Steadfast and Immovable

!Hola!

Yeah I got mail this week! Thanks for all of the letters. I love hearing from you all. This week was a busy one in that we had divisions and I went to Ramos Mejia for a day and we also had interviews with President Benton.

It was fun to go to the city for the day. Ramos is the area that includes the offices of the mission and is the closest to capital (I think). It was interesting because the people there were super cold and didn´t really want to talk to us! My comp thinks that I will be headed there for my next area so I guess I better get use to it?!? But I really loved it so I will be excited if I get transferred there. Also the members there help the missionaries a ton so that will be great as well.

My last interview with President was really good. It´s interesting how inspired mission presidents are. We mostly talked about my life after the mission (yeah I was a little shocked) So I took good notes so I could forget about the suggestions for now and then remember them later! :) We will get our new president (President Carter) around the first week of July I think. I can´t really remember when this transfer ends but something like that. We are all very excited and very much anticipating the change, although it is bitter sweet in that we have to say goodbye to President and Hermana Benton.

Other news this week is that we had stake conference and they are a little different here in Argentina in that it was a broadcast for all of the south portion of South America (I think) and Elders Anderson and Packer spoke and also Sister Wixom, oh and also Elder Zivic of the seventy who´s son was one of my teachers in the MTC :). It was really incredible to hear their talks. Elder Packer talked about following impressions of the spirit in our lives and that we will never be led astray. All in all really a cool experience. 
I am not sure if you heard but in Chile a volcano erupted last week and this week we have ashes all the way here in Buenos Aires. Crazy huh? It´s not a ton and basically just looks like really bad dust but definitely really interesting.

Hna Salazar and I have been working really hard to do our part so that the Lord can work miracles in the lives of the people here in Las Heras and this week we definitely saw those results. We had to travel about an hour to go to stake conference and we still had 6 investigators at church. It was so incredible. I´ve learned on the mission that every person comes with their own little bag of surprises and difficulties. How incredible it is that the gospel is made perfectly for all of them! One of the families that we are teaching right now is the Roman Family, which consists of 3 kids and their parents. They are incredible. The dad has been out of work for a few months and they own a store that sells cookies but as of now they are not getting any profit from their store. They were told a week ago that they have to be out of their house by this Wednesday and they have nowhere to go and no prospect of a job. Last week they accepted a date to be baptized of July 2 and we promised them that if they would put the Lord first in their lives then everything else would work together for their good. They are so incredible and I know that they are going through these trials because they needed to find the gospel. They told us that if it weren´t for these trials they never would have listened to us.... How incredible is it that God is so mindful of us and DEFINITELY has a plan for each one of us!

One of our other investigators is Eduardo. My FIRST week in Argentina (yes almost 5 months ago) Hna Daniels and I contacted him in the street. He was basically the town drunk but ever since then he has been gradually changing. He has stopped smoking and drinking, and now bathes and comes to church regularly!!! He also now has running water and electricity in his house which he hasn´t had for about a month. He also let me cut his hair last week!!! He is going to be baptized this weekend and I am super excited!

Another baptism that we have this week is Elena. She is incredible. She lives alone with her 13 yr old son Franco because her husband died a year ago today. I think she has more faith than anyone I have ever known. It´s crazy. When we showed her the video about the Restoration in the middle of it she told us, "This is my answer. The church is true." She always talks about how she feels like Christ is in the room with us and she loves the picture with Christ holding the lost sheep because she says that the sheep is her. :) Her biggest challenge is that she didn´t want to wear a skirt to church (remember the bag of surprises). But this week we took her a skirt and she has started to put it on and go for short walks so that she can get use to it. it´s truly amazing to me how faith works and motivates people to change their lives and what a message of hope this gospel is.

Ok in closing I wanted to share a few points from one of my favorite talks given by Elder Holland, "Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence". In it he gives the example of Moses and the children of Israel in relation to our lives. He says that after we have paid the price to receive revelation from the Lord not to "let fear easily beset us.... The adversary does have power but he cannot conquer if we will it otherwise.... Everyone runs the risk of fear. You do, and I do." But what really matters is that we do not let that fear overpower us and have us doubt the confidence that we earlier received in our decisions. "Of course our faith will be tested as we fight through these self-doubts and second thoughts. Some days we will be miraculously led out of Egypt - seemingly free, seemingly on our way- only to come to yet another confrontation, like that water lying before of us. At those times we must resist the temptation to panic and to give up... Ánd Moses said unto the people, Fear yet not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.... the Lord shall fight for you´." I love this quote because I have seen it a lot since I have been here in Argentina and in my own life the self doubt of "Did I make the right choice?" I know that the Lord is leading and guiding our decisions every day and if we have Him in first place then we need not fear or doubt if we are heading in the right direction. Satan WILL tempt us to think otherwise and test our faith but we can stand firm and faithful in the truths that we know.

I love you all tons!
Think about you often, pray for you always, and love you forever!
Hna Scanlon