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!

Week 41 - Trevelin

What is going on with your health, Sari?

I'm good! I have a med for acid (basically like the omeprozole, but prescription strength).

What is a specific prayer for the work that each of you want?

Pamela needs her husband to listen to us. She doesnt want to progress in the gospel and leave him behind. If you could pray for her and pray that we can find people who are willing to go to church or that we can find the way to get them to church? People keep all the commitments, know its all true and DONT go to church. ugh.

 

What's a specific prayer for YOU personally that each of you want?

I want to be confident. I am happy and I'm doing good and I trust the Lord, but I lose trust in myself, like always, sometimes. 

Are you each liking your area?

I LOVE my area. 

This Monday  we had a zone-p-day. All the missionaries from Esquel came over and we ate lunch (chips and chili) at the Clarks house (the married missionaries here in Trevelin. Then, we all walked to a lake, but not to the lake because Pres said we cant get near the water. The Clarks walked on to the lake while we walked around it and up a little mountain. Hermana Brown and I had a blast and took jumping pics and braided daisies in our hair and ran and jumped and sang, while everyone else was normal and gloomy and walked. It was a good time! We TRIED to include other people in our fun shenanigans. I promise! Then we went back to the Clarks for cake (SO YUMMY). 

The 18 miracles: 

we found an awesome investigator-brenda, 

we found and investigator that we could never find at her house on the bus after having a failed attempt to find her house (in which failed attempt we found branda),

 we found 2 girls that were in the open house of the church and could find out where they live (because the ELDERS lost the lsit of people and addresses that went to the open house), 

we found a family in the street and they want us to visit them, 

The doctors appointments went well, 

we could get our full time of writing in the morning,

we could talk to ana at exaclty the moment when she was home(we always tried to talk to her and she was never home), 

We also, could make it to the bank and to the doctors all in time to catch the bus to go back to trevelin

We had money for the bus

We had money enought o get to and back from bariloche without straving

a member from esquel was working as a police officer and he saw us in the street teaching a woman who was super closed and stopped behind us and said, these girl have a valuable mesage and its true and walked away-sghe opened right up after that experiece,

 we could get a ride from tghe clarks to go visit brenda and ana carmen in aldea, 

we thought that we had lost the bus to get back from aldea but it came and took us home, 

we got back from esquel just in time to let the alarm guys in to install an alarm, 

we had a great lesson with a less active-the silva family, 

we found our r3ecent convert in the street in esquel even though she is ALWAYS working, 

ETC. those are just a few from that day. (tuesday) No, i did not count them haha 

We also had exchanges in Batriloche with our old companions. Hna J is with Hna V now. We did not feel welcomed AT ALL. V did not look me in the eye that whole time, the did not tell us anything about the plans, they were jsut rude and it was weird. I think that maybe they arent very good friends because usually when theres a wall between us and other sisters its because theres a wall between them. Anyways. It was great because I got to see hna BANUERA! she's still fabulous and cute! 

We also had the world broadcast for missionaries where they announced the new schedule! We are using the north america schedule because the sun goes down earlier than it does in northern southern america. 

This week was great! God loves u! And our investigators are good! 

Thats all Ive got time for :) 

Oh yeah! While we were in exchanges, we both bought 2 snickers, one for ourselves and the other for the other:) We came back to pensiona nd said we had a surprise for the other and it was the same thing! UNITY

Week 40 - Trevelin

Worry not, but I did go to the doc this week. The presidents wife had me do it. DO NOT WRITE PREs. none of the missionaries tell their parents when they go to the doc because the parents freak out. Im fine!!!! Also, we had the open house at chuirch! it was GREAT! ill write more tomorrow.

More news from Hermana Brown than Sari this week:
WELL I PROMISED YOU A STORY.

AND YOU ALL SHALL GET A STORY.

Hello. Love from the Southern Hemisphere.

Fun thought. I am still closer to Antarctica than I am to all of you.

Carry on.

WELL HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO you wonderful people :) I would like to share some good times :)

MARTES, my 5 month mark in the mission (Wow. Holy crap. I am not okay with this..... hmmmmm...)

Life was REALLY good to me:)

The day started with the us trying to write to you all and my family since last monday was... less time.

The computer didn´t work.

Lord says no.

Then, after being a bit down in spirits, we took to the street.... where we were talking to a lovely lady in the street, and a member from another city POPPED INTO THE LESSON and testified that what we were saying was true... She began to smile and then really listen. We testified of the blessings that the gospel of Jesus Christ has for her and her family. It was incredible. Never never never underestimate the power that you can have on someone, even if it was really short. A 2 second smile, a wave in the street, and small compliment. PLEASE know how much your actions can help someone else :)

Annnnnd that was the same feeling we got when we shared a picture of Christ with a cute little family who thanked us over and over for their first picture of Jesus they can put in their home :) It was really sweet.

Also.

We have been going to the doctor for my lovely companion since other country food messes with the Americans. (Except for mine. I am fine. I believe I have a stomach made from steel???? I need to talk to my parents and figure it out....) Anyhow, the medical staff was really quick, really eager to help, and even offered to talk in English for us to be mroe comfortable :) THAT WAS KIND!

Annnnd then I bought Hermana Sant some Grido´s, popular ice cream here and... it was a miracle that the men working there didn´t kick me out the door after I asked for the wrong ice cream.

I said I would like dirty chocolate, instead of I would like swiss chocolate..

Sucio=dirty, Suizo=swiss.... yes.. That is DEFINTELY what a missionary, trying to represent Jesus Christ should say. 

Aha.

Ahem. Yes... Duly noted and I will never return to that place ;) 

Kidding... I need more ice cream in my life... 

Then, we were able to make it to our apartment EXACTLY when the mission office was calling us to inform us they needed us to be in our apartment to put in the alarm. :)

Then, the senior couple gave us a ride to the little town next to us since there are only like, 2 buses. One at 9 am and one at 6pm. And, to try to find our friend Ana who we could not find, but had begged us to come visit her...we were upset we couldn´t find her...

THEN, we were able to be in the right place at the right time to help a friend of ours try to learn how to study the scriptures :)

THENNNNNNNNNN

We caught the bus, in the nick of time, to come back to town. WHERE WE FOUND ANA!!!!!!!!!! She just about suffocated us hugging us so hard, and now we know where we can find her. All cause, again. The Lord put us in the right place in the right time.

THEN we tried to write again.

Computer still didn´t have internet..

BACK TO THE STREETS.

Sad we couldn´t write our families and I couldn´t write you all... We headed to some friends that asked us to share the Book of Mormon with them...

Who we couldn´t find in their house.... so we came back to the middle of town, unsure what to do. Started walking to the church...

AND FOUND SOME FRIENDS THAT WE HAD LOST CONTACT WITH FROM THE OPEN HOUSE, OPEN CHURCH THING WE HAD THE OTHER WEEK!!! GAHHHHHHH!

We wrote down how we could contact them and just about squeezed their eyeballs out we were so happy :) 

THEN.

COMPUTER WORKED. I COULD SEND EVERYONE A QUICK EMAIL.

AND NEARLY DIED OF HOW MANY BLESSINGS I COULD FIND IN JUST ONE DAY.

My lovely friends.

Here is my message.

Our loving Heavenly Father puts us in places, where we may not want to be, where we may think that our plan is a good one but...

He puts us in the place we need to be, when we need to be there. Our plan for ourselves may be good, but His is better :)

Trust in this :)

This was one day, and not even all the miracles :)

Take note of what happens in the day, even when you least expect it, and you will find SO many blessings that our Heavenly Father has in store for you :)

I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY.

Also.

Big things :)

Had the missionary, world wide broadcast...

AND THERE HAVE BEEN CHANGES.

We still wake up at 6:30 EVERY morning :) Tis a good time.

BUT NOW?!

WE CAN GO TO BED BETWEEN 9:30 and 10:30. LIKE: IT USED TO BE AT 10:30.

ANYYYYYYYYYYONE who knows me and my love of sleep will know, this is monumental.

You better bet your bottom dollar I am loving this.

ALSO.

BEST NEWS.

CHASE GOT INTO BYU-IDAHO!!!!!!!!!

CASEY GOT INTO ASU!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHITNEY IS HEADING BACK OUT WE BELIEVE IN MID FEB!!!!!!!

MY FAMILY IS THE BEST AND I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THEM HAPPY IN ALL THESE THINGS!

Shout out to them for best the best family ever. Sorry, not sorry....Love you all but... yes. 

HAVE A PHENOMALLY BLESSED WEEK!

Blessed to have you all :)

Love you,

Hermana Kylie Brown

Ah. Yes. Enjoy this picture of me casually sitting on a wall in Bariloche. Tis a BEAUTIFUL place where I spent a day this past week. Was WAY fun to be in a city again :)

Week 39 - Trevelin

So, what's new? 

We reorganized the apartment! 

Last week, we cut grass for a member! It was my first time using a machine to cut the grass! Because I never got to at home! But the people here cut their grass with weed wackers not lawn mowers, so we weedwacked the entire lawn! It was a good time! 

Oh AND three people asked me if Im from mexico this week! My spansih is getting better! they didnt askfrom the states, but a latina country!!!!!yay!!!!! 

How the weather?

Today its cloudy and a little cold! Its not been really miserably hot down here yet... but summers not over yet! 

Still summer?

It should be

Still hot?

It should be. Sometimes it is! 

Do you take your sleeping bag with you when you transfer or does it stay with the apartment?

I have to take it with me and thats the hardest part. I ended up taking a different, cheap, bad one with me this transfer cause I didnt have space haha 

How's the companionship?

Really really really good. 

The investigators?

Pamela is doing really well! The others have fallen through the cracks this week because they dont want to progress in the gospel, they just like having 2 gringas in their house 

Tell me what you say when you clap at someone's house. 

We say hi, we´d like to share about Christ with you. Its a message very important. or we give them a card and explain it and we end by asking for friends and neighbors. Its hard to trasnlate it haha 

Do the branch members feed you? 

3 out of 7 days of the week pretty consistently and 4-5 times if we are lucky! 

When do you have district meeting?

It depends on when the matrimony couple can do it. We didnt have one last week. 

Happy?

LIFE

Sad?

When people dont want the gospel

Funny?

The sick stories! 

Pamels´s husband said, Hey we have a surprise in the backyard! Last time, it was a sheep they were going to kill to eat for new years. this time! It was a hiorse!!! they are NOt going to eat it, but they spent time letting their two year old ride it... unassisted! So cool! I love this place.

Challenging?

Being sick and traveling literally all week. 

Friends?

Thats what the investigators want us to be more than anything else. But Hna Brown and I are besties. 

Well, we had zone conference on monday after pday so that day we werent in our area. then we got a call from the office to go to Neuquen the next day. So we left at 7 in the morning to go to neuquén and got there at 11:30pm because the government cut off the highways and we had to travels for some dirt roads and buses were delayed and everything but we did eat WAFFLES from the one gringo in bolson in our stop there, and the yummiest hamburgers in barilooche, churros froma a sketchy chilean man that were REALLY good, and bus food! 

Then, When we were coming back, Hna brown got a bad fever. She was sick in bed the whole next day and I had so much energy and reorganized the apartment, cleaned the oven, made layered jello, soup, etc. and cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. 

I got sick the next day. That was rough. then it was sunday and we had the lesson  in relief society so we prayed really hard and went and then we tried to visit every single investigator we have. Only 2 of them responded. But it was all things considered a really good week!