Hello from esperanza:)

The first thing they tell me is to get on the bike. Um, hello, I´m in my little pencil skirt...so flying down the first dirt road was an adventure. Then I´m told to just leave the bike next to the tree while we go visit someone. I thought this was a joke for sure. Well I soon realized that here in Esperanza I am living the missionary dream. One of the main forms of transportation is bikes, there´s dirt roads, friendly people, an apartment larger than a closet, you can carry more than a Book of Mormon....

I got transferred! I left my beloved Costanera Santa Fe, after almost 6 months. It´s always hard to leave all the people behind, but I wasn´t too surprised with the change. I am now in Esperanza, it´s only an hour away from Santa Fe, but a completely different world. And yes, we do go everywhere on bikes:) It really is tranquila, you don´t have to lock up your bike even. My comp is Hna. Castaneda, from Mexico. She has only been here 3 months, but you would think she has more like a year in the mission. There´s also 2 other hermanas in the rama. The president of the rama was the obispo in Costanera for 2 years, so I had heard all about him before. This place was love at first sight. It has been interesting, as it is the first time I have not arrived in a new area with a whitewash! What luck, to actually have investigadores and someone who has been in the area:)

I will share just a few hilarious things from my days here....

We were having an asado with the Flia. Spies. The meat was on a grill close to the ground, and without anyone noticing a dog went and started eating it. The dad saw, and went running, and grabbed the chunk of meat out of the dogs mouth, and started beating the dog. He then went to rinse the meat off, and put it back on the grill. We once again started eating, when a few minutes later the dog went back and stole the meat again! Again, the dad went running and yelling at the dog, grabbed it out of it´s mouth, rinsed it off, and put it on the cook. The mom said ´well, we will just have to kill the dog now´....and was not joking. We then continued eating. And we ate the meat that the dog had previously chewed on 2 times. Talk about not wasting food. jaja.

During the sacrament a recent convert was passing it for the first time. He is a funny old guy, always started singing songs at the top of his lungs in the most random moments. Well as he was passing the sacrament, there were some people who didn´t want to or couldn´t participate. He insisted that one member take it, and the member kept saying no. With this happening, of course all the members were watching, and he can´t really whisper. He then turned to the president and said ´president, He doesn´t want to take the sacrament!´....and this happened with every person who didn´t take it. jajaja. I hope none of the members were too embarrased....

One night we were going home on the bikes, when a guy came riding up next to us, and said ´why did jesus come¿¨.....what a contact. So we talked as we went down the road...and ended up giving a book of mormon. How random.

We contacted a guy Leandro, as we were looking for a reference that we couldn´t find the house. We invited him to church, and sure enough he showed up sunday, and was waiting outside before anyone else came! It was a miracle to find an investigador like this, who is so willing to learn, and enjoyed the church. Now we just need to put a baptism date.

CONGRATS ON THE GRADUATION DANIEL!!!!

As for the band concert, that is the most hilarious thing....I´m sure it was terrible in the moment, but now gives denny saunders even more reason to hate the andrews family. Oh well. Jacob is the last child. Just hope that the grandkids don´t go to south hills middle....

And good job landon! There´s a santa fe marathon in a few weeks if you want to come....

Mom, there are some people with red hair. Not lots. Here in Esperanza almost all are decendents of germany and switzerland. It´s interesting. 

Well love you all! Have a great week, and happy may! (Happy dia de trabajadores....yep, another holiday here in argentina.

Hermana Andrews

This is me with my new comp! She is the sweetest thing
ever. She actually left on the mission a year ago, and
after one week in the field got hurt and had to go
home...and recently left again. 

happy easter!

Hello!

Today for pday we took a lovely bike ride, all over the costanera. It´s so pretty, and it´s not rainy or freezing cold today! We ate hamburgers from a little burger stand (argentine version of a taco stand). There´s an hermana in my zone going home next week, so it´s her last pday. I don´t have my planner or anything, so I will give you what I remember from the week.

We are now in the last week of the transfer. Wow. And this week is easter! My comp doesn´t really know much about what easter even is...jaja. Here they do the whole semana santa, and eat fish, and have big chocolate eggs. And I think  that´s about it...

This week was one of those weeks that sure makes you suffer a little. And grow. Let´s just say, I have learned to really pray, to forgive people, and to move on and be happy. People joke about mission stories and crazy comps, but then you live it, and it´s not so funny. But I can truly say that the atonement is real, prayer is real, and people can change. We are not given circumstances more than we can bear.

We had divisions with the sister trainers, I was with hermana diorio, who came to argentina the same day as me, so it was so good to see her. Everything fell through, it rained, and we contacted for hours...jaja. But then there was a ward activity, a dessert competition! mmmm. I did cinnamon rolls, the elders chocolate chip cookies, there were even brownies! The winning thing was jello with fruit chunks...jaja. (I missed big brownies covered in fudge sauce and whipcream....)

I celebrated ONE YEAR IN ARGENTINA!!! yay! I really do love this place....the people I have met, the empanadas, the sunsets....I love it all. I celebrated by eating an alfajor. I was actually in the missiom home in rosario on the one year anniversary.

We contacted a LOT of people this week, that was good to reach our goal. We found some new people to teach. There´s a lady anamaria who had an accident and can´t walk, she sits in her little kiosko all day and knits. The first time we met her we said a prayer and shared a scripture. When we passed by again she told us she had been waiting and waiting that we would come again, and that the day we visited her all the pain in her leg was gone. That was cool. We started teaching the daughter and son in law of one of our investigadores, the girl is 16 with a baby and the dad is 25. I love teaching people who really have no concept of where we came from and our potential as eternal families. It´s powerful to see the people realize all that god has planned for them.

Yesterday at church there were 2 less active families that came, it sure helped with the number of people, and it was a miracle. It was a really good Sunday, I just felt so much love for the members here.

Shoot...can´t remember what else happened this week. We went to rosario to do visa stuff, had zone meeting....It seems like there has been so many things like this our area has not had as much attention as it needs, and the time just goes by.

Mom, I like that CPR thing. Too bad that´s in english though...jaja. 

My comp is learning english. As for now her favorite phrases are ´i love you´ and ´you are beautiful´. I have also taught her other important things, ´holy cow´, ´you are crazy´....

Thanks for the updates on everyone! Crazy to think it´s spring there now. 

Happy easter! You could save me some job eggs... :)

Love you all!

Hermana Andrews

“Our security is in [our Heavenly Father] and HisBeloved Son, Jesus Christ. I know that the Saviorloves you. He will confirm your efforts tostrengthen your testimony so that it becomes aconsummate power for good in your life, a powerthat will sustain you in every time of need and giveyou peace and assurance in these times ofuncertainty.

“As one of His Apostles authorized to bear witnessof Him, I solemnly testify that I know that the Saviorlives, that He is a resurrected, glorified personageof perfect love. He is our hope, our Mediator, ourRedeemer.”

Richard G. Scott

This is the giant slide. Kinda sketch, but it has been my dream to
go down it. Costs 3 pesos. Too bad it´s only open sundays. 

 Me and hermana diorio, with little hats that Anamaria gave us. 

Hermana Andrews

Look who won the lottery?!...... Or just had a lot of medico to pay.

So we went to Walmart today. I just love that place. (Don´t worry, in another few months I will probably take that comment away). And then we took a bus ride through half of Santa Fe (quite the contrast to see pure sketchiness and villa compared to our hollywood area), to finally arrive at a ciber that´s open. So now I am emailing...and then we will go to the doctor. And that would be pday. (Where in America you can get your list of 10 things done, here you choose. One thing every pday... thank you collectivo buses).

Well the best news would be conference. It just made my little heart SO happy to sit there...see the temple, hear the choir, even see our neighbor and my old choir teacher. Oh Utah i love you!  I did end up getting to see 2 sessions in English! The message and spirit is obviously the same, but there is a different power to hear the speakers in English. This is one of the reasons they encourage the missionaries to learn english. I loved Uchdorfs talk about living in an attitude of gratitude, president packer´s testimony (sounds like a farewell..), the talk that was basically a ten minute version of the first 2 missionary lessons. Ok I loved it all. I still haven´t seen the 2nd saturday session, as we were only allowed to watch it if we had an investigador, and our investigador didn´t show up last minute. Ugh. I missed the conference bingo and cinnamon rolls...jaja.  Only 6 months until the next conference! haha. Unfortunately it POURED all day Sunday, which can be an extreme test of faith for people here to actually venture out of their house. Which also meant that not even one of our investigadors came.

Mom, as for the dulce de leche. Yep, it´s from Argentina! They are EXTREMELY proud of that. There is practically half an isle in the grocery store for dulce de leche. It´s eaten with everything. (Today I had a dulce de leche filled donut). My favorite things are dulce de leche with a banana, dulce de leche with a bowl of cornflakes, and dulce de leche on french toast. Ok lets be honest, or just a spoonful. Here it´s just boughten, like we would buy a thing of jam or peanut butter.

The Chidester boy got his call to my mission??!  My efy girl is going in the mtc on july 16th also, my release date! Oh boy, they are lucky ducks to be coming here. They have no idea what´s coming their way:) Congrats to them!

We were eating lunch with the bishop and his little 8 year old played ´tankionline´. Wow, i felt right at home. He also plays that other minecraft or whatever.  Another day we had a noche de hogar with a family, and ate hamburgers. An elder brought hot sauce to put on them, (which honestly was not even very hot...), and tricked a little kid into eating a whole spoonful of it. Once again, I felt right at home. Hilarious. We had another noche de hogar with a family, and the little girl, Selene, was giving the lesson. After she read a story, she went around and asked everyone questions. It must be something universal, the fact that little children love to be in charge and have the power to interrogate people. I felt right at home.

Thank you for the letters. I´m glad everyone enjoyed conference!  Keep running hard Landon. Ethan, what are you doing with your life now? And Jacob, are you still free from all slave labor?

I hope you all have a fabulous week. And if not the whole week, we can have good moments every day. The church is true. Love you all.

Hermana Andrews