Happy August!
Alas, another week has rolled away and you haven't written me! As I sit here in this booth I cry rivers of tears as the lost words of my sleeping mother are sent into the realm of dreams.
I think my companion has rubbed off on me. Or maybe that means I'm rubbing off on myself.
I love it when she reads me her journal entries. They sound a lot like that and then make me laugh.
Anyway, on to stuff that is a wee bit more important!
I officially declare that I've hit the point in my mission where I'm exhausted all the time. My companion says it happens to everyone. I'm just going to take it as a good sign as to the fact that I really do try to work hard. There are days better than others, but alas, I cannot slack! I would hate that.
The work here in Bariloche is picking up. The ward here is really small. Somebody told us that about ten years ago there were about 100 kids in the Primary in this ward. 100 kids! And not just one person said that, a couple! And now about 30ish people attend faithfully every week. They're small but faithful. Yesterday after church about 5 sisters from the ward ran up to us and asked us to visit Hna. so and so, a less active member. It's difficult as a missionary to handle this situation. We would love to go visit the less active members, but we also have to be missionaries! It is part of the responsability of the missionaries to visit less active members, but the majority of the responsability falls on the members. These members are a part of their fold- they are the ones that can stay and help them out, genuinely make them feel loved- not the missionaries! I'm sorry, I just had to get that out. This is why visiting teaching and home teaching are so important! The members are the ones that make the difference, not the missionaires. Therefore go out and do! Now! Don't wait for invitations. Go out and actively find! Oy vey.
That is one of the only things that makes us lose time every once in a while. We try to use these opportunities anyway to find investigators- friends and family- but it still gets us.
This week we had our first real lesson with Kristina, a girl that we found knocking doors last week. She's so amazing! Just down to earth and level headed. When we explained Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, she asked us all the questions that she had without any kind of embarassment and then at the end said, "I think I really just want to study this all out and pray about it." My companion was like PLEASE DO!!! She didn't freak out or get all offensive or anything. She just took it all in stride and doesn't automatically rule it out over the miraculousness over it (if miraculousness is even a word. Don't laugh at my lack of communication skills). She just really wants to know the truth. We're so excited to see her again, but we fasted for her yesterday so that she would get an answer and be able to move forward to baptism. Because she's so great she's going to see a lot of opposition, but we want her so bad, and so does Heavenly Father. He won't let her fail and fall. He'll help her.
And on Saturday morning somebody let me iron for them! I was so happy! Drying machines don't exist here. Everything air dries and gets wrinkly, therefore everybody irons EVERTHING. Have you ever ironed a tshirt? I have.Have you ever ironed your sweaters? I have. These poor mothers here have TONS to iron, but never let us help! But an investigator, Juanita, let us iron for her because she just hates it so much. Juanita is lovely. A middle-aged mother who always takes care of us. She has two awesome kids: Natalia and Emilio. Emilio is a hoot, I love that kid. We've been building up this amistad and confianza (like friendship and trust) with them. They listen always, but understanding is another story. We've tried so many things to help them understand things like prophets and the apostacy, but Juanita just doesn't get it. Her kids do, they're really smart, even 11yr old Emilio who never seems like he's listening. If anybody has any suggestions, please do send.
Also suggestions for a Walter, who is married to a member. He just doesn't like reading. He's more of a visual learner kind of guy, but visuals like movies really aren't accesible here. How do we help him? He needs a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but how? Please send your suggestions to me pronto.
Okay, so you have until next monday.
Thank you so much for all that you do! Love and miss you all a lot.
xoxox, Hna.Georgeson
P.S. And tell Adam that I love him.
I think my companion has rubbed off on me. Or maybe that means I'm rubbing off on myself.
I love it when she reads me her journal entries. They sound a lot like that and then make me laugh.
Anyway, on to stuff that is a wee bit more important!
I officially declare that I've hit the point in my mission where I'm exhausted all the time. My companion says it happens to everyone. I'm just going to take it as a good sign as to the fact that I really do try to work hard. There are days better than others, but alas, I cannot slack! I would hate that.
The work here in Bariloche is picking up. The ward here is really small. Somebody told us that about ten years ago there were about 100 kids in the Primary in this ward. 100 kids! And not just one person said that, a couple! And now about 30ish people attend faithfully every week. They're small but faithful. Yesterday after church about 5 sisters from the ward ran up to us and asked us to visit Hna. so and so, a less active member. It's difficult as a missionary to handle this situation. We would love to go visit the less active members, but we also have to be missionaries! It is part of the responsability of the missionaries to visit less active members, but the majority of the responsability falls on the members. These members are a part of their fold- they are the ones that can stay and help them out, genuinely make them feel loved- not the missionaries! I'm sorry, I just had to get that out. This is why visiting teaching and home teaching are so important! The members are the ones that make the difference, not the missionaires. Therefore go out and do! Now! Don't wait for invitations. Go out and actively find! Oy vey.
That is one of the only things that makes us lose time every once in a while. We try to use these opportunities anyway to find investigators- friends and family- but it still gets us.
This week we had our first real lesson with Kristina, a girl that we found knocking doors last week. She's so amazing! Just down to earth and level headed. When we explained Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, she asked us all the questions that she had without any kind of embarassment and then at the end said, "I think I really just want to study this all out and pray about it." My companion was like PLEASE DO!!! She didn't freak out or get all offensive or anything. She just took it all in stride and doesn't automatically rule it out over the miraculousness over it (if miraculousness is even a word. Don't laugh at my lack of communication skills). She just really wants to know the truth. We're so excited to see her again, but we fasted for her yesterday so that she would get an answer and be able to move forward to baptism. Because she's so great she's going to see a lot of opposition, but we want her so bad, and so does Heavenly Father. He won't let her fail and fall. He'll help her.
And on Saturday morning somebody let me iron for them! I was so happy! Drying machines don't exist here. Everything air dries and gets wrinkly, therefore everybody irons EVERTHING. Have you ever ironed a tshirt? I have.Have you ever ironed your sweaters? I have. These poor mothers here have TONS to iron, but never let us help! But an investigator, Juanita, let us iron for her because she just hates it so much. Juanita is lovely. A middle-aged mother who always takes care of us. She has two awesome kids: Natalia and Emilio. Emilio is a hoot, I love that kid. We've been building up this amistad and confianza (like friendship and trust) with them. They listen always, but understanding is another story. We've tried so many things to help them understand things like prophets and the apostacy, but Juanita just doesn't get it. Her kids do, they're really smart, even 11yr old Emilio who never seems like he's listening. If anybody has any suggestions, please do send.
Also suggestions for a Walter, who is married to a member. He just doesn't like reading. He's more of a visual learner kind of guy, but visuals like movies really aren't accesible here. How do we help him? He needs a testimony of the Book of Mormon, but how? Please send your suggestions to me pronto.
Okay, so you have until next monday.
Thank you so much for all that you do! Love and miss you all a lot.
xoxox, Hna.Georgeson
P.S. And tell Adam that I love him.
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