Craziest Week of My Mission!

Hello all!

This week was insanity! Here is the rundown.

Monday- I talked to the president and learned that I was being transferred. He told me that he was sending the office elders out with the truck to come get us and that I needed to pack my stuff. So I packed my bags, and an hour later I was on my way to the offices.  After getting to the offices we had to wait around about two hours for interviews.  After that we switched companions, and I headed off to my new area in San Justo.  

Tuesday- We woke up in the morning and my new companion, Hermana Patrone, told me that we had exchanges with the Hermana Training Leaders.  So I packed up a backpack, and we went to district meeting.  After that we had the switch, and I went off to Ramos Mejia to work with the Hermana Líder Entrenadora.  Tuesday was actually the most normal day, and we worked hard.

Wednesday-  It was supposed to be the last day of the exchange.  We woke up worked out, got ready, did personal study, and started companionship study.  All morning my temporary companion (the hermana leader) for the exchanges said that she didn’t feel well.  Half way through companionship study she got up and said that she needed a second.  She walked into our room for a couple of minutes, and all I heard was her say, “Hermana.” I walked in there, and she was on the floor.  She was unconscious and had a fast heart rate.  Then her pulse dropped, and she stopped breathing.  I jumped into a super calm mode and started ordering people around.  I told one of the two other sisters in the apartment to call president and the other an ambulance. I checked her pulse again and listened for breathing sounds, and then I yelled at her and ORDERED her to breathe!  She started breathing and the emergency people on the phone told me to sit behind her and sit her up with her head against my chest. I held her like that and waited for help. I think we were all praying the whole time. Finally, President showed up with the Hermana Carter and one of the assistants, and then the paramedics, and it was quite the morning.  The health guys did an EKG in our apartment to check that she was okay, and then they left.  Then, after about an hour and a half later she finally regained consciousness and talked to President.  Then, President left for a minute with the Hermana and Assistant came back and told us to pack our stuff for a night because we were going to the mission home.  First we went to lunch and  ice cream, and it was great.  But I was still a little shaken up.

After lunch, we went back to the mission home.  On the way home President said, “Hermana Walker, do you trust the Hermanas in San Justo to pack up your stuff?” I shook my head yes.  He then said, “Welcome to Ramos Mejia, Hermana!”  It was one of those statements full of meaning because my new companion is sick and only has two weeks in the area herself.  It is also a really hard area of the mission and the area of the Hermana Training Leaders.  It also meant that I had three companions and three areas in three days. When we got back to the house my official new companion, the Hermana Castellanos,  went upstairs to sleep, and I ended up talking to president for about an hour before the Hermana Carter asked me if I would go with her daughter to work out.  So there I was at 4 in the afternoon working out in a beautiful park in the Buenos Aires North mission with Briana (who is awesome by the way, and we were friends after like 5 minutes).  That night we ate at a burger place that tasted really close to one in the States.  Heaven.

Thursday-  We woke up, got ready, and headed out.  At about 8 we got back to our apartment.  My companion, still exhausted, went to sleep and I unpacked my stuff.  At about 11, we ate lunch and then just lay in bed talking.   Then my companion said that her heart was beating really fast.  And two minutes later she is out again.  And this time we are alone in the pench.  I called president and was frightened because my companion was once again having a hard time breathing. I sat behind her and held her with her head against my chest again. And an hour later President and the Hermana Carter and the assistant show up again.  At this point I am really shaken up but holding it together. 

After about an hour or two we headed to the offices of the church in Buenos Aires for my companion to talk to some doctors.  They check her out thoroughly and cleared her to go. It was the Carters’ anniversary so we all went out to dinner. We then spent the second night in the mission home.

Friday- To stay under watch of president, we remained in the offices all day.  It was fine. We just read and slept and stuff.  However, my companion didn’t have any shoes because her last pair just broke, so the Hermana Carter sent us to buy shoes.  We went and bought the shoes (You know I enjoy a little shoe therapy.) When we were heading back to the offices in a remis (taxi), you’ll never believe what happens next.  We got in a car accident!  When we were at a stoplight a lady didn’t see us or the red light and hit us hard from behind.  She didn’t even brake, and the car didn’t have headrests so I was shaken up pretty bad.  My companion was luckily slouched in her seat.  So finally after the driver talked to the police and everything we got back to the office.  At this point my companion is still not feeling well, almost died the two days previous, and we just got in a car accident and my back hurts.  Holding it together was not going to happen again.  We walked into the office, and I started breaking down crying and president said, “Don’t worry Hermana, we are going to take care of you.”  So for the third night in a row, we headed back to the mission home.

Saturday- We rested all day. We talked.  I love Sister Castellanos--she is a beautiful, kind person and amazing.  I'm excited to work with her. That night we had the baptism of Juan Carlos.  It went well. We slept in our apartment this night.

Sunday- The confirmation was great! Then my companion wasn’t doing so great, and the assistants picked us up and we headed back to the mission home.  My companion and I both had great talks with President.  We made some pancakes with the Hermana for President and the assistants.  Slept great. And...

Monday-  Today a remis came and picked us up from president’s house and drove us back to Ramos Mejia straight to the cyber where I am now emailing you.  

That is all that has happened this week.  Nada mas.

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

PS. I cleared it with Sister Castellanos to share this story on the blog.

Dinner with the Carters and the assistants and the Hermana Castellanos.

The Hermana Castellanos y yo

The baptism of Juan Carlos

I Don't Know What I'm Going to Do about the Cold!!

Hello all!

This week we were confronted with something that I have not yet encountered on my mission: Cold! Because I had to wait for my visa, I was in the States for spring, summer, and part of fall, and then came to Argentina for spring, summer, and fall.  But now that fall is in full swing and we are approaching winter, I am getting more and more scared. I am cold.  On Saturday when we had 0 new investigators and really had to go out searching, it was so cold and super, super windy with a little bit of rain.  Every time someone rejected us I was just thinking “Do you not have a soul? Look at us out here in the cold, windy rain. You’re really not going to let us inside for a minute?”  I kinda feel like a real missionary--real missionaries go searching in the rain! Haha. But really, I’m nervous about my first winter. 

We had a hard week, but like always we made it through.  Mom, you asked about miracles, and so I thought of a spiritual experience yesterday that was amazing.  It is something that happens all the time, but it always surprises me and is always a miracle. It is true that when it comes to missionary work that if you “open your mouth, it shall be filled.”  So yesterday at the end of the day, we had a lesson planned in the house of members.  These members are legit the mom is a member for many years, and her son is a 23 year old return missionary and our ward mission leader.  The dad, however, is not a member, but super awesome as well!  Last week our WML invited his dad to come watch conference, and he came! Yay! Yesterday, we stopped by to talk about Conference and living prophets with them.  It was great our WML and his girlfriend shared what they learned, and the mom, and then the dad said, “I don´t know they all talked about good stuff, but I didn’t really learn much because it all seemed to be directed to the youth.”

After that moment it was a little hard to feel the spirit, but my companion is a champ and thanked them and shared our message about prophets.  After she finished she looked at me obviously saying that it was my turn to talk.  I had nothing to say but knew that what that father needed was to feel the spirit.  I started thanking all of them for their comments and what I had learned from what they shared. I thanked our WML for his comments about worthiness and the priesthood, his girlfriend for what she shared about the power of receiving answers to questions, and the mom for talking about the love and charity.  And related all of those back to how we just really need to align our lives to be more Christlike.  Then, I turned to the father. (And what I am about to describe was all the spirit not me.) I said, “And thank you Hermano for sharing your thoughts about how they were talking about the youth.  You are right, they did talk to the youth, and that is probably the biggest example that we have that there are true living prophets and apostles living today.”  There was silence--that was a bold statement and the spirit just entered the room like a semi truck, I have no idea what I am going to say next but continue, “Because I don`t know about you, but I think that if these were normal 80-year-old men and women they would not know what to say to the youth of this generation, if they did not receive revelation-- Directly. From. God.”  I continued on that for a little and finished with my testimony of our prophet and his apostles and everyone, but especially me were shocked. It was amazing. “Open your mouth, and it will be filled.” When we walked out of the lesson Hermana Figueroa said, “Wow, I have never thought of that point before Hermana that was perfect.”  Still stunned, I said, “Neither have I.” I said a prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for the divine revelation that I had received in that moment.

Other than that we just see miracles everyday and are busy doing to work of the Lord.  With only four months left I am getting tempted to lie and say that I only have 9 months in the mission, because if I tell another missionary that I have 14, they call me a grandma :)

Have a great spring break! I love you all!

xoxo, 
Hermana Chloe

Love you, Marc and Nic!!

Hello!

I am in Ramos today so internet is fast, and I could watch the videos!! Thank you, Camron, for sending the video! I definitely started crying in the cyber!!! Don't worry I got the whole thing on tape! Love you, Marc and Nic!! I am so happy for you, Chile and Peru. Guess I'll see you in two years!!  How are you feeling, Mom? Just thinking about them leaving makes me cry as I am writing this.

My email is going to be short this week because I am probably going to spend the whole time watching the videos over and over of my brothers' mission calls today.  I know that everybody is super excited that we are all South American and Spanish (and I am too), but I also had another thought when I read that: "Looks like I´m not the only one that needed to learn humility." Haha. But really I am so excited for you Marc and Nic! Jealous that you guys still have your 24 months.  I am excited to speak some Spanish with you in a month so you can hear what you are in for. Just in case you wanted to know, Nic, in Argentine Spanish your mission is called Wancuysho. Haha.  

I know that all of my emails have been a little distant lately, but I feel like that is a direct result of just dropping everything and moving closer to the Lord.  There have been a lot of trials that have come with this last transfer, and I have had an amazing increase in strength with my realtionship with my Father in Heaven.  He has helped me feel His love and your prayers to keep going.  Just know that I am forgetting everything in a quest to find better. 

I loved Conference.  I think that President Monson and the Presiding Bishop were my favorites.  If my life is only four minutes, then my time in the mission is like 13 seconds, and I better make the most of every second. I loved that whole analogy.  I also loved President Monson because his talk was the answer to one of the questions that I brought to Conference.  I wanted to know if there is something more that Heavenly Father expects me to learn or start learning on my mission.  I got a very clear answer that it is charity.  So I will be studying up on that one for the next four months.

Love you all! Loved Conference! Neither my companion nor I are being transferred. We shall see what is in store this transfer for Hermana Figueroa and I.

xoxo,

Hermana Chloe

The hermanas at training.

The hermanas in my District.

The hermanas in Las Heras.

Hermana Figueroa y yo.

My crazy district leaders on the left.

My zone! We had a soccer tournament! My team won the world cup!

Silly companions.