Here comes the SUN!

Hola querida familia mia!

Well friends...this week was weird. I'm just gonna tell you again that I didn't get to read your emails before writing to you...what's new? Sooo...I'll be pretty quick today with my comments...I'm almost out of time...how does that happen?! Well...this week it just hit me again how much I LOVE Argentina. We ate some weird things this week...first was locro...which they usually only eat for big national holidays..like independence day...anyway....locro is made by sticking a big pot on the stove and then opening the fridge and throwing everything in...everything you can find. Then your neighbor comes and throws in everyting he can find...and so forth. In other words...it's a lil bit weird. Wanna know what was inside our locro this week? MONDONGO. For those of you who need a translation...that's cow intestine. Why? Why do Argentines feel the need to eat that? I can tell you that it's not because it's yummy. Luckily we ate in the pension so we could pick it out and throw it away...on other occasions I haven't been so lucky. Pucha. I promise to make ya'll some good Argentine food when I get home...but I'm gonna be just fine if I never have to eat locro again. It makes me a lil queasy just thinking about what could be in there. Ah. I just got chills for reals thinking about it no mas. Ewwww. Well...the week couldn't end there...the next day we ate fish (which all of you know I don't like) and then yesterday for lunch we ate SQUID TENTACLES. OH MY GOSH. Someone please just send me home. Sooo nasty. We ate them in the form of onion rings..I tried pretending that's what they were..but not so lucky for me is that I'm not really a fan of those either. Plus...the smell just gave it away too quickly. How I didn't throw up on the spot I'll never know...tender mercies of the Lord. So...that was the weird part of the week. The good part of the week is that my companion and I did 200 contacts! I think that's the record in the mission but I'm not sure...we're in desperate need for new investigators..but we still managed to have 6 lessons with member and 9 others. That's a good week here in Caleta Olivia in el Rotary hahaha. OH! And get this...MAXI CAME WITH US TO A CITA!! I was sooo excited. He shared his testimony about going to church...he said "you're there and you feel the need to be there...I can't really explain it..it's something you feel...the hermanas told me that's the spirit." OH MY GOSH. Have a I mentioned that I love him yet?! Such a capo that kid. This sunday he's gonna give a talk in Sacrament Meeting. OH MY GOSH! I'm sooo happy...I love seeing him continue learning and progress in the gospel...the branch members love him and they've done a great job of making him feel welcome and comfortable. Oh...after a really long day of 50 contacts and a couple of lessons we (the 10 missionaries in the branch) had a meeting with our mission leader...after he drove us and a companionship of the Elders home. We heard Whitney Houston on the radio. BEST DAY OF MY LIFE. I'll be honest...Hermana Davis, Elder Tyler, and Elder Dunford and I broke out into a chorus of "I will always love you" It was a great treat to end a really long day! Hahahha....medio trucho...but I feel like it's alright...:) I don't feel too bad about singing along! This week was soo sad here weather wise. Currently Caleta Olivia is under a bubble of gloominess and despair. The dark gray clouds are finally starting to clear up today and the sun is peaking out...a couple days ago Elder Alvarez(ZL) sent us a text "here come the sun" ....I sure hope so because it's been a loooong cold lonely winter here in Argentina. Okay I just realized that this is one huge paragraph....breathe Hermana Heath...

Alright...round two. Ready GO! So....despite all the gross food I was forced to eat this week...I really do love Argentina. It hit me how much I never wanna leave here. All the kids playing soccer in the streets...all the dogs...the teeny tiny cars...the colorful houses....the kiosks and panaderias on every corner...man. I LOVE ARGENTINA! Okay...so I can't really come up with anything else for the week..I'll try to think of some good stories or something for next week..I feel like these last few emails home have been pretty short and boring. Oh...and EMILY...I promise to write you FIRST next week. It's been way too long since I've responded to you! Dad...I promise to write you second next week...I always run out of time and never get to write to everyonee!! I hate that. Okay...welll...keep being excellent people. I love you all sooo much! Have a fantastic week! Cuidense!!

Muchoooos abrazos y besos comin your way from Argentina!!

Hermana Heath

Happy MONDAY! :)

Hola Familia!

This week was crazy and since it's a holiday here in Argentina the cibers aren't open so I've got 30 minutes on the chapel computer. Awesome. Well...my companion Hermana Davis finally got here on Thursday...we had two good work days...and then on Sunday she got sick and we had to stay in the pension all day. Talk about the longest day of my life. I don't know what I'm gonna do with my life when I finish the mission. It's sooo boring. Haha. Oh well...I'll worry about that when it comes!

So...crazy stories from this week? On Friday morning we had a district meeting. It was really depressing...they Split the district here in Caleta because there's ten missionaries plus two from puerto deseado...anyway...I'm now in a district with four missionaries. One of them is always talking up front...which means it's me...my companion...the district leader...and his companion. Puuucha. Smallest district of the mission for me so far. We'll see how it goes! When the missionaries came through I did get to see a bunch of old friends...Elder Elliz is gonna be finishing his misión in Comodoro in two transfers. I saw Elder Ramos my old zone leader and Elder Gutiérrez from Rio Grande....and guess what? Hermana Hundley and Hermana Garavito are gonna be companions!

On Saturday morning my companion and I were doing contacts in a part of our área that's medio dangerous....anyway...we were minding our own business knocking some doors when out of no where like 5 cop cars come driving up and a bunch of pólice officers with BIG guns got out...there were surrounding a van and banging on it....my companion and I quickly left that Street before we got shot. That was quite the experience. I think it was a drug bust....they were big boy guns. Freaky. Haha.

Well...that's all I can come up with for right now....plus I'm practically out of time. I will share something though that I've been studying. Sincé I had the day Sunday in the pension I decided to study (like all day) but I dedicated an hour to the plan of salvation and I learned a lot! We always think of the celestial kingdom as the final goal, right? Well...that's because it is...FOR US. The people in the other two kingdoms will be there because that's what their "goal" is so to speak. In D&C 88:22, 25-26, 32-33 it talks a Little bit about the people that can't live a celestial law wont be able to handle a celestial glory....my favorite is in verse 32 that talks about how we will go where we want to....we will enjoy the blessings of the kingdom we are willing to receive. In other words...we have our agency...and if we don't want to live the laws of a celestial glory here...we wont want to live them after this life either. So...the people that go to the terrestrial kingdom aren't there because they just "didn't make it" ...they're there because that's where they want to be. I don't know if that made any sense...but I thought it was kind of cool. Study it a Little bit if ya'll have time:)

Okay...have a great week! I love you all sooo much! You're always in my thoughts and prayers! Oh...and I hope mom and dad had a good anniversary...I did think about you that day I just didn't realice last monday that it was coming up so quick! :)

I LOVE YOU!

Hermana Heath

Oh...and I was so excited you got to see the McDonalds! Next time you see them tell them hello:) Also...dad I think I found the southern cross....I think. But either way it's a cool cross in the southern sky! :)

Mother knows best...

Querida Familia..

Okay..casi no tengo tiempo hoy porque tenemos traslados y bueno ahora en un rato mas nos vamos a juntar en la capilla con todos los misioneros y ...hold up. it just hit me that I'm writing in Spanish. Awkward. Anyway...in case you didnt understand that I have hardly any time today because of transfers...BUT ! I will tell you a few things quickly. First, I haven't read anything from your letters. Usually I at least skim them before but today I haven't even had time for that. Second, my companion is going to USHUAIA! Hermana Rasmussen is gonna be companions with Hermana Fish. She's awesome and was a visa waiter that arrived to Argentina at the same time with me. Third, my new companion is gonna be Hermana Davis who is coming from Ushuaia. I did divisions with her once while I was there. She and Hermana Rasmussen have the same time the mission...o sea...5 months. I'm excited to be her companion:) This week was long. All of our citas got cancelled. Oh...happy 11 months to me today! Hey...do you wanna know a story? So...this week I almost died like a million times. Ya buddy. On day we were in our area walking along not causing anyone any harm when a huge dog comes running out of no where and bit me right on the arm! Puuucha. It got me right on the forearm...actually I put my arm out to block it. Anyway...it didn't really hurt that much in the moment...and luckily it didn't break skin...but I've got some nasty bruises to show for it! So...I guess all these times mom has told me to carry around my dog dazer wasn't for nothing...it's not like I would have had time to pull it out though anyway. Oh well. Ya fue. Anyway...that was pretty fun. Oh...and wanna know what time of dog it was? a GOLDEN RETRIEVER. Yep...that's right. The good news of this week? we made LEGIT cinammon rolls with a member family! They were soooo good. Not quite as good as dad's...but I'm in Argentina...what can you expect?? We also had our zone conference. It was awesome! I love being a missionary! I learn soo much and I'm so happy all the time that I'm pretty sure one day I'm just gonna explode! Well...that's all I can remember from this week. I'm super tired...we've been up late the last couple of days getting Hermana Rasmussen all packed up. I'm gonna miss her a lot. She's been a great companion. 

So...this email is super short but I think I'm out of time! I'll write more next week! Sorry! I love you all! Be safe and have a great week!

Love you!! :)

Hermana Heath

Cinnamon rolls....YUMM!! :)

TRANSFERS?!

Hello Familia,

This week was sooo long. I seriously haven't had time to read anything...it's obnoxious being a week behind on responding to some things...but I'm glad Kimberly had a good week at girls camp and I assume youth conference was also great! I also liked the pictures from dad's birthday...re poquitos eran! there weren't very many of you! That's soo weird!

This week was just awful. I'll be completely honest. Hermana Rasmussen left me on Tuesday night to go do some tramites in Rio Gallegos...she was supposed to come home on Thursday morning. It's a long story...wanna hear it?! Okay...here goes.

On Tuesday night we took Hermana Rasmussen to the terminal at 8:00PM...Elder Alvarez and I talked and laughed about dumb things the whole time while the other missionaries tried to sleep. They're all boring. Hermana Rasmussen's colectivo didn't end up leaving until 10:00PM though cause it came late from Comodoro. I got to see Elder Lamb though since he also had to do tramites! That made me suuuper happy:) He seems to be doing alright...but doesn't really like Comodoro. Anyway...I got left with the other Hermanas for divisions...we slept the three of us plus Hermana Demott from pico truncado in the other hermana's pension and on Wednesday I did divisions with Hermana Judd. It was a really long day. I don't like divisions much...but we had three lessons with member! That's was pretty cool:) That night Hermana Demott and I came back to my pension cause it's only a 10 minute walk to the terminal and our companios were gonna get there early in the morning. Elder Alvarez called me that night and told me that Hermana Rasmussen had to stay an extra day but Hermana Demott's companion was gonna be there at 7:00AM. We met the zone leaders in the terminal at 6:30AM. Sent the pico truncado hermanas back to their area...iunfortunately hermana judd was sick and throwing up from something she ate so they didn't come to pick me up at the terminal and take me back to their pension so I got stuck there alone with the zone leaders. We took a taxi to the hermanas pension and I stayed the day there with them inside. It was a reallly long and reaaaallly boring day. What the heck am I gonna do with my life when I don't have citas..meetings..or contacts to be doing every second of every day?! FREAKY! Hermana Zanuttini and I made empanadas for lunch which was the highlight of the day. Anyway...on friday morning Elder Kern and Elder Murua (on divisions) picked me up early (like 5:30 in the freaking morning!) from the pension of the hermanas and the three of us went to the terminal to pick up my companion...the bus came but no Hermana Rasmussen got off. Pucha. Elder Kern called Rio Gallegos and it turns out had to stay another day! Thanks for the heads up Elders. Couldn't they have told us BEFORE we woke up at 5:00AM to go to the terminal?  I was sooo bummed. Anyway...the Elders dropped me back off at the penison of the hermanas...luckily we only spent half the day in the pension and then the other half we worked...but in their area. Friday night Elder Alvarez called and told me he just talked with the Elders in Gallegos and they had just sent Hermana Rasmussen off on the bus so FOR SURE she was gonna be on the bus this time. On Saturday morning Elder Alvarez and Elder Kern picked me up at the pension of the Hermanas early and we went to the terminal to wait for my comp. She FINALLY¨came. I was sooo happy to see her. We only have one week left together and I seriously missed her a ton! The zone leaders dropped us off at our pension and then my companion was so dead so she took a short nap. What a week of suffering.

Anyway...Saturday night we had a talent show in the church...it was awesome. Elder Murua sang typical Argentine music which was sooo pretty and then Maxi played the guitar!! He's sooo cool. I loved every minute of it! Everyone in the church just loves him soo much. It's crazy. Yesterday in church Maxi got ordained to the office of priest in the aaronic priesthood! Yahoo...next week he's gonna bless the sacrament! That is if he comes with a tiee! He doesn't like dressing formal much:)

Hey...yesterday was the 12 year anniversary of my baptism! Cool beans. I can't believe it's Agust already. This year has gone by sooo fast. Crazy crazy! This saturday they tell us transfers. Hermana Rasmussen is leaving almost for sure...I hope my zone leaders stay the same though. Half of my district is leaving...Elder Murua...Hermana Judd...Hermana Rasmussen...Elder Tingey...yep...that's exactly half! Puuucha.

Well...have a great week! I love you all sooo much! Keep being excellent! Read your scriptures and say your prayers!! :)

Hermana Heath