Congresso - Post 11

Adrian's Baptism Day!

Well this week was pretty awesome!  ADRIAN GOT BAPTIZED!  He is way awesome and was way prepared.  Our district leader told us that the baptismal interviews he had with Adrian and Simon were the best baptismal interviews he's done during his mission.  He said that they really understand their commitment and want to Endure to the End.  I feel like I'm doing something right.  Not exactly sure what, but I'm gonna keep on doing it :) 

 

This week we had a ward activity.  It was a festival of the nations.  Everyone made food typical to their home country and brought it to share.  I had no idea what to do but there is a guy here in our ward from California and he had the idea to do S'mores.  So we did and everyone LOVED IT!  People were asking me for the recipe.  I just laughed because there isn´t one.  You just toast the marshmallows over a fire and put it on graham crackers with milk chocolate.  But it was a lot of fun.  It was interesting to try foods from different places.

 

You know what I realized this week.  NO ONE HERE EATS SOUP!!!! Oh man thinking about what food I should take made me start thinking about some of my favorite things to eat.  Like grits, Chicken n dumplings, Chicken Noodle soup.  But nobody here eats soup.  No idea why....  SO if anyone reading this can, I would really enjoy having some quick and easy  delicious soup recipes :)

 

What else?  Edgar is doing good.  The bishop wants to wait one more week to baptize him because he wants to be sure that he understands the importance of keeping the sabbath day holy and tithing.  But he´s progressing really well :) 

 

My companion and I are doing good :)  We still have our difficulties sometimes but we are learning to let go of the little things and just laugh. But I learned something this morning in my personal studies that I really like.  I was reading in 3 Nephi, Chapter 12 in the Book of Mormon when Jesus came to visit the people in the ancient Americas.  He was teaching them and in verse 22 he said, "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."  When I read that I was thinking "wow, that´s pretty intense.  I really need to try not to get frustrated or annoyed or angry."  Then I thought about the scripture in Matthew 18:20-21 where Jesus says that we need to forgive people until 70 times 7.  So my goal this week is to try to be more patient and not get frustrated or angry about the little things, because really there´s no need for that. When I think of Mom saying "is it pertinent to your salvation"  or the phrase "What would Jesus do?"  things are put into perspective and it's a little easier to let things go and focus on what´s really important.

 

SO yeah, It´s crazy that we only have 2 more weeks until the next transfers.  I'm pretty sure I´ll be transferred to another area.  If I am, I'll be sad because I´ll really miss the ward and the members but a change of scenery would be nice. I don't really know what else to say.  This week was good and next week wil be even better!  Love and miss you all bunches!

 

Hermana Allison Scarlett

Congresso - Post 10

Simon's Day of Baptism

SImon is doing excellent!  He just soaks everything up like a sponge!  He has such a strong desire to learn and act.  It´s really amazing :)  We had a lesson with him and Hermana Villanova, an older member in the ward, about temples.  He´s really interested in the temple and wants to go.  They talked and talked and talked and he was just really happy.  And then this sunday we arrived a little late but when we walked in Simon was about to be confirmed. I just about cried because he looked so happy and content.  And then when he took the sacrament, participated a lot in the Class - I was on cloud 9. In the class he was talking about how now that he´s a member of the church he can see a difference in his life now he has the company of the Holy Ghost and wants to keep the commandments and is going to continue learning and growing as a member.  AWHHHHH! I just about cried right then and there.

Mission Temple Day!

Buenos Aires Argentina Temple

Adrian, He´s super awesome!  He has all the lessons, has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and received his answer that the church is true.  He told us in one of the lessons about an experience that he had.  He was in the Subway and people from some church were passing out flyers.  One of them asked him what church he went to. He said "I'm Mormon" they said "oh" and continued on without giving him a pamphlet.  WHAT?!? He isn't even an official member but he is living the gospel. Also, he´s already read the WHOLE BOOK OF MORMON!  He read it in 3 weeks! He will be baptized this sunday and he is ready.  He is a very nervous person so in one lesson we read Ether 12:27 (And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them). He started talking about how his nerves have helped him to take this decision seriously so that he´s sure that this is the right thing to do.  He said he is 100% sure that he´s doing the right thing and is ready to be baptized.  Talk about Elegido (Chosen)!

Playing with a Member's new pet!

We also found Edgar.  My companion had strong desires to eat cheese so we entered a chino and went to grab some cheese real fast.  They didn't have what she wanted but we began to talk to the guy who worked there.  He is 19 years old and reads the bible and is trying to do what God wants of him.  He told us that he doesn't smoke or drink or anything. We talked about the Book of Mormon and invited him to be baptized and he accepted.  He is learning and really interested.  In one of our lessons he said "I feel like God is calling me"  I was like yeah!  God is calling you.  He wants you to live with him again.  That's why he sent us to find you and help you.  He will be baptized the 2nd of March. 
  
SO yeah that´s what´s happening here.  It´s starting to cool off but it´s not quite as cool as it is there in NC.  Que loco no?  


 Ciao!
Hermana Allison Scarlett 

Sugary sweet popcorn snack - my new addiction!
In english,  the brand name is  "The Two Sisters"

Congresso - Post 9

This post covers several weeks of Hermana Scarlett's mission life....

January 20th email:  
Hello everyone!  This weekly e-mail isn't going to be as detailed as normal because today for P-Day we took a tour bus around the city of Buenos Aires (way cool!) Just want to say I love you all and miss you.  And also that I'm doing good :)  I hope to have lots of emails waiting for me next week because emails make my week so much better :)  I love you all and love to hear from you.  I'm trying to do my best to keep in touch and if I´ve been slacking tell me! I'll catch-up next week. LOVE AND MISS ALL OF YOU <3

PS:  Any of you who have served missions I would love to hear some different ideas and success stories about finding people to teach.  

January 28th email:

Last Day Together :(

Today we had transfers and I'm still in the same area but I have a new companion!  Her name is Hermana Pilliza and she is from Ecuador but has lived in Spain for a little while.  She has been in the mission for 6 months and is really short.  When I was with Hermana Mowry I felt pretty short but now I feel like a GIANT!  She seems really sweet but very different from Hermana Mowry.  I'm really excited to learn new things and to work with her here.  It's strange though because she doesn't know the area or the members or anything so I'm leading the area.  It´s kind of a stressful thought.  And crazy.  I mean I'm kind of directionally challenged so..... we'll see :)  (Editorial comment - "kind of directionally challenged" is an understatement!)

Me and my crazy Trainer :)

SO Hermana Mowry went to another area and Hermana Dunn also.  Hermana Escobar stayed (this is her last transfer in the mission) and her new companion is Hermana Keith and she is AWESOME!  I'm really excited for this transfer.  However Hermana Pilliza said that she forgets things a lot so I need to remind her of things, but then I was like, I forget things a lot too!  And then right before we left I was searching frantically for my wallet and Hermana pilliza was searching frantically for her agenda.  We just had to laugh.  We are going to spend a lot of time looking for misplaced things this transfer.  But yeah we're going to work hard and have lots of success.  As for the people we are teaching, we have Simon, Adrian, Oscar, Nacho, y Mariella.  I'll tell you more about them next week.  I don't really know what else to day.  I'm happy and safe and enjoying my time in the mission!  Love and miss you all!

February 10th email:  SO this week has been pretty flipping awesome :D  

First of all, we had a Sisters Conference where all of the sister missionaries gathered together in the mission home and talked about a lot of stuff in classes or sessions.  We talked about getting along with companions, how we're all children of God and also Representatives of Jesus Christ and how if we want to love and serve others we first need to love and serve our companions.  My companion and I are doing much much better.  There are still some rough moments and sometimes I just need to remind myself we're from different places of the world with different cultures and I need to have a little more patience.  But we're doing really well.  Also they talked a lot about the vision of missionary work, how to gain it, and how to keep it in focus.  Everyone always says the vision is Baptise!  But for me it´s so much more than that.  So I set out to figure out what my own vision is.  

Sunday, I had my first baptism, Simon.  He's super awesome and was ready for this.  It was kinda stressful trying to get everything planned and ready and we had to work out some last-minute kinks but it was great.  I spoke about Baptism (my first discourse to give in spanish!)  everyone was laughing because I got up there all smiley and I was just like "What a great experience this is to have the Baptism of Simon today.  I'm happy, Simon's happy, We're all just really happy."  Everybody chuckled and now it's a joke, but that's how it is. And it was true :)  So what I was honestly expecting for my first baptism was a huge grand experience where everyone is just whalloped by the Spirit, but that's not how it was.  It was just a simple and beautiful experience where we helped a Child of God make a covenant with his Heavenly Father.  Just so simple, sweet, and beautiful.  

And today we went to the temple as a mission.  It was such a great experience to be able to go in and just feel peace and the love of my Heavenly Father and remember a little bit more of why I'm here on my mission.  My Vision for my mission is to help others accept and live the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ through making and keeping sacred covenants.  Yes, that includes baptism, but it includes so much more.  It includes the things we have to do each day to continue to progress and to make all of the covenants necessary in order to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  That is my vision and I will keep that as my focus.

My District - Playing Pool on P-Day

Funny moment for the week:  Recently, more and more Young Single Adults (unmarried members between the ages of 18-30) have been moving into our ward and are helping us out with missionary work.  Two in particular, named Harold and Edgar (Edgar is from California),  are pretty cool.  One morning, Harold came with us to an appointment and after he went back to his house.  About 2 hours later, we got a call from his roommate Edgar and he was asking us for a huge favor.  Edgar had left to travel about 1.5 hours to visit his Grandfather and accidentally locked Harold into the apartment and couldn't get out! SO we run to the rescue.  When we got to the apartment, Harold dropped the keys out the window and we came up and unlocked the door from the outside. We couldn't stop laughing!   He had been locked inside the apartment for 4 hours!  Their door has 1 lock on the inside and 2 on the outside, so they don't lock the second one on the outside because you cant unlock it from the inside.  We we're just laughing really hard. Pobrecito.  But yes that´s my week.  I love and miss you bunches!  

Ciao!  

Hermana Allison Scarlett

Don't you love my form!!!!