Monday, January 13, 2014

Week 40 (Jan. 13, 2014 El Talar, Argentina)

Goodness Mom! How do you expect me to react to all this news!! I can´t believe all that is happening in the Syphus and White Family! This is just all so crazy and wonderful and happy! I love seeing the Lord´s hand in our lives, and I have definitely seen that He is with our family. Such great blessings from Heaven. Man where to start...Well first off, CONGRATS TO NIK!!! Oh my goodness I just read that part of your email and got chills chills chills up and down my body. That is SO AMAZING and I am so happy for him!! I just can´t get over how incredible that is, Mom! Wow, so so neat. I am freaking out! I always thought it would be so cool to go to El Salvador like Erik. Way to be Niko, I am so proud of him and so happy. We can speak spanish together!! I bet that in a few years, we are going to be a part english part spanish family because of our missions haha and there are still many to come! And spanish speaking is so common! It is going to be fun to see where the others go! I had no idea that Maddie was wanting to serve! How neat! And Kimberly and Britnee too!! Man this is so crazy! I am missing all the family excitement it sounds like! I guess I will not be seeing them for a while either! But it makes me so happy because I know how much they will all LOVE their missions! So many miracles and such great news. Thank you for answering my questions! I am glad that Shaun and Katie are so happy :) I will have to hear all the details of everything when i get home. 

Ha you are right. I would be happy not to know that ha. It is super weird that I have been out 9 months. But I just keep telling myself that I still have 9 months LEFT, not that I have been out 9 months already. Because then it seems like i still have a lot more time left :) But 9 months really is a lot of time still! It has gone by super fast. Faster than I have wanted that´s for sure. I miss home, but there are some things here on my mission that I never want to leave. And you have me tearing up now. I love my mission so much and although it took some time for me to realize that, I really do love it and I love being a missionary for the Lord. It is the best calling in the world. I think being a mother is a better calling, but for right now, this is the best. I will miss it so much mom. But I don´t have to think about that for another 9 months still. I actually did not even realize that I hit my 9 month mark until Hermana Jensen surprised me with a sign that said Happy Hump Day, a letter, and an alfajor. It really had not even crossed my mind that I was half way until she did that! And as much as I didn´t want to know ha, it was super nice of her to do that. She is the best! We tried to take a picture of the occasion but both of our cameras are dead and we can´t charge them. We are looking for an adapter today if we have time. I can´t wait to see what the next 9 months of my mission are going to bring me! I need to make some goals and see how I am doing with the ones I made at the beginning of my mission. I am so excited for these next 9 months! I know they will be great and that as long as I do my part and am obedient, the Lord will continue to give us miracles and see people change through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Alright, ready for this week? :) ALEX GOT BAPTIZED!!! :) And now all three of the brothers are baptized and two of them have the holy ghost. Alex will be confirmed on Sunday. Mom, is full name is Alex Jesus Anchava. It has honestly been such a great journey with this family and I hope it continues. As a missionary, it is so hard to see people getting baptized and then see them fall away. Satan is working so hard on those that get baptized. The first year after the baptism is often super hard I have heard. And I think it is true from what I have seen. Even though people have felt the spirit and know that it is true, they forget and stop for a while. But that is why it is so important that we help them on the road to their conversion as much as we can, especially after baptism. Mom, I just remembered that in the last email you said that the fam has a goal to have one convert baptism a year right? I LOVE THAT SO MUCH! I think that is so great and please let me know if I can do anything to help you guys accomplish that! I know that Heavenly Father will bless us with opportunities when we ask for them and when we are sincere. So with these three boys that have been baptized this transfer, we are trying to get them involved in the young mens and primary so that they will feel more welcomed and loved. They are young and still are being influenced in many ways, but they know that this church is true and I know that they have felt the spirit. And we are just going to continue to help them stay strong. It was super neat what happened this weekend with Alex´s baptism. We couldn´t see Alex on Saturday because they were going fishing and were going to be gone all day. So he had is interview on Friday and did great. Saturday night we texted Natalia to see how the preparations for Sunday were going and she texted us back and said that they just returned home from the hospital because her youngest, Luna, had a high fever. Something had always gotten in the way for these baptisms. That just shows me how hard Satan is trying because he knows how important this work is. We texted her back and asked if we could do anything and if they would still be coming to church so alex could get baptized. She sent a text back to us and I want to tell you exactly what she said (translated in english) She said "yes we are coming, this is a thing of the devil and i am not going to give up what i have earned." Hermana Jensen and I were amazed and so impressed with her faith and testimony. She has become a different person and wants her family to have the blessings of the gospel. She asked if we could pray for Luna so that they could go. So we did. And in the morning we texted her and she told us that Luna slept great through the night and that they would be coming because God answered our prayers. Man. Things like this are why I love being a missionary. When people really become closer to God and start recognizing His hand in their lives and give Him the glory, it is so wonderful. I love it so much. So Alex was baptized and it went very well :)

There was a HUGE rain storm on Tuesday. It was super crazy. I was still sick then and to make a long story short, we got soaked. Like literally soaked. I had boots on and my rain coat and umbrella, but the rain was so strong that it went through my coat and my boots we filled with water and my clothes were soaked including my garments. We wanted to go back to the apartment because it was storming like crazy and there was lightning and such, but we were waiting for the bus because we had some important lessons that day. So we waited and got soaked haha and finally the colectivo came and we got a text from the leaders saying that we needed to go to the house of a member until the rain stopped. So we went to Hermana Coria´s house and had lunch with her and her husband but the power when out because someone´s roof flew off their house from the strong winds and broke a power line. We dried off in her house but of course were still wet ha. It was an adventure that's for sure. Very fun haha :) but I probably wouldn´t do it again. We ended up just staying in that area and didn´t do home until normal time. But the rain stopped and we eventually dried up! :) 

Well mom I have been on for a while and should get off. I still need to tell you about Laura. I am so thankful for the miracles that God is giving us and I know that he hears and answers prayer. One of the reasons that I know God loves us is because he answers prayer. I don´t think he would do that if he didn´t love us, but he does and each time it happens I can feel His love. The Gospel is real and powerful. I know that if we want to live with God and families forever, we need to continue enduring to the end UNTIL we have eternal life (Jacob 6:11). I love you so much mom and thank you for all you do. Tell everyone hi once again and that I love them all so much. You are all great blessings!

Con Amor, 
Hermana Syphus 

Alex Anchava's Baptism  Jan. 12, 2014
 Hermana Jensen, Alex and me



Hey! Just some questions that maybe you can answer before I get off. 

So when did Joel decide when he was going? And what do you and dad think of that? And I was thinking about it, and maybe there is a chance I will still get to see him before he goes! I have been thinking about him leaving a lot and sometimes I get sad when I think that I won´t see him for so long, but then I am happy too! You know how that goes :) But I have really just gotten closer to him being away it is so weird! Like I always just want to give him big hugs and such and I just love him so much! It will be SO weird if I don´t see him in 4 years because I am sure he will be a completely different person from when I left! That is 4 years of change! I am worried that I won´t even recognize him haha. I am mostly talking about his personality though. I don´t think he will look to much different. 

Oh ya, I know this a worldly thing and might not matter right now, but my top front two teeth are seriously going crooked. And you said you could tell when i was talking with yall on Christmas. So that has been worrying me a bit. I look at all the literally PERFECT smiles in our family and wonder what happened to mine!? haha seriously though, i don´t like it. I just don´t want it to get worse. I am sure no one is going to like a smile with two crooked front teeth. I guess I can´t do anything about it now, but I just wanted to tell you. Thanks for listening haha. 

Oh so guess what? This past week two hermanas in the ward have commented on how I look more filled out and bigger than from when I came. They told me that I got here white and a stick and now I am tanner and bigger. So...that was a little depressing not going to lie. That was something I really didn´t want to do on my mission was gain weight, and now look :( Man I just have all skinny sisters and shaun is marrying a gorgeous twiggalet and I am just going to come back as the fat sister. Ok I don´t think I will be fat but I might be bigger. I know I shouldn´t worry about this but believe me mom, all the sister missionaries worry about this, it is not just me! haha :)

Hey! hahaha i am sorry mom. I will try not to worry about my teeth and my weight anymore. And I promise I am trying to work as hard as i can. Thank you for helping me feel better ha. I know I have gained weight and it is noticeable in person but it really is okay. I am just going to work hard like you said and not worry about that. That is something that I need to change while I am here! Not thinking so negatively and I know that I need to stop worrying too! I thought that would change by now but I am still working on it. And about Joel, ha okay thanks for telling me. That makes sense. I am super happy for him! Can´t wait to hear where he is going! And that is understandable about the trip. Whatever happens is great with me :) Okay I am going to finish my letter now. Oh and no worries about last week! It was fine and I wasn´t sad or anything so no worries. I am also doing a lot better! Thanks for asking! I hope the fam is all better by now!  

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