¡Hola Familia!
Wow this week felt like a long week that really flew by!!! It was also filled with many funny/spiritual experiences. This week I had the opportunity to have the traveling assistants in my zone again so I was able to listen to their workshops etc again. Usually missionaries will only have this workshops once in their mission but since I got transferred to a different zone I got to have to it twice!! It was really fantastic and I was really grateful for the chance to learn more from them. At the beginning of the week I was a little nervous because that meant that we would have a lot less time to work in our area but I knew that the Lord would help us. My companion reminded me of a quote that is in DyC 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not". I really love that scripture and tried to really rely on the Lord this week when I thought that there was no way we were going to get everything done. Ok so here is was happened during the week as I put my faith to test.
Monday: Basically we don´t have a lot of time to really work on Mondays. We had plans to go and teach a family that we have been working with but neither one of us felt really good about what we were going to teach them but we decided to go to their house anyway. Well it turned out that they weren´t home so we decided to contact some references that were in the same area. We knocked at the door of one lady and when she came to the door it seemed like she had been expecting us. She was sooo great. She wanted to know everything about the church and everyone that passed by she introduced to us! At first she apologized for not inviting us in because she didn´t want her FIVE dogs to bother us but then about 10 minutes later she ended inviting us in anyway! She was so great and promised us that she probably couldn´t come to church this week but would for sure be going the next week. She also gave us the reference to her son and her ex-husband and told us to tell them that she sent us... ha ha so funny. The temperature was probably like 35 degrees Celsius... we were dying.
Tuesday: We only had the morning to work because we had workshops in the afternoon so we rushed around doing as much as we could in the morning. We were rushing so much and it was so hot that I am pretty sure that we were both dehydrated but finally made it to the church, desperately searching for water... little did I know that they usually turn off the water in the church during the week. I thought I was going to die. Luckily, the mission offices are right next door to the church so we could beg them for water. I only tell you this because later that night when we got to the pench and couldn´t find our keys, we weren´t too stressed because we figured that they must be in the church and we just set them down somewhere in our desperate search for water. So we called the office Elder to search for them... but sadly they were nowhere to be found!! So we were locked out of our apartment, with two other Hermanas that were staying with us for the night, on Valentine´s Day. One of the couple missionaries that is in the mission live in our building so he came down to try and help us break into our apartment... After much banging on the door/lock with a hammer, it was determined that it was impossible to break in, which in part actually make me feel a little bit better since I was NEVER going to feel safe in Argentina again if we could break in so easily. So it was determined that we were going to stay for the night in the pench of some elders that live close and they were going to go and sleep in the pench of the office Elders.. Ha ha it was pretty funny, but let´s just say that after spending the night in the pench of the Elders I am extremely glad that I am an hermana. Later the Elder accused us of doing that just because it was Valentine´s Day... Again the temperature that day and night was like 36 degrees.
Wednesday: In the morning we had to be at the offices at 8 in the morning to start our meetings. Luckily it was just with Elders so they didn´t notice that we were wearing the same clothes as the day before. In the afternoon we finally got to go back to the pench only to find a man from the church (his name was McGyver... yeah I am not really sure) there changing the locks on our doors. So we we quickly changed our clothes, and made him a sandwich, and left to go and work. Here in the plaza they make the BEST hamburgers with an egg on them. So we ate that for lunch. I was in heaven. After looking for a few members to go with us, we finally gave up and went to teach our investigators solas. Later that night as we were teaching, an member just happened to walk by and he stopped and taught with us for a little bit.... God really does work in mysterious ways! It was probably like 40 degrees that day with like 95% humidity.
Thursday: We spent the majority of the day planning with the assistants and then had a meeting until 6 in the afternoon. We had plans to go with a member and contact a few people. We had literally been walking in the street for about 10 mintues when it started to rain.... pero mal. I have NEVER seen rain like this. In about 30 seconds I was soaking wet... which would have been fine but I had our area book, my preach my gospel and my scriptures in my bag... we were desperate for someone to let us in! Our poor member was all soaking wet. We knocked on a few houses until someone finally agreed to at least give us plastic bags to put our things in but didn´t want to hear anything about the gospel! Then my companion and I were both trying to figure out where we were and where we needed to go since neither one of us really knows the area! Ha ha it was hilarious and I literally have never been so wet in my life! I guess that is what I get for losing my umbrella last week.... I guess it all ended up being ok though because we saw the member at church on Sunday and he said to call him whenever it was raining because he wants to go with us again... little did he know I bet that it is forecasted to rain all week :) It was probably like 30 degrees with 100% humidity.
Friday: We finally had the whole day to work! It was fantastic! And members were really willing to help us. We went by one lady that was "deep cleaning" her house and when I asked her if she could come with us she responded "no problem!" and dropped all she was doing to help us. It truly was such a blessing! Other members also went with us and we found few FAMILIES to teach!!!
Saturday: We were really nervous to teach this family that we have been working with because that night they were going to have a party and told us that they probably wouldn´t be able to make it to church on Sunday because they would be drinking all Saturday night with their family. We really felt like we should teach them the Word of Wisdom and invite them to do all they could to keep it so that they could go to church on Sunday. When we got there all to their house, all their family was already there but they invited us in anyway. We had to wait for the husband to get back from buying a few things... it turned out when he walked in that he had gone to buy alcohol... we were a little nervous to say the least, but really felt like this was what the Lord wanted us to teach them. After we taught them and invited them to do this they agreed! We were SOOO happy!!!
Sunday: It was raining (and again I was soaking wet) but we were soooo excited as we went to pick up this family. When their niece came to the door and told us that they were sleeping still we both felt so sad... the journey back to the church was pretty silent as we both tried to still be in good spirits and not be discouraged. As Sacrament Meeting started I just happened to look behind me and a few rows back our investigators were sitting there beaming at us!!! WE COULDN¨T BELIEVE IT!!! Not only had they kept their commitment but they had come to church by themselves! It was so incredible. Then after church they both asked for priesthood blessings! This would´ve been enough to make my day but also in Sacrament Meeting their was a lady that we had contacted in a colectivo who found the church by herself and brought her two kids... it really was a day of miracles!
Alright so I hope that wasn´t too boring for all of you! I thought it was an exciting week and I feel like sometimes I don´t share the specifics of what I do so there you go! I guess what I learned is that as we seek the help of the Lord CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY, He will show us what we need to do and where we need to go and He will give us success!
I love you all!
I think about you often, pray for you always, and love you forever!
Hna Scanlon
This is her mission President and his wife, President and Sister Carter
Jordan loves them and feels blessed to be serving with them.
I stole this picture from here
