November 18,2013-Just when you think you know what crazy is...‏

Let me just start by saying that this week brought a whole new meaning to the word exhaustion. I have never been so tired. BUT. along with that comes that feeling of accomplishment. and honestly one of those ¨Looking back it makes you laugh at the fact that you actually survived¨.

Monday- P day. And then we went to see Veronica and her girls. she was alone, but we taught her tithing, and she LOVED it. go figure. She told us she couldn´t wait to share it with her girls, and then we set up an appointment for the District Leader to come with us on Wednesday.

Tuesday- In the morning during comp study, the phone rang. It was the Zone leaders telling us that we had ¨special transfers¨. We looked at each other in shock. halfway through the transfer. ¨No! you´re kidding?¨ They told me that we got a new hermana from the Guatemala MTC that needs to be trained. ¨So, Hermana Cox, congratulations, you´re going to be her new mom trainer!!¨ AND, the other part of the crazy news, is that Hermana Lybbert is going to stay with you too until the end of the transfer! That NEVER happens, so congrats, be in Mendoza Thursday morning before 10!¨ A flood of emotions hit me all at once. Excitement, relief, and then that ¨How the heck am I supposed to train a Latina??¨ 

Feeling very small and incapable myself, We looked around our already extremely tiny and crowded with just two apartment....whelp, we´ve got some work to do!

But we had to go to district meeting. And then after that we did exchanges, which meant that Hna Lybbert was leaving to Pocito and I had to figure out how to fit another bed and shelves and stuff into the pench.

Wednesday- first thing after studies we had to call a truck man to drive us to Pocito to pick up the extra bed, and Hna Lybbert. I was with Hna Chorolqui. we crammed into the front of this pickup with Leon. Immediately I started talking with him, and he told us that he is really good friends with the presidente of the other stake. so he knows about the church.

¨Are you from Utah?¨He asked me. ¨Yeah.¨¨Oh there´s this tv show that I love! It´s filmed in Utah, it´s about this Mormon man that has 3 or 4 wives. It´s genius!¨

Most awkward 40 minute ride of my life explaining to this man that Polygamy is NOT part of what we believe, we don´t practice it, I don´t have 3 other moms, and the idea of having multiple wives really isn´t that admirable. CHE.

We changed back, and then got home, and prepared the pench like crazy people for the new Hermana.

THEN. That night we had our cita with Veronica and her girls, Elder Gomez, Elder Downs, and Hermano Coria from the ward. We showed up and the girls were outside with their boyfriends, but all were really happy to see us.

So we crammed into their little front room, the army of missionaries and members.

we had a lesson about the Sacrament, and how it allows us to renew our baptismal covenants.

Then, Elder Gomez did the interviews!! THEY ARE GOING TO BE BAPTIZED!!!! Lourdes and Ariana are SO ready, so eager, and just awesome I love them! They had even been talking to their boyfriends, Gustavo and Facundo about the things we teach! 

And, por suerte, Hno Coria is the president of young men's! So, while we were helping the girls with their English and waiting on interviews, he taught the boys the Restauración, and el Libro de Mormón, and invited them to come to church on Sunday. They accepted!! 

Elder Gomez came out, signed the records, and the girls said ¨so you´re going to plan our baptism now right?¨

FINALLY!!!

Thursday- We woke up to go to the terminal at 5 am, and got on a bus to Mendoza. 

Arrived, got my ¨how to be a trainer training¨. Then we went to meet Hna Flores.

She is from El Salvador, and is absolutely fantastic! I knew within the first 5 minutes that I was going to love the girl! She´s super outgoing and fun, and is way determined to learn English. Ha it´s great, she already knows some, so we have lots of fun!

Friday- Weekly planning. Poor Hna Flores. It´s such a weird thing to do planning your first day. But she´s a trooper, and we all worked together to make the plans happen.

We tried visiting Veronica, but they weren´t there. A little nervous that we haven´t seen them since the interviews, but we have faith that everything´s going to work out okay. I hate that people´s phones here never have credit!!

Saturday- we spent all morning in the area of the elders doing a missionary activity with their ward. We did role plays with them where we were the investigators and they were the missionaries. Then after, we split up and went out to contact people in the street. The members had missionary tags, and we were just there to guide them. It went really well, and it was super fun to get the members involved! 

We got everything we need to start the English class, and so we´ll be handing out flyer's and doing that 2 times a week now! 

Went to see Lourdes and Ariana. Veronica was gone, but they were super excited about their baptism date for next Saturday 23. We told them we´d be by in the morning to walk with them to church.

Sunday- We showed up to Veronica´s to walk with them to church. The girls answered, their boyfriends were there. They said they weren´t coming, and so the girls were going to walk them to the bus stop. Veronica was still ¨waking up¨, so we waited outside.

The minutes seemed like forever. Veronica came out and looked surprised to see us. We went in, and she told us that her mom was there visiting, and so she couldn´t come to church. She had an appointment to see the bishop though, and they still needed one more assistencia. She was half asleep, but we convinced her to come to the last 2 hours.

The girls showed up, and one of the boyfriends was there. So we went to church with them. but their dog followed us and caused a huge scene. So we had to take him back. We showed up 40 minutes late to church. BUT, we got there. The members went to work welcoming them, and once they were in classes, everything went smoothly.

Veronica and her mom showed up, and we had to track down the bishop because he forgot about the interview. ugh. finally found him. They went in to the interview, and we sat and got to know Veronica´s mom. She told us how happy she was to see her grand kids at the church, and how grateful she was we´d found them when they needed God most. She´s a member of a different church, but all the same very supportive of what we do.

The interview went really long, and we were all late for sacrament, We went in and started bishopless. EEK. I forgot the celiac bread and on top of all of that, I had to give a talk. With all of my nerves from the morning going wild.

The meeting went great, and the girls and Gustavo loved all of the classes for the youth. 

THERE ARE TENDER MERCIES AMONGST THE INSANITY. 

Hermana Flores got probably the most insane welcome to an area that I have ever seen. Not one ¨typical work day¨, and a LOT of ¨this has never happened before!¨But in the midst of it all, and despite all of the roadblocks, things are working out. Not perfectly, or easily, but who ever said it would be either of those things? 

Every day of this work amazes me. The things we do, the things the people do, the way that the Lord has his hands in all of the little details. Sometimes it takes moments of complete and utter chaos to make you stop, breathe, and understand that he knows what he is doing. Sometimes he makes us wait.....a really long time....or until we feel like our head and heart literally CANNOT take any more. But he strengthens us, and gives us capacities, love, patience, faith, and understanding beyond our own, and in ways that are sometimes the LEAST expected.

I love you all so much! Until next week! 

xoxo Your Hermana C