Hola! 02.23.2009 (Email)

Hola mi familia! How are you all doing? Things here are going well, and here we are with transfers again! Hermana Ramirez is leaving tonight to Caleta Olivia. From what I hear it´s pretty down south in the Santa Cruz province. So that should be fun for her. My new companion will be Hermana Wilches. She is from Columbia, and if you can believe it, she also came to the mission with Hna. Celis, Riquelme, and Ramirez. So of the four that came together to the mission, I will have been companions with every one of them! Interesting huh? So she´ll be ending the mission in April. Hermana Celis actually goes home tomorrow. She´s leaving a transfer early so she can start school. Pretty crazy if you ask me. Hna. Ramirez leaves tonight at 10:00, but Hna. Wilches doesn´t get her until tomorrow morning, so a sister from the ward, Gaby Acosta, is going to have a sleep over in the apartment with me. :D So anyway, next week I´ll write all about Hna. Wilches, but from what I hear she´s great.

Other interesting news, our new Mission President has been called. I actually don´t know exactly when President and Sister Cook finish the mission, but I think in like 3 months. Their names are Brother Darwin F. Peterson and his wife, Sister Nola K. Peterson. They´re from Bountiful, so maybe Aunt Julene knows them! Sister Peterson was born in Pocatello to Edward and Calpurnia Dabel Knutti. I don´t recognize the names at all, but maybe one of you do! So it should be fun. :o)

I got wedding pictures from Becky this week, so that was fun. Gorgeous! She seems really happy, and she´s back in Logan now, while Nate studies. She´s back to her cake decorating.

Thanks for the letters AK. I enjoyed Heather´s blog about everything that happened with Uncle Richard. Uncle Richard really is an amazing person. The whole situation really does make you think. Last night as we were teaching a lesson I talked a little about what happened, and the importance of families. It was good.

Yesterday I really wasn´t feeling very good at all. We went to church and everything, ate lunch, and were in the apt. studying afterward and wasn´t so sure how I felt about leaving again. But, we had finally put another appt. with Carla, the lady I talked about last week, and I didn´t want to miss it. So we prayed and headed on our way. And Heavenly Father took care of it, and I felt just fine while we were there. And we had a great lesson. Her husband was working again so he wasn´t there, but I really think she and her daughter felt the Spirit. Her husband had heard of Joseph Smith so she had some questions about him, but I think we resolved her doubts. It was great.

Did I write last week about Pilar Montesino? Alright, here´s the story. Hna. Panero, and her kids were taught by the missionaries like 6 or 7 years ago. Some of her kids were baptized, but she wasn´t, because her husband doesn´t want to get married. So we spend a good amount of time working with them, and re-activating some of the kids. Pilar is Hna. Panero´s mom. She is about 85. She pretty much can´t see, and you need to speak loud so she can understand, but she has the desire to be baptized. So the task now is, that she can understand that this isn´t just a baptism, but that she actually understands, and has a testimony that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the B of M, and of Joseph Smith. I think we´re going to buy the B of M on tape so she can listen since she can´t read. I´ll keep you updated on her.

Hna. Panero has a son that was baptized like four years ago I believe, but has been in-active for a long time. His girl friend, Carla, also lives there. She went to church yesterday! They have two little kids. Back to the excitement of having kids and church! It makes me think of Nyah, Hallie, and Andrea and Andres in Plottier as well. Always exciting. Anyway, we´re hoping she continues to progress.

Did I write about Clara and her daughters Marina and Camila last week! We have had some good lessons with them. They were going to go to church yesterday, but Clara was in bed because her teeth were killing her, and I believe the other two had to work. I hope next week they´ll be able to go. Have I mentioned that Sunday mornings are much more complicated without a bus that takes you to all the houses of the members and investigators? I definitely took the bus for granted in Plottier. It was a huge blessing.

We had our first Ward Council meeting this last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We´re working on making a mission plan. We don´t have a Bishop in the ward right now, but there´s a brother who comes from Roca, a city nearby, every week to preside and basically be in charge of the ward. He had been gone on vacation, but he´s back now so that´s nice.

Yesterday in Gospel Principles the lesson was on the millenium, and I realized that there´s a lot I don´t know about the second coming and the millenium. I think I´m going to work on increasing my knowledge in that area here for a while.

Something interesting about Argentina. It turns out that it´s pretty normal here, that people refuse to keep working until they receive an increase in their wage. It happened with all the fruit, that people weren´t working for like one or two weeks. Now, school for all the kids supposedly starts today, but a bunch of the teachers refuse to work, so some have school, and some don´t. Pretty tricky huh? Oh something else that happens, is that the people who want a change go to ¨the ruta¨which is basically the road that everyone needs to get anywhere, and block it, so people have to go another way, which is much more complicated. And they stay there until they accomplish their purpose. I think it´s interesting. And everyone here knows more about the US government than I do. I´m not sure how to feel about it. :D

Alright, about you all. AK, I didn´t realize that you had hired someone. How´s she doing? Catching onto things? Starting new things is always a little tricky.

Work for everyone? I still love hearing about Hallie and Nyah. Hopefully you´re surviving at Gateway without Uncle Richard for a while. Church?

I love you all so much. I´m grateful that I´m a missionary. It´s a great opportunity to serve, and learn. I´m grateful for the opportunity I have had to be Hna. Ramirez´companion. I´ve learned a lot the past six weeks. Thank you so much for your continued love and support. You´re the best family in the world!

Love always,
Hermana Jana Banana Pincock