November 28, 2011- Letter

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

My week was good. It was both a crazy long and crazy short week, we had some ups and downs, and some unexpected changes.

On Monday we went to visit Belén and Ludmila and give them the last lesson that they needed before their baptism! The word of wisdom, it went very well, and they accepted with no problems, as did their mother who was also there.

 

Tuesday was kind of a scattered day, we knew that we were leaving the next day to go to Bahía Blanca for Zone Conference, so we were litterally running everywhere, trying to talk to as many investigators as possible so while we were gone for a couple of days they wouldn´t fall through the cracks. We also didin´t have any minutes left, so we were litterally running around trying to find everyone since we coulnd´t call them.We bought out tickets to go to Bahía and realized that we were going to have to leave a lot earlier than we were planning if we didnt want to get there are two in the morning. We also learned that Hna McWhorter and Hna Linco were going to have to stay an extra day in Bahía to get some things figured out for thier DNI´s (what we use when our visas expire). So Hna Nava and I were trying to figure out who we were going to be able to visit on Friday since we were going to have to work in both areas.

 

Wendesday was pretty much studies, lunch with a memeber and travelling. We had to leave at 4, so we had to be at the terminal at 3:30, which didn´t give much time for anything.So we contacted a couple of the people we coulnd´t find on Tuesday and then we had an 7 1/2 bus ride to Bahía. And then the adventure started. We stayed in a hotel while we were in Bahía. With all of the Hermanas that were coming in, (there were 16 of us) because it was a tri zone conference, there wasn´t room for all of us with presidente or the hermanas of Villa Floresta, so the four of us lucked out! It was really fun. We got there just in time to sleep, but the next morning we got to eat breakfast there and that was really fun.I sent a picture of our hotel room. One of the missionary rules is that we dont share a bed, we weren´t quite sure how that was going to work out in a hotel, but they got us taken care of.

 

Thursday was Zone Conference. Because it was a tri zone conference, I got to see a lot of the hermanas that I hadn´t seen in a while.
One of the pictures that I sent is of all the Hermanas that were at the conference, there were only six hermanas in the mission that wreen´t there, because they are serving in Mar del Plata, and that is far away. The other picture is of my district! We are called Districto Todopoderoso (The all powerful district). And then Hna McWhorter and I had to seperate. Hna Nava and I took a red eye collectivo to SAO. We got there are 2:30 am.

 

We woke up on Friday morning, and went to work. We had a lot of appointments that day, unfortunantly not very many people were there. We also had a day full of sineza. (Aka volcanic ash). That darn volcano in Chile keeps errupting and sending its millions of pounds of ash to Argentina. It was really really bad that day. It was falling like snow. Ugh. I looked like I had dandruff. We were also supposed to have the baptisimal interview of Belén y Ludmila that day. Key word:supposed too. When Elder Griffin and Elder Oakes went to go buy thier tickets to come to SAO there weren´t any left. That had never happened before. So we spent a good deal of time trying to come up with a good plan B. Since they were getting baptized the next day, it was pretty urgent that they had their interview as quickly as possible.

 

The plan B that we came up with was this. That the Elders would come at the original time, but the next day. The girls would have thier interviews right before the baptism and the Elders would stay for the baptism, and then go home after that. We got no information about transfers that day. We figured it was because there weren´t going to be very many changes that transfer, and because Pres and the AP¨S were in another zone conference that day.  

 

Saturday also started really early. At 2:00 am when Hna Nava and I went to the terminal to look for Hna McWhorter and Hna Linco. Then we went back and slept a little bit more. Saturday was baptism day!!!! As we had been gone, pretty much the entire week, we did everything for the baptism that day. We cleaned the font (there is a picutre of that), did the programs, cleaned the church, etc. We also did an emergency search for baptisimal clothing, as some of it was missing from the last time, and there was nothing for young girls to get baptized in. After a very (VERY) stressful day, the Elders made it, the girls had their interviews, and the baptism went flawlessly.

 

One of the reasons that transfers were so stressful was because we also got news about transfers. Again, unexpectedly, I have been transfered. Probably my hardest transfer to date. So on top of baptism stuff, we were also trying to figure out how I was going to have time to pack, telling people that I was leaving, and doing all of that stuff. The baptism was perfect. We had a good amount of people show up, and we had a couple of investigators there, so that was really nice. I was really bummed that I had to tell the girls the day of thier baptism that i was leaving the next day, and they were really sad. A couple of the other members of the branch didn´t take it too well either. After the baptism, we walked with the Elders to the terminal so I could buy my ticket to Bahía (I had to take two collectivos to get here, so the first leg of the journey was to Bahía), and on our way back home, Hna McWhorter and I bought ice cream to celebrate the baptism and out time together.

 

Sunday was the perfect day in church. We didn´t have as many people as we have had the last couple of weeks, but all seven of my converts were there. Maxi blessed the sacrament for the first time, and Cristian gave his first talk. Belén and Ludmila got confirmed. It really was just perfect. After church, while we were waiting for lunch with one of the members, I started to pack. And I realized how much my stuff has grown. And how much I hate packing. Especially when I don´t want to leave. After about an hour, we went to lunch. And the branch had thrown me a surprise going away party. It was very very sweet. I had a good time, and only cried a little bit.

 

After lunch we went back home and I proceeded to pack. It took way too long. But finally I finished. We then went to visit a couple of people that werent´ at church so we could´tell them that I was leaving. That was depressing. And then the hour came. I had to leave.

 

So we went to the terminal, and some of the members had come to say goodbye. It was very very sweet. I cried again. It was really hard to leave that little branch that I have come to love. It was also really really hard to leave Hna McWhorter. My blessing was really fulfilled with her when it said that my compaions would become my sisters. In six short short weeks, I have come to love her so much. Getting on that bus without her was one of the hardest things I have had to do in my mission. (Oh, information about her, she is TRAINGING! The poor girl is super stressed).

 

My travels went as follows, from SAO to Bahia 9:30pm-3:30am. My ticket said until four thirty in the morning, so there werent´ any elders when I got to Bahia. So I just chilled in the terminal, hoping that no one had forgotten about me. About half an hour later, my zone leaders got there, and I learned that my next collectivo wouldn´t be leaving intill 7:30 am. So I had a while to go. So I was at the terminal when all of the other elders were coming and going. That was kinda fun. I got to see some of the Elders I had known so that was cool. I then left at 7:30 to go to Mar del Plata. I got here at 4:00pm. It was a  really long day.

 

The last two pictures are of me and Hna McWhorter on our way to the terminal. Right before we both started crying. And the last one is of my and my new compaion. Hna Israelsen, she seems pretty cool. At this point we still dont know much about the other one, so I´ll have more information for you about her next week.

 

Mom, I am pretty sure I will be coming home for school. Right now I am thinking UVU or the Art Institute in Salt Lake (long story how I got there), but maybe BYU? If you get application information, let me know? And we´ll see what we can start to do about that. Weird by the way that I already have to make these decisions.

 

Well that is my week in a nutshell. I am glad to hear that everything is going well with you! I love you!!!

 

Corinne