Monday, August 22, 2016

Keep on Keepin' on

August 22, 2016
Hola Familia y Amigos,
Well another week has come and gone and I'm sitting in this little cyber in Argentina not remembering a thing that we did this week that is worth telling you about.  :) Whoops! Sorry – those are the problems of a bad memory and normal missionary week. 
Oh yeah... I remember now why this week seemed kind of normal, it’s because I got sick... AGAIN.  Holy freak...I seriously have the worst luck ever.  This is the third time this winter.  Tuesday night I started feeling super weird and with like some sort of body fever thing. You know when you can’t decide if you’re too cold or too hot and you have the shivers?  Yeah, that.  Anyway it was pretty miserable.  I took some Ibuprofen but it wasn’t really working so I called Hna. Cifuentes and she told me to go buy some antibiotic at the pharmacy.  Little by little it made me feel lots better and it only ended up lasting like 3 days instead of all week long.  #countingmyblessings.
So yeah, that was fun.  Also, we found a new investigator!!  Her name is Maleria (weird I know...) and she's a young mom with two daughters.  She has a couple of cousins that are members of the Church, but she's never learned about what it is that they really believe.  After we met her she invited us right into her home and we were able to teach her about Jesus Christ and the restoration of the gospel and it went well.  We’ll see where things go these next couple weeks, but she seems to have lots of interest so we have very high hopes. :)
Also, Juan finally made it back to church!!! (After like 3 months without coming.)  Alejandra has been super sick for over a month and they've used that as their excuse when really Juan just didn't want to come alone.  We had a member call and invite him to come and this guy even went by and picked him up.  Juan seemed super happy to be able to make it back!  We had a great lesson with them this week teaching about the plan of salvation again.  The first and last time we had taught them was way back in April and they had forgotten lots of things.  It really gave them a better big picture of why all the things we are teaching them and inviting them to do are so importante (i.e. coming to church, reading the scriptures, keeping the commandments in general...).  They still have a long way to go, but we love them and want to do all we can to help get them there!!!
These last 5+ months here in Olavarrìa have been so great but a lot of work at the same time!  I’ve definitely had lots of ups and downs and have learned to have a “keep on keepin’ on” attitude through it all.  I read an article by one of the General Authorities, Elder David Evans in the Liahona magazine from June of this year about tenacity and discipleship.  He said, "la tenacidad en el Evangelio sea esta: pase lo que pase, continuar teniendo fe en Dios y en sus promesas, y hacer lo correcto en todo momento, sin importar quién lo sepa." (sorry I only have it in Spanish) [Translation – tenacity in the Gospel is this: no matter what happens, continue to have faith in God and His promises, and do what is right all the time, regardless of who knows.
We have transfers in a short 3 weeks and I have a feeling my time here is coming to an end... but until then, come what may, I'm going to love it and keep on keepin’ on right up until the end!!  I’m excited for another week of work! :)
Wishing you all the very best week,
Con amor y panqueques,
Hermana Bartholomew

Pictures from the week:

P-Day = Pancakes! :)
Missing Jack Johnson today....makin' banana pancakes.
Yankee pancakes for our favorite ward members - Joaquin y Lujan
With my Argentine Sister - Lujan
What are we doing??
Learning lots more in the mission than I ever thought I would about HAIR! :)
Hermana Ahlmer bleaching her locks...

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