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