HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!

Hola queridos,

First of all, happy birthday MAMA! I hope you have a very very happy birthday on Sunday. Don't miss me too much, and eat lots of cake and ice cream;) I hope it's a great one! I love you!! :)

Welp, this week has been...weird. First off, interviews on Tuesday were the BEST! I love love love interviews with President. In the training part of the day he talked about visions and goals. We should set plans to reach goals, and set goals to reach a vision. He talked about the importance of working in unity if we want to reach the vision of building a temple here in the Patagonia. For example, a companionship can get a baptism, but only a district can change a branch into a ward, and only a zone can change a district into a stake...and it's gonna take a mission to build a temple! I love listening to President talk, because he truly is inspired and has been called at this time to lead the mission...of that I have no doubts:) My interview with President Rogers was great. He told me all the plans he has for Rio Grande and Ushuaia...they're big plans! But I'm not aloud to tell:) I told him what's been hard for me this transfer and we talked a lot...the whole time he just looked at me with his knowing and loving smile. He's sooo good. I don't know how else to say it. My interview with Hermana Rogers was sooo great...for the first fifteen minutes we just made jokes about Argentina. She's the best. We laughed so hard, but then we remembered that it was an interview...so we talked about the pension, the area, and our companionship. I love her. To finish off the conference, President talked about the lost sheep in John 10. The lost sheep represent the descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel. They are the chosen ones, the ones that will not only hear the voice of the good shepherd, but recognize it. We, as missionaries and members, have the opportunity to speak with that voice so that God's "lost" children can come home...and if we find a someone who doesn't belong to the family of Jacob, we adopt them in with lots of love. Always be on the lookout for the lost sheep:)

Seriously...Emily and Craig have been married for 11 months? ...freaky.

This week there's been lots of fun things. First, since general conference is this weekend we get to visit everyone and share the same message...it came out in the New Era I think...it talks about the appointment we have with God this weekend. We definitely should be present and PREPARED. How are you preparing for this weekend? God is getting ready to talk to us through the mouths of his prophets and apostles. It's gonna be sooo cool! Make sure you're ready!! :) Second, it rained all week long. No joke. Do you know what a small town looks like after 7 days of almost non-stop rain? Flooded. Puddle jumping has taken on a whole new meaning. The bad news, is that I still don't have boots that are good. The members in Chacra gave the other Hermanas like 5 pairs so I'm hoping one of those will work for me, because they are sooo expensive to buy. I bought a beanie this morning and payed like $30. Ridiculous...imagine what boots would cost? I'm hoping I don't have to find out! :) At this point, I probably hate rain more than Noah. No joke. I'm praying that it won't rain all winter...it's gonna be rough. The cold I can deal with, the wind I can deal with, the rain I cannot deal with. It makes it miserable to walk around. But, it's gonna be okay. Heavenly Father is teaching me patience...in Preach My Gospel it says that patience is the ability to deal with delays and inconveniences without getting upset, anxious, or frustrated. Boy have I got a long way to go with the rain. Hahaa..wish me luck people. Wish me luck.

Oh, here's something that I've been meaning to tell you since the first day I got to Rio Grande, but I keep forgetting. So you know the movie Kung Fu Panda? I don't remember the name of the turtle master guy...but you know how he has the cane? Well, Maria here in Rio Grande reminds me EXACTLY of the turtle from the movie. No joke. You know the part in the movie when the turtle chooses Poe to fight...the bad guy...gees Emily's gonna disown me for not remembering any of the names...but he points his finger? Well...Maria does the exact same thing in the same exact way when she chooses someone for the prayer. It's the best. Always makes me smile:)

Wanna know the best part of the week? Okay, I'll tell you. This week Satan was working on me really hard. After two miserable days of thoughts and feelings that definitely were not coming from God. I never realized before exactly how much power Satan has. It's a little bit freaky. He knows us soo well and knows exactly how to make us fall. The good news? We have more power! My zone leader, Elder Julcahuanca, gave me a blessing Saturday morning and I've been really really good since:) I'm so thankful for worthy Priesthood holders:)

Alright family, I gotta go. Thanks for the package! I loved it!! :) Although, I gave both of the Snickers mom sent to my zone leaders since they came and brought me the package and were there when I opened it. It's okay though...I've got lots of chocolate kisses that will last me a long time:) You people know me too well. Thank you! I love you all!

Have a fantastic week and I hope you enjoy general conference this weekend! It's gonna be soo good:) No sleeping through it, eh? Hahaha...I love you all! You're always in my thoughts and prayers!! :)

Hermana Heath

Gone with the wind...literally.

Hola Familia,

So, it's a little later than usual that I'm writing to you. Weird. Well...today we were supposed to have a birthday party for an Elder, but he and his companion didn't show up because they're doing service. Good for them. We'll go meet up with them after I think.

First off, I was so so sad to hear about Grandpa Olsen! He has been like my grandpa for sooo long. It made me so happy that he was at church the day of my farewell because I felt like he was there in the place of Grandma and Grandpa Springer. Such a good man. I love him! I'm so glad to know that God has a plan for us and that families are eternal! He's now with his sweet wife in a happy and better place:) The Olsen family is in my prayers!

Well, this week has been nuts. The winds got up to 98 kph...which I think is somewhere around 40 mph. SO STRONG. It's crazy. They tell us not to walk with our hands in our pockets no matter how cold it is because sometimes things fly and people have been killed from flying objects. Huh. The people here say this is nothing yet...the winds supposedly get up to 150kph. I might tell President in my interview tomorrow that it might just be best if he sends me back to Rawson. I'm still not a fan of the cold weather:) But seriously...the wind is so strong. Sometimes it's easier to just run with it instead of try to keep a walking pace. Hahaha...when we run though our steps are like the Neil Armstrong cartoon steps on the moon. HUGE! I feel like I'm flying sometimes...no joke. The strength of the wind is impressive. On thursday it rained all afternoon. Talk about a downer. Don't have a hood and my boots soaked through quickly...that meant nearly 6 hours walking around with wet hair and wet feet. You know how men get when they're hungry? I think the cold has the same effect on me...I get all grouchy and angry at the world. God is helping me develop patience...it's coming...slow and steady wins the race. REALLY slow and steady.

This week we did a tsunami in Chacra. Basically it's just when the whole zone helps a companionship in their area for a day. After lunch on Thursday we met up at the pension of the Elders and split up to work in their area. It was awesome! In just 3 hours, the Elders got 70 contacts, 10 new investigators, 4 new baptismal dates, and a lesson with a member! It was really cool and I was so happy we got to help the Elders. They have a really hard area and usually spend most of their p-days contacting and working hard! I look up to them a lot...they're super diligent. It was cool to see what we can accomplish as a zone! Miracles:)

Oh...the best part of Thursday? Our dessert after lunch? S'mores (cooked in the microwave) and a peanut butter sandwich. I never thought of a PB sandwich as a dessert...Argentina's weird...but I wasn't complaining because I got to eat PEANUT BUTTER. How I've missed that creamy goodness. Sigh. Oh, and my companion got bit by a dog. I wasn't with her cause we were on divisions. She's fine...no harm no foul, right? Haha. There's soo many dogs. It's actually really sad.

This week I was soo tired. On Friday night I swear I hadn't even closed my eyes when the alarm went off the next morning. During our lunch hour we took a short nap since we ate in the pension. It felt good...even though on my part it was an accident:) Haha...I was reading my scriptures and next thing I knew it was time for our appointment! :)

Okay...so I've got a plan for when I get home from the mission. The first person I'm going to see is dad. He'll give me an adjustment, and then from there I'll go straight to Dr. Markham to take care of my teeth (don't worry they're not rotting or anything....but I just feel like they are). Next, I'm going to get my hair taken care of. Then I'm going to get a pedicure. And then I plan on sleeping for a week. After that time, you're all welcome to ask about my mission and visit me in my recovery bed.

This year, I put the goal to read all of the standard works in Spanish. I'ts been a cool experience so far. I realized though that I don't like the Old Testament much. It kinda freaks me out. The good news, there's lots of awesome stories! Like Joseph when his brothers sold him into Egypt...when he is reunited with his brothers and dad I cried. Not sure why...but it's the coolest story ever! Anyway...also, Doctrine and Covenants? Coolest book EVER! The Scriptures are the best ever. Seriously. I wish I had understood a lot earlier in life the importance of really studying (not just reading) the scriptures. We can learn so much and as Nefi said, we can apply them!

Weird thing about Argentina this week? They have this obsession with mayonaise here...they put mayonaise on EVERYTHING. Also...hamburgers in argentina are just the patty. They don't come with a bun or condiments. Crazy argentines.

Well family, have a fantastic week! I love you all soo much! Keep being excellent! Don't forget to say your prayers!! :) Oh...next week I'll probably write late again! Sorry...we're gonna go to Cabo Domingo with some members!

Hermana Heath

Whoooopsies.

Querida Familia,

How's life? It sounds like you're doing well! Kimmie, I wish I could have been at your dance recital! How's TDT going? I can't believe you've already signed up for 11th GRADE?! When did you grow up?? Bud, I'm glad to hear your doing well in tenis! Wish I could be there to watch you play! :) Emily and Craig...welp...I don't think mom told me anything about you...but I'm sure you're doing great too:) Hope school is going well! Haha.

Well...this week was interesting. Let's start with Monday cause that's the only day of the week that I can separate from the others. In the cyber here they play non-stop Bruno Mars...for some reason people here in Argentina really like him. I've never been much of a fan...but what can you do? We had asado with Maria and Marcelo. It was really good...I'm starting to like meat. Don't judge me...I am in the beef capital of the world...Argentines know how to cook meat right. Also...the best part? They had ABBA playing the whole time...it was great. Dancing Queen, Take a Chance on me, chiquitito, Fernando...good times. After lunch...and some ice cream for dessert...we went to the church where all the Elders were playing futbol. 4 on 4. Gringos vs Latinos. HILARIOUS. Hermana Tumbaico and I watched safely from the sidelines. The gringos won...but only because they got lucky. Haha. I think the plan is to re-match today. Hermana Tumbaico and I will be the goalies because it makes the Elders play a little softer. I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

Well...the other six days of the week blur into one big proselyting day...so I'll just start from where I can remember. On Tuesday we had a zone conference. Elder Julcahuanca and Elder Elliz talked to us a lot about contacts. Elder Ballard in the mission presidents conference in Chile talked about contacting...and President Rogers gave every missionary the challenge (in other words...a new rule) to contact 10 people each day. So, in the companionship we have to do 20 contacts every day. It can be knocking doors or talking on the street...but si o si...20 each day. Elder Ballard promised us lots of blessings...as Joseph Smith said, "When the Lord commands, do it." So...we've been doing lots of contacting this week! The zone conference was great...I love love love learning from my leaders.

After the zone meeting we went to lunch at a "restaurant" as a zone. 14 missionaries. We ate pollo and rice. It was actually really yummy. It was lots of fun. I love missionaries. It's always a blast being all together:)

Oh, and yesterday wanna know what we ate for lunch? COLE SLAW!! Reminded me of Grandma:) Well...we also ate meat and rice...but the cole slaw reminded me of home!

This week I had the craziest dream! I had a dream that I wasn't baptized because the church didn't have my baptismal record...so naturally Hermana Tumbaico and I flew to Ecuador so that I could be baptized...not sure why we went all the way there...oh it was because you can't be a missionary if you're not a member! Well..that doesn't explain the ecuador part...but it was a dream! Anyway...I got baptized in Ecuador...but then we realized that Ecuador is NOT part of our mission boundaries and so we hurried back to Argentina before President Rogers found out and sent us home. Unfortunately we got back to Argentina and still didn't have a baptismal record. I woke up extremely grateful for my baptism day 12 years ago:) What did I drink before going to bed? ...oh...speaking of that...I may or may not have accidentally broken the word of wisdom this week. Whoooopsies. We were with an investigator in the morning and she gave us coffee..only we thought it was malta...which is practically the same thing (same smell and similar taste)...but it's not against the word of wisdom. Well...we drank it...realized that it WASN'T malta and yeah. Don't worry...I repented and told President in my email this morning. I can only imagine the cackle I'm gonna hear in my interview with him next week. He has a cackle that beats all. It's the best. Hahaha...how are we gonna teach the word of wisdom to the investigators though? That's gonna be awkward. Hahaha...the good news? I like the taste of coffee just about as much as I like the smell...in other words not at all. Hahaha:)

This week we've also had a few run ins with some drunks and some creeps. On Wednesday night I think it was a guy stopped us on the street and asked for our help. He needed to get to Rio Gallegos and didn't have money. Since there's an Hermano that is incharge of helping with those circumstances, we took him to the chapel to figure out what we could do. Only when we got inside the chapel and out of the really strong wind could we smell the alcohol on the guys breath. We did what we could and then chau. Then last night we had a creeper following us. He stayed close behind us for 5-6 streets even though we did everything we could to lose him. He wasn't being very sneaky...when he started to say stuff we hurried and turned up a street...he didn't follow us that time and we booked it to the pension. When we arrived we called the zone leaders and they just told us to stay in the pension instead of finishing the last 30 minutes of proselyting hours. The bad news about winter here is that it gets dark early. Good times. Now, Mom, I did not tell you this story to freak you out...don't worry, we're fine...the creeps that follow us are few and far between:)

My companion almost got bit by a dog this week. She screamed really loud. The people on the other side of the street stared at us funny as we cracked up laughing. The dog wasn't that big and only came running at us because he was being a bone head as dad always says. No harm, no foul, right? Hahaha...there's so many dogs here.

This week we ate lunch in our pension a lot. Hermana Tumbaico took naps after eating really fast...I somehow never got around to it. Probably for the best though...if I take a nap I will not be waking up 20 minutes later. The mission is the best..but its exhausting! :) The days we did eat lunch with members were freezing so we showed up at the houses like popsicles. We stand for a few minutes next to the space heater to get the feeling back in our fingers so we can use a fork properly. It's sooo cold. Luckily..the last two days it hasn't been windy. Tender mercies of the Lord, people. You wanna know what song I've been singing the last two days? ..."somewhere in my youth or childhood...I must have done something good!" Yep, sound of music! Haha...It's true though. I don't know what I did...but it's been so nice without the wind...still cold...but we only leave with one coat instead of two!! :) It only rained in the mornings twice this week! And...why didn't I get a coat with a hood? Go me. Hahaha. When there's wind, I always come home with my hair full of dirt. It's gross.

This morning while walking to the cyber a guy was walking 7 dogs. Crazy Argentines. There were actually like 10 but only 7 of them were on a leash.

This week I've been studying a lot in Preach My Gospel. Chapter 6 is AWESOME! :) Christlike attributes. Best missionary tool ever. I LOVE that book. Also, have you all seen the video "only a stonecutter?" Well...if you haven't...it's time. John Moyle...I think is his name...what an incredible example of faith and service! 

Here in Rio Grande we're working on finding new investigators. It's a process. As my companion always says, "Hay mucho oro..pero esta muy muy escondido." (There's lots of gold here, it's just hidden really well.) She's right! There's always people who are ready...we just have to find them! When was the last time you gave the missionaries a reference?? :) Think hard and pray for Heavenly Father to help you know who those people are that are ready:) Remember, this is HIS work. He ALWAYS helps us in His work!

Okay family...I have to go! Have a fantastic week! I love you all and you're always in my prayers! :) Don't forget to read your scriptures and say your prayers!

I love you soo much!

Hermana Heath

What the fetch?

Hello Family,

How's life? I've been super excited to write to you all week..and I don't even know why because I don't have anything to tell you. Hahaha. I'll start by answering questions.

Mom...as for the picture...Elder Tarwater and Hermana Alexandra Carter are both in my district. Elder Elliz is the short one with glasses but he's not in my district, the zone leaders just came to our meeting:) Elder Lamb is in my zone, not my district.

Here in Rio Grande we don't have a mission leader so the lunches we have to call and ask people to invite us. But for this month we've got lunch every day except for Saturdays. But yes, they feed us like they did in rawson. So much food. And unfortunately there is not a panaderia right around the corner from the pension.

Okay...I thought of something. Remember how I said I hadn't used my sleeping bag yet? Well...apparently when I got here it was hot. Who knew? I was freezing. Turns out I didn't know what the world cold means. I will be using my sleeping bag every night for the rest of my stay here in Rio Grande. It's sooo cold. Our calefactor doesn't even come close to keeping the pension warm when there's so much wind because we're in Argentina and there's places the wind comes straight into the pension. Awesome. It's a killer to get out of bed in the morning because of the cold and it's even harder to get in the shower.  It's starting to get darker earlier and the sun comes out later every morning. This is the weirdest thing ever. The wind is sooo strong. In order to talk while walking around we have to yell to hear each other. It's soo strong. Sometimes it comes in big gusts and stops us in our tracks...literally. Weird. Wanna know what the members tell me? "Oh Hermana...this isn't even cold yet." Comforting words for sure. I'm gonna die.

That's cool that you got to listen to Elizabeth Smart. I remember the day she was found really well. Dr. Looman came on the intercom and announced it.  I did remember Grandma's birthday this week and thought a lot about her... mostly imagining what her mission would have been like...haha:)

Last week was Carnaval here in Argentina. There was a big parade in Rio Grande but it wasn't in our area so we didn't get to see :( It's more of a big deal in the north. But it's no where close to Brazil and other countries. Rio Grande I'm still getting to know but it seems to be an alright place...haha.. jokes..I actually really like it here. I'm still working on not missing Rawson too much and the people there:) I've dreamt about Rawson almost every single night in Rio Grande...weird.

Alright...I'm out of stuff for the week. Oh wait...two members tried to feed me fish this week. I'm proud to say that only one of them succeded. Gross. But of course...we eat it with a smile and tell them it's delicious. Is it bad to lie? Hahaha...whoops. I think this situation doesn't count... Also...so much pasta. I hate pasta. Especially fideos con tuco. It's like pasta with gross red sauce...kill me. Yesterday we ate that for lunch.

So...wanna hear some weird things about Argentina? I've started making a list because I know I'll never remember all the strange things about Argentina. So...first...everyone here says fetch. Why? I have no idea...but whatever makes ya happy right? Also...when you buy eggs here there's always feathers in the carton. Baking soda can only be bought in a farmacy. Oh...and everything is mini...it's like we're shopping in the airport or something. Everyone here thinks Manu Ginobli is the best player in the NBA...haha... that's cute. What a joke.

Okay...so I'm almost out of time today I'll write more next week! I'm still getting to know my area and the people. The members are good...and very few in number:) We've got lots of work to do in Rio Grande!! Today we're gonna have an asado with some recent converts Maria and Marcelo. They're awesome! I like being in their house...feels like home! Or Rawson...haha.

Have a great week! I love you all sooo much and pray for you every day! Keep being excellent! :) 

Chau chau!

Hermana Heath

 Hermana Tumbaico and I.

The freezing cold whether doesn't stop us from eating ice cream!!

yep...that's a turtle!!

Welcome to Rio Grande!!

Hola Queridos,

First off...did ya'll know that I have the coolest little brother EVER?! Matthew...congrats on getting accepted to BYU!! I'm sooo excited for you:) Good work, bud. As they say in Argentina...CAPOOOOOO!!! :)

Okay...so mom had LOTS of questions this week...is anyone even less surprised than me? Haha...so...just for you Mama...

-I am staying fairly warm considering it's pretty cold here. Yesterday it rained. Rain + wind = miserable. Umbrella's don't work here...why did I even bring one??

-I have not used my sleeping bag yet. We've got a heater in our house so it stays warm...well...don't get me wrong...it's an Argentine heater which means it's automatically sketchy...but it's better than nothing. I just sleep with my blanket...the orange one...remember? That blanket has been my best friend in the mission:) I do have to sleep with socks on though...my piggies wiggies get cold:) We're still technically in summer here...which is still really cold! I'm not looking forward to winter...:/

-Hahaha...paved roads? That's a good joke mom. Yes, there are lots of paved roads...but only the main ones where all the stores are... Everything else is rocks and dirt.

-Yes...we continue to walk everywhere. There are buses (colectivos) that we can take but it's not worth it. My area is really small. Smaller than my area in Rawson I think.

-No...I did not meet Hermana Merkley...but yes I did see Hermana Cortes.

-Hermana Hundley is with Hermana Salgado. It's going to be a hard transfer for them...but Hermana Hundley will make the best of it:)

So, to make a REALLY long story kind of short...I arrived in Rio Grande on Friday. I left from Trelew at 4:30PM on Monday...traveled to Comodoro alone. That was bad news because it gave me lots and lots of time to think. It was a rough trip and I'm pretty sure the guy next to me thought I was crazy. Anyway, I got to Comodoro at about 9:00PM. We stopped for 10 minutes and then started our journey to Rio Gallegos since we were already almost two hours behind schedule. One Elder got on with me. He was traveling to Caleta Olivia which is about an hour away from Comodoro...so that meant that I would be traveling the last 10 hours to Rio Gallegos alone. Awesome. Well... when we were about 10 minutes from the terminal in Caleta, traffic stopped... there was a protest...which isn't all that uncommon here in Argentina. We got stopped several times on our way to Trelew from Rawson and had to wait for a little bit. Anyway...Caleta Olivia hasn't had water in over 25 days. Of course the people are upset, right? Well...we waited until 3:00AM to be able to pass... just in case your math skills are out of practice...we waited for 5 hours on the colectivo to be able to pass. I didn't know Elder Benitez before the trip...but we're great friends now. It's sooo loud and impossible to sleep with the drums from the protest plus it just wasn't comfortable. We finally got to the terminal and lucky for me there was one Elder who was also traveling to Rio Grande, Elder Spackman. He was sitting really far back so it was a lonely ride.

We got to Rio Gallegos at 12:00 noon on Tuesday...in other words...that was 20 hours on a colectivo when it only should have been 15...it gets better my friends. So, we get to Rio Gallegos...the zone liders were waiting for us there. Five minutes after I arrived, a group of about 8 Elders arrived. Wanna know where they came from? Trelew and Puerto Madryn. All the missionaries that I said goodbye to in the terminal. They left later that night but since I was stuck in traffic for 5 hours they got there the same time as me. So...I had to go all by myself instead of with a group of missionaries. Pucha, right? well...it gets better. Elder Medina (the famous Elder who served in Rawson before me....the people NEVER stopped talking about him) asked me if I had my passport...I had been told by the missionaries in Comodoro that my passport should be in Gallegos with the zone leaders. Well...turns out it was still in TRELEW. In other words...I had to wait in Gallegos for my passport to come. My bus to Rio Grande was supposed to leave Wednesday morning at 8:30AM. Well...that meant that I got to stay with Hermana Cortes and her new companion Hermana Quispe until my passport arrived. That was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. Luckily for me...my lider in Trelew sent my passport with a mini missionary to Comodoro and from there the new missionaries and their trainers brought it to Rio Gallegos. It was three EXTREMELY long days in Gallegos.

On Friday morning two Elders headed to my new zone in Rio Grande boarded the colectivo with me and we set off on another long journey. We crossed the border into Chile...everything went without a problem...then we got to the big boat and the Magellan Strait. It was soooo cool...and freezing...but super cool! Our colectivo just drove right up a ramp and onto the boat along with about 20 cars. Weirdest thing ever. We walked up onto the boat and went all the way up to the deck...my body was numb from the cold...but it was worth it! The ride across the strait was only about 20 minutes...but we saw taninos! ...they're like...dolphins and killer whales combined. They jump along side the boat...it was sweet! We got to the other side, the cars and colectivo drove off the boat and then we started our 7 hour journey to Rio Grande! We finally arrived at 7:00PM. My companion was with two other sisters in another area so I waited with Elder Julcahuanca and Elder ELLIZ (my new zone leaders) for an hour in the terminal. It was sooo good to see Elder Elliz again. It made me so happy. Elder Julcahuanca is from Peru and is finishing his mission after this transfer. He's great too. Anyway...my companion arrived around 8:00PM and we walked to our pension...of course the Elders carried all of the luggage:) Hermana Tumbaico is my new companion. She's awesome! She's starting her third transfer in the mission. She's from Ecuador! So far we're getting along great:) I'm excited for this transfer together! We're gonna work lots!!

Yesterday we had Church. We're in a branch here in Rio Grande. Assistance is about 60 people each week. Sooo small...and to make it worse the chapel is HUGE! Hahaha...bigger than the chapel in Rawson for sure. The members seem good though. I'm excited to be here I guess. It was really hard to leave Rawson though. My mind still wanders there a lot... It's hard starting from scratch again. I've gotta learn the area quick because after this transfer Hermana Tumbaico will leave 99% guaranteed and I already lost the first week in my area. Yikes! Pray for me people.

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting I had a really cool experience. I was sitting there listening to the testimonies and I couldn't help but think back to my first Sunday in Rawson...I had to fight back some tears as I sat there. I said a prayer to Heavenly Father asking for help and comfort and immediately I got my answer. The Spirit testified to me that Heavenly Father knows where I am. He knows my feelings and my situation, and he sent me here to Rio Grande for a reason. It was a very much needed moment of peace, and a very nice reassurance that I'm not alone in this work. Now it's my job to humble myself and accept Heavenly Father's will for me and find out why he sent me here. God is so good.

Oh...do you want to hear about my pension? Okay...I'll tell you. My pension is sooo cute! It's clean, and new, and the shower is actually in the bathroom this time around! The toilet has a flush handle...I have a washing machine with a spin cycle so I don't have to wring out my clothes anymore. The kitchen isn't flooded with water in the mornings...I have a room dedicated to just studying...I'm living in a five star hotel friends. It's great. Hahaha:)

Hmmm...I can't think of anything else. My district is nice...it's gonna be different though...I haven't met the zone yet but I think we're doing an activity today together...which probably means we will play basketball in the church. Haha.

Last night I got sick again. I woke up at 2:00AM with a really bad stomach cramp and five minutes later threw up everything I had eaten during the day...which wasn't much...but it still wasn't a fun night. 6:30AM came around wayyy to early this morning.

Alright...I've got nothing else. Things are going good...but things are really hard! But I guess they're supposed to be so it's okay! It'll get easier. Have a fantastic week! Send some birthday wishes next door for Catherine please!! :) 19 years old already...is it me or does it seem like yesterday when Catherine was skipping out on sunshine kids to watch the Even Stevens marathon...?? Hahaha...happy happy birthday Catherine! Hopefully the mission prep is coming along well! :)

Well family, my time is up. Until next week? I love you all so much and think about you often! Thank you so much for your prayers and support! You're the best. Keep being excellent and don't forget to say your prayers! Hugs and kisses for everyone!

Chau!

Hermana Heath

Getting ready to cross the Magellan Strait to the island of

Tierra del Fuego...Land of Fire!

My mini Argentine cruise...crossing the Strait of Magellan :)

My new district in Rio Grande :)

remember when I told you my tan lines were bad?

well...it wasn't a joke.