Sister Drama

 

 

This week was full of traveling.  On Tuesday we had a conference in Rosario for the hermanas in the mission.  It was the best!  I got to see Hermana Smith, Hermana Jimenez, Hermana Lake, Hermana Miranda, and Hermana Mueller... and everyone else.  But the office elders served us lunch with bow ties and towels and everything.  I loved every minute of it.  But the other hermanas here in Arroyo Seco had some problems so they talked to president afterwards for a long time and Hermana Dean and I got to talk to Hermana Giuliani while we were waiting.  She´s so cool!  She does zumba every day in the mission home and we´re going to go to classes afterwards together. 

Then Wednesday we went to General Lagos and worked there.  Still can´t find Delma, which makes me really sad,  but we did find a few very strong potentials.  We´re going back tomorrow morning.  Then it was off to district meeting and the zone leaders were there.  Apparently the sisters hadn´t worked out all their problems because there was an interesting conversation there.  They think the way that I divided the area is unfair because they have no members on their side.  I did the count of active members, they have way more than us.  So our district leader´s going to look over that.  But it´s kind of been an uncomfortable week because they have problems between them, and they´re looking for any excuse to why their work isn´t going very well.  I can now finally understand why my friends never wanted sisters in their zone.  Sad, but it´s true, they can get scary when they´re mad.  I felt bad for our leaders.

Thursday Hermana Dean and I (the member specifically asked us not to invite the other sisters, again, problems) did a service project in Playa hermosa all morning.  We painted a house!  I´ve been waiting my whole mission to do this and I finally got to do it!  So much fun!

Sunday, the familia Narducci came to church!  Also, Hermana Isabel told us that she´s noticing the difference in her week when she goes to church and when she doesn´t, so she came as well.  And another less active we´re working with.  It was the primary program and it was so cute!  Maximo and Nazarena Narducci participated!  Nazarena even read something!  And then Eve got a blessing after the meeting and it was super special.  The member that gave it to her was visiting from Galvez and he was shocked at her faith.  They are basically members, they just can´t get baptized until they work out a lot of things.  Eventually.  It´s another Estevan from Utah I think.  When the day finally comes that they can be baptized it will be very special.

So that´s us.  Trying to keep working and finding new people.  Everyone we´re working with needs to get married first, so our goal this week is to find a new investigator that can get baptized. 

I´m pretty exhausted these days.  And I could really use some letters or emails.  I´m just trying to keep going! 9 months, it really has gone by fast.  Hopefully I´ll have enough energy for the next 9!

  Thanks

Hermana Borup

 

 

 

With hermana Jimenez in the conference

Painting the house

The primary program

 

 

Activity in Playa Hermosa

Dear Family and Friends,

So I haven't mentioned this yet, but I've turned into a cry baby.  I cry all the time now.  This week I cried during a lesson and that's only the second time that has happened to me.  I don't understand it!  Well, I do, but I'm hoping all this crying wont stay with me after my mission. 

So Tuesday we got some bad bad news about an investigator.  It probably broke my heart more than anything else has on my mission.  Unfortunately, it's extremely confidential and I can't explain.  But I think I prayed harder than I ever have.  And we went back to that house wednesday and talked about the priesthood.  My district leader asked me why, and I don't really know why, but we just felt like she needed a blessing and to understand the role of the priesthood more.  So she's getting a blessing this week.  It was special because her son was also in the lesson and I think it made him want to prepare to receive the priesthood even more.  Benefits for both.

But that was the only set back this week.  The week was spent mostly preparing for our activity in Playa Hermosa on saturday.  Somehow there was miscommunication and the other sisters thought we were doing everything, so that's what we had to do.  But the activity ended up going really well.  It was a costume party and 5 non member families came with their kids.  And we're already teaching 2 of them!  Success!  But this is how the activity went.

We played about 9 games, eggs race, 3 legged race, oreo on the head, etc.  and all the kids were under 10.  And there were about 30 kids.  And we were there for 3.5 hours.  I almost went nuts.  And I decided afterwards, I'm never having kids.  But it was also fun even if the other sisters turned up 2 hours late. 

Today we had a zone activity in Rosario, that's why I'm emailing so late.  We watched Monsters University!  It felt so weird watching a movie like that, but we can on birthdays and zone activities.  On my birthday I want to see despicable me 2.  Ya, I've already decided. 

We're having a really hard time getting our investigators to church.  Please pray for them.  Especially our investigator that has a baptismal date, Delma.  She's scared to change religions and she's come to church before, but didn't go inside.  I think she has a lot of fear of change.

Mom, the pictures are like that because I'm fat and I ask the person taking the pictures to not zoom in.

Those books I probably can't read but if you want to send another package I would love more taco seasoning and apple cider!  And music!

I love you all!  Thanks for all your support and I'm sorry I haven't written letters in a while.  If you write me, I promise to write back eventually!  And my birthday is coming up... letters!

Hermana Borup

pictures: some of the kids, and the mask I made

One of the girls with the egg

Hermana Dean and I

Just kidding, they aren't loading so next week!

A pretty normal week

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was pretty normal in comparison to some of the other weeks I´ve had in Argentina. 

Wednesday Hermana Jimenez and Hermana Mueller left to train and Hermana Dean and I were alone because Hermana Ospinal went to pick up her new companion.  We went to General Lagos to work and then eat with our branch president, but I looked at my clock wrong and got to President´s house an hour early... ooops.  I guess I was just really hungry.  But we ended up working for another hour and had a great lesson with our investigator named Delma.  She accepted a date for the 7th of December.  She´s amazing and came to church last week, but no one was in the hall so she left.  Ah!  But she didn´t come to church this week.

Thursday everything was normal.  Friday we had zone meeting in Rosario at 9 in the morning.  Usually our zone meetings are during siesta, but they changed it this time.  So we had to wake up early in order to get there on time.  And then afterwards we ended up having to wait 1 hour and a half for the bus to get there because it was raining.  It was horrible and I wasn´t too happy because my back was hurting a lot.  But in the meeting we talked a lot about family history and how to use it as missionaries and that got me excited.  Obviously I had the two callings I did in college for a reason.  So I´m excited to talk to everyone about family history!

Saturday a lot of our plans fell through, but we were able to have a lesson with the Narducci family.  Bad news, well not bad but bad for me because I´m not perfect.  Franko wants the kids to wait to be baptized.  He wants them to really know what they are committing too because of his own experiences with the church.  On top of that, Eve fell out of their truck on Friday and broke her ankle and tore up her back.  But they are still progressing and all of the kids came with us to church.  They were a little bored in sacrament meeting but I found ways to keep them entertained.  It was a one time deal though because this week Eve will be able to take them because she´ll be able to walk.  We´re going over tomorrow to help her out around the house. 

Sunday our only investigators that came to church were the Narducci´s.  But Hermana Isabel was there and so was a new less active we´re working with.  Hermano Labat came at the beginning but only to talk to Presidente Gutierrez.  He doesn´t want us going to his house anymore.  I about cried when I heard.  I´ve been working with the Labat family since I got to Arroyo Seco and Hermano Labat was coming.  I have no idea what happened.  But I know that there are others out there that really want to come to Christ and that´s where we need to be working.  I will always love that family and I still pray for them.  I hope that one day their hearts will be softened.

Last night we were on our way home when a man yelled "how are you?"  It´s normal to hear things in english so I kept walking.  But Hermana Dean stopped to talk to him.  Turns out he was from New Jersey and he lives in Rosario now!  It was so weird to tell him about the gospel in English.  I stumbled over a lot of things because I´m so used to talking to people in Spanish.  Ha but it was a fun experience. 

Today we played kickball with the elders and volleyball.  I still love this district, even if all of them are different from when I first got here.

Love and miss you all.

Pictures: well the only one I need to explain is the ice.  Yep, hail the size of golf balls came down Friday night.  Destroyed a lot of roofs and cars.

Hermana Borup

PS mom can you accept Eve Muñoz on facebook for me?

You're leaving... Just kidding!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week was probably the craziest of my life.  So many different emotions rolled into one.  First off, Tuesday... oh Tuesday.  We finished the day and I was literally dragging my feet.  I had no energy left.  So I went to bed.  We got a call that night from our district leader saying that I was training a visa waiter and that I was leaving Arroyo Seco.  I cried and I couldn't sleep at all that night.  The next morning I started planning my goodbyes and getting things ready to leave.  It was going to be perfect, because we had a lesson planned with the familia Narducci and lunch with the relief society president.  But then I texted the zone leaders asking them where I was going.  They must have been confused because they then called me to tell me I was not going anywhere, and I just had to pick up my new companion at the mission home the next day.  Elder Martínez!!!  Oh my goodness.  So then it was obvious that Hermana Jiménez was going.  But I was so happy to be able to stay in Arroyo Seco for another transfer!

So Thursday I also didn't get to sleep because I had to be in Rosario at 8:30.  So I got there with puffy eyes and ready to meet my new companion.  We had a training meeting on how to help the visa waiters adapt to Argentina and then in they came.  All 30 of them!  Huge group!  My new companion's name is Hermana Dean from Utah.  She started her mission in February with me but had to wait for her visa for 8 months!  She served in the Washington Tocoma? mission and never taught in Spanish.  So her Spanish is at a beginning level.  Other than that little set back, she's amazing and so excited to be here! 

Thursday I also got to talk to an elder that looked really familiar to me.  He was in my freshman ward at BYU and served for 4 months in the Salt Lake City West mission.  When he told me that it was the first time I realized that I've changed a lot since freshman year.  It was kind of exciting to see the changes in me and it gave me hope that I can still change even more!

Friday was another crazy storm, but this time we were in the streets.  We got soaked and I felt bad because it was Hermana Dean's first day, but it was fun.  And Saturday made up for it.  4 new investigators!  And 8 lessons in one day!  I've never had that much in Argentina.  That just doesn't happen here, but it did on Saturday, and it will again!

Sunday everyone said they were going to come to church and then no one came.  We had 58 people in attendance, which is the most we've ever had, but only one investigator, and she's the other hermanas.  The familia Narducci didn't come because they had a birthday party, so we changed their baptismal date to the 23rd.  We found out after church that Delma, a new investigator came, but there was no one in the hallway so she left!  No!!!  We're seeing her tomorrow and apologizing.  I'm praying she will come again. 
And yesterday I did not feel so good but we cleaned the apartment and had a few lessons in the afternoon.  I have a random fat lip? and swollen eyes?  But I'm used to random things by now. 

Glad to hear all about New York and that mom had so much fun running the marathon! And Annie and Covey!!!!!!  Yes!!!!  Congratulations on the engagement!

I also got Alyssa's announcement in the mail this week!  So cute!  Congratulations!

Love you all and I'm so excited for another packed week in Arroyo Seco, Playa Hermosa, General Lagos, and Pueblo Esther!  I love this work!

Hermana Borup