Feliz Cumpleanos! and Fotos! (Email) 09.29.2008

Hola! How are you all doing? First of all, Happy Birthday yesterday Hallie! I was thinking of her and I hope that her party and everything went really well. I hope that the picture works that I sent... very fun.

And how is everyone else doing? I got letters from Lisa and AK last week. Gracias! Lisa, it made me giggle that you were praying for them not to catch a fish. I wasn´t surprised.

Mom, I read part of your email that you wrote while I was waiting for the pictures to download. You mentioned that you need Heavenly Father every minute. Me too. I have no doubt that you can pray to Heavenly Father about every little thing, including and especially Scotty, and He will help you to know what to do.

Well, what a week! It has been great. First off, before I forget, I have a favor to ask everyone. Will you tell me next time you write, the reasons that you go to church on Sunday? What are the blessings that you feel that you receive from doing so? Why do you go every week? I have been thinking about it recently as I have thought about teaching the importance of going to church and keeping the sabbath day holy.

Well, Hermana Celis hurt her knee this last week. We´re not sure what happened... if it was something with the exercises, or what. But, Tuesday it really started to bother her. We were eating lunch with Flia. Beltran (yes Mom we eat lunch with members every day, and I´ll write more about it later). We had stayed there for a little longer because her knee was bothering her. But then we left to an appointment, Monica Troncoso, who lives just close by. Monica wasn´t there.

Hermana Celis decided that her knee was bothering her too much, so she said she wanted to ask Paula (daugher of Flia. Beltran) if she could go on divisions with me the rest of the day. She basically told me that she was going to ask Paula, there really was no asking me if I was okay with it. :)

So we go, and Paula agrees to come with me, and Hermana Celis stays with Hermana Beltran (who reminds me a lot of Ann Lewis :D ). I at this point am feeling very nervous and inadequate to go out and teach as the senior companion without Hermana Celis. I feel okay about lesson 1 and 2 these days, but lesson 3... I´m still working on it. And we had several lesson threes planned. But, I carried my ¨Preach My Gospel¨along with me, we all said a prayer together, and we headed out.

Paula is also 21. She has been a member for one year and five months. She is great, and very nice. As we got to talking, she mentioned that her brother Raimundo, who is our ward mission leader that just got his call, wants her to go on a mission. She said that she didn´t want to, because she gets so nervous. She is very shy. She would be worried about learning the language, and she doesn´t feel like she knows the doctrine really well because she didn´t have seminary or anything.

She told me the story of her conversion, and it was really neat to hear.

Our first couple of appointments weren´t there. I just kept praying and praying that Heavenly Father would help me, especially in speaking and understanding the Spanish, and that He would help her to have a good experience because I wanted her to have a good impression of the mission field.

We talked to a couple people, and finally talked to one lady in her front yard and gave the first part of the Restoration lesson, and then we headed off. She asked what we were going to do next, and I had no idea. We didn´t have another appointment for like 1 1/2 to 2 hours, because the others hadn´t been home. So we started walking.

We walked past one house, and the door was open. We said ¨hola¨and kept walking. We got like 5 or 10 steps, I stopped, and asked if we could go back and talk to that lady. I felt like we needed to talk to her.We went back, and she told us how she doesn´t live there, but she´s watching her mom´s house for a couple of weeks. Her mom had met with missionaries in the past. She let us teach her lesson one. It was such a good lesson. She expressed some of her concerns, about Joseph Smith, but I could really testify to her that it was no accident that we were on her patio, that very minute, teaching her about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I knew that Heavenly Father led us there. It was so amazing. And I gave my first baptismal invitation! Yay!

Paula was amazing. She had told me she was nervous, but I just told her to share her testimony. That it was the most important part. She taught, shared a little bit about how she came to know, and she helped me understand the spanish if I didn´t understand.

We had one other appointment, and then it was the night. We headed to choir. It was such a good experience. It just reminded me that this is not the work of men - it´s the work of our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. Even in our weakness we can serve.

We stopped by Flia Beltran´s house Saturday to check on Hermana Beltran because she had been sick. Paula drilled us with a million questions about the life of a missionary. It was very fun.
Last night we had choir practice again. We were getting ready to leave, and Paula told us that she is now preparing to serve a mission! Wow! Isn´t that amazing? She told us how she just felt something really special when she was out teaching on Tuesday. I told Hermana Celis last night, that it´s pretty amazing how Heavenly Father works. He gave Hermana Celis a hurt knee so Paula could decided to serve a mission. It reminded me how very often we don´t see the big picture, and that we don´t understand why things happen the way they do, but that Heavenly Father does. He knows all things, we just need to trust Him.

Scriptures for the week I love: King Benjamins address in the beginning of Mosiah. Especially Mosiah 2:34.

So I hope you´re all doing well. That was a really long story, but I wanted to share it. I need to go, but know I am always praying for all of you. I love you all so much, and am so grateful that you continue to share your lives with me through email. I´m always very interested in every detail. Thanks for all, and I love you tons!

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Jana Banana Pincock

Okay... The First we stuck a candle in a little dessert that Estela Montiel (Gabriela and Adrian´s mom) gave to us for a happy birthday to Hallie yesterday! The second is the baptism of Gabriela and Adrian

The third is the baptism of Andrea with Andres and kids Omar and Carla and the Bishop in white.

Feliz Primavera! 09.22.2008 (Email)

Hola mi familia!

Como estan? I hope all is well at home. Yesterday was the first official day of spring. We have had some great weather. Very fun!

I have some bad news… I just spent the last hour or so at another internet café, trying to get the computer to work. I wrote a good long letter, and it´s gone… and I couldn´t send anything for that matter. So I´m afraid this may be fairly short.

AK and Lisa, I got your letters through Dear Elder last week! Thank you so much! I love hearing all about your lives. Nyah and Hallie. Work. Tests. All of it.

Stake Conference was yesterday right? How did it go? Mom, the choir. And Dad, all your talks! I´m sure you did a wonderful job. I always love hearing your talks.

Things here are going well. Here´s a good story… Tuesday Hermana Celis and I were knocking (clapping) in the neighbourhood close to a member´s house. We met Analia and Elva. It is Analia´s house, but Elva is a friend and neighbour. They invited us in to teach the Restoration. It was really good. In know that they felt the Spirit.

We went back on Thursday and taught Analia and her daughter, (8 years old) Agustina. She also has two sons (ages 10 and 12) that live there. We taught the Plan of Salvation, and she shared some experiences with us – about her life. They accepted a baptismal date for October 18th! It was such a neat experience. And then they came to church on Sunday! Yay! It just humbles me to think about how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really are preparing people to hear the Gospel – the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We´re going to really continue to work with them. I´m excited for them, and their willingness to learn and change.

Aaron, Shari and Orrin, how are you doing?

Ryan, I can´t believe you´re making a swing set for Nyah! Wow, what a project! I´m sure that you´re going to do a great job.

Hermana Celis is doing well. I feel like I´m catching more and more Spanish still every day. Yesterday we ate lunch with the family of Gabriela and Adrian, and I was reflecting on the first day that I met them, just a day or two after I got here. I understood hardly anything! Although I still have a very long ways to go, I´m very grateful to Heavenly Father for how much I have progressed.

Scriptures that I came across and really enjoy: Alma 22: 14 , Alma 31:5. Also Words of Mormon and how Mormon is talking about why he has written the scriptures, and the hopes that he has for the Book of Mormon.

I´m so sorry this isn´t as long as normal. I hope all is well at home. The church is true!

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Jana Pincock

09.15.2008 (Email)

Hola Mi Familia! Como estan? I hope you´re all great. Well, another week has passed! The time goes pretty fast. :) I was going to send pictures this week, but it´s looking like it won´t happy today because at this internet cafe it isn´t quite as easy. Hopefully one of these first few weeks I´ll get them sent to you.

First off, it sounds like Denver was great for mom and dad, and I´m sure Ak, Ryan, and Nyah as well. So fun when we can get together as a family! Swimming, the zoo... all kinds of fun things. I don´t know that there are many things better than being together with family - a forever family!

As for my week, lets see...

The uncle of Gabriela and Adrian, who were just baptized, was in a terrible motorcycle accident and he wasn´t wearing a helmet. It happened last Sunday, so just over a week ago. As you can imagine, the family is struggling with it. Hermana Celis and I did go over there one night this week, and we were able to watch the video ¨together forever¨ with Adrian´s Dad and aunt (sister of the uncle who was in the accident) along with Gabriela and Adrian. I hope it brought some peace to their hearts. I did feel lucky to be there at their house talking about how families can be together forever. As of yesterday, they´re kindof just waiting... how sad.

We made peanut butter candy for their family, and I think it turned out pretty well! Not quite the same... but fairly close. Rice Krispies were nowhere to be found so we crushed up corn flakes. It works! I wasn´t sure what they´d think since peanut butter isn´t a common thing by any means, but I think they liked it.

I wasn´t able to send a letter home to the family this last week because I´m out of stamps, and the other ones I ordered through the mission office haven´t gotten here yet. So one week you won´t get one, and another week you´ll get two. Hopefully the stamps will be here in time for me to mail this weeks letter. We´ll see...

We´re working on teaching a woman named Monica Troncoso. She has accepted a baptismal date for October 11, so we just need to get her to church! Her husband isn´t interested in the church, so it´s hard when she has to do it on her own. However, she has a lot of faith, and I´m confident that she´ll do what she needs to.

Good news... Andres has a baptismal date for October 11th! He has said before that he has a desire to be baptized. But in a river! He said he wants to be baptized just like Jesus Christ was. We talked to him the other day how that´s great, but if he has a desire to be baptized, he shouldn´t be putting it off until the water is warmer! It talks a little bit about that in Mosiah 18 so we shared that. He agreed, so we´re working towards helping him to prepare for that date. Now we just need to find the right river . . . :D

I´m working on reading ¨Our Heritage¨ and I´m really enjoying that. It´s always very comforting and reassuring to me to read about what the early saints went through for the church - for us really, so we can have the Gospel today.

I read a quote the other day that I really like. It´s Edward Partridge talking, and it´s talking about when the saints were in Missouri. A mob had just seized him and another man, Charles Allen. They refused to renounce the Book of Mormon and leave county. Edward Partridge refused saying that saints had suffered persecution in all ages of the world and that he had done nothing to offend anyone. If they hurt him, they would hurt an innocent person. That he would suffer for Christ´s sake. With this, the mob covered him with tar and feathers.

Now for the quote... ¨I bore my abuse with so much resignation and meekness, that it appeared to astound the multitude, who permitted me to retire in silence, many looking very solemn, their sympathies having been touched as I thought; and as to myself, I was so filled with the Spirit and love of God, that I had no hatred towards my persecutors or anyone else.¨

I thought that was so amazing. Wow. I wondered if I would be able to do the same thing. I would like to be like that. What an amazing attitude and outlook - all for the cause of the work of the Lord.

I also read Jacob 4:10 this morning and really enjoyed that. It´s talking about how we shouldn´t counsel the Lord, but instead be willing to receive Counsel from Him. I think I´ve been guilty of this many times in my life - thinking I know best what I need in my life. However, I know that only Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ really know what I need in my life - the people I meet, the experiences I have in general - that will help me to become a better person. I´m working on it. :)

Oh, our ward mission leader, Remundo Beltran, just received his mission call! He is great - very enthusiastic about the work. Visits the people, meets with us every week... great. I think he´s like 20, 22ish or so. But, he has only been a member for 10 months! He got his mission call to the Buenos Aires South mission, and he leaves December 3rd! He has been waiting for his call for quite a while now. I was feeling a little guilty that I received my call in like 2 or 3 weeks for when I turned in my papers. Anyway, I´m very excited for him.

His whole family is amazing. His parents have been members for 2 years. They´re from Chile. His sister was just baptized like a year ago as well. But they already have such a knowledge of the Gospel, and are so involved in everything. Including missionary work! The Dad was just called as the Sunday School President in the ward yesterday. Wow, talk about responsibility fast! It made me think of the quote by President Monson, ¨He whom the Lord calls, He qualifies.¨

It sounds like you are all busy. I think the mail is a little backed up through Dear Elder or somewhere in between. But it´s okay! We´ll just appreciate our fast communication even more when we have it again. :D

AK, what words are Nyah saying now? Lisa and Jordan, is Hallie walking now? It´s almost her birthday! Wow!

Aaron, Shari and Orrin, how are you all doing? Thanks for your love, support, and prayers. I know I couldn´t do this work here in Argentina without the prayers of everyone. The church is true. I love you all so much, and your always in my prayers.

Con Muchisimo Amor :D
Hermana Pincock

09.08.2008 (E-Mail)

Hola! Como estan? I hope everything is great. Mom and Dad, I haven´t read your emails yet, but I know that you´re back from Denver safe! How was it? I´m sure that you had a wonderful time. AK and Ryan are always great hosts. :) And you got to see Nyah on her own turf as well. Que Bueno! Mom, did you end up learning a little bit of spanish with AK?

I have a favor to ask... I don´t know if it´s really even possible. The song in my big red piano book -LDS Favorites- that´s a combination of the songs: Amazing Grace, As Now We Take the Sacrament, and How Great Thou Art... it´s on page 19 I believe. Is there a way to scan that and then email it to me. I really don´t know if it can be done. If so, great. If not, it´s okay too. :D

First off, Gabriela and Adrian were baptized on Saturday! Yay! The baptism went really well. Both their parents were able to be there, and some other family as well. And we had great ward support as well. It was great.

Then on Sunday Gabriela, Adrian, and Andrea were all confirmed. And Juan Varela, a convert that was baptized a few months back, received the Aaronic and Melckizedek Priesthood on Sunday too. Have I talked about Juan and Enriqueta Varela? They´re great. They actually remind me a lot of Grandma and Grandpa Pincock. I like it. It´s very fun.

AK, I got your letter with the Touch of the Master´s Hand in Spanish. Thank you so much! Also, I believe that you can send pictures to the other address I left. The one that´s not the Pouch. I got a wedding announcement from Jenn Packer last week that way... so I guess so!

The missionaries of our zone, and two others, met with the area president of the seventy for our area. Elder Bowen. When we got there he wanted to shake all of our hands and meet us. It turns out that he´s from Idaho Falls, and that he knows Uncle David! Well, I´m guessing it´s Uncle David. He asked if I have any relatives in Rexburg... but what a small world!

Elder Bowen had some really good things to say. He was talking about references, and how we often ask members for references. This is a very important part of the work because it works best this way. He said how at times members don´t have references. But, every member knows someone who is inactive in the church. He talked about inviting those families to befriend an inactive family. To invite them over for FHE. What a difference this would make in a ward if every family did this! I would like to see this happening here, and I thought of our ward back at home too. Food for thought for the stake...

Elder Bowen also talked to us about the importance of goals. More specifically, goals for what we want to study throughout the mission. What books do I want to have studied, and how many times? How am I going to accomplish this? I am now in the process of making a goal/plan... something that´s reachable, but that will make me stretch.

I love making goals because we can be so much better with them. I was thinking about when I made the goal to run a marthon. Without that goal, I would have NEVER run 26.2 miles. It just wouldn´t have happened! I think this really applies to all aspects of our lives.

I was thinking about the heroes that we have in our lives the other day. I was thinking how I practiced soccer so much - I wanted to play like Mia Hamm! I think it was good, it gave me a goal. And I worked hard at it! But in reality, when it comes down to it, our heroes should be those in the scriptures. I read about Captain Moroni in Alma 48 - now there´s someone I want to be like! It was a good reminder. It´s the importance of good examples in our lives. I´m grateful for all the good examples and influences that I have in my life. Family members and friends who are striving to do the right, even when it´s hard. Especially when it´s hard.

I was thinking, are the Longs all moved in by now? How are they doing?

Oh yeah! Transfers are today! I wondered if Hermana Celis would get transfered today because she has now been here 6 months, but she gets to stay! I´m glad because it will give me more time to become more familiar with the area and the ward before a new companion. She has only been in two areas and she only has six months left. Pretty crazy!

Now about all of you... I´m excited because I think I´m going to get some letters from mis hermanas :D hoy. Yay! I´m excited to hear all about what has been happening with all of you. Work, Church, Nyah and Hallie and all the fun things they´re doing... everything!

Shari, how´s work going? Are you still meeting with Greg? How´s your ward? Orrin, how´s everything going?

Lisa and Jordan... Jordan, you´re started back in school right? But you´re almost done! Yay!!! Some fun PE classes right?

AK, everyonce in a while I´ll meet some named either Ana or Carina, and it makes me smile everytime. I think of you. :D Ryan, how are things with your boss? Are you still getting together with the people in your ward to watch-what is is? Boxing? Sounds like a party.

Aaron, what´s new? What´s the temperature like? Can you still go boating right now?

Mom and Dad, I love getting your emails everyweek. What dedication that you wrote so late last night! I love hearing everything. Thanks so much for the support. I love you all very much. The church is true!

Love Forever,
Hermana Pincock

Jami, Feliz cumpleanos if you read this! I hope you had a great 22 birthday. Wow, 22! We´re getting old. :) I was definitely thinking of you on the 5th.

P.S. I forgot to tell the Chocolate Chip Cookies story! Well, it was quite the experience! I´m afraid the ingredients are a little different, a ¨cup¨doesn´t exist, or ¨350 degrees¨ for that matter! It was an experiment - a bit of a guessing game- but they turned out suprisingly well. I thought you´d all enjoy the story. Love you all!

Hermana Pincock

09.01.2008 (EMAIL)

Hola mi familia!

How are you? Thanks for the emails Mom and Dad. Still, I don´t read this weeks until after I´m off the internet. So I try to respond to your questions the next week. I hope that works! AK, I got your first Dear Elder letter last week. Gracias!

First and foremost, Andrea and Andres were married on Tuesday, and Andrea was baptized on Friday. Yay!!! It was a small little wedding with them and their two kids, the six of us missionaries in the district, and a handful of ward members. It was great. Afterwards we went to the church and had cake that Andrea had made. Delicious! Have I talked about the cakes here? They don´t mess around! They´re always like 4 layers high and have frosting/cream of some type, or dulce de leche, inbetween every layer. Delicious!

Then Friday was the baptism! We had the option of Friday or Sunday afternoon after Stake Conference, and she chose Friday night. It was wonderful. The ward members are very supportive. Andres has the desire to be baptized ( in a river he says - like Jesus Christ was :D) but first he needs to go to church. That´s the first big step he needs to take. I´m so happy for Andrea, and I know she has made many sacrifices already.

I don´t think I have talked about Gabriela and Adrian. They are siblings, and they´re going to be baptized on Saturday! They have two sisters, Tatiana and Noelia, and they were going to be baptized, but have decided not to. They´re aunt and uncle are actually members of the Stake, and the uncle is the Patriarch. Anyway, Gabriela is 18 and Adrian is 11 and they´re doing great. They had their baptismal interviews yesterday and they should be good to go.

I´m amazed by Gabriela and Adrian. They are very prepared for the Gospel. They are very willing to comply with the teachings of the Gospel. I´m very excited for them both. They´re making a very important decision!

Their mom, Estela, is wonderful too. She often times sits in on the lessons while we are there, but she is not married to her ¨husband¨- the father of Adrian. I really think she believes everything that is taught, so hopefully she will soon realize how important it is for her to take the steps as well.

So it has still been really nice here. It´s technically still winter, but I´m convinced Spring is coming on, because I´ve had a taste of allergies! But no worries, you all sent me with good allergy medicine so I´m good to go. :o)

Some interesting things about life here... something that makes me giggle, is that it is very common for two people to ride a bike at a time. One person sits on the handlebars! It doesn´t look too uncomfortable because the handlebars are raised, but I´m still not sure how they do it. Maybe I´ll have the opportunity to try it out.

Also, alot of people drive ¨motos¨, or motorcycles. They can fit a good amount of people on these too. One day I saw a mom with one child in front of her, and two behind her on a little motorcycle. It makes me happy. :D

Before coming here I hadn´t really thought about how long my family has been members of the church - on both sides of the family.. I had, but hadn´t really thought about how blessed I am - how amazing that it is. People here have often asked me if I was born in the church, and they are surprised when I say that my parents were born in the church. It´s very amazing to think how blessed we are - to have been born in the faith of our fathers - with the knowledge of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The people here are pioneers. Many, if not all, of the members here in the ward are the first people in their families to join the church. What great faith. I admire them and their desire and determination to then raise their families in the Gospel.

The Bishop asked me a while ago just how close I live to church headquarters. When I told him, he couldn´t believe I didn´t go to President Hinckley´s funeral! I really have taken our opportunities for granted - General Conference - everything! It has been good to begin to recognize how blessed I really am.

Now for more answers... we come to a little internet/computer cafe that´s not too far from our apartment. 10-15 minutes walking I believe.

We don´t do a lot of door knocking/clapping ( :D ), but some. People walk a lot, to the stores etc., so a lot of our contacts take place in the streets or at times in the parks - which have swings and teeter totters :o). The people will generally listen to who we are, and a little bit about our message, but it´s a little tricky. A lot of the people just say that they´re always there, and that we can pass by anytime. Or, that they´re home in the late afternoon / evening. However, when we come back, we have a hard hard time finding the people.

It´s a little tricky, but I´m very grateful that we´re sister missionaries. A lot of the people we talk to are sisters, so we can teach them. I would imagine that it´s much harder for the Elders because they need a member to teach the sisters. It´s good though. The people that are prepared are going to find time to meet with us.

Stake conference yesterday. The visiting speakers were the Buenos Aires Temple President and his wife. They did very well.

Dad, about your stake conference talk - what a great topic! Through being a missionary, I have to an even greater appreciation for the family, and have realized more how important it is. I think that´s probably a natural consequence of missionary work.

However, as we have worked with families here as they share the Gospel with their friends, I have really seen how it strengthens the family. I think the kids recognize how important the Gospel is to their parents as they see them sharing the Gospel. They have the opportunity to hear each other´s testimonies. As we share the Gospel our testimonies are strengthened - what a great thing for the testimonies of a family to be strengthened together! I will continue to think about it and let you know if I think of anything else.

Dad, how was your talk to the youth?

Mom, I´m glad you´re feeling better. A 16 mile bike ride! Wow! I´m yet to go that far on a bike. :D And it sounds like the Twin Falls Temple Dedication was really good. President Monson is a great speaker.

And how is everyone else? I hope that you are all doing really well. I think of you ALL often. Your work,church, play... Nyah and Hallie. Aaron, how´s Tyler doing? I so hope that everything is great. I love you all so much and I´m pretty sure I have the best family in the whole world. Have a wonderful day, week, and I´ll write again next week! Love you all!

Con Mucho Amor,
Hermana Jana Pincock