July 12 Transfers!!!
Haha, you are my secretary! Ah, just kidding! I'm glad to hear from you because I got some exciting news... TRANSFERS!!!
I'm going to Bariloche!
Saturday night the new district leader in Zapala (our beloved E. Smoot from the MTC!) informed us that my poor companion that wanted to leave Zapala would stay, and I who wanted to stay would leave. It really really stinks. I feel like I did nothing in Zapala, like I helped nobody. That's the worst part. I feel like I leave with shame.
But what we always say is that the work is directed by the Lord, and He doesn't need me in Zapala anymore. He needs me in Bariloche!
Bariloche (bah-di-loh-chay) is a skiing place in the mountains. Therefore I shall see snow and a lot of coldness. Boo. I'm going to be working in the downtown area with Hna. Smith from the U.S., and she's the tallest sister here in the mission, well over six feet tall. And blonde. With blue eyes. Yeah, we won't stick out. Nah, because there are so many tourists there during the winter (for behold, here it's winter) we are going to find a lot of English speakers, so we won't stick out... too much.
Hna. Palacios gave me some Peruvian sweaters and thermals to wear because it's supposedly REALLY COLD.
Oh heavens.
So right now I'm writing in the bus terminal here in Neuquén capital, waiting another 50 minutes before my bus leaves. I think I'll arrive at about 10 or 11 at night.
My goodbyes from Zapala were interesting. I wasn't going to say anything in church so I could say goodbye to the people afterward visiting, but my companion told the bishop who had the first councilor assign me a talk without a topic 1 hour before sacrament meeting, who also told the ward at the end of the sacrament meeting. Thanks Hno. Villar! Nutter. I only say that with love.
So for right now that's where I am. This past week we've been having difficulty with our recent converts. Two of them, a couple, have decided to "help their marriage" they're not going to come to church. They got into a fight after the loss between Germany and Argentina because he was in a bad BAD mood. The fight was pretty ugly, the church came up (because we were at their house during the match- we made them lunch and my companion was treating the loss of Arg lightly which bugged him even more), and he decided that to help their marriage he's not going to come to church, and to keep the matrimonial unity she decided she's not going to go either. It's stupid. My companion felt awful because she felt like it was all her fault, but they were on this path for a long time. It's just that they've finally come to the point where they leave it all behind. It's sad, but they have their agency.
Another one of our amazing investigators isn't coming to church anymore either. It's Gabriela, whose dad recently died about four months ago. Her mom (who I officially now think is insane) is in a bad depression and is often alone, which makes it even worse. She guilts her children into leaving their lives behind to spend time with her. I can understand that she's hurting, but now her children are hurting too. Her two daughters that got baptized won't come to church until she's better. The thing is that she wants to be miserable. We visited her this past week and stayed with her because she was alone (and her daughters asked us to visit so that she wouldn't be alone), and we left her fine and dandy. The next day however we found her daughters in the street, the one saying "what did you say to my mom last night? What did you do?" When her daughter came to her mom's house about 15 minutes after we left, and her mom began yelling at her saying terrible things. This is why I think her mom is nuts. She went AWOL on her daughter, and now her daughter doesn't trust the missionaries- at least the sisters. And yet again Hna. Palacios felt awful because she tried to do what was right, but to her she made the situation even worse.
Okay, so I fumed for a moment there.
The thing is as missionaries we have to respect the agency of these people. As hard as it is to watch them make stupid decisions with their lives, we have to let them do it, because it's their lives. We work with them to help them, but in the end it's their decision.
But I have hope for the future, my future in Bariloche and my really tall companion. It's going to be good. I'm going to work hard to make sure I don't leave Bariloche like I left Zapala. Can you smell that? It smells like... MISSIONARY SUCCESS!
Send everyone my love!
xoxo, Hna. Georgeson
P.S. Mama, keep you eyes out on my email, I think Hna. Palacios might try to send my pics.
Thank you secretary! (Nah, just kidding! Thank you Mama for all that you do for me xo)
I'm going to Bariloche!
Saturday night the new district leader in Zapala (our beloved E. Smoot from the MTC!) informed us that my poor companion that wanted to leave Zapala would stay, and I who wanted to stay would leave. It really really stinks. I feel like I did nothing in Zapala, like I helped nobody. That's the worst part. I feel like I leave with shame.
But what we always say is that the work is directed by the Lord, and He doesn't need me in Zapala anymore. He needs me in Bariloche!
Bariloche (bah-di-loh-chay) is a skiing place in the mountains. Therefore I shall see snow and a lot of coldness. Boo. I'm going to be working in the downtown area with Hna. Smith from the U.S., and she's the tallest sister here in the mission, well over six feet tall. And blonde. With blue eyes. Yeah, we won't stick out. Nah, because there are so many tourists there during the winter (for behold, here it's winter) we are going to find a lot of English speakers, so we won't stick out... too much.
Hna. Palacios gave me some Peruvian sweaters and thermals to wear because it's supposedly REALLY COLD.
Oh heavens.
So right now I'm writing in the bus terminal here in Neuquén capital, waiting another 50 minutes before my bus leaves. I think I'll arrive at about 10 or 11 at night.
My goodbyes from Zapala were interesting. I wasn't going to say anything in church so I could say goodbye to the people afterward visiting, but my companion told the bishop who had the first councilor assign me a talk without a topic 1 hour before sacrament meeting, who also told the ward at the end of the sacrament meeting. Thanks Hno. Villar! Nutter. I only say that with love.
So for right now that's where I am. This past week we've been having difficulty with our recent converts. Two of them, a couple, have decided to "help their marriage" they're not going to come to church. They got into a fight after the loss between Germany and Argentina because he was in a bad BAD mood. The fight was pretty ugly, the church came up (because we were at their house during the match- we made them lunch and my companion was treating the loss of Arg lightly which bugged him even more), and he decided that to help their marriage he's not going to come to church, and to keep the matrimonial unity she decided she's not going to go either. It's stupid. My companion felt awful because she felt like it was all her fault, but they were on this path for a long time. It's just that they've finally come to the point where they leave it all behind. It's sad, but they have their agency.
Another one of our amazing investigators isn't coming to church anymore either. It's Gabriela, whose dad recently died about four months ago. Her mom (who I officially now think is insane) is in a bad depression and is often alone, which makes it even worse. She guilts her children into leaving their lives behind to spend time with her. I can understand that she's hurting, but now her children are hurting too. Her two daughters that got baptized won't come to church until she's better. The thing is that she wants to be miserable. We visited her this past week and stayed with her because she was alone (and her daughters asked us to visit so that she wouldn't be alone), and we left her fine and dandy. The next day however we found her daughters in the street, the one saying "what did you say to my mom last night? What did you do?" When her daughter came to her mom's house about 15 minutes after we left, and her mom began yelling at her saying terrible things. This is why I think her mom is nuts. She went AWOL on her daughter, and now her daughter doesn't trust the missionaries- at least the sisters. And yet again Hna. Palacios felt awful because she tried to do what was right, but to her she made the situation even worse.
Okay, so I fumed for a moment there.
The thing is as missionaries we have to respect the agency of these people. As hard as it is to watch them make stupid decisions with their lives, we have to let them do it, because it's their lives. We work with them to help them, but in the end it's their decision.
But I have hope for the future, my future in Bariloche and my really tall companion. It's going to be good. I'm going to work hard to make sure I don't leave Bariloche like I left Zapala. Can you smell that? It smells like... MISSIONARY SUCCESS!
Send everyone my love!
xoxo, Hna. Georgeson
P.S. Mama, keep you eyes out on my email, I think Hna. Palacios might try to send my pics.
Thank you secretary! (Nah, just kidding! Thank you Mama for all that you do for me xo)
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