The only direction to go is forward!

Would you like papas fritas with that?

This week just flew by! The heat is really kicking up and the tan lines are coming in too strong, Whaaaaat? We had fun serving two mornings this week! One was in a rather filthy house but you better believe we left it splotless, the other was cleaning the church and the same goes for that as well, luckily it didn't start out as dirty though. It is true that when we are serving others we are serving God!

McDonalds in Argentina:  Who knew paying way
 too much for McD's could taste so good?!

We had some great lessons this week that the members helped us with!! Two of which were with Victoria and Roberto. We taught the Plan of Salvation and it was incredible how the words just flowed out of our mouths. The Spirit was penetrating and no one could deny the true plan of perfection that God has created for us. They are not married but we testified of eternal families and they both said that is something that they want, so we will see where that goes. 

We have a new investigator named Debora who is also great as well, has a yearning to fill the hole that she never could fill in her pursuit to find the truth. Her daughter as well is a shy, sweet girl, Niyana (11 years old), who wants to learn more and asked her mom when they were going to go to church! 

This week I have studied the topic humility quite a bit, because I know that when we are more humble, we are happier!! We are told,  "blessed are those who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble." An apostle states that a way we can be more humble is to  remember our constant dependence on the Lord through real, constant, worshipful, grateful  prayer. Without Him we are nothing, with Him we are everything. We are all equally loved, equally important, equally blessed when we follow the commandments and love God. I think as missionaries it is common to look around and see the success of others and question God, but these thoughts must be replaced with faith and trust in God and His plan.  He sure does have one. This work is fully inspired by Him. In D&C 67: 10 we read, "Strip yourself from jealousies and fears, and humble yourself  before me and the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am....and in verse 14 we are told to not let our minds turn back!"  When we are humble, we will come to know God, and once we have become more humble and more familiar with the divine nature of God, we can not turn back! The only direction we should be going is forward! 

Love you! Praying for you! 

Hermana Mathis

Our New District of 4!

ILUMINA EL MUNDO!!

With Hermana Ruiz on Divisions

Grandma Bea's Apple Crisp in a Bundt Pan:)

Here are a few highlights of my week:

On Thursday we did divisions with the sisters in La Florida which just so conveniently happened to be Thanksgiving so you better believe we made some apple crisp. I almost cried, it was such a dream. Divisions were super great! It is always wonderful to learn from other sisters and their strengths as missionaries. (Divisions are the same thing as exchanges so Haylie got to trade companions for 24 hours and work in a different area.)

On Saturday I think God was trying to baptize the whole city because it rained harder than I have ever seen in my life!! And yes we were outside during it, and yes we were very far from where our lunch appointment was. We ran, basically wading in water that at some points came up mid calf. We just laughed because we were soaked--completely soaked. We showed up for our lunch appointment in this sorry state and bless her heart she still let us in and gave us towels. Still, it was the coldest lunch of my life as it was impossible to dry off. 

We had stake conference this week!! And two great things happened! 

1. There is a less active (baptized in the church some 24 years ago) that we are teaching who we had quite the encounter with this week. He claimed that all the things we firmly believe were all false, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, etc. He told us the we were confused, that we were doubting, that we hadn't found Christ. So naturally this kind of pricked our hearts and led to a fired up discussion ending with us fervently bearing our testimonies and saying that there is nothing and no one who would take that away from us. Well, he showed up to the Saturday night conference after not going to church for 20 years. Out of all the people we thought were going to come, he was easily the last one on the list. He still has many doubts but this was huge for him to come. 

2. Claudio and Marta (The ones I wrote about last week) came to the Sunday morning conference!! It was a great meeting and the lessons were powerful. Each time our president and his wife speak I am just astonished at the spirit they bring into the meeting. One of the things they focused on is something that our church recently put on the website mormon.org. ILUMINA EL MUNDO!! Christmas is right on the horizon, even on this side of the equator, and we want to remind everyone about the true reason for the season. Jesus is the light of the world! We can share His light with others. It does not need to be some elaborate thing but rather small simple things that we can do daily to spread the light of Christ. We never know exactly the influence our light may have on others. Do not be afraid or ashamed to share what you love! Stay close to the light and rely on His light, and without a doubt your own light will grow as a result. In D&C 50:24 we learn that what is of God is light, and if we receive the light we will be given more and more light. Iluminate the world! And if you havent seen this great video yet give mormon.org a visit and watch it. Its like 2:30 minutes so don't tell yourself you don't have time! 

Love you all! Illuminate the world! Share your light with others, and never underestimate the light that you already have!

Con muchooo amor,

Hermana Mathis 

Apple crisp with the Hermanas during divisions:  It was almost like  Thanksgiving!

With a family from our Ward

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hermana De Wet from Paraguay is my new companion

This week we killed it in the contacting. We are getting really good at handing out cards and getting cut off because the people here are always in a hurry. But amidst the chaos of this new transfer, new area, new companion, we have felt calm in the process and the members here are so so great. Like super great I love them. They are willing to help and they feed us lunches, and I leave their houses so full its ridiculous. We walk quite a bit and we have gotten lost quite a bit as well. Our first night we may or may not have walked to another street by the name of Gonzalez (the name of the street we live on), and may or may not have been lost for an hour and a half. The taxi brought us home safely though--a tad late but we lived to tell. 

We manage to laugh and sing through the hard days. Hna De Wet knows a fair amount of English songs, I am impressed. (Haylie said that they are mostly popular songs and that she doesn't speak any other English.) She is super funny without meaning to be. Poor girl forgot her nametag yesterday at church and of course it was when we were meeting a ton of the members ha so I joked that she was my mini missionary. pobresita. A bird also pooped on her but we laughed it off, easier for me I'm sure.

Yesterday in church was the primary program!! I was so excited when I found that out, and it did not dissapoint. Kids truly bring a special spirit into the meeting and the simple messages of the songs they sing penetrate our hearts, and they are messages I was taught at a young age that have always stuck with me. 

This week I learned that I need to trust in the Lord with all my heart. We show our trust in Him when we listen to Him with the intent to learn and to change and do whatever He asks. When we trust in Him and act in faith, that is when He will trust in us. I trust in Him and I know that His plan is perfect. I trust in Him and His goodness and his love and mercy. I trust that He never leaves us. I trust that He never will. We are told to "life up your head and rejoice, and put your trust in God" He will provide help when needed. 

This week we struggled to find people to teach. As we were thinking about how we could find new investigators I thought to send a message to all the contacts the Elders had in the phone under investigators, near 40ish. Well out of all the contacts, only a handful responded. One stated that they had moved, one had started going to another church, but one responded that He would love us to come over and was anxious for us to set a time to visit. So we set the appointment and last night we went to his house. He is an older man in his 70s who lives with his wife. (Claudio and Marta). Turns out their son lives in Spain and he, along with his wife and 4 kids were baptized there 5 years ago. Claudio called his son on skype and we were able to meet this family and hear the testimony of this son to his parents and the many blessings that his family has received upon joining the church. We expressed in our desire to help a family unite in the gospel. We were grateful to have met this couple and we are hopeful to see what the future holds for them. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember how thankful I am for all of you in my life. I am thankful for the gospel and the hope that it gives me. I am thankful for the knowledge that I have that this life is not the beginning nor the end. I am thankful to have guidance in my life through the words of the prophets and apostles, through the scriptures, and through the power of prayer. I am grateful for every day that I get to live, learn, and progress, for the opportunity that I have to wear the name of Christ every day and serve Him. Eat a lot of turkey and pie. Enjoy time with the ones who truly matter most, and never forget the one who made this all possible, the one who gives us everything. 

Les amooooo, que tengan una semana muyyy buena and think of all the things that you are grateful for! 

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Mathis

Mary Poppins on Walt Disney St. The Things you see in Argentina

Adios Villegas, Hola Arroyito!

An Angel is Baptized in Villegas

The Hermanas Cutting Loose at Zone Conference

Well, this week was whack. It was an emotional rollercoaster that has not ended, ha, but hey... that's the mission. So here's a little summary of my week since the last time you heard from me,

last Monday we made homemade pizzas and were just enjoying life, listening to some great messages and just enjoying each other's presence, until the unspeakable happened.  Let me back up, before the mission hna whitworth fainted and chipped her tooth after  her wisdom teeth were removed. She got a false tooth put over it and you wouldn't even know. Well several months ago the false tooth was no longer glued in, though it had a cap and she could still put it on, it was just more likely to fall out and harder to eat with. Well Hermana was eating the pizza and her tooth fell out and she bit a piece and swallowed it and what was left was half her tooth, cracked. We always joked this would happen but when the moment actually came we were at a loss. So we called president who said he would get back to us. We got ice cream because that helps everything, and as we walked back to the pension our president called saying that we were leaving that night and that I should bring all of my things because I was being transferred to a different area. So we are just wrecks by then. And what do you know, the elders happened to pass by as we are teary eyed, ice cream holding messes, haha.  So I packed up and we left in the middle of the night and I did not even have time to say goodbye to anyone so that was super duper hard. I loved being in Villegas and all the people that we met and the truly great time that we had together. I was not quite ready for our time there to end. 

We fixed Hermana's tooth and stayed in the mission home, doing divisions in the city as well as the one and only Parque Field!! Then Thursday our president told us that in the morning I was going to be with Hermana Matemate in Parque Field for 3 days until the transfer and her companion would be returning to General Villegas with Hermana Whitworth. That was a hard goodbye to say the least. Hermana Whitworth is the best y'all, and God blessed me so much to have her as a companion. I am extra lucky to have had 3 transfers with her. So there I was back In Parque Field, it was loco. I got to say hello to all my favorite families, go to their church where they have an actual ward not a group, visit Miriam and Leo who are now married and he is baptized! And I got to visit them with Hermana W and boy were they happy to see us. She was in tears. 

Now I am in Arroyito in another white wash. yes, that is my third white wash in the mission! That means that my companion and I are completely new to the area, and we are also the first Hermanas this area has ever seen. It is a beautiful area, pretty darn big. My Hermana is named Hermana De Wet and she is from Paraguay. She actually came to the mission on the same day as me. She is rather shy and doesn't really talk too much, but she is really sweet. The Elders before us weren't super organized and we are struggling to interpret what they left us with but it is a process and it will come with time. 

A quote that I read this week by Thomas S Monson says that rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, and the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future. I am outside of my comfort zone yet again, but if I have learned anything this week it is that I am not in control. God knows more than I do, and He knows perfectly. I know that this might be a hard transition, but He knows that I can do it, and because of Him I can do it. Each day is a blessing. We can find joy in the journey, we can find joy through our afflictions. We are never alone. Thank you for your love and your prayers. 

Hermana Mathis

With Hermana Gonzales who makes the best food ever!

Lunch with President and Hermana Zanni

Parting is Sweet Sorrow!

With Naomi and Victoria

One of our Favorite families in Parque Field: Miriam and Leo and daughters

Members in Parque Field

Zone Conference

Why So Serious?

They say this is good for Varicose Veins

Right Song, Wrong Tune: Sometimes life is like that!

HOLAAA

To start off the week we were in Venado Tuerto with 4 other sister missionaries so you can imagine we had a great time all together. On Pday we ate ice cream and dyed hair(...dont worry I didn't dye mine to those who might be scared, the red locks are staying) and enjoyed each other's company. We also bought a ton of candy to eat because it was Halloween!!! We had a powerful zone conference in which I learned the importance of doing all that we can do and after we put in our all that is when we will see the hand of God. Help comes when we reach our limit and rely on the mercy and grace of the Lord to help us complete things we could not do on our own. 

Saturday we got to go to a baptism for the sweetest little girl who was an investigator of the Elders. Hermana Whitworth did her hair all cute and braided with a white ribbon. The spirit that was felt during the baptism was undeniable. Hermana Whitworth and I got to speak on baptism and the Holy Ghost and it was a great opportunity to share our testimonies to many people who had come to the baptism and weren't of our faith. As we watched videos of the Savior I marveled at all that He truly has done for us and the perfect example He set. I love Him and am trying my best to strengthen my relationship with Him through praying and reading the scriptures which testify so clearly of His divinity. At the end of the meeting we sang,  "How Firm a Foundation" but we accidentally ended up singing it to the tune of "The Spirit of God," everyone went along with it and it totally would have worked out until the last line which was just kind of hanging there awkwardly as the tune cut off. Haha, the poor Elder who was leading. 

We had 4 investigators come to the baptism and 3 come to church yesterday! Fast and testimony meeting was a special meeting, I always look forward to them here. Though we are small in number, there is a power in hearing the testimonies and bearing testimony, a power driven my the Holy Ghost which bears testimony of what is true. 

This week was a great week full of many spiritual lessons, a few setbacks, many laughs, heat and humidity... and lots of it. I am not too sure I'm ready for the summer!  Let me tell ya, pants in this heat is not the bee's knees! Ohh also, tender mercy yesterday, we were super lucky to stumble upon a birthday party for the little girl of one of the members in our group, Juanita. They invited us to eat with them and we stayed for a bit and let me tell you it was the cutest decorated birthday party I've ever seen...pinterest status. The theme was "the little red riding hood" and they had a bounce house... and I am still mad that I forgot my camera but you're going to just have to take my word on it, it was dang cute. 

Love you all! I love serving here in General Villegas with Hermana Whitworth. We have transfers this weekend and I am realllyyy hoping that we both stay but we will go where the Lord wants us to go. 

Much love,

Hermana Mathis

I guess Haylie forgot to bring her camera every day since this is the first week she has not sent any pictures.  Here are a few of her in Reno before she left for the field. 

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