February 27, 2012

Wow. City life is different. I forgot how nice the simple amenities of the city are. Being able to flush my toilet paper, not having to wash my clothes in my bathroom sink!! I love the city for that reason. It’s a different world here then in my last area. It reminds of my LA. Everyone is really laid back, into fitness and health...and believe it or not a ton of people speak English. I have seen a HUGE amount of progress in my Spanish this week. We speak it together a lot more and it been helping a ton! So in our apartment it’s Hermana Sperry and me, and then two other Hermanas from South America. Its fun because all the Latinas in our mission are asked by the church to learn English, and Hna Sperry and I are learning Spanish so we all help each other out and speak in Spanglish when were in the apartment. I think as a missionary you are given the gift to love in a different way then before you mission. I instantly love everyone I meet here as if I’ve known them for years... and a lot of the people I meet I feel like I have known for years. It’s weird.  The city (like everyone warned me) has a lot less receptive people. Most are more stubborn then in my last area.

My first bautismo is this Wednesday! I am so excited! Its little boy named Santiago. He is 9 years old and comes from a less active family. Last transfer they reactivated the mom who is probably one of my favorite people I’ve met so far in my mission. She was really closed off and not super receptive to the new missionaries because she really liked the other ones that left, but yesterday something happened (we don’t know what, we just know they were all sad and mad when we got to their house) so I shared my favorite scripture and after I bore testimony she opened up a lot and told me I'm welcome in her country when ever I want ha-ha. Didn’t know I wasn’t welcome before, but good to know I am now. Anyway, she’s a really good mom and a really good person. I'll attach a picture of Santiago. It will be a tough week though because her boyfriend that she lives with is getting back from a 2 month vacation this week and so we have to get them married so she can start following the law of chastity now that she is active again or they have to break up. Keep her in your prayers!

This week I was talking to Hna Sperry about the idea/inspiration I got when I was in the MTC, about as a ward member being able to teach the Gospel. I Want to teach the members, especially the youth how to teach what we believe because I wish I would have done better at that in High School, but I didn’t know how to teach. Anyway so I said ´´when I get back I want to help do that in my ward´´ and she said ´´HERMANA WHY WAIT. THATS AN AMAZING IDEA LETS DO IT IN OUR WARD HERE´´ so we have a vision of teaching the members how to teach and instead of us doing the missionary work and members helping us eventually our goal and the goal of the prophet too is the members doing the missionary work and the missionaries helping the members. I’m really excited about this! Were planning on teaching classes on how to teach and how to commit etc. I think it will be amazing and with time I really think it could take off! So don’t forget to do your missionary work!

Well like always, this week was an adventure, learning a new city, new people, new bishop, companion etc. But it’s been pretty smooth. The members in this ward are so helpful. We have at least one every day to help us and come with us to lessons. The youth are hilarious and teach us all the slang and make fun of our accents and even the tiny old ladies and men walk all over the city and come with us to help us teach. Hna. Sperry got her bag stolen this Wednesday...we don’t know how it happened she set it down for two seconds and I was talking to the ward member and she was making a phone call and then we looked back and her bag was gone. The funny thing was it didn’t have anything of value in it. Only scriptures and her Agenda...which is a big deal because I didn’t have a lot of the phone numbers and addresses she had because she has been here longer( by the way, lesson learned- I got everything important now in mine too) and her scriptures are of zero value to everyone but here..but all her markings and notes written in it. Well anyway we were walking back after it happened and talking and I said ´´you know, as long as were being exactly obedient and doing what were supposed to do, then we are protected and everything that happens is for a reason and part of the plan, so this has to be for a reason, maybe they’ll read the book of Mormon or something´´ she agreed and we joked about converting him. Anyway, about 3 days later our Mission Pres calls us....and guess what? The guy that stole it felt bad, called the presidents wife (her number was in her agenda in her bag) and turned it back in!! We couldn’t believe it. It’s in a different mission right now in Buenos Aires South, but in a few weeks she’ll get it back! How crazy! He obviously felt something if he looked at the stuff and felt guilty... so I hope who ever he is, and where ever he is he reads more into the church!! Our pres said were not allowed to meet up with him because he could be dangerous if he stole it, which makes sense so maybe Brandon Phillips will find him down in BA south someday!! Well everyone, I love you all tons and look forward to your weekly emails! Keep helping the missionaries in your ward and read your scriptures daily!! xoxox

Besos,

Hna. Marchant

Oh just realized I forgot my camera cord, so I cant send pics this week, next week for sure! and also I bird pooped on me this week right on the collar of my shirt!! ha-ha sick.

February 20, 2012

Hola!
Today we had transfers! I have bitter sweet feelings. I am with a new companion, Hermana Sperry. She is absolutely amazing. From the very first time I saw her she was going out of her way to befriend me and help me with the adjustment. I have a really, really good feeling about this transfer. She is fairly new also so she is a little worried to train, but I´ve been with her for 1 hour and she´s already doing awesome! Were in Urquiza now, which is very very close to Capital...or Buenos Aires. Dad did you serve here? I can actually flush toilet paper, and get my clothes washed in a real washer...not my bathroom sink. It's safe and clean, and I love it! This morning was a little sad to leave San Ignacio and Hermana Gillum. They were my firsts. First area, first companion! But she has one more transfer and then she goes home and I know she´ll rock it. Maybe I'll go back to San Ignacio in my mission to see those people again!

How was every ones Valentine's day? Mine was good! Hermana Gillum made me a scavenger hunt of little notes and then at the end the bathroom mirror was covered in little love notes! And after that we had a district meeting and the elders got us Valentine's Day cards with chocolate. It was funny because the only V-day cards they could find said ´´happy day for those in love´´ so they crossed it out put the chocolate on the back and wrote ´´happy day of the pure love of Christ´´ ha-ha.

This week was a week of recognizing blessings. We are so so so lucky to have all we have. Our investigator Lauti, the 12 year old had a rough week. We found out that his brother beats him, and this week was worse than usual. When we found out we went over to make sure he was ok and, he was. But I felt so bad for him. His living situation is so bad they don't even have running water in their house. They live in a shack and have a spigot outside of their house with tons of dirty dishes infested with bugs and other things surrounding it. That's how they shower brush their teeth...everything. It´s so sad. His mom is highly medicated at all times because she is schizophrenic and his brother beats him. His dad is nowhere to be found. He loves to skate board and play guitar and wants to learn English and live in the United States.. He couldn't even believe that his dreams are possible because of his situation right now. Well anyway that night I was reading the book of Mormon and writing in my journal and thinking about the events from that day and I came across Alma 5:33 and I don't remember exactly what it says but something like ´´repent, and I will receive you´´ and the thought came to mind that how I feel about Lauti.. Frustrated that he doesn't believe me and scared he won't do his part so I can´t do mine is how Christ feels all the time. He´s constantly saying ´´just repent and I'll take care of the rest...´´ and how many times do we say ´´no, I don't believe you´´ because of our lack of faith. How sad. Lauti might miss the opportunity of the life time now because of lack in faith... and we might miss the opportunity of enternity for the same reason. Something to think about.

Well funny story, a few days before any of that happened we were teaching the first lesson to them about the restoration. It was really spiritual and we were at the part talking about the apostasy and all the different churches taking only part of the truth and started a church. Hna Gillum and I were acting it out. we had different papers that represented all of the truth and she was saying ´´I'm the _______ church and I want this part of the truth´´ ´´I'm the ____ church and I want this part of the truth´´ and then she said ´´I'm the Jehovah witness church and I want this part of the truth´´´and at that second the dogs started barking because someone was at the gate in the front so we went to see who it was and guess who it was... two Jehovah's witness missionaries! Ha-ha we invited them in to listen and talk to us but they said no thanks! We all laughed forever! Well anyway I'm in a new area and I love it so far and I'm happy as could be! You are all in my prayers daily Thanks for everything and I miss you tons! xoxoxolove,
Hermana Marchant!

Remember Hermana Kapp. from the MTC my very first companion that moved up and we were best freinds so it was sad!! we see each other all the time and we love each other!!

Emiliano and Evangelina. she is a member he is her boyfriend going to get baptized in tw weeks

Found him dead by my bed. HUGE and i think was the culprit of my tennisball sized bite! sick

Feb 13, 2012

Hola!

We´ll this week was really good! I can now honestly say I'm starting to get the hang of this...I love this feeling, but am a little skeptical because usually that's how you know something hard is coming, right?!

I love the people of Argentina so much. Remember how much I loved the dogs before that I would feed them? Yeah, well now I've been chased down by 3 or 4 and my skirts been bitten by one...more scared of them now then anything! I see myself slowly becoming immune to little things. Things that before were such big deals. Bugs everywhere, sweat, people not understanding me... getting used to it all. Spiders I keep finding in my bed... that one I'm still working on getting used to. That whole ring worm scare last week? Nope, not ring worm just a huge spider bite. The bite was as wide as a tennis ball, red purple with a white ring around the outside and a black dot in the center. So gross. I had to get antibiotics and now I'm back to normal! I spray spider killer in my bed every night before bed and that seems to be helping. Yeah mom I know, bad harmful chemicals I'm sleeping with...I´ll be fine!

We´ve been working a ton with less active members, and it's been really rewarding. We have helped bring back a lot of people. Alfredo ( the old guy who was a little prideful about coming back to church and was waiting for members to come see him for years..I wrote about him last week remember?) He totally came to church this week! I was shocked! We walked into the church and there he was dressed all nice in his suit and tie sitting in the back alone looking around at everyone. I was so excited! We ran over to him and sat next to him and told him how good it was to see him. While we were sitting there in Sacrament Meeting next to Alfredo I was so overwhelmed with feelings and thoughts of ´´this is why I'm here´´. After Sacrament tons of his old friends ran up to him and hugged him and were talking and laughing and welcoming him back. It was really really cool to see! I'm excited to talk to him and see how he felt!

We set another baptism date. Ours keep falling through, so I'm really hoping for this one! As I said we have been working with less actives, and our bishop doesn't want baptisms until all the less actives are active again...impossible, I know. But Anyways so we have decided to reactivate less actives and baptized the family members not baptized in those families. Compromise. Well we went to the familia Trocha´s house this week. One lady, 2 sons, 1 daughter, and not sure what happened to the dad. The lady and daughter are baptized and inactive, oldest son is a gangster and the other son is 12 years old. Hermana Trocha is schizophrenic so she forgets she's a member sometimes. She´s really sweet though, a little out of it, but really sweet. She has dentures in her mouth and with each word she speaks the moved up and down ha-ha it's hilarious, and kind of sad. But anyway, the 12 year old is seriously amazing. I have never met such a confident special 12 year old. He is out going, smart, funny, respectful everything. Very mature for his age. Not baptized. He loves playing the guitar and skateboarding. But he´s the only one out of his friends that has a skate board so he loves to talk about it with us because we're from the United States and everyone there skates. He wants to be professional skate boarder in the United States one day. And wants to learn English more than anyone I've met. Well we got them to church and after we're teaching him about the Book of Mormon. He wasn't too excited about reading it so when Hna Gillum asked him if he would read it and started to hesitantly say ´´maybe´´ I said ´´we can give you a English one and a Spanish one and then as you read you can learn English´´ and the second he caught on to what I was saying (because it takes me 5 hours to say one sentence ha-ha) he started continuously shaking his head yes! He was so excited ha-ha. I figure, with his desire to learn English he will really be paying attention to what its saying and his desire for the words and the BOM its self will grow too! He committed to baptism in 2 weeks. Transfers are next week so we´ll see if I'll be here!!

Well overall my love for my mission and these people is growing everyday! The hard things are hard, but the good things out weigh them by far. I love you all and miss you tons! Besos

Hermana Marchant

Hello!
Hope everyone had a great week! We as you all know had to start over with all of our
investigators. It went well!! We have a lot of new ones. Our ward is really focusing on Less
Active members and is having us do that too. They are being difficult about baptisms and only
want us to focus on reactivating, so we are all working on a compromise. But we met a less
active member named Alfredo. He is absolutely amazing. We came to his door and the first thing
he said with tears in his eyes was ´´you don't know how long I have been waiting for you. it
gives me emotion to think you are finally here´´ It made me feel like ´´wow I really am where I
need to be´´ He got offended at church years ago and because of his pride that he knows he has
he was mad no one came to say sorry so he stopped going. We were the first ones to come visit
him in years. He said he reads the Book of Mormon all the time. I told him that ´´the Gospel is
perfect. The people are not. You need to come back to church. The people and what they said to
you doesn't matter what matters in your devotion to the lord´´ ...in broken Spanish of course ha-
ha and he said he knows, but he is really scared. So we are working on getting him to commit to
coming back! He is the cutest little old man you´ve ever seen though! He said he is glad that I
can understand some Spanish because usually one of the missionaries in companionships can't
understand ANYTHING. Ha-ha little did he know I could only understand every 5th or 6th
word...I'm good at nodding my head and pretending like I understand I guess!! Another random
(non member) we met said ´´I've been waiting for you guys to come to my door for a long
time...finally your here´´ also. That was two people in two days! So crazy!

While looking for another less active members house (which is almost impossible on 9 out of 10
of them because the roads and the addresses and houses and everything in so unorganized) we
asked a random guy a question about the road or something and he called us over and told us that
we shouldn't go in that area we were looking for because it's very very dangerous at this time of
night so we ended up talking to him for a few minutes and I fell in love right away. He is also a
little old man. He has ´´sickness of his heart´´ not sure if its cancer or what, but he said has dying
and only has a little time left. My companion was talking to his friend and I was attempting to
talk to him. He is different. I know we're going to baptize him. The second we started talking
I knew that we can help him. His name is Hugo. I couldn't get him out of my head that whole
night. We will see him again tonight or tomorrow! He is very closed to our message right now
because he's very Catholic, so I'm praying to be able present it in a way that he can feel!

This week we had a lot of rain! One day we were out working and one of the bikes broke (of
course) so we found a repair shop and got it fixed and got on our way. It started to drizzle right
then...thinking nothing of it we kept on going. Well before we knew it, we were at the farthest
tip of our area and it was dark and POURING. We started laughing because we are both accident
prone and disaster prone ha-ha doing our best to keep working we decided to stand under a bus
stop and talk to people waiting for the bus hoping the rain might calm down. Well 30 minutes
later, and 3 lessons taught later it started pouring even harder. We got a call from the Elders
telling us to go home so we started on our way. Little did we know, the roads turn into rivers
here when it rains hard! At first we were trying to avoid the water, but we were already soaked
and there was no point anymore. So we started going straight down the center of the road.
Laughing and singing the whole way. The sewer ditches along the side of the roads were over

flowing and all the other mystery puddles we usually avoid were all mixed in...Knowing there
was nothing I can do, and full of fear that I was going to get a disease, I blessed the water ha-ha.
Just like they teach us to do at members houses with drinks. Bless and ask that it won't make us
sick! We get home and that's when the laughing stopped and the annoyance started...the clean
up! All the papers in our bags...ruined our shoes....puddles with every step... clothes and bags:
soaked, muddy, and the weirdest awful smell ever! I don't even want to know what was on us ha-
ha. Plus when it rains we get tons of bugs in our house. Well to make a long story short I have
ring worm or something very strange and weird that sounds like the description of ring worm on
my upper thigh. I have to send the doctor pictures today and he will tell me what to buy at the
pharmacy tonight hahaha. Argentina never lets me down on interesting stories :)

This week was really good. Once I met Hugo (the cute old catholic man that is dying) I was
laying in bed and I was just thinking about how I can help him, then my mind started wondering
and I got SO excited about all the Lord has in store for me this coming 15 months. All the people
I can help, the good I can do, the changes that need changing all that are waiting for me!! I hope
you all are doing your missionary work there at home! I love you all and miss you tons! Stay
Happy. Besos!!

Hermana Marchant

Hola!

Can you guys believe it? Another week has come and gone. Well luckily for us, no horrible disasters like running out of water or anything of that sorts happened this week, BUT all of our investigators with baptism dates got canceled or moved back. And the rest of our progressing investigators are not progressing anymore. Lame. But it's ok were staying positive and trying to work hard! 

We had the cutest little girl Jesi with a date of this past Saturday, but she wanted her dad to baptize her...understandable, but he had been less active for years so he had to have a interview with the Bishop and he has to wait a few months now to be worthy. So were not sure what were going to do. We asked their family to pray about it and decided if they are going to wait for the 3 months or have someone else do it, but she got really emotional about it and really really really wants her dad to. So we will find out tonight what they decided. She is the cutest ever though. She acts so much older than 9 years old. We were teaching her the other day and Hna. Gillum asked her parents what they wanted for Jesi and how they feel about her and they said the usual "Í love her and want whets best for her and want what makes her happy" and she started crying.  So Hna Gillum asked how she felt about her parents and she was crying talking about how much she loves them, but she is kind of timid and shy so she would just say a few words, but you can tell she is very spiritual. It's cute. She kept forgetting to pray at night so I made her a Prayer Rock out of this random cool piece of tile I found one of my first days here. It´s a really cool pink color and a really cool shape. I found it just in the road somewhere, and had it on my desk, and when she said she couldn't remember to pray I told her I have a present and I'll bring it next time. I had these silver sparkly stickers that Lizzie sent to me in the MTC so I put Orar (pray) on it. She loved it! I have pictures ill send either this week or next.

Ok and then our second investigator Nacho he is about 24 years old. He was extremely excited because he got his answer about the BOM and couldn't wait to join and wanted to serve a mission and we thought he was golden.  He told us he had 2 dreams of him teaching the youth of this church in the future and all this stuff, and then the next time we meet with him he's saying "my pastor told me I need to wait, I don't know if I want to do this. I need time" etc.   Then there was drama because he only wanted to be taught by the sister missionaries but he lives in the Elder's area.  So were not sure what's happening with him anymore. Regardless though our leaders said we can teach him at the church but since he lives in the Elders area when he gets baptized it will go to the Elders...so that's all that matters anyway, salvation..Not numbers.

And our third investigator with a date, Emiliano. He is living with a member of the church and in order to get baptized they have to be married and in order for her to repent they also need to be married.  So we had a date for the wedding and then baptism, but now they are not coming to church and not answering out calls. So it's kind of a bummer, but now were working hard with the few investigators we have.  Other than that we're asking for references and street contacting as much as possible. Our whole district and zone´s number were down this week so were working together to get them back up!! I´m sure this week will be more successful!

I've decided that as a kid growing up in Argentina would be the best ever. All day everyday you get to be dirty. That's like a  child's dream. They just play in the dirt outside all day long.  I feel like I'm constantly thinking ´´where are the parents?´´ and ´´shouldn't you be in bed?´´ ha-ha.  W then when they are old enough they all play barefoot soccer for hours. The other day we were walking home and all the sudden, 10 little kids from age 4 to age 9 run up to us and they are like ¨WHERE ARE YOU FROM´´ we said the United States and they all started screaming at once and one of them goes "DO YOU KNOW JUSTIN BIEBER?" ha-ha.  We laughed and said yes and then they started yelling all these people WHAT ABOUT MILEY CYRUS, ZAC EFRON etc. we said yes yes yes and then they said,  dead serious, not one bit of kidding CAN I COME LIVE WITH YOU?   We told them we were kidding and we don't know all those people and the still wanted to live with us. Instead of hugs here everyone kisses on the cheek so they all kissed us on the cheek and ran back to their soccer game. They are so cute. Argentine kids win for cutest looking. My bike broke AGAIN the other day and one of those little boys ran up and stopped me and said LET ME HELP.  Then did something crazy and fast and fixed my bike in less than 30 seconds wiped his hands on his shirt kissed my cheek and ran away. Ha-ha I love the kids here! The whole time I was thinking "were in the middle of nowhere...where are your parents?". Well Thanks everyone for your prayers and love and support! I miss you all! Have an awesome week! Xoxo

Hermana Marchant

Hello everyone!!

This week it really hit me....I AM HERE. Wow. It has been nothing but an adventure from day one. Something disastrous and crazy happens every day!! Where to even start? Well the little girl I told you all about last week, from the less active family- The Enrique family. She is getting baptized!!!!! They are so awesome. They came to church and are ready to start over. I know they are in it for life now. They are so strong. It was actually a funny story how she committed. So we were planning our lesson for her and my companion Hermana Gillum told me to take the lead and invite her to be baptized...so I practiced the commitment in Spanish ALL MORNING: ´´Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God?´´   Nervous, but excited we go over deliver the lesson and when it was time for me to say the commitment ´´someone´´ (alguien) and ´´who´´ (quien) are kind of similar words in Spanish...keep that in mind. Anyway I said: will you follow the example of JC and be baptized(then I forgot what was next because I was nervous so I said) Por quien (by who) instead of Por alguien (by someone) and I knew that the last word was wrong so I said the last word in a question on accident.   Ha-ha, then froze because I realized I messed that up so badly.  My companion took over and re-asked and finish the whole commitment.  We walked out of the lesson and just started cracking up.  Will you follow the example of JC and be baptized....by whom? Is what I said. It was embarrassing! I´ve realized that it's hard to tell funny stories through email, they are all better in person.  Just imagine, I'm there acting it out for you all!

Well anyway her date was for the 28th, but now there is all this confusion because her dad wants to baptize her but doesn't know how long it will be since he was less active for so many years.  She wants him too but the dad is trying to talk her into just doing it sooner and not waiting for him because he knows it's not right to make her wait, so it's really hard and the bishop doesn't like us baptizing this much with all the people we have committed because he is afraid they are going to fall away.  So it's all crazy right now!! But our ward is amazing the bishop and his counselors are the best ever. They all make fun of my Spanish and if you're Latin and serve a mission the church wants you to learn English.  So they all know a kind of a lot of English so they will say things but it's with such a accent I can almost get more of what they are trying to say in Spanish than English...sometimes lol.

One of the counselors Hermano Garcia is so awesome. His family and he are my favorite family here so far. They have us over for lunch every Sunday and the rest of the ward wasn't feeding us but they were feeding the elders.  So Hmo Garcia showed us like 3 chapters in the bible and BOM about servants of the Lord asking for food and how the ward needs to feed us because they get blessings from sacrificing food for servants of the Lord and stuff. He did it all in a joking way, but it was a good lesson. We need to ask and be more up front. I just feel so bad because these people are living in shacks with dirt floors and no car and half a ceiling and to ask them to feed us just seems wrong.  But Hmo Garcia who lives in a house just like that was saying that each times he feeds us they´re week is blessed in every way and the members know that...so lesson learned!!

We have one other investigator committed too his name is Nacho. He is awesome. He is about 26 and super open minded. He got an answer about the Book of Mormon this morning and sent us this crazy excited text message ha-ha.  His bap. date is 3 weeks from yesterday. I'm excited!! People are pretty open minded here.  Its nuts, they say no at first to everything like ´´Can we talk to you for a minute, we're missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ´´ ´´no, I'm catholic, thanks.´´ ´´Its very important and its of love and happiness´´ ´´ok come on in´´ you just have to try twice and usually after that they are receptive! But back in the United States...people are not that open minded.

Our water stopped working for 2 days this week and the thought of getting into bed after 24 hours of sweating and walking and riding bikes was not an option... so our creative selves went outside and starting looking for anything to help us. We came up with 2 ideas: the ghetto 2 foot pool our landlord (she lives right next door and we share a yard) has, or a hose. The pool is breaking the rules so we decided hose.  We dragged the hose into our house and put it in our shower and turned it on and then alllllll this mystery black 3 inch chunks starting pouring out. So we turned it off really quick and started to panic...I have never wanted to shower so badly in my life. We threw the hose back in the yard and went to option two the pool to see if we could just use the water without getting in so we didn't break any rules. We open the cover to the pool and look down and the water is BROWN. we close it and laugh and start brainstorming...we go back to option one...the hose. we finally find this other lid thing on the spout part that just let water out and decided to put our work out clothes on and wash off outside.  The thought of the water running through that mystery black hose was nothing compared to how gross and dirty I felt...we were desperate!!  Well now we have water in our house...BUT it's not clean water its public water from ´´the street´´ or something...who knows. all I know is that it's not purified at all and it will be a month until it is fixed with regular water, but we can shower in it, and it's Clear. That's all I ask.

So we had to to stop feeding all the dogs, we have no money as missionaries and each day I would feel worse and worse because I couldn't feed the next dog that was watching me feed the other ones because I ran out. So I was taking more and more food each day and then finally I realized that I was sacrificing my food for these dogs and I was hungry.  So I got my priorities back in order.

Our bikes broke again and again...each day. it's probably the dirt roads with glass, trash, cement chunks, rocks, and dead dogs all over them.  These cheap bikes were not meant for the wear and tear, and distance we put them through.  Well, so much happens every week that I can´t type it all in a letter. we have tons of investigators, The spirit is awesome.   I got pepper sprayed in the face by accident because Hermana Gillum likes to play with the pepper spray.  My legs have over 20 bug bites, I fell on my bike on a main road and Hma. Gillum told the whole ward that story yesterday at church!  Tthe people are really nice..after they break their stare at my hair color.  My companion and I get along really well, teach really well, and laugh a lot together!! I love you all tons and miss you like crazy! xoxo

Ok!! Hello family and friends! My first week in Argentina. Well I don´t even know where to start. It is soooooooo different here. It's AMAZING, but different. We have more time out here in the field for emailing, but were going to play soccer with our district in a few minutes, so again I am rushed!! Ok to start: on our way down here I got on the plane from Atlanta to Argentina (right after I talked to you all) and I couldn't understand ANYTHING... I started to freak out...a little bit....ok a lot. And then I remembered something I had read in Preach My Gospel which was -don't give into discouragement- I then thought why not give into it...I'm allowed to be scared and sad once in a while and then I remembered the next sentence that says -because it is giving into Satan- the words I'm sure were better placed and everything, but that's the jest so I decided to tune out the incomprehensible language and remain calm. I did and since then I have only started to freak out like twice!! Ha-ha but freak out in a good way, and I have realized that when I'm feeling the overwhelming or everything, once we start talking to people and the spirit gets really strong none of that matters. The bugs, the sweat the Spanish...everything. The only that that matters right then is those people and the spirit

 So many crazy things have happened this week...first of all my companions name is Hermana Gillum she is from St George. She´s amazing we love each other. She looks like Selina Gomez but prettier! Were both have a lot in common, we have fun! She goes home in 2 transfers. Ok so were in San Ignacio (look it up n Google maps...don't freak out mom, we have two tall locked gates to get to our house...were safe, promise) but it is kinda ghetto. Ok really ghetto. But the people are SO nice and SOO HUMBLE. I think that's my favorite thing about Argentina is that no one cares what you look like or who you are or what your wearing. They are so humble. every time I try to say anything they look at my companion to clarify ha-ha to me I sound just like them but I guess my accent is really bad!! Ha-ha oh well... all in good time. I can understand ALOT more then I could the first few days, but still it's not a lot.

In church yesterday the teacher told a story of one of the church leaders when she was growing up who was very very very strong in the church has no fallen away and she went to his house for the first time in a long time and the daughter answered, so she asked the little girl if her parents were there and if she could talk to them and she daughter said they weren't home. so she started asking the little girl what she knows about god and everything and the little girl didn't know anything (she is 9 years old) she was so sad that this family who was once so strong had completely fallen away. So anyway, after church Hna Gillum and I decided to go visit them. They got us Tang to drink (because they are stuck in the late 80´s early 90´s here in Argentina) and we started talking, I didn't say much because I couldn't understand much, but the spirit was so strong, almost stronger then I have ever felt it before in my life and then I bore testimony of what Hna Gillum had been saying and stuttered out some other words in my broken Spanish, and then they started to cry. They said my words were so strong and they committed to come back to church. We're going to commit that little girl to baptism tonight! It was my favorite thing that´s happened. I will never forget that experience! Its little things like that that makes all the negative things not matter.

Ok so crazy story. Were opening a new area. They havn´t had missionary here in years. Plus hna gillum is training me, plus the area is HUGE HUGE HUGE. So finally after days of walking miles they told us we can get bikes. So we wake up excited, get ready do our studies and head for the bank to get the money out... well that bank didn't have money in the ATM so we have to go all the way downtown to Centro. so we do we get there it takes 30 minutes then we get money out and start looking for a bike store to buy helmets and lights etc. because where the bikes are that were going to buy (the store by our house) they don't have helmets and stuff. So we look for another 45 minutes finally find it...its closed for Siesta. Get annoyed go get lunch and get back on the bus to go to our town to buy the bikes. We get back after another 30 minutes go to the bike store. It's also closed for siesta. get annoyed, decided to go contact referrals, thought a lesson go back get the bikes get the helmets at another store get on a our way. It took alllll day. so we laugh it off and go contact for a little bit have to go home, get lost going home because our area is HUGE, get home decorate our bikes with Jesus stickers so that they don't get stolen..Literally Jesus is ALL OVER these bikes. We call them our CristoCruisers, anyway then we went to sleep. The next morning we wake up have an amazing day planed because we were behind from yesterday because the bikes took so long. Get out and start working, get lost. Ask these people where we are find out where in the ghetto way outside our area like 15 little old ladies tell us to get out of there because we stick out especially me and its super dangerous. So we FINALLY get back in our area, but still in the dangerous ghetto and then..............MY BIKE BREAKS. so we pull over and all the people are walking and driving by yelling RUBIO RUBIO (which his like blonde blonde) so we are super scared. We call our district leaders...no answer call our zone leaders no answer. Finally call the other elders in our area they answer and say they are sending their Cop friend that they are with. So he finally gets there in this little red car and is taking his time putting our bikes in it and then the plan was to take us home drop of our bikes then we will walk. We ask how his day is going and he said -good I'm baptizing my daughter today- we are all excited for him and ask what time he is doing it and he says -4- I look at my watch and ITS 4:20.... We start freaking out telling his he needs to go we can walk with our bikes he says No like 100 times and insists he takes us home. Why did the elders send him?? Of all people! Ha-ha. So finally... (We get lost again.) We get home and he goes to the baptism and we get annoyed of our bikes and had a crazy crazy 2 days. My companion said get used to it. The mission is full of them. Ha-ha I was so stressed. (Dad spell check and change words so that that all goes together I don't have time thanks!)

Everyone stares at me. Men women children dogs...everyone, because I'm blonde. And then when I talk they just stare for a second and then look to my companion for help ha-ha. She has gotten called Latino like 3 or 4 times because compared to me she does look Latino, but she said she has never gotten that before this week ha-ha. Glad I'm good for something. Everyone knows how to say Hello and 1 2 3 4 5 in English so when I walk by people they will randomly just say 1 2 3 4 5 because it's like the only thing they know in English ha-ha it's so weird. But hilarious because I don't even know they are speaking English because of their accents and then my companion will ask if I heard that ha-ha... people here are the best. There is a guy in our ward who speaks perfect English I love talking to him. I can actually have a real conversation with someone. He actually knew one of my argentine teachers from the MTC, small world.  And then another guy speaks a tiny tiny bit so when he says things at first ill think YES I UNDERSTOOD THAT WHOLE SENTANCE IN SPANISH and then I realize it was English with a Spanish accent ha-ha.

After the first day here my feet were so beat up. I took pictures. They were disgusting ha-ha bloody blistered everything but 3000 miles later my shoes are finally broken in and I'm good to go! The food is good. ESPECIALLY the fruit. OMG the fruit is unreal. The bananas taste fake they are so strong. The only complaint I have is a member fed us dinner and they don't take the bones out of the food so there are hundreds of little bones in the chicken and all over the plate of food. I was holding back puke the whole time and I kept getting them in my mouth ha-ha it was awful. my companion looked at me and smiled as she took like 3 bones out of her mouth like she had done it 1000 times, made her eyes a little wide suggesting -get used to it- and I did my best! There are hundreds of wilds dogs here. It's the saddest thing ever. They are all diseased and sick and starving. Its sooo sad. They have these sad eyes and when they look at me I want to start balling. So instead of balling, I found a solution!! Every night I take some bread out of the freezer to thaw and then I bring it in a bad and when I see a realllly sick or realllly hungry one I give it bread. it's all I can do right now for them, it's so sad everyone beats them and is mean to them...literally hundreds of them everywhere!! Tons of spiritual things have happened tons of hilarious things have happened but I don't have time!! Just know that I am doing well and I love you all!  I feel your prayers every day, they keep me going! Thanks for everything xoxo

HALIE!!!!!! I JUST GOT ALL OF YOUR LETTERS THIS WEEK! I am so sorry! You probably thought I was so mean for not replying to you! They were being sent to my mission not to me at the MTC. So I had no idea until the day I got here. I'm so sorry! I love them they made me so happy and they were the first thing I got to see right when I got here to Argentina. Reminded me of home and made me feel really good. Thanks for making me happy and not homesick!! I miss you a ton too and love you like crazy!

Love, hna Marchant

 (below is a pix of the greater Buenos Aires area-note San Ignacio where Abby is).