30 January 2017

This is probably going to be one of those super lame emails.. So I apologize in advance.  

Wednesday we had a worldwide missionary broadcast. Super awesome, all about missionary work. How we can better teach repentance and baptize converts. A lot of good ideas and a lot of personal revelation. It hit me then that I have 7 weeks to put all that in practice. So we got to work. And it was a tough week. I have definitely gotten used to the rejection, but I don't know what was up with the people in Talar this week but they were just.. rude. Even down to the members. I mean if you dont want to listen to us that's one thing. But when you yell at us about how you´re "tired because you just got home from work and we´re disturbing you and giving you a headache"... frustrates me. 

Okay I''m done ranting. But something really cool Ive come to notice about this week is that the rejections dont hurt me. My self confidence doesn't go down, and neither does my ánimo, because they´re not rejecting me. But it hurts my soul when they reject because when they´re saying no to me, as a representative of Jesus Christ, they´re saying no to Him. And it hurts. Because I am so proud to be here doing what I'm doing and when people say no without even knowing what it is they´re saying no to, sometimes I just want to take them by the hair and make them understand.

Okay, now  I'm done ranting. 

Remember Sara? The one I mentioned last week that showed up to church? Well she showed up again, with her daughter. They are so awesome. She has a complicated living situation and schedule, but we´re trying to meet any moment we can. We tried committing them to baptism yesterday. They said they wanted to be baptized, but not that fast. But at least there´s something to work with. 

And Suli, the awesome contact we had, and the awesome lesson we had last week, hid herself from us this week so that was cool. 

I am just so eternally greatful for the mission. It has blessed me in every part of my life. I have met my life long friends here, have met some of my greatest examples and heros, and have come close to my Savior and my Father in Heaven. I love the mission. 

Hope everyone has a great week. 

Love you!!

Hermana Prestwich 

1. My best friends

2. roommates hahah

3. Sunday

4. Peruvian Food!!! w/ some of the zone 

Blessings really do come after the trial of faith

This was an awesome week. I really don't have words to explain it.

Just a lot of awesome things. On Tuesday we had interviews with President. Took all day but sooo worth it. President always knows what it is I need to hear. He´s always super direct with me for some reason. My comps always say that he's super nice and all in interviews with them, but he's always super direct with me. All good though. I need it.

So this week we finally got to see Suli, a super awesome contact we did in the plaza. We had an AWESOME lesson with her! Like, so awesome. We read in 3 Nephi, and she loved it. We committed her to coming to church and she said we needed to wait for her there because she was for sure coming... and didnt show up. But it's okay because we had an awesome miracle.

Her name is Sara. She was a contact done by the elders. We called her to set up an appoitment and she said "the boys invited me! Wait for me on the corner tomorrow because I'm coming!" So we waited, and she came. With her daughter who happens to be 9 :) She loved it, and already said she´ll be coming back next week. So we have an appoitment with her this week and we´ll be committing her and her daughter (and hopefully her husband) to baptism :)

Now for the highlight of the week:

Today in the morning we had a special meeting with Elder Stevenson from the Quorom of the 12 Apostles. It. Was. Awesome. It was with all the leaders from all 4 of the Buenos Aires North missions. Before we started he asked to be able to shake everyones hand, and that was awesome. It was a really cool meeting about how to be a better leader and a better missionary over all. And, even though I had dreams every night this week about falling or messing up directing the music in front of an apostle, everything went great. Hahah but really it was such an incredible meeting. His wife said something that I loved. Talking about missionaries, she said, "you´re different, and that´s so good".

I think that applies to everyone, missionaries and members. We have different standards, different goals, and a different perspective. We all are trying to come unto Christ and return to our loving Heavenly Father. We´re different, and that is so good.

I love you all, and I hope you have an amazing week.

Love,

Hermana Prestwich

I have pictures but dont have my camera.. Sorry! 

1. Rio de Tigre 

2. Hermana Rodriguez :)

3. Rio de Trigre, sin mi jajaj

Putting a deadlock in my hair.

I Believe That We Will Win.

Bueeenoooos dias!! 

This has been a crazy week packed full of heat and work and meetings and ANIMO. 

So we have the biggest zone in the mission (see photo below) thanks to the fact that we have the assistants, office elders, and 4 new areas that are being opened. We have 16 companionships, o sea, 32 missionaries. Its.. Awesome. President has set the goal to get to a point where we´re regularly baptizing 200 per month. And because we´re the biggest zone, President has been putting a ton of pressure on us. So we set the goal to baptize 50 this month as a zone. We also made a "leaders zone" with the zone leaders and sister training leaders and assistants and set the goal to baptize 55 this month... I have neverrrr had such a desire to find and baptize like I do now. 

...And its never been harder. We have a ton of posibilities, but no one that can progress right now. Its killingggg meeee. Satan is working so hard on us right now. Miguel, well.. is unwilling to act on anything. He refuses to read and go to church. Its frustrating. Marcela isnt married, and cant read, and also isnt willing to come to church. All the other options we had just all fell through this week. We committed them to come to church this week pero mal mal mal and.. no one showed up. The elders gave us some records of old investigators in our area. We prayed and felt super strongly about 4. Well we called them and 2 of those 4 dont want anything to do with us. 

So basically, its hard. But the desire I have to find and baptize is stronger than ever. The zone has come together to reach this goal. We made a list of every posibility the zone has to be baptized these next coming weeks, and in total, there were 120 names. So every other day this week we´ve had conference calls to pray for each person by name. One of the APs has taught the zone the we believe that we will win chant so they have been calling us all every night to do that chant together. haha Its super fun...

So this will be another week us hard hard work. We have a ton of ideas. We´re doing "multi-divisiones" where the instead of doing exhanges with leaders, the whole zone is going to change. We have divisions with other sisters, we have conference calls, chants.. we´re super excited. 

We´ve been giving all though, seriously. To the point where we´re singing on the bus. If you know me, its probably hard to imagine. But I want this so bad!

I just love the mission. I cant believe I only have 9 more weeks to wear the nametag for everyone to see. To testify of Christ and bring people to repentance. We´re focusing a lot on charity as a mission and when you pray for it in every prayer it really works. I really do love every person here. I have gained such a strong testimony of the perfect plan that God has especifically for me. Every person that has crossed my path here has taught me something or helped me become the person God needs me to be. 

I love you all, have a great week!

and a birthday shout out to my sis who turned 15 on friday, love you!!

Love,

Hermana Prestwich 

Pics:

1. la gran zona LITORAL. #LITORALmenteexcelente

2. last pday with the sisters we live with 

3. the kittens that brought us to marcela

4. y mi compi 

5. Roomates




6.  Hangin





7. P-day Fun





8.  Me and Hermana Ladezma again

9 January 2017

Hey everyone! 

This week I actually have some things to report as we got to go out and work this week finally ;) 

The first day we got to get out and work was on Wednesday. Which actually was a pretty good day. Well we were walking along and on the side of the road we saw some kittens, and being who I am I just had to stop and play with them. So I was sitting there in the grass playing with these adorable creatures when this woman came up from the house in front. Well I decided I needed to stop being 5 years old and we started to talk to her. Her name is Marcela. She has two kids who are 10 and 9 (perfeccctttt) and is super open. We asked what her biggest worry would be and she goes "everything. I don't know if I did the right things or made the right decisions.." YES. Those are my favorite answers because it means there's a lot to work with. We went by a couple times and the only problem is that she can't read.. so that makes it hard to leave things with her. She's also not married. But there's potential. 

We have also been working with a man names Miguel. He always listens to us, the only problem is that he only seems interested because it gives him someone to talk to. But it was so funny the other day we went by and he was outside, along with his sons and all their drunk friends blasting music from a car and he turns to them and goes "can you turn that down?!?! I can't hear my sisters!!!" haha I died. 

We also contacted someone in the park the other day named Suli. She was super awesome but kept making excuses about why she couldn't accept the book, and then goes "why don't you read me something right now?" So we asked if she had any questions and she said she didn't understand where our spirits go after we die. I let out a sigh of relief because as soon as I asked that question I regretted it because who knows if I would have found an answer. But luckily I knew it. So we read and she really liked it. She then accepted the book and we have an appointment with her on Friday ;)

Theres a lot of potential here in Talar. It's a little bit of a challenge opening an area with a companion that still doesn't know how to be a missionary, but we´re doing well I think. We´ve only gotten lost like 100 times, including yesterday when we got lost for an hour and ended up contacting this guy in the middle of this forest who had rod in his hand like he was going to murder us. I couldn't stop staring at it and he goes "oh this? Its nothing. Im just a little weird" Which was when I was like, "okay yeah.. see ya!"

The members are awesome and are helping us a ton. My comp is great, and we live with the best sisters in the mission. Times is flying. Today I reached 16 months. Cant believe it. Demasiado rápido. 

I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Love,

Hermana Prestwich 

Happy 2017

Happy New Year!!! I can't believe 2016 has come and gone. It was one of the best years full of miracles and happiness and blessings out here serving en La Gran Mision Buenos Aires Norte. I just love the mission. 

This email is going to be super short due to the fact that we haven''t left the apartment this week thanks to my sickness. BUT I do have a new companion. Her name is Hermana Ledezma, and she´s from Chile :) My 4th Chilean comp! Shes super awesome :)

We did get to work Wednesday though, which was great. I think the ward really missed the sisters because we´ve been invited over so many times, given so much food, and even flowers. And the ward found out I was sick and over and over again brought us food and medicine and drinks. Its gonna be a good 2 transfers :) 

Sadly thats about all I have to say.. Its really hot here. Like unbelievably hot. We don't have much shade in our area. Our apartment doesn't have air conditioning... Pray for us. 

Love you guys and hope you have a great week!!

Love,

Hermana Prestwich

The only picture we took this week.. 

Sick in Bed and my new companion Hermana Ledezma