"Why Do I Feel Like We´re Going to the Mission Home This Week??"

WHOA. This week has been NUTSSS. Where do I start?! Here´s my To-Do List for this update:

-Entrevistas

-Intercambios

-Familia Poblete

-Mendoza

-Trio---> We´re getting a child!

-Hermana Flores

-Milagro

Haha, sorry, it´s half in Castellano. But! Entrevistas! Interviews. (: Sooo the first time we had interviews, I went in with Presidente, sat down, and we got to talking about the area a little bit. I randomly broke down crying after an inspired question from Presidente Ávila haha. I was in there for a good 45+ minutes. THIS time?? I go in, sit down, and asks me how it´s going. He asks about the other hermanas, how I´m doing with the new hermana líder calling, and explains the intercambios papers that I need to fill out when we do exchanges...Walk out 15 minutes later. Listo! Haha. But it really was great. (: To give him reports about the other hermanas and how they´re doing and such. Such a wonderful Presidente!

Intercambios! Exchanges. I went to Pocito!!! And DANG, it is ALLLL fields and country. I kind of burned inside, because it reminded me so much of home haha. So nuts. But the people were so humble and kind. (: Got to go visit their investigators and help out in their area and get to know the other hermana better. And then I´m going again tomorrow to work with the other hermana! (: So fun. I love getting to know these gals. I´ve decided that if I have no other reason to be here on the mission, I am here to help the hermanas. Help these gals love their missions and love the Gospel!

Ahhh the Gospel. (: The Gospel plus the familia Poblete! We had their entrevistasss!! The gals, Ariana y Lourdes, walk out and are all like, "Alright! Elder Gomez says now we just gotta talk with you all to figure out what day we´re having the baptism!" **JAW DROPPED** I mean, I KNEW they were ready, but DANG. They´re on fire. I love them to death. (: We went back on Friday and started filling out paperwork with just the gals, and we got talking about after the mission. Their questions made me want to die, cry, and smile all at the same time.

You serve for 18 months...But do you have to leave after?

When you go back, how will we know?

How will we get in contact?

I´ve tried finding you on Facebook, but I couldn´t. Will you look for us when you get home?

NOOO. Dang I about started crying when I told them, "FAH. You better BELIEVE that I´m not losing contact with y´all! I´ll be there everyday you need, and I will be asking you every Sunday if you´ve gone to church!"

We all kinda busted up laughing. (: These girls. They kill me. They´re STOKED for their baptism THIS SATURDAY! Booooom. 8 months into the mission, First baptism haha. That´s fine, I´m down. I know I´m a seed-planter, but dang I am so excited to be right by these girls this Saturday. (:

Oddly, a lot of last week, Hermana Cox and I kept feeling like we were headed to Mendoza. Buuut nope. I didn´t have Consejo, and we didn´t have to do tramites...Sooo we were confused. UNTIL...We got a call Tuesday morning from the zone leaders.

"HERMANAS...Special transfers. You have to go to Mendoza on Thursday."

FLIP. What?? My stomach dropped. I was so sure I was out of here. BUT...Lo and behold, NOPE! Rather, we were going to Mendoza to bring back a child! :D Well...An hermana straight from the MTC. (: She´s from El Salvador, and SUCH A CAPA! So rad, I love her. The training is going well, but dang trios are hard haha. They requier lots of planning. But it has been good! True end of transfers are in a couple weeks, so we´ll see! Haha. So nuts.

Milagro of the week! Miracle. So I already wrote this to Presidente in an email, so I´m just gonna copy and paste. Sorry it´s in rough-ish Spanish. I´m working on the grammar and subjunctive junk still haha. Don´t judge. Don´t have a ton of time, so have fun translating! :D 

Fuimos a contactar una referencia de un miembro, y les encontramos! Pero...Bueno, la esposa (Mercedes) contestó la puerta. Hablamos un poco, pero no quería que pasáramos. Y también dijo que después que su hijo falleció (hace 1 año), su esposo (Washington) decidió que no creía en nada. Estaba enojado con Dios. Mercedes nos dijo que él nunca va a permitirnos en su casa si pasamos en algún otro momento...Le cantamos un himno. Soy un hijo de Dios. Ella se puso llorar, y yo vi al fondo de su casa el esposo, Washington. Él nos escuchó. Lo vi, y él vino a la puerta. Puso su mano sobre el hombro de Mercedes, y abrió la puerta para que pasáramos...Entramos y tuvimos una hermosa lección. (: Son buenos y están sufriendo todavía, pero nos dijeron que podemos pasar. (:

That´s all for now!! Enjoy the fotos!!

How Great Shall Be Their Joy

Sooo there were a bajillion things I wanted to write about this week, but (of course) I happened to forget my life on my desk in the pensión. Aka, my planner. SOOO I´ll do the best I can haha. Therefore, let us start with the pictures. (:

-Las cucarachas!! Whoots! We found 3 more after that. And let me tell you, I was 95% positive that my companion was hyperventilating and dying when I heard her start screaming haha.

-Last P-Day! We went to Zhonda and had an asado with the zone on the riverbank. WHOA. It was delicious and gorgeous and hilariously fun! Why??

-Because we got to go tree climbing! Dang, it made me miss cliff jumping, because both Elder Johnson and I joked about just jumping off into the river...No worries. We didn´t haha.

-My comp enjoys taking pictures such as these haha.

-GORGEOUS, no??

-Cheeese

-Uhh yes. The zone leaders, Elder Steeves (left) and Elder Johnson (right). It was the birthday of E´ Steeves haha.

-All of us! Well...The majority. (:

Okay! Sooo I just wanted to mention something that my comp and I have been talking about a lot lately. Having to do with Faith, Miracles, and the Lord´s Timing...Let me start it out with a quote:

"Sometimes the Lord waits until after the death of Lazarus to perform the miracle."

The Lord, at times, legitimately waits until all hope is gone. When we think that there is nothing left we can do. We often are at "the end of our rope", and He still waits just a little longer. Sometimes, He lets us slip. BUT...That´s where the miracles and the faith comes in. Christ was a worker of miracles, miracles without end or number. Christ IS a worker of miracles, but His miracles aren´t just a free cupcake. There´s another ingredient added: Faith. Ether 12:12. The Lord can do no miracle until AFTER we have faith.

Sometimes we struggle. But I know that if we have NOTHING else, except a grain of faith? Then all is well. Walk with "the eye of faith"; expect miracles to happen; believe they will happen. And acknowledge where they come from.

All sorts of changes to the mission have been made, and not gonna lie...It´s been WAY harder for the work, but we are seeing MIRACLES. We are finding those who are truly ready to hear the Gospel. (: And ALL of us are a part of it. Catch the wave! Do missionary work! Go out with the missionaries! Pray for those missionary opportunities and then UTILIZE them. Give referrals to the missionaries. Take the promise of the apostles and help ONE person find the gospel before Christmas.

"How great shall be their joy."

-Hermana Lybbert

Not Much Time!

Whoops! Sorry. I got caught up emailing all sorts of people that I really don´t have a ton of time left. ): BUT...Here´s a couple pictures for you all! :D

-Went to my first Consejo as a Sister Training Leader (Hermana Líder de Entrenamiento), and it was GREAT. Went with the zone leaders, and wow. It is incredible to be on councils and throw ideas in and try to figure out what we can do better and...WHEW. Exhausting 5 hour meeting, but SO great! And yes, we celebrated a birthday haha.

-My comp has crazy thick hair haha. LION.

-Birthday cakeee! Happy Birthday to one of our zone leaders, Elder Steeves.

-Mmmm. (:

SERIOUSLY?!

WHOA! I don´t have much time, sorry haha. Buuuut I´m sure you´re all dying like we were to figure out about transfers!! :D No?! Yes.

 

Sooo we had both heard SO many things as to what was gonna happen with us.

 

Zone Leaders: "Hermanas, they can´t support keeping the best hermanas in the same area; they´ve gotta spread y´all out!" HA. Jokes.

District Leader: "Oh for SURE with all the new missionaries you´ll be training." **GULP** Flip. I hope not.

Other Elders of our district: "Hermana Lybbert is opening an area, Hermana Cox stays and trains!"

 

The reak answer ISSS...**BUZZER BEEP** WRONG-O!! All of them. Presidente was kind enough to grant us both with our desires and begs of staying together at least one more transfer!!! Here in hot San Juan Centro. :D BOOM!! Wanna hear the really exciting news? About 2 days after figuring out about transfers, the asistentes randomly call us up.

 

"Hey Hermana, can I talk with Hermana Lybbert?"--->What??

"Hermana Lybbert, have you gotten a call from President yet?" Uh...Nope.

"Ohhhh huh. Well, you will be soon. He´ll be telling you what all you need to do as a sister training leader." Ahhhh flipppp. Seriously?! Jokes. Cruel jokes...What? OH. You´re NOT joking. Heh. **Nervous chuckle** Solid! Thank Elders...

 

CHAU.

 

I had a minor freak out moment before I got excited. (: Por suerte, I´m only en charge of the other 2 hermanas in my district! :D So I´m stoked. I head to Mendoza with the zone leaders tomorrow for Consejo and an interview and such haha. Whoots!

 

But for now?? PICTURES!

 

First two? Ha, yeah, that´s my REALLY great zone. (: Love ´em!

Ping Ponnng with la Hna. Cox! Haha. We´re great. Gotta love P-Days.

The most decent picture we could snap with our district haha. Our district leader changed! Elderrr Gomezzz on the left. He´s from Colombia, and he´s SUPER solid!

HA. I may or may not have been playing soccer with the kids. Don´t judge me. (;

"Hey Hermana, what´s that that you´re eating??"..."Uhhh...Ha. Sugar. (:" Baha. Dulce de leche with Trix. Mmmm.

The freeway we walk over all the time haha. This is what happens during siesta. Nada. Nobody. Except for the law-breakin´ hermanas! Jokes. There are no laws like that. :P

AGAIN. Siesta. NOBODY. It´s the worst on Sundays, because nobody even answers the door when you knock. Ridiculous.

Yeah. We were fed up with not finding people in the streets haha. So what do we do? Take pictures in the middle of the empty street. Super productive. (; Jokes. We really are. (:

 

That´s all for now! Amor! Chauuu. (:

 

-Hermana Lybbert

Más Fotos!

Sooo here´s three more fotos haha. I have a video of the sonda finally from yesterday, but it´s too big to load. ): Sad day. BUT...Enjoy looking at the NASTY water from a load of clothes last week! We do have a "lava ropa", and then we rinse out he soap and hang dry them, but SHEESH...I had to wash that load twice haha. The water was BLACK.

Yesterday was Mother´s Day here! :D Only the Argentine´s call home haha. We wait. (: But this is for my Momma, annnd...

THIS is one of my Argentine momma´s! haha. These are the members that we live behind, nuestros dueños. They don´t have kids, so we took the honor of being her daughters for Mother´s Day. (: Hermano y Hermana Polo!