Christmas greetings

FAM!

How are we all doin?? I hope you guys had a wonderful christmas. It was so nice to hear your voices again. :) 

So this letter is really short but I first just wanna tell you guys that I received a letter from Antonio and hes doing so well! He LOVES the temple!! And he wants to go visit the temples in the UNited States and HES EVEN SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH HIS FAMILY that live in the states. Wow. His letter was so touching. He said he will forever be grateful that we found him and helped him be baptized. :) Antonio is so special to me. 

 

Hermana Traverso went home today.  I will miss her.  We really grew to love each other and have fun.  My new companion is from Honduras and she is a total sweetheart.  Tigre better watch out because we are coming after them. (Sidenote) Mom, everyone is Tigre is saying you speak excellent spanish.  Mom, what on earth are you telling these people?  You and I both know this little red head does not speak Spanish.  Im terrified what you have been telling Argentina.  Ok, deep breathe. 

I am so ready to work hard and give it my all this transfer. Its time to start working even more with the members and find these souls TOGETHER IN UNITY. PLease never forget the STRONG IMPACT MEMBERS HAVE IN MISSIONARY WORK!!!!!

I looooove being a missionary!! life is so great in tigre!!! :):) 

love hermana terryble :):  Carry on friends!

Oh that I were an angel

Merry Christmas precious family.  I just wanted to bear my testimony on this letter.  I want you to know that I know God is real.  I feel him in my life and heart so frequently on my mission.  He leads me along green pastures and gives me the things I stand in need of, exactly at the moment I need it.  He loves me from the inside out.  He heals my wounds and fears and insecurities, and teaches me how to heal my beloved Argentine friends wounds and insecurities.  We all have them.  We all need him.  He loves us most in our humility and our need.  He created a world of endless needs, so that there would be endless reasons to break down to our knees and come to him.  I come to him when Im rejoicing over good things.  I come to him when Im crying over pain or dissapointment.  I am not a little girl anymore, but when I pray he scoops me up as if I were, and holds me and loves me and tells me I will be ok.  He gives me many gifts, most importantly my seven from heaven.  Our family.  Thank you precious family for walking my life with me, for loving me, and always forgiving the dumb things I say and do.  I feel like on my mission I have officially joined purpose and hearts with Alma.

Alma 29
1 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!

 2 Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

 3 But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me.

 8 For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.

 9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

Oh sometimes I wish I were an angel and could have this wish of my heart, that Tigre would accept our Savior and come to him.  Sometimes when I walk the streets I hear the words in my heart, calling to me and all my Argentine friend "Come to me, Come to me."  I try to look people in the eye and smile at them in the way Jesus would if he were here in my shoes.  It makes me love them more.  I wish one little missionary could do more than Im doing.  I wish I could soften hearts and teach more and walk farther, and give money away to the poor I see.  Oh if I were an angel I would do all those things and more.  But family, as you well know, I am not an angel, I am a human girl, trapped in a human body only able to do such a small amount.

But it does not change that I have a big heart of love for my Savior Jesus Christ.  He lived for me he died for me.  And guess what?  I decided that I will live for him and I will die for him too.  We are partners.  We are best friends.  And we are in love with the people of Argentina.  Im so thankful Im spending this last Christmas of my mission here.  I am going to sing on Christmas at the top of my lungs.  Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright.  If you could see the sky in Argentina at night, you would love these words even more.  There is somthing magic about the Argentine sky.  Mom and Dad I cant wait for you to see it.

So Merry Christmas you precious people.  Fall on your knees this week, and hear the angel voices.  They call to you in this season especially.  They tell you of your worth.  They tell you that you are his and he will take better care of you and your life than you ever could.  And they tell you you are an angel voice on earth, please use it for good.  Put hope out there.  Put love out there.  And everytime God touches your heart and soul, pay it forward.  I love you guys.  Carry on!!!!!!

Dont hate this face!

Dear Family,

COMO ESTAN??!! :):) HAHAH the picture of Emma with her date and paul and luke and the kaangas is hilarious. Luke is taller and skinnier and Paul has more hair and Emma is absolutely GORGEOUS. AHHH. Little brothers keep you humble.  Period.

OKay so we had an interesting week. We worked so hard and found nothing. Just testigos de jehova. And some evangelicos. And a lot of catholics. The funniest part about our area is that every house we come to.. there is always a person inside HIDING FROM US. HAHAHAHA but its sooo obvious. HAHA and were like umm we see you! And they always respond no ones home!!! HAHA. Yesterday we had planned to pick up this guy named Cesar and we thought he was golden! HAHA and he sent us the funniest message saying he wasnt gonna be able to go to church because he broke his ankle playing soccer. WELL WE SAW HIM that same day and he ws outside running around with his son and were like CESAR YOU HEALED! And he freaked out, looked at his ankle and screamed ITS A MIRACLE. hahahaha. idiots.

WE HAVE A LOT OF HATERS and I dont know why. But thats not stopping us. Were gonna keep working even though every single freakin person in Rincon knows the hermanas and los mormones... it doesnt matter. WE WILL FIND THEM.  People how can you hate on a face like mine?

We had stake conference yesterday and it was super awesome! Our stake president talked a lot about forgiveness. Personally I´ve learned the more I forgive, the more I learn of Gods mercy towards me and how fast he truly does forgive me. Its time to give back! FORGIVE! LIFE WILL BE BETTER!! 

SORRY ITS SHORT BUT I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT HERMANA TERRY IS SO HAPPY AND KNOWS THAT JESUS CHRIST LIVES.

love, terryblemente felizzzz.  Carry On!

turn every curse into a blessing

FAMILY!! COMO ANDAN!

ITS DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WILL LITERALLY KILL YOU GUYS IF YOU'RE NOT BLASTING CHRISTMAS AND DAVID ARCHULETA (FUTURE HUBBY) CHRISTMAS IN THE HOUSE. OKAY THANKS BYE:)

Well we had another wonderful week! 38 degress celsius.. 100% humidity. Im pretty sure that beats Chile. So tell Max I win in everything. Period.  Sorry Max:) But Im pretty convinced that this is the hottest most humid place in the world. haha:)

EVERYONE AND THEIR DOG NEEDS TO GO ON THE INTERNET AND SHARE EL VIDEO.. EL ES LA DADIVA O DIGAMOS HE IS THE GIFT.THE CHURCH IS MAKING IT HUGE AND WE{VE BEEN SHARING IT WITH ALL OF ARGENTINA! LITTLE BY LITTLE THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE ABLE TO FEEL THE SPIRIT FROM THIS POWERFUL MESSAGE!!!

We received 50 references and contacted 48 people and 15 new investigators this week. And no one came to church. Oh my stars.. I can honestly say I felt a lot of peace yesterday because I knew I gave it my all last week. This really is Gods work and we just have to trust with him.. And when things dont go our way.. just go with it and keep working! THE MIRACLES WILL COME.

Ya know.. our area is super great but super different from capital. There are a lot of people who nos chamuyan. THE WORD CHAMUYAR means  SWEET TALK. Ya it bugs me like crazy when we have so many people tell us.. YES THEY WANNA BE BAPTIZED! YES YES YES! Theyll come to church... AND ITS A MENTIRA. Liars. All liars! HAHA. Its ok, I can deal with sweet talkers.

So I was studying this morning and I would like to share with you guys some scriptures:

 24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

 

okay so i looked up the footnote for all things will work together for your good and this is what i found:

Deuteronomy 23:5:

 5 the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee,because the Lord thy God loved thee.

Whoah. Que profundo. Sometimes what may seem like a curse to us.. is actually a blessing. I know that cause I've seen it with the people here in Argentina. Broken people who have lost everything in life... but it made them open their hearts to God, join the church and their whole lives turn upside down. These scriptures testify to me that EVERY SINGLE THING HAPPENS TO US FOR A REASON AND FOR OUR GOOD. If we didnt have trials in life.. HOW ON EARTH WOULD WE BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE ATONEMENT? It would be impossible!! If we got along with everyone HOW ON EARTH WOULD WE BE ABLE TO LEARN TO LOVE? We have to go through these uncomfortble times para que la expiacion obre in nuestras vidas. And so that we can learn to understand the love and mercy and grace of our loving Savior and Heavenly Father.

Another scripture folks:

2 Nephi 28: 30

,for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more

WHOAH what a great promise. For those that receive.. HE WILL GIVE US MORE. WHEN MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH IS REQUIRED.... BUTTTT WHEN MUCH IS REQUIRED MUCH IS GIVEN!!

 

Jeremiah 24:7

And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.

We all will have our time when we [find god[ and for each of us its different timing. But Im pretty convinced that God is the one who gives us this new heart to know him. Im convinced that HE COMES to us... not the other way around. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.   I totally respect free agency but I also have a testimony of the power of God. HE knows his children and hes not gonna leave anyone  behind.  His job is to address our life wounds and heal them.  When we really feel his healing power, we cannot help ourselves but to come to him.

 Thats why I try not to judge people because GOD KNOWS THEM PERFECTLY. NOT ME. GOD KNOWS WHEN THIS PERSON IS GONNA COME TO HIM.. NOT ME. God knows when all the lost and suffering in the world are gonna find their way back to him... NOT ME. OUR STORIES ARE DIFFERENT, WE ARE ALL BEGGARS. SO LETS ALL DO GOD A FAVOR AND SHUT OUR MOUTHS AND LOVE EACH OTHER! :) K sometimes it just needs to be said ;)

LOVE YOU ALL!!!

HAVE A FANTASTIC DECEMBER IN THE SNOW WHILE IM SWEATING MY BUTT OFF!!!

love, hermana terryblemente PUMPED  carry on!

Feel love Give love

May I have a moment of your time pup, to share a life changing message with you?

 Hola familia como estan! 

SO this week was so fun! I had divisions with the Hermanas in Mateu! Its a lot like LIMA. I went with hermana De la  Cruz:) It was a really great day! The area seriously looks like the deserts of Africa. ITS GORGEOUS!!! But when we came back at night... THIS INVESTIGATOR is clapping outside of the house. AND IT FREAKED us out because he shouldnt know where we live. So then we went to bed. :) AND THEN AT LIKE 3 in the morning this dude is pounding on our door. HAHA IVE NEVER BEEN SO FREAKED OUT in my entire life. REMEMBER.. the flashlight incident Max outside my bedroom window at midnight at the tender age of 14??).. but were not gonna talk about that. hahahha. Hermana de la cruz was sleeping and I was like.. oh fliper WHAT DO I DO? We left the window open because it was so blazing hot!!! And I was scared that we would climb in. HAHA. And then I prayed mightily, I was like  HELP ME. YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I GET. And then I got the coolest answer. God told me.. Marie. You are more than protected. He whispered in my heart that there were angels all around protecting us missionaries. Nothing happened. He left. And I sat in my bed thanking God all night for watching over me. It was an experience Ill never forget. 

Well well well I had a friend from acting up email me and ask me why and how did i get my testimony in the church. Ive never had anyone ask me that so it really got me pondering. 

I wrote it all down this week and Id like to share it with you guys:

I think it takes a while for people to have a true testimony of something. I think God knows that and thats why hes so unbelievably loving , long suffering and patient with us. My testimony started out with the small and simple things. For example: my mom telling me that she loved me, my dad hugging me, you know just the things that make you feel loved. Then it led me to ponder and then really pray if GOD really loved me. My parents told me when I was little that they loved me sooo much but God loved me even more. That really got me pondering. So then I decided to take it to the test. When I was 13 years old I asked God if he truly loved me. and I got an answer. I felt this fire come over me and felt the powerful, wild, undescribable love of God fill my body. From that moment on, I promised God that I would FOLLOW him for the rest of my life. Its the little things that made me fall in love with Him. Kind acts from others, singing about Jesus, being with the family, going to seminary, running, praying, reading in the scriptures. everything became spiritual to me. Little by little my heart opened up to God and he poured me out his blessings. I KNEW I had to give back what he has given me.. So I decided to serve a mission. To tell the truth I really didnt know ALL the doctrine in the church, but that didnt really matter to me. I had a strong personal relationship with God that was real and alive and what I didnt know, I trusted would come with time.  Preparing for the mission was not that easy.  One day I went runnning and somehow it led me to pray. I felt this big tug and I stopped in the middle of my run. I heard God tell me, ¨I forgive you for your mistakes in life.  I love you for always trying hard.  Now I need you to serve this mission.¨¨ It was so quiet but with so much power. At that moment I gained a better knowledge on who God really is. He knew I wasnt perfect, but he also knew MY POTENTIAL. It made me realize the stupid little things we do, doesnt really matter to him, he just wants us to come to him and he will forgive us and tell us.. I HAVE SO MUCH IN STORE FOR YOU. Now I know that God truly has a plan for everyone of us.. and its BIG! AND ITS BEAUTIFUL! I learned that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. I learned that as hard as repentance is or trials are, or burdens can be,.. its worth it because God will always, always take us in his arms and love us. Because he is our father and we are his children. This is why Im a member of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints. Because its the power of the atonement that has always brought me to God and given me more light and strength to keep going in life. Its the unconditional, uncomprehensable, wild love God has for me. And thats why Im here in Argentina. TO SPREAD SOME OF THAT LOVE. :)

So this week I was talking to a Hermana and she was telling me how she was really feeling down on herself and she really just wanted to know WHO SHE IS in the eyes of God. I was praying so hard throughout this week to know what can I say tp genuinely comfort her. AND THEN IT CAME TO ME!! Its what helped me understand my worth! PRAY AND ASK FOR A COMPLIMENT FROM GOD! I remember my mom told me that she did the same thing and told me I should try it. So i did.. and he gave me the answer. Its amazing how God works. So I told her, like my mom told me that she should do the same. Well she did. I didnt know until yesterday she told me.. Hermana remember when you told me to pray and ask God for a compliment? Well I did it and he answered my prayers through another person. She told me that her comp had given her a compliment and it hit her so hard and pierced her heart so strongly that she realized that it was the answer to her prayers. I was so happy that my mom could help me understand my worth before God and then help others do the same. :) 

well well well my friends. i love you all. :) hope all is well. Carry on you party animals!

AND TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER. HOLLA YALL.

Power to Change

MIS AMORES!! Hows the fam doin? Ya know I just realized that Thanksgiving is comin up! Hope you guys have a good one. :)

OKay so guess who came to San Fernando speaking like a champ in front of all of the missionaries and the Litoral stake? YA THATS RIGHT ELDER D TODD CHRISOFFERSON!!! K so i dont know if you guys knew this but HE and HIS WIFE speak Spanish perfectly.  We need to give a big round of applause for Sister Christofferson. Shes older but she spoke with soooo much power.. IN SPANISH. oh my word.

 

okay so my Elder Christopherson said something that hit every argentine/gringo heart soooo hard. he shared a story about the atonement. I really like how he focused on the atonement:) Anyways it was about this woman who excommunicated from the church. Guys im tellin ya she committed every possible sin. A huge list of sins... it was kind of impressive to Elder Christofferson to have so many sins. and this woman felt so broken and felt the love of God flooding her life she wanted to repent of her sins and return back to the temple. SO SHE repented of her sins. She did it. And she was ready to have an interview with Elder Christofferson. and Elder Chistofferson was super  worried. He was like.. HOW CAN one person commit so many sins?? Where do you find the time and he admitted that he judged her and was worried for this interview.

And then she walks in to the interview.

Her face is lit up. and Elder C is taken back because there is light shooting out of her face and shes smiling. They had the interview and he said when she left the room he felt so strong that this woman was more pure than he was and purer than anyone else could be in this world. 

It made me cry. It made every other Argentine cry. He went on explaining that thats what the power of the atonement can do for us. It can change us in ways we never thought possible. It makes us ok and cleans us perfectly. We only need to be like this woman and come to God with this broken heart and offer him our sins. Isnt that an awesome offer? He also said that the power isnt us repenting.. The power comes from God because  he forgives us. I know it seems really confusing but it was a huge lightbulb moment. It goes to show that our part is nothing in comparison to the power that God has to ALWAYS forgive us and give us more grace and more love. 

It reminds me of Abraham and Isaac.  He was about to sacrifice his son.. God stopped him and HE TOOK control and blessed him. The power of the atonement, the power of his grace doesn't come from us, it comes from him.   I testify with every fiber of my being that the grace of Jesus Christ gives us the power to change. To become better. To be happier. To be more loving. To be more humble. It gives us everyhting. Grace is everything people.

Bueno this week we have a baptism!! His name is Bruno and is 15 years old. His dad is a drunk.. (like Erica) and his mom and his family live in Corrientes Argentina. Hes living here and is feeling really lonely. Hes sooo fascinated with the church and his first question for us was.. WHO IS JESUS and how can I learn more about him. I lookd at Hermana Traverso and my mouth was hanging open. This boy has so much potential. His desire to read and pray and learn blows me away. hes so excited for his baptism! We're reallllly working on his dad. We have faith that he will stop drinking. :) Bruno told us he wants to serve a mission. :) YAY!

Last thing.. When i was in Belgrano.. me and Hermana Torres had been focusing on this less active family. out of my two transfers there.. They only came to church ONCE. We felt sooo strong that this family needed to return to the church and receive its blessings. AND THURSDAY I RAN INTO A MEMBER FROM BLEGRANO AND SHE TOLD ME THEY ARE GETTING SEALED IN  THE TEMPLE IN JANUARY! Wow. All of those lessons paid off! I feel so happy that I can be a little part of that!

update on Antonio.. . He baptized one of the elders converts and he had to redo it 5 times. HAHAHAHAA. HE got sooo nervious and nobody taught him how to do it. He just keep dunking the poor guy in the water. hahahahahahha. what an amazing soul :)

l

well i love you!! MUAH! Carry on!

hermama terrry

Undeserved Miracles!

This is Hugo!.  He is the most precious 12 year old boy in Argentina.  He has touched my heart and soul beyond words.

 This is everyones favorite baby at church.  He has down syndrome and he sings every hymn at the top of his lungs.  Just in love with this precious spirit!

 Me and Hugo!  Purest love!

 Me and My comp

WOW what a week! Como andan? Todo bien? Theres no more floods here in Tigre! Now its starting to get suuuuper hot! Faa. Miracles abound because I did not get sick mom from walking in the "filthy water" as you put it!  In fact I feel better than ever!

So every week in the mission feels like a miracle week. This week especially felt like a week of undeserved miracles. 

I wanna start off with a little story. :) .............Once upon a time Hermana Terry and Hermana Traverso were suuper hot and were walking along the empty streets on empty stomachs of Rincon. They felt prompted to ask a referencia from this little 11 year old who was playing soccer on the street. He led them to his house and the missionaries started to teach him and his mom. The kids name was Ignacio and the moms name was Alicia. Hermana Traverso y Hermana Terry shared their testimonies about the power of the atonement in their lives. Then they taught them how to pray. We first start off saying Padre Celestial. And then that sparked an interest in Ignacio. Ignacio asked Quien es Padre Celestial (Who is Heavenly Father?) . Hermana Terry, said a quick prayer in her head and opened her mouth and explained to this little boy who is God. She told him very simply that when he gets scared in the night he can pray to Dios and Dios will watch over him every minute of his life and protect him. And that Dios es nuestre padre y que el le ama. :) 

Ignacio put his hands over his eyes and tried not to cry. It felt like light white fire in the room while he digested this information.  It felt like God came to witness himself personally to Ignacio and it was the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed.  For the first time in his life he learned that there is a God that loves him. Hermana Traverso and Hermana Terry felt Gods hand in this little boys life they will never ever forget. 

The next day the Hermanas were walking and realized that there were two little kids laughing behind them. Ignacio and his friend had been following them. Ignacio told the Hermanas that he TAUGHT HIS FRIEND HOW TO PRAY. His friend, Hugo jumped in and lit up and told the Hermanas that he liked praying and had been reading in the pamphlet that they gave to Ignacio. I felt like my heart froze, it almost seemed surreal.  The Hermanas went to Hugos dad and talked to him. Hugos dad was suuuper harsh and didnt want anything to do with God. He is a man whos divorced and feels super depressed in his life. The Hermanas felt a little sad because they didnt wanna focus on baptizing ninos (kids) so they decided to wait a while to teach Hugo. 

Sunday rolls around and the Hermanas brought one person to church. His name is Bruno and is 16 years old. He will (hopefully) be baptized next week! Bruno loves the church and wants to serve a mission. The Hermanas felt so grateful to God that they found someone who God had prepared. During the sacrament Hermana Terry heard the door open and saw that there was a short someone with a rugrat gangster hat on. AND THEN HE COMES TO SITs NO HE ACTUALLY SNUGGLES UP BY HERMANA TERRY AND THEN HERMANA TERRY REALIZES... HEY ITS HUGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She asked him HOW in the world he arrived solo. HE PULLED out a Jesus card that had the direction de la capilla (directions to the church) on it. He told her that his DAD dropped him off. So of course Hermana Terry started freaking out and was smiling so big. It felt like the best Christmas morning ever. She prayed and asked God... HOW? WHY? HOW did this happen???

And then God told her these words. "How do you think he got up this morning? I prepared him. How do you think he got to church? I led him to church. How do you think you found him? It was me.  I can do all things Marie."  It hit her soooo hard. This whole time she and her companion were so anti kids when in reality GOD HAD PREPARED HIM FROM THE BEGINNING. Hermana Terry felt God tell her that he is not only watching over Hugito.. but HIS WHOLE FAMILY. She had a strong feeling that Hugo and his dad will be baptized. Hugo has the softest heart of gold.  Please please friends, pray for Hugos Dad to become soft and gentle like his son.

This story screams to me. I know with all my heart that if we do GODS WILL, we will always always always always always always have success. But what is success? Doing the will of God and in return he gives us 10,000 more blessings. Theres a song we Ive been listening to since Christmas is around the corner:) here are the lyrics (mom will you include a link to this song- it is really so beautiful and worth a listen) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhzWypOp-E4

The skies don't seem to be as dark as usual
The stars seem brighter then they've been before
Deep within I feel my soul a stirring
As though my hope has been restored

The shepherds say they've heard the voice of angels
Confirming rumors spread across the land
That a child protected well from Herod's anger
Is our Father's Son, and the Son of man

Love is raining down on the world tonight
There's a presence here I can tell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
He's a Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts He will dwell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel

I feel compelled to tell all who will listen
That peace on earth is not so out of reach
If we can find grace and mercy and forgiveness
He has come to save, He is all of these

Love is raining down on the world tonight
There's a presence here I can tell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
He's a Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts He will dwell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel

Love is raining down on the world tonight
There's a presence here I can tell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us, Emmanuel
He's a Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts He will dwell
God is in us, God is for us, God is with us

You're the Savior we have been praying for
In our humble hearts You will dwell
You are in us, You are for us, You are with us, Emmanuel

This week the words, God is in us God is for us God is with us have been running in my head. HE IS EVERYWHERE in the mission. You know what He is all over the world, in every crack and crevice God knows his children and he loves them dearly.  He leads them to churchs and missionaries, but maybe most importantly he leads them to their knees to come to know him.   I have a strong testimony that THIS IS GODS WORK.. NOT OURS. HE WILL LEAD US TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PREPARED. I KNOW IT. I KNOW IT. I KNOW IT.

This morning I read this scripture (perdon if ive already shared it) and I wanna share it with you guys: 

Hebrews 11: 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I think the reward is that we actually FIND HIM!  I have been searching for him my whole life and I see him in Hugos eyes, and Ericas face the hearts and words of all my Argentina friends!

PEOPLE ITS SOOO TRUE!!!!!!!! ITS  IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD IF WE DONT ALREADY HAVE THE FAITH THAT HE LOVES US JUST HOW WE ARE. HIS LOVE NEVER CHANGES!!! I feel like as missionaries we try to please God.. and then we get in this trap and think were not good enough and we're not good missionaries. But I know through experience that we need to believe that God will CARE FOR AND LEAD us. God loves his missionaries and is pleased with us. I learned to never stop seeking him.. even though sometimes I feel tempted to push him away.. DONT DO IT. TRUST IN HIS LOVE. TRUST IN YOUR WORTH, BECAUSE YOUR WORTH WAS ALREADY SET BEFORE YOU WERE BORN. YOU DONT NEED TO ANYTHING TO RECEIVE MORE WORTH FROM GOD. OKAY? OKAY.

i love you all and hope you have an amazing week!!!

love, Hermana Terrrrry!! CARRY ON CARRY ON CARRY ON!

Rains came down and the floods came up!

HOLA FAMILIA!!!

Holy smokes this week has been crazyyy and FULL of rain and floods and more rain and more floods!!!Ok everybody sing altogether now.  The rains came down and the floods came up.......

Saturday we got a call from a member in Rincon telling us to NOT come to work today and we´re like whatever. We´ll just work through the floods. How bad can it be? HAHA so we get there and it is PAST our knees. And it was raining and we look at each other and just started laughing. ;)  We could laugh or drown, we chose laugh.

Sunday we were like SI O SI we have to go pick up our investigators and go to church. YAAA that didnt happen!! We  had 9 people at church yesterday!! THE FLOODS were crazy! 

People were traveling in boats in the streets! ahahaa.

SO we walked/swimmed to our area and THE WATER WAS SO DIRTY. haha you dont even wanna know. AND THEN WE DROPPED OUR PHONE in the water AND THEN I FELL IN THIS LITTLE/BIG HOLE IN THE ROAD.

But it was so special. As we were walking all of the people were looking out of their windows waving to us and saying HERMANAS!! HERMANAS!! And I just felt so darn happy. Even though I was freezing cold in the pouring rain walking in a river. I FELT SO HAPPY. I felt sooooo proud to be a missionary. Everyone knows who we are. When no one is willing to walk the streets the missionaries WANT to be in the streets asking everyone if they need help.  We wanted to be out and about and we wanted to help everyone we could find.   Everyone could see that we werent gonna stay home, we were gonna find people.We talked to everyone. Even though they didnt want anything.. I went to bed happy those two nights. I felt like I was really searching for people who needed anything we could offer.  God has taught me in the mission of buenos aires norte that things arent always gonna go my way.. but if i just go with it and TRUST in Gods will, things will work out and the miracles WILL COME!!

Ive made a personal goal to talk to as many people as I can in a day. I feel like this is something that Im not afraid to do and I so enjoy meeting new people. so I´ve started opening my mouth and now its getting embarassing cause I  TALK TO EVERYONE IN THE STREET. haha it just brings me so much joy to spread the gospel. even if they reject us, at least we helped them feel the spirit and a little bit of love from our Heavenly Father. :)

well pray for Tigre and all the homes that have been ruined from this flood!! love you all!!

CHAU! CARRY ON CARRY ON CARRY ON!!!!

MERCY!

BUEN DIA MIS AMORES!!!! ESPERO QUE TODO ESTE BIEN CON USTEDES!! SON CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPOS!!!

Ahh. What a fresh breath of air. Guess what?!! WE HAD A BAPTISM!! Oh my heavens I feel so bad I havent talked about him.. but I decided to make a big tribute to my good friend EDWIN SALAAZAR. Alright so he is from.... PERU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He is a divorced dad who lives alone. Hes done every possible sin in this life and when he found us he wanted to CHANGE. Guys he quit smoking, he quit drinking. He stopped going to parties and the girlfriends. He transformed. Its been an amazing blessing for me to SEE THIS beautiful change. Through out this time weve had with him Ive felt God tell me that HE HAS NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT HIS SON, EDWIN. It just goes to show that a dad who lost everything in his life can HAVE HOPE and can change for the better. It goes to show that God is the one who changes us. Like in Alma 5: [Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God.[    

keyword: HE. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE is the one who helps us change. It was a miracle to see the hand of God in the life of Edwin. IN his confirmation it said that HIS FAMILY loves him and hes setting a wonderful example for his kids. He cried. :) 

10000 hugs and blessings for Edwin. Im sooo proud of that man. 

Anyways. We've seen so many incredible miracles. Theres one I wanna share with you. :) So just so yall know.. ITS SO UNBELIEVABLY HOT RIGHT NOW and its only spring!! Im burnt to a crisp cuz we are outside all day!! So Saturday we were walking to go to lunch and I see this woman in the street. The spirit hit me hard to talk to her. So I started talking to her. SHE WAS DRUNK!! What? So something in me told me to ask for referencias. She told me that there is a family that needs a lot of help. OKay drunk lady:) so we go to this house and we ask for Angela. She comes to us and tells us she wants NOTHING. IN my head im like.. WHY DID I FEEL so strong to ask for a referencia from this drunk woman?? Haha so then I asked again for another referencia... and she gives us two names. So we really didnt think anything of it. And then we went to lunch. 

But then the next day were walking  and remembered about these two referencias.. but we got lost. After 10 minutes of looking for the roads.. we finally find the house. SOO we clap at the first door and she wants nothing. So the next door our LAST referencia answers and invites us in. Her name is Mariana. Shes 24 and pregnant. We start talking to her and she told us that she knew a little about the mormons cause she went to the temple with her parent in laws. And then she said her husband was a missionary in Argentina!! WHAT. SHe said he left the church cause he got super offended. We started talking about the temple and how we can live with our family for eternity. And then I dont know why but I told her, Hermana when I walked into your house I felt something different. I felt the spirit and I felt like you guys are good parents to your kids. AND THEN she just starts crying out of no where and she was telling us.. I have this warm feeling in my heart and I dont know what it is. AND WE look at each other and were like.. HOW THE HECK did this happen? It all happened with a crazy drunk lady on the street!! HAHA. My comp made me sing ( she always makes me sing:) haha i love it) families can be together forever. We walked out of that house and we were both like.. shes gonna get baptized, her 12 yr old will get baptized and then they will be sealed in the temple.

We had a family home evening for the recent converts in Rincon (my area) and my comp made me tell the FAMOUS story of Princesa. Haha well its not that famous. Ive only really shared it with my companions. Well I told the princess story to this convert named Ale. He told me he had already heard that story. WHAT?! MOMS PRINCESS story is spreading like wildfire!! HAHA. :) 

Last story, in church yesterday, MI AMOR DE MI VIDA (little nino who is like 4 years old) came running to me crying, TERRY TERRY LAVA MI MANO TERRY!! He had this marker all over his little hand. So I took him to the bathroom to wash it off. 

As IM scrubbing I realize that hes not crying anymore and hes staring and me repeating the words, GRACIAS GRACIS GRACIAS with a HUGE smile on his face. In my head I had this little light bulb moment. THIS IS HOW ITS LIKE WHEN WE REPENT. 

Were like this little nino who is just looking for someone that can erase these horrible pains and sins we have. We are broken and crying cause we realize we're babies and we cant wash it off by ourselves. SO we run to Him who has the power to heal. He picks us up and washes it away. And then we're freeee and were clean again!!

Ive been thinking.. WE ALL NEED MERCY. We are all trying to FIND MERCY. Its how we survive in life. THis week we found a family who has a lot of heartaches. The dad is a BIG strong man who always beats people up on the street. He told us he doesnt wanna fight anymore and wants to change. Weve been visiting him and hes not progressing. :/ So at first we started to just bajar la cana and freak out at him for not quitting smoking. And he just got super down and I saw his face and it broke my heart. So we changed the conversation and started giving him positive comments and being merciful. We told him how awesome it was that he stopped drinking. Little by little hes changing into the man that God always knew he could be. He gave us this smile that made my whole day. I could literally see his confidence build more and more the more merciful and kind we were to him.  Its all about how we talk to people.  When we build them up the flourish.  I think I may have found the magic remedy.  Build people up with the word, never tear down.  WHen we build them up, it gives them the power to change.

I testify that we are like Miguel and we are all looking for mercy. In the scriptures it tells us if we judge our fellowmen harshly.. we will be judged harshly. BUT if we have mercy on them.. GOD WILL HAVE MERCY ON US. man what a good life lesson. :)

LOVE YOU ALL!! Carry on Carry on Carry on!

love, marieeee