Called To Serve. Kara's Argentina Adventures.: 1.3.12

Hey there!

Can you believe that it is already 2012? How crazy huh? Another year has past! I have been thinking a lot lately in what could be my new years goal! I am still in the process of figuring them out! haha Well us poor missionarys again didnt have any plans or invitations for new years and knowing that new years is a holiday of drinking we knew we werent going to have much success knocking doors so we sadly called members to see if perhaps we could stop by for a bit at night and luckily the members who is always there for us (Dora) happily invited us over for the night. So we ended up spending new years eve night (until 11) with Dora and her family. I was lame and went to bed. I didnt even stay up to see the fireworks. but from what I have been told it sounds like New Years here is pretty much the same as christmas. They all have their big bbqs and at midnight light off fireworks and basically drink and party all night. I dont think I missed much. Its not like I am a huge fan of meat anyways. and sadly none of our investigators that said they were going to go to church on sunday showed up. I am kind of ready for the holidays to be over so people can calm down a little bit and wont have as many excuses. haha even though we know they always make up some sort of excuse. haha

Well this week was an interesting one. On friday around 3 in the morning I was woken up to hearing my comp crying and pounding her leg on her mattress. Honestly I was super out of it and I just assumed that she was crying because she was sad and missed her family or something so I didnt say anything. Until about 2 hours of crying later she asked me if I had advil or something because her ear hurt really bad. So I gave her advil and went back to bed and didnt hear much more. In the morning she told me that she was pretty much awake all night with killer pain in her ear but that she was feeling better. We then went out and worked an then had lunch with a member when she said that the pain was back and it hurt bad. So guess what we had to do? yep I had the wonderful privelage of experience a lovely hospital in Argentina and I would like to say that I never want to have that experience again. Can I just say that we are blessd in the United States to have nice clean hospitals. Man what an experience. I just felt dirty the whole time. but it seems like my comp is doing better and hopefully we will be able to work. Man it has been difficult because it seems like almost every other day that she feels sick with something so it kind of hinders our working a little bit. but we are doing what we can!

We are working a lot with inactive members right now and trying to find them. There are like 1500 members here and about 50 active. There is a lot of work to do! Our mission president told us to not even knock doors but to just focus on finding these members because a lot of times there are members in the family who have possibility of being baptized. I am hoping we have some success with that because right now I dont know what is going on but it seems like everyone is in their own little world and dont want anything to do with us. so the members it is!!! haha Well, I hope all is well! Things are well here! We continue working hard and learning lots! Man is there a lot to learn here on earth huh? I feel like there is not enough time to learn!

Love you all lots,

Hermana Van Wagenen

pic 1: Christmas eve in the church!