Gridos

ear family and friends,
So this week has been great.  It started off the same and I was really tired and kind of depressed, but a few things changed that and now I´m better than ever.
First off, we had zone meeting this week in Rosario.  We got to watch the priesthood session of conference which was pretty cool and a little weird for me.  I´ve only ever read the talks and never seen it.  But I loved it.  After the meeting I finally got my package!!!  Ya, the beef jerky lasted about a day.  And the sad part is that I didn´t share that.  Shared everything else, but I was selfish with the jerky.  Also, the zone leaders asked me what was going on because I went to the doctor (a waste of time) the night before.  They offered to give me money for all the expenses (not really their money but the money they have for emergencies) but still, it was nice to have them know what´s all happening and why I had to run to the bathroom in the middle of the meeting.  I promise, I wouldn´t if I didn´t need to!
Wednesday something awful happened, I couldn´t breathe without pain, but what´s one more thing?  And it only lasted 3 days and I´m fine now.
Thursday we had interviews and I woke up with energy.  I was just so excited.  I got to talk to President Giuliani and it was just amazing.  He gave me a blessing and I know I´m going to be ok.  I decided that I´m not going to another doctor.  I´m done with that.  I´ll just do a bunch of tests when I get home, but I don´t want to waste anymore time or the church´s money.  One thing the blessing said was that I have to look for the blessings from everything I´m experiencing.  I realized that I´ve been praying for charity since the start of my mission.  And now I´m starting to feel a compassion for people that I´ve never felt before.  Not exactly the way I wanted to grow in that Christlike attribute, but the Lord knows what I needed to grow.
So big news, we´re teaching a family.  Hermana Smith and I contacted this family but it never worked out before.  The dad´s a member and his parents are active in Florida, but he has drinking and smoking problems.  Hermana Jimenez and I contacted the family again one day with a member and the mom told us that we must have fallen from the sky.  She´s really excited to learn more and she´s been reading the book of mormon with the kids.  Monday she called us to set up an appointment.  Let me repeat, SHE called US.  It´s amazing!  We had a family home evening with the whole family and they are really progressing.  They can´t get baptized because he has to get divorced and then they have to get married, but the kids will probably be baptized first.  Every time we go though, we´re just so excited about the work when we leave.  Definitely a huge blessing to find them.

Now for your questions:
How has the weather been?  Are your clothes still OK?  Are your shoes holding up?
Weather, awful.  Hot and humid and rainy.  My clothes are great, a little small now, but great.  and my shoes are still great.  I´ll probably start using the other black ones when I hit 9 or 10 months

 

How is your ward/branch?  Have you given talks in Sacrament meetings?

Our branch is fantastic.  I love the members!  They feed us a lot!  And no, we haven´t given talks but we teach institute and mission prep every week.

What do you do on Pday? Do you still get together with your zone to play sports? 

On p day we go to Galvez almost every week and hang out as a district.  We play volleyball, uno, and cook.  This week we made tacos and guacamole!  Soooo good.  And we always eat at grido´s!  Ice cream!!!  Yum.

Are you having problems with fleas?  Can you buy flea collars there or should I send some in your next package?

No problems with fleas yet but lots of cockroaches.  We just find them dead everywhere.  And huge spiders.  I pray every night that they won´t climb on me in the middle of the night.  I´m also getting eaten alive with mosquitoes.

I'm sending one more package for your birthday that you will probably get after Christmas.  Do you want anything else that you haven't asked for yet?  Do you want any drink mixes?

Music.  Not motab.  And candy.  Anything gummy or hard candies as well

Did you ever get the package I sent in July?

Yep!  I got it this last week.  Thank you so much!  It was opened though, so I would send the next one in a box.

Well that´s all for this week.  Love you all!

Hermana Borup

Conference!

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for all your support and for keeping me informed.  You know me, I always love to know everything about everyone.  So letters and emails are always welcome, but forgive me if I dont respond to everyone.

So this week was full of traveling.  Started with Tuesday to get blood testing.  We went to Rosario, got the blood testing and then got free breakfast.  Free does not exist here so that was super cool.  Hot chocolate and facturas?  Don't mind if I do!

Wednesday I was pretty sick so we stayed inside in the morning and then had an awesome day of teaching.  We saw Marta, who's still on date for the 26th and she told us she couldn't come to conference but she would come to church this next week.  She just happened to be traveling to the other side of Argentina.  Dang it.

Thursday we got a call saying I had to do a few things for my visa in Rosario.  So we went to the mission home that night.  Hermana Smith was there and Hermana Myler (who came with me and was Hermana Jiménez's last companion) so it was a party.  So much fun to see them again.  The next day was full of paperwork and then nice elders giving me treats.  Seriously, we have the best office elders.  Ice cream and goldfish?  Yes.
After paperwork we went and got my results and then sent the pictures in to the doctor.  By the time we were done, all we had tiem to do was have a lesson with a less active family.  Crazy day.  And my thyroid changed again.  Back to Oshimotos.  So I have a few more tests to do.  And because my stomach swelled up this week and I was having trouble breathing, I have a new theory.  Gluten allergy?  Maybe.  I have no idea.  But I looked like I was pregnant.  It was fun.

Saturday we went to conference!!!  And I got to stay for the second session with special permission from president.  The others had to go because they didn't have investigators.  I needed Elder Holland's talk.  Nothing else to say about that.

Sunday we also went to conference and didn't get home until 10 (we had to watch the sessions in Rosario at the stake center). 
So conference...  Marriage anyone?  missionary work?  I was in the english room and every time they mentioned marriage the elders and hermana mueller and I groaned.  No, I really did love every minute of it.  I'm so grateful for the speakers.  I loved Elder Nelson's talk and President Monson's the best.  I felt like they were speaking to me.  And Elder Bednar's talk on tithing?  Yes!  I want to encourage everyone to take Elder Ballard's invitation seriously and reach out to at least one person before chirstmas.  I know if we all do that, missionary work's going to explode.

It's a great time to be a missionary!  I'm now excited again.  Health problems still exist, but I'll do what I can.  I can feel my Savior beside me every step of the way.

I love you all!

Hermana Borup

Tour Guide of Arroyo Seco

Hello family and friends!

Oh boy what a week.  Awesome though.  So after I finished writing last week we found out that Hermana Smith was being transferred.  Complete surprise.  So we spent the rest of tuesday saying goodbye to members and less actives.  She was crying all day and the next day on our way to Rosario.  It was sad to see her go but the people of Rafaela need her.  But I miss her. 

The hives continued all tuesday night and I didn´t sleep at all.  But wednesday they went away and they haven´t come back.  Overdosing on benedryl can be a good thing afterall. 

My new companion´s name is Hermana Jiménez and she´s from Santiago, Chile.  She´s awesome.  She served in Santa Fe for 6 months and this is her second area.  It´s weird that I have more time in the mission than my companion, but she´s a better missionary than I am so Arroyo Seco´s in good hands.  All wednesday we were waiting for the other two sisters to come but we had a dinner appointment, so we went.  We got home a little late ( I felt really bad) and there were the office elders and the new sisters waiting outside the apartment.  They had been waiting for quite some time.  They´re names are Hermanas Ospinal (Peru, newbie) and Mueller (washington).  They are both rather shy and so the apartment hasn´t been quite as fun as I was hoping but we´re getting there.  Hermana Ospinal still has her pre-mission expectations of what the mission would be like and so she´s had a rough week, but things will get better.

Thurday morning I gave them all the tour of Arroyo Seco and then we worked.  Hermana Jiménez can contact like I´ve never seen anyone contact.  This week we have 6 new investigators with a lot of strong possibilities.  I´m so excited about it all.  We also had a lesson with Marta (her husband was the one that delivered water to the sisters 4 years ago) and she accepted a date.  It´s kind of tentative for the moment, but I was so excited.  I love her so much and it was the first time I´ve ever cried during a lesson.  I couldn´t hold back my love for her, weird.  I guess I really do have a heart mom.  So ya, successful week.  Arroyo Seco´s going to be a ward soon!  I just know it.

So about my health... ha.  Yesterday I woke up sick, AGAIN.  We went to church and I lasted until the last 5 minutes of sacrament meeting (sacrament meeting is last) and then shooting pains up my back.  I was in so much pain that I couldn´t hold back the tears.  So we left early and went to the bathroom.  Probably the most embarrassing moment of my life.  I got a blessing afterwards that said I need to get medical help.  But one thing´s for sure, those weren´t muscle pains.  It´s not from all the walking and everything else the mission brings.  So one more thing to add to the list of health problems.  Tomorrow I´m getting blood work done, so we´ll see if anything´s wrong there.  But I´m just so sick of being sick.  But when I´m at my lowest points I always think of Ether 12:27.  Maybe I won´t ever be healed completely, but for some reason I´m having all these health problems and I need to learn from this trial.  Who knows, maybe it will help me relate to someone that needs me and then this weakness will be made into a strength.  I´ll keep you updated.

And this week I also turned 7 months in the mission!  Wahoo!!!  It´s the longest I´ve been away from Weston and Mom and Dad.  Crazy how fast the time flies.  Hermana Mueller finishes 9 month in 2 weeks and we have to do something extra special for that.

Until next week.  I love you all!!!  Please write me!  Oh and my package finally got here!  I´ll get it on friday!

Hermana Borup

7 Months and Going Strong

Dear Family and friends,

I first just wanted to say thank you for all the letters and emails.  Most missionaries say that after 6 months they are forgotten and then they start getting letters again when they have 3 months left.  Not me!  I got a record number of emails this week so thank you and sorry for my short responses.

This week was interesting.  Remember how I said I had a little cold last week?  Well that cold turned into a big cold.  So I called Hermana Giuliani and she had me call the doctor.  We decided that I need to test my thyroid again, so I have an appointment with a specialist on thursday and we'll see if that's why I keep getting sick.  Because this is ridiculous.  So that took up a good chunk of the week.

Then when we were about to have a normal day on thurday, we got a call from the office.  Two more sisters are coming to Arroyo Seco!  Wahoo!! But that meant that we had to get everything ready for them.  As in buy a bunk bed, a table, mattresses, etc.  So that was most of thursday, saturday and yesterday.  But the furniture came today and everything's ready.  Minus, we still haven't found blankets.  They can share one right?  No but I felt super cool and grown up.  I went furniture shopping.  In argentina.  By myself.  Mostly a nightmare, but kind of fun!

Sunday not a lot of people came to church because it's been raining.  So not even the councilors or the relief society president came.  it was bad.  But a member brought lunch for us and when we opened it up we saw a roasted chicken.  A whole chicken.  With the scales and some feathers on it and everything.  I didn't get a picture!

Yesterday we cleaned and waited for the furniture that never came.  And then we were at a less active house eating dinner when I noticed I was very itchy.  all on my neck and cheeks and back.  And then I was having a hard time breathing.  so I took a benedryl and waited whiel the family freaked out and wanted to take me to the hospital.  Nothing happened so I took another benedryl.  20 minutes later I decided we should probably go home without giving the lesson we wanted to give.  I got home and changed and saw hives all over every inch of my body.  I went crazy.  I took a shower and by then, the benedryl made me sleepy so I went to bed.  This morning I still have the hives, but they aren't as itchy.  I have no idea what could have caused them.  Weird.  My body loves me.  I'm trying to remember that I wanted a body though.  That it's a blessing.  That my dizzy spells are normal.

That's all for this week.  I'm a lot happier though and I know we're going to see miracles in Arroyo Seco this week!

Hermana Borup

I love Coffee!

Not really, malta, which tastes like coffee, but still!  I´m in love!

Dear family and friends,

This week started out miserably hot.  I was sweating everywhere.  I couldn´t get dry.  after running in the mornings, I would be dripping.  Too much information?  Just trying to paint a picture.  And then on Thursday I woke up and put on some airy clothes and it was freezing.  What?  Argentina´s worse than Utah with the weather.  It´s been cold and raining ever since and I have another cold.  Great.

But the members are starting to realize that I can´t eat as much as past missionaries.  They still call me the grandote, but they serve me less and don´t make me eat another plate.  They can call me what they want because I´m finally feeling good after lunches instead of having stomach pains!

Estevan was baptized!  Remember my investigator in Utah that couldn´t be baptized because he was on probation?  Well he was baptized last week and I´m soooo happy.  He´s amazing.  Probably the biggest turn around I´ve seen yet on my mission and I´m so grateful that I could see him progress.

I´m sending another package of letters soon!

So this week was draining.  We´re working with a lot of less actives and they are doing fantastic!  4 different families came to church this week!  But we have no investigators.  We´re looking and looking and trying to get the members involved, but they´re getting tired.  I woke up exhausted.  More tired than I´ve ever felt, but we´re going to keep working to find the prepared ones!

This week we also had to Rosario.  An area seventy, Nicolas Di Giovanni came and spoke to us.  It was an amazing conference and gave me the strength I needed to keep going.  I even contacted on the bus ride home (something I never do because I´m usually sleeping) and I met the most amazing lady.  She took a plan of salvation pamphlet and was excited to read it.  And she´s from Arroyo Seco!  Wahoo!  It was a booster for sure.

Yesterday there was a car show, so there was loud music right outside during sacrament.  The first counselor started dancing.  haha.  And then the man giving the last talk sang a whole hymn.  It was fantastic.

Love you all!

Hermana Borup

Like Father Like Daughter

Dear family and friends,

This week I started a diet with my companion.  I´m too much like dad sometimes.  But let me explain, I´ve been having really bad back pains, and I think it´s because I´ve gained so much weight.  So I´m losing for a health thing and also to feel better about myself.  But it´s gonna be great.  It basically just means no facturas and no dinners, just lunches with members and something small for breakfast.

Paulino was baptized yesterday!  It´s amazing to me how many things can go wrong for a baptism.  The day before we went to the church to do the program and as we were turning on the computer, the power went out (a regular occurance in Arroyo Seco).  Then we got to church early to organize things well, but our ward mission leader was late and the font was filled with cold water because of it.  Also, we lost our keys to our apartment and to the church and Presidente Guttierez (Dad´s a little bit of a stalker, another thing I learned from him) announced it in sacrament meeting.  So after church we were running around trying to finish getting everything ready, but we also had a croud of members around us asking us where our keys could be.  It was very hectic.  But the baptism started and it all went away.  Paulino had to quit smoking and drinking, so it´s been a long road for him, but he was so prepared.  I love him!

This week we were also yelled at by a crazy man.  He was fat, didn´t have a shirt on and started yelling at us while we were tracting.  He started to kick the wall and punch it, so we decided it was time to leave.  We have no idea what he was trying to tell us.

In district meeting this week I had to give a little training.  It was on courage.  Ya, I have no idea how our district leader chose that one, but I think it went alright.  I just talked about how fear is the opposite of courage and also faith, so when we have a lot of faith, we have a lot of courage.  Or something like that.

On saturday there was the caminata de la virgen de San Nicolas.  So there was a parade of people that woke up early to walk with the "virgen" from Rosario to San Nicolas.  They passed through Arroyo Seco and it just so happened we were walking that way already, so we walked with them a bit.  We got to see a very happy priest in all his robes, drinking mate, and dancing to the christian spanish rock music so it was all worth it.

So we also had zone meeting this week in Rosario and I have to say, I think Argentina´s a step behind.  We were trained on the exact same things as in Utah 3 months ago.  Also, we´re changing key indicators and how we do them here, which is a big deal.  It´s gonna be like how we did things in Utah and I´m super excited for it!

Mom, if you want to send a birthday or christmas package, it probably needs to be sent before october.  In november the mail system crashes and there´s a delay of about 4 months after that.  I don´t really need anything except a spray bottle with a fan (the one that can go around your neck).  It´s so hot and it´s only going to get worse.  And a jump drive would be nice (they´re super expensive here).

Love,

Hermana Borup

Pictures next week!

6 months!

Dear Family and Friends,

So this keyboard struggles and i may have errors everywhere.  Please forgive me.  I do know how to spell... sort of.

So I feel like my emails home haven´t been as spiritual lately.  Believe me, I´ve had lots of spiritual experiences, but sometimes I think it´s best to keep it to myself for now.  Some have been life changing.  But one little one from this week I do want to share.  Remember that little lesson we had a few weeks ago with a less active? haha maybe not.  Well i was a really powerful lesson and we´ve gone back a few times since then.  Saturday we took a member and i was the best member present lesson i´ve ever had.  It took work to get her there, and the tv and music was going on the whole time, but the spirit was so strong.  Her name´s Isabel and she´s super shy and I think that´s why she stopped coming to church.  We went by her house on Sunday morning to take her, but she was already at church!  alone with 3 other less actives that we´ve been working with.  It was a strong testimony to me that people need to feel love from the missionaries, from our Father in Heaven, but from the members as well to progress.  Please be the members that every missionary wants in your wards.

 

I´ve also been thinking a lot about the difference between a missionary that plants and one that harvests.  I´ve been called a planter so many times that if i hear it again i might cry.  No missionary wants that.  They want to harvest and see the baptisms and the progress.  But I don´t think any missionary is one thing.  This week we met two new investigators that are golden.  it´s their time right now.  4 years ago, the man delivered water to the sisters in arroyo seco.  One of the sisters gave him a book of mormon and a card when she left.  Fast forward to now and we talked to his wife who remembered the book.  The next time we came over she had found the book and had started reading it without us even inviting her to do so.  We went over again last night and had an amazing lesson on the Restoration.  But it just came up.  we were on our way to another place, and they were sitting outside with friends drinking mate.  We stopped, sat down and started talking to them like friends.  Then their friend asked us what we believed in and bam, the spirit was there.  I´m so grateful for that sister missionary that planted 4 years ago.  We never know when it´s someone´s time, but it´s our job to keep inviting. 

So this week was the week of creepers.  One lives right by the church and yesterday he stopped us and asked us why we couldn´t stay in Argentina with him forever... ew.  Then today we had another one while we were waiting for the elders who asked to take a picture of us and asked hermana smith all kindsof questions about her eyes.  Gross.  We just keep ignoring them the best we can.

This week we had to go to rosario for capacitación especial.  yes, we are 6 months into the mission and still training!  yes!  But it was actually really good and i learned a lot from president Guiliani.  I love that man.

 

Got to go!  I love you all!  good luck at school BYU students!

Hermana Borup

 

Hermana Smith cooking pizza with a less active

 

The elders threw a party for us at district meeting for our 6 months.  They even sang for us.  Don´t worry, I got it all on film.

all the sisters at the special training.