12-03-2012

Buenas! Ok, first of all I have to warn you that this email is going to be LONG. If you get bored, just stop reading! haha. But I figure next week I am not really gonna want to write much, so you`re going to get it all this week! It was another great week in the mission, with lots of ups and downs. Unfortunately Viviana and Federico won`t be getting married this week. She is unsure about getting married, but sure about getting baptized. So we are going to work with them and see what happens! I have no doubt that she will be baptized, but they are having troubles with their relationship.. so I hope we can help them work everything out! Please keep them in your prayers!! Jaqui and Daniel are doing so great!! If everything goes well today, they will get married this friday and Jaqui will get baptized. Daniel can`t be baptized yet because he needs to go to church and also quit smoking, but I have no doubt that within the next month he will also be baptized. They are such an awesome couple!! They were pretty shocked and sad to hear that I am leaving soon, but are happy that I will be there for the wedding. I am so happy too!! Obviously, my presence isn`t that important haha I am just happy with their decisions but it will be great to be able to be there if all goes well!! It`s so nice to finally see some fruits of our work here in Centenario! This week we had another quiet miracle.... literally, a quiet one! Hermana Ovando and I both felt impressed to go to a certain house on a corner that we always pass by. There we met Hector... he is sordo-mudo (deaf). Somehow (I`m still not really sure how) we communicated enough to set an appointment, and then on Saturday we halfway taught him the first lesson! Haha. We have to use lots of pictures and write lots of words, because he reads but doesn`t understand complete sentences. He is so awesome though. He came to church on Sunday! I`m not sure if he liked it or not because he couldn`t understand anything in Sacrament Meeting obviously, haha but I helped him in Sunday school and it was really awesome! We will be learning a bit of spanish sign language this next week! Also this week our apartment flooded. What?? It rained REALLY hard, and I woke up stepping into a lake, hahah. The good thing is that nothing really got ruined. The REALLY sad thing is that one very very important thing happened to be on the floor.... my journal!!! Ahhh! I almost had a heart attack when I lifted it out of the water to find it COMPLETELY soaked! Luckily we had it drying in front of our heaters and fans all week and although the papers are all crinkled and messed up now, it is all still legible an the ink didn`t bleed too much, haha. What a blessing!! So I have been thinking a lot lately. This is my last real week as a missionary. Next week will be filled with only a little bit of missionary work, lots of packing, goodbyes, and traveling. I can`t believe the time has come. It is the weirdest feeling! I have been writing a lot of my thoughts in my journal, and everyday have realized more and more things that I am going to miss about this incredible year and a half. I am going to miss this country and the culture here. Walking down the dirt roads with dirty and dying dogs everywhere, haha. The sound of birds chirping and roosters crowing. Homemade heladitos that every other house sells... they save us everyday in the heat! All of the street vendors and the silly phrases they use to sell their products such as ¨chip chip chipaaaaaa¨, ¨diaaaaarioooooooo¨, ¨manzana naranja banana mandarinaaaaaa¨. I will miss hearing music blasting from every house.. especially the silly music that is so popular here such as all the cumbia, and groups such as Nene Malo, Wachiturros, and Colisueltos, haha. I will miss the incredible sky and sunsets, especially here in Formosa, and the beautiful fields... the campos, sceneries, and jungles. I will miss all of the kids playing soccer in the streets with whatever ball and goal posts they can find, and all of the annoying little boys that play video games in the cyber, haha. I will miss having kioscos on every corner, and walking by greeting all of the friendly people on the streets and those who sit outside all day drinking máte or tereré. I will miss seeing people carry every imaginable thing on a motorcycle, such as pets, woman breastfeeding their babies, mattresses and furniture, and entire families of five. I will miss all of the silly shrines and saints that the catholics worship and their obsessions with Maria. I will miss the clothes and styles here... babuchas, strappy sandles, jelly shoes, reaaaaally long hair and buns on top of the head, legit side pony tails, fanny packs, mullets, belly shirts, and army boots. I will miss walking around in the siesta when everyone and their dog is sleeping and the city is so quiet. All of the fiest and cumples, and the biggest 1-year old birthday parties you have ever seen. I will in all seriousness miss the HEAT, and even the humidity. All of the little mini pools that everyone owns. Greeting with besitos. Popular argentine phrases... che, chamigo, pues, si te digo te miento, gracias a Dios, si Dios quiere, and the guarani words that everyone uses such as ayjue, mitai, and áca. I will miss all of the horses roaming around loose, and all the cute baby animals that we find everywhere including kittens, puppies, baby horses, chicks, ducklings, and bunnies. I will miss seeing the people ride around in their carts with horses like in the olden days. All of the toads and the noises they make at night. The random things that are popular here such as the simpsons, snow white, chucky, and soap operas. The kids playing with marbles or wooden tops in the streets. All of the FOOD! Milanesa, guiso, chipa, helado, tallerín, torta frita, tortillas, pasta frola, alfajores de maizena, sopaparaguaya, banana licuados, banana con dulce de leche, empanadas, tarta, enselada con aceite, pastelitos, pan de leche, tortilla, asados, enselada de fruta, arroz con queso, bonbon, chorizo, choripan, hamburguesa con huevo, and gridos. The rainstorms, and the mud when it rains. The obsessions with cleaning shoes, how people freak out when someone`s sick, and how everyone floods their house to clean the floors and throws water on the road to stop the dust from entering in the house. I will miss the absolutely crazy bus and taxi drivers. I will always admire their absolute FAITH in God. And their strength in all of the sad situations. How simply they live. Their sincerity and boldness, or their flat out lies that are hilarious, haha. The trees and the leaves and plants. Eating mayo with everything. And the Argentina pride. I will miss being a missionary. I will miss having one purpose... helping others come unto Christ. Being a literal representative of Him, and proudly wearing His name on my nametag. I will miss living a disciplined life, wearing a skirt everyday, living on an exact schedule. Studying for 3 hours a day. Standing out from everyone. Meeting different people everyday. I will miss preaching with power in the name of Jesus Christ and being able to promise blessings in His name. Praying at least 15-20 times a day and being in constant connection with my Father in Heaven. Constantly seeking out and following the spirit. Being on a spiritual high and receiving so much revelation, inspiration, and understand from the spirit. I will miss helping people open their hearts and accept Christ in their lives. Helping people learn the truth for themselves from God. Helping people feel and recognize the spirit. Living for others and not for myself. Being obligated to talk to people, and not being scared to do so. Living on a higher plan than the world... living SO in the world but so NOT of the world. Being respected for what I do. Learning to sincerely love. I will miss being a defender of the truth, and part of God`s army. Receiving extra help and strength and energy to do things that I otherwise couldn`t. Having a special protection. I will miss communicating by letters, and not being able to use facebook or distract myself with things that are of little importance. I will miss constantly sharing my testimony and declaring what I know to be true. Seeing people CHANGE. Watching them grow, and being with them in those moments so special as they are connected to god and receive their testimonies. I will miss dedicating every minute to God. Tracting. Finding a new world behind every door. Finding people by the spirit and seeing what person Heavenly Father wants me to talk to next. Hearing about how the people received their answers... seeing it all click inside of them. That special moment when they share their feelings with us, and we as companions look at each other with a deep satisfaction and joy, knowing that great miracle is taking place. Being 100% focused on the things that are most important. Learning to understand how people work and how God`s plan works by observing. Only listening to church music. I will miss feeling the pressure of pushing myself a little further, and being a leader and example to other members. Not being sheltered in my own life... seeing the worst of the worst and the best of the best. Judging people 100% for how they are inside instead of outside. Seeing miracles everyday. Having one of the greatest responsibilites on earth, and knowing that God trusts ME to do His work. I will miss all of the everyday details that made my mission special. Hearing all of the little kids, with all of their different voices excitedly call out ´hermannnaaaaaaaa!´. Fernanda, Yeni, Agus, Keira, Benja, Lucas Abi and Edu, Juan Axel Mili and Yeni, Sofi and Florencia. Their voices and words will be forever marked in my memory. All of the nicknames people called me... ´la gringa´ ´la rubia´ ´la rubia con ojos celestes´, and even ´la gordita´ :) hahaha. I will miss the good Sundays when a lot of people came to church, especially inactive members. Sewing and re-sewing everything... shirts, shoes, and backpacks. Not worrying about eating dinner. Being friends with and getting to know all of the hermanas. Living with raid glued to hand, ready to attack whatever critter sneaks into the pension... including (but not limited to) cockroaches, spiders, crickets, fats, ants, mosquitos, flies, lizards, worms, frogs, etc. Walking EVERYWHERE, and being used to not walking anywhere barefoot. Living in the world of a different language. The delicious meals from the members. Banana licuados everyday. Hanging my clothes to dry, and even hand-washing! Feeling a constant pressure to keep up with my journal. Always having the desire to study study study, and learing SO much about my past as I learn by the spirit. The sigh of writing the goal each night of baptismal fechas.. knowing that planning is over and it´s finally time to fall into bed! Falling asleep on the floor all the time during the closing prayer after planning each night, haha. Weekly appointments with grido. Water fights and pranks. Trips to the centro and mercaditos. Playing the piano each week surrounded by a million little kids and trying to concentrate on playing and also stop them from playing at the same time haha. Also playing the piano in zone conferences. Having to tough it out with food... whether it`s the dirty plates/silverware, or the weird food itself! Having to be careful with bridges and sewers.. and sometimes falling in! (ok, that only happened once haha). The workers in all of the kioscos, stores, and cybers that know us. Deep chats with companions... talking about anything and everything while walking or studying. SINGING... especially with my companions that sang. Having an extra protection/side kick/sister. Hearing the Argentines ´sing´ hymns :). Hearing investigators read James 1:5 for the first time, or telling the first vision. Talking with people who literally and honestly think we`re spies, hahaha! Teaching people who come from the craziest backgrounds... drugaddicts, gang members, those who have been abused and/or raped, alcoholics, murderers, orphans, homeless, club dancers, thieves, ex-convicts, etc. Living more simply... no microwave, no tv, no dishwasher, no high-tech electronics. Hugs from all the little kids. Ridiculous tan lines from shirts, skirts, shoes, my watch, and even my pony tails haha. Toughing it out everyday with health...the heat, sun, and humidity, walking all day everywhere, the scary bathrooms, the famous dirty water of Formosa, garbage and animal poop everywhere and the zanja, and being surrounded by giant tropical bugs and animals! All of the crazy dueños from all of my apartments. Getting my self-esteem boosted everyday as all of the creepers made creepy comments hahah. Living amongst poverty... watching and being amazed at how the people so easily live in a house made of wood posts and nylon or cardboard. The contrast every Sunday walking to church and seeing the drunks sleep in the streets, haha. Late night hamburger orders from our neighbors´ kiosco :). Getting letters each week. Entering in the air-conditioned pension after being outside in 110 degree and 90% humidity weather. How fast my hair and nails grow here. All of the awkward moments of not understanding the people or saying something wrong haha. Church in Spanish. Sacrament prayers in spanish. All of the people... the members--their service, sacrifices, their testimonies and stories and dedication. All of the acquaintances, the investigators, and especially the converts that I love SO much. I will miss changing so honestly and sincerely everyday. I will miss so much being Hermana Hunt. I will miss this incredible adventure that my Father in Heaven has allowed me to go on. I can`t believe my time is up here. It has been a wild adventure filled with every possible emotion. I have learned and changed and grown so much. I will miss every minute, but I kno it is my time to move on and I am excited for the future. I know my mission was not the peak of my life... it was only the beginning of a lifelong climb that I am now going to make. I absolutely know 100% that this is the work of the Lord. I know that Christ is real and exists, and I know that this is His church because I have asked God and He has answered me, and I will never ever be able to deny that. I am so grateful for this year and a half that I have had... I will forever be grateful for my mission and the change it has made in me. I am so grateful for all of you and your examples and support. One more week of emails and then we will be talking in person. LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!! --Hermanita Hunt