Floresta!

This week was probably one of the best weeks of my mission so far. Each day was so amazing! A little about my area....I live in capital capital, it is super busy, tons of people, and towers, but there´s tranquil parts too. It is SUPER international because we have Avelleneda which is an area full of TONS of people selling stuff on the street, and they are from usually from other countries in South America or Africa...seriously we see all types of people. We have a lot of interesting things in our area to say the least. They doubled our area because they took out the Elders, so our area is HUGE! It´s seriously more than 10 times the size of my last area.

My first day in this area was super awesome. We had a member acompanying us that served in Brazil. My first day, there were two different times where people came to the door and could only speak English, one was from Pakistan, and the other was from Africa. I was so happy to teach in English, but I could not believe how hard I struggled teaching in English. I had to think soooooooo hard to teach in English, I didnt think that could ever happen. I dont understand! But afterwards we had a lesson in portuguese with the member, so it was a very international day ha.

Something that I love about my area is that there are Casa Tomadas. Which typically means if you leave on vacation, then somebody could break into your house and live there. But in this case, they are huge houses or buildings where like 30 families live. Each family has a room, and they all share lil kitchens and bathrooms. It is really sad, and really really really poorly built, but this is where we have been seeing miracles this past week. We wanted to start working in other parts of our area because my companion has had 3 months in this area and hasnt even seen most of the area, but we have been stuck in 2 houses for a lot of the time. And it´s because in these houses.....the people actually listen!!!! We can go around taking to everyone in these houses lol, there´s not much privacy. We had a lesson with the African that I mentioned earlier, and as I was teaching him in english, a woman in the room next door started talking  to my companion and asked if we could come teach her and her family this week.....we had no idea who she was! So yes....I´m loving these houses. There´s definitely some oppostion to them though.

Oh my goodness!! We had a lesson in a nursing home!!!! I was sooo excited! I tried talking to every old person there, they´re so cute! It was a really sad place though, I couldnt believe it...breaks my heart.

My new companion is Hermana Ahumada from Concepción, Chile, which is very close to where my last companion is from. She is 25, she already has her degree and was a teacher for little kids. I´ve been blessed with awesome companions. She likes to laugh, so that´s good!

Have a great week, love you all!

This picture is from the my last area with the FamiliaValentes.... I love them!

Someone we reactived! It was a hard goodbye, but she said I'll always be her daughter lol.

My companion and I fell asleep shortly after this photo.... oops

From my last companion....Haha I think it's super cute. I am lucky we are in the same zone still.

Trunky....haha jk, just showing the US spirit.

Cambios!

Oh my oh my! I am in a different area, with a different companion. Mixed feelings! Saying bye to familias en Lugano was difficult, they will be a part of my life forever. Estoy muy agradecida por email y facebook. I also already miss my companion!! My companions have become some of my best friends, it is weird to leave them! My new companion is from Chile too, from the same area as my last companion...looks like I will need to go to Concepción, Chile. Haha. She is 25, she is really nice and likes to laugh, and that is about all I know right now haha.

Like I said in my last email, Lugano is double now, and they took out the Elders because Lugano wasn't having much luck...but we started working with a family before I left, and the parents are going to get married and they are all going to get baptized! We also set a date for another young man to get baptized. I am pretty bummed I wont be in the area for that, and that I got taken out right when all that happened, but the new Hermanas will see miracles! I am super excited for all of them.

This area is HUGE. Our taxi driver told me when we were in our area and after driving forever, he told me we were still in our area.....I saw the map and it is HUGE!!! My companion said that she hasn't even seen a lot of the area. It is diverse. There are super capital parts, tranquil parts, poor and rich parts. I am excited for a big area, this will be a big change for me. My companion has already told me that this is a super difficult area and that it is an area full of tears. The members dont work with the missionaries at all so we are mostly solo and the only way to find people is by talking to everyone. Which isn't a problem for me, but there is some things we are going to have to change. I am ready for the challenge and I am super excited for this new area! Oh and this new area happens to be next to my old area...the zones are combined now and so I am in the same zone haha. Same zone as my old companion....boo yah!

But, about the week....one morning President and Elder Lines (takes care of finances and stuff, the Grandpa of the mission), and some other Elders came to our pension to check it out. They wanted us out of there and moved into a different pension. After the visit, they took us out to eat at a grill, it was suppppper yummy! Our president is super awesome and I love how he is super involved with all of his missionaries.

Last Pday, Hermana Pardo y yo went to Caminito! It is a very touristy part of Buenos Aires. When I got my mission call, I looked online for pictures of Buenos Aires and most of them were of colorful houses and people dancing the Tango in the streets....now I know that those were all from Caminito. Everything is centered around Tango, colorful stores, booths, and statues (I dont know why..). We also went to the Boca stadium (only outside). Apparently I HAD to choose between Boca and River and I chose Boca because their colors are close to BYUs and Rivers are close to the Utes......sooooooo yeah I am a Boca fan! Caminito was soooo much fun!!!!

I have a lot of pictures!

I love you all :) I know that the gospel leads to true and everlasting happiness :D

Preachin to the Papa

Tango!!!

 

Boca Players

Boca Stadium

There were so many statues like this, weird haha.

I love my companion!

Well, 92% probable that this is my last week in Lugano, bittersweet! I LOVE the people I have met here and I love the experiences I have had here. Lugano is tough and a super weird area, but I love it!! I love that there´s a lot of work that needs to be done. With that being said though...the area was getting a little tough and we asked President if we could work in the area of the Elders (they have the other part of the ward) since they will be taken out next transfer. We have permission as long as we don´t work in the villas, but I only have one week left, bummer!! It has been fun visiting families in the other area and working in a bigger area. 

Well....we learned the hard way where one of the villas were. First of all villas are taken areas where people can live without paying anything (they usually dont have water or electricity), they don´t need papers to live there, and they don´t have any rules or laws. The police don´t regulate in them. There is usually a small entrance that leads to a big "community" full of stacked houses (made out of whatever they can find), and tiny little alley ways. A family invited us over for lunch and on our way there, my companion was walking with a big map in front of her face and I hear people start yelling at us. I look over and........the villa was across the street. There´s more to the story......but we hurried and left. Now.....I do have 2 pics that I took when I was in a safe area. So I´ll send those, honestly all the villas I have seen look sooooo sad. I can´t believe areas like that are allowed D:

Spanish is getting better...it´s still a process though! I have had 3 people over the phone think I´m my Chilena companion, so that always cracks me up! It´s still a bit of a struggle, and I still say things completely wrong sometimes, but people understand. 

My companion was sick and slept practically for 2 nights and a day straight, but she is better now. I seriously LOVE my companion!! We make everyday super fun and have a party every day in our pension before we go to bed. Hahaha, we´re always laughing and having a good time :) But... most likely this is my last week here with her....so we´ll have to make this week extra great!

I played the violin and learned something on the cello haha... lots of fun :)

  

Villa

My companion cut my hair haha

My zone

Asado

Familia y amigos,

Les amo :) 

This week was buenísimo, la verdad. We have had a lot of amazing experiences this week and have definitely seen The Lord´s hand in our work. One of them happened as we were waiting for a member to open a gate to get into an area of towers. As we were waiting, a woman was unlocking the gate and we gave her an invitation to the church. She asked for more...after talking for a couple minutes we pulled out a pamphlet de la Restauración. She was super excited to see it and told us she had the pamphlet. She said she found it in a bus, someone in the street told her it´s what she needs and it will help her life, and she has been looking for La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días. Mi compañera and I were shocked! She introduced us to her family and is excited for us to teach her and her family. 

We also saw a really cool experience as we were introducing The Book of Mormon to an investigador. We asked him to read the second to last paragraph of the introduction...he got half way through the first sentence and started crying, lifted up his head and said "I KNOW this book is true." Just a confirmation of how powerful The Book of Mormon is in conversion, it really is a keystone to our religion. 

Lately my companion and I have been singing at the end of visits after sharing a message. We did that over 10 times this past week...and every single time, people were crying...music really does bring the spirit! Each visit had their own cool experience with that...brought 2 menos activos to church, and there have been people who said it´s exactly what they needed....but for the sake of time it will be in my journal haha. Seriously, soooo cool though. really has been such a great tool, and I´m grateful to have a companion that is willing to do that with me! 

I had my first Asado (the well-known Argentina barbeque)...now I can finally say I have had some AMAZINGLY good meat here! It was SO good!!!! Along with that though, we had blood sausage....and that was terrible, but everything else was delicious!

I went back to the hospital for a check up.......haha.....it really is kind of ridículous how terrible it is...I feel bad honestly. They had me do an eye exam just to check, so they dilated my eyes. No big deal, right? That´s normal! But...in the U.S. my eyes were only dialated for an hour....but after this visit, my eyes were dialated for FOUR days!! I looked so creepy...it was funny. I was a little worried, but I found out from other sources (wasnt going to go back to the hospital...no way!) that it´s fine....and I´m good now. Just was a little weird...LOL.

Well, life is good :) Have a great week, and you´ll hear from me next week! Love you all! 

The photos were taken at the ocean last Pday.....seriously SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!

My futbol team...(my zone:)) Was so much fun!

Mi presidente es un capo. He is so awesome!!!

Yummmmmmmm. Asado in the making ;)

Purrdy ~ Another beautiful view.....