29 February 2016

This week was really great! And this keyboard is really hard to type on so please ignore all the mistakes that you will see in this email.

Two amazing things happened this week. Well, in reality, this week was all great, but anyway. 

Elder Bednar came! It was an amazing experience. We were like 3 rows from the front. It was about a million degrees in the room, and we were sitting so close that we couldnt sit up straight so 3 hours of that wasn't fun, but it didn't even matter because the message was so good. Before hand we were assigned 3 talks to read and study that he gave. He then started out the meeting saying that this would be like a counsel. That he would ask questions and those who wanted to respond, could. It was also super nice because it was in English, with a translator ;) But we just talked for 3 hours. About being converted and not just "convinced", and using faith in every aspect in our lives. Then we were able to ask questions, but they had to be inspired questions. It was really cool. We were with all 4 of the Buenos Aires Missions, and then it was broadcasted to the missions in Argentina, Chile, Uraguay, and I think Paraguay. It was really cool. I think what I liked the most though was someone asked a question about humility, and he turned to his wife, said that she was the perfect example of being humble, and asked her to share. She is probably the cutest person I've ever seen. She just got up, and shared experiences from her life about how before every trial she told Heavenly Father "I dont think I can do it" and then she said "And then He helped me do it". She was just so sincere and honest and you could tell she was so nervous to be up there and it was just amazing. 

Then.. We had a baptism on Sunday! His name is Jose Antonio. He´s 22, and probably the most energetic person I've ever met. Every lesson we have is just him asking all these questions and getting so excited and he's so sweet and funny and just awesome. Well anyway, he got baptized yesterday, and he was so happy. He brought a friend and his friend wants to listen to the dicsussions! Then the senior missionary couple who we eat lunch with every sunday (who are American) invited Jose and his friend to eat with us. We ate american food (<3) and they loved it. But they said it was interesting because in their countries (Colombia and Ecuador), they've never served themselves at the table. The host always puts the food on the plates for them. Interesting. 

But anyway, the area. I love it with all of my heart. When I looked up pictures of Buenos Aires when I got my call, this is what I saw. It's hard to find and teach, but the members are amazing, and we´re seeing miracles every day.  I think I was born to live in the city...

My comp and I are good. Last night she told me herself about her problem. So now there's not that secret. But it's not getting better. She was, but she lost all the weight she had gained again. Plus she's a little sick so that's not helping. Of course there are differences and little things that frustrate each of us about the other but that's going to be happen if you´re with someone literally 24/7. But she's great and this will be a good transfer. 

I'm just really happy. We did divisions last night with the relief society sisters to go visit some less active sisters. And as I was walking and talking with this sister, it kinda hit me. I'm literally walking down the streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, having a full and fluent conversation in Spanish, as a missionary, serving the Lord. This is like a dream. Its hard and stressful, but I will never have this opportunity again. I have 12 months left, so I'm going to give it everything I have. 

There's a convert here in the ward that had a stroke a while ago. He is the sweetest old man. We go to his house and just listen to him talk and read with him so he can work on speaking. He gets frustrated a lot because it's hard for him to talk and harder for others to understand, but he's so sweet. The right side of his body doesn't work. He kept pointing to his right arm and leg saying "They dont want to live!". But he is there every Sunday without fail, and even more inspiring, he walks there. These people are changing my life. 

Anyway. I'm happy, and I love it here. :)

I love you all. Talk to you next week :)

Love,

Hermana Prestwich

PS. I've shut the 3 different computers trying to upload photos, and the guy that's working isn't thrilled with me (haha..oops), so I'll try again next week :) 

Goodbye Escobar....Hello Palermo!

My first transfer! I officially said goobye to Escobar this morning, and now I'm in Palermo! Capital captial. It's going to be way different than provincia was. But I'm super excited. My companion's name is Hermana Holloway, she's from Texas and is super sweet. But just from the hour car ride we had to our area, I can tell this is going to be an interesting transfer. For one, this transfer is 8 weeks, instead of 6. Everyone's missions got extended because native speakers are now going to be in the MTC for 3 weeks instead of 12 days, so in order to have the transfers all work out, we had to extend our missions. Another thing, my comp has 3 transfers left on her mission and is still struggling hardcore with her spanish. So time for me to step it up. Also, she has a problem with an eating disorder. And because of that her emotions can get out of control. Her old comp told me that I will need to have a lot of patience, and will have to make sure she's eating. President is super close to sending her home, and he told her that if she loses anymore weight he's putting her on a plane. But she's super great and I'm super excited for what this new area will bring. 

But leaving Escobar was super hard. I was super ready to leave, felt like I had actually accomplished something, and then about two or three weeks ago my converts just decided to stop going to church. ALL OF THEM. For different reasons. Lucia doesn't have anyone to take her, Damian is working sometimes on Sundays, and Noelia refuses to have anything to do with us, the Rios family is a little on and off. If one can't go none of them go, and Dana told me she just doesn't want to go anymore. My heart literally broke. I have never felt that way before. She was the one person that I was never worried about, and she just... wow. Then we couldn't fiind her for a week. We went by about every day but she just didn't want to see us. Finally we saw her yesterday and convinced her to go again on Sunday, but we´ll see. I hate that I can't be there to help her though. But she´s strong, she´ll make it :)

The mission has helped me see literally every weakness that I have, and it's been super hard. One that I've noticed a lot lately is patience. I literally have none. I've been trying to work on it and it's super super hard. I've told Heavenly Father that it's something I want to work on. And today as we were changing comps and everything, about 5 people told me I will have to have a lot of patience with my comp and my area... So here goes. 

Tomorrow Elder Bednar is coming to speak to all 4 of the Buenos Aires Missions. There will be about 800 missionaries there. I have some friends from the MTC in other missions in Buenos Aires so that will be cool. I'm super excited to see and hear him speak though. It will be a super cool experience. 

Other than that, life is good. I really am thankful for this opportunity that Heavenly Father has given me to serve Him and His children here in Buenos Aires. It's an incredible chance I have to meet these people and to watch them progress in the gospel. I only have 18 months to fearlessly testify of Christ, and 5, almost 6, of those 18 are already gone. I have about 1 year left to give everything I have to this work, and I'm so ready to do this. I love the mission. I love my Heavenly Father and His Son. Jesus Christ. I love every single person I have met here. And I just wish each and every one of you could be walking the streets with me, to meet these people, because it's amazing. And an email once a week doesnt do it justice.

I miss you and love you all so much!

Love,

Hermana Prestwich 

Hola...otra vez.

Hola.. otra vez. 

Literally dont know where the time is going because I feel like I wrote you all two days ago. 

But anyway. I dont have a ton to say this week as nothing really happened.. 

Just that its been really hard. The area, I mean. My comp and I get along great. We´re happy and working hard, but we cant seem to keep anyone. We´re finding a ton. But no one is progressing. We have a ton of possibilities. And for them to be baptized this month, they had to come to church on Sunday. We left the house at 7 to go get all of them. We literally walked around our whole area.. and no one came. It was awful. So that sucks.

Yesterday we found someone who speaks english. So we had a lesson in English and let me just say it was so hard. I'm literally forgetting how to speak English and as I've never given a lesson in English, it was super hard. I'm not sure if he's actually interested or just wants to speak english, but we´ll find out in our appointment tomorrow. 

Other than that, literally nothing happened. I went to Tigre for divisions last week.. It has been the hottest it's been yet and I litterally think I'm dying. We saw a fox randomly in the road and today we went to a zoo called Temaikén with the zone. Super cool but super hot. 

This might be my last time writing to you all in Escobar! Crazy. 

But I love you all! Thanks for writing me and thanks for the support and prayers. I really appreciate it. I miss you all like crazy but I'm so thankful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord. It's hard and hot and sometimes I have no motivation to get out of bed, but it's so worth it. 

Love,

Hemana Prestwich

TRIP TO TEMAIKEN ZOO

 

Hello! 

This week flew by as well. Not sure what's going on with the time. 

But anyway. This week was good! A little hard, but good!

We started a spiritual fast with our district this week to help us be more focused on the work. My comp and I set goals, and I'm trying to not talk about anything that's not gospel related, and things like that. We also set goal and punishments for if we dont acheive those goals. One of those punishments that if no one accepts a baptisimal date that day, we have to sleep on the floor that night. Let me just tell you that we´ve slept on the floor 6 out of the past 7 nights. My back hates me. 

But this week a member gave us a reference, so we went to visit him. We taught him and his wife the first lesson, and they both accepted baptism. And then I asked how many people are in his family, and he said 12. 12 PEOPLE. What a miracle. The only thing is that he works on Sundays, and its hard to go to church. They have to go at least 3 times before they can be baptized, so we're going to work on that with them. 

As for that, nothing else really happened. Saturday was the hottest day I think we´ve had here and I literally thought I was going to die. then yesterday we got caught in a huge rainstorm. 

Thank you to everyone who wished me happy birthday! Yesterday was great, but I refuse to admit I'm 20. Haha. The members here are great though and made sure I felt special being so far from home. 

My comp and I have been waking up at 5:30 to have an extra hour of study time to specifically study about Christ. It's been a little hard and we´ve wimped out and a few times we just slept until 6:30, but the times we have done it are so worth it. I've been reading Jesus the Christ and it is so awesome. I have learned so much about Christ and His life and purpose here on earth. Just this past week my testimony of Christ and His mission on earth has grown so much. The love He has for each one of us as individuals is incredible and frankly almost impossible to comprehend. At least for me. But I am so thankful for Him and His sacrifice for us. That He loves us so much as to give His own life that we may live with Him again. A scripture that I´ve come to love lately is Enos 1:27. Its reads: And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen.

This is the goal. To arrive one day and to see the face of Christ with pleasure, and for Him to tell me that there is a place prepared for me in Heaven. In order for this to happen, there are things we need to do on earth. That´s why we´re here, to prepare to meet God.

I love you all! 

Hermana Prestwich

A picture of me with one of the cakes I had. (yes, I'm wearing pink for like the first time in my life. That's because my other shirt was covered in flour, because when its your birthday here, they throw flour on you. It also rained shortly after, and I still have dough plastered to my scalp :))))))) )

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Everyone drinks Mate

8 February 2016

Hello!  

Thank you! It was a weird birthday. It didn't feel like my birthday and I refuse to think I'm 20. But with the amount of times we´re asked how old we are a day I'm sure I'll be used to it by tonight. 

But the members here are fantastic. We had lunch with a member names Viviana and a few other sisters from the ward and we had pizza and cake. Then the rios family made me cake as well. and dana bought me a ring and a necklace. I love escobar. 

But at the same time I'm so ready to leave. I NEED a change. The converts are getting to the point where they have started to lose repect for me as a missionary and see me only as a friend. Which is great that we have that trust, but all the girls want to talk about is boys and things like that and I just can't do that. I mean if they want to tell me who they like, fine. But when they want to talk about other things it's such a distraction and a tempation to talk about worldly things. And Dana, as much as I love her, is driving me insane. She told me yesterday that we couldn't go by her house because her sister just had a baby and they would be in the hospital, and then went to my comp and told her that we couldn't come because I said I didnt want to see her. Why? Literally no clue. I'ts just little things that are starting to distract me and I think I'm just ready to get out of escobar. 

But this week went by super fast as well. Two weeks left and I'm out of here I'm pretty sure. And on the 24th Elder Bednar is coming to speak with the Buenos Aires Missions!! Crazy. I'll see some of my zone from the mtc. weird. 

T'omorrow I complete 5 months of my mission. Remember my first pday when I was with a different sister? At that point she had 13 months in the mission, and I remember thinking "shes been here for so long but still has so long to go!" and she goes home in 2 weeks. What? Time is starting to go by, and I know once I get to my second area it will go by even faster. 

I''ve been really homesick lately, but in a different way. Ive been missing jo and dev SO MUCH. I'm not sure why. 

My comp and I are good. We get along better. There's still a wall, but it's not as thick as with hna sanchez. But we get along way better. She got pissed at me this morning though because I gave the phone to her to talk with the leaders even though it was "my turn" because my breakfast was burning. So that was fun. We went to Temaiken, which is like a zoo, but the person who was going to pay for all of us didn't show up, and it's super expensive on mondays. So, we´re going as a zone next tuesday, when its half the price. S'o I'm going to write next tuesday, probably later in the day.

Haha tell harry that to just go on his mission. And what he should do is plan it so he will get his call in may so he can open it when we skype ;) Im glad everything is good with cambria. Shes a sweet girl. Her brother though is a jerk. haha I hope lydia is feeling better. And I'm glad the letter helped. It's what has helped me and what I've seen helps others. As for cal, I hope he continues with the game. That would be so cool to see. 

Dad, mom can be your new asistant!!!! And mom, I forgot what it's like to exersize. Oops. And for that, I have gained SO MUCH WEIGHT. And that's not a joke or an exaggeration. I've weighed myself. 

I love you so much and I hope youre on! Ill try to send pictures today too. 

Love,

Ry

It's already been a week...?

Hola!.. Again. 

This week has literally flown by.. Not sure how. 

But anyway. A highlight for the week, Damian was confirmed :) He's now officially a member, and he's way happy :)

Let's see, so this week, we did divisions. I stayed in Escobar with Hermana Vasquez, and we saw SO MANY miracles. 

First we had a zone meeting which they asked us to conduct 10 minutes before, but it was awesome. Super spiritual and super fun, about how we can better use the Book of Mormon in our teaching and just in our own conversion. 

Then we went to work :) We had THE MOST POWERFUL lesson ever with Damian, and Rita (his mom) who is an old investigator, you know, the one who doesn't want to accept the law of chastity?

Anyway. We started out without a plan, and felt we should read in 3rd Nephi, when Christ comes. So we started and the spirit kinda just hit us. We asked them if they believe Christ came to the Americas, and they said yes. Then Rita asked who is Nephi, and we told her a prophet, and then we asked if she believes he was a prophet. She said yes, and we asked how or why she believes that. Just then her doorbell rang and as she was getting up she answered "because I believe in this book" and walked away. I looked at Hna Vasquez in shock to find her looking at me the same way. Literally the spirit was SO strong and we knew what we had to do. So when she came back we continued to ask questions. We tried so hard to follow the spirit so that we would say the right thing. She said she knows the book is true, she's prayed and asked. She knows that this is the true church, that Joseph Smith was a prophet.. everything. So me comp and I looked at each other, knowing that we needed to invite her to be baptized. I looked at her and said "Rita..." and she goes "Look, I'm still not ready to be baptized because I dont want to accept the law of chastity yet". DANG IT. My heart broke and you could tell Damian was sad too. But we can't force her. Then we started talking to Damian about a mission. He now thinks he can't go because he just got accepted onto the police force and knows that if he goes he will lose his spot. We then bore testimony and invited him to pray and fast about it.. So we'll see where that goes. :)

Then we went to visit Milagros, an investigator who's 16. Over the week we found out she has a huge problem with lying.. but like.. bad. Shes accused her dad of violating her, claimed she was pregnant, and a lot of other things. She has a few mental problems. But we went, and her brother wanted to listen too. He has a
HUGE problem with drugs. He smokes 20 packets of cigarettes a day. 20 PACKETS. is that even possible????? But his body is super dependent on them now. But we found out he lies a lot too. Also their family does things.. like.. with the devil. Like they allow evil spirits to take possesion of their bodies and stuff, and it's in a pretty dangerous part of our area. The other side of the street is just fields and they live on the edge of a villa. So we can't be there later than 6 anyway. And every time we go there there is just this... bad feeling. It's literally impossible to feel the spirit and I just don't ever want to be there. 

So last night we went to our meeting with the elders and our ward mission leader and they told us again that they really don't want us going there anymore. And if we do we have to go with a priesthood holder. So we dropped them. It's for the best anyway. We also found out they both have taken discussions before, but told us they haven't. Hahah, oh well.

But today we went to make tacos with the zone, and we were in charge of making dessert. We tried to make pudding, but we had to cook it on the stove. The thing we cooked it in was all burnt on the bottom so the pudding was NASTY.  So they made me promise I would bring no bake cookies to our meeting tomorrow hahaha :)

The mission is great. It's hard and exhausting .. but for the first time this week, after the meeting with Rita, I honestly felt like I love it here :)

Some other things: 

1. I'm the tannest I've ever been

2. I have the ugliest tan lines I've ever had

3. I'm absolutely in love with the food here

4. Thanks to number 3 I'm the fattest I've ever been

5. I'm almost 20! I'm so old. 

And more but I'lll think of those later.

I've been studying true conversion lately. What it is that Christ wants us to become. And in the Bible Dictionary it says that "true conversion comes after many trials and much testing". I can testify of that. I cannot say I'm truely converted. I think that's something I will always been working on. But I can say that thanks to how hard the beginning of my mission was, I'm a little bit closer to becoming what He needs me to become. 

I love you all so much!

Talk to you next week! 

Love, Hermana Prestwich