Hold Your Breath and Count to 10...

So. Here we are. The beginning of a new transfer. My last transfer. What's more, it's only 5 weeks. Which means that this 5 weeks is going to be full of WORK. That's what we do as missionaries. And it doesn't stop until that last second. I stayed here in Costanera. But Hermana Ostler was transferred to my old area in Resistencia. She was really sad. This place really is magic. But now, I'm with Hermana Alduenda from Mexico. I trust in the Lord's decisions when it comes to transfers. Which means that we have some work to do here together.

In terms of the last week, it was a crazy one. On Wednesday, we had to go into Resistencia to renew my visa again. It's a long process. For whatever reason, it takes half the day for me to sign one sheet of paper. But it was fun anyway. I got to hang out with Hna. Beckstead one last time before she hits American soil. And the elders bought us McDonald's after so that was good. Er... we THOUGHT it would be good. But then we had to go out and work and we just felt sick. So, I'm over the MacDonald's thing. Good thing too, as I'll be surrounded by it in a month or so. Haha.

Hermanas Ostler, Hein, Beckstead, and Dibble
doing tramites. WOOO!

On Thursday, we had to go BACK to Resi for multizone conference. That was fun. It's always good to see old friends. I also had to give my last testimony in front of all the missionaries in Corrientes and Resistencia. That was werid. But it was good. I still get nervous speaking in public but the Spirit helped me out a lot. I got up there and everything I'd thought about saying before hand just kind of disappeared. But somehow, something came out that made some sense. Haha. I actually don't remember. 

A group of some of my favorite people at multizone conference
... er... and Elder Karmanov.

The rest of the week was normal, including a rainstorm and some interesting contacts. The best one was the guy who slammed his door on us when he found out that we're from the US. He accused us of being assassins. I looked down at my ridiculous outfit and my stupid hat and thought, "Yeah... the best assassins the US has to offer. Watch out!!" Haha. We had a good laugh about it after.

The last two transfers with Hermana Ostler were tough. We learned a lot together. She's such a great missionary and a wonderful example to me. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to work with her. She taught me so much. And I hope that I can put in practice all that she taught me now in my last transfer and continue giving every last drop of energy to this crazy place. I love it so much.

Hermana Ostler and I with Nazarena and Agustina of
Rama Costanera

I studied a talk this week from the October 2011 conference called "The Time Shall Come". It talked about the dream that Daniel interpreted for King Nebuchadnezzar about the stone cut out of the mountain without hands. That stone is this Gospel. And it's rolling forth and growing everyday. I know that this is the work of the Lord. I know that His work can't be stopped. It will never be destroyed by the wiles of man. There is nothing more right than the teachings of Jesus Christ. They help us grow and become better people. I'm so grateful that I've had the chance to be apart of this great work. It has changed me in ways that I never would have experienced before. I'm so grateful to everyone for supporting me in this crazy adventure of mine.

El fin se acerca, pero todavía tengo mucho que hacer. Gracias por su amor y su apoyo.

Les quiero mucho,
Hermana Hein

The Straight and Narrow

It's interesting the way the Lord works. He's blesses us as we're obedient to His commandments and tests us as we strive to be more obedient. It's like, you take a determination to be even more obedient and He throws even more trials in your path. Not that Hna. Ostler and I are disobedient. But we focused a lot on tightening the screws in these past two transfers on those little rules that are sometimes easy to forget. Be in the pension right on time, put bug spray on every time you leave the pension, speak in Spanish... those kinds of things. And as we tried to do that, it became a lot harder. But it was all worth it. The important things are never the easy things. But they always matter most.

Claudio's Baptism Day

Claudio got baptized on Saturday. He was so happy and just full of light and it was really special to be a part of that. Hna. Ostler and I really didn't do anything. We were just the instruments the Lord was using here in Costanera. It's an honor.

Hermana Ostler and I are all smiles!

To celebrate Claudio's baptism, we had an activity! It was supposed to be for the whole branch but basically only President Godoy's family came. Haha. But it was still a blast. We played charades and ate choripan and brownies that we burned and everyone who came loved it. Claudio felt right at home. Haha. And yesterday, he was confirmed an official member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I think the confirmation was the best part. He was dressed in full church gear: shirt, pants, tie, shoes. It was the first time he had the whole ensemble. And you could see how having the Gift of the Holy Ghost brought a new light to his eyes. He even teared up a bit as we sang "I Stand All Amazed" before the Sacrament. Man I love the Gospel.

Hermana Flores and I at Consejo

We learned this week about prayer and what it really is. We have to remember that God is our loving Heavenly Father. He knows us. We knew Him before we came here. I'm sure that He misses us. And when we don't choose to talk to Him, it makes Him sad. But we CAN talk to Him. Prayer is such a blessing and such a privilege. I know that God hears AND answers our prayers. He may not always answer in the way we expect but He is aware of us and our needs. I know He lives and I'm so grateful to Him for blessing me with this incredible opportunity. I love the Gospel and I love all of you for your support and prayers. They are felt.

Sending lots of love,
Hermana Hein

"Fine day, Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week‏..."

AloooooooHA!! Sorry. The internet cafe's playing weird Hawaiian music right now. I like it. Haha. Anyway.

It's been a good week. A fast one. But a good one. And a hot one. It's weird how the rain here only makes it HOTTER. Oof. Gotta love that South American humidity.

Claudio came to church for the third time yesterday. Which means he can get baptized on Saturday! We still have quite a bit to do before Saturday, so we'll be working hard this whole week to get everything squared away. Yesterday was a great day. Claudio is just loving church and all the members have been so supportive and welcoming. We taught the Gospel Principles class about Christ's call to be the Savior. I love learning about the Plan of Salvation because as you learn about each individual part, the rest of it all starts to come together. That's what you think anyway, and then you realize that it's just more complicated than you originally thought and you just decide you've gotta keep learning. But it really is amazing to learn about the Plan that God has for all of us. Claudio loved it. He's started a scripture study journal so that he understands better the things we leave him to read. How incredible. And he's just so excited for his baptism. He's already invited his family and his friends.

We had a family home evening with him and the familia Orellano on Friday and we talked about Baptism and the Orellano's shared their conversion story. It was really great. They're an awesome family. And Claudio shared with them what he had learned about the Sacrament. Which was a lot. It's so cool to see the way the spirit teaches those who are willing to listen. You just need to be humble. And Claudio's very humble. And for that humility, he's learning really fast and really well, despite his lack of education. It's incredible.

Painting at Pres. Godoy's House

Anyway. It was a good week. We helped Presidente Godoy paint his house as they have to move this week. So that was fun. I was commissioned to do the top 3 inches of the room and as a result, my back and arm are DEAD. But that's what you get for being the tallest. Haha. But it was fun. And I like that Argentines aren't so particular about their painting. It makes my job a lot easier when I don't have to meticulously place blue painter's tape. Haha.

Some great grafitti we found this week

We've been learning a lot about the spirit this week and the way we can follow his guidance. Again, it all depends on our humility. We have to be humble enough to accept the guidance of the spirit and act on it. It's scary sometimes, but it's worth it if the person you're teaching feels the spirit. I've got a long way to go. But the first step is recognizing it. I hope you all have a great week.

Sending lots of love from the south,
Hermana Hein       

Sunday Funday

It was a long week. We're not sure why exactly... But it was. I really can't remember much of what happened. I just know that we had a lot of ups and a lot of downs. But that's how the mission goes sometimes.

We did meet this week, a new investigator named Agustín. He's 15 years old and has a lot of problems. He lives in one of the more sketchy neighborhoods in our area and is surrounded at all times by the bad influences of the world; to which he ceceded at the age of 11. It's a really sad situation. But he told us that he wants to change and that he's willing to do what he needs to to be able to make those changes. So we've been focusing a lot on helping him understand his relationship with God. We had a really spiritual lesson with him on Saturday about the Restoration of the Gospel, putting emphasis on Joseph Smith and finding answers to our prayers. And in the end, we invited him to church. He said he would go.
Sunday morning, we sent the Elders to go pick Agustín up before church. They called us to let us know that he had come out of the house and that the three of them were on their way. We were really excited. But also really nervous. Having investigators at church is probably the most nerve wracking thing. But I think he had a good experience. Despite the fact that the young men's president was sick and so he had to sit in on the fifth Sunday combined Priesthood/Relief Society class that we taught... about missionary work. Haha... awkward...

Claudio came again to participate in Gospel Principles and Sacrament meeting and enjoyed them both. I had to give a last minute talk in Sacrament meeting so that was fun. But with the help of the Spirit, I think it turned out okay. It was a Sunday full of blessings and we enjoyed it a lot. The Lord's been blessing us a lot this week. So even though there were long days, I really have nothing to complain about.

Us with the Familia Orellano before Emiliano
headed south for his mission

For studies one morning, I opened up my Book of Mormon to Ether 12. I hadn't planned on studying faith but there it was. So, I studied Moroni's definition of faith. It was interesting to discover that faith is basically humility. Moroni gives several Book of Mormon examples of faith, including Alma and Amulek, who, by their faith, the prison walls fell down. But what did they DO? Alma prayed. They humbly accepted the trials they faced in that prison and then went to the Lord for help. Humbly accepting the will of the Lord IS a demonstration of our faith. It means a lot. By showing Him that we are willing to do what he commands shows our love, and from there, we receive blessings. As I shared this with Hermana Ostler during comp. study, she shared with me what she learned. She was studying humility. And she found that humility is fatih. Wow! Isn't that NEAT?? Ha ha. It was just a cool thing that happened.

Family Romero

Anyway, I just want to end with my testimony. I know that God lives and that He wants the best for all of His children. It's been cool this week to see His hand guiding us here as missionaries to the people who need His help. I love being able to be an instrument in His hands.


Love you all.
Hermana Hein