Follow the Prophet

Mba`eichapa! Hello!

This week my companion and I got to know our area better. The ward members here are so great, they come to our little apartment with bags full of fruits and veggies, they offer to drive us around places and they are always willing to help us out when we get lost. Yesterday we decided to venture out into the Campo of Argentina to visit a less active member. We just kept walking and walking down this same pathway and about an hour and a half down this road we figured we were lost AGAIN. So we called a member and he said we weren't anywhere close so we headed back home and decided we would try again next week. I have started to realize that the words my comp learns in english reflect a lot on how our day goes. For example yesterday she learned two word "wilderness", and "SOS". 

We also have learned what the phrase "Bahia wind" really means here. Oh my gosh I have never experienced wind like this before in my whole life. The windiest day this week hit us in the middle of the day, and I was wearing a skirt that did not cooperate well with the wind at all to say the least. That day my companion learned phrases like "are you kidding me", "over it" and also a little bit about Marilyn Monroe. That night we came home covered in sand with our hair knotted in a crazy mess and thats when my companion learned about comfort food and how to make pancakes. In other news, we have hot water now! NO MORE BUCKET SHOWERS FOR US!!!

The church in Argentina apparently hasn't progressed in 85 years and in our area in particular there hasn't been a baptism for the last 2 years. And almost every single baptism for the last 10 years is now on the less active list. We have our hands full teaching a lot of them and trying to bring them back to church.

I am also learning more than just Spanish from her. There is a language in Paraguay called Guarani, its a requirement to learn it in the schools there so she has been teaching me a little bit of that as well. 

We are having fun and learning a lot in our new area! We also were able to watch the Women's Conference and Elder Uchtdorf's talk really helped me and my comp to have a little more faith. We were contacting yesterday and hadn't had any luck, but remembering Elder Uchtdorf story we decided to keep going any way. We had about 2 mins before we should be at our appt. and my comp wanted to knock on one last door. A man answered (the only person who had even come to his door in the last 2 hours) we introduced ourselves and he asked us to teach him. "Now?" I said. And he told us that he didn't know much about our religion and wanted us to teach him right then. So we taught him the restoration right there on his doorstep and set a time to visit him next week. I don't know what will come out of that visit but it helped me a lot. It gave me the boost that I think my comp and I both needed after a long hard week of no success. I loved Elder Uctdorfs talk and my comp and I are both excited for conference this weekend! Enjoy it in English for me! 

Jajoecha peve! Chow! 

The Diggs

Singing Companion - Hermana Gimenez

Hola! 

Well we finished our first week together in Bahía and we are soooo tired! I have never walked around in circles more in my life. I so did not appreciate the blessing of having Utah mountains all around me before.  Yes, we still have no idea where we are going, but I am just learning to not stress. That is one thing that has really started to change in my personality. I just can't do everything perfectly and our day almost never goes the way that I planned but its okay, because the next day we just wake up and try again.

Hermana Gimenez is really quite, but I am learning how to break her out of her shell. She really wants to learn English so i have been teaching her some of her favorite songs. This week we started with some Justin Bieber. She had been practicing the song all week and was doing super good so this week when we were with some people from our zone I told her that she should sing it for them, AND SHE DID. It had to be the cutest thing I have ever seen. We have also been learning how to pray and it literally melts my heart, she is so dang cute. I have also been able to learn a lot more Spanish, a lot faster. On top of Spanish and English studies, my comp is teaching me the second language of Paraguay its called Guarani I am sure I butchered the spelling on that but its super cool.  

Another thing, we will be headed in the wrong direction or something and Ill say Dang! or Oh my freking heck and then later she'll say ¨´Hermana Ahlmer, what does heck mean? SO then I had to explain to her how in Utah we have Mormon phrases that we say when we get mad. So now she says them too. Someone will call and cancel on us and she'll hang up and say, oh my dang, or freaking heck. Its cute she always gets them mixed up. Don't worry I we are also learning how to pray in English which also melts my heart, her cute accent just kills me. 

As far as success goes we are going to be struggling for a while it looks like. The missionaries in this area really just haven't had much success in years. Bahía is just a rough place. But its okay, after Sunday and talking with some of the Ward members I feel a lot better.

One thing that I do love about being on a mission is that we have an hour a day set aside just to study what we want. There are SO MANY things I want to read. Its kind of overwhelming. Right now I am reading Our Search for Happiness and the BoM in Spanish. Then I want to Read Jesus the Christ and the Bible, and then there is also D&C and JS History...never going to run out of things to study thats for sure. We do have zone meetings every week here and I really like my zone. I am confident that my comp and I can find the people that need us, its just going to take a lot of patience.

This week our zone was chosen to help with a Capilla Abierta in the Bahía Blanca Stake. We gave brief overviews of all of the things that we do here in the church and it went really well. Our church really is the same all over the world, and that is pretty neat. 

Well there isn't too much else to tell but I hope everyone is having a good week! 

Los Vemos!

Hermana Gimenez and I at Church

Doing Yoga with our instructor

Herman Bart and new comp came on Tuesday to Bahia

LEARNING - Bahia, the new area

Hi!

This week has been pretty nuts! I left at 2am on Monday morning to pick up my new comp. She was just in Neccochea and now is in Bahia Blanca, Hermana Villa Florets left on the bus with me.  We both got here in the mission together and have no idea what we are doing but its been fun!

The new Comp is Hermana Gimenez and she is from Paraguay.  We are both new to the area and I am supposed to be in charge.  Can you say LEARNING really FAST.  She is a super hard worker, which is good because we have a looooot to do. The area has little written about what was done and I do not know where any thing is yet.  I feel so lost!  I feel like I might die in this country. I don't have hot water, I washed my hair with a bucket this morning. I am going to have a good attitude but it's really hard.

I didn't want to leave Olavarria, I was only there for like 5 minutes. I was just starting to make really good relationships with the people there. I finally felt like I wasn't just wandering around following Hermana Bart everywhere. Literally this last week we had so many good things happen. Angelica is getting Baptized,  We found a 17 year old girl named Barbera who is one of the chosen ones. Like a for real golden Investigator. Carina, a mom of three brought her family to church this last Sunday and one of her Menos Activos daughters Laura, who has been taking the missionary discussions forever came to church and has started reading the BOM and really listening to us. And now just when I was finally starting to see the fruits of our labor, all of the hours and hours of contacting, and I am transferred to Bahia, all new starting from scratch!  Good thing this missionary life isn't about what I want.  Can you say LEARNING.

I don't have much time but I hope everyone has a good week! 

Adios!

Teaching English at the Church

Alberto and Angelica - Angelica told us she wants to do everything she can to be able to get baptized!

Herman LaPlace from the ward - Tini tiny little lady, so sweet

1:30 am on Monday, I am transferring to Bahia, Hermana Bart is the Best!

Changing Comps

Hola! 

Well this week has been cold. Come to find out, Argentine weather is more Bi-polar than Utah. So its back to coats and rain boots. Its also hard when its cold because no one wants to talk to us. Everyone just yells through the door haha.  But Im not really looking forward the heat either because that means we have to start wearing pants. I have heard all about the Argentine sun and I think I'd prefer wearing 6 layers and rain boots everyday! 

We have a couple of new investigators that are really great. We met Luan last week contacting. He is 19 and a super nice kid. We taught him the Restoration and he came to church on Sunday. The good news is that he's not living with his girlfriend so he is our only investigator that doesn't have to get married first! YAY. 

We also had one of our ward members named Deborah come to our English class. She's super cool and ended up helping my Spanish a lot at the same time! 

Also it was Hermana Barts birthday! We celebrated it all week long. it was great! Her parents and friends sent her lots of fun stuff to decorate with...we still have balloons covering our floor. Cute Jujan had us over to her house and made pizza especially for her. Lujan also got in contact with her old comps and her family to send her birthday videos. They were so cute!

Hermana Bart and I are planning spending our last P Day today at the zoo with our zone! Hopefully it doesn't pour on us! 

I hope everyone is having a happy Labor day! 

In the local paper for their chalk talk

Melisa (Lujan and Joaquin's sister in law also member and our neighbor) and Lujan - Argentine and US Cake

Last Week As Companions - Sister Bart turns 20

District Elders Eating Cake

Happy Birthday Sister, OLD Lady

At the Zoo