Wonders and Miracles

Hi All:

It was a week of wonders. Really, just another week in the books. But it was a wonderful one. It was hot and humid but that's not really anything new here. Yesterday was great. Claudio came to church and loved every minute of it. When we passed by the fruit stand Saturday morning on our way down to our first lesson, Claudio stopped us to show us the white shirt he'd bought for church.

He was so excited. We made plans with René to go pick him up after the first hour of church (our meetings our backwards, making Sacrament Meeting last) to be able to make it to Gospel Principles. He LOVED it. He even called us after church to ask us to bring him the book so he could study it more during the week. Then, when he came in for Sacrament Meeting, all the members came and welcomed him and introduced themselves and were just so nice and great. And the meeting was excellent. Emiliano Orellano is heading out on his mission this Thursday to the end of the Earth in the mission Argentina, Comodoro Rivadavia and he gave a great talk about discipleship. The spirit was really strong and Claudio said he was excited to come again next week.

Graciela and dog, Titan

This week, we also did divisions with the Hermanas in Barrio IV of Resistencia. I was once again with the lovely Hermana Palomino but this time I went to her area in Resi. It was weird. I forgot how nice Corrientes is compared to the rest of the mission. Haha. It was like going home. I was back in the dirt roads and janky neighborhoods of Argentina. We had a good time.

Hna. Ostler and I with some of the awesome
members of Rama Costanera

Teaching the Gospel to the overly serious rock band Maná.

This week, we were studying a lot about the Atonement and the effects of this most selfless act of love. It's amazing. Christ was willing to give everything for us and our sins. On one condition: that we follow Him and live His Gospel: Have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. Christ is willing to pay for our sins. But we have to be willing to pay Him back. And it's not a bad deal. I love the Lord. And He loves us. He's doing everything in His power to help us return home one day. I know He lives. I know the Gospel is the way to get there. But we must be diligent and humble in completing the terms the Lord has set for us. I love you all so much and I hope you all have a great week!

Lots of Love,
Hermana Hein

Fruit Salesman

Sometimes, you just have great weeks. This was one of those weeks. :) We put a lot of emphasis this week on forgetting ourselves and doing the work that the Lord sent us here to do. Sometimes it's hard when it's 120 degrees and you are sweating more than you thought was possible. But, we focused and overcame that natural man this week and we definitely saw the blessings.

City contacting. It's like a game, contacting those houses
with voice box thingy's... one day we're getting in...

Last week, while on divisions, Hermana Palomino and I talked to this guy named Claudio who works in a fruit stand. Hermana Palomino had worked in this area before us and she had taught Claudio before and she suggested that we go see if he was there. He greeted us kindly and said he'd liked what the Hermanas had taught him before but he'd never gone to church. He seemed nice. So, I fixed another appointment and we went on our way. When we went back with Hermana Ostler, Claudio was all ready to receive us. He had his Book of Mormon ready and the chairs out for us when we got there at 4. It was so great!

Happy Hermanas

Claudio is so receptive! He told us that he just wanted to start over with the lessons. So we taught him the Restoration. I love teaching the Restoration. It's my favorite. And Claudio accepted it so willingly. And he understood. It was such a great lesson. It's so nice to teach someone who's so receptive.
We went back on Friday to teach about Sabbath Day. We brought René, a recent convert with us. It was another great lesson. Claudio told us about some of the things that had happened in his past and how good he feels when he reads the Book of Mormon. He was really excited to come to church and we even set plans for him to go with René. But due to some inconvenience, he couldn't make it to the meetings yesterday. That's always discouraging. Nevertheless, Claudio continues progressing. He literally just called us to fix his OWN appointments. That's NEVER happened before on my mission. AWESOME. We might as well just take him to the river right now. Haha.

The Gospel is amazing. I've been learning this week about love. Which is the essence of the Gospel. But why? Because love is selflessness. Nothing we do in the Gospel should be for us. Our purpose in life is to become like Christ. And what did Christ do? He sacrificed His life for mankind; for those he loved. There wasn't a lick of selfishness in His being and we are striving to be the same. It's tough. But it's not impossible. As I learn more about that infinite sacrifice, I have more of a desire to share it with others. Because it's important. It's the ONLY thing that will save us from this world of growing darkness. The light that Christ brings to this world is beautiful. And more people need to see it.

Nothing better than those Argentine sunsets

Keep praying and keep hoping. The Lord is there.
 
Sending lots of love from the south,
Hermana Hein

Keeping up with the Current

After transfers... I'm still in Corrientes. I'm still with Hna. Ostler. We're excited. I love it here.

Taxidermy Museum

The week started out hot and humid, and we sweat our way through Monday working hard. We went searching for old investigators and found three news who accepted our invitation to be baptized. That was exciting. We've been working a lot on our teaching. Making it clearer and more understandable. Doing practices during companionship study have helped us improve a lot. I think the people are understanding the principles better. We're excited to keep working and hopefully, see some progress.

I love the work so much. It's the best thing in the world. There's nothing as satisfying as helping other people come to a knowledge of the Gospel. As I study the Gospel everyday, my soul is filled with joy and hope for a better future. The world is a hard place. And it's lacking a lot of hope and happiness. I just wish more people could understand the type of joy that comes from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's real. It works. There is nothing else in the whole world that makes me as happy as the Gospel. And I invite all to accept the Savior's invitation to "come and see".

Keep the faith. Sorry. The computer's not letting me send pics. Until next week! Cuídense!
Hermana Hein

One must remember to turn on the light...

Bienvenidos 2016!

Qué raro che. Another new year.

Our New Year Tacos

We spent the fiestas in the pension. It was the actual worst thing. One thinks that a day inside the pension to be able to do nothing more than sleep and read the scriptures would be a dream... It wasn't. I was going crazy. We don't even have music. Bueno. Yes. We DO have music, but we have no way of listening to it. So, what did we do? We studied, we slept, we played a four hour game of Monopoly, we made tacos and fresh salsa, (the BEST part of the day) and then we waited for 10:30 so we could crash pots and pans together outside our window. Then there was day two. Which was pretty much more of the same. By the end of it, we were ready to scream.

Monopoly Marathon, Hermana Ostler

 Finally, Saturday came and we could go out and work again. We were amped. But we hadn't gotten far before the Lord decided that 2016 was going to challenge and stretch us in new ways and we were caught off gaurd with the new trials. By 11 AM that first day, we were losing our patience and also a lot of water as we were sweating a lot.

Our new ride...

We're going to be learning a lot this year. But, as I've learned throughout the mission, that we choose the way we're going to face the trials we're given. We only must remember to turn on the light in the darkness and see. We choose. We decide. And I know that if I choose to, these last 3 months here in Argentina will be amazing and full of growth and learning. I'm grateful for my trials.

Don't stop believing. Hold on to that feeling. The Lord is with us. He loves us. And He won't abandon us. I love you guys so much. Have a great week!



Love, Hermana Hein