotten rid of all the mold?

:(((((((( Im trying! It smells like mold or bleach every day hahaha But it a LOT better. As you can see in the pictures where there is almost no green or black on the ceilings. The pension doesn't have AC but its not super necessary so far because it gets pretty chilly at night. And its been raining almost all week. Not RAINING just sprinkling.  The pictures you have is after TWO weeks of deep good clean and it is still terrible haha 

what is the secret to your winning ways?

You gotta know when to hold em. Know when to fold. Know when to walk away. Know when to run.

Week 43 - San Martin de los Andes

Okay, So I KNOW im in the area i need to be. Ive had a good time on my mission and I feel like this transfer is gonna be GREAT! 

Hermana Coman... poor thing. Her trainer didn't let her write in the area book.... so we DON'T have ANYTHING written down about ANYONE for the past 3 months of work here. She has never planned a day in her life. Because her trainer didn't let her suggest anything for the training sessions or plan! 

So, this week, I was looking in the area book the whole time while listening to the stories about "oh..... theres this one girl we visited once that was really nice" me: oh whats her name? "IDK" me: okay... do you know where she lives. "no... I don't have any idea." Me: okay... a different person then. 

I am depending on the good area book keeping of two sisters that were here about 8 months ago... 

We have a big map in the pension and I write down the general streets that w'll be going to every day. Hermana Coman knows nothing. And doesnt think about a way to get to know something. She just says she doesnt know. We're working on gaining knowledge... 

So, we're working. 

The memebers are AMAZING here. The ward is HUGE! I felt the spirit stronger in this sacrament meeting than any other sacrament meeting ive been in. It was temple material spirit feeling! And kids were playing and screaming and everything. So special! I love this ward! 

The district is super judgy of me. The sister before me was a BIG flirt. And now they thing Im the same. I asked the new guy where he was from and got stink eye from the zone leaders.... Also, the zone leaders took half of our area, so we{re basically doing a white wash! because the missionaries before me haven't worked in this part of our area (so the zone leaders having that part of our area... BIG inspiration seriously!)  haha  its a good time! 

As for the MOLDY apartment. I bought bleach!!!! I've been bleaching the ceilings and scrubbing them regularly (as a result... I ALWAYS smell like bleach... oh well!) and today... I found the SOURCE! I had been spraying the ceilings the whole week... little did I think about..... the CUPBOARD UNCER THE SINK. 

Also, we have a private courtyard... complete mess. we're working on it. 

Also, we found a WHOLE binder full of investigators and .... MOLDY! through and through! EWWWWWW!!!!!! 

Also, one of the pictures is of a drawing that morena in trevelin made of me before I left:) Kids call me Santa or Santi because sant is hard to pronounce:) 

I can totally send pictures:) with my new memory card:) I only took a couple of pics. One is of me with an OLD flip book from missionary past. Maybe you'll recognize it, mama. haha 

I've been }in contact with the office almost daily because of the problems Im finding in this apartment. :) They love me in the office so its gonna REAL nice:) 

My tummy pain has gotten worse and worse.

Im not running low on anything. I could use an inhaler now that I'm using so much bleach. 

I am running out of mascara. Fear of buying something that will go next to my eyes in argentina is real. Im living FREE without makeup:)

I TOTALLY GOT ATTACKED by a dog this week! Freaking dogs! I was SO mad at Hermana Coman. She just sleeeked away and here I was fighting a rotweiler or pit bull or.... was it a mix? I was shaking for a good hour after haha These dogs are NOT the dogs in Trevelin haha

Funny?  I forgot to tell you about a guy that yelled at us in Trevelin out of his car window while drifting... "heeeeeeeyyyyy... dame la palabra del Señooooor." or " heeeeeyyyyyy give me the word of the Lord" 

SO FUNNY! 

Happy? LIFE 

Smelly? THe pension.

Yummy? Nope:( 

Vomitous? The pension

Oh Yeah! And! we have this little courtyard thing that we have to ourselves but our neighbor's window leads to the coutyard. Last night, the key didnt work for the pension, so we had to climb though the window of the neighbor's house and break into our windows (which luckily dont work) And ruuuunnnnn over to turn off the alarm because it has motion detectors and the second I jumped in , they went off. Luckily, our neighbors are super nice and let us climb through their window:) 

Today the stake president came over and fixed the door:) 

Good times! 

I LOVE PAUL! Studying him is the best! Im writing down all of his characteristics. I want to talk gospel with you more haha 

I love you!

Hermana Sant

Week 42 - Trevelin

I STILL CANT SEND PICTURES! I hope Hna. Brown will send some to you.  (She did not :(  )

This week was incredible! I LOVE Trevelin. Its beautiful there and the people are so good!

Transfer news?  (I've been stalking your town, Travelin,  and it is SO PRETTY!)  Like, really.  And legit. 

Yeah Trevelin is perfect! I love it!!!!   Keep reading for transfer news.

Are there big stores there that you shop at or are they more like a drugstore?  

Theres one big store like Walmart and the rest are littkle stores:) 

Are the internet cafes like a Starbucks?

We only go to the church to write in Trevelin, but I think there is one store that has coffee haha 

How's your tummy?

Good!  I have lost ALL appetite. IDK why, but I make myself eat whether I wnat to or not. 

How's Pamela and her husband?

Theyre good! She is wonderful:) She loves the 10 commandments that we taught her this week. Like any good catholic girl, she memorized them. But she never knew what they meant°! So we taught her:) 

Other investigators?

Also good! We found LOTS of new ones this week! 

Good?

Life:) 

Bad?

Our spinach went bad. Doctiors orders for tests ... no leafy vegetables:) 

Ugly?

IDK. They new pension? Its a mess. 

Pretty?

There are some pretty flowerrs outside of the pension! 

This week was great! I did not think that I would leave from Trevelin, so I was not prepared at all! Hna. Brown was so sure she'd leave, she printed out pictures and gave them to people haha then the call came yesterday afternoon and we dropped on the floor from surprise. She is so ready to train and is going to work the shoes offf of her new missionary:) 

I am SO happy to be here in San Martin de los Andes. I have been blessed with the three most beautiful areas in the mission! Seriously... ask anyone! Bolson, Trevelin, and San Martin!!! Its BEAUTIFUL here! 

I woke up today at 6 in the morning and the Clarks came to pick us up at 6:15 (we slept right through the alarm!!!) We ran down and got to Esquel where I boarded my bus and left. I got to Bariloche and had a connection. So I waited for an hour in Bariloche... alone... with HUGE suitcases haha Eventually, a cute young mom and her little kid talked to me. They're my new besties. They're from Buenos Aires and she helped me roll one of my suitcases over to the new colectivo. SUCH A DOLL! Then I boarded another bus and in the final hour my new companion joined me. 

Then the army stopped us on the road and looked at everyone's IDs except for mine! BLESSING! Because I am VERY illegal and likely will not be legal anytime during my mission. (This is apparently not a big deal at all.  The church is aware and working on it.)  Probably another reason why I'm in the north of the mission now. haha 

I got Hermana Coman who is super sweet spirited and very hard to communicate with. We have already had like an hour{s conversation trying to figure out what she meant by macita when it was a cookie which I learned as galletita. When we finally figured out what the other was saying and I told her and she laughed and said, maybe to you but not in Argentina! I'm like.... I've been here 9 months and I've never heard of macita!!!  She is from Rosario.

Also, my camera wont let me send pictures here either. Im gonna try a different memory card. 

The pension is gross and smells like mold. 

She gave me the broken bed. We got there and she said, oh, BTW I'm moving my stuff right now to have the good bed. I'd be FINE with it if I got here and it was like that but... ugh. I need a lot of patience this transfer. 

I want more food!  I had a smoothie and granola for breakfast and a piece of pizza that Hna Brown packed me in my bag... have I told you that she's perfect?

HOLD UP! 

I LITTERALLY HEAR THE TARDIS NOISE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW OF THIS CYBER PLACE! 

what is going on! 

It just stopped.

what!? 

I know that this transfer is happening for a reason. I will love it here. 

I love you all!