A Wonderful Week- But Never Without Heartache

President and Sister Benton, (left) Raul, (center) and

Hermana Jensen and her new companion;

Hermana Brittany Johns from Idaho!

Raul Antonio Cappanna (left)

baptized by Guillermo Martin Villareal

So our baptism was so special, but let me just say that it started off HORRIBLE! We got there an hour and a half early to calmly get everything prepared and we found the font completely full with nothing but COLD water. We had delegated to the Aaronic Priesthood to turn on the faucet that morning when they got to the chapel for fast offerings and unfortunately they filled it for 4 hours with cold water. I began to bucket out cold water into a drain while we re-lit the pilot light in the thermotanque and started adding hot water. We finally figured out how to drain it from the bottom and we did that for about an hour while we added hot water on the top. I also got in about knee deep and agitated the water with a broom and my leg. One of the APs showed up with one of the Office Elders and helped… it eventually was good enough… I guess, I’ll never know how cold or lukewarm it was in the end.
Needless to say when I first encountered the problem and was bucketing out water I was also crying. Graciela found me crying and went to tell Raul who showed up 40 minutes early like a good boy and he came in to help us light the fire and said not to worry because it didńt matter and that he would get baptized no matter how cold it was. I wiped away my tears and tried to do my best to solve the problem and I guess it all worked out. Later when I asked Raul how cold the water was he responded saying something precious in castellano about how there was fire in his soul and that he didńt feel the cold or something like that. He truly is golden!

The President and his wife weren't able to make it for the baptismal service, but were there after to visit and have refreshments. The reason was really sad. I now solicite your prayers in behalf of 2 of our missionaries… Elder Wall (who has a year in the mission) had his 48 year old father passed away suddenly from complications of a surgery that led to a blood clot in his brain and he never woke up. President Benton got the call Saturday morning before our baptisms and was breaking the news to Elder Wall during our baptism. From what they told us, he is doing more or less OK, but what can you expect. As if that isńt bad enough, the very next day, Sunday morning the Pres. got another call. Elder Fish (who has been out 7 months) lost his 48 year old mother who passed away of a heart attack on Sunday. We are all devastated. It broke my heart to hear of these 2 sudden and completely unexpected deaths. All of the missionaries are praying for the Elders and their families and I ask you to join us and pray for them too. It doesńt look like either of them will be going home for the funerals, but I could be wrong.

I was able to sit front row and center when Elder Nelson spoke to us on the 13th. It is great to be a sister missionary because we get reserved seats for all the good meetings and I was the 7th of 350 to shake his hand! It was so amazing that he chose to leave us an Apostolic blessing in which he blessed our families. Tears streamed down my face as he looked me straight in the eyes and blessed our families for our service. He did not know that 2 of our Elders had each recently lost a parent. I cried because I couldńt imagine how painful it must have been to hear such a blessing given in light of the circumstances. However, after the meeting, but before the Apostle left the building, we were told that he went to speak with Elder Wall and Elder Fish. We have no idea what he said to them, but we were all grateful that he did and hoped that maybe he would give them a blessing.
The talks were really good. The theme was, "The Lord Uses the Unusual to Accomplish the Impossible" cool, huh? Obviously he likened it to missionary work. His wife who spoke before him talked about how the littlest things can totally destroy us. She said "Dońt blow it" and we loved it! So true.
We got caught in the rain again. We had an umbrella-- but not our boots or coats. In seconds it was pouring down and it was almost 9 p.m.-- and it was cold. We huddled together under one normal umbrella and went straight to the pension where we wanted to drink my hot cocoa, but couldńt because the next day was Fast Sunday...but last night we had our hot cocoa and we took pictures! Lightening in Argentina is sure a sight to be seen! HUGE bolts and lots of them, and thunder too… but only once in a great while, but when it does thunder it shakes buildings! For fun!
We miss Wendýs… that is what all the missionaries talked about in the micro (like a 16 passenger van) to and from Belgrano where the meeting was with the Buenos Aires North Mission and Elder Nelson and his wife. Anyways....yeah, we miss Wendýs.
Today we went to JUMBO – kind of like WalMart, and I spent $170 pesos buying good shampoo, conditioner, mouse, gel, Ponds face cream, more sheets for the summer, groceries, and a pair of hand held weed cutters for a service project wére going to do. Wére going to cut all the plants down and with the supervision and assistance of the Elders have a huge bonfire! Ím excited!

Ím really loving the mission and dońt want the time to pass me by. Ím really so happy and working hard.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
Hermana Jensen