We got here Tuesday and I didn't want to get off the bus. I wanted to go to Montevideo with all my friends and to see Hermana Laursen but they made me get off and we went straight to work. Hermana Lopez and I hugged and laughed at the odds of us being put together again. Everyone was freaking out; it's the first time any of us has heard of it happening. I wanted to start off on the right foot though and I think we did. We went to the house. Our bedroom has no window and is growing mold all over the walls, so we moved our beds to the main room because I can't breathe in that air at night. It makes me sick. In the meantime, we are looking for a new house.
My new bedroom
We started out discussing the area and what was going on. She told me it was HUGE. And when she said huge, I didn't understand what she meant by huge. But we have a lot in our hands. There have been no baptisms for about a year. Rough. It's a branch. Luckily, we have a church building but it looks more like a house. It's the first time I've been in a branch and not a ward. It will be interesting. There are 500 members who live here, but of course, they are all inactive. Hermana Lopez told me that her previous comp wasn't looking for people to baptize. They were just working with less actives. In my entire mission, I've probably only had about two families reactivated, but not because of us... because the members helped them. They were teaching family after family trying to activate them, but it wasn't working. Frankly, they were just wasting their time. I told Hermana Lopez that was going to change. It took a long time for me to get it drilled into my head, but we are here to baptize. And I don't have much time here. Thanks to a blessing I got on Monday from Hermano Barreto, I know there are people here waiting for the gospel. I know I need to find someone here before I go and with not much time, I told her we gotta get to work. LUCKILY, she is on the same page as me on that. The good thing about my comp is she has a strong testimony, she knows why she's here and she works hard. That's something I've missed the last little while. It's only six weeks. I have to make the best of it.
We decided we had to go to each leader; meet them, gain their trust, show them we're here to work hard, and let them know we aren't here to activate people, but to strengthen Zion here in Progresso by bringing new children to the fold. We did just that. We now are ready to start working with the members. It took a week's worth of prep, but we had to clean up the old stuff and get ready for the new. Luckily, we are already experienced in that because we did the same thing in Sarandi.
It's always hard coming to a new area because everyone misses the old hermana. And being American is sometimes hard to be accepted into their culture. I've been trying to use my smile and laugh (like dad told me) to gain people's trust. I think it's been working. I'm just trying to keep my head up. It will only get better from here on out.
The area itself... I finally feel like I've arrived at what I imagined my mission would be like. It's a busy city, but also some fields and stuff. It's really loud here. I got so used to the country that my ears hurt. I kinda miss it back there in Sarandi and I miss seeing the horses and animals. It's busy here, but all dirt roads, and it's poor. Probably the poorest area I've been in yet. It's cool seeing this side of Uruguay though, hard to work in but... it's okay. It's got more culture than any other area I've been in. We have to take a bus everywhere and we got on the other day and this guy and girl got on with OLD guitars. They just start playing guayan music, it was SOOOOO AWESOME! I was so mad I didn't have my camera. I was happy and he looked at me and smiled while singing and I gave him a thumbs up and while playing he gave me a thumbs up. haha It was cool. That's the kind of stuff I'm seeing here.
After we had worked on Tuesday, we get a call on our cell and it was Hermana Laursen. She was crying, and she told me she was sad because we werent going to be able to see each before I left. She's training - white washing. It's not very often a trainer gets to see their trainee, train. She's going to be awesome. I missed her lots after that. She still is with an American, all four of her comps were from Utah. That's funny.
Sooo... so much for not letting anyone know how much time I have left. First member we have lunch with and he looks me in the eye and says I'm finishing here. What!!!! It was lame, but the old comp told everyone about me. So, everyone knows I end here. Dang!
So... our idea for now to get members involved in the work, I want you guys to do the same with us. We are telling all the families to pray for a family, someone who isn't a member. They have to pray to choose who it is and to know if that's the family the Lord wants them to choose. We are going to the church, we don't know what day yet, but we are going to put together welcome baskets (no one here knows their neighbor). That night we will put together a basket of jam, cookies, and goodies, but most importantly a Book of Mormon with their testimony. We are going to go out and have everyone deliver their basket, get to know the family, tell them who they are, that they are members of the church and invite them to a FHE. You guys can invite them to whatever you would like. Then... we come in. We will go to the family night and try and teach them. It's going to be awesome and it was truly an inspired idea. We are really excited. With the area so big and with no investigators really, we have to work with the members to find those who are prepared for the gospel. Anyway, I want you guys to do the same thing the same day... try and share the gospel with someone. You gotta do it as a family and it will take some courage, but it'll be awesome.
Yesterday was such a good day. We went to stake conference in Las Piedras. Right when we got there, I realized that San Jose would be there. I got super excited. I told my comp I'd probably see a bunch of people I loved. Welp, right when we got there, a bunch of people came running at me and hugged me. It was such a great reunion, laughing and feeling that love. The Ramon family and other people I grew to love so much were there. We talked with them the whole time. It was so good to see everyone and I felt so good. Ery Ramon grabbed both my hands with his and said I was always welcome in their home, there will always be space waiting for me and my family and that they wanted to meet my husband one day. He also told me they we going to make my wedding dress. Sweet, huh? It was just good.
Awe! a sweet reunion with loved ones from San Jose
Then we went to lunch with the branch president. We hadn't had the chance to meet him because he lives like 20 minutes away in the middle of nowhere. They have a pool, ranch, five horses, and many other animals and a nice house. They spent the whole day talking with me, which guayans don't normally do. They asked everything about me and I felt their love. They have four kids and after learning that I had a Jeep, my dad had taught me to shoot, I liked to draw and I came on the mission for good reasons, I totally won him over. He said, "All that I'm missing is a son for you to marry." haha It was funny. He gets discouraged sometimes, but we told him our plans to help the branch and he was very willing to listen. He says whatever we need to further the work, he will give it to us and he called an emergency "missionary work only" ward council this week so we can make a plan, get everyone on our side and get the work moving. Despite the long week, the tiredness and other slight trials... I'm excited to see what this area will bring. We are doing everything we can. I can't even make it to 10:00 at night without falling asleep. We come home, plan and I zonk out before I have time to do anything. We are working hard and I hope I will be around to see the results.
I love you all. I gotta go. Be good. This church is true!!! Love, Ash
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