On Halloween, Telephones that think they are radios and Not getting fired as Primary Teachers

Matching umbrellas in the unrelenting rain.  Reports of
wide spread flooding in General Villegas

When Halloween falls in the Spring you have to
improvise and draw faces on oranges

Happy Halloween to everyone!! They do not celebrate quite the same here but kids still go out trying to get candy, though they are left to do the trick more often that the treat because not many people are willing to give out candy on their doorstep. Poor kids--they don't know what they are missing!

I am writing to you live from Venado Tuerto after taking another lovely bus ride leaving at 1:30 am and arriving here at 4 am. But we were seriously lucky because someone accidentally put the alarm for PM instead of AM, but luckily the elders called us in the middle of the night because all the lights in villegas had also conveniently gone out.  Regardless, the call woke us up and we got ready real quick without any lights and headed out in the pouring rain to get on our bus.

Our phone has the random tendency to play the radio sporadically, and it chose to start playing around 3:30 am on the bus. We were half awake and irritated that the bus would be playing music at such a cruel hour...and after about 3 songs we realized that the sound was coming from our bag. Those poor passengers!  And it took us another minute or two to try to get the music to stop so we just turned the phone off. So embarrassing!  We could not stop laughing and everything in the middle of the night is naturally 20x funnier so you can imagine the scene. 

This week was really quite great. We met a woman named Sandra(20) who has a little baby named Jonas and began to teach her. She is super sweet and really takes in what we are teaching, and has accepted a baptismal date for the end of November! We are also working with another woman named Karina who is depressed but seeking comfort in the scriptures and the messages of joy and hope that we share. She has also accepted a baptismal date for the end of November! 

We are still the primary teachers, they didn't fire us after last week. Yesterday was not quite as crazy. They colored and watched a living scriptures cartoon. Well ideally, they should have watched it but many were running around. We are progressing, don't you fret. 

Biscuits and Gravy with "Tia Argentino"

Tomorrow we have our zone conference and I am super excited. Our mission president is such a spiritual giant and I have so much to learn from him. He pushes us and helps us to be the best missionaries we can be, to teach with the spirit, and to have faith! Faith is so key. Faith will lead to action and will result in miracles. God is a God of miracles, yet our eyes are more opened to His miracles when we have faith and leave our doubts behind. Have faith in the One who created you, who loves you perfectly. Have faith to follow His counsel whether or not it is what you were planning on. He will never lead us astray, and then one day our faith will not be necessary. We will know without a shadow of a doubt the truthfulness of the things we now believe with faith. Hold strong until the end with that faith.

 Love you all!! 

Hermana Mathis

Of Lakes, Slides, and Teaching Primary

The Lakes of General Villegas

HOLAAA familia y amigos!

 This week was great! The first half was dominated by some heavy rain showers but that didn't stop us from going out and preaching the good word of God. It cleared up and was beautiful for a few days then to continue the Pday curse of less than ideal weather, it returned to grey skies and forecasted rain. We are just hoping that it is not another consecutive stream of rain because many homes were flooded in poorer areas of town and the streets turn into lakes with 0% chance of crossing unless you are up for a swim.

 On one of our way rainy days we were out in the corner of the street in the morning, having just gone to all of the people we had planned to visit and to have not been let into one door. So naturally we were a bit discouraged and reevalutaing where we should go, and to put the cherry on top, this dog decides to stop right in front of us in the mud, when there are clearly so many other places it could have gone, but stops right in front of us and kicks the mud up on us, getting Hermana Whitworth's face. Initially we were surprised and quite irritated by the rudeness of the dog, but that quickly turned into laughter. Luckily minutes, after we were let into the home of a nice family in our group. The mom, along with her two young daughters (3 and 7) had very recently began to come back to church. We watched a Book of Mormon cartoon with them which was exactly what they, as well as we, needed haha.

  We got to do more service this week! We painted the slide of an elementary school with a less active member. The paint was just about the equivalent of sticky dried up nail polish but it turned out to look pretty good at the end, as long as you didn't look too close.

 Hermana Whitworth and I are now the primary teachers, teaching all the children, here in our little group in Villegas. It sounds like a fun job but let me tell you the kids here are quite the handful, very new to the whole reverence concept. And the language barrier is a stuggle when you have 10 kids talking at the same time. Hermana and I had a hard time understanding them at times as well which resulted in something like this...

 "What can we do to Choose the right?"
 "We can fight with our brothers and sisters.."
"Very good!"

 We were just assuming that they would give us a reasonable response.
 When it was clearly evident they were not listening and on a million thought streams, we busted out the pages we brought that they could color with the letters HLJ(haz lo justo= choose the right). That occupied them for the rest of the time. Our patience was tested to say the least haha but we are learning important things that will surely help us in the future.

 This week we had a whole lot of lessons and found new investigators who are receptive and follow through with committments! We were able to share the Restoration video with Shamila and her son Alan (11) and what really stood out to us was the attention that Alan was paying to the video. He afterwards stated that he really liked it, and that he was going to pray to know if it was true. We also were able to help him with studying english and he got a great score on his exam ;) He is a smart kid and basically knew everything before we helped him so we can't really take much credit. They are such a sweet family who truly looks out for one another. They have one son with down syndrome and he is so precious, always blowing us kisses. They always welcome us warmly into their home and love to hear what we have to share.

 I love all of the daily experiences that we have that fill us with joy. I love being able to testify of my Savior Jesus Christ. I love the knowledge that I have that the church of Jesus Christ was restored, and that God lives today. He is so conscious of us and He wants nothing more than for us to feel of his love and support. Though at times we may get discouraged, whether it be waiting in the chapel for at least one of the many people we invited to show up, or for someone to open the door, or for someone to read the Book of Mormon. Still there is  evidence that all what we are saying is true. We are constantly humbled and are told to have faith and to take things step by step, trusting in the will of God and His time.  We practice patience in the things that may be out of our reach. We are told, "but that ye have patience, and bear with afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." That sounds pretty nice...but it requires effort. It requires us to have faith and put in practice what we are learning and not procrastinating the day of our repentance. There has never been a better time than now.

 Love you all have a wonderful week!

 Hermana Mathis

It's Spring and Mother's Day in Argentina!

Happy Mother's Day Down Under 

Another great week in Villegas! Also Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. We celebrated the holiday yesterday here in Argentina and it was a great day to remember all of the daily sacrifices mothers make. It is so true that a mother's love is the most comparable to our Heavenly Father's love. We handed out carnations to the moms in our ward and, a super tender mercy, we were invited to eat asado with Graciela, a recent convert, and her family!!! We just about cried. So we had a great mother's day surrounded by some great company.   

We had a lesson this week with a couple who had taken the missionary discussions years back. They were excited to let us in and to hear our message. We shared a beautiful time bearing our testimonies of Christ and had gained confidence with them quickly because by the end of the lesson we were in a VIP concert.  The woman busted out her karaoke machine and sang about 4 songs for us. We were having a ball, just the two of us being her audience and you bet there was some awkward eye contact involved, and all the while we didn't exactly know how to bring the concert to a finale. Luckily it didn't go on out night, it all worked out, and we left her house singing the songs ourselves. I tried to throw Hermana Whitworth under the bus and say that she loved to sing but she wasn't having it. Maybe next time. 

Someone finally accepted our service offer this week! We got to plant flowers and help our investigator Magali with her yard. Service is the best and it is about time someone agreed to let us help. We offer free service you'd think people would be running at our feet. We are on the search for more service acts to do because service is the best! 

We were really craving some brownies the other day so we used whatever resources we had which happened to be hot chocolate mix to create something resembing brownies. It wasn't half bad, we miss betty crocker's mix but sometimes we just have to make do. We are still trying to figure out how to make pumpkin bread with the slim resources we have here. It is crazy the wide variety of everything that we are blessed with in the states. 

Last night we went to give a carnation to a kind woman who works in a little market we always pass on our daily walk. She had lost her only son several years back and we knew that it was probably a hard day for her being mother's day. Well she let us into her house and we were able to teach her, her sister and her sister's husband. They had questions ready and fired them off, each question leading to a different gospel lesson. We spoke of God's plan of happiness for each and every one of us. We spoke of the need to have a strong belief and faith in God in this ever moving world. We spoke of the bible and the book of mormon, and spoke of how Jesus Christ came to visit the Americas. It is really refreshing to talk to people who have questions and want to learn more. Though we acknowledged that we were far from perfect, and that perhaps we didn't explain something in the clearest way, we testified of the truthfulness of the gospel and the importance to seek God in our lack of wisdom, because there is not anything that He does not know. 

Every day we are learning something new, every time we open the scriptures and read with an open heart we are overcome by the examples of goodness and the doctrines of truth. It is a great time to be a missionary and a witness of Jesus Christ. We are promised that every time we confess the name of our Savior to others, Jesus confesses our name to our Heavenly Father. That is pretty cool-- what a promise. Share the gospel with others and do not be afraid to speak up for what you know to be true and right. Do not give in to Satan's lies nor give up when the road looks steep ahead. The Lord will fight for us, but not if we give up the fight. Keep on keeping on and have a great week. Love you all!!

Sunday Dinner with Graciela and family

Hermana Mathis 

So Yummy and prepared with love!

Peace I Leave With You

HOLA!!!

Miracles in the Mission:

To start:  Miriam from my first area, Parque Field, just got married to her boyfriend and he is getting baptized this weekend! And they are doing SO good. Hermana Whitworth and I were crying tears of joy when we heard this news. 

You all might be watching the leaves change colors but here in Argentina it is Spring!

We had a pretty funny moment with a family this week as we began to talk about colleges in the US. Somehow Hermana W and I both heard Hogwarts when she actually said Harvard, to which she continued to say that she hear when she actually said Harvard, to which she continued to say that she hears that "its very hard to get into, but all that she knows about it is from movies." We froze not knowing how to break the news to her that Hogwarts did not in fact exist, but then we just broke out in laughter. It was then cleared up that she said Harvard. Whoops. silly us.

We found a lot of people this week who kindly welcomed us into their homes and were very receptive to the message of Jesus Christ! The people who have fallen away from the church that we have contacted have received us warmly as well and we have great hopes that they will soon return.

But, the greatest miracle was with our investigator Natalia whom I wrote about a few weeks ago. We tried to teach her about every day this week, knocking on her door but never having any luck. We passed by a few times and her boyfriend would answer the door and say that she was still working and to try again later. Well, as we set out to go to one of our planned lessons on Saturday, the woman we were going to teach told us that she was going to run errands and to come back later. Though a bit irritated at the time it made sense later as we walked to Natalia's and found her walking with her boyfriend back to her house. We caught her at the exact, perfect moment.

At church with Natalie

Well, Natalie shared quite a story and I think that she was in a state more broken than I have ever seen someone in my life. Yet the spirit filled our hearts as we began to cry with her and tell her that though she cannot see it now, she is a loved daughter of God, with a purpose on this earth. Yet, it still seemed as if no words could mend her heart. After being with them over an hour we left them in a bit of a better state we found them, yet as we said goodbye, Natalia still had that look on her face. We contemplated in the street what we should do, if we should call the cops, our mission president or leaders. Ultimately we called our leaders who were able to return with us to Natalia's house about a half hour later and give her a blessing of comfort. Luckily when we returned her boyfriend had left. As we all talked, Natalia through tears, our hearts were heavy. We sought to take away this pain that she was experiencing. The Elders laid their hands upon her head, acting with the power of God, and blessed her with peace and comfort. The peace they offered is as Jesus explains, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." This peace can only come from God. As the blessing was pronounced, we all felt the hope that she was going to be okay, that she has a bright, bright future, with so many blessings in store. Her countenance changed as the blessing came to a close, and her fears were replaced with peace. She slept the night in a different house and we were blessed to walk with her and bring her to church Sunday morning. As I bore my testimony in fast and testimony meeting, I could not help but look her in the eyes, and explain that God does not want us to suffer alone. He wants to comfort us. He wants us to find peace in this world of turmoil. More than to have peace, He wants us to have joy and to live by faith and hope. The Lord says, "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." I know that this is true. He came to Natalia in the moment that she needed it, and He continues to come to us. This gospel is so true. There is an undeniable power in it, a power that truly can save lives. 

I love you all and I hope that you have a wonderful wonderful week! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Mathis

Soaking up all the Spring we can!

Give Thanks to the One Who Gives Us All!

The Mighty Team of Whitworth and Mathis continues together!

Transfers this week and Hermana Whitworth and I are staying in General Villegas!!! I am so so happy. It was another great week, dominated by rain but that does not stop us from going out and preaching the gospel! Also it is true that when the rain pours, the blessings follow. People are extra receptive to our message when they see two young girls soaking wet on their doorstep. We had a little dog friend, well quite the opposite, follow us around literally an entire day. When it first came to us, we commented on its surprisingly ugly features and its annoying nature. Well that came back to bite us because it would not leave us alone... and I'm pretty sure He is Villegas most hated dog because every street we went down every dog was drawn to him and we ended up in the middle of many dog fights. It was a little less than ideal and you bet we were pulling our hair out and saying some choice things to that dog by the end of the day. Yet by our side it walked, and waited outside houses as we would have our lessons. Hermana Whitworth sang the song from Annie, "dumb dog, why are you following meee?¿ We are rethinking any desire we have to ever have a dog, haha.  We met a love named Sol this week who was baptized about 2 years ago. A few other members of her family were also baptized and through the years their family has slowly fallen away from the church. Sol is almost 12 years old, and she just radiates the light and joy of Christ. She is counting down the days until she can go and do baptisms in the temple! She has all of her books, pictures, memories with the missionaries and with the church all kept neatly in a bag and she shared her memories with us joyfully. Though only 11 years old, and in a family of members who havent been too steady in church attendance, Sol is reading the Book of Mormon personally and is praying regularly. She also told us that she wants to be a missionary someday. This amazed me, and though she may not understand quite now, she is a huge example to her mother and her siblings. This really made me think of the power in one righteous example, who is doing the things they know to be right, no matter their age or circumstance, while at times they may be the only one standing.  We had an interesting experience this week as one of our investigators named Ailen told us that she did not want to continue taking the missionary lessons and that she did not want to be a waste of our time. This was a huge surprise to us because she was one of our investigators who was progressing the most, attending church and actively engaged in the lessons. We asked if we could stop by her house to talk to her in person because we wanted to understand her better. We passed by later and as we talked we were able to understand more that she was just overwhelmed with the commandments and the "requirements" so to speak, of the church. She is a perfectionist, and did not like that at times she was not keeping her committments to read or to pray. Luckily, we were able to tell her that she can take things one step at a time. She is making a huge effort which is so evident to us but invisible to her. We promised her that there is greater happiness and joy, and more blessings ahead, and that the great thing about this gospel, in the words of Elder Holland, is that we get credit for trying, even if we do not always succeed. Her heart was softened and we are blessed to be able to continue to teach her. But as we talked to her that night we were both overwhelmed for the love that we felt from our Heavenly Father for her. We were able to catch a glimpse of the patience and the hope that He has for us, and the desire that He has for all of his sons and daughters to follow Him and to return to Him.  We also watched General Conference this weekend which was so, so good! How lucky we are to be able to receive guidance in these modern days! One of the messages that stood out to me was how this life is one of joy! Of the many words that could have been used to explain this life, Lehi writes, men are that they might have joy! Joy comes through work and sacrifice. It comes through putting God first and trusting in His perfect love and plan. It comes through quality time shared with God's precious children who are our brothers and sisters. I hope that you all have a week full of joy and happiness, and remember that you are loved beyond measure. God is watching over you with patience and with love, waiting for the time that He can embrace you in His arms of love. Take each day one step at a time and don't forget to look up and give some thanks to the One who gives us all. Love, Hermana Mathis