Week 50 (Mar. 17, 2014 Parque Chacabuco, Argentina)

Hey there Mom! :) Well I have read my emails, looked at the weekly numbers for the hermanas in our mission, and written President...and my companion is already expecting me to be done. She finished everything in 35 minutes. These native companions just don´t understand and it is driving me nuts!!! The most important thing for me on pday is to write my loved ones and they couldnt care less about that. She wants to get together with some other hermanas and so she is already done and waiting for me :( This is stressing me out. But I will be okay. I will just only be able to write you and that is it. I can´t write clel or his family anymore, or anyone else in the family..this is bogus I tell you. Just bogus. I am sorry if I don´t respond to the things you wrote to me :( I will for sure answer your questions though so no worries :) 

We received a surprise email yesterday from a man who video taped Katelyn in Argentina.  He was there picking up his son from his mission and thought it would be fun for us to see our daughter.  What a wonderful surprise it was!!!

So that video yesterday haha. He was just like, "Hermana I am going to video you and send it to you mom...okay get ready!" I had no idea what to say because it was really sudden and I couldn´t even think for one second of what I wanted to say! And I was speaking spanish right before that so my head was thinking in spanish I was speaking in english and it was just not what I would have said probably if I had more time to think haha. So sorry. I hope I looked happy haha. I really was though! Yesterday was our first Sunday in this ward and THEY ARE SO AWESOME!!! I LOVE THIS WARD SO MUCH!! Really, I feel so blessed to be in Chacabuco! I want to explain everything to you and I can´t! Hermana Lobo must not say hardly anything to her family! She literally finished everything in 35 min. But anyway, to answer your questions,

Because there are 5 sister training leaders, we each have a group of sisters. We have around 15 I believe. We are in capital, so we are in charge of the capital sisters. There is also another set of stl in capital so we divided the different areas so we each have some. Then there are two sisters in provincia over the provincia sisters and one stl with her comp in a place called zarate, which is pretty far away I think and so that´s why she is over that part only.

No it does not take much time away from teaching and proselyting and such. We have the same schedule but just more responsibilities. Like each week we have a few meetings that we have to be to with the Pres and other leaders. And then we have to go on divisions or exchanges with each hermana that we are over to see how they are working and what we can do to help her. I am really excited for that! I am excited to learn from the other hermanas and see how they are working so that I can improve and be a better missionary. I don´t how much I am going to help them, I think they will just all help me haha. We have had to do lots of things this week though to start it all up and I am pretty tired! It is good though because it keeps me working and that is what I love!

Yes, we are part of Parque Chacabuco :) That is the name of the ward. And ya, there were two other sisters here before us. I think there have been sisters here since July of last year if I am correct. Sorry I did not really explain that very well. What happened is that the sisters that were here got taken out and Hermana Lobo and I came in not knowing anything. Usually one sister that knows the area will stay and one will come in, but in this case it was different. It has happened a few times. It has been an adventure!!! :) A little about this area: There are 8 missionaries in the ward including us and we are the only sisters. It is a great area but a bit dangerous. No worries though. We are not in the really dangerous part. The elders have what is called the "villa" I don´t know if I explained what I villa is to you yet. Maybe you could look it up "villas in argentina" I really want to explain it in detail but I have a feeling a won´t be able to do much of that anymore. It´s ok, it will help me :) A villa is a really poor community where tons of people live. They are just houses on top of houses and it is dangerous because thats where the drugs happen. The largest villa in Buenos Aires in in Chacabuco!!! I have always wanted to enter a villa and work in one because the people are so humbly and accept the gospel so well. the elders have lots of success there! But tons of members in the ward live in the villa so we get to go there when we have lunch with the members that live there! I am excited! In this area it is not recommended to take your camera around and we even have to put our cell phone and money and keys in our shirts. Never have done that before. But I really want a pic of the villa and of course the area so I will see what I can do. Don´t worry, I will do it in wisdom :) The ward is amazing. Seriously. Bishop Nogales is the man and is so chill and easy going but so powerful and inspired at the same time. He really is the best. The ward is organized and we have meeting scheduled for each week and at specific times. It is so wonderful! The asistance her in this ward is around 180 each week!!! That is so much here! In El Talar it was around 60 or 70 each week and so it is a huge difference and so special to see that the members work so hard here to create zion where they are and that they help and support one another. The people that get baptized here usually have no problem staying active and faithful because the members completely take over and assist in the work of salvation! It is such a blessing to be here and see how the work and efforts of the members really bless and save lives! I know that through the members of the church, God´s work will progress and grow! I am seeing that already here in Chacabuco and it is a great blessing! I really am so happy to be here and although it has been a hard week because it was all new, we have seen miracles and I know that the Lord will bless us. The hermanas that were here before us left us with some info that we could use. Like some people that we could see and all that jazz. Thank goodness for them!! :) They found a family like two weeks ago but didn´t teach them all together. Just a daughter that they talked to in her work. Her name is Yoselin and is 22 years old. They gave us the name and address of the family and we wen this past week to visit them. They are golden. I am so grateful for the other hermanas and for their work and inspiration and that they opened their mouths in order to find this family! There are 7 children and a mom and a dad but they are not married. Yoselin is the oldest and then they have a 20 year old named Alejandra, 17 year old named Roberto, a 9 year old named Herman I believe, and the youngest ones I am not sure but will get to know them better this week! The mom is Rosario and we haven´t met the husband yet. But we had a lesson with Yoselin first in her work one day and she said that we could come by and meet her family and teach them but that her mom might not like it. Well we went one day and only the mom Rosario was home so we taught her a bit about the plan of salvation and she loved it. So we set up a return appt with her and went back and this time with the family! This is when we met Roberto and Alejandra. We invited the entire family but they did not all stay. Just like any other family though haha. Wandering off. But Rosario, Alejandra and Roberto committed to come to church and to be baptized! And they came to church!! :) Hermana Lobo and I were so nervous because it was our first sunday and we didn´t really have anything but the Lord blessed us and when we went past their house sunday morning, they were still sleeping but told us that they wanted to come and to wait! So we did and they all came and loved it! Yoselin can´t come on sundays as of right now because of her work, but we are trying to see what can be done so that she can come with her family! They are on date to be baptized the 30 of march so we will see! Rosario also has this date but is not married so that is something we are thinking about as well. But I am so happy and I know that the Lord as been preparing this family to receive the gospel and to accept it! It was so special teaching them all the plan of salvation as a family and helping them know that their family can be together forever because of the love God has for us. Oh and their last name is Rocha :)

We met with the bishop and the other elders in our ward yesterday to talk about a plan that we are going to start that will help the ward grow even more and will help the less actives and recent converts to stay firm and steady. It was a good meeting and I am excited to implement what we learned! Each organization in the ward chooses 5 families or names that need to be fellow shipped or helped. We work with these 5 families or people and think about what they need. Bishop wants 300 people at the ward conference in july I think it is, and we believe this will help. I am just explaining it in a nut shell but that is pretty much what it is.

I feel so blessed to be here in this area and I know that God´s work is being done here. The members are so willing to act and help and support and everything is just so great! We are still trying to get to know our area and the members and people, but I know it will come with time. Hermana Lobo is really amazing I am so blessed to be with her as well. She has taught me so much already and I hope I can act upon the things that I am learning so that the Lord can better shape me and prepare me for what he needs me to do.

I was reading Preach My Gospel and it talks about how when God called upon Christ to perform the Atonement, that Christ was prepared and ready. Even Christ had to prepare himself for the calling that he had. This taught me that I need to prepare myself for what God has for me and that when he calls upon me to do something, I need to be ready and willing to do it. I am grateful for the blessings in my like and for the callings that he has given me. I am excited to continue serving Him here in this part of HIs vineyard and I know that all will be well!!

Love you so much Mom and Dad and family!!! :) Thank you for everything that you do for me!! Hope you all have a great week!

Hermana Syphus 
Kates 

AND YES I AM HEALTHY AND HAPPY!!!! :D LOVE YOU!!!