Monday, November 25, 2013

Dolores: Middle of the mission or middle of nowhere!

As far as the area goes it is rather large. We live on the outskirts. It is the campo [field] and reminds me a lot of Idaho. Haha but it is like Pinamar and Ostende smushed into one. Menos la arena, [less sand] but the roads...haha, the dirt roads, it is like mountain biking without the mountains. I am still getting to know the people and area (it is a little hard without many of the streets having signs.) But the members seem really nice and they talk a million miles an hour . . oh dear. We are in a barrio [district] it is little different than a rama [branch] but not much.  I have a calling in the YW's as one of the Counselors and ayer [yesterday] I taught the class (okay so it is all of 3 girls and 2 Leaders). I have never taught a YW class much less in Spanish, but it went better than I anticipated. It is amazing what the spirit can help you with.
We have a chaotic family of investigators and every time we go they have un montón [a lot] of questions for me because I am from estados unidos [the United States] and they all talk at once...they asked me to pray in Engish...yea, it was really really hard.  I started in English but ended up finishing in Spanish. Haha that is a good sign right?
Pero [But] in reality, I think Heavenly Father has put me on the fast track to something. I just am not sure what it is yet. I am not sure what wheels are turning or what he has in store for me. But I can´t wait to find out and see what it is. During our district meeting this week I was pensando [thinking] about some things. Looking back now on the past 3 months or so I have definitely changed. I can see that when I worried about the language and the other little things, I was stressed, couldn´t focus on nada [nothing] and didn´t progress. But when I let Heavenly Father take over, focused on the work and loving the people and having a positive atitude, that is when I could see the progression in myself. Even in those dificult times if I found even a ray of sunshine or algo [something] to smile about it made all the difference. That is when I found the most enjoyment in the mission. Siempre [always] trying to find the brightside (and yes sometimes it is more difficult than other times). 
 
The numbers matter but not as much as the people and our true purpose for being out here serving the Lord, because it is true. We really have the truth.  This time really is too short to worry about the little things. I know that while we are out here on the front lines, if we are always striving to do our best the Lord really will do the rest. We need to enjoy this time and learn as much as we can because it will be over before we know it.
Have a semana maravillosa! [wonderful week]
Les quiero, [I'd like to]
Hna Snow

P.S. Elder Carlson is in my District...Haha, small World.
[Elder Carlson is my college roommates son]

Monday, November 18, 2013

Bah, so much in such a short time

Well, first off I can´t believe it has been 6 weeks already, time literally just flies by.  Anywho, my surprise...Saturday we had the opportunity to listen to...wait for it...Elder Holland. Yep, in the flesh. It was a conference for all the missionaries in this mission. Bs As norte y Bs As oeste. [Buenos Aires North and Buenos Aires West] Pero, [but] it was INCREDIBLE!!!!! He is an amazing man, that is for sure. To be able to feel the spirit super strong, be crying and wanting to laugh all at once, takes skill.
 
He started out by saying he wanted to tell us just one thing, that he loved us, but that he was going to take a little bit of time doing it. (como a little over an hour) it was so cool to see him as a person. He was so animated and personal, it was a bit different than when we see him in General conference. There were un montón [a lot] of things I wrote down (of course) but a couple things that were really cool were...
 
1. He said that we were apostles just like him the only difference is that we are apostles with a lower case instead of an upper case. We are all called of God to preach the gospel. And that is what he does everyday.  How cool is that? 
 
2.  With all his emotion he told us to ALWAYS remember and NEVER forget what we learned and how we felt on our missions. And that it is one of the most devastating things to see, a returned missionary who forgot those things that he learned. So yea, it was pretty amazing to hear all of that and get the opportunity to hear him as a missionary.

Next, we had transfers this week.......yea...I am transferred. My first in the mission, technically. And I am not going to lie I was a bit emotional. La Costa is a mission of its own because of how far away it is from everything...and we became so close as a zone and district it was hard to say goodbye. And besides our zone leader Elder Day [from Brian/LuWana's Ward] who is going home, I was the only one that left...so I get to journey on my own to Dolores. It is a place kinda like La Costa, only it is like smack dab in the middle of the mission. [fyi, Delores is where my friend Teresa Lewis' son Elder Carlson is now serving - they will finally meet].
 
Besides saying goodbye to the zone and all that I had grown accustomed to, I think the hardest part was not being able to say goodbye to anyone in Ostende. We found out the changes Thurs. night and left for Banfield Friday morning. [Mission conference and mission home are located in Banfield]. I didn´t get a chance to thank anyone for their service and example and tell them how much I love and learned from all of them. And I didn´t realize just how much I had grown to love all of them.  Often times we don´t know what is going to happen until it happens, so really, don´t wait for a good moment to tell someone how much you appreciate them or love them or help someone that needs you or whatever, because one day you might find that you missed the chance.
 
It will be a change, but I know that, just like Idaho, I finished what I needed to do in the rama pinamar [Pinamar Branch] and in Ostende and that the Lord needs me somewhere else to find His lost sheep. This is just another opportunity to learn and grow. And after all the emotions (which I have found out I have a lot on this mission) I am excited to see what more the Lord has in store for me.
 
Love you all, Have a great week!!
Hermana Snow

Monday, November 11, 2013

Hola familia y mis amigos!

So I realized in the email last week I mentioned that I was in Banfield and Buenos Aires yet again...but I didn't expound...oh, what happened...whoops. Anywho yes, Hna Barrett and I were in Captol for tramites [paperwork] last week. The good news we got it all taken care of within like 45 min of arriving at the Registro [registration], I know super fast. The bad news our FBI forms and fingerprints were expired...so they sent us home with our passports to get fingerprinted here in Pinamar. 

During the week we went to first the Policia [Police] Federal where they told us to go. They then told us that we had to go to the Policia Provincia [Police Province]...so we did- but they told us we were missing a signature on our forms...oh, here we go again. After talking to Hna Aguin (la [the] Hna over all of this) she told us that we could get the firma [signature] of Pres. Thurgood and that would suffice. Since he came down for our Conferencia de Distrito [District Conference] (como [as] stake conference or algo asi [kind of]). So today, we headed back and got that all taken care of. Whew. We just hope that we are done with all the traveling and the paper work for now.

We have had a lot of difficulty with our area in finding people to teach and our asistencia in la capilla [assistance in the Chapel]. And it seems like right now all the problems seem to be boiling up to the surface...oh dear...but, don't fret, this week was definitely a turning point for us, or for me at least. I have a determination like never before on my mission, to help the members of this rama [branch] and the few investigators that we have.  After much prayer and a bus ride back to Ostende after trying for our fingerprints the first time, I had some ideas come to me about what we can do and how we can help. 
 
So, with this newly found determination the four of us Hna's de la rama de Pinamar [of the Branch of Pinamar] are going to flip this rama [Branch] upside down and help los miembros [the members] and menos activos [less actives] remember why it was that they were converted to this Gospel and why they were baptized. I can't wait to see what happens.
 
The past couple weeks have been really slow with the work in our area, with miembros tienen mucho [members have much] drama and such, and in finding new investigators and trying to help with everything...yup it is a bit overwhelming for us 4 taking all of this on. But with Faith, Trust, and pixie dust...haha no, but really, with Diligencia, paciencia, oracion and fe, [with diligence, patience, prayer and faith] we have been fortunate enough to see the start of a new beginning. 
 
This past week we were able to find 3 new investigators and with four minds we have been working on ideas to unify this rama [Branch]. I'm not going to lie, it is a little difficult at times to keep your head up, stay positive and keep working when nothing is happening. But looking back, it is in those times that the Lord is turning the wheels of this machine and putting things in motion. We just need to sit back and let him work thru us. Because it is a test for everyone and in these moments He is testing us to see what choices we will make in the end.
 
It is going to take some work, but with our new pres de la rama and leadership, it will help a lot. And over some time I believe that this Rama will be a strong and great rama..we just gotta kick it in the pants to get things started.
 
With our Conferencia de Distrito, we had Pres and Hna Thurgood speak as well as the presidencia de la mision, but it was so sweet, Hna Thurgood gave her testimony in Español, well she read it. She doesn't know much Spanish and she was really nervous, but she did awesome!!
 
I hope you all have a fantabulous week!!
Chau, chau! Les Quiero!
Hna Snow
 
The Argentina Flag
On a ship outside the Registro in Buenos Aires

Hna Snow & Hna Barrett
On way back from Capitol via Omnibus

Hna Blanco and Hna Snow
We finally got new bicis...ok so we have had them for about a month
but we just never remembered to take a picture.

Our zone, that grew immensely.
We had a reunion de zona this past Wed.
Since it is getting to the end of the transfer, we had a pix,
because we are missionaries and that is what we do.
Elder Day goes home this transfer.

An investigator has a lot of birds,
we got to hold one :)

Went to visit Hna Alvina [a member] and they were making a lot of bread,
I guess that is what they do on Halloween in their family.
But there was a storm coming and they were trying to hurry.
So we helped.
 
 

Monday, November 4, 2013

Wow

Hola,
Well this week was a good week. We had some really good lessons. A day of mucho mucho lluvia [much, much rain] an activity with the rama [branch], and a really good noche de hogar [home evening] with the familia Gomez [family]. And today...yet again I am in Banfield with Hna Barrett from AZ for tramites [paperwork]...more on that later.

We had a good lesson on the plan of salvation with a familia [family] where the mom, who is single, told us that she doesn't believe in a life after this one...yea, so we had a lesson on the plan de salvación [of salvation] with her and her kids, using pictures that I made, to help explain it better. I think they helped because when we left she thanked us and said things were a little bit clearer now and that she had something to think about. I hope that is a good sign :)

We had another day of a lot of rain and not a lot of people...so b/c we are missionaries we took a picture of the rain...and Hna Blanco haha. But this same day we had a good noche de integración [night of integration] with the rama [branch], we as in the missionaries gave a good lesson type thing to those who showed up. Being the first time there were not a lot of them about the voice of the spirit, reverence in the home and in the church and how to recognize the voice of the spirit. It was a really good activity that we are going to have every couple weeks to help this rama [branch] become united and excited to come to church to feel and learn from the spirit.

Then Sat. night we had a noche de hogar [Home Evening] with the family Gomez. Oh this family...So, last lesson with them we shared a video about albedrio [agency], with a teenager and his conscious talking about the choices he has made and what choices he can make. Well, this night Hna Gomez told us that she really liked that video and it inspired her to make some changes in her life and in the life of her family. And oh man I can see more of those changes. Not only with the friendly spirit felt in their home, but her eyes are dead set on the temple and getting her family there. She isn't even baptized yet and she is acting like a member :) She will be an amazing member and example to all with the trials and experiences this family has gone through in such a short period of time to get to where they are. It is simply incredible. Now to just jump over this last hurdle and help them reach their goal of the temple to make this family eternal. 

It is such a blessing to know that this life is only the beginning, and to have the chance to be with our families for eternity. It really puts things into perspective and opens up the eyes of all to what they truly have and what they can have with this gospel. I love it! and I love this chance to be a part of spreading it to this corner of the world, even though yes at times it is difficult and people reject us, it really is there loss to be missing out on an opportunity for eternity. But everyone we talk to or visit with will have a slight seed planted in their hearts that will one day grow.

Thanks for all your prayers and support, I hope you all have a great week!

til next week, paz de [peace of] Argentina!
Hna Snow


plan de salvación


Rain Rain Rain w/Hna Blanco