A few of you owe someone 20 bucks . . .

Because I have made it over a week, and I bet there are some of you who thought that wasn´t possible! Haha.  My life is very different now; I have a new reality.  My goals for next week are to love the people, the ward, and my companion more.  It is just so hard to love something that I feel so disconnected to because of the language.  It seems like the world is moving around me, and I´m just sitting back and watching.

Conference was amazing.  We watched Conference at the stake center which is our chapel, and there was a special room with Conference broadcast in English for the gringo missionaries.  There were three sisters and about eight elders in the gringo room.  All of the talks were such a boost, and I have no doubt that it was not a coincidence that Conference was the week after I got here.  I needed that comfort of Salt Lake. 

Part of my new reality is that I am no longer a celebrity. Haha.  In Salt Lake, the missionaries are celebrities.  Everyone wants to talk to us, take care of us, feed us. In Argentina people try so hard to walk away from me and won't let me talk to them.  People won't even give us the chance to let us teach them the gospel.  I am serving in the Castelar Ward in the Castelar Stake.  It is pretty great.  If anyone was worried (mom and grandmas), I am pretty much in the Park City of the ABAW mission.  My area is very nice; however, it is so funny how diversified one street can be.  In the U.S. a whole neighborhood will be one way, but in Buenos Aires a mansion is right next to a humble home.  It is so interesting.

Once again, I am white washing an area.  One of the first questions I asked President Carter when I got here was do you white wash a lot because that is all I have ever done when I entered a new area.  He said almost never, but they needed to open an area so here I am again, opening, white washing, and preparing for the miracle baptisms that the missionaries will have in 4 months.  Maybe I'll get to stick around for that this time.  

This week I can´t believe that I will have been out on my mission for 8 months! Crazy!! Crazy!!! Those of you who bet against me lost. Hahahaha. But now I feel like I am starting over, and I was so anxious to get here and now I think, wow, 10 months in Argentina is way too much. Haha. I´m sure I will get over that eventually :-) I hope.  

I have decided that it is kinda fun to do things that you know people think you can´t do.  Handle things people think you can´t handle.  That is what I am doing--trying to hang in there through all of the things that even I wondered if I could handle.  But I'm doing it! 

I love you all, and loved hearing from so many people today.  I can make it another week.  I am sure that things will get better as time goes on.  Even my first weeks in Salt Lake were hard.  Now I just have to redo that process all over again.  

Marc and Nic, you two are studs.  The dance looked so good.  I want you both to go back and listen to more Conference.  One of the first talks on Saturday talked about how Conference is for the youth as well and promised you answers to your questions if you will listen.  Take up the promise of our leaders and find answers to your questions.

You know everyone, I have learned that sometimes you have to trust in the Lord because that is really all that you have left.

Sister Morales and I found a place that sells tacos and has salsa.  We are going there for lunch today.  That will make things a little better. It is getting warmer here.  Everything is okay.  It has been a pretty hard week, but I know that it will get better as I learn more. Love you mucho!

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

ps.  Camron told me how to send pictures so I will do that for next week.