Dear Mom,
When I get to the computer and start thinking about how far away from home I am I get a little homesick. Just goes to show what an amazing family I have and that I love you all so much! I have lots to say and I honestly just wish there was more time. I have been on the computer for half my time already and just finished reading all the emails I received! I am not saying that I don´t love the emails though, because I do :) I just wish there was more time. But this really is the Lord´s time and so I shouldn´t be complaining. I haven´t written anyone back yet either...and probably won´t be able to :( I told my companions that we get an hour in a half to email and they are telling me that I only need an hour and that the mission rule is only an hour! The assistants to the President told me directly that we have 1-2 hours of email but they don´t think that is right! And I can´t explain to them anything because I don´t know spanish! It is super frustrating. They are so wonderful and I love them all so much but it is hard to communicate. They don´t understand how bog my family is and that I am not from around here and so I have tons of things to talk about. I want to send pictures, I want to talk about experiences and how things are here and so much more, but they just don´t understand that. But anyway, I will try to inform you about some things here in the great land of Argentina ha :) Oh and real fast about last weeks talk of my pictures, I am so sorry I haven´t sent any for a long time :( I really want to so that you can see what I am doing and can see that my face is getting larger haha and things like that but I never have time! The last pictures you saw of me were pretty good and I am scared to send the latest ones because I don´t look as good anymore from some reason ha. Oh well. I know you still love me :)
So some fun things that have happened here:
I have had two foods here that I have never had before: boiled eggs and mushrooms haha and they were not that bad.
Can´t remember if I mentioned this last week but we only each lunch pretty much and it is with a member everyday. No time for dinner but it´s okay because the lunches are huge! The food is pretty good so far. The mayo here tastes nasty and they really do serve pop every time! I miss your food still but I am very happy to have food to eat. I know that some missionaries struggle with that and it breaks my heart. Like Justin cummings! Oh my goodness that is crazy poor thing. I feel so blessed to be where I am. At times I will think about how hard it is and how different it is and that I have much less here than in the US, but then I think about other missionaries and other people in general and how much more difficult they have it. I feel very blessed.
So here is a funny story about something I said in spanish the other day: we were at a members house having cake because it was her 70 something birthday. Well as we were leaving I went to give her a kiss on the cheek (you do that with everyone here by the way) and I told her "Feliz Navidad" instead of feliz cumpleaños! Oh goodness it was embarassing and I felt my face go red so fast when I realized what I did. I hurry told her sorry and then left really fast. I heard all the people laugh really hard when I shut the door hahaha. Very funny now that´s it is over but I was pretty embarassed haha.
So our apartment: It is quite small. Very small actually. Where I am people don´t live in houses. They live in apartment buildings and their homes (or rooms) are very small. Same to our. We have one bathroom and it functions pretty well but not perfectly. Since there are four of us it is difficult to get ready each morning but like always, the Lord provides a way. Our apartment is probably as big as our family room and maybe a bit bigger. Not sure. I am a germ freak or whatever that is called and my companions have not grown up in the same environment as me and so their idea of clean is much different. They like to keep things tidy and all that, but when they wash the dishes they do it with cold water and practically no soap. Just things like that that freak me out haha. Two of my comps have been very sick the past week and so we have had to stay home some days. The Lord really is blessing me mom. I haven´t been sick my entire mission. I can´t believe His tender mercy and I often think I don´t deserve them. I just need to be making sure that I am giving my all to Him because he is continually blessing me and helping me.
We wash our garments by hand and is takes a while but it is the way we have to do it.
I didn´t want to tell you this but I maybe I will just to let you know that there are so many people here helping me and that God is helping me. I had a little breakdown the other day. Just started crying out of the blue. My trainer called the sister training leader who speaks english and I didn´t know she was doing it. But I ended up talking with her for over 30 minutes and she helped me so much. I was just really struggling with not knowing the language and not understanding people. I thought it was pretty good when I got here but after a few days I realized I am completely lost when it comes to the language. I also told her that it has never been in my head to go home because I know that I am supposed to be here. I want to return home a better person from when I left. I told her that and asked her if she feels like she feels like she is ready to go home because she leaves this week. She told me that she was the same way. She wanted to be a better person before she returned home and she said that she never actually felt like she was that person until that morning that we were talking. Then she told me something that I loved so much. She said that God gives us this amount of time for a reason and we will change how he wants us to change in that time if it is His will and if we are wanting it. That really helped me. I just want to serve Him and give this 18 months to him so badly. I want to become a better person but I don´t want to forcus on that because then I am focusing on myself. I need to focus on these people and this area and on the Lord and His work and I hope I can do that each day of my mission. I am doing great though Mom, promise :) It is hard, especially the transition and the differences, but I am just as happy as ever and it is great. I feel so blessed to have the things that I have in America. It has been an adaption for sure but it has been an adaption with the help of the Lord. I am learning so much and I hope it all sticks and doesn´t leave once I return home and have the pleasures of life that I had in America. I like living like this. It is hard but it is teaching me humility and love. And if I need to go through hard things in order to become a better person, then I want to.
So your questions: Yes to the temple but I don´t know when. No mail yet. Transfers on Tuesday so writing on Tuesday. And the quote is from the talk in the Nov. 2012 Ensign from Ballard called Be Anxiously Engaged. It is on page 30 and starts "the doctrine and gospel of Christ is the only.." and ends after the bullet points.
Once again my comps are waiting for me and I yes I wanted to say lots more and send pictures. I don´t know how to do this! I am sorry that these last two email have been nothing but information about things that might not be too important. I want my emails to be useful to people and help build people up by telling experiences and such and these last two have been nothing like that. I hope next week will be more calm and now that I have talked about some of the little things I hope I can give more valuable information that will help and uplift. I love you so much mom and I love my family! I am doing great and I am seeing miracles and the hand of God in my life and in this mission. I know that we have been given families to help us prepare for eternal life just like Preach My Gospel says. My family is helping me do that because they are all so amazing! Give everyone my love! I wanted to respind to your email and all the things that are happening. I have things to tell people! I will try next week. I know I say that every week but I hope it will happen. Anyway, love you so much and hope you have a great week with the family!
Love,
Hermana Katelyn Syphus :)
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