HAPPY NEW YEARRRR!!

Hola Querida Familia!!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas because I sure did!! It was sooo good to see your lovely faces last week! It made me soo happy. The bad news is that it made me miss you...but it's okay. Things are back to normal now :)

So, Christmas Eve. After talking with you we went to the chapel and hung out with the Elders. We played games, talked, sang some songs, and filled each other in on how our families were doing. It was a lot of fun. At 8:00PM we went to the radio with some ward members and sang...yep...on the RADIO. No big deal or anything...It was pretty sweet. Hahaha...Hermano Chemin knows EVERYONE.  After, we went to the house of the Chemin Family. Gustavo Parra (ward member - 27 years old ish) and his mom (inactive) were there as well. We started out by painting our nails with the Mayor girls. I was THRILLED as I'm sure you can imagine. My poor finger nails have been completely neglected for the last 3 months. Welp, then we decided to let the boys join us and we played some card games...uno and chancho...which is pretty much spoons Argentina style...in other words...it's crazy :) Hahaha...it was such a fun night. At 11:00PM we ate asado. DELICIOUS. At midnight we drank something I'm not sure what (sounds sketchy...but it was non-alcoholic I promise) and then we went outside and the whole town of Rawson erupted with fireworks. IT WAS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE COOLEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. Sign me up for Christmas in Argentina every year. Seriously, fireworks lit up the sky in every direction I looked. After watching the fireworks for a bit, we went inside and sang some Christmas hymns. It was really neat. Then, get this, the Mayor family car wouldn't start...soo we called a taxi. 45-60 minute wait. Well, it was already 12:30AM. So, we walked back to our pension with an army of people. The whole Mayor family including some aunts and cousins, and the Parra Family. We sang Christmas hymns the whole way. We got back safely to our apartment and went to bed quite exhausted, but very very happy!! Sleeping in until 8:30AM was the BEST EVER! I think it's safe to say that's the latest I've ever slept in on Christmas morning...

Christmas day, we went to the church at 10:00AM and hung out with the Elders all morning. Ping-pong tournament...don't worry Matthew...I didn't let you down. I DOMINATED. :) Then we had TIM TAM SLAMS. Courtesy of the Heath Family. So yummy. Thank you so much for the package again!! I have very much enjoyed my favorite chocolates :) At around 2:00PM we went to the Chemin's house in Playa and had lunch...wanna know what we ate? Lamb. Yep. LAMB. Two of them. Apparently it's tradition here. I tried not to freak out and only half succeeded. Good thing the only ones that noticed were the Elders. They thought it was hilarious and kept asking me if I wanted more right when Hermano Chemin was coming around with the plate of lamb just loud enough for him to hear and throw some more on my plate. I was ready to strangle all of 'em...but I didn't. They think they're soooo funny. Hahaha. Welp. After eating the Chemin family got into a huge water fight which started outside and eventually came inside. Yep...inside the house. Buckets of water. The hose. No big deal. The six of us missionaries hid in the corner watching and laughing...most of all dying to participate. It was hilarious. Everyone was SOAKED by the time they were finished. So was the floor in the house. Good thing Argentines don't believe in carpet. Then they had karaoke and dancing. Such fun traditions. It was an awesome day. A very Merry Christmas in Rawson Argentina :)

This week we had a district meeting with our zone leaders present. It was soo good. I admire our zone leaders so much. They talked about the importance of BEING missionaries, not just doing what missionaries do. They shared thoughts about how we can really love and feel what we're doing all day every day. Then Elder Elliz asked us about our experiences in the mission so far, and what our goals are for 2014. It was a really cool meeting. I love being a missionary. I've got loads to learn still, but it's coming. Slow and steady:)

This week we had 3 investigators come to church! Wahooooo! It was such a blessing. It's seriously the hardest thing to get people to wake up in the mornings. Mostly because people go to bed at 3AM, wake up at 11:00...and then take a siesta after lunch until 5:00PM. Crazy Argentines :) Haha...we're working on it. It's forming the habit. That's all.

We still don't know where we're going to spend New Years, but I think we're going to Trelew on New Years day to spend it with the zone. That's still two days away. We've got time :)

Welp, I hope you all have a very happy new year!! Remember to set goals!! :):):) Thank you so much for the pictures and the emails!! I don't have time to respond to all of them today, but I will next week I promise!! I love you all so much and I'm so incredibly thankful for your support and love. It makes all the difference because there are missionaries whose families don't agree with their decisions to serve missions. I can't imagine how hard that would be. I love you all and the church is true!!

Have a blessed week!

Forever and always,

Hermana Heath

 singing on the radio!!

 

tim tam slams!!

FEAST YOUR EYES!! Hermano Chemin and I...
and two lambs. yep...that's right.

FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!

Mi Querida Familia,

MERRRRRRRYY CHRISTMASSS!! I hope ya'll are planning an awesome Christmas Eve party:) I'm sooo excited for Christmas and I have no idea why...hahaha. Turns out we're NOT going to be spending Christmas Eve with the Chemin Family, but we will be celebrating with the Mayor Family. They're awesome. Unfortunately the Elders are going somewhere else I think. On Christmas day, as of right now, my district is staying in Rawson to spend the day together as a district and with the Chemin Family. We're soo excited! And yes, as a district we're going to have TIM TAM SLAMS!!! :) Thank you so much for the package!! I LOVED it. The candy Santa?! GENIUS. Sooo clever. Snickers and chocolate kisses. You know me too well. Thank you so so much!! The chocolate here is good, don't get me wrong, but it's different:) ...just like everything else. Hehe.

Welp. Where to begin. Last Monday we just hung out in the church as a district, ate some lunch together, played basketball, ping pong, and enjoyed a fun day of no work. Then we bought some ice cream. Good times. I looove p-days. Okay, I love all the days, but p-days are always a nice break:)

On Tuesday we had a district meeting and then we went (all six of us!) to eat lunch with the Nievas Family. It's always a blessing when we get to eat together as a district...as missionaries we have such unique relationships with each other. We're all far away from our families laboring in the same work. It's the best support system EVER. It's seriously like a family. There's a lot of love and occasionally some irritation. Hey remember when I used to say that I wanted more brothers? I take it back. One is enough:) Hahaa...so it's a good thing I got the best one in the world! I got a pretty good brother-in-law too. No complaints:) Speaking of brothers-in-law (which we only kind of were) here's a shout out to Em and Craig. Thanks for getting married in April. You have nooo idea how many times I've talked about my experience that day and borne my testimony about eternal families. It always makes me almost cry, and the people always feel the spirit. You guys are the best! Hahaha...but seriously. The personal experiences are what help the people the most. Have you noticed that in general conference the speakers always share a story about their life?? Yep. They're all super smart.

This week we found Natalia!! Her...husband is a member (not active) only he's not actually her husband... they just live together. BUT, she's listened to the missionaries before and has a sincere desire to be baptized. Her...husband-ish...is the brother of a member here. They just moved to Rawson last week. Member referrals are the BEST! We put a baptismal date before we even taught a lesson...come to think of it we didn't even pray. We just sang a Christmas hymn, talked about what we can give Jesus this Christmas, and she said, "Ojala que pueda bautizarme." (I hope I can get baptized!) Of course, that's every missionaries dream. Alright, no problem Natalia. We can arrange that. Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.... YES! YES! YES! She said...alright. Now my companion and I thought we were dreaming for sure. She and her...husband...have talked and they're going to the registration office today to get everything taken care of so they can get married. She's gonna be baptized in January (if all goes according to plan! The 11th to be exact.) She is also 3 months pregnant. She's soo good. We also have daily contact with her which is so important!! Lots and lots of prayers heading in her direccion. They are gonna have lots of trials in the next few weeks...but keepin' the faith!

Ohhh!! Guess what?! On Friday night we had MOVIE NIGHT!! YAYYYY. Hahaha...we had a missionary family night in the church. We watched "the nativity" I think it's called. We ate popcorn and had a grand old time. It was a little weird sitting down to watch a movie..but it was a nice rest for our feet:) No AC, but the ceiling fans do an okay job of cooling us down...ish. Okay, so not really, but not complaining:)

Then on Saturday night we went CAROLING!! We had about 15 members and missionaries and we went to the terminal, a few shopping centers and super markets and we sang Christmas hymns! We all had Santa hats and it was good times. So much fun!! I officially LOVE caroling. Weird...I'm not sure I ever liked it so much before. Saturday we also had interviews with President and Hermana Rogers. We had to be in Trelew at 8:30AM. Ugh. That means we have to leave our pension at 7:30. That means we have to get ready really fast in the morning. BUT, it's okay because we ate facturas!! Which are basically Argentine donuts...except they don't compare to American donuts... but they're not really donuts actually so I don't know. They're really good though. It's more like croissants...with dulce de leche or some other filling. They're divine. Seriously, heaven in a...donut-ish thing. Then we had a Christmas devotional with the presidents. We sang all the Christmas hymns with lots of scriptures in between that tell the story of the Savior's humble birth. It was really cool. Then President Rogers talked about Christmas. He instructed us to miss our families just a little bit and then go to work. Pretty good advice I think. He encouraged us to focus a lot on how we can serve the people in our areas. I love love love President Rogers and I ADORE Hermana Rogers. They are so so good.

Last week we also had tramites which is paperwork basically for my VISA. Good times. Lies. It was miserable. We had to go to Trelew...again. We walked around for like 6 hours in the hot sun from place to place. I had to get finger printed...again. Is that the third time for me? Yep, I think so. But, I'm in the process of getting a permanent visa so that's good. We had a picnic in the park though. Our zone leaders bought us all sandwiches (bigger than subway..no joke) But we sat on the grass in the park and had a fun time. We opened my package from home...and then we went on our merry way. Unfortunately we still have more paperwork to do. It should be done in the next week or so though. 

Oh, and guess who I found? Mr. Saxton's twin. Yep, right here in Rawson Argentina. Am I freaked out? A little bit. It's seriously the weirdest thing ever. they look the same, talk the same...weird. Oh, also... I have officially seen the worlds ugliest dog...just if you wanted to know. And, the best part of this week? (I'm only half serious here) Not one, but TWO encounters with the worlds most famous boy band. That's right, One Direction. First, we heard Live While We're Young playing in a store, and then we were in a members house and the TV was on. Welp, lo and behold the Best Song Ever music video came on. MISSION MADE. Hahaha...it made my day.

Welp, have a blessed week and a very merry Christmas!! I'll miss you, but not really!! And...don't forget that we're gonna talk tomorrow!! yayyyy!! I'm super excited...until then...CHAU!!

Forever and Always,

Hermana Heath

Caroling with ward members in Rawson

Amigo invisible...secret santa in our district. Good times.

Argentine Sunsets!!

Me and my comp

Hermana Heath and Hermana Cortes

My district

Hermana Cortes and Hermana Heath at Punta Tombo,

the penguin colony

Punta Tombo - Hermana Cortes and I

 The hermanas in my zone...Craun, Heath,   ?   , and Cortes

I dreamed a dream...in SPANISH!!

Hola Family,

How's life?! Christmas is in 9 days? Woah. I forget that it's December because it's sooo hot. Like for reals, I forget. But, I have been counting down until I get to talk to all of you!! I would really appreciate it if you would try calling someone else on Skype and practice with everything so that we don't waste time trying to figure out how to communicate with each other. We only have an hour:) The headphones mean that I can only talk to one of you at a time?? Someone tell me everything in an email please!!

So, Christmas is coming. Everyone has cute little Christmas trees. Everyone except for us...that was until two days ago when the Velazquez Family gave us a Christmas tree with ornaments to set up in our apartment!! It's tinyyy but we LOVE it!! They also gave us some pan dulce and empanadas. Remember how I told you that the members here are amazing? Well, here's the proof. I love them.

Welp, it happened. I had a dream in Spanish. Weirdest thing ever. In the morning I couldn't believe it. In my dream we were sitting in the mission coordination meeting we have every week with Hermano Chemin and the missionaries and he was talking away in Spanish, same with the other missionaries...and guess what?! the coolest part?? I was too!! Hahaha...it was super weird, but really cool! Hahaa. I love learning Spanish. It's still coming definitely and there are lots of things that I don't know how to say, but it's coming:)

Mom! My package arrived!! Thank you so much!! Unfortunately, my zone leader Elder Holland still has it...it's been in Trelew for a week now. I'm sure I'll get it eventually...if he remembers to bring it to zone conference this next week. President is gonna be here and we're doing interviews this time around. I'm excited to see him and Hermana Rogers. They are seriously the best. I love them. Like really, I LOVE THEM. Oh, I also got a bunch of dear elders. One from mom, one from Miriam, and at the moment I can't remember from who else...hahaha...but thanks!!

So, this week we helped Hermana Isabel clean her yard again. It's still not done!! Haha...big job. She had an operation done on her shoulder because of some sort of paralysis in her arm and it's not really getting better. Sad day. Anyway, we helped her clear out some more juju...and there were tons of spiders. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your HEAD! Nasty. I'm telling you, they were everywhere. And you all know me with my spider senses. I always know when there's a spider near by. Sick and wrong I tell you. SICK and WRONG. I agree with nearly every one of God's creations, but the spiders absolutely not.

Yesterday we, the missionaries, sang in Church. We sang O come all ye faithful. In Spanish of course. It went really well!! Last night we had choir practice...more Christmas hymns!! and then the ward did a play about the birth of Jesus. It was awesome. They have been practicing for weeks. The kids sang, the adults acted. It was so neat!! After, papa noel came and visited us!! He gave candy to all the kids and then we all ate pan dulce and some Argentine treats. It was such a fun night. Christmas is coming!

Yesterday we also ate lunch with Gustavo and Fernanda Chemin...the son and daughter in law of Hermano Chemin. They have a little baby girl, Jasmin...like 18 months more or less and what can I say, she loves me:) Hahaa...every time she sees me she waves really big. It's sooo cute. I can't get over it. Fernanda always says that she only does that with me. Too cute. So yes, we had a grand old time together playing with all her toys. We ate meat. Big surprise, ya? The Chemin family is so good. So so good. I'm so excited that we get to spend Christmas Eve with them and the Elders. It'll be the closest thing to spending Christmas with all of you! They make up my amazing Argentine Family:) The love in my heart for these people. Ah!

So, last but not least, the sunsets in Argentina are the most beautiful in all the world. NO JOKE. Every night the sky is lit up with red and yellow and green and brown and scarlet and black and ocher and peach and ruby and olive and violet and mauve...and blue:) Haha...but seriously. It's sooo pretty. I love walking back to the pension at night and looking at the sky. You peeps are missin out :)

This week we had zone conference in Trelew. We talked about the Holy Ghost. It was awesome. We studied Chapter 4 of Preach My Gospel. Lots of really cool points which I will let you discover since I don't have much time. Basically, we cannot be effective missionaries, disciples, or teachers if we don't have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The fastest ways we lose the Spirit are through contention and disobedience. Our zone leaders then focused on letting the Spirit direct the lesson and then we did lots of practices:) What an incredible gift God has given us...the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost to lead us, guide us, walk beside us...hahaha..no but really. The Spirit is our comforter and protector. I'm so grateful. There's no way I could do this whole mission thing without the help of the Holy Ghost.

Welp, I wish I could tell you about investigators or people we're teaching, but at the moment it's hard. The problem is, we live 15 minutes from the beach. And it's summer. AND it's Christmas. In other words, it's hard to find people in their houses. We have lots of people we teach and have taught more than once, but they don't count as progressing investigators because we can't visit them frequently enough. I'll let you know though. We have three really awesome Hermanas we're teaching...Soledad, Maria, and Laura. Two of the three have baptismal dates, but we've gotta visit with them more regularly, also known as daily contact. Which is really hard this time of year. I'll keep you updated though!

I love you all and wish you a very happy holiday season! listen to lots of Christmas music for me...it's one of the things I miss the most!! But, I'm teaching my companion some songs...we're having a good time with that. Do you know what I found out? Latinos cannot make the "urr" sound in the words girl, world, were, sure, jewelry. It's quite funny. Haha:) Keep up the good work at home and good luck with finals Emily and Craig! Matthew and Kimberly only have about a week left of school right? Until vacations? So exciting. Good job on the calculus test, bud. And Kimmers! I'm glad to hear you got your personal history done! That's awesome! Have a fantastic week! And I'll talk to you on Christmas Eve!! I hope that time works for you! Oh, and I was just told that we will still get to email home next Monday:)

I love you forever and always!! The Church is true! Until next week, Chaus!!

Hermana Heath

 Trelew South Zone Conference in November -
Hermana Heath and her companion, Hermana Cortes

 Trelew and Puerto Madryn Zones -

Conference with Elder and Sister Zeballos
of the Quorum of the Seventy

Don't cry for me Argentina!

Querido Familia,

I'm glad to hear you're all doing well. Matthew and Craig I hope you're feeling better!! Being sick is never fun:/ Today I don't have tons of time since we're going to a museum in Trelew and then a shopping center. We'll be back in Rawson in plenty of time to make sure we get in a good game of futbol and basketball though for sure:) Kimmers, keep working on the personal history!! It's a big project, but it's so fun to look back on when you've finished it!

I was so sad to hear about Aunt Ann! I even cried a bit in the cyber. She was always so loving and kind and made me feel special. So many memories of family reunions and silver dollars...the good news is we know that families are forever and that we'll all see each other again! In fact, Nani Velazquez (the Hermano who served with Tyler in Brasil) introduced us to his nephew and niece yesterday and we taught an awesome lesson about the plan of salvation. The spirit was so strong and both the nephew and the niece started to cry at different points. So special. What an incredible blessing it is to have all the knowledge and understanding that we do!

This week was good. We had 27 lessons in total!! (13 with members!) The people in the south of Argentina are fairly...difficult to teach. They all have a religion and most aren't open to listen to our message despite our efforts to persuade. BUT, the Lord is working along side us in his vineyard just like we learn in Jacob 5. This week I started the Book of Mormon over again. I'm about to finish 2 Nephi. I came to reallly appreciate the prophet Nefi this time around. He is such a solid example of faith and obedience. Just what every missionary needs! In 1 Nefi 17 when the Lord commands Nefi to build a ship, Nefi's response is not what one would expect. He doesn't say "I don't know how to build a ship!" He doesn't say, "That's way too hard! Are you sure, Lord?" Instead, he responds by asking the Lord where he should go in order to obtain material and tools. Que capo. What a stud. I decided this week that I'm gonna be more like Nefi. I will go and do...

This week so many hilarious things happened. First, one day we entered a house of a referral to teach a lady, and they were having a Brittney Spears dance party in the back. SO FUNNY. Of course, none of them know the words of the song, but I knew most of them. They were all of her first songs that she released. The temptations to sing along and join the party were almost too much to handle. It made concentrating on the lady EXTREMELY hard. It's always hard to concentrate and listen in Spanish when the TV or radio is speaking in English. Haha. BUT! It was okay. Oops I did it again... hahahhaa

Next, Hermana Delfina Carcamo. The old lady I think I told you about? No teeth, approximately 5 feet tall? Adorable? Well, we were supposed to eat lunch with her one day this week, so we called the night before to confirm. She answered the phone, but unfortunately has a hard time hearing. She couldn't hear us talking to her and hung up. Round two. We called again and the same thing happened. So what did we do? Try again. By this point my companion is SCREAMING into the phone. No luck. She hung up on us again. After 4 times, she stopped answering. Welp, the next morning, we called again and somehow she could hear us, but of course, was not prepared to feed us lunch. So, the next day, we went to visit her and apologize for not calling sooner in advance. We showed up around lunch time, bad timing on our part, and nearly gave her a heart attack. She thought we had shown up to eat lunch with her without advising. Anyway, we assured her we were only there to apologize and asked if we could eat lunch there the next day. She agreed and we laughed about the whole situation. She's so endearing. It kills me. As we were leaving we softly reminded her that we don't eat a lot. The next day we showed up to eat lunch and she had prepared a HUGE lunch. Only we didn't know that because she only brought half of it out at first. We were proud when we had managed to eat all the food between the two of us since Delfina can hardly eat anything. It was only a little bit more than a normal serving size. Then she brought out the rest. Lets just say, we snuck out several servings of meet, french fries, and our dessert in napkins. Oh well. She's adorable. I seriously love her.

Next, on Wednesday morning the Elders helped us sacar el juju (weed) the lawn of an investigator. Hermana Cortes got the easy job of ironing clothes and chatting with Isabel. I was left to labor outside in the hot sun with Elder Verges and Elder Acuña. It looked like a mini forest...no joke.  We were cutting all the plants/weeds out and burning them in the fire place in the shed. Lots of green which equals lots of smoke. Luckily most exits through the chimney, but at one point there was so much smoke in the shed that we had to step outside for a bit. So, the three of us emerged from the shed with tears streaming down our faces. Sooo funny. Hermano Chemin came around the corner, looked at us, and turned around went back to work shaking his head. Haha... I love him. Elder Verges broke out into a chorus of "Don't cry for me Argentina." Priceless. We all had a good laugh and then went back to work. We still have more to do so we're gonna go back again this wednesday morning:)

Last week for Elder Verges' birthday we didn't end up going to the beach because it was sooo windy. We stayed in the church and played basketball and soccer and celebrated with the 5 of us. Oh, and have I mentioned that the church has a pingpong table?! Yep, we played and I DOMINATED. I was quick to tell them that my little brother is the real pro:) We bought a cake and opened presents, took lots of pictures, and then bought some ice cream. 1 kilo...we ate it straight from the carton. We had no problem finishing it all between the five of us:) It was such a fun day. We are the cutest missionary family ever. No joke. Oh, also, the new companion of Elder Elliz came on Thursday! His name is Elder Scogin. He's from Washington. I haven't had the chance to talk to him much and I promised Elder Elliz that I would only talk to him in Spanish. I'll talk to him some more today:) He seems nice! haha...all missionaries are nice though:)

Well, I hope ya'll have a fantastic week! Thanks for the updates and good luck with all the upcoming craziness that always emerges in December! Can you believe that Wednesday is my 3 month mark? To quote dad, "that's just not right." Welp, gotta go! Love you tons!! You're always in my thoughts and prayers! Keep being wonderful.

Forever and Always,

Hermana Heath

it's DECEMBER?

Hola Familia!!

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!! I thought about you all day and I'll tell you, I had no idea what homesickness was until Thursday. BUT, I'm doing good. I only lost it for a second in the morning while my companion was showering and I wished myself a very happy argentine thanksgiving. I LOVED the pictures!! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you sent the one of dad standing on the chair because I thought about you around the time I knew you would be eating and I pictured dad standing on the chair saying something about spillers and non-spillers. Hahahaa. Glad it was a fun week for everyone!!

Shall I tell you about my thanksgiving dinner? Pasta. Ya, not the traditional turkey and potatoes, but it was good. It was also the biggest thanksgiving dinner I've ever eaten. We had hard-boiled eggs first and then some weird breaded sandwich thing...and then the pasta. The only problem was that I was almost full and the Hermana who fed us lunch, bless her heart, stacked my plate like 3 inches high with pasta. I don't know if you remember, but pasta is not my favorite to begin with. While it was good, it was a little much for me. I was greatly wishing at that moment that I was sitting at home in the non-spillers section of the house with all of you!! But, this week we had transfers...this Thanksgiving I'm thankful that I get to spend six more weeks in Rawson with Hermana Cortes and the Elders! Our district isn't gonna change (with the exception of the new missionary coming in place of mini missionary Elder Dominguez. Elder Elliz will be training).

Anyway, this week was better. Hermana Cortes' birthday was so fun! Hermano Chemin fed us lunch, but Hermana Cortes didn't know that we were going there. He had called us that morning saying he couldn't make it. The Elders and I planned a suprise party for her! We had cake and everything. It was awesome and she was really happy. In addition, I sang her every birthday song I know, including Taylor Swift's "22" since she turned 22 years old. Good times. It was a fun day.

Today is Elder Verges' birthday so we're gonna party some more. SO MUCH CAKE THIS WEEK. But, it's so good...so I won't complain. We're gonna celebrate in the church since it's pday and we don't have lunch with members today. We'll find something to do...Rawson is tiny, though, so we're gonna have to be creative! Maybe we'll go to the beach. It's in the area of the Elders so Hermana Cortes and I have yet to see it. It's only 15 minutes away by bus.

So, in Argentina when we eat at the members houses it's kind of a rule that they have to serve dessert. It's inpolite to not give us something sweet...so, usually they make ensalada fruta...I don't remember if I've told you about it but it's basically just a bunch of fruit cut up in some juice...yes, it's soup not salad, but it's to die for. Anyway, two days in a row this week they gave us ICE CREAM! My companion said that she's never been served ice cream at lunch before. The ice cream here is SO good. It's definitely no cold stone, but it's really good. It's different than ours...not better, not worse, just different. Anyway, on Saturday they served us a BIG bowl of ice cream, then when we had finished they asked if we wanted more. To be polite you always say yes, plus, it was delicious. Anyway, I agreed to eat "a little bit more." She apparently doesn't know what "un poquito" means because the second bowl was bigger than the first. But I'll be honest, I wasn't complaining. Two massive bowls of neopolitan ice cream. DE-LI-CIOUS.

Also, this week in Argentina the older kids finished school for the summer. Weird right? It's December...it's winter...it's supposed to be cold! Well, not in Argentina. Anyway, the students finished school and the evidence is in the streets. In the United States we save all our homework and have a big bonfire at the end of the year right? Well, in Argentina, they save every single paper, rip them to shreds, and at the end of the year throw it all out on the streets. PAPER EVERYWHERE. Kinda cool, but really unfortunate for the people who have to clean it up. Hahaha:)

We're teaching an Hermana named Soledad. She's awesome. She has a real desire to follow Jesus Christ and strengthen her relationship with God. She's praying and we gave her a Book of Mormon yesterday. We've got an appointment with her on Tuesday:) Fingers crossed!

I can't believe that it's December. It's sooo hot. This last week there's been next to no wind. But, I'm not gonna complain, because the few days we've had that have been really cold are wayyy worse than the days that are really hot....however, it's not going to be a white Christmas here in Rawson:) Haha. The good news? I have the best tan I've had in YEARS. The bad news? I have the most hideous tan lines on my feet and wrist and neck. Nasty. Hahaha..oh well, what can you do?

Glad to hear you're all getting ready for Christmas! I'm getting excited to skype with you!! By the way, you need to figure out how we're gonna skype. I wanna be able to see youuu! We come to the internet cafe like always to skype. I'll let you know when I know more about Christmas:)

Welp, I think I've gotta finish here pretty soon. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Despite all the hard days, I'm so happy. My companion gets discouraged a lot which is hard for me, and I often wonder why I'm so happy when she's upset, and I think it has a lot to do with the prayers of family and friends. I know that I have a huge support system all around me and it makes such a big difference!! Plus, I'm not here to be sad...and knowing that makes it a lot easier to let little things go and respect the agency of others. As long as I'm trying my best, it's okay. I can't force someone into the baptismal font or make someone gain a testimony.  I was studying 2 Nefi 31 this morning during personal study. I LOVE that chapter. It's so straightforward with what we have to do. Have faith, repent, get baptized, receive the holy ghost, and endure to the end. At the end of the chapter it says that there is no other way. Only through Jesus Christ can we inherit the kingdom of God. I love personal study. It's the best.

Well, I've gotta go. We're gonna go celebrate with Elder Verges! :) PARTY TIME!! Hahaha:) Here in argentina, party time is always an adventure. With Elder Pinkston who leaves for home today everyone got sprayed with soap. Yes, everyone, including me. SOAP. The ward members came into the room with bottles of spray soap and started spraying everyone and everything. INSIDE THE HOUSE. Crazy Argentines. Hahaha but I love it. I love these people...so maybe I'm crazy too? All signs point to yes:)

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!! You're in my thoughts and prayers every day!! Only 23 days til we get to skype!! I don't know about you but I'm counting down!

Forever and always,

Hermana Heath

Hermana...what's your last name?

HOLAS!!

Como andan?! So, first off, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE EMAILS THIS WEEK! I LOOOOVE HEARING FROM YOU! I hope you're all doing well. I pray for you every single day and I think about you all the time...while still keeping my focus on my calling here in Argentina, of course:)

I have so much to tell you about this week. It was a really hard week, but so many funny and good things came from it!!

So, like I said, this week was another rough one. We had three investigators tell us that they didn't want us to come back. So sad, but I have faith that one day they will be ready to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and I hope that we were able to prepare them a little bit for that day. They are wonderful people. After losing those three investigators, the number of lessons we taught dropped like crazy. This week was lots of walking around...talking to people on the street...knocking a few doors...rarely entering a house...all in the blazing hot sun...with absolutely no wind. The good news? We found three new future investigators this week through our efforts...two of them (sisters) are awesome and we put a baptismal date during the first lesson and they both accepted! Unfortunately, we haven't been able to meet with them since because the daughter of one of them is really sick and they've been in the hospital. They're not sure what's wrong. We have a lesson with them tomorrow though planned.

The other lady we found in a super sketchy district in Rawson. There's lots of drinking that goes on there...and this week we had our first REAL encounter with some drunk men! Wahooo. Not really...the thing about the people here is that they're obsessed with the United States...and when they see the green eyes (dead give away since EVERYONE here has brown eyes), they become obsessed with ME. The two drunk men were no different. They wanted to talk about basketball and kept telling me how pretty I was. Unfortunately, we couldn't just leave because we were talking to the lady whose husband is in prison and is having a really hard time and wants to listen to our message. I'll be honest...I was freaked out. I decided I don't much like drunk men. Hahahaha.

Last P-day we went to Trelew and played with all the missionaries. It was so fun. We mostly played volleyball. It's so nice to have a break and enjoy a fun day with the missionaries. Last Friday night we had a ward talent show!! So much fun. I, however, got roped into doing a skit with the missionaries. I was a fairy. I'll tell you, I did not sign up for this part of being a missionary. Hahaha...still don't like acting. Not one bit. It wasn't too bad though. The members are soo kind. So are the other missionaries:)

So, on Saturday, we visited a lady who is not a member of the church. She isn't open to listen to the missionaries, but we helped her weed her yard. Well, it was more like demolish. The weeds and grass were at least a foot high, and so we were mostly taking everything out...Argentina style. In other words, we used KITCHEN KNIVES. Let's just say that weed wacking took on a whole new meaning for me this week. Crazy Argentines! Holy nutso...I've never in my life seen anything like it. Hahaha...Hermana Delfina Carcamo was there helping too. Let me tell you about her. She is 85 years old. Has no teeth. Is absolutely adorable. Anyway, she was bent over for a solid hour and thirty minutes wacking at the weeds and pulling them out without taking a single break to stand up. Woah. Don't forget she's 85 YEARS OLD! HAhaha...my companion and I were very impressed.

This week is transfers...;( Sad day. Elder Dominguez (the mini missionary from Rio Gallegos - further south in Argentina) leaves tonight. He's so great. We'll miss him for sure. I think our district leader, Elder Elliz, will probably leave too. Who knows!  Oh, and we didn't end up starting classes of English this week. Next week for sure though!!

Yesterday for lunch we had an ASADA. I don't know if I've told you about asadas in Argentina, but it's basically a barbecue...with like 5 or 6 courses of meat and NOTHING else. So, a meal of all meat. Yesterday we had some mashed potatoes to go with it, but very few. Oh, and they always drink soda here. I'm not sure I like it. But, oh well, they do it so they don't drink from the tap. I guess that's a good thing for us:)

So, funniest story of the week? Here goes. You're gonna need your scriptures. Woah...I'm totally a missionary, huh? HAhahaha. Anyway, our district leader calls us every night to see how our day went and to make sure we're okay. Sweet, right? Anyway, one of the nights this week, Elder Elliz told me to read Mormon 8:3 before going to bed. I happily agreed, excited to know what it said. As I was getting into bed that night, I pulled out my Spanish scriptures and read it (Go ahead and read the scripture). A little freaked out, I pulled out my English scriptures to make sure I understood. Yes, I had understood perfectly. What the? Confused and a little bit sad, I went to bed. The next night when Elder Elliz called to see how we were, I asked why on earth he would tell me to read that scripture before going to bed. Trigger the nightmares in 3..2..1 right? Well, after talking a little bit more, we realized that the scripture he meant to tell me was MORONI 8:3. I read Mormon 8:3 to him over the phone and he DIED laughing. Then we read Moroni 8:3 over the phone together. He still claims that he said Moroni the first time, but it's not true. I know what I heard. Hahaha...anyway...it made for a good laugh. :)

So, several people have asked how or if the people ever say my last name. Well, they do. Or at least they try:) Sometimes it's Hermana Heat. Other times it's Hermana Hit. I've also heard Hermana Heert. And sometimes Hermana Hate. It's very possible that I'll forget my own last name before the end of the mission. Hahaha. Too funny. It's always fun to listen to people try and see what they come up with:)

To answer a few questions: Mom...nope, no recollection at all of Señora Dantes, although I'm sure she's great! I'm sure she's great! hahaha...and Andrew Seegmiller? Is he my age? I don't think so but I'm not positive...

Also, you asked about the toilets. They're quite a sight. In Argentina we can't flush toilet paper because it clogs the toilets. I saw my first toilet with a flush handle a few weeks ago and thought I was in heaven. The others you have to pull the little thingy on the inside. It's always an adventure for me trying to figure out how to flush each toilet since they're all a little bit different. Hahaha...the joys of third world countries! Nahh, it's not too bad though. At least we HAVE toilets. I'm not complaining:)

Matthew (aka Mr. Smarty Pants). I hope you know that you are exactly the kid that I hated in my calculus class. Who get's 100% on a calculus test? ESPECIALLY chapter 4?! Wait until chapter 9 comes...it's a beast as well. But way to go, bud!! I wish I could say that I'm surprised, but I'm not. You've always done really well in school.

Kimberly! Haha...personal history. It's a beast. Better get started!! I hope you're doing well and enjoying school and TDT! I think about you all the time and wish I could be at your performances!! You'll have to make sure mom videos some so I can watch them when I get home!!

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic week and a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!  At first, when I was thinking about all of you gathered together eating loads of yummy food...I was a little bit sad and just a tiny bit homesick, but then I laughed at myself and realized that every day is Thanksgiving in Argentina if we judge it by the amount of food we're expected to eat at lunch! Hahaha...sigh. If only that was a joke. Well, I love you all soo much. Give everyone hugs for me this weekend! President Rogers birthday is this Thursday....haha...that was random, but we'll probably call him and wish him a happy birthday (and thanksgiving:)) Oh, and Hermana Cortes says thank you for the birthday wishes!

I love you forever and always!!

Chau chau!!

Hermana Heath

Patience is a Virtue

Hola Familia!!

I loved hearing about how you're all doing! I don't know why but it made me super happy today. Maybe because I've thought about you a LOT this week. I was so excited to hear about Justin's baptism!! That's awesome. Often times when I babysat the McDonald's he was playing with Steven. He's a good kid. That's so cool that you got to baptize him, dad!! You are such a great example for the young men in our ward. They all admire and look up to you so much..as do I!! Glad to hear Kimberly is doing well in TDT and school. Matthew, chapter 4 is a beast. I remember well. Good luck, bud!! You can do it! Emily...well, I've never written a 30 page paper...but I assume it's less than enjoyable. I hope you're enjoying school. You're getting pretty close to finals aren't you? Just a few weeks away if I remember correctly? How many games does Craig have left? Still cheering from Argentina:) Good luck this week!

This week has been one giant test of patience. Okay, so I think that's how you spell patience but I'm not sure...pacience...patients...patience...oh well. You get the picture. This week we had hardly any lessons, and even fewer lessons with members. We walked around a lot without finding people. There were still, however, lots of little miracles along the way!! We found a girl, Leonela, who is really interested in our message. We gave her a pamphlet the first time we met her (through an inactive ward member) and she read it, prayed, felt good, and has lots and lots of questions. She's Catholic but says that she doesn't know why. We have a lesson with her this upcoming week. She's great and we're praying really hard for her!

This week Elder Acuña and Elder Verges had two baptisms. Mario and Gabriel. They are friends that the Elders taught. Maybe...25ish years old. Elder Verges asked me to play the piano so I did prelude and we sang Nearer My God to Thee and Choose the Right for the opening and closing songs. Earlier that afternoon, Hermana Cortes and I made cookies...wait for it...but not just any cookies. We made North American cookies. The cookies here in Argentina are wayyy different. No one makes cookies from scratch, so it was like Christmas for all the Argentines. So funny. Everyone was obsessed. They weren't even that good because the brown sugar here is super sketchy and you can only buy baking soda in pharmacies here. What the?! Also, no chocolate chips, so we used "rocklets" which are basically m&m's but the Argentine version. Good times. It was really fun though. We had to cook them in the church since we don't have a kitchen. Oh, and the oven? You can't set it at a certain temperature because it's a fire underneath the boards so baking them was quite the adventure. Anyway, the baptism was great. It's days like those that make all the hard times worth it. Even though it wasn't a baptism of someone we have been teaching, we're all working together in the same work. We're all on the same team striving for one goal, and that is to bring Heavenly Father's children back to His presence. Such a special day:)

It is so hot here. Holy nutso. It's definitely warmer than 70 degrees, but I never know for sure because everything is in celsius. So frustrating. I'm starting to get the hang of it...but really, fahrenheit is so much easier. It makes so much more sense. Anyway, we all know that there's no central heating in Argentina...well...the same applies for air conditioning. Non-existent. So we're pretty much hot all the time. I've got nabby tan lines on my feet from my grandma shoes...like really bad. Oh well, what can ya do? But really, I'm glad it's warm and not cold:) It's still super windy, so that helps us to not die everyday.

This week was the first experience with bugs...to be more specific...BED BUGS! yayyy. I've got several bites on my legs from bedbugs...and I'm using my spray...but I'm probably gonna have to find something here as well that will help. Sweet.

This last week on Tuesday we had zone conference with President and Sister Rogers. Trelew North and Trelew South were there...which means Hermana Kuhn!! It was sooo good to see her. We sat next to each other and tried to be reverent:) But the zone conference was amazing. President Rogers is so great...plus he's got a cackle that just might be able to beat Jilene Mecham. PRICELESS. Never gets old. Hermana Rogers is so sweet and takes really good care of the Hermanas:) I absolutely ADORE her.

And now...I know the only thing you really want to hear about is the PENGUINS!! On Thursday morning President Rogers took all the missionaries in Trelew to see the penguins in Punta Tombo. It was about a 2 hour drive, but President Rogers said that he wants to make sure that we get to see the sites while we're here since lots of us won't be able to come back to our missions. Anyway, all the Hermanas drove in the car with President and his wife. The Elders all had to take a bus. Hahahaha. Let's just say that buses here are worse than the white roller coaster at Lagoon. So bumpy. Anyway, we went through a visitors center and then went to see the penguins. All of them are Magellan penguins, and there are hundreds...probably thousands of penguins everywhere you look. We had marked trails that we had to stay on, but there were penguins within 5 feet of us at times. Plus, they can walk wherever so they would walk across the trail (kind of like the bufalo in Yellowstone!! DREAM COME TRUE. you all know how much I love it when we have to stop the car for the bufalo...this time it was for the penguins:)) Anyway, they were everywhere with their nests. We saw lots of eggs and when we finally got to the ocean, there were lots chillin' on the beach or playing in the water. It was sooo pretty there. I got lots and lots of pictures, but it was a moment that I really wanted to share with my family. It's absolutely beautiful there:) Anyway, it was awesome. We ate lunch at a restaurant, and then we got back in the car and enjoyed a nice siesta:) Every single missionary was passed out, in our car and in the bus of Elders. Too funny...okay so I know that last week I mentioned 101 Dalmatians...but I have to reference it again. You know the scene where all the puppies go to the barn and drink the milk and then the next scene is the parents looking at all the sleeping puppies? Yep, that was us with President and Sister Rogers. Hahaha.

Oh, do you know what? Next week...well Saturday...I am teaching English!! My companion signed me up. I never agreed...and I'm not sure how I feel about it seeing as I don't know the grammar rules of English...but we'll see what happens. One hour on Saturdays from now on. I guess it'll be fun? 

I got to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting yesterday about missionary work along with Hermana Cortes and Elder Verges. Terrifying, but it went well. The members here are so incredibly supportive. They are so loving and kind...especially toward the Hermanas. They all call me "hermanita" and they call us "las estrellas" (the stars) because it's been so long since they've had sister missionaries. I think the Elders secretly resent us a little bit for it:) hahaha jokes jokes, but really. Everyone in the ward jumps at any chance to do something to help the Hermanas. These people are wonderful. Also, you should know that every day at lunch with the members they pray for you. It always makes me want to cry. It's hard being away from home and away from our families, and they know that. They always pray for your safety, well-being, and happiness. It's the sweetest thing. I think the members here pray for you more than I do!! Well...probably not..but they do pray for you a lot:)

I was a little bit sad to hear that Bugs died....(Hercules is the little one) but I must say it was about time. I hope you said something kind before flushing him down the toilet.

Mom, you were wondering about Hermana Cortes. She's awesome. She's from Colombia. She's 21 years old (turns 22 on November 27th). She is the only member of her family. She was introduced to the church at age 17, but had to wait until she was 18 to baptize because her parents wouldn't give her permission. She helps me so much. She's really sweet, but just like all the women here, she has a very strong personality and is not afraid to ask favors or say what she thinks. Luckily, she seems to like me so we get along just fine:)

Anyway, I hope you're all doing really well! I love you so much. Thank you for all your prayers and your support. It means the world to me!! Today we're going to Trelew to play with all the missionaries. Should be fun...and Hermana Kuhn will be there! She is doing really well.

Have a fantastic week!!

I love you forever and always!!

Hermana Heath

Si Dios Quiere....

Hola Familia!!

Que tal?! I can´t believe I´ve been in Argentina for ...2 weeks? is it 3? is it 18 months? I don´t know. I have yet to figure out where the time is going...

Glad to hear the Craig meister-meister Craig is still doing well in hockey. How´s TDT for Kimberly? And Matthew...school...council...tenis? Hope you´re all doing well. Sounds like Em is keeping busy...when is Thanksgiving? Hope everyone had a good halloween!!

So...starting with last monday. We went to Trelew to celebrate Elder Holland´s birthday. Empanadas and pizza (although do not be deceived...it´s not really pizza.) Apparently it´s a custom in Argentina to crack eggs on the head of the birthday person and then shower them with flour when they´re least expecting it. Hilarious, yes. But there´s no chance that I´m going to let anyone know when my birthday is:) Anyway...it was a really fun day. At 6:00pm we were back out on the streets!

Throughout the week we taught several lessons with members and contacted tons of people. But people in Argentina are very strong. They make decisions and they stick to it. Religion is no different. It´s hard to get people to listen to us, but if we can get them to let us into their home, it´s usually pretty successful. We have a few investigators. Since we´re both new to the area we´re starting from scratch so it´s really hard, but we´re getting there. I´ll let you know more about the people when things move a little farther. We´ve been working a lot with inactive members and trying to bring them back. Our goal as a mission is to qualify for a Temple to be built in Patagonia. We had two inactive families return to church yesterday which was AWESOME. There are two kids, Brisita, who is the granddaughter of the lady who owns the pension Marlen Mirantes, whose parents are members but she is not. She has a baptismal date set for the 7th of December, and another boy Giuliano has a baptismal date set for the 14th of December. Most likely neither will actually be baptized on those dates because despite the desire the kids have to be baptized, the parents have to be in agreeance. As of right now, they´re not. We´ll see. Fingers crossed. Lots of prayers:)

On Thursday was Hermano Chemin´s birthday!! He turned 59 years old. That night all of the missionaries in our district surprised him with a cake and card. His whole family was at his house celebrating. Hermano Chemin has the most amazing family. They are all wonderful. Only two of his kids are active in the church, but they´re all soo great. Love them.

One day this week we ate lunch with a family who had a son that served in Brazil Sao Paulo North. He returned home almost a year ago and he knows Tyler Ostlund. His name is...Rodrigo(??) Velazquez. Not sure on the first name...we don´t usually use them very often except with children.

...so on Friday night there was a night of traditions that the missionaries were in charge of. It was like a great big family night with the ward. So, we, the missionaries of Rawson, got to DANCE!! Elder Verges and Elder Elliz (both from Argentina) taught us Argentine Folklore. Oh dear. As Kimberly would say, bless my heart. The struggles. It´s the easiest thing in the world, and yet so hard. The Elders were very patient with the Hermanas. They´re great. The activity was really fun and I have lots of pictures and videos, but I can´t send them :(

SI DIOS QUIERE...if God wants. This is the phrase I´ve heard more than any other since arriving in Argentina. Will you pray? si dios quiere. Will you read this chapter in the Book of Mormon? si dios quiere. Will you attend church this Sunday with us? Si dios quiere. Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized? Si dios quiere. Oi. Haha...the Spanish culture is very layed back compared to ours. Everything is uncertain. For example, will you go to church this Sunday? Si dios quiere. Maybe, maybe not. If I wake up then sure, but my cat might die so then I wouldn´t be able to make it. Oh, and there´s always a chance that my great aunt from Norway will pay my family a surprise visit that morning. Si dios quiere.

I´m eating better, but still not great. Yesterday after church (which is my favorite part of the week) we ate lunch with the Chemin Family. Once a month we eat with their family as a district. So it was all 6 missionaries plus Hermano and Hermana Chemin and their Son Gustavo and his wife Fernanda plus a baby girl. It was my first asada. In Argentina, people eat lots and lots of meat. An asada is essentially a huge barbecue...with LOTS of meat. Like...four or five courses of meat. It´s all really good, but eating meat sparingly is completely LOST on the Argentine people. Yowsers. Anyway, we ate lots and lots of meat yesterday with some potatoes and salad. The potatoes had hard-boiled eggs mixed in. Have I mentioned that they also put eggs on EVERYTHING? potatoes, salad, pizza, etc. Weird...

Welp, I can´t think of anything else at the moment. I try to remember the week but it´s really all a big blur. Oh, today we don´t get pday (besides email time) because we´re going to Punta Tombo on Thursday to see the penguins! We´re going with our zone (Trelew Sur) and Hermana Kuhn´s zone (Trelew Norte). I´m sooo excited!! I´ll take lots and lots of pictures!! :) Ah. I love Argentina. I never want to leave Rawson. Ever.

To answer some questions...

-yes, Trelew is a bigger city than Rawson. There´s more to do. More people. Rawson is very...I don´t want to say ghetto...but well ya.
-Yes, Hermano Chemin picked us up from the bus stop along with the zone leaders.

-do we meet in a church building? yes, indeed we do. In this part of Argentina we are lucky enough to have an actual church and a ward here. Farther south there are only districts and branches. We have probably around 200 members, but active only 80-90. One ward in Rawson. The stake extends into Trelew...and one or two other small towns like Rawson.

-no problems with dogs yet. they´re generally not vicious. just like to bark a lot. especially at night. sometimes I feel like I´m living in the movie 101 Dalmatians...especially that one scene in the night when all the dogs everywhere are barking? welcome to my life.

-yes, the houses here are small. like candy bars. we live in regular size candy bars...Bill Gates lives in a super size candy bar...and Argentines live in fun size candy bars.

Love you all!! I think about you every day and you´re always in my prayers. Keep being excellent people. As a companionship we made a little board called miracles in Rawson. Each night we come up with a miracle we witnessed during the day. There is always at least one!! God is good.

Anyway...I´ve gotta go, but it´s been a real slice. Come back next week at the same time to hear more about Amy´s Argentine Adventures. Okay, okay...my mind got stuck on 101 Dalmatians and that part where Horace and Jasper are watching that show on TV and it ends and it says something  like that... hahaha:)

CIAO!
Forever and Always,
Hermana Heath

Crazy and Wonderful First week in Rawson!

Hola Familia!!

I have approximately 15 minutes this morning to tell you about my entire week since we´re running late this morning. We´re heading into the city of Trelew in about 40 minutes to spend the day with our zone and celebrate our zone leader Elder Holland´s birthday. It should be a fun day...but don´t worry we´ll be back out on the streets by 6:00pm sharp!

So, I´m not gonna go through each individual day because one, it will take too long, and two, I can´t remember the days...haha.

I don't remember if I told you anything about the mission leader here in Rawson. His name is Hermano Chemin. He and his wife are AMAZING! We got to eat lunch with them yesterday because the family that was supposed to feed us was out of town. Hermano Chemin has been a member for several years and has an awesome testimony of the gospel. He's so supportive and has confidence in me. He's kind and loving...like a giant teddy bear. He takes such good care of us and always tells us to call him whenever we need something - a ride to an appointment, food, etc. He's my dad in the mission. Imagine the best dad in the whole wide world (I'll give you a hint: he's about 5'10"...dark hair...light eyes...if I remember correctly he's a chiropractor? he has 4 awesome kids and a son-in-law...ringing any bells?). Anyway, picture him, and Hermano Chemin is almost that great.

Ohhhh...here's a funny story for ya...got to the mission home in Comodoro, tried to use my converter...NOTHING. My converter is officially no use to me here in Argentina. Nothing will turn on with it...I think the fuse is messed up or something because my things will turn on with other converters. Basically, I bought a new blow dryer and stuff for my hair here, and then I just charge my camera each week at the internet cafe. I can plug it into the computers and it charges without me having to turn it on so I should be fine:)

Oh, Dad...my pension is on the street     and     in Rawson. That's as much as I can get you. The addresses here are pretty much non-existent. People give directions by saying "keep going for two more streets, then turn right, at the casino turn left, then go up the hill and there's a bad dog on the right side of the road and I live over there in that area." Awesome. So...street contacting pretty much helps us none because no one knows their actual addresses or the names of streets.

Some more good times from this week....let's start with FOOD. So, in Argentina, they eat lunch at 1:30PM and then they don't eat again until breakfast. But, that one meal is GIGANTIC. The members feed us everyday and I cannot eat as much as they want me to. I pretty much dread going to lunch everyday. On Wednesday we ate with a part member family and the mom, bless her heart, just kept giving me more and more...as soon as we left we went back to the pension and I threw it all up. Good times. After I felt fine but my desire to never eat again was pretty high. Anyway, I have had pretty much no appetite since I got to Argentina...which is really bad because like I said, these people feed us SO much. The thing that drives me the most nuts is that they eat a healthy amount of food while I´m expected to eat enough for all of Argentina and half of China. Yesterday I could only eat 6 small ravioli things at lunch after fasting since 1:30pm the day before. I don't know what it is but I'm never ever hungry. I don't want to offend anyone because the food is great, but I just can't eat that much.

Sooo...wanna hear why we're running late this morning? Although my district leader just told me I still have 20 minutes...it's still a good story. 6:30AM...alarm goes off just like every other morning for the last two months. My companion jumps up and starts the washing machine (I use that term VERY loosely.) which already has all of her clothes in and is ready to go and then goes into the kitchen. I roll onto my knees and begin my morning prayer. About halfway through, I was suddenly kneeling in a puddle of water. I turned around to see water GUSHING from the washer. I quickly called my companion, but by the time she got the water stopped our pension was flooded. Booyah. She accidentally let the tube that drains the washer lay on the ground. Good thing people don't believe in carpet in Argentina, but still, there was water EVERYWHERE. It was not the best morning. I luckily got my suitcases off the ground and onto my bed before they got wet, but my companion was not so lucky (as her things were closer to the washer). The good news is the floor is really clean. The bad news is everything is still VERY wet and I didn't get to wash my clothes...hopefully tonight I'll have time. So, when we finally got enough of our pension free of water, we sat down to study, and what did I do? I ate the ice cream sandwich dad sent me when I was at the MTC. Weirdest thing ever, but pretty good:) Haha...don't even get me started on all the joys of our pension. Haha...the kitchen floods every time we shower, but that's easy to fix because we just let the water run out the front door...still obnoxious though. The floor is NEVER EVER DRY.

So, apparently Halloween was this last week. I completely forgot until like 8:00 that night when I saw a few people in costumes. So, no mom, people don't celebrate Halloween here:)

Last Monday was sooo fun. After emailing our families, the six missionaries in our zone went to the chapel where the Elders made us lunch which was surprisingly really good. After lunch we played soccer with a few ward members...I think there were about 10 of us in total. Unfortunately for me, I was playing with all Argentines. Not my best plan. I am ashamed to say I didn't help my team much, but it was really fun anyway. Actually, I did score one goal now that I think about it. When we played basketball, it was a different story. Being one of the few who actually knows the rules to basketball, it was a lot of fun.

Ohhh and on Saturday we visited with the lady who owns our pension. She and her granddaughters were at the house...they're MASSIVE One Direction fans. Let's just say we became fast friends:) They're so cute and nearly DIED when they heard I went to the One Direction concert. Too funny.

Last night, Hermana Cortes and I were walking back to our pension and we saw a lady pushing her car along the road while her husband sat inside steering. (why he was in and she was pushing...I don't know) but we helped her push the car until we found someone willing to jump it. The cars here are so tiny and funny looking and they're surprisingly light, so we were running down the street with a car...good times.

I LOVE SUNDAYS! Yesterday I had to bear my testimony in church along with my companion and the new Elder that came. It was way cool and like I've mentioned before, the ward members here are AMAZING!! I never wanna leave:)

Anyway, that's all I can think of as of now. I'm out of time and am realizing that this is the most scattered letter ever, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyway:) I love Argentina. I love the culture. Love the people. Language is still hard, but I love it too. Love the dogs. The milk tastes funny, but it's not awful. They have a dessert here called ensalada fruta (fruit salad) except it's a lie because it's really a soup...something liquid with some fruit in it. Crazy Argentines:) Haha..I love it!

I love you all and I think about you all the time. I show people pictures of you when they ask...which is A LOT. Haha...anyway, I hope you're all well:) Thanks for the prayers and support!!

Forever and Always!

Hermana Heath

First Impressions...

Hola Familia!!

Sooo...I was sooo sad when my battery died on the plane!! We ended up waiting for an hour to take off!! We could have had sooo much more time. Oh well. So, as you know, my last few days at the MTC were awesome. My district sang in church, we packed lots, talked with each other lots, studied...(not as much as we should have but still lots), we took lots of pictures, said goodbye, cried a bit, and then got on the plane!! All those goodbyes were apparently for nothing because when we got to Argentina all the missionaries from our district but 2 were in that big meeting we had in the area office. So...we had a round two of goodbyes. Awesome. We didn't fly to Comodoro until 7:30PM on Thursday night. President and Sister Rogers were on our flight. They were coming back from a mission president conference. As I mentioned in the letter, Hermana Kuhn and I stayed at the mission home on Thursday and Friday nights...which is like a 5 star hotel (just a small version) ...so it wasn't until Saturday night that I got a little taste of what the next 18 months is going to look like.

We were assigned companions and areas on Saturday afternoon and then Saturday night we took a five hour bus ride to....TRELEW!! My first area is Trelew South, specifically Rawson, and my companion is Hermana Cortes from Colombia. She's amazing!! She doesn't speak English, which is equally frustrating when I don't know the word in Spanish as it is helpful for learning. But we're going to get along really well and work really hard. I'm excited. Anyway, my pension is tinyyy! Probably 5 of them could fit in our house in Orem. Don´t even get me started on the toilet or shower. Let's just say I´m reallyyy grateful for the flip flops I have:) It´s really not terrible, just very different from home. It works though and it´s not like we spend tons of time chillin´ in our apartment anyway:) Sooo...we got in around midnight and went straight to bed. We met our zone leaders and the mission leader and his wife from our ward. They´re amazing!!

Sunday morning church is at 9:30AM. The members here are incredible. So friendly and so strong in the church. We start with Relief Society, then Gospel Doctrine, then Sacrament Meeting. I could feel the Spirit so strongly as I tried to catch everything that was being taught. I´ve never felt the Spirit so strongly in church. These people truly know what it means to have the gospel in their lives. It was so cool. And, Sacrament Meeting? Primary Program. Everyone knows that this meeting is my FAVORITE of the entire year. OH. MY. HECK. Just a heads up, I might never come home. The kids were soo cute and they sang so well! It´s such a different culture...but I love it!! Everyone was so welcoming and so kind about speaking a little slower than normal for me:) I can understand about 85% of everything people say if I´m really paying attention, and when someone´s talking directly to me about 95%.

So, the first night in the mission home, I was talking to President Rogers while Hermana Kuhn was in the shower and he told me that he takes really good care of the Hermanas and so do the Elders in the mission. He was right. There are 6 missionaries in my district here in Trelew, 4 Elders and my companion and me. They came over yesterday morning and brought us breakfast since we hadn´t had time to shop for food...still haven´t now that I think about it...and they walked to Church with us so we wouldn´t get lost. They call us every night to see if we need anything. They brought us to the cybert (internet cafe) this morning to talk to you. They´re great. Only downside...they are all also natives...so in case you don´t understand what that means...I´m the ONLY one in my district who speaks English!! Wohoooo. But really it´s the best. I have learned soo much. It looks like I´ll be in Trelew until after Christmas (12 weeks for training, and then most likely I´ll be a trainer. FREAKY. I´m hoping for at least one more transfer before I have to train...fingers crossed.)  Anyway, dad, I´m still working on my address. I have no idea where we are most of the time, but I´ll try to have my address by next week.

Sooo...Sunday after church Hermana Cortes and I ate at the home of the Family Nievas. They are an extended family living together and are a part-member family. It was so cool. We ate lots and lots of MEAT. We shared a message about service and the Savior and then we visited the Mayor family. They´re an awesome member family who is very involved with the missionaries. It´s a custom in Argentina (and South America) that whenever someone comes to your home you have to serve them some sort of food. I never want to take people´s food, but it´s rude not to. Anyway, in Argentina like I told you before, dinner doesn´t exist. Lunch is at 1:30ish and then no one eats again until breakfast. Weird, right? I guess they do eat whenever someone comes to their house, but not much, only a few crackers and juice or something. I don´t understand. Anyway, after we visited with the Mayor family, Belen, their 19 year old daughter, came out with us and we knocked on some doors of some menos actives. We spent time with the Family Reyes. The mom is the only one that is active. The father hasn´t been to church in 10 years. He says he knows what he needs to do, but he´s not humble and that it´s hard to always live the gospel and do everything he´s supposed to. He doesn´t always have the desire. The kids are all grown and making their own decisions and followed the path their dad chose. We talked about the Atonement and how it can help us change and overcome the natural man and invited him to church and he said he would see. Hopefully he shows up next Sunday with his wife but I wouldn´t be super surprised if he doesn´t. Fingers crossed.

After visiting them we went to choir practice and then we visited Hermano Cortez with the four Elders from our district. He´s not active and has a problem with the way the church is run in some parts of South America. It´s really sad. He seems to think that because the gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect, that the church is perfect. Obviously we still make mistakes, but he doesn´t seem to be able to accept that. We´ll keep trying:) The Elders walked us home and then we got ready for bed. First experience with the shower. Here we go. So, the shower is a little square (about 3ft x 3ft) but there can only be about 2 inches of water at the bottom before it flows out of the shower....the drain is EXTREMELY slow. So to shower and wash your hair, you have to turn the shower on for a few minutes and get wet, then turn it off while you shampoo. Turn it back on and rinse it out and then turn it off again. Then repeat the process with conditioner....get the picture? You always have to be watching to make sure you don´t flood the apartment. Fun times. Yay!!

Well, I hope you're all doing well! I love you all so much and I loved talking to you last week!! I'm doing well despite the culture shock. Everything is still very new. Milk comes in bags. What the?! Dogs are EVERYWHERE. Oh...I do have to tell you, that the music here is great. I know, I know, we're not supposed to listen, but when it's playing on the bus or the streets there's not much you can do. Anyway, they listen to a lot of the American music but only the good stuff. The very first song I heard in Argentina was John Lennon "Stand By Me" then a few songs later was Michael Jackson "Bad" then a few songs later was Queen. We even had some Rolling Stones...haha.. Matthew you'd like the music down here:) only the classics:)

Well, I gotta go! Love you all and talk to you next week! Hopefully I'll have some good stories and I just realized that this whole letter I've been using the accent mark on the keyboard for all of the apostrophes. I hope they come through on your computer. :)

Love you all forever and always!!

Hermana Heath

Welcome to Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina!

Querido Familia,

Como le va?  How's it going?!  I am officially in ARGENTINA!!  (...comodoro rivadavia to be exact...)  I'll be honest, the getting here was long and extremely tiring, but it was worth it!!  So, as you know, we flew from SLC to Dallas to Buenos Aires (24 hours of travel) then we got on a bus and drove to the area office in Buenos Aires for a quick information devotional...mostly visa stuff.  Then we ate some lunch, went back to the airport and waited for our flight to comodoro which left at 6:55PM.  About 2.5 hours later we landed in comodoro and then took a shuttle to one of the senior couples home (the Carters) and had some Argentine sandwiches.  Yum.  Then, because not all the Hermanas could fit in their home for the next two days, Hermana Kuhn and I went with President and Sister Rogers back to the mission home.  The Rogers were on our flight to comodoro.  They were coming back from a mission presidents seminar.  They are wonderful!  It was so fun talking to them last night.  Unfortunately, by the time we left the Carter's home it was after 11:00PM and when we got to the mission home it was nearly 11:20PM.  Only one shower in the home meant we didn't get to bed until 1:00AM.  I'll be honest, 6:30AM came really early!

Anyway, today (Friday) we are doing some training with all the new missionaries, and then I think tomorrow we'll meet our companions and head to our areas.

So, first impressions of Argentina?  18 months is going to go WAY too fast.  It reminds me a lot of Costa Rica.  Driving is a little bit nuts...stop signs are more of a suggestion, and lanes are pretty much nonexistent.  SO MANY DOGS!  Also a few cats. The dogs are so cute :)   The people are really friendly.  All the Hermanas give kisses on the cheek.  Everyone is polite and the kids are so cute.  We drove past the Buenos Aires Temple yesterday.  BEAUTIFUL.  I wish we could go!!!  Soccer is everywhere!  It's gonna be so cool to be down here during the World Cup!  Everything I see reminds me I'm in South America.  (...well except for Walmart & McDonalds...)  The mission home is pretty close to the coast, so we got to see the ocean.  It's not humid down where we are...and oh man are we down.  On our flight from Dallas to Buenos Aires we each had TV's in front of our chair and I watched the flight path as we slowly flew over Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, LIMA (I thought about Corbin:)), Chile, and then finally Argentina.  Basically we flew straight down for 10ish hours.  Then we flew another two and I couldn't help but think that I had been lied to my whole life...I was sure we were going to fly right off the end of the earth.  When I finally accepted that we wouldn't, the next thought to come into my mind as I was stepping off the plane was that I am UPSIDE-DOWN.  Weird.  I am at the bottom of the earth...and did I mention UPSIDE DOWN?!  Woah.  As we were flying from Buenos Aires (a big city) all signs of civilization slowly started to disappear...that's when I realized how far down we were going.  The sunset was beautiful from the plane though.  There was a deep dark red line across the horizon, and then it slowly got lighter higher up.  AHH!  I'm so excited to be here!  Like I said, 18 months is going to go by way too fast...I can just tell.  The castellano is different to listen to...but not as bad as I thought.  It's the "vos" form that's throwing me off.  When Hermano Rios told us that the "tu" form doesn't exist in Argentina, it was like that time in Algebra 2 where I learned about the unit circle exactly ten minutes before the test.  Good times.  I'll get it though!

Welp, I hope you're all doing well!  I was sad when the phone battery died yesterday, but it was so good talking to you!  I love you sooo much.  Thank you for your support and prayers.

I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND ALWAYS!!

Hermana Heath

Hermana Heath with President and Sister Rogers

 

New Comodoro Rivadavia missionaries

Week 5 - MTC - VIVA ARGENTINA!!

Querida Familia,

I can't believe that I've only got 6 days left in the MTC! ...just in case you missed that...6 DAYS!! Where have the last 5 weeks gone? I haven't got a clue. I was laying...(lying? haha...who knows) in bed last night trying to figure out how I've been here for 5 full weeks and I just couldn't figure it out. It's crazy how quickly time flies. I'm so excited and grateful to be heading directly to Argentina, but I'm sad to leave the MTC. I have loved every second of my time here and I will miss the friends and teachers that I've come to love. I won't ever have an MTC experience like this one again, but I can't WAIT to go to Argentina!

Soooo....originally my entire district (with the exception of Hermana Kuhn and me) were going to leave on the 21st really early, but they changed all Argentina missionaries to the 23rd so we'll all leave the same day. My flight leaves Salt Lake at 12:30PM and we land in Dallas at 4:30. We have a three hour layover and then we connect to BUENOS AIRES!!! Our flight leaves at 7:30PM and we arrive in Argentina at 7:55AM. Now, originally I thought a twelve hour flight, right? Wrong. We land at 7:55AM Argentina time..so it's more like a 15 hour flight I believe. Remember how I hate flying? Ya...I'm gonna die. That's sooo long. But, if it gets me to Argentina, I won't complain toooo much:) Anyway, we're starting to pack up some things today...CRAZY!

So, last Thursday we went to the temple which was incredible as always. I'm gonna miss going to the temple each week for sure. We had dinner and then personal gym time. It's funny because we can't listen to music really here at the MTC, so the gyms have TV's and they play Mormon messages, conference talks, and sometimes church movies. Anyway, I got to listen to Elder Holland's talk, "None Were With Him." Great talk. Then we had language study time. My companions and I decided we wanted to listen to the Priesthood Session of Conference, so we got onto LDS.org and listened to a few of the talks in Spanish. I was very pleasantly surprised when I understood what was going on. I really liked Elder L. Tom Perry's talk about the Articles of Faith. I thought it was really powerful, plus it brought back so many memories of memorizing the Articles of Faith as a family all those years ago:) That night we had to clean our classroom, and Elder Jo (bless his heart), who is an only child and has never used a vacuum in his life (literally), was on vacuum duty. I'll say, it was absolutely hilarious. It took him a solid five minutes to get it plugged in...no joke. (we all stood by and watching innocently while trying to suppress our laughter) Then, when he finally got the vacuum turned on and going, he broke it. Those of us watching (so all nine of us) couldn't hold the laughter in anymore. It was absolutely hilarious. Once we fixed the problem, he continued to vacuum and eventually finished the job. Good times.

Friday was one of my favorite days at the MTC, why? Because our travel plans came. We all waited anxiously that morning throughout breakfast, personal study, TALL, gym, and lunch. When we finally checked the mail together as a district, we all squealed (the Elders included) when we saw the big stack of papers that could only be travel plans. We all quickly scanned through and were jumping for joy when we all got travel visa's to Argentina. So exciting. All the missionaries around us were looking at us like we were crazy, but they had no idea what was going on. We were too excited to care. Then we had language study which I have to admit was not the most effective study time we've had as a district. Our minds were in Argentina and with the people there that we've been preparing ourselves for.

Saturday was a long day. We had class with Hermano Waddoups in the morning which is always hard, but Hermano Waddoups is amazing. He is always so fun and energetic and we laugh so much when he's in class with us, but he also knows how to bring the Spirit so powerfully when he bears testimony. I love it. I'm gonna miss my teachers here at the MTC. Hermano Martinez and Hermano Waddoups will always have a very special place in my heart. I can't even begin to describe how incredibly grateful I am to have had the opportunity to learn from them and spend three hours of class time with each of them every single day. They're the best. I hope that one day I will be able to teach with the same humility, love, and power that they do.

On Sunday we had church at 7:15AM. I got called on by President Ditmar to give a three minute talk about the Atonement. Each Sunday, we have two missionary talks and then one member of the branch presidency speaks along with their wife. We never know who's gonna speak so we all have to be prepared. Well, I had a scripture and a quote from Preach My Gospel, but that was it. It was the Atonement though which is always really easy to talk about and bear testimony about. It went really well and I was actually really grateful for the opportunity. Everyone told me I did really well and that "it's amazing how well you can speak Spanish after only 5 weeks in the MTC!" That was Sister Gurney, our second counselor's wife. She's so sweet, but I think she forgot that we all had Spanish before coming to the MTC:) We had several meetings throughout the day and we had our temple walk which is always one of the highlights of the week. For devotional on Sunday night the speaker focused on recognizing the Spirit and the importance of the Holy Ghost in conversion. It was really good. For movie night we watched a talk that Elder Holland gave at the MTC several years ago called, "Missions are Forever." SO GOOD. He focused on immersing ourselves completely in the work and not wasting a single minute of the time we've been given so that we can come home with no regrets. I don't know how to do that quite yet, but I'm working on it. I think there's a quote by President Hinckley that says something to the effect of "Kneel and pray to God like everything depends on Him, and then get up and work like everything depends on you." That's what I'm working on right now, and I hope that I will be a more successful missionary as I do that.

On Monday we had service again...whoppeee.. We taught Angel that afternoon and we were focusing on the Atonement. He kept saying, "That's really cool. If it were true that would be neat." Finally I got tired of him saying that, so I asked him how HE could know. He said when he died he would know. I wasn't letting him off the hook so easy so I made my question more specific. He thought about it for a second and then said by praying and reading the Book of Mormon. BINGO. So, we testified one more time and then invited him to pray with us right then. He said no at first, but we weren't taking no for an answer. Hermana Ward told him he needed to demonstrate his faith and ask God. Hermana Kuhn said something similar and asked him again. He declined for a second time and said, "maybe on another day." I gently said, "Angel, God wants to hear you today." He gave me the 'how do you know' look, but finally agreed. I asked if we could kneel, and he nodded but not before trying to get out of it one more time. We all knelt together as he prayed, and it was the COOLEST EXPERIENCE EVER. The Spirit was so strong as he asked God if He was there and as he asked God to answer his prayers. I love Angel. It's amazing to see someone exercise their faith and to help someone grow closer to Christ. I can't even imagine what that will be like with "real" people in Argentina. Ah. I'm so excited!!

Tuesday was an awesome day. We had skype that morning again for TRC. We talked with the same sister, Aye. She got all of our emails so we can keep in touch. She's so sweet and I feel like we're really good friends since I've only talked with her for about an hour in total. Weird how that works. We went to choir practice that night. For devotional we sang "Praise to the Man." I love that song. One thing that I've noticed here at the MTC is that I've never not had the Spirit witness to me that what I am saying is true when I testify of Joseph Smith, and singing is no different. What an incredible man! The choir director, who is amazing and always tells us about the song and shares a very powerful spiritual thought, told us a lot about the life of Joseph Smith and who he was as a person. I love the Prophet Joseph!! For devotional tonight we had....drum roll please....ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS. We knew it was going to be one of the Twelve beforehand, but we didn't know which one. He and his wife spoke. It was so good. A member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came and essentially taught us the plan of salvation. I guess that's important right? It was so good. He talked about our pre-earth life and our potential in the next life. It was a really powerful talk. That night we had Brother Evans from the branch presidency in our devotional review meeting. At the end he talked to us about Argentina and gave us some advice which mostly centered around love. He said, "Just love them. Embrace their culture and their traditions. Love the people, because they will love you." It was obvious as he talked that those people he served in Argentina so many years ago are still very dear to him. It was really neat to hear him talk about them.

Wednesday was a long day. I had a doctors appointment in the morning because I've had a fever and sore throat since Monday. Fun stuff. The doctor told me to go home and try to sleep it off a little bit. I nodded and then left with my companions to go host the new missionaries and then have class with Hermano Martinez. There was no way I was sleeping through class. I can count the classes I have left with my teachers on one hand and you better believe I'll be there for all of them. Plus, I wasn't feeling that bad and the doctor said it was just a cold probably from the stress and demands from the schedule. We all had individual interviews with Hermano Martinez. I forget...have I mentioned how incredible he is? Ah. I love him so much. Last night we had class with Hermano Waddoups which was as always amazing. I can't get over how amazing my teachers are. They're so close to the Spirit, so full of love and humility, and they're just...well...Christ-like. That's the only way to describe them.

Sooo...that was my week. It was amazing. Just like every other week here at the MTC. Oh, and on my way down to email guess who I ran into? Sra. Petrie!! I was so excited!! We got to talk for a minute which was nice. I love love love her! So sweet. Thanks for all the dear elders. They make my day. Especially cause they give them to us during meal times. It's so perfectly Hogwarts-esque. I'm still waiting for my Nimbus 2000. I'll let you know when it arrives. Craig, congrats on your win against...wutang? I was especially excited to hear about that game. It sounded fun! I'm always cheering for you!! Unfortunately parents, my window was NOT wide open at either of those times on Monday night. I stood in the stairwell window on the south side for about ten minutes from 10:15-10:25PM but I knew you would still be at Craig's game. Anyway, I hope you're all doing well! Hope school is going well for everyone and the office for you dad. Mom, I'm sure you're still keeping busy:) I guess the next time I talk to you will be at the airport!! Please please PLEASE send me that phone!! I got your package today with everything in it! Thanks! But I want to be able to talk to you for as loooong as possible. I should have about 3 hours in Dallas and who knows how many from Salt Lake. I guess we'll find out. Oh...and someone wanna fill me in on the government shut down? We don't hear ANYTHING here...but apparently it's kind of a big deal.  If that's the case, I, for one, am grateful to be fleeing the country in exactly 6 days. Peace out USA.

I miss you all everyday and you're in my prayers!! Love you forever and always!!

Hermana Heath

Elder Jo and the broken vacuum.
Once again...it was hilarious.