Alright, so news from Argentina is that I have a new companion! Her name is Natalie Newton--from Colorado. She has actually been waiting for her Visa for 6 months, so she's be serving in Ogden, Utah since about January. She is super sweet, enthusiastic, and so excited to be here. She's 21, and before her mission she studied Nutrition at BYU, was on the BYU Folkdance team...and she clogs! As we started talking we realized that we are connected through several people in the clogging world. She clogged with the Babbots for several years, but also knows the Steel family really well. I guess she knows Angi because she talked to her about a year ago about how I am here in Bahía Blanca. Crazy! We have a lot in common and I am genuinely excited to be companions with her. Sometimes I wonder why she needs to be "trained" because she already speaks Spanish fluently! The big LUCKY!! I guess her dad served his mission in New York--Spanish, and he has only spoken to her in Spanish ever since she was a little girl. Kinda cool! I'm excited to help her learn about Argentina however. It's definitely a different place! It's been fun to laugh at some things that are so Argentine, because they already seem so normal to me!
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| Hermana Newton y yo |
We had a good week. She arrived in Mar del Plata on Thursday at midnight. Since there are four hermanas in Puerto now we decided to split our area to work more effectively. When we did this it unfortunately left Hermana Newton and I without any investigators. We've been working hard to find new ones and we have already had many powerful, spiritual experiences together. I know for a fact that we need to be companions right now, and I am so excited for everything that she has already taught me.
Earlier this week before Hermana Newton arrived, Hermana Linco, Hermana Jensen and I were in a trio. We had some really neat lessons. As unusual as it is, we ended up teaching the Word of Wisdom to three different people within two days. Every time at the end we asked them if they had any problems with any of it. Each of them did, (like coffee, cigarettes, tea, etc.) and so we asked them if we could take it with us to remove the temptation. And all of them said yes! It was so neat to experience their faith and willingness to rely on the Lord to change. Every once in a while I remember to stop and think of what I am doing as a missionary. We're strangers, we go up to them, promise blessings, tell them they need to change...and then they do it! The Lord works in incredible ways!
One day this week Hermana Newton and I were out contacting in the street and I had the idea to go knock the door of this one house. As we got closer we realized that it was a duplex so we went to go decide which doorbell to ring. Right then this guy came out the door, so we just started to talk to him and teach him. I started talking to him about the importance of prophets...and I was NOT planning on explaining that--yet that's what came out! Right after that he was like "yeah, that's actually really interesting. I'd like to know more about that. Do you have something else I can read about that?..." It was so neat because the Lord knew that that man needed to hear about the Restoration through prophets, so he put the words and thoughts into my mind.
Ok. One last story. Saturday was one of those missionary days when you're working so hard, talking to everyone, trying every idea you have...and no one wants to listen to you. We had pretty much exhausted all of our plans and then I had the thought to go by a reference we received from a member. We went and clapped at her fence (because that's just what you do here haha) and she was so excited when she came out!! We went in her house and she told us that right before we came she was praying to the Lord for some help and comfort. Then right after she ended her prayer she heard us clapping! It was such a tender mercy of the Lord. After hearing that it made our whole day of no success worth it. The Lord is aware of all of his children, and he made sure to help us be where we needed to be to help out his one in need.
I know this gospel is true. The Lord knows us more than we know ourselves, and he loves us so much!
I hope you are all well. :)
-Hermana Vawdrey
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| Las hermanas de Mar del Plata |
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