5-21-2012

 

¡Buen dia!

First of all, Happy Birthday this week to mi hermana Jenni!! Next year you will be 30... dang you are getting old!! :) Haha jk, hope it is fabulous! News of this week:

• New companion! Her name is Hermana Shoaf and she´s from Kentucky. She has about 2 transfers less than me. We get along well and we work really hard together! This area is still pretty dry so we are putting in all of our efforts to do our part and find those who are ready to hear the gospel
• Thank goodness Hermanas Hobbs and Juarez both stayed, so we are still neighbors! :) We enjoy eating together and having parties each night... :). Just kidding. But seriously. Who knew church music could be so fun to dance to?? Hahah
• A few cool experiences this week with investigators:
• yesterday we met the friend of a member and her name is Lia. She was kind of closed off, but she told us that God was really not a part of her life and she had never prayed before, ever. I was shocked! We never hear that. So we talked to her for awhile and then helped her say the prayer in the end. It was awesome, the spirit was so strong and afterwards she just sat and cried. She told us that she always felt like she was talking just by herself, but this time she felt like someone was there listening. She is awesome!
• This week my comp and I had 2 awesome experiences about promising blessings. Our mission president has talked to us about promising blessings since we are representatives of Jesus Christ, we have the ability to promise blessings to the people that will really be completed. Of course that doesn´t mean just going around to anyone promising whatever we want. It has to be done with the spirit. So we were teaching an awesome lady named Vilma. She is struggling because her husband is not very supportive (wow big surprise here in Argentina! haha) and she really wants him to change. My companion told her that she felt strongly that she could promise her that if she keeps going in this and progresses on to baptism, her husband, with time, will see her example and will change and will also make the same decisions. As she was promising this I could a huge rush of the spirit all through my body, and I knew that exactly what my companion was saying was true. So I promised her too that it really was true, and that I knew without any doubts that this promise would be fulfilled. Then, the next day we were in a different lesson with a lady named Avelina and her son is sick with cancer. In the middle of the lesson she started crying and praying, and a thought came into my head that if she kept going in this, if she went to church and progressed on in baptism, her son would be healed. Right after, my companion gave her that promise, that her son would be healed if she kept going in this. We talked about it after and about how it is just so cool how the spirit works with us and testifies to us what we need to say and do. Being a missionary is the greatest calling in the world!

Well, that´s about it for this week! I hope you all have a fabulous week!

--Hermanita Hunt

5-14-2012

Maria's Baptism

My Companion 

 Maria's family with Hermana's

A dead Tarantula

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FELIZ DIA DE LA MADRE!!!!!!!!!

Well, it was great talking to a lot of you yesterday on the phone! Also, I hope you had a fabulous birthday this last week Robyne!! :) so glad we share a birthday.  Just a few things to say this week:

AWKWARDS INCOMODOS Y CHISTOSOS

• this last week I heard some hilarious pick up lines, and also had some creepy experiences, haha. 
• (as we´re walking down the street and I am peeling a mandarin and eating it) some kid in a soccer field yells that he wishes he was that mandarin... bahaha, for real??
• (as we`re talking to a weird old man in the street) we ask him about his life and who he lives with and he tells us that he is a widower and lives alone. He then grabs my arm and says ´you wouldn´t want to live with me would you?? :)´ I, being an awkward missionary and not knowing what to say, reply with ´ha ha...... no.. sorry!....´ hahah
• in a lesson, a guy is asking us about how the mission is and if we have kids and families and boyfriends and stuff and we tell him that no we are single in the mission and he starts to say ´well lets suppose for example, you wanted to live with me, could you do that?´ and then he starts to reason and say ´oh but no that would be hard because you travel every six weeks and go to different areas.....´ etc., as if he was really considering it, hahah. I responded with ´oh.... no. in the mission we are single. single single single, like, we don´t have anything to do with that, we are just single and we stay away from guys, and then after the mission we go back to our own countries and get married there´ hahah.
• it´s funny, I remember always talking to Hermana Payne about how in the states we are just normal girls, but here just because we are different we stand out a lot and for some reason people just notice us and say weird creepy things all the time! ohhh Argentina
• this week our investigator Maria had her baptismal interview.  In the interview with Elder Robinson our district leader, he was asking her about the Sabbath Day and what it is, etc.... she goes on explaining ´ well we don´t buy stuff, we go to church, we spend time with the family, we don´t have sexual relations´ hahaha and Elder Robinson went completely red and said ´what?!?  what did you learn that??´ and she went on to explain that her mother-in-law who is a member told her that haha and Elder Robinson was so embarrassed and didn´t know what to say.  He just said ´umm... I think you can.......?´ hahaha. Ohhh poor Maria was so embarrassed but it was SO funny, we were all laughing so hard when she told us after

AWESOMES

• my first baptism here in Formosa! Woooo! Everything went smoothly, and it was so awesome.  He is a member already but was really inactive, and she wasn´t a member.  He cheated on her a few years back and they had some issues but they started fixing things up and the night before her baptism they stayed up all night talking and he told her that he has changed and is going to move forward in this with their family now forever.  She cried to me in the bathroom right before she went in to get baptized, telling me about this.  I am soo so happy for her and her family.  They are going to be strong members forever and I know that this was SUCH a blessing for their family

And now, in honor of Mother´s Day, a nice little tribute to my MOM! :) I can´t thank her enough for everything she has done/does for me.  My mom is the perfect example of a faithful member of the church, a sibling, a daugther, a friend, a wife, and a mother.  She is an example to everyone who meets her and I don´t know anyone who could ever have bad feelings towards her.  She is ALWAYS working hard, doing everything for everyone else.  She is quiet and shy until you get to see her silly dorky side--which is the funniest thing to watch. :) I have countless memories laughing my head off with her, whether she is making up silly skits for church activities, putting on her bike helmet backwards, or dancing in the kitchen with me.  Many adventures such as trips to Hawaii, Mexico, Las Vegas, and of course California and getting lost in Tijuana Mexico.  I love talking to my mom and I can´t keep any secrets from her... I trust her with everything.  She is very respectful and smart, and always open-minded, non-judgmental, and charitable towards everyone.  Of course I miss her excellent cooking and her cinnamon rolls :).  All of my friends love my Mom and love just sitting and talking with her.  A couple of months ago my companion and I were talking about parenting and how we feel like parents should be, and I went on to explain how my parents were so great and how much I respect them for how they raised us in the gospel.  My mom is the perfect example of a pure and virtuous, but not naive woman. (ok ok yes naive in some things but we just like to tease her for that... for example-spooning. hahah, love you mom!!)  I am so grateful to be raised by the mom that I have.  She is my best friend and my best hero and example.  I hope you had a fabulous Mother´s Day mi Madre!! Thank you SO much for everything you are.   LOVE YOU!!!

5-07-2012

Hola Familiaaaa!

Well well, it`s an exciting time here in Formosa, I suppose!  I finally have a companion... Hermana Claro my mini from Posadas! It has been way awesome being with her.. lots of fun! We only have a week and a half left though and then we will see what happens.  They might put me with another mini or put me with a real missionary... we`ll see!  

Exciting news of the week:

• today we are moving!! I am actually really sad, haha but at least we will be in a nicer apartment and we will be living next door to the other hermanas
• this week our shower broke and only has freezing cold water, so I washed my hair Argentine style... outside in the clothes washing sink with a cup, haha.  A lot of people here don`t have showers so that`s how they shower every day! Right there in their backyards
• this week we have a baptism! woooo! Finally! My first baptism here in Formosa.  Her name is Maria and she is the wife of an inactive member. They have the cutest little family, oh my goodness their little boys are soooo dang cute.  Matias is 7 and everyday he asks his mom when they get to go to church again, and Benjamin is 2 and he is always yelling non stop `Hermanas hermanas hermanas!` hahah.  We are really excited for them, they are an awesome family and are going to be great members

Well.. that`s about it for this week! Haha, sorry... boring email! But things are going better in the area.  It`s still been a little rough here but things are improving and we have some pretty good progressing investigators.  We are working hard, and I am 100% focused in the work.  We`ve been so busy that there`s not ever time to think about anything else! Haha, but it`s good... even though it`s sad that the time is flying by so fast, I know I am giving it my all.. which is a really good feeling!  Hope everyone has a fabulous week!!

Hermanita Hunt

P.s. happy birthday to my lovely niece Halle Bally!!! Also, happy birthday to mi hermano Casey a few weeks ago!! Sorry.. forgot to mention it in the blog, haha

4-30-2012

Hola hola!
Feliz Mayo! (almost) This week was.... well, a very interesting one! Here´s the story:

We´re sitting in district meeting on Tuesday, in our trio of course, when our zone leader tells us he has news for us.  In district meeting he announces that they found another mini missionary to come out, so we´re looking at Hna. Jaurez saying ´ohh poor thing, good luck with this one!´ when he then says that this time though, it´s not for Hermana Juarez.  We all sit there, confused and super antsy to find out what´s going to happen.  He goes on to announce that this time, the mini is for me!  Hermana Hobbs, for the rest of the transfer, would be moving to the area of terminal, and I would stay in Parque with a mini. Whatttttttt?!?!?! Whew, I was shocked, and scared, and excited, and nervious, and sad, and everything all at the same time!  They told us she would be coming that night and we had to have everything moved out from Hna. Hobbs so we could go pick her up.  Sooooo it was a sad parting of the trio. :( So we go to the terminal to pick her up.  Her name is Hermana Rodriguez and she´s from Goya, Corrientes which is a part of my mission.  The whole night she didn´t say a WORD. Honestly. I think I only got ¨si´s¨ and ¨no´s¨ to my questions.  The next day President Ramirez came to check our apartment to see how it was and what we needed, and unfortunately told us that we need to move. :(  So all morning we were with him and some workers fixing up a few things.  When we got ready to go out to work, I told Hna. Rodriguez that she just needed to put on a skirt and we could head out (she woke up and got ready in pants).  Aaaand then started the drama.  She told me that she didn´t like wearing skirts and didn´t want to wear one.  So I kindly explained that in the mission, we wear skirts as a uniform and that she was going to have to wear one while she was here.  Her answer was still ´pero no me gusta polleras.  no quiero ponerme´.  So after talking for a bit and trying to convince her to put a skirt on (which failed each time) I finally asked her if she wanted to be here, and she said no and that she just wanted to go home.  So I called the zone leaders and told them, and they talked to her and she said she wanted to go home.  Then the elders in her branch called her, then her mom, then her sister, then the branch president´s wife from her branch, then the next day the hermanas from her area called her, and still she just wanted to go home (and still also wouldn´t wear a skirt... after wasting the whole day waiting for someone else to call, we finally went out and worked for a few hours with her wearing leggings. hah!).  She also talked to the assistants, and still wanted to go home.  I felt so bad! The poor girl just wanted to go home!  But everyone was determined to convince her to stay.  So the elder from her area had this bright idea of calling the stake young women´s president here in formosa to see if she could go talk to her.  So we all go to meet in the stake center... us, our zone leaders, the zone leaders from the other zone, and this lady.  And we waste about 2 hours there.  And after they chatted we walked out the door and I asked her how it went and she said ¨bien.... pero todavia quiero irme¨ (good, but I still want to go). hahaha. So FINALLY, the next day, they let her go home.  WOW.  Out of the 3 days we were able to only have 5 lessons. 5 lessons! Ay. So now I am in a trio with the hermanas from terminal again, hahah.  This whole week I have hardly been able to get anything done in the my area. But good news! Tonight I will get another mini, and this time she will be awesome, because I already know her.  Her name is Yuli (Julie) Claro and she was a member in my old area, and I love her!! I am so excited to work with her the next two weeks.

And... that´s pretty much the exciting news of the week! Haha. Also this week we have to move apartments, and we are moving outside of our area. :( At least we will live next door to the other hermanas.. so that will be fun.  This transfer has been everything but normal, and I feel like we´ve only been able to work in my area 50% or less of the time.  In spite of all that though, we do have 2 good investigators that are progressing well and will probably be getting baptized pretty soon.

Sorry no time for a spiritual thought this week, but I hope all is well!! Love you all!!

--Hermanita Hunt

P.s. Callie (wow that´s weird saying your name!).. Hermana Green will almost for sure be transferred this transfer so she won´t be able to deliver the picture.  She does know where Cristina lives though.. I will talk to her and have her show her companion so she can deliver it when it gets here! If you remember how to describe how to get there though you should probably put that with the picture just in case... I know she didn´t have an address it was just in that really poor area with no roads in Barrio San Jorge, but I´m sure she´ll be able to find it!