Chalk Talk

Hello!

This week we went to Centro and drew the plan of Salvation in chalk really big and we invited some of the elders to come and we all talked to lots of people. It went really well. 

We also were able to stop by a cute girl in our wards party for her Quincinera. She is so sweet and has had a really hard life, but is always smiling. On my first Sunday here in Olavarria she came up to me and hugged me, and braided my hair from behind all through sacrament meeting. Her family isn't members ad her grandma raised her so the ward put a lot of work in to make her quincinera really special. 

There is a sister in our ward named Estella and she is amazing. She's the Young Womens President, she's in charge of Family History, she's a ward missionary and her and her husband run the most busy panaderia in Olavarria. We live behind them so she helps us out a lot too. She sewed Mariels dress and bought all of the decorations for her party. The ward members here are huge examples to me. Each of them have at least 2 or 3 callings and they really put in a lot of time to help each other out. I love this area and I dont want to leave! Even though I'm just now starting to be able to understand everyone, I feel like the ward members here have raised me. Ojala I can stay other transfer or two! I hope that everyone has a good week! 

Happy birthday this week to the cutest 13 year old I know!

Drawing the Plan of Salvation to help talk with people

Mariel 15th Birthday or Quincinera

P Day = Pancakes

Hey!

This week was really fun! My companion was sick again and that is always hard. Being sick as a missionary is SO HORRIBLE but I tried to take care of her as best as I could. We have been teaching a lot of new people which leads to lots of new and interesting conversations. I love meeting new people. Everyone is so diferent its fun to learn about how people live their lives. We have also been hearing a little bit about the Olympics this week. Apparently the coach for the Argentine Olympic basketball team lives here in OLavarria. I also heard that in the game where we played each other America creamed them...When people asked us where we were from this week we were a little hesitant to say Estados Unidos, but thankful people have still been relatively nice to us! Too bad I still cant pass as a native! We also decided to try and bleach my hair this week. That was an interesting experience but it worked out okay, i guess Heavenly Father knows that a chica with bad roots can't convert anyone! Blessed.

This P Day we made Yankee pancakes for Juaquin and Lujan. He is a baker at a Panaderia so It was a little intense haha but we had fun and they looove the maple syrup we made for them!

Not much else to report! I hope everyone has had a good summer! Another good thing about being a missionary is NO SCHOOL haha have a good week!

DAD! 

haha of course there isn't any partying without me! Hey I miss you guys so much though. I am so glad that you guys are all safe and everything went smoothly! IT CAN BE DONE! haha I am still just waiting to hear about the vacation that you guys are planning for when I come hoooome....haha just kidding really I just want to hang out with you guys...on a beach ;) haha

Yes we were with Lujan today actually. Making pancakes for her and Juaquin because they never had them or maple syrup before! It was really fun. Lujan is planning on going to the temple for the first time I think this weekend. I am so excited for her and I wish i could go! She´s the cutest thing. We made her and Joaquin promise to come to Draper to visit when we get home. 

Angelica is doing well too. She's the cutest little lady. Her and Alberto always stand on their porch and wave at us as we leave. It reminds me of Grandma and Grandpa Ahlmer. We also have been teaching a young mom named Maleria. She has two daughters  a nine year old named Alma and a 1 1/2 year old named Emma. She's super cool and she has lots of good questions. Its hard though because right now I know its mostly just out of curiosity, and when we ask her to pray to know, she just kinda says ýeah sure´. Its hard to help people really understand the importance of what were teaching them and what it means for their lives if its true. But we are getting there poco a poco. I love you! Thank you for all of your support! I have the best parents EN TODO EL MUNDO!

Doorbell Ditching

Hello! 

This week was really good! We have been contacting a ton and it has led to a lot of fresh faces to teach! Its been keeping us really busy. 

The houses here in Argentina are all super different looking. Theyre all just really random, I dont know how to explain it better. Just a random mix of South America and European styles. Anyway while we were contacting one day Hermana Bartholomew rang the door bell of what ended up being a Catholic Church. We realized before anyone answered and hurried to turn the corner. Hermana Barthlolmew looked at me and said "Che,(hey) did we just doorbell ditch a Catholic Church?" Oops. 

We have just been running around our little area all week, by the time we get home we are so tired we hardly have energy to talk to each other  It's really hard to make actual appointments with people here, so usually we end up walkng from one end of our area for an appointment, knocking on the door, silently praying that the people will be home, and then walking all te way t the other end to hopefully meet up with someone else. I still cannot figure out how to get around in a place without mountains, I get so confused but Hermana Bart always pulls through so we haven't gotten lost yet. 

Dad, Bridger of course was the best talk out of all of them. The BOM is hands down the coolest book on this planet. I feel so nerdy saying that but I have never realized how many answers are in there until I started studying it for other people. Its really cool how it all just makes sense. Every time we give the first vision or talk about JS the spirit is so strong. I love teaching. This week I really tried my hardest to participate in the while lesson rather than just bear my testimony or say the things that we practiced together and it was a really cool experience  Sometimes really freaking embarrassing but for the most part, I learned a lot about how the spirit does the talking. I love getting to teach, its super fun to explain things to people that are like so important and so great and will bless their families so much, knowing that they have never heard about them before. Well I hope you all have fun in LAKE POWELL WITHOUT ME. Not likely. We all know I bring the party. haha. I love you Dad!

Hope all is well back home! Have a good last week of summer!

Our favorite recent convert,  Lujan's Birthday

Decided to fake being natives and made some Empanadas!

Joaquin & Lujan

Hey!

This week was really good! Hermana Bartholomew and I have been focusing a lot on contacting and we have met a lot of new people! To be perfectly honest I really kind of hate contacting. Its always super awkward at first and its really hard for me to think of things to say in Spanish to make it less uncomforatable, BUT whenever we meet someone new it makes it worth it. My favorite way to meet people is at the little Tiendas. There is a different store for everything that we have to buy here. We have made friends with lots of the owners of the stores, especially this guy named Pablo. We buy Avena from him and he always fires millions of questions at us. He knows the bible really well so sometimes its a little intimidateing. This week we finally set up a cita with him outside of store hours. We taught him the restoration and it went really well. He has a lot of questions and a lot of interest with is really refreshing.

Another one of my favorite moments of this week was when we were teaching Angelica and Alberto again. Alberto is a little deaf so we have to yell though the whole lesson, sometimes my voice hurts after. Anyway Angelica was giving the closing prayer and Alberto couldn't hear her. In the middle of her prayer Alberto yells ´´Angelica! Mas fuerte no escucho nada!´´ Or Stronger, I hear nothing!  Everytime we teach them we spend the whole time Laughing. Alberto is such a character I wish I could bring them home with me!

DAD!  The moon is a sliver here too... or was this last week.  Hey, that is one thing that I really love about Argentina, their sky is so huge.  There aren't mountains to block it or big trees anywhere so it just feels closer and bigger.  The sunsets and sun rises are always SO PRETTY.

Oh, also a new development of this week, I NEED GLASSES.  I tried on Hermana Barts glasses and I did not realize until I put them on how blind I really am.  SO the first thing I need when I get back is glasses.  I can't see things far away.  I just thought it was normal my whole life.

This week I was reading in Mosiah 4:13-16 and it reminded my of my parents.  Thanks for being so great and for being the best examples to me.  As I was reading I just was thinking all about how much service you and Mom give and that you always give to others before yourselves.  I LOVE YOU

Have a good week!

This is Joaquin and Lujan. They are some members in our ward and own the Panaderia thats in front of our house. Lujan is a recent convert so we get to visit them all of the time. At the Panaderia their specialty is this miga bread 

This gigantic oven is a lot bigger than it looks

The Miga bread starts off like this, in these huge loaves, and then they cut out the inside.

Miga bread

The balls

Playing Baseball with a rolling pin is safe right ?!

Sunny Day!  Praise the heavens we didn't have to go out in trench coats today!

Angelica and Alberto

Hello! 

This week was really good. We were actually in our area for the full week which was nice. Hermana Bartholomew and I will be staying here together in Olavarria for another transfer! We have a lot to do here. I this week I dont have a whole lot to tell. We met a lot of new people and were able to get a lot done. We are going to start teaching an English class on Wednesdays. I have no idea how to do that so if anyone has any ideas send them my way! I am stoked to start a new transfer here. 

Our Investigator with a baptismal date, Marcelo, decided he doesn't really want anymore, so that kinda is sad.  But its cool.  Wanna hear something kinda funny!  We were discouraged because right after we talked to Marcelo and he told us he wasn't interested anymore we got a call from one of our other investigators named Tamara.  She has a new baby and she told us that she was leaving her boyfriend and moving to Buenos Aires to live with her dad.  So we lost both of them in one day.  We decided to go contacting to find someone new and we knocked on this house and started talking to this lady and her daughter.  She had a new baby.  Anyway they were pretty interested but as we were leaving we realized we hadn't even asked for their names.  The mom is named Marcela and the daughter is Tamara.  Kinda crazy.  Anyway, so we will be teaching them this week instead.

Hey how is Kyrsten and Brett?  Is she showing yet?  Healthy?  Everything good? Also, how is Maggie.  Send me her engagement pictures.  How is Megan McCann doing?

I hope everyone has had a good week! 

Chow!

We wear boots around the apartment to stay warm!

Angelica and Alberto. I love these guys.  He always sings to us and she calls us munecas (Dolls).  They are the cutest.  Alberto was recently baptized and now we are teaching Angelica.