Saenz Pena

Transferred. With Latin. In Chaco=hot. Training Leader. Tuesday; Hermana Petersen and I knew that I was leaving. So Tuesday was a big day of do what Courteney wants! Yes. We went and saw Norma... It was raining hard core again of course. Norma was so sad to hear that one of us could be leaving. But she promised to keep learning more. We left her house and she sent us a text that said if one of us leaves she´ll miss us and pray for us. Break. My. Heart. Then all I wanted to do is go to the Duarte’s. So we went over and made french toast, we talked and I signed this HUGE book that they have for the missionaries that love the Duarte family. I was Missionary number 187. Yeah. That´s cool. We wanted to go over to Hermana Allred and Hermana Johansen’s pension after and it was already time for bed and we still hadn´t heard about transfers. We were waiting for our remis and I got a call from Hermana Allred and she was freaking out. All I could hear was "I´m with Hermana Lund and I´m leaving and you are leaving and you are Hermana Leader!" I almost died. How in the world is she so lucky? haha that is insane. While I was talking to her the zone leaders called and said "Hermana what do you think will happen?" And I just said I´m leaving. They confirmed and gave me my travel plans and said Hermana Petersen is staying and will be with Hermana Rojas. My companion is Hermana Alvarado from Guatemala! She is really sweet she used to be in my zone. We were still waiting for a stupid taxi and Viki and Susy Duarte came out to make sure we were okay and I told them I was going and we all started crying. I told them where and they told me I was going to die of heat... comforting…and to not drink the water or I will really die. Great. That night I stayed up all night packing and writing letters to people. Wednesday; We all met up at the terminal. Hermana Allred wasn´t leaving until 12 and Elder Fiabane and I were leaving at 10. Elder Fiabane is going to the office!!! I knew he would. He´s so great. We all said goodbye but it was all so rushed it we didn’t have time to say a real goodbye. haha I traveled with some elders...alone…to Corrientes Capital. Then there I waited... alone with like 20 elders for a bus to take me to Resistencia. I traveled with Elder Gates, and then at Resistencia we were supposed to take this other bus to Saenz Peña, but we missed it, so we waited and then found another stupid bus and took it. We had no idea which one was our stop or where we were so that sucked. Elder Gates saw a sign that said Quitilipi. That is his new area so he got off and I did too. Yeah, not my stop. I had to buy a new ticket and travel alone to Saenz Peña. I officially hate busses. I got off the bus... Ps mom the wheels on my carry on suitcase broke, so that was a work out. I finally saw my companion and we went to my new home. I asked her if it was cute and she said it was really great... She was really wrong. The amount of dirt in that apartment makes me want to die. Don´t worry, you all know I´ve been cleaning it since I´ve gotten here and now it´s almost livable... But we dropped off my stuff and had to rush off to a ward activity. OUR CHURCH IS HUGE. I was really happy. Hermana Sasser is in my zone!!! She came with me and was Hermana Rich´s companion from the MTC! It was great to see a familiar face. We couldn´t stay for the activity sadly, wanna know why? THEY WERE WATCHING FROZEN. How in the world they got it I have no idea. It´s only in theaters still right? Whatever. But you better believe I snuck a peek every once in a while. In the beginning why does the little girl sing to a door?... Looks so cute. Thursday; I think I freaked out Hermana Alvarado because I started throwing out crap and cleaning like a maniac. I also called Howlett and begged him for some more money on my card to buy some things, like a shower curtain and cleaning supplies. He agreed. Hermana Alvarado said "I didn´t know we could do this" And I said "Clean? Yeah it´s a way for us to be more human" I was frustrated. We bought some things for the pension and cleaned and then we went out to work. This is the first established area I have served in. So it was really weird to have set meetings with investigators and that we have lunch every day. I´m pretty stoked about that. We first met Mercedes, she is a recent convert who is a BRAT. She literally looked at me and then wouldn’t come out because I am not the other Hermana. She cried and then yelled in my face "I don´t want her I want the other one. Why is she here" Blah blah blah. I almost smacked her. But I was determined that she will like me. Dogs here are insane. They fight and are all dying and are missing eye balls. It’s really gross. Disney analogy for you all here; Hermana Alvarado is very sweet…and innocent…and a little paranoid. I think we all remember Tantor who was scared to enter the water? That is how she is about crossing the road. Now don´t get me wrong, I am very cautious, I´m not paranoid. But compared to her I´m more like the grandma from Mulan who shuts her eyes and crosses with the Lucky Cricket. "THIS SUCKERS A LUCKY ONE" Friday; We did service for one of our investigators Angela, she wants to be baptized and get married but her boyfriend doesn´t. Story of everyone’s lives here in Argentina. But they are building their house so we pulled weeds and cleaned garbage. It was soooooo hot, but pretty fun. We also are teaching a less active’s daughters. Their names are Maria and Milagros. Maria looks EXACTLY like Annie! (Jakes little sister Annie). I think I´ve called her Annie like three times. Oops. Their little brother is like 4 and runs around BUTT NAKED all the time. Please. Clothe. Your. Children. Saturday; I honestly don’t remember anything. Sunday; we went and picked up Mercedes and she was practically on top of Hermana Alvarado the whole time. I kept talking to her and making her laugh but then she would see that she was liking me and then scowl at me. Whatever. None of our investigators came so that sucked. Did I mention our chapel is beautiful? It really is. We have more of a legit piano, and I offered to play and the Hermana who leads the music said "Oh yeah my daughter can play" So I was like okay. Her daughter pressed the button on the piano that plays the hymns on it. Okay. Your choice. I went and bore my testimony and then Hermana Alvarado did and when she did Mercedes sat by me and put her head on my shoulder... Oh yeah. She loves me because I made her laugh. We went to class, which we teach for the investigators and the new members. It was of course our turn to teach and Hermana Alvarado gave me the book and left and I sat there staring at 20 adults and looked at the manual “The Law of Chastity”. Awesome! But I think it went really well. We did Head Shoulders Knees and Toes to show our thoughts and our actions should be clean, and we should stand in holy places. It was pretty good for my first day I think. We had lunch with a member and her dad is not a member and he definitely does not like us North Americans. So that was fun. He said something about us being too busy with our lives that we don’t know how to enjoy life and that we are rude and I just had to sit there and bite my tongue…not! You know I said something about how we actually work for what we have and don´t sleep for 5 hours in the afternoon everyday. Probably shouldn´t have said that but I´m Proud To Be An American. (And I don´t like being sassed.) But at the end of lunch we were talking about his grandsons and sports and now he likes me. Everyone asks me where I´m from because I "look Asian" so that´s cool. BUT! We found a couple who LOVES the U.S. and they loved me. I did not even mind that we talked to them for a while. Hermana Alvarado got a little jealous but it was nice to meet some nice people here. They have every book for the church, they have pamphlets, Books of Mormon, even a Preach My Gospel and they watch General Conference and get the Ensign. But they don´t want to get baptized. Yeah I thought it was weird too. Monday; As a Hermana Training Leader we go to the meetings for all of the leaders of the mission. Monday was that day! I saw Hermana Allred and Hermana Lund!!! I was sooo happy. I learned a lot and today I am in charge during zone conference to teach the message of Hermana Heyman which was on Communication! I´m way pumped for this new calling but terrified at the same time. I don´t know really what I can do to help the Hermana’s but I will try my best. Hermana Heyman yesterday made chocolate cheesecake cupcakes. I DIED. Do you remember the last time I even heard the word cupcake? Yeah me neither. It was great. So much has happened this week and so much more but this is long enough. I love you all. I know that there is a lot of things going on at home, but just know that I love you all and I pray for you. I know that everything will be okay! I´m happy! My companion is really sweet. And I have a shower curtain. I´m set. haha Also I have a Chango Mas in my area... It´s like a cheap Wal Mart. Yeah. I´m definitely going. I love you all. The church is definitely true. My testimony of this gospel grows every day here. There is no doubt that it is true and that I am where I am supposed to be. I love you!!! Hermana Healey