April 14, 2009

Yeah For Answered Prayers!


Enjoy this email... it is FULL of happiness.

Happy Easter! Ready for the best thing in the world? Antonio and Andrea were baptized on Easter Sunday with a ton of their family from all over Buenos Aires in attendance to support them. It is so exciting to know that people all over the world are able to experience "the miracle of forgiveness" in it´s fullness and be baptized. Andrea literally glowed when she climbed the stairs all wet. It was beautiful to think that Heavenly Father has provided us a way to be made clean again. It was wonderful for me and strengthened my testimony of the atonement a bunch. I feel like all of that was possible because of your extra prayers offered on their behalf. That thought occurred to me and stayed with me... that it was because of all the prayers.

Before I forget... it was so much fun putting the little booklet of Spanish LDS song lyrics together. It was like an awesome jigsaw puzzle and I had a ball cutting it just right and putting it all together and then gluing it and coloring it. Thanks for the lyrics and for the half hour of entertainment! I´m not even kidding - I was giddy putting it together.

Last night we had our weekly FHE with Antonio and Andrea and are slowly working on being able to teach their adolescent boys. We read a scripture about temples and then glued spaghetti noodles to a poster board and reconstructed the Buenos Aires Temple. It was super fun and turned out way better than I imagined. I did the Angel Moroni. You will see pictures eventually. I can´t wait to do the same thing with my own kids some day.

As Fall comes - it makes things more complicated because the last hour of proselyting is when you want a jacket, but all day long you don´t. I usually suffer the cold the last hour because I´m too lazy to carry the jacket all day and pay attention to not losing it.

Question: How old was Isaac when Abraham almost sacrificed him? The pictures always show him as a 12 year old boy, but I read somewhere or was taught at BYU in a religion class that he was actually a 30 year old man. I know the info is out there, but we are restricted from http://www.lds.org./ If you find a talk on it would you send it to me? I´ve got the APs curious and they want to know too. Thanks.

Now that I am all better I can tell you about what was ailing me... for almost 4 months I had this weird rash under my eyes that I couldn´t cure for the life of me. I tried Neosporin, I tried REAL aloe vera - like cut from the plant. I tried vegetable oil, I tried no makeup for 3 weeks. I tried it all and then Hermana Benton had me put Hydrocortisone on it - VERY CAREFULLY - and after 5 days I was cured! All the little bumps went away and the skin stopped drying and peeling. Cool huh! I couldn´t tell you before, but now that I´m better I can tell you. :) I am so happy to have medicine and the cool part was that when she suggested it I already had some in my supplies because I was sent off well stocked with all that I might need!

What are the odds - ever since you sent me that Tide to go pen I have been staining my clothes left and right. It works pretty well, I must say. How funny is that!

We hear songs in English in the buses and the Internet joints and it makes me quite trunky... like I want to start singing and dancing. Not like I want to go home... just that I want to indulge in music that has absolutely nothing to do with the work. But alas, I sin in wanting to rock out to the Carpenters in a colectivo.

About the money - yes you converted it right. A ten peso bill is worth just under $3 and I was happy as pie!

We happily brought the Ranch dressing to the 'all you can eat' pizza joint and they wouldn´t let us use it. I already had some on my plate, and even added a little more before we put the cap on and stowed it away. Lame - like adding ranch is going to somehow increase my capacity to stuff one more slice of pizza in my stomach and break the bank for them. I don´t see it happening - if anything it would have made us be full quicker!

I love you all so much and have never felt so blessed in my life. This last week the mission literally changed for me. We had great success. I felt truly guided by the spirit and we found people who wanted to listen. I know the Lord hears and is answering my prayers and pleas. I love the mission more than I can explain. I know that I am here for a reason.

In the baptismal service of Antonio and Andrea, Marta the sister of Antonio, said in her talk that they had had contact with the church for so long and that Andrea had been taught by so many missionaries, but I guess Hermana Hansen had to come and with her perseverance help her progress and make this decision. Yes… Hermana Hansen… my name is a hard one to pronounce here! Either way, it was funny and an honor to know that I really did make a difference in the lives of this couple and their family.

I love you, I can almost feel you in front of the computer waiting for this to be sent... thousands and thousands of miles away.

Sorry my hour is gone.

I love you all SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!


Hermana Jensen!