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

Baptisms baby Baptism!

Dear Family and Friends,

I can´t wait until I get to Wednesday in telling you this!  The familia Narducci´s getting baptized!  The kids have dates for the 16 of November, but Eve, the mom, needs to wait until she gets married to Franko, the dad.  They were going to get married in August, and for some reason they didn't, but now they´re thinking the 29th of November so she can be baptized the 30th!  She was really sad yesterday in our lesson because she just kept saying, "I want to be baptized too!"  It was amazing and I´m so happy.  On top of that, two other investigators accepted baptismal dates.  They are both old and I´m not 100% sure they understood why they needed to be baptized, so it´s going to take a little more work.  Also, I think the man, Estevan, is in love with me.  So we also have to make sure he didn´t just accept a date for that either.  Every time I teach something, he interrupts me and asks me a random question about my life.  huh.  But please pray for all of them, Eve, Franko, Lucas, Nazarena, Maximo, Dominga, and Estevan.

So we also had exchanges this week with the asistentas.  I ended up going to Funes and I was with Hermana Aragon from Mexico.  I got to teach English class so that was pretty fun.  I also got pooped on by a bird and got a bloody nose in the bus.  That was not so fun but an adventure!

Yesterday we had stake conference in Rosario so none of our investigators came.  It´s hard for everyone to go to Rosario.  The buses aren't reliable and expensive and almost no one has cars.  But they´ll come next week.  It was voting day in Argentina so we ended up waiting for the bus for 2 hours and getting to the conference 45 minutes late.  A trial of my patience.  But we got there in time to hear hermana giuliani and presidente giuliani speak.  Afterwards, we went up to talk to them.  President basically told us that one of us is going to be transfered.  I´m praying that I can stay in Arroyo Seco a little longer, but if I need to go I´ll go knowing that Arroyo Seco´s in good hands and I did all I could do.  

I seriously love Arroyo Seco.  I´ve been here longer than any other area and it´s only been 11 weeks!  I love the members, I love the less actives, I love the investigators, and I love everyone else too.  I love this work and I know it´s true.  Everything we share as missionaries.  I´ve seen the lives of people change as they recognize the truthfulness of our message.  And I´m so grateful to be a representative of Jesus Christ.  8 months, yikes, but I still have 10 more!

Hermana Borup

ps pictures are of mud, 

 

hermana vanessa and denise that came with us to two lessons!  

 

And familia narducci minus franko and juanita (4 years old)

 

This is at the monument, we got to go to the top and it´s the most famous part of Rosario!

Yes, I look bald.  And fat.  Because I am fat and I didn´t feel like doing my hair.  It´s pday, give me a break!

 

 

The elders also.  It´s a good group

 

 

Pictures

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow what a week.  I don't even know where to start.  But you're getting pictures this week so I probably won't write very much.  So everything was pretty much normal until wednesday.  Wed morning we went and had a lesson with the mom of the family we're working with (la familia Narducci) and she informed us that Franko (the dad) is legally married.  As in, any minute they can get married and that they have those plans!  Wahoo!!!  And that night the daughter (Nazarena) went to mutual and loved it.  So ya, wednesday was a great day.

We were planning a halloween party for the 31st in one of the towns we work in, but we had to change it this week because an evangelical church started passing out fliars saying halloween was satanic.  So to avoid any possible negative feelings towards the church, we changed the activity to the 16th of november.  We're still going to have the kids dress up and everything, we're just not going to call it halloween.  Anyway, so we were passing out the new invitations to the people in the town and it sounds like the activity is going to be a huge success.  They told us that they were already getting their costumes ready.  So... I think we're going to find new families to teach there.

Thursday afternoon, we were sitting inside just about to start weekly planning when it started pouring.  It was weird because it was super hot all week and then it just poured for an hour.  We went outside and played in it.  The water was up to my knees!  It was a lake.  And there was a frog!  And it was the funnest rain storm i've been in.  Until it came time to go out and we couldnt because we couldn't walk anywhere.  But our apartment did not flood!

Weirdest part of the storm was that we had electricity throughout but the lights went out the next day.  All day.  We were trying to have a lesson with Hna Isabel (the less active I love that I talked about my first week in Arroyo Seco) and she was super frustrated about the light, so we got a candle and ate pizza and read the scriptures by candlelight.

So saturday we went out tracting and usually we take turns speaking.  I did the first house so it was Hna Jimenez's turn.  We get to the house and we hear a boy's voice singing and playing the guitar.  She rings the doorbell and the voice stops.  We knew what was going to be on the other side of that door so we started fighting over who had to talk.  In the end I spoke first.  Out came a very attractive boy.  Awkward. Turns out he plays the guitar and sings for an evangelical church.  We had a really powerful lesson with him and his mom in the end, but it was pretty funny.

That night we had a lesson with the familia Narducci.  It came time to have the closing prayer and we reminded Nazarena that she promised to say it.  She was embarrassed and hesitating when her little brother Maximo said (8 years old), "le prometio señorita."  But the way he said it we just bursted out laughing.

Yesterday was mothers day in Argentina and they came to church!  Sacrament meeting was soooo boring so I hope they come back.  They were all yawning and wanted to leave... it's in the lord's hands now.  Also, we had quite the feast at Hermana Isabel's for her daughter's birthday and then we went to say hello to our mom of Arroyo Seco (Hna Silvia).  She told us the best news yet... both her and her husband want to come back to church and he wants to have the priesthood!!!  We screamed.  It was exciting!

Love you all!  Have a great week!

Hermana Borup

PS. Dad, tell the joke.  Mom, his name was Craig Van Wagonen.  Jump on that family.  They moved into the ward for a reason.

Pictures in Playa Hermosa, where we're having the activity

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