Kelby's last week in Argentina

Hello, well, this is my last email going out to y'all as a missionary here in Argentina, I am being released as a missionary. A lot of different feelings. At first when I heard the news until yesterday, I was really sad, really confused. I didn't think I would end my mission like this. To be honest, something that made me feel really bad is when people say they don't have a lot of respect for people who go home early from their mission. I kept thinking about that and started feeling super unworthy.

I basically begged Hermana Alliaud to let me stay, but she said she wants me to stay, and she has been fighting between what she and President Alliaud want and what´s best for me. And if I stay here, she said they´re letting my health be in a lot of risk, not only for right now, but for the rest of my life as it can turn into something for the rest of my life having these problems if I don´t do anything about it. I´ve tried so hard to stay here, but I think I just need to trust in God. It´s not that I don´t want to come home and see everyone, because I do. I think I just feel for some reason like I´m cheating God.

 When i started my mission I promised myself I would never come home early , that I wouldn´t come home until I reached 18 months in the mission. I´ve put it in my mind this whole time that I was going to stay, and give everything I had no matter what. No matter how hard things got, how sick I was, but I put in my mind that I was going to stay here and not leave until my mission was over. Well, I got this news and I think that´s why I´m so down on myself. I feel like I´m cheating myself out too. But I know it´s not my decision, President Alliaud really isn´t going to let me stay. So I´m dealing  with this right now, I´m trying to work on preparing myself to come home and be content with what´s going on. It´s weird how I feel. Super hard to explain. I´m way excited to come home and see you all, but at the same time I, well, I told you how I feel about the other things. But I am excited to see you all.

The truth is, I am so beat. Yesterday I had an allergic reaction to some medicine I´ve been taking and had some hives it seemed like, and my eyes got super swollen, and I feel like right when I am about to come home, everything is just blowing up and new things are becoming more evident and it´s kinda confirming everything, that President really is receiving revelation for me to come home and get better. Know that I love you all, and that I am so grateful to have yáll in my life. I wouldn´t change anything for anything. Thank you for all the support you all give me and for everything you have all done for me. I´ll be seeing you all soon, like really soon.

My last Sunday in Argentina

 Hermana Romeril

Update June 29th 2015

Week of June 29, 2015

Hello familia!!!!

Mom, that makes me so happy that you are able to look at this time (not able to do much because of your foot) as a time to be able to reflect on your life. Ironically. I have had time to do that kind of stuff this week, too. It has to do with my foot as well. I messed up my foot a few weeks ago. I think it is from my shoes and walking so much. But anyways, I´ve been in the house all week, I haven´t been allowed to leave or walk. I went to the doctor and they had me take some tests and tonight I go in to see the results and don´t worry, the mission president´s wife is going to come with me. We´ll know everything this evening. I hope. But know that I´m okay, and that everything is going to be okay, whatever happens. Hermana Alliaud said she is going to send you an email tonight and let you know how it goes, how everything will go at this time. But know everything will be okay, I am sure of it. You will be notified though.

I am so glad you could all go up to Utah and be with the family :) It sounds like yàll enjoyed your time there!! Mom good job for being a trooper and hanging in there with yor foot :) Haha I love Farkle. And Nikolas when he plays. I´m happy Mitch had a good experience at EFY, he´s not dating any girl is he?! I got my eyessss on him ahha. Aw I love that you had a Finklea reunion, sounds so fun!! And that Kath was able to come down!! O cool!!! And Bart and Kami went up there I saw :) Sweet!!!

Mom, know that I´m praying for you and your foot, I have been praying for you a lot, so have the other 3 hermanas who live with me :) I have a lot of faith that Heavenly Father is going to be there right at your side helping you with everything. What are some of the things you have been thinking about bettering this week while you have been home?

Thank you mom for what you said about the members dissing northamericans, this week someone gave a talk about charity and the love of God, having it for everyone. And I looked at this guy that doesn't like me because I'm North American, and thought, even if he doesn´t like me, I still care about him. And I decided to write him and his wife a little note, and in it I shared them DyC 18:10. And told them that I know HF loves them, and that they are super improtant to God. I thanked them for their diligence in going to church every Sunday. My companion and Hermana S had lunch with them and he was telling them how much he couldn´t stand my presence, and at the end when they were walking out of lunch, my companion gave the note to his wife, he wouldn´t read it, but that´s okay. Jesus Christ always says in the scriptures to follow his example in all things, and he never once gave up, so I won´t either!! :)

Mitch, I love you so much!!! I hope you are okay, and I hope you are having a really good summer, it´s getting kinda cold here now nd I feel like it should almost be Christmas because of the weather haha. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

I haven´t gotten any letters from them :( Hopefully I get them soon, I so want to read them!!! :) It is really weird there are only 4.5 months left, for real!! But I´m cherishing every moment out here, good an dbad :) everything. I´ve really come to value our family. Having all these memories from y`all make me remember how blessed I am to have you guys in my lfie. Thank you somuch everyone.

Keeep remembering how much I love you all and how grateful I am to have all of you in my life. Never forget it :) I´m doing really well out here. Enjoying the mission a lot. It´s been kinda hard being in the pension all week, but I have had a lot of time to reflect and think about my life and what notl. You are all amazing, never forget it :) I LOVE YOU!!!
Hermana Romeril

Dinner with the other missionaries

 Concilio de lideres

 Surprise! Hermana Ortiz and I did a surprise for our companions one day when we did splits.  They were going to come home super late one night and we made banana bread.

Update June 22, 2015

Hello familia mia,

This week was up and down!! Hmm where to start. Bueno. We went to Catamarca and La Rioja on Thursday and Friday, we arrived to Catamarca and I felt like I had never left. We were able to see so many investigators and a couple members, and it hit me then how much I put my heart into that area. I love Catamarca. We saw Evita, the less active and it was so special!! I was so grateful for the opportunity to be able to see her. We taught a lesson with her and she said the missionaries stopped passing by to visit her after Hermana Rivera and I were transfered from the area. So the Hermanas are going to start passing by again. We went by and visited Dario and he is doing okay..he had cancer when I left, and he has had it for the past 5 years, and he told me that it´s back again, and the doctors tell him he only has 8 months to live..that made me super sad. But Dario is super positive about everything. He tells me that he is going to keep doing what God wants him to do and he said he knows that God will help him, and that he is happy. So it was pretty hard for me to leave Catamarca, but I am really content to be able to travel there again in another 6 weeks :)
The down part of this week was, well, we had no investigators in the chapel and we had some investigators drop us. They said they already have their own churches and thank you a lot but this isn´t something they want right now. But bueno. Yesterday we had a unique experience at church. There is a family that is super racist and they hate northamericans. So yesterday in church I decided to go and say hi to him. I walked up to him and his wife after sacrament meeting and his wife said hi, and then I said hi to him and put my hand out to shake his and he looked the other way, and he acted like he couldn´t even hear me, and then his wife started making fun of the situation, and I walked away. The sad thing is, that it was in front of the whole ward. Then he went and talked to my companion and told her that I was never welcome to his home and that he was never going to give me food to eat if I came in for lunch, and that he wouldn´t even open up the door for me. And he told her to tell me to never go talk to him again, because he wouldn´t ever talk to me, and my presence makes him mad. But we decided that it´s okay, and I´m not going to give up, because it´s not fair for the other missionaries who are going to come. I will make a difference in this ward in this way, at least I´m really going to try :) :)
But other than that, things have been pretty normal here, thank you so much everyone for your support. Mom i really hope your foot gets better and I hope that you feel my prayers going your way, because I´m continually praying for you. Keep strong. Daddy, I hope you had an amazing Father's Day, Sorry I couldn´t be there, Next year fo sho :) I´m so grateful to have you in my life, I hope you never forget it!! MUAH!!! Have a great week, yáll :) Know I´m okay and I´m happy and feeling so blessed to have yáll in my life!!!
Hermana Romeril

Some of my old investigators in Catmarca.  Now the other hermanas are teaching them. 

 Menos activa from Catamarca :)

 Dario!!!

 Elevator Swag :)

Weekly Update June 15, 2015

This week was a really good week, we didn´t get to go to Catamarca, because all of the colectivos stopped working for 2 days, and the hermanas had a bunch of things going on, so we replanned it all for this Thursday and Friday. I´m really excited!! I´m super glad that you had a fun time in Washington! It made me super happy to hear that you enjoyed your vacay! Dad, I am really proud of you nd your new calling. When I read that, I just felt so good about it for you. I feel like you´re going to be amazing in your calling. I remembered the scripture that says, many are called but few are chosen, and you´re one of the chosen ones. And you´ll be using so much of your spanish! Heavenly Father trusts in you so much. And I know what you feel like, I feel pretty unqualified with some of the callings I have in the mission, but Heavenly Father qualifies us for our callings. We just have to do our best, and he´ll always be there to help us. AH!! Good job dad :) Also, I know that this week coming up is Father´s Day, I just want you to know how grateful I am for you, and how big of an example you are to me. Thank you for everything yuo have done for me growing up, I know I wouldn´t be here on my mission without your help. I always tell stories about you, and I got your card you sent me, I understood all the spanish! And learned a new word, merecer :) I love you dad and hope you have a really really good day!!

But this week we went to BellVille to work with the hermanas over there, and I got to work with Hermana Morris who I went to the MTC with! She´s amazing, she is a really wonderful missionary and I was really grateful to have been able to work with her. Being a Sister Training Leader is so great! I feel like I have more to learn from the hermanas we go visit than they have to learn from me. It really helps me to focus in my goal of becoming more like Christ. To focus on other people and to make them first place. I love it so much. Things are super fun here though. But i don´t have a lot of time, we have to go and visit the bishop right now, but know that I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week. I think you guys are the best, seriously, I´ll tell yall all about this week that comes!!

I love yoU!!
Hermana Romeril

 A little girl in our ward :)

 Got to go on splits with Hermana Morris this week.  This is a recent convert in her area.  Had a really good day with Morris!

 Mi compi y sho

 Y tutcas (a cereal)

 mi eshpanola

 Mi peruana

I have been called as a Sister Training Leader :)

Hello dear family!!

So, I have some news!! I have been transfered from Jesus María to Nueva Córdoba and I am now a Sister Training Leader!! This is an email that President sent me, I´m way excited, nervous, all of the above!

President Alliaud

Queridas hermanas, 

Felicitaciones! Cómo ud. ya sabe ha sido llamada como una nueva hermana capacitadora en la misión durante este traslado. 

Esta es una posición de suma confianza en la que tendrán la sagrada responsabilidad de elevar las vidas de todas aquellas hermanas con quienes sean asignadas a trabajar. 

Ud. deberá ser un gran ejemplo en sus propia área asignada, al tiempo que planifica intercambios con los compañerismos asignados. 

Esta asignación presupone el ejercicio de mucha confianza hacia ud. 
Ud. se han ganado esa confianza! 

Mi expectativa es que por medio de su ministerio, las hermanas de la misión lleguen a ser mejores maestras, con mejores capacidades didácticas para transmitir el mensaje de la Restauración de una manera simple, sencilla pero a la vez poderosa. Para que lleguen a tener una mayor y mejor capacidad de comprometer a sus investigadores, para ayudarles a dar los pasos necesarios para su completa conversión. 

Recuerde que siempre debe trabajar en unidad con los otros Líderes de la Misión, quienes son los que dirigen sus zonas. Uds. deben llegar a ser una gran ayuda para ellos. 

Otra vez, felicitaciones por haber llegado a ser quien es, y por todo lo que llegará a ser próximamente. 

Con amor, 

Pres. Rubén V. Alliaud
Misión Argentina Córdoba

I´m now companions with Hermana Humacata, from Rio Negro, Argentina. She has just one more transfer than I do in the mission! Today has been a fun day, we got to our area and there´s 2 other hermanas living with us, one of them is training so she will get her companion on Wednesday!! And there are 3 other hermanas staying with us too who are also oing to be training, and we made a peruvian lunch with them today and took a quick nap, we´re going to start visiting other areas next week! And a cool part is, I´m going to be in charge of the Hermanas in Catamarca!! SO I´ll be able to visit my first area one time every trasnfer :) I´m pretty excite. Pretty nervous, but I know it will all be okay. 

But to leave Jesus María will be difficult. We  had 3 baptisms on Saturday, Mauricio´s family. It was a really spiritual time. I´m going to keep praying for Hermana Wilson, she was really nervous to lead the area and have a new companion. I know she will be great :) Hey so in my new area we have a washer for our clothes!! I am so dang happy! :) I washed my clothes today and they are so clean!! I have been hand washing them for 3 transfers, it´s amazing how useful a washer is :) Crazy how it´s something so common to have at home, I really don´t take that stuff for granted anymore. 

I hope everything goes well this week!! Shout out to jessica!!! You look beautiful in your graduation pictures!! :) 

I hope yáll know how much I love you and how grateful I am for you. Thank you so much for all the support you give me and for being such an amazing family. I love you guys so much. 

I hope you have a great week!! Sorry I didnt write a lot of details this week, just alot hasn´t happened with transfers and packing. But next week for sure Ill probably have a lot more news!! I LOve you !!!

Hermana Romeril

Update May 25, 2015

So, this week was the best week we have had since I´ve been here in Jesus María. We found 20 new investigators and had 3 people in the church with a baptismal date!! The parents and sister of our recent convert, Mauricio Vasquez!! It was seriously a miracle. They´re all 3 going to be baptized on Saturday, the last day of transfers :) We are both way pumped!! It´ll be sad to leave my daughter of the mission, really these 2 transfers have flown by with her. We´ve found so many miracles here in Jesus María. I don´t really like change. It´s always sad to move companions and move areas, but iré y haré lo que el Señor me mande hacer. This is what I signed up for :) Jesus María is a wonderful and beautful place that I never want to leave. I would be more than happy to finish my mission here, but unfortuantely I don´t think that´s going to be happening!! 

I love my calling, and I can´t believe it´s all coming to an end. A way quick end. Before I know it, I´ll be on the plane on my way back to good ol´Hemet Cali!! 

Mom, good luck with the graduation planning!! I know it will be amazing and a beautful memory for everyone who goes!! :) It´s so weird I was at the MTC last year when you had graduation, it seems like time flies by so fast. Wow. And I can´t believe that Jess is already graduating and I´m super e3xcited about SHombree and her wedding!! Gah!! Do you know what her colors are? So she´s having her wedding on Friday, reception on Saturday, and my homecoming on Sunday (or you're trying to arrange it on that day) right? Wow a ton of stuff going on! Is some of the Finklea side going to be there? I´d love to see them!! 

Sorry this letter isn´t super long, I had to spend a little bit trying to fix the computer so I could send some pics, but know that I lvoe yáll so much! And I hope you have  great week, I´ll write more next week. But thank you for sending me the birthday message!! It was a great day. the people here did a good job of makin me feel loved :) We´ll talk next week! 

Hasta luego baby :) 

Hermana Romeril 

May 11, 2015 Update

hey family!!

First off, I loved talking to you guys for Mother's Day. You guys give me the strength to keep going. I am so grateful to have you guys in my life :) You guys are such an amazing support and such a blessing in my life. Thank you so much. 

I won´t bleach my hair mom, don´t worry :) 

May 8, 2015

So today is the baptism of mauricio Vasquez.  My companion and I wanted to get all pretty for the baptism.  I was going to put on eye shadow, foundation, eye liner, powder, blush, mascara.  I ended up putting all of this makeup on and went walked out to do my studies with all this make up and I just didn't feel like me.  I felt like someone else.   It was so strange.  I sat down and started my studies and I couldn't focus because I felt like another person.  i looked at my compi and told her how I was feeling.  She told me I didn't look like me either.  She said she felt like she was sitting in the room with somebody else and that it was weird to see me doing the same facial expressions because I didn't look like me.  I also felt really uncomfortable with myself.  My companion said "Can you go and bring Hermana Romeril back.?" I went and washed off all my makeup and I looked in the mirror and thought "This is who I am."  Today, I finally felt the "click" that I've always wanted to feel. I've always wanted to figure out who I am - and that girl that used to wear the caked on makeup isn't me. 

It feels so amazing finally getting who I am.  I don't need tons of makeup, or money, or a perfect body to feel like me.  Kelby Ann Romeril isn't made up of those things.  Make up doesn't mark or show my beauty, the light of Christ does.  The light of Christ is the best brand of makeup.  Yo udon't ned a lot of money to buy it--you don't need any $.  The light of Christ highlights all your good features, in the perfect, natural way.

Mitchell, 

I love you so much!! I cannot wait to see you in november, seriously!! I hope you are doing well, you look really good!! Let me know if ther´s something I can do ok? 

Sorry this letter is kinda short, I was trying to send pictures and my computer kept shutting down but know that I love you all so much, and Im so grateful for you. I hope all is well and I hope you have a great week :) 

Our most recent baptism :)

We got BIKES!!

My compi died my hair :)