fruit cake is no longer a gag gift

How did your Christmas goat?  That´s actually just a really bad pun
because I´m super stoked that we ate goat for Christmas.

And watched a pretty fun dog fight.(They run wild)

 It was probably one of the best Christmases I´ve had- and there´s a
couple of other personal stories that will have to be told in person
when I´m back.

I have decided that I´m going to always wear a watch for the rest of
my life because my watch tan is SO RIDICULOUSLY good that people who
see it are just going to be jealous.  And I just don´t want to be the
cause of a bunch of envy.

This week was a little bit crazy.  In the beginning of the week had to
wake up at 4:30 in the morning to go to a 2 zone Christmas conference.
And we stayed up really late organizing the trip.  Our zone is
geographically the biggest in the mission because we are a bunch of
little branches entering Bolivia so it was crazy rounding everybody
up.  I only slept 3 hours- but  I was only a little tired.  We
played white elephant gift exchange and our mission president´s 11 year old son kind
of rigged it a little bit so I got to go last and pick whatever gift I
wanted.  (Because  we became really good friends when I served in his
ward)  Then he made fun of me because I stole a Barcelona jersey only
because it came with a cool artisinal bag and a wooden carving.

The next day we worked our butts off because we were excited to be
able to work and not sleeping caught up to me and I almost died but it
was worth it because we brought 10 new people to church and 9 of them
have baptismal dates and they are families!!!!!  Best Christmas
present ever.

After we skyped, we got to know a little bit the member who lent us
her computer.  (because it wasn´t in our area, we didn´t know her, we
were really grateful for her letting us into her house- and everyone
loves listening to scriptures)  She had suffered a stroke a while back
and was a paralyzed in half her body and couldn´t say more that a few
words if she tried REALLY hard.  She looked a bit sad.  We watered all
of her plants, shared a little Christmas message and then tried to
understand her.  We told her we would sit as long as it took for her
to talk- she started crying and the words slowly came out.  I think
it´s been a really long time since she´s had anyone try to communicate
and not only talk to her.  Through hand signs, little words, and the
spirit she was able to express her concerns and problems in her life
right now and we were able to offer her the best cure that we had- The
Book of Mormon.  We committed her 10 year old son to read to his mom
everyday.  The Elders in her area are going to give her a blessing as
well- but I know that there isn´t a better way to feel peace in this
life, then having daily scripture study.

It made me think back a lot on the beginning of my mission.  When I
couldn´t communicate with everyone.  But I´m really grateful for those
hard months because I feel like there are a lot of people that just
want to be understood- and I now know the importance of helping them.
The importance of our Baptismal covenant to ease the burdens, comfort
and cry with those who need it.

On Christmas Eve as we were re-gifting what our family sent us- we
were in the house of a less active family that were so touched that
they wanted to give us something too.  Here they aren´t usually a lot
of presents but normally the families have a little tree that they put
fruitcakes under to eat Christmas day.  They didn´t have very many-
but they picked the biggest one that they had and give it to us.  And
all we had given them were a couple of pouches of Scooby-Doo fruit
snacks to their kids.

It doesn´t sound like that big of a deal but it gets me chocked up
every time I think about it.

The world is full of a bunch of really, really wholesomely good people
who just want to help others.  I feel so blessed for having received
love and service from so many selfless people- and knowing my Savior
better because of it.

I hoped you all had a really Merry Christmas.

I wanted to share this scripture with you when we talked, but here it
is now: D&C 123:17.  If we are really, honestly doing everything that
we possibly can we never have to worry.  There is peace in trying
harder than you think you can.

I love you all.

Missionary Disneyland

Basically I´m ridiculously happy.  Being with Hermana Erikson makes me
feel like I´m starting my mission and not finishing it. She was one of
the first people that I met in the MTC. And I really, really, really
love teaching an area to someone.  It´s like taking someone to
Disneyland for the first time and getting to explain everything.

This week we were leaving the house of an less active convert family
and when we were already a couple houses away, one of the little kids
ran to us with a bag of 4 humitas.  Which  are like vegetarian tamales
and freaking delicious.  And a couple of mangoes because everyone here
just throws them away.  It was a little bit weird because in this area
it was one of the first time that someone has gifted us food.

We then went to a visit a family that we had recently met that are
really great.  They had read  what we left them and were excited to
learn more.  We explained about the Restoration, priesthood, and
Joseph Smith and they understood really well. It was a really
spiritual lesson.

When we asked If they would like us to ask for anything specific in
our prayer she asked if we could ask that they could find a way to
have food for the next day.  She told us that her husband had left
about two months ago and they haven´t heard from him.  And her job was
finished until the next planting/harvest season in February.  Nobody
in her family had eaten that day, ant it was 8 o´clock at night. She
didn´t say it in a begging manner, but humbly.  A lot of people think
that prayers from the missionaries are more powerful.

After the prayer we gave them the 4 little humitas that we had and the
couple of dirty mangoes.  It wasn´t much but I´ve never seen someone
so grateful in my life.  She looked like she was about to cry- and
when she started to protest we cut her off, said our goodbyes.

Sometimes the Lord works miracles in really strange ways.  I have no
doubt in my mind that God organized everything perfectly that day
because he loves his children.

One night when we got back home there was a HUGE frog in our bathroom.
But there isn´t really much more of a story there.

The last half of the week it´s been well under 100 degrees.  I´ve
celebrated by drinking hot chocolate.

In missionary heritage I´m now a grandma because my daughter now has daughter.

We are working on a wedding of a part-member family!  We already
helped the dad quit smoking- and we are just waiting for all the
paperwork of the wedding ceremony to work out to get him in the water
and be one step closer to their eternal family.  They are already so
excited to go to the temple.

Well, I´ve heard that the time difference is 4 hours.  I will be
calling around 2 o´clock here which I think would be 10 o´clock your
time.  I´m pretty sure that I´m going to skype- but don´t be surprised
if I end up calling.  We are going to try to go to Oran with a member
that has internet.

All of the packages that have been sent have been held captive by the
grinches in the Argentine Mail system (because there are so many) and
will not be released for the mission home to pick up untill after the
holidays.  But I´m sure I´ll get your package soon!

six weeks left.

I asked Courtney what transfers were like.  I knew her companion was going home so I wondered if she had to travel 7 hours back to the mission home with her.

HAhaha.  Well- your question has the most complicated answer. It´s always
different.  But I´ll tell how my transfers went today for example.

La Colonia Santa Rosa, is so special small and incurrupt that it doesn´t
have a bus terminal.  So we have to go to the bus terminal in a neighboring
 town to send my companion off and receive my new one.  It´s also ridiculously hard to leave
my area. Especially at really wierd hours of the day- and normaly they
don´t give us our itinerary until late Sunday night.

  So, we were bugging our zone leaders because we´re really good friends
the whole week that they had to tell us our schedule as soon as they found
out so that we could organize everything well, and actually be able to leave.

They didn´t.  They let us know late, late Sunday night.

We had to leave our apartment at 5;30 in the morning- and we didn´t have any
idea who we could ask to take us.  We called about every taxi driver that
we knew.  Nobody was available.  And to make things worse the 2 female
members who were going to wait with me untill my new companion arrived had
to bail out.  The other members that we could have asked don´t have
cell-phones.  It was 2 in the morning and we literally had run out of
options.

When finally, finally our district president offered to take us. And then
my sweet, sweet district leader called all the members in his area to see
if one of them could acompany me.  And when they couldn´t-  the elders
offered to wake up ridiculously early and wait with me! And, we only had to
make  a really long series of stressful phone calls.

My new companion traveled 9 hours by bus to get to me.  And her bus left 2
hours late so we just sweated (because it´s already ridiculously hot at 6
in the morning here), talked and waited for a really long time in the
terminal with my district leader and his mini misionero that`s from
one of my old areas.

I slept 3 hours.  I thought I would be dying by now, because my internal
clock has gotten really good (I wake up about 10 minutes before 7 everyday,
and my eyes start to hurt at 9:15 at night and I know that we have to start
heading home. )

But I actually feel amazing.  I don´t think that missionaries can feel the
same physical stress as a normal person.

It´s one of the worst things in the world watching someone end their
mission.  My companion LITERALLY gave everything she had her last day- but
it was a super spiritual act that would have to be told in person to do it
justice.

I honestly don´t feel like I´ll be finishing my mission  in a month especially
because MY NEW COMPANION WAS IN MY DISTRICT IN THE MTC!!!!!  I
feel like I´m just starting over.  I´m with my 2 companion that isn´t
latin. (she extended her mission- which is the bigest relief that we won´t
be finishing togather.  Our area doesn´t have a map.  It would be
impossible to learn if someone didn´t teach it to you.)

I kinda like transfers because there is something magical about spending
the whole week talking about everyone that exists in your area.  I really,
really, really love the Colonia.  I´ve never met such hardworking people
even thought they take a 5 hour nap eveyday.

I love my mission.

Sometimes I just want to cry because I´m so freaking happy, and because
it´s so freaking hot and humid every day that I don´t remember what it
feels like to be dry.
Love ya, Hermana Shumway

juggling

Back when I was in my university freshmen English class, my teacher encouraged us to all learn to juggle.  He told us that he knew it sounded crazy, but he promised that one day it would be super beneficial in some way.  

I didn´t follow his advice.  I thought it was weird- and I spent my free time not learning how to juggle.

This week my mission president made me attempt to juggle in front of everyone- and it was super embarrassing because I didn´t have the slightest clue how!

It really made me think back on my English class, and how sometimes the things that sound crazy- are actually worth doing.

I thinks that´s how it is for a lot of our investigators.  They probably think that we are absolutely insane.  Two foreigners telling them that thier salvation depends on reading a book, getting baptized in our little green kiddie pool, and saving up and preparing to make the 10 hour trip to a temple. 

I´m glad I was born in the church.

This week was fun because in our street contacts we´ve been able to talk about the second coming because there was fairly big earthquake with aftershock, a hailstorm, and lots of weird changes in the weather.  It really makes the people think!

This week we had to go to a bunch of training's- so we didn´t have to much time to work in our area.  But the little time that we did have-it was under 100 degrees and we worked our butts off.  Satan creatively tried to stop us.  A dog peed on me.  And I feel in some mud running into an appointment in the dark- but we were so freaking blessed and it was amazing because nothing else matters.  

I love my mission.

On Sunday we took a 45 minute bus ride with the branch to our district conference in my previous area- Oran.  I´ve never been hugged and kissed so much in my life.  

WE NOW HAVE A BRANCH PRESIDENT.  But he´s the only active Melchizedek priesthood holder, but he´s really excited to help us activate and find more.

I don´t know if I´ll be able to skype- it might just be a phone call.  The internet where I am right now isn´t capable to support video chat. But I´ll let you know more later! 

And, we spent P-day out of our area!  So, here´s some photos from this week!

 I love you, I love you, I love you.

photos

God loves us. He really, really loves us.

God loves us.  He really, really loves us.

This week I was in companionship exchanges with a Hermana that has been here for 3 weeks, and doesn´t know much Spanish.  We spent a good part of the days stopping and talking with people in the street.  As we were walking to an appointment, I felt that we should take a different path and we ran into a woman and her little child.

We contacted her like we would anyone and and as we were saying goodbye I got the strongest feeling that we should ask her if there was anything that we could do to help her.

Her sincerity really surprised me.

She looked a little frustrated and told me that she didn´t know.  That she honestly didn´t know but sometimes she just felt bad.

I pulled out a pamphlet and marked a few things for her and then looked her in the eyes and starting talking and testifying.  And as I told her how much God loved her- I became overwhelmed and almost started crying.  She had tears in her eyes, and As we said goodbye the second time she looked a little more at peace.

Still thinking about that moment makes me want to cry.  I could only feel a little part of what our Heavenly Father feels for her- and I can´t even imagine what would be the full effect.

Walking that stretch of road to our next appointment I began to think of our celestial family- and the individual importance that we all have.

This week we`ve been focusing a lot on teaching families.  I think I´ve wasted a lot of time of my mission focusing on salvation- when I should have been more interested in exaltation.  Salvation is personal, but exaltation is familiar.  

We´ve also been talking a lot about repentance in first-time visits- and it´s been really powerful.  Everyone needs to use the atonement a little bit more in their lives.

I also inhaled a mosquito.  It hurts a lot more that it sounds. 

I LOVE YOU.

This week I`m writing from the area of my district leader!! We spent p-day making tacos.  Greetings from Elder Morales ay Elder Romer. 

 Mi nueva compañera y mi distrito y zona

 Las hermanas de mis 3 zonas!

el abuelo with my hat

fantasy land

Sometimes I feel like I´m fantasy land.  I love my mission.  For these past couple of days the streets have been filled with hundreds and hundreds of little white butterflies.

I did splits with an Hermana from Nicaragua and she told me that are a ton of wild tigers where she lives and invited me to stay with her in her house.

It always amazes me how you can only have known a person for 3 weeks and you already love them.  My companion is great.  And she literally puts hot sauce or chili powder on everything.  Popcorn with hot sauce,
and any type of fruit with chili powder are actually super good.

Some members bought me a giant hat from Bolivia, and I think it´s to humid for make-up so I stopped wearing any.  My companion  says that I look Amish but I feel fabulous.  A cute little grandpa even asked if he could try my hat on so that´s that.

About 4 weeks ago our mission president has challenged our whole mission to read The Book of Mormon cover to cover before Christmas. And to mark everything that has to do with the atonement in red and baptism and missionary work in blue.I´ve never marked up a book so much in my entire life.I´ve had to spend all of my personal study and the occasional free time to be up to where I need to be.

The Book of Mormon is true.  There is a reason that it´s the instrument of the restoration. Our Heavenly Father has always loved us, and will always love us.  The only way to find lasting peace is through using our Savior´s
sacrifice, and then helping others do the same.

  When Elder Cook came to our mission, he didn´t leave us a blessing that we would have a million baptisms- he left a blessing for us and our families. There is always a lot of work to do but when we are on the Lord´s side
he does what we can´t.I love you so much.  I´m glad that you got my letter.  I´m praying for all of you.  My companions prays for you too.  One of my converts too!

Don´t worry!  I´m not loosing that much weight.  Just a little bit. I´m just almost the same size that I was before the mission now.  It´s kinda hard not to thin down a little bit when its literally 130 degrees and humid. And there´s more things to do then there is time.  I´m eating a lot.  

ELDER COOK OF THE 12 VISITED OUR MISSION!

This week nothing scary happened!  `Cept a gaint bug attacked me while
I was walking down the street  but it wasn´t even that bad.  And we
ate an unhealthy amount of steak but that pretty much happens all the
time.  Argentina.

ELDER COOK OF THE 12 VISITED OUR MISSION!  We had a special conference
and gathered together completely as a mission!  It was incredible.  In
the end he was testifying, and crying and he left a blessing upon our
mission.  It was so spiritual- it´s like the part in 3rd nephi when the
Lord is crying and praying for all the people that were there.

It was really great to see missionaries that I haven´t seen since the
MTC.  I got to see all of my old companions!  I got to receive
letters from my converts and found out how that are all doing from the
other missionaries!  And, we spent the night in my 2nd area and I had
the opportunity to visit a bunch of investigators, converts, and
members.  I can´t believe how blessed I am!

Even being in a 7 hour bus ride was super fun because we were with the
3 zones that I do companionship exchanges and zone training's with.  It
was like being with family! And I learned all of the slang words in
Chile. And we have a lot of really funny pictures of missionaries
sleeping.

Because of exchanges and the conference, we only had 1 and 1/2 days to
work in our area.  But the Lord blessed us, while we were walking to
one of our appointments, we literally ran into all of the other people
that we needed to see in the street on our way there.  We are
literally so lucky!

We are teaching an abuelito that´s been investigating the church for
years. We´ve been studying with him everyday.  And our last lesson with
him was sooo spiritual.  He didn´t plan on going to church this
sunday, but we ran into him 3 times Sunday morning while we were
looking for other investigators- and when he went back to his house a
catholic program was on TV so he knew that God was telling him that he
had to go to church!

I love the mission!

And I actually have a photo that I can send because my companion sent
it to me!  

Me and mi Hijita Hna Matins, Hna Saenz, and la hija de Hna
Saenz y compañera de mi hija

I found this on Facebook from another mom.  It was after Elder Cook spoke.

Mud and toads

God loves the Colonia and obedient missionaries that fast even when it´s 122 degrees outside.

I love being a missionary. I love being tired.  I love being dirty and sweaty, because everything is worth it when you see the Gospel change lives.  

This was the only week that we have this transfer where we don´t have to travel, do splits or training's- so we gave it everything that we had.  I was so physically and spiritually tired that I started to fall asleep while we were in a lesson singing a hymn!  My eyes hurt the whole weekend, but I´ve never felt so content.

We are focusing a lot on completing families, and we´re planning 2 weddings!

This week we were with one of these families, just leaving thier house when the power went out.  It was 8:30 at night and it was completely, completely dark. We happened to be in a dangerous part of our area, I have literally never been more scared in my entire life.  We couldn´t see anything,just shadows as the people started running. 

Last week as my old companion was finishing packing up all her things to go home, she gave me a little key-chain flashlight and I felt the need to carry it with me that day!  I will eternally be grateful for that small gift.  I pulled it out of my bag,grabbed my companions arm and we started booking it.  The dirt roads had been turned into a  swamp from the storm, and we walked as fast as we could in mid-calf deep mud and toads. 

People started yelling at us- but we just kept going. When we got back home we knelt down and we said the most grateful prayer that I´ve ever said in my life.

The Lord watches and protects us.  If we listen to the spirit and are prepared He will guide us out of the darkness,   

 When I get back I´m starting a fundraiser to put emergency lights in the small towns of north Argentina. 

Our Branch president isn´t coming back.  We almost didn´t have enough priesthood for the sacrament but while we were singing the sacrament hymn one of the priests arrives. We ´re working our butts off to activate and ordain  priesthood.   

All mail has to go through the mission office. And....  Half of the town that I am living in doesn´t actually have named streets or addresses.  We have to basically memorize everything. The address section in my planner consists of drawings and really long descriptions.  When we invite people to come to church it doesn´t have an address so we just tell them that it´s in the yellow warehouse next to a funeral home and they all know what we are talking about.  The Lord work miracles.

I put Jenn´s testimony into a Book of Mormon, and thought a lot about who I would give it to. This week I gave to a woman who has her mother in a wheelchair and her son of 6 years has been left unable to control his own body from severe epileptic seizures.  She´s really progressing a lot and we are hoping to baptize her whole family  

Hermana Shumway