Jolin!

Woah, so, super sorry for last week. That was less then ideal on many a front, but we have plenty of time today so you won´t be disappointed. I hope that´s how you spell that.

Bleagh, I don´t even know where to begin. Two weeks. Lets talk divisions. I´ve now had two experiences doing divisions, where we just had to many appointments so we called up two ladies from the ward and split the team. The second time was a lot more entertaining since we contacted more people. I went with a girl named Evelyn, she´s 18 years old, and about as quiet as a mouse. Love that. So, we got to do some contacting, and teach a really quick lesson. The most eventful moment of the night was when one of our references actually answered his door so I had to do a door approach. Couldn´t remember who had given the name, couldn´t remember how to properly explain the gospel in 3 sentences. It went a little like this ¨uh, yeah! hi, so, we´re missionaries for the church of jesus christ of latter day saints, well, I am, she´s not. Have you heard of the church before? Oh, you know someone, that´s awesome. Can we teach you? Okay, next week. Score. We´ll come back with someone who can talk more, okay buh bye.¨ Forgot to give a pamphlet, Not even sure I said my name....good times. The lesson we had with a recent convert was much better. Partly because she knows who I am (and to talk slow) and partly because she likes to talk. All I had to do was share a scripture. ¨So, how do you feel about baptism?¨ Problem solved.

So, that was divisions. We have had some wonderful testimony meetings. One came from this really old lady. I mean REALLY old. This lady can´t move without help. But she´s great. She gives comments in Relief Society like it´s nobody´s business and is full of great stories....when you can hear them. The coolest thing is her faith in God. Her husband died a couple of weeks ago, and afterwards she came to bear her testimony, and in her testimony she told the congregation ¨I don´t know now whether to get married again or get a dog!¨ haha, seriously, this lady is like 120 years old. Then after she started walking down, and told the guy who was helping her to just pick her up. So, he did. ¨It´s faster this way.¨ That´s what she told everyone. I was dying!! Hilarious. I seriously wish someone would videotape my life. I don´t make any of these up by the way. Dani asked me that once. I mean, I know I´m a good story teller, but every word is true. I do have a flare for timing though, that helps.

But the best news of the past two weeks is our investigator Ezequel. Hermana Jones and Hermana Gonzalez had contacted him the Sunday before I came to Argentina, but then we had never been able to find him again. 6 weeks later, we show up and see him talking with another person and he asks us ¨So, are we going to the church?¨ ¨.....uh, yea! Lets go!¨ And this man is amazing! He has read everything and loves to share his testimony. He´s getting baptized this Sunday coming up and he even bore his testimony in church yesterday. We´ve only been teaching him for 2 weeks! CRAZY!! In fact, this one time we were at a recent converts house and we were going to talk about faith, and baptism and he starts talking. He ends up teaching the whole lesson, just from reading a small pamphlet we had given him! And while he´s sitting there he puts his hands in a triangle and explains ¨you know, I know you have been sent here by God. You have leaders and your mission president, and there´s the prophet. But really, God sent you here to talk to me. We´re in this triangle together, there´s me (joint) there´s you two (other joint) and there´s God (where finger´s meet). And we´re all working together to get closer to God.¨ and I´m just sitting there thinking....yes. we really are......SCORE! Let´s chalk this one up to another victory for Heavenly Father where I managed to be a physical representative and He did most if not all of the teaching, and I brought faith. The church is true. Since then, Ezequel has accompanied us to visit and teach other investigators, passed his baptismal interview, and become integrated in the ward. I love watching Heavenly Father work miracles. And I wasn´t even sick. That just made it better. Not that I was earlier. I just remember a time when I was, and when you can´t breathe you don´t enjoy things as much.

Oh, guess what? Heavenly Father loves me. Want to know why? Because. I got to eat coos-coos. Not actually sure that´s how you spell it. Let me please explain why this is important to my life by quoting a very popular movie that my family better recognize. ¨Oh! Why, he´s not bigger than a little grain of coos-coos. Oh look, he´s throwing a little tantrum.¨ Yes, Night at the Museum 2. Good job. Love my life.

So, want to hear a really awesome/awkward story. It´s called once upon a time it was a member´s birthday in the ward and we really like this family because they help us a lot so we went over to celebrate and bring them a cake (aw, how sweet. yes, yes, I know). Well, we´re sitting there taking pictures and my companion takes it upon herself to do something funny and pretend to choke me with her hands, as a surprise. Now, let´s talk a little bit about how I feel about being touched. I don´t. Well, by some people. Actually, I can´t really explain that. Some people it´s fine, other´s no. Definately not my face, or my rear. Touch me there and I will drop to the floor to get away from you, it´s a self defense move I learned in my ¨how not to get raped¨ class. a) because the dead weight will make them release their hold on you and b) it´s not a normal reaction. Well, let´s just say, during this picture, I was not in my normal, mission appropriate seated position. Do you know how hard it is to try to explain why you fell to the floor, in spanish, when your face is a flaming fire of embarrassment? In one word: Difficult.

I hope you enjoyed that rendition of my life. The work goes on. The church is true. I´m prideful and repent all the time. The Lord continues to bless me and my investigators and my companion despite all my faults. Oh, spanish. Before I leave. The spanish is going really well. The member who´s birthday we celebrated talks to me a lot, and he´s really patient with me, so I can actually talk now....when whoever I´m talking to is willing to wait for me to form my sentences. Really that´s the most difficult part. They understand me though (lots of errors but at least I´m talking). I think some of the time they think they are helping when they start answering for me, but really, that just means the next time I´ll answer incorrectly. So, that´s a little rough. But I´m talking, and participating in the lessons. And overall, I´m comfortable in Argentina now. That was the hardest part for me I think. New country, new people, new everything. Literally. It was not like the CCM at all!! I was not comfortable in my skin, or my place, or what authority I had, and that just made progressing really hard. But now, I´m at least comfortable. I´ve always been fine making mistakes in front of people. Embarrassing? Yes. But that´s how you learn. And really, I don´t need their approval (would be nice) I need them to listen. The approval will come later. Although I did hear the other day that my physical appearance just screams ¨white american¨and there´s nothing I can do to fix that. Huh, unfortunado. But at least I can talk to them.

Okay, I know this was a very random e-mail, but I´m a very random person. And I´m okay with that.

Love you,

Hermana Reed