Okay so here´s the scoop: This has been the craziest most difficult week of my entire life...for real...but, I am happy and I did some P90X this morning so what more could I ask for?
Where to start where to start....I don´t even know. P.s. for future reference, the keyboards in Argentina are super confusing and my spelling is probably awful now so no judgements!!
Anyway, yes I made it to Argentina! Wohoo. I love it here. This email is going to be so scattered but I will try and explain most things!!!
Last Monday we left the MTC, had three flights, and landed in Nequen, Argentina. Lots of traveling. During my first flight I had the opportunity to talk to a Lutheran man about the church. We talked for the full 3.5 hours and I asked him all of his thoughts on the LDS church! It was really fun to hear his thoughts and bear my testimony to him. He told me how even though he doesn´t believe in our church, he thinks that I am going to change lives and that he is proud of me. Of course I gave him a pass along card and he was so sweet about it. This experience made me realize how awesome it is to just share your testimony about the things you love.
I was able to talk to my parents on the phone in the SLC airport and then Torby and my mom in the Atlanta airport. Wow. I bawled the entire time! Fam, I love you so much. Seriously. Please send Torben in a package for my Christmas present.
The mission home is awesome. We were there for two days and President and Sister Lovell are amazing!! If you ever want to read more about the mish, google their blog, it is awesome! Okay so Thursday night, we received our new companions and headed out to our new zones. This was crazyyyyyy. I had to say goodbye to my MTC companion, Hermana Houston, and it was just as hard as saying goodbye to my family before the MTC. After she left, I bawled and my new companion didn´t even know what to do haha. I felt bad but DANG. It was so hard saying goodbye to my best friend Hermana Housty.
My new companion´s name is Hermana Perez. She is from Mexico, only speaks spanish, and she is awesome! She has taught me lots of Espanol and we have already had tons of fun. I will explain more about her later but I am thankful for her and she is great!
Okay, some fun things about Argentina. I was my clothes in my kitchen sink. (no I do not think they are clean after I washed them today. ugh.) Men are always whistling and honking at me but I just pretend not to notice. (MOM I AM SAFE I PROMISE!) The other day I was eating lunch at a member´s house andddd I found a yummy hair in my food. Argentina has a totally different level of cleanliness and that level of cleanliness doesn´t exist because all of Argentina is dirty. Seriously. But, I love it and I am slowly but surely adjusting wahoo! There are lots of dogs. Most of the roads are dirt. I get called ¨ flaquita,¨ which means skinny, all the time. I am in the Villa Regina zone and I love it!
Since I arrived in Argentina, I have seen miracles. Truly. We have been able to find a couple new investigators who are interested to hear more about the church and it is awesome. The daughters of two different members both want to learn more about the church and are now our new investigators! Hermana Perez told me that they have always avoided the missionaries and that it is a true miracle that they are willing to talk to us. Last night we stayed up talking for an hour and she told me how she feels the Spirit when she is around me and she thinks that is why she is seeing so many miracles, because the people here can feel it too. She doesn´t know why, but she says that my presence and when I try to talk to people, that it brings the Spirit. I don´t know if that is the reason, but I definitely have a true desire to share the Gospel with everyone in Neuquen. My Spanish isn´t great, but I pray every day for the people of Argentina to see the light of Christ when we are talking to them. I am so so grateful to be here and serve the Lord. Best decision <i have ever made. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions, and so so hard, but I am happy and I know that through my Savior, Jesus Christ, I can be better each day and get through those tough times.
I truly am happy here in Villa Regina.
Shoutout to the best companion in the entire world: Hermana Houston, I love you. One thing I have realized on my mission is that I have found an eternal best friend and eternal sister. You have been my family and will be my family for the next 17 months. And you will be part of my family forever. You have a special place in my heart Housty and thank you for everything! Thank you for making me a better missionary and a better person. Hardest thing saying goodbye to you, and I think about you every day. But, you are AMAZING and I am so grateful that I was able to see you at Stake Conference. Definitely a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father. I love you Housty!
Okay peeps, I need to go now! Hope y'all are doing so awesome and I hope you all are HAPPY. Be happy because Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that plan is the Plan of Happiness.
Always remember: You is kind, you is smart, and you is important (from the movie The Help, not from me ha!) I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOM, DAD, JAKE, TOSHY, BRITTA, TORBEN, I love you. I miss you guys so much.Christmas is soon and I can´t wait to Skype!
xoxo
Hermana Van Boerum (ps no one can say my name here...not even my new companion...the other night our investigator who might get baptized soon prayed at the end of the lesson and said ¨¨please bless Hermana Perez and her companion that I don´t know how to say her name¨ hahahaha. wow. life is good in the Villa Regina hood. peace out!)
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