Kara's Letter from 8/23/10

I got a new companion today she is from Illinois! I love her to death! It's weird to be able to have an opinion about things. She asked me what I like to do on my p-day I didn't know because my old companion just planned everything for us my say didn't matter to her. My companions name is Hermana Castillo she looks like a native speaker but she isn't. She is 9 months into her mission now. And she loves to play football so we will get a long great!!

This week was really good I did a split with a Hermana in a different area and she came to my area. Her name was Hermana Compos she doesn't know any English but we had an amazing day! And I realized that I knew a lot more Spanish then I thought, I just lacked confidence in it. She had 4 splits that week and she said I was her favorite because we were both learning so much and trying so hard it was amazing.

My new companion said the key to baptisms is to love the people. She said were going to have a ton of baptisms. All we need is love and she is full of love. I love it! The president of Argentina is in town and were going to see if we can pass by and take a pic with her!!

I taught the plan of salvation this week to some families it was amazing to see there change and see how much they loved the idea. I'm finally happy on my mission and its a really cool feeling. I can understand almost everything in Spanish about 90%. And I don't have to translate anymore the words make sense in Spanish. I love it.

Oh and we live on the 2nd floor of our house and we have an extra mattress. So on p-day we slide down the stairs. It is a blast we just came up with last week.

Love,

Hermana Morris

Kara's Letter from 8/16/10

This week has been amazing and this transfer too. I have an investigator named Carmen she has been an investigator for 9 months and couldn't be baptized because she wasn't married to her husband but he died last month. Our goal is to baptize her children with her. So we're teaching one son and two grandchildren because they are the only ones that will listen. The spirit is so strong when we teach them about where their dad is now.

When my companion realized that everyone who didn't have a chance here to learn the gospel will get to learn about it in the spirit world she was like "what am I on a mission for if they will all learn it latter." I tried to explain it to her but she didn't get it and then she just let it go. Oh my companion I love her.

We have been teaching Mayra for 3 weeks now she is 17. She loves and embraces everything that we teach her it is super awesome. She came to church on Sunday for the first time and loved it so much. She is so amazing. I can't wait to baptize her she is amazing!!

We have a a women named Fabianna she is 23. She lives in a cinder block house and one side doesn't have a wall. She has a 2 year old little girl. When we were teaching her that God loves her she said "if God loves me then why do I have to live here with my daughter?" We told her that we all have our challenges are for a reason. A couple of lessons later she prayed and in the prayer she thanked Heavenly Father that she has food to feed her daughter. Even with how bad off she was she was still grateful. And it has been freezing here so no wall is a big deal. IF someone with no wall can be grateful and still enjoy life then we can to. It makes me look at things differently. My trials are not that bad there is always someone worse off!

Hermana Morris

Hermana Conference

Kara was able to attend a Hermana conference and meet all the sisters in her mission. She said she had a great time. She also says the Spanish is coming along better since she is speaking it more. She also reports that her mission is the hardest thing she has ever done! But that she loves Argentina.

Also this last week she says she played soccer for 4 hours on her p-day. So now she is sunburnt and tired but she loved it. Also she says she tried Argentina stake for the first time and loved it. And that she is learning to cook a lot of food.

She also says that there investigator Jorge has set a baptism date for September. She says they had been teaching him for a while (2 months) and finally had a softened heart after hearing someone bear their testimony to him.

This taught me a lesson that I need to share my testimony more often with others. It is good to hear that Kara is doing so well :)

Picture FUN

So Kara must have had extra time this week and sent me a few photos to share with you. I hope you enjoy them since it took a while to get them in the right format to post. The captions below the photos are what Kara wrote about each photo. So Enjoy!When Argentina was playing in the world cup for soccer there was no one on the streets. It was dead and when we clapped at peoples houses they would either get mad or not answer. Argentina lost and a lot of people cried it was really funny they just looked at me and say "you don´t understand how I feel." I said you are very right I don't! Then they would say "well the US lost last week." I would just laugh and say "yo se esta bien (I know all is well)." Oh man I love Argentina :)
I believe this is my 2nd day in the mission I saw this really cool looking plant and wanted a pic those were very hard days I had to get use to walking everywhere everyday and the area is huge but I love it so much now!!!!This is my trip to the Indian ruins it was so much fun. I bought a bag while I was there. The Indians live in these really small mud houses. I learned that the reason missionaries don´t live in mud houses here is because there is a certain beetle that lives in them and if he bites you will have heart problems the rest of your life. Crazy! But our whole zone went it was so much fun. Look I was even taller then the door hahaha
At the Indian ruins they had these cactus's. It's crazy how big they are there were tons. And when we were standing on a ledge one of the Elders shoved one of the dogs and he almost fell off into a field of cactus. I hate dogs but that would have been so so sad to watch!
One of our investigators was telling us she couldn't go to church cause she had to walk behind Mary. I was so confused because there are status every where of Mary but they are in the ground. So how do you walk behind her?? Then I heard music playing this Sunday and realized they walk all around town holding this statue of Mary and playing music. It's super weird but they do it every Sunday. HA HA and they think we have a weird religion!
I don't even know where to start! It was really cold and i put my pants on the mini heater and walked away. I came back in and there was smoke everywhere. I melted my pants and the heater. Our only heater! But it still works it didn't really heat anything up in the first place. That same week while I was at church I was sitting up against a heater and my skirt got burnt. It was so sad I loved that skirt now it looks like a pee stain yuck!!!

This is Hermana Vilma and I eating these buñuelos. They only make them in Jujuy. And they are amazing!! Hermana Vilma is the Relief society president in our ward. Some inactive members came and made them for an activity and they are divine!!

I don't have any baptisms yet but its a work in progress. I made a goal this week to only speak Spanish this is my 3rd day and it is so so hard! But I'm learning so much faster!! The only investigator that is going to church every week is Ariel. And Ariel won't stop doing drugs. We made a potential baptism date for him on the 3rd of October but he needs to stop doing drugs.

We have another investigator named Carmen she has wanted to be baptized for a long time but she wasn't married to her husband. And he has not divorced his first wife. We tried to teach him and have him do the paper work to marry Carmen but he wouldn't. He died about 3 weeks ago. So we were reviewing the discussing for baptism with Carmen and come to find out she doesn't remember any of the lessons. So were re-teaching everything and she is praying to know if she should be baptized. Oh I love Carmen!

Anyways I got to go I love you all. I promise I'm doing my best. Out!! :)

3 Days of Snow

Her is Kara with Hermana Pippia in the snow. Kara said that is snowed for three days and that it is very cold there. Which for me is weird to think about since it has been over 100 degrees in Vegas for the past several weeks. She says that in her apartment they have no heater and that you can see your breath while breathing. She seems to be making the best of it. She reports they are singing Christmas songs in July :)

She says one of the sisters their Herman Ryder has helped her come up with a study program to help her with her Spanish and now she is learning a lot faster. She also says she is loving her mission and the people there.

New companion Hermana Pippia

Hermana Pippia and Hermana Morris. This is Kara's new companion on one of there P-days they went on a hike to some indian ruins nearby in Welcuta . Kara reports she is doing well and that her Spanish is getting better. She says she can now have whole conversations in Spanish and that she can understand more then she can speak.

I'M HERE!

I made it! I am finally here. OK so after my forever flight to Salta Argentina I spent the night with the Hermana missionaries in Salta Argentina until they decided where I was going the next day. The heater was broken in our room so we froze cause its winter here so it gets cold at night and without a heater we might as well be sleeping outside. Then when I went to take a shower there was no hot water. That is why I look so ugly in the picture with the president.

I thought to myself please don´t send me to Salta cause one of us had to stay in that apartment and the other one took a bus to Jujuy. Well shortly after that I met with the mission president and he sent me to Jujuy!!! and my MTC companion stayed in Salta.

My Companions name is Hermana Pippia she is a native to Argentina. We live with two other sisters and one is from Chile the other is from Uruguay its awesome living with all lats. My Spanish is coming I can understand a lot more. Now Don´t worry by companion speaks English she is going to school to be an English professor.

I still have no heater but its OK i think someone is coming to fix it today. I´m sore everyday in places I didn't know you could be sore like the back of my knees lol. I love the feeling cause it lets me know I´m working super hard everyday. I just wish it would be less painful. We have cockroaches in our kitchen lol.

The people here are really humble I love teaching them I've only had one door slammed in my face so far. They call my mission the promised land cause there is so much success. My companion has been here for 3 months and baptized only 1 person but I think its because we never followed up with the people. We are now and we have 6 baptism dates for next month and 20 new investigators.

I can´t wait until I can speak fluent Spanish then I could do so much more. When I got here I came to this weird cold country where everyone spoke gibberish. I felt like I kept running at a wall with Spanish over and over again but the wall wasn't moving. Now I've grabbed an axe and I'm chopping at the wall. I have some holes made where I see the light. I understand a lot more. I'm so happy the lord has blessed me with the gift of tongues.

I've been totally humbled by being here everything is in the Lords hands now. I just do my best everyday and leave the rest up to him. I know this where I'm suppose to be right now and its a real good feeling. I've got some souls to save so I'll see you all later :)

Hermana Morris