11.28.11

hi family!

Well it sounds like you guys had a fun thanksgiving together with the whole family! I am glad to hear that! Its actually nice to be out of the country where they dont even celebrate thanksgiving because it didnt really affect me. I didnt have to see families together celebrating it. I think christmas is going to be a little bit harder but it will be good. My comp and I decided to celebrate a little and we made feather hats like we used to in elementary school and we ate a pie type thing while wearing our feather thanksgiving hats. haha we are super cool right? haha. oh ps Argentina decided to have another holiday yesterday for I have no idea what, so thats why today is our p-day.

Well this week was basically a week of not sleeping I am basically dead!

First night: So you can tell that you are def not in the United States when you have cockroaches crawling on your feet the the middle of the night. The other night we were in bed had already said our prayers and we were just laying in bed around 10:50 at night and all of a sudden I heard a death scream from my comp on the top bunk and she is screaming at me to hand her the flashlight. I immediately jump out of bed and run to turn on the lights. We didnt see anything but just stood there in fear when all of a sudden she picked up her pillow are we see a cockroach the size of my thumb (stinking huge!) under her pillow. She had a broom in her hands and I had the raid cockroach spray in mine. It then jumped off of her bed onto my desk and to the floor and I just attacked the thing with spray and just murdered it. We were then pretty much grossed out the rest of the night and didnt even want to lay in our beds. I literaly am scared to go to bed at night now! because that it at least the 20th cockroach we have found in our apt. I seriously want to throw up. so disgusting!

Next night: Well I think I am pretty much been cursed. Remember how last week I told you about have to teach the relief society lesson and I was talking about how as missionarys we are super on the spot. Well late saturday night the branch president came to me and asked me to give a 15 minute talk the next day in sacrament meeting. 15 minutes!! ahhhh with no time to prepare. and I am not one that can just get up and start talking so basically we were up all night trying to prepare my talk and then translate it into spanish.. (I have an awesome comp who stayed up and helped me!)

Last night: Basically it is a million degrees and I am seriously dying! The sun is literally right above us and so close. and you better believe that we do not have air conditioning or a fan in our apt so basically our apartment is an oven. I am in a constent sweat so basically we just lay in our beds at night sweating and cannot sleep. so sunday night we literally just layed there till 1 in the morning because we couldnt sleep. I dont know if I will survive it is really hard to have energy to work throughout the day. I really hope I can survive this. It has just started and I am already just praying for winter to be here. so if you have any thing that can help me survive summer anything would be welcomed! :)

but I promise there are good things about Argentina too its not all bad! haha Sadly we let our investigator Senor Morales go because he basically stopped progessing and there isnt much more we can do. One of the youth in the ward had been inviting his friend to church for the past 4 weeks and he finally came to church this past sunday. It is so cool to see the youth being missionarys like that! I love it! Man it makes such a difference for us as missionarys when the members and doing their part and inviting their friends. I am so proud of you guys for inviting a family to do the church tour. You guys are the best missionarys. I hope everything works out with that. Let me know how it goes. Well I got to go! Love you all lots and hope you have a wonderful week. Until next week...

con amor,

Hermana Van Wag

11.21.11

Hi!!!

I am not going to lie. Its really weird to say Happy Thanksgiving here because first it doesnt seem like it should be thanksgiving right now and second they dont celebrate it here so there is nothing to show it would be thanksgiving but since it is november I am assuming thanksgiving is this week! My comp and I are wanting to do some sort of thanksgiving dinner but the truth is that there is nothing here that we could make that is like what we eat for thanksgiving we might just make mashed potatoes or something. haha

Well this week was kind of a sad week for us because Senor Morales once again did not come to church so basically we are just thinking that we have to let him go which is sad but we have been teaching him for so long that now there just isnt really much that we can do. Man its hard to let go of investigators when they are super awesome but I guess that is part of the mission huh? Last thursday the relief society president asked me if I could teach the lesson in relief society. ahhh Man I am not one that enjoys teaching lessons at church and let alone when it is in a different language and with little time to prepare. but I did it! haha it was interesting and I think I just ended up just asking a lot of questions and trying to get the members to talk. Then I showed the movie small and simple things. Have you seen that video? its super cool. you should watch it!! basically as missionaries you are always on the spotlight. we are always the ones call on five minutes before sacrament meeting to give a talk in church. ahhh being a missionary I am realizing it very much out of my comfort zone but I think it is good for me.

I am contining to do good and working hard. I am so grateful for this gospel and for this time that I have to devote to the Lord. What an awesome experience it is. ahh the guy is telling me they are closing. gtg. love you all lots! have a wonderful week together!!!!!

Love,

Hna Van Wagenen

11.14.11

hey there!
How is everyone doing? well this week was kind of an interesting week. On wednesday our zone leaders decided they wanted to do divisions with us sisters. ya I am not going to lie I was a little scared for that. They told us that they were going to come here in our area and one of us sisters would go with the zone leaders and the other would go with the district leader and his comp. I have never done this before but it actually ended up being a very cool experience for me. I got put with the zone leaders which was kind of intimidating but they really showed me how to be excited and enjoy the work because sometimes each day is kind of the same and it gets kind of repetetive but they really showed me how to stay excited and it doesnt even matter if people reject us because our message is so important and if someone doesnt want to hear it that is their disadvantage.

This week was pretty good. I was pretty sad though because out investigator Senor Morales told us pretty much for sure that him and his wife would be coming to church on sunday. so we excitedly waited on sunday morning for him and he didnt ever show up. man did it make me pretty sad. I just feel like we have been doing so much to help him. We are constantly thinking about him and what he needs and so it lets me down so much when they dont go through with things they say they are going to do. I just pray that this sunday he will finally come. Man there are times in the mission that are really difficult and really sad when you have investigators who have so much potential and are really awesome and then they reject you because they said that their pastor said that they cant talk to us but at the same time there are some really awesome moments in the mission that make everything worth it. I have really learned to turn to the scriptures lately. I have been reading the Liahona/ensign from october about the book of mormon and realized how amazing the book of mormon is and what a power that it has. I have really learned during my mission to turn to the book of mormon because everytime I do I always seem to recieve that comfort that i need. if you dont read the book of mormon daily i suggest that you do it because it is councel from a prophet and i really do believe that it helps so much through the day. i know that the book of mormon is the word of god and was so happy to hear that you guys have been giving out book of mormons! how awesome you are all super missionarys!!! love you all lots and lots! you guys are the best ever!!! have an awesome week!!!!

love,
Hna Van Wag

11.7.11

Hola Familia!!

This past week was a great week. On Friday we took a 7 hour bus to resistencia with a bus full of missionaries. It was pretty crazy but fun to be with other missionaries. When we got to Resistencia they split us all up and sent us off to different hermanas apartments who are serving in Resistencia. There were 12 hermanas sleeping in one small apartment basically just people all of the floor. It was literally crazy but fun. Then on saturday morning we went to the church and listened to Elder Christofferson and his wife. It was such an amazing experience. I feel so lucky to be here at this time because it is not very often that someone from the 12 comes to our mission and for me I felt like it was the perfect time to come. Almost at the half way point of my mission to get me excited. Its so hard to explain the feeling that I felt but there was such an incredible spirit in the room as he walked in and as he shared his testimony. It just was another strong witness to me that what I am doing is correct and that this is without a doubt the church of Jesus Christ. We also had the opportunity to shake his hand. So AWESOME! It was also super awesome to see all of my friends from the mission. The best part for me was seeing my mtc comp and some of the people from my mtc district! oh what a wonderful weekend!!

The missionary work is still a little slow at this time in our area. We are working hard with our friend Senor Morales who is the man in the wheel chair to get him to church. This is like the 6th week that he hasnt come. Ahhh! I dont know what to do! When we teach him he loves it so much and he says that he knows the things we are teaching him are true and even last thursday he invited his friend to come listen to us and during the whole lesson he was teaching his friend the things. It was so awesome to see him teaching and inviting his friends to listen to us. but the whole coming to church thing has been a problem. Hopefully this sunday we can see a miracle happen! We need your prayers!!! :) Well I dont have a lot of time so its a short letter this week but basically i love you all. Hopefully you have a wonderful week. I am so grateful for all of you and your support during my mission. YOu are awesome!!!

Love,

Hna Van Wag

P.S. I recieved the letters in spanish from the sisters in the ward. I absolutely love them!!! Thanks so much!