la paz 10 - may 9

Hola.

It was so good to talk to you guys. Mom, sorry, i didn’t even say Happy Mother’s Day! I think it’s just cuz they don’t celebrate it here in may, so it kind of escaped me while we were talking. But I did remember throughout the day. But it made me really happy to be able to talk to you guys. The time passed by soooooo fast. But it’s alright…I’ll see you guys in like 6 months.

This week was sure a full week. The elders have 2 investigators that got married and baptized this week, so we got to go the wedding (en el registro civil). We also did service with our branch president. Then we went out to “el campo” which is like the fields, farmland part…we went and visited a less active family out there and we had a FHE with them. It was really fun. And then we actually had an activity with the ward that we planned. And the person who had the spiritual thought bailed, and the person who had the activity bailed, so we ended up doing everything except the food. But man, it was a busy week. I feel like we didn’t have any time to really work. So this week should be better as far as our numbers go…

So a couple weeks ago my comp twisted her ankle while she was walking, and it started to bother her. So she took a pill for the inflammation and to kill the pain. Well, we were heading out to this one neighborhood called “Puerto Marquez” because we had some appointments there (we spend most of our time in this neighborhood). And my comp asked if she could buy a drink so she could take another pill and sit in this plaza (where we were) and just rest for a sec. because her ankle was hurting her. So we bought a drink and sat down for a little bit. We probably were there for 20 min. and then headed out again. We went to the branch president’s house and his wife told us that there had just been a shooting! we figured out that the shooting had happened where we were initially headed and about the time that we would have been there. Nobody was hurt. Just some punks shooting at nothing to give the people a little bit of a scare. But my comp and I were really grateful that she had been klutzy and had twisted her ankle. (oh…and one of the guys that was involved in the shooting is an investigator of the elders and he came to church….but he had to sit in jail for a few days after the shooting).

But no worries. I know Heavenly Father protects us, and that if I feel like something is not right, I listen to that feeling.

But ya…I got to talk to Kris, not as long as I would have liked. Darren was even there for a few minutes, that was funny. And that’s awesome that Bro. Mcaffee got called to work with the YA's, that’s so cool. It will be fun to see grandma and grandpas new place.

All righty kids. Take care. (I tried sending pics, didn’t work this time. Sorry. Clare looks sooo cute in the pics! I’m loving the ginger look!

hna. amundsen

la paz 8 - april 25

Hola.

Thanks for your letters and words of advice. This week was a little better. We had a really big thunder and rain storm...it was sooo loud! I kept waking up in the night. And then during our morning studies the water started to enter our pench. Haha. Our patio had flooded, and water started coming in. So we had to grab all our things and put up and above. It was funny. It was an adventure!

So my comp...her name is Kattia Calderon. She is 22, was born in Peru, but moved to Argentina when she was 10. She is from Rosario, and is a convert to the church. Was baptized when she was 16. She is the oldest of 3. She would have loved to serve a mission, but her parents separated about a year ago and she had to help out a little, and the situation didn’t permit her to go. But she has a boyfriend that comes home from his mission the end of Nov. So she isn’t planning on serving now, but is so excited to be here with me.

This week we had the help of some members, and that was really nice. We had planned an activity. A family home evening for the ward. We had made invitations, sent them out, and then i found out about a leadership training meeting. So i couldn’t go to the activity that we had planned, but my comp stayed here with another missionary, and she said the activity was a success! So i was stoked. We are planning another one in about a week and a half.

We have a recent convert named Noelia, she is 20 and super shy...not with us, but with other people, and has had some problems in her life, but she is way rad. So we’ve been working a lot with her, just helping her progress and stay active, and she has made so much progress! We were talking in the bus on the way to church yesterday... Noelia doesn’t open up to people right away, you have to earn her confidence, and she didn’t like me too much in the beginning, but now she has opened up a lot more to me. Yesterday morning we had invited her to come out and work with us and she came! She told me on the bus, that she had been thinking “why did they drag me along with them?” and later, she really enjoyed it! She told me in the bus how she admires us, and wants to do what we do, and be like us...like not shy to talk to people, and just be able to talk about the gospel with people. But we continued about other things, like the challenges she has had in her life, and she just turned to me and was like, “why are you so good with me?” and i laughed, i told her “you didn’t even like me at first!” But it just made me feel really good. Dad like you said...to be able to help someone out, and to have people that admire you for what you do, and tell you how much you have helped them. It makes you feel really good.

Yesterday in church i gave a talk. I got to pick, and i picked the atonement! I love this subject, it’s what changes people the most. But i was just thinking about how grateful i really am for my Savior, and how much i love him and this opportunity to represent him. I know it’s hard sometimes, but i am grateful for the opportunity i have to be here too. It’s hard work, but i think about Henry B. Eyring, he said something like...when he feels like he can’t do it, like his body is calling for rest he says “remember Him!” and this thought gives him a lot of strength.

Well i hit my year mark. That was pretty cool. My comp made me a poster and put together a little cake thing. 6 months. I gotta go strong.

love you guys!

todo mi amor,

hna. amundsen