Happy fiesta nacional de mate....yes this is a real event

Dear family,

I´m so sad to hear about grandpa. At least we know that he has lived quite the life. I´m praying for all of you, and most importantly for grandma. Love you all!

I have really seen this week how the gospel of Jesus Crist changes lives, not just now, but for the eternity. This is the comfort that we receive despite trials. I saw a huge miracle this week. It had been a rough time. Nothing we seemed to be doing in our area was working. I feel like I should be at the point of the mission being better than any moment before, but we just felt stuck and like there was no progress or results. I then found out that my investigador from Colón, Sulma, was baptized!! Months ago we contacted her and her family one Sunday as they were walking down the street....me and hna cruz taught her, but there were so many roadblocks, as she isn´t married and didn´t every want to marry her drunk husband. Well I don´t know everything that took place between when I left and now, but she was just married and baptized, and hopefully now the rest of her children and husband will be baptized to form an eternal family!! This was just a little evidence from God that things happen in his time, we don´t always know what the results will be. Today I got an email from investigador in my first area too, it was so good to hear from her!

Our ward here sure seems to be going through everything. A member, Esther, died, our grandma Maria was in the hospital.....We called Esther one day to set an appointment, the lady said Esther had died. I was skeptical of this, because we had just recently passed by, and her family doesn´t really like the church anyways. Well it later was confirmed that this less active member really had died from a sudden heartattack...we passed by one morning and she wasn´t there, as soon as she came home she passed away. It was so sudden. Life really is short. The good news is that several less actives we are working with went to church yesterday!

Other things this week is I went to Paraná for divisions, my dislike for dogs grew even more as I was peed on right through the fence as we were contacting a lady, my comp said she is always entertained by my sleep talking in spanish (I´m doomed for life). This week our ward activity is an american breakfast...the members think we are crazy, but they are just going to learn to love pancakes and scrambled eggs and hashbrowns. 

Sounds like you had a good vday! I think we ate some pizza or cereal or something. Mom, you could have frozen mine:) And happy bday landon! Yesterday I knew exactly what you would be eating! jaja. As for ethan....I think he is turning into sterling. Watch his sleeping habits. 

Thanks for the updates. Let me know how the trip to Cali goes. Cuidense!

Love, hermana andrews

p.s. Mom i just received one of your dear elders from November! jaja. It must have made a detour to india or something. 

p.p.s. I didn´t receive dad's letter

happy olympics

Happy olympics! Truth is I had no idea they were even going on.... maybe the people in argentina don't even know they exist? It´s all about the World Cup here....June baby!

Well to start off with the questions mom....

Yes mom, no robbings this week. 

Everyone does besos here. Women and women, but also men and men. I love it. It´s so much better than the handshake. Except us of course only beso women. There´s always the creeper men who try to sneak one in on us. No one hugs though. Just us american hermanas. 

And trek...yep it does exist here! In fact the youth are going this week, it´s in Cordoba. But the lucky ducks get a swimming pool, real toilets, and a nice little camping spot. 

It wouldn't be a letter without the weather update. Right now it´s pourrrring. This morning we were sitting there studying, when my comp looked over and realized her bed was soaking wet. jajaja. Our roof leaked. So then we taped little plastic grocery bags hanging from the ceiling to catch water, and buckets on the floor. It´s quite the site. This week I also experienced the lovely humidity, more than any other week here. I felt like a man walking around wet constantly. I think I will move to Arizona. 

As for the baptism we were going to have Saturday, it was sadly canceled. Rocio had to move back to Tucuman weeks early....so she wasn´t baptized here. Super bittersweet. But...she will be baptized there. As for other investigadores, it was a tough week for finding people. A lot of our time was occupied with service, going to Rosario, and so many other little things that came up. I don´t even know what a normal week would be anymore. We did get a reference from the mission office. It´s a man named Flavio, he talked to someone from Uraguay on FB about the book of mormon. Flavio is a professor, has studied the indio culture and religions of argentina, and written 5 books. We gave him a BoM, he gave us a copy of his book. We had no idea what to expect going in, but it was very different as he doesn´t have the christian background and beliefs of God and Cristo. I felt more like  I was teaching someone from china. 

I had 2 of the most entertaining service projects. We went to cut the grass of our little old member grandma, maria. (That in itself took convincing, as she wanted the elders to do it...they assured her that hermanas are capable also) She didn´t have a rake to clean the grass up, so gave us a squeegy that´s used to clean the floor. So i squeegied the grass. And she told us that we needed to cut the grass by hand around all her flowers. And then I used the broom to sweep her dirt. There was a plywood table that needed to be cut in half, the elders were then given little kitchen knives (like we use for steak)...let´s just say it took a while. Hey, you use what tools there are. Another day I learned how to use a machete as we pulled out weeds from another members house. She basically had a jungle outside. (And then an elder lost his keys...)

People here always keep it entertaining. We were talking to Zunilda (75 year old) about a challenge we had given her to write down names of people who could listen to the gospel, and then pray every day for them. As i was asking her about each of the names, she explained it´s her grandson, her son, her brother (´"he´s dead"), her husband ("he´s dead")....jaja oops I guess we didn´t explain good enough it's for LIVING people to listen to the missionaries. We keep walking into streets where the testigos de jehova are contacting...ugh. They do their best to even avoid eye contact with us. We just make sure to go back and contact the same streets after. 

I was thinking and studying a lot about repentence this week. As a missionary, we have to repent more than ever. Really in life the way that we progress and become more like Christ is through repentence....to change our desires and thoughts and intentions. This is super important for alll members. Our ward here is realllly struggling...there are few members, and more menos activos than ever. The repentence every day and every week help us be converted. And here´s a little quote that I read today....

"Character is demostrated by looking and reaching outward when the natural and instinctive response is to be self absorbed and turn inward." -Elder Bednar.

This week we also took a little trip to Rosario to do visa stuff. And slept in the mission house with A\C....(i may have even slept with 2 blankets....). 

Well thank you for all the letters. Seriously. I´m glad everyone has not died in the cold yet. (well, except maybe sterling). 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANDON!!!! wooohooo!

And happy valentines day! I will just have to survive without my cinnamon hearts. 

Keep on keeping on, the decisions you make every day really do determine where you will be tomorrow.

Love you all. 

Hermana Andrews

happy groundhog day....happy bday heidi!

We are already in febuary.

And ethan is driving?..... I will hold off all the learner permit jokes, but seriously parents, maybe consider that again. He was barely a teenager just yesterday. 

Not a lot of letter worthy things happened this week. We had transfers, the four of us stayed in this ward. Right now things are a little rough in the ward, as half the members are on vacation, the bishop is now living in brasil, and people seem to be dropping to the less active list on a weekly basis. One tactic we are trying is to become the most annoying people possible, anyone who isn´t going to church will be getting LOTS of visits from the missionaries throughout the week. Until they come. 

As for our investigador, Rocio, she is getting baptized this week! Well, maybe. She had a date and everything, but yesterday we found out she is moving back to Tucuman sooner rather than later. As in like 2 days after her baptismo. So now it´s a matter of if she is getting baptized here, or will wait to be baptized there. She really is prepared, I´m happy that this is the decision she wants to make. She was even going to go on Trek here. 

People at home joke about eating like pioneers, or having nothing in the fridge. Well this week we experienced it. jaja. We have really been forced to practice a budget, as neither me or my comp have had our debit card, due to being robbed. We have learned to be creative, eating rice, pasta, rice, tortas fritas, and crackers. Hello carbs. Good thing we walk a lot. But don´t worry mom, finally we will be going grocery shopping this week. I guess this could be classified as just one of those experiences of the mission. 

Well i hope everything else is going good. That´s great you had stake conference. 

And i hope you ate some superbowl food for me?!.....

Love you all!

Hermana andrews

 3 And not only so, but we glory in ^atribulations  also: knowing that^btribulation  worketh ^cpatience ;

 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
 5 And ^ahope  maketh not ashamed; because the ^blove  of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5

p.s. we were at a members house yesterday and their whole back patio is coverered with a ceiling of grapes. Dad would have been enthralled. They were delicioush. 

Helloooo

Hello familia y amigos!

Ya pasó another week. I don´t have any stories this week to beat being robbed. A little bit more calm. But we have found that the robbers live close to us...so we have just been on the look out at night. We still haven´t had an opportunity to go contact them, or see if they read the stolen pamphlets. My comp got her book of mormon back! Some guy found it trashed by the church, they had just taken the money out. 

We had interviews with pres. this week. Those are always good. I admire this man so much, he is definitely called of God. He talked about setting high goals, if we just put what we know we could be capable of, God doesn´t have room to step in and help us achieve more. I admire that he also has a scripture story to answer every question!

We found more people to teach, and have various people with baptismal dates. So many times we complain about always finding people in our area that are references for other areas...but finally we received a reference for OUR area from other missionaries! jaja. It´s a family, and at this point it looks pretty positive. 

We are doing classes de english and piano in the church. This week there was more people that came, and one little member girl came to our piano classes! jaja. But i love it. It´s nice to do something different, is service, and our investigador comes to english classes. 

Ya know that feeling of coming home from camp or trek, and being pooped to death, and completely disgusting? Well that is the best comparison I have found for the mission right now. It´s a lovely feeling. I have come to really appreciate my mattress, a working freezer, and jugitos (wannabe otterpops). And it´s proof that we ourselves really are nothing with just our own strength. 

Last pday we went on a bikeride...all over the costanera. I think we probably do have the prettiest area in the whole mission, not to brag or anything. 

Every week brings its funny experiences....I have met many half naked people that come to the door, but this was a first to have a lovely old gentlemen in only his diaper. One of our sweet little old members attended us in only her undies...jajaja but I guess you have the liberty to do that when it´s 110 and you are 80 years old. 

Yesterday we went to an asado. Delish. A long time ago we contacted a family por la costanera, they instantly loved us, and invited us to an asado, but don´t live in our area. Well we passed the reference, and we were invited again to go with the elders who live in their area and are trying to teach them, so we went! They are the nicest family, and hey I can´t turn down good food. And they were just thrilled to see us.

We have kept up the record for eating pizza 6 days in a row...and today just happens to be a zone pday and we are eating...pizza.

I was asked if my comp is my daughter...jajajajja. People always think she is like 15, but that was a first. When we went to rent bikes they told her that you had to be at least 18. jaja.

Well it was really just a week of little miracles. We were able to contact and talk to a lot of people. It´s always hard to not have people progress perfectly like we plan, but I can see how God´s hand is in every detail of our lives. The family Mora is a special family, there are 4 kids and a single mom. They live in the very edge of our area, far far away. They work at a grocery store every afternoon. Well, the kids help with the carts and go up to car windows to beg for money, the mom watches the cars so they aren´t robbed. They are a very humble family. The kids are so innocent, they don´t even see the extreme difference in their lifestyle. I see people like them and just know how much the gospel would change their family and perspective.

Love you all. Stay warm. Have a good week. 

hermana andrews

p.s. i received all the cards from the eunice and the family thanksgiving, thanks!

oh and thanks to sandy too!

And my favoriteee pair of shoes. I know, i know, they
are absolutely disgusting. But i would suggest this
brand to any missionary, they are the most comfortable
ever. Argentina has just destroyed my feet is all. 

That would be Universidad Catolica de Santa Fe...sporting
my aggie shirt:)

This is Guadalupe. One of the larger catholic churches here. But there was a lovely HUGE festival here, with music and all the cute little booths set up to by stuff. Oh, and a big classy beer can blow up inflatable thing right in front to show it was the sponsor...jaja. 

the misión is a sacrifice for being a foot model.

I don't see being a foot model in my future. The blisters and but bites have killed all hopes of that. Remember that adorable little bottle of bug spray you sent me once, Mom? well let´s just say that was about a 2 day supply. jaja.

What a week. I don´t know if I should start out with the exciting news, or more exciting news. 

First to answer Dad´s question about future marriage prospects here. Dad, 18 year olds are 18 year olds. I am frequently reminded of the challenges that will come ahead in being married to a man, even if he once was a missionary. But if you were hoping for specific names of future prospects, I don´t have any there. 

This week we got robbed. The most terrifying experience. Yes mom, I´m fine. So one night we were walking home from the church at 9 after an activity. We were in an area that we never had considered dangerous, when 2 guys on a motorcycle approached and slowed down. We were crossing the street and thought we were just  in the way, when they stopped and he started yelling ´Give me your things, give me your things!´....and one of the guys got off his motorcycle and approached me first. He had a big 12inch knife in his hand. At this point I realized it was real. I started yelling ´NO NO go away!´...in english..jaja. I actually had a little kitchen knife in my hand, as we had used it to cut watermelon at the activity. I just clung to my things, I had a bag that had money, my debit cards, and even camera. We NEVER carry all this around, but had to buy stuff and go to this activity right before. He then went for my companion, she handed over her book of mormon she was carrying, which inside she had her cards. The guys then zoomed off on the motorcycle. It all happened so fast, and was not pleasant at all. Some nice lady came running over, they called the police. She then explained people are robbed ALL the time on this street. Ugh. We then waited for the police, 25 minutes before they showed up. This people probably just felt bad for us 2 little americans. The horrible thing is, it doesn´t even phase people, as people are robbed so often. And the police don´t-can´t do anything. My poor new companion. I´m not a fan of men or motorcycles right now.

Our front door lock broke. The thing is we couldn´t fix it for a few days...our neighbor absolutely freaked when she saw that it was being held shut with a hair elastic. Oops. For 2 nights we at least had our big old fridge that we put in front of it to keep it shut. Then when the lock guy came to fix it, he spent literally 3 minutes tops and completely ripped us off. But now we won´t die. 

This week we got a new fridge! That was good. We finally have cold food and ice! This week we were fed pizza for 4 meals straight, by members. A family just started a new business, and often there are members that can´t feed us but pay for food from the members that have rotisserias. (And we rearranged the apartment! well, about as rearranged as a 50sqft area can be.)

A week ago we found a girl, Rocio. She is 15 and from a different provincia, but living here with her dad for the summer. She came to church with us yesterday! We taught her, went back 3 days later, and she had already read 10 chapters in the book of mormon. That doesn´t happen here. We are also doing english and piano classes, and she came to the english class.

A miracle happened yesterday at 6:15am. I was woken up to a text we received from Marcos, an investigador we had a while back. Things hadn´t ended good, I was so sad to see him give up everything after having opposition from his family. Well he said that he wants to be baptized, be mormon, that the church is true. What??!!! He couldn´t go to church yesterday, he lives outside of santa fe, but to make a long story short he is going to come to church sunday and explain everything that happened. Right now it seems just too good...but we have prayed so much for him, and thought someday in the future he would come in contact again with the church. Anyways, the point is, I may have a miracle story next week. 

We contacted a LOT this week. Friday we walked 15 kilometros. A challenge in this area is that a TON of people we find don´t actually live here. We find so many people that work in the houses of families in this area, or take care of old people, or are just here for the summer. For a long time I thought this missionary work was  like a big treasure hunt...trying to find people who are actually interested and prepared. But really we don´t have to hunt and hunt....we plan and then act on those plans with faith, and God will place the people where we are going to be. I like this better, it doesn´t seem so impossible.

I love that we aren´t brainwashed in the church. I meet so many people that say ¨well, you would have to ask the priest, all I know is that´s what they teach in the church´. Something important is that we have personal revelation and a revelation with God. That we can know for ourselves what is true. Yesterday I talked in sacrament about the atonement of Jesus Crist, and how understanding this helps us understand what missionary work is. The worth of souls really is great, and Christ suffered and made possible salvacion for everyone. Missionary work just means to bring a knowledge of the atonement to people. 

Well, it´s been a year. I feel like I´m going through a midlife crisis, so much to do and so little time. I´m like a grandma here. I know it´s the most cliche thing ever...but you learn a lot on the mission. (even when we are told that we are so young, from the US, and know absolutely nothing. thank you, nice people)

Love you all. 

GOod luck staying warm. Everyone here talks about the US right now!

love, hermana andrews

p.s. ethan and jacob...I saw a bird fly into a power thing and get electrocuted. you would have laughed. 

p.p.p.s. forgive me for all the food pictures, but the truth
is that represents my life. My popcorn making experience
at home has done me good in the land of argentina,
where microwave stuff doesn´t exist. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I just had pday...and here it goes again. I just finished eating mcdonalds and a mcflurry... the things you would never take for granted  in the US. And we just bought a fridge for our pench. Yay! Finally, our food won´t all mold the second day! It´s a miracle warm milk hasn´t killed us yet.

Luckily, the holidays are over! jaja. It´s not a misionaries best friend in Argentina. It´s nice to have everything more back to normal with the schedule and all. This week a huge tender mercy... it rained! And for a few days it was (relatively) cold. I even used my blanket one night. Woohoo! And there has been (relatively) little humidity!. I never have had the weather affect me so much in my life.

This week has been a lot of planning and figuring out what needs to be done. We are really working with the elders, and make goals and plans of everything to do to help this ward. There are some big struggles here, and we need to raise this whole area. A struggle is also that there are practically no members in our area, active or not. But this week we have seen miracles as we have found more people to teach. We were at the house of L____   the australian, when the testigos de jeovah showed up. That was funny.

Our area has a lot of old people, which makes for great conversation, but a little difficult when they can´t see to read or walk to go to the church. But at least we feel loved with all our old grandma friends. Also, the other big chunk of the people we find don´t live in our area... they work in the houses in our area. Which is unfortunate, as they are often so nice and want to listen.  But it´s always entertaining to find the biggest house of the day, or count how many people say they are catholic and shake their little finger at us to go away before we have even said one word. And then there are the people who really do want to listen to us. And that´s refreshing.

This week we are starting english and piano classes. We also have an activity, noche de hermanamiento, that we are doing every 2 weeks. This is a big deal here, as this has not been practice here.

Mom, you would be proud, I made bruschetta the other night. Delicious. Also, I found the yummiest drink....Anana Fizz. Nonalcoholic of course. It´s like pineapple sparkling cider. Truth is, a relatively uneventful week. Well, the mision is always eventful. And my dislike for dogs continues to grow very day.

As for the spiritual stuff, I have learned a lot about less actives. Even the most active can become less active, it doesn´t matter how long a person has been a member. And when someone stops going what they need is a friend to check up on them, not everyone to start talking and judging why they aren´t going. They do need a little more love if we want them to come back.

I cannot believe that everyone is starting their ´last´ of everything....holy cow. Schools gonna be over before ya know it.

The work of salvacion continues. The church is true.
Love you all!
hermana andrews

Happy (early)New Year!

Did you know that 14 years ago today I was baptized? And now I am in Argentina.

It was good to talk to you all christmas. Wow, that was just a week ago. I feel like lots has happened in the past week?....and I haven't written a letter in quite a while so here it goes, some things may be repeated from the skype.

- Christmas. Here Noche Buena is a big deal. We went to a members house for dinner, but early...our little fiesta ended at 10, and this is when everyone was just starting everything. They eat at like 11 and go all night long. Christmas morning we went to the beach. Well, we quickly realized this may not have been the smartest. The music was still playing and the bar still open, at 6:30 am, with tons of college age kids just heading home. jaja.

- The day before christmas we went as a zona to a big outside shopping place to sing. It was quite the site, we sang christmas hymns and handed out folletos and Books of Mormon. I loved this part, it was the first real christmas spirit i had felt here in argentina. They don't really do anything here christmas, it's too hot so everyone just eats and sits around. We made cinnamon rolls for our zone, and christmas morning me and my comp ate cinnamon rolls, ensalada de fruta, and chocolate milk. We also went to visit some members and christmas carol. They think that's weird here.

- We celebrated my comps bday, ate ice cream, alfajores. She's 20 now! ja.

- I went to the dentist. I had the most painful mouth ever. So i ended up going, found out i have an infeccion, and have to go back. Mom, i will email you about that. It was not the most pleasant few days though.

- The heat is not a joke here...every time i think it's the hottest i have ever been, it just gets hotter! The humidity is killing me....espeically when we did service to paint a room inside a house, with practically no ventalation. jaja I have never sweated so much in my life, even just standing there.

- Yesterday for new year we went with a family here. We had quite the comida....apple pie (we made it, but the cream turned into butter...that's what happens with the hot and humid), hushpuppies (the elders), the yummiest meat (pork, which we hardly ever eat here, it's expensive), pan dulce, hot chocolate, juice, potatoes. It was soo delicious. I was stuffed, and we slept without even missing fireworks.

- We met some crazy people contacting. A schizophrinic. One of our menos activos who is convinced that the image of virgen maria she found in her bottle of juice frozen in the freezer is a sign from God, a man who invited us to break more of the word of wisdom in the 5 minutes we talked to him than I have been invited in my whole life. Oh, and a lady from Australia!

- Yesterday we went way north in our area. And we found a dirt road. I was in heaven. Our area is super long and skinny, so it takes time to go up there. But we were walking and went to a house, and found this lady from Australia. A guy came to the door, then told us to wait a minute. Then she came out, and i just started talking. Then she said, "no i really don't speak spanish"... and it hit me. Hello, speak English. She is living here with her boyfriend...who she met on facebook, and was so excited to meet us to speak english. She thought she was the only person here in santa fe. Jaja. Let's just say it was probably quite the awkward conversation... I have never taught in english. I struggled, good thing my comp speaks english. I didn't even have an english pamphlet to give her. And my comp said the prayer, I couldn't. It was a cool experience though, to be able to share my testimony in english. Sounds weird, but it's been a year, and was almost foreign.

We have dropped a lot of investidagores...people who weren't progressing. At this point we are contacting a ton. We are looking for people. And we have had some miracles. The work is real. I have a testimony of fasting and prayer. And our personal diligence and faith.

I'm sure more has happened the past few weeks....

I hope the Cali trip was good! And just to let you know, the elves forgot to stop by my apartment here in argentina. but here's some christmas pictures:

noche buena

This is my zone, (with cinnamon rolls),
(elders are still 18-19 year old boys)

and the raaaaain