Bahia Blanca Argentina Mission

Bahia Blanca Argentina Mission

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Mi Bautismo - Vanina

This is from Sister Vanina who was baptized on Friday.  Sam had to leave 3 days before for an emergency transfer request from the President.  This is Vanina's Testimony to Sam:

Solo quiero agradecerles, por su paciencia, por perseverar hasta el fin y esperar que tome esta decision por mi misma, realmente me sentí preparada y me pude bautizar. 
Estoy muy feliz, como siempre digo es magia todo, pero no es tan así, realmente pude sentir el Espíritu del que ustedes tanto me hablaron y tanto se esforzaron por que lo sienta.
Se que van a ser muy bendecidas y espero que el señor tenga en sus planes que nos volvamos a encontrar, porque realmente son personas únicas. 

En cuanto a mi bautismo me la pace llorando, fue una mañana/mediodia muy especial. Mi amiga ayelen dio un discurso hermoso, y después hablo Leti, Agustin toco el piano y Julian Mansilla me bautizo. 

Me gustaría volver a repetir mil veces el momento en el que entre al agua, fue tan corto, simplemente me quería quedar ahí para siempre, fue tan lindo. Cuando sali y me termine de cambiar ademas de esperarme Aye afuera y largarnos a llorar, porque realmente sentimos el Espiritu muy fuerte, estaba Agustin,me abrazo, cuanto necesite ese abrazo!!, cuanto lo espere, realmente sentí una paz dentro mio, no importa lo que pase yo se que lo necesito en mi vida.

Mi familia asistio a mi bautismo y estaban muy emocionados,me dijeron que la capilla es hermosa y que es muy grande, cuando entre en el agua se largaron a llorar, el señor escucho mis oraciones e hizo que todo salga perfecto, las hermanas ya organizaron una noche de hogar con mi familia, solo falta el día. Mi madrina o tia (me esta dando un beso en la foto) lloro todo el tiempo, y esta muy feliz por mi desicion al igual que todos- 
Es un pequeño paso de algo muy grande que se viene, y tengo mucho que aprender, pero sin su ayuda no estaría hoy aca.

Realmente soy muy feliz y les voy a agradecer una eternidad todo lo que hicieron por mi, fueron mis primeras misioneras y como ustedes  no va a haber iguales, me acuerdo de la primera charla en la que la hermana Ahlmer hablaba muy poco, y hoy cuando me llamo antes de mi bautismo la que no podia hablar era yo, realmente no pare de llorar, no fueron solo mis misioneras, fueron mis hermanas, mis amigas. 

Las amo mucho a las dos! Siempre las voy a recordar y llevar en mis oraciones. 
 (vuelvo a llorar escribiendoles esto, porque no me alcanzan las palabras para agradecerles y para explicarles lo importante que ustedes son para mi)

Con amor vanina 

IN ENGLISH

I just want to thank you guys, for your patience, for enduring to the end and waiting until I made this decision for myself. I felt prepared and was able to be baptized. 

I am so happy, like I always say, it all seems like magic. But I know its not. I really could feel the Spirit that you always told me about, and did all you could to help me feel. 

I know that you will be blessed and I hope that the lord has somewhere in his plans that we will be able to see eachother again, because you both are so important to me.   As far as my baptism day goes I spent the whole day crying. It was a very specail morning/ afternoon. My friend Ayelen gave a beautiful talk, afterwards Leti spoke, Agustin played the piano and Julian Mansilla baptized me. 

I know that you will be blessed and I hope that the lord has somewhere in his plans that we will be able to see each other again, because you both are so important to me. 

I would love to go back and repeat the moment I entered the water a thousand times. It was so short, I really just wanted to stay there forever it was so perfect. When I left, Ayelen was waiting for me outside and we both started to cry, because we really did feel the Spirit so strong. Agustin was there, he hugged me, I needed that so much! I really did feel a new kind of peace inside me. I know that no matter what happens I need that in my life. 

My family came to my baptism, and were very emotional. They told me that the capilla is beautiful, and big. When I entered the water they all started to cry. The Lord heard my prayers and helped make everything go perfectly. The sisters have already organized a family night with them. We are just waiting to set up a day. My aunt (thats kissing me in the picture) Cried the whole time, and is very happy for my decision. They all are. Its a tiny step toward the big future thats coming, and I know I have a lot to learn still, but without your help I wouldn´t be here today. 

Really I am so happy and I have you both to thank for an eternity after all that you did for me. You were my first missionaries and I know it wont be the same with any others. I remember our very first lesson, when Hermana Ahlmer barley talked, and then today when she called me before my baptism and the one who couldn´t talk was me, I was crying so hard I really couldn´t stop. You weren't just my missionaries. You are my sisters, my friends. 

I love you both so much! I will always remember you and keep you in my prayers. (I just started crying again writing you this letter because I really don't have the words to thank you, and to tell you how important you are to me) 

with love, Vanina 














Emergency Transfer

WOW. Crazy week! On Tuesday President called me to let me know I needed to be on my way to Tandil in 4 hours! Hermana Watkins helped me shove everything I own into my suitcases as fast as possible so that we had time for my to say goodbye to my family here in Villa Floresta. 

Leaving was SO SAD. After 7 months in an area, I new ViFlo like the back of my hand. The ward members are sooo great and saying goodbye to Natalia and Vani killed me. Vanina was able to get baptized on Friday and she sent me pictures and let me know that her family (who in the past has not been super supportive) all went and cried through the whole thing. The other Hermanas now have a Family Home Evening planned with them! Vanina is SO EXCITED. 

I also found out this week that my cute little Abuela Angelica from my first area was baptized! So happy for them. 

All in all I already LOVE Tandil. We have MOUNTAINS here, and the ward has been super welcoming. Contacting the other day Hermana Yapias and I met a woman named Carmen who just left her husband with her 2 young kids. We taught her about the plan of Salvation and she accepted our baptismal invitaion! 

Yay for new areas and new people! Have a great week everyone!


Tandil and Mountains


Seeing Amber for only a couple of weeks




Monday, March 13, 2017

Running with the Pres

Hey!


This week Hermana Watkins and I had interviews and Zone Conference. President talked to us and of course we all left feeling like we could baptize the whole country. Also, Alex, the 17 year old that left for Chili, was at Church the next Sunday and the new missionaries have just started teaching him!

We also had divisions in Cerri with Hermana Reyes and Hermana Thomas. It was fun to get to teach with someone who speaks spanish again! I didn't have to feel like I was talking the persons ear off. 

On Wednesday Pres invited us to go running with him again but it rained so hard he had to cancel...when he called I told him we were so disappointed that he chickened out. Friday morning he called again and invited us to el parque de Mayo to be able to redeem himself. Walking up to the park we noticed that President had brought 10 Elders with him. I'm sure that everyone who saw the herd of missionaries led by a big Chilean man at 7 am had a good laugh.

In other news Fall is leaving just as quick as it came. Not sure if I'm ready for the freezing Bahia air just yet! 

Chau!

Monday, March 6, 2017

Birthday and FHE

Hola!

This week we started off with a super cute Family Home evening with The Familia Vilchez and some of their friends from another ward. The familia Vilchez has been pretty less active for the last couple of years. Their dad isn´t a member and has just recently been diagnosed with lymphoma. Hermana Gimenez and I had never been able to find them home since I arrived in Villa Floresta in Sept. They live about an hour out in the campo but Hermana Watkins felt like we really needed to go see them. We passed by on a Wednesday and He opened the door and we were able to chat with them for awhile. The wife invited us over to lunch that Friday and during our lunch he asked us if we´d be willing to prepare a family night for them. Of course we were thrilled to do so! The night went really well. We found out later that the dad has accepted to listen to the missionaries quite a few times in the past, but who knows, maybe now is his time!

We also had to say goodbye to our investigator Alex this week as he went home to Chili. When we first met him he was smoking about twenty cigarettes a day and loved to party and drink with his friends. As we taught him and as he came to church and the youth activities he changed SO MUCH. He accepted our plan to help stop smoking and stopped drinking all together. I was so impressed with the changes that a 17 year old boy had decided to make, we are sending over his info so that the missionaries can baptize him in Chili!  I told him I wanted a picture of him with his missionary plank on in the future...he laughed but who knows...

This week I also got a phone call from one of my Hermanas basically in tears. She and her new comp had to move into the house of the elders and they hadn't cleaned, or even had purchased cleaning supplies, in probably the whole 5 years they have lived in that house. We showed up to help and hermana Timm really wasn't exaggerating. SO GROSS. I spent a solid 30 min. just scraping off a layer of film on the washing machine.  I won't even get started on the bathroom...lets just say we all decided that we can hold off on marriage. 

Vanina and MaJo have been doing really well! We are so excited for them!

In other news it looks like fall has FINALLY started here in Bahia! Yay for no more heat stroke! 

Have a good week!

Familia Vilchez Valdebenito at our family home evening
Family Home Evening Recipe for Happiness
Cleaning the old Elders apt. for the Sister
Alex and the familia Aquino
Natalias 2 youngest kids - Isabela and Juan


Birthday Princess round #3
Havana for Hermana Watkins birthday