Heavenly Father Trusts Us

Attention! I think y’all should know that I eat tomatoes and onions now! The onions are a little bit scarier to eat than the tomatoes but I eat them (cool right?).

You wanted to know about the other hermanas that I live with so here it is! Hermana Brown is my favorite and is someone who loves everyone! She is from Washington and has like 9 months in her mission. She always has a positive attitude and we talk a lot during the day. I’m really grateful she is here. Her new companion is from Peru and she just got here yesterday. So, I don’t know her very well but she seems way nice. A lot of the time I can’t understand her Spanish but one day I will!!! Hermana Rivera, my companion is a really good missionary and she teaches me a lot. We have a lot of good moments too!

Yesterday I got really sick to my stomach all day and I didn't eat anything… Which is really weird. We called hermana  Silva and she told me what medicine I needed to buy and what to do. Today it hurts really bad too. I'll keep taking my medicine and see what happens. But you wanted to know more about the other Hermanos I live with. I'm really glad I'm out here on my mission. I love being a missionary and I love helping people realize their divine purpose here in this life. Seriously it's the best.

Yesterday my district and  Hermana Brown's district played card games! We played spoons and Hermana brown was always the first one out!  Pobrecita! but after that we played a card game version of Monopoly only there was one too many people so it was a little bit hard. But it's okay I still had a Ton of fun! After that we wrote emails and came home and I rested for a little bit and use the Bano and then we went to our 7 o'clock appointment, only he didn't show up at the chapel so we had a lesson with Dario. Oh my heck he's so funny. Dario told us one time he grew his hair out when he was a teenager and her monitor Rivera and I were laughing so hard, thinking of how Dario looked with that hair!

Fun fact. Elder Ruiz' first name is really elder! And his family were not members that when he was born! How awesome is that? Kinda really awesome if you ask me!

Yesterday we visited a lot of less actives. One that really stuck out to me was hermana b. She's a single mom and has a little five-year-old named naum. Her story is so inspiring… When she was a little girl her dad left her and her mom and her mom raised her. When she was like 11 years old, the missionaries knocked on the door and her mom to be wanted to start taking lessons. Her mom literally wanted nothing to do with it. So every Sunday hermana b would walk to the collectivo stop and took the collectivo by herself… As an 11-year-old and go to church. Eventually she got baptized and she found out that her mom was baptized in our church along time ago. Her mom never told her anything about it. She went in active for a while and she's now coming back. But moneywise, she doesn't have a lot. At all. One thing that really got me was she told us "it's obvious I don't have a lot of money but I've realized in my life that money doesn't make me happy. I find happiness when I have the spirit with me.  I look back at my childhood and it didn't matter that we didn't have a car to get me to church. Money isn't important."Isn't that amazing?! She is such an amazing person. We're going to have family home evening with her on Monday at 8 o'clock :-).

We had a district meeting today and I had an interview with Elder Ruiz he asked me what my goals were specifically for me. I told him a few things and he talked about the purification we're doing as a district where you fast for a day and think of things do you feel you need to change and so, it's for 40 days. Every time you do something in contrary to your goal you have to start all over with the fast and yeah so elder Ruiz  told me "Hermano Romeril, I only want you to focus on three faults at most. I don't want you to overwhelm yourself." I was thinking oh Bueno!!!

At our district meeting yesterday it was awesome. Elder Ruiz talked it and we talked about her calling as a missionary. One of the questions he asked us "why would heavenly father call such young and perfect missionaries to work with his children?" He told us it's because he trusts us. It got me reflecting on my life and it was a super motivating meeting. I feel like I know a little bit better what I'm going to do to better myself as a missionary. Oh and yesterday we found for new investigators! And three of them are family :-) really it was a miracle. It is so hard to find new investigators here – everyone almost is really Catholic and a lot of people don't really want to listen. But we were so humbled to have those for nuevos.

Mitchell has his permit!? I'm glad that I have the white Honda my senior year. Yeah it's old but it felt like a huge privilege to drive it. I mean, it has so much history! 1998 when you guys bought it. That was like close to the beginning of our new family. I'm so glad I drove that over a brand-new car! I can't believe Addison is already home from her mission wow !I'm Thursday I have my three month mark. The time is already going by so fast. I'm 1/5th done with my mission. But know there are days when I really miss you guys… But I just have to always remember my purpose as a missionary.

You are in my heart. 

 Day of transfers

 Elder Barrios from Guatemala

August 11, 2014

Trip to Cordoba

Hola! 

So to answer your questions:

Chango, I don’t know if my bed is super comfy or if im just so tired at the end of everyday because i go to bed and its literally heavenly! cielo en la tierra. wheewwww. And im warm enough!! my area is actually super hot and humid right now. i slept the other night with my pjs wet so i wouldnt sweat to death haha you should try it some time. Hot showers and baths, heck to the yes do i miss them!!! hot water in general haha.

Yesterday was a hard day (31 Julio).  I really missed my family yesterday.  But. I can do this!  Dad, I read your letter 3x before I went to bed.  Even though I don’t have you guys physically here with me, I have your emails and letters!

President Alliaud is coming up to Catamarca to interview my zone today.  It’s 8:30 and interviews start at 10:00.  I’m excited.  It’ll be nice to be able to talk with him about everything.  Well, not everything—I’ll just be nice to talk to him.  The mission president is like my mission dad!  Doesn’t take the place of my dad though.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the lunch date my companion and I had last week.  It was with the same lady that I accidentally said yes to her question “Is my food ugly?”  Ok. So. She brings out this pasta with carne and it looked way yummy! I started stirring the pasta after she left the room and ba sically it was oil soup with some noodles and carne.  I kid you not—I have never seen so much oil.  I told my companion—Hermana, no puedo hacerlo.  She’s like ya you can.  Just eat it.  So it took me a while to get brave enough to try it and I finally did and I literally threw up in my mouth.  The bad part is, right as I was throwing up, the daughter who’s like 25 years old walks out and saw..and heard it and she kinda just looks at me and walks out of the room again.  Hermana Rivera was dying laughing because it was so awkward and then she says “ok, I believe you. You really can’t.”  So she ate her food and my food.  That’s not the end of it—don’t worry.  Hermana Martinez walks out and was like “do you want some fruit?”  I was thinking “Perfect!” You can’t go wrong with fruit.  So she comes back out with some of the brownest bananas I’ve ever seen.  Hermana R. and I were like, no way can we do this!  So we hid the uneaten bananas in our backpacks and told her we had to go.  Whew.  Dificil!  The food here is SO hard to eat.  I’m definitely not on my mission for the food. 

Tomorrow night at midnight, Hermana Silva and I are traveling to Cordoba to get my papers for Argentina finished.  And guess what!?  I get to see Hermana Woolley, Hermana Morris, and Elder Royster.  They’re my buddies.  Legitly I am so excited!  I’m a little nervouse to go with Hermana Silva mainly because she speaks no English. 

So I decorated my planner the other day and guess how I decorated it? SPARKLES! My companion told me she’s pretty sure she’s never seen a planner like mine.  Making a Kelby impression in Argentina—one planner at a time J

Good luck with school and stuff everyone!!! Keep in mind how amazing yall are that yall are in my prayers every night and day.  Sorry this is so short! Love you all!

Mexican dinner with hermanas!!!

I got to hang out with Hermana Woolley today!!!

Update on the Cordoba Temple!

My best friend...literally!

my district! the other elders. elder ruiz is the hispanic and elder thaxton!

I made a fresh fruit salad. Well...not fresh but close to it!!!

Can I Just Tell You I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY?!

Hola Posterity!

Thank you mom for the nice message about my confidence and stuff! It´s weird that even my district leader realized my lack of confidence through my fear of making mistakes in Spanish and what not but he’s helping me be better as well and I have god and you all. I can do this!!! I already feel more confident than before my mission. I mean today I didn’t even wear makeup.  My companion told me when they called my name to be her companion she didn’t want to be my companion.  She said “You just look so perfect and proper and you’re timid when people first meet you so it makes you look intimidating.” So I’m not wearing makeup today.  I don’t want people to think I’m rude or intimidating!

So, the water heater breaks A LOT so we don’t usually have warm water.  I couldn’t shower today or yesterday…so for sure I’m going to shower today—COLD OR WARM.

Good luck everyone as you start school! I know it’s not for another week I think? Or 2? But really enjoy it! The time goes by so fast and I know during the school year things can get stressful and overwhelming, but try to take time every once in a while and do something fun!! Y’all are amazing; I keep you in my thoughts and prayers every day! You are all a perfect example to me. By the way dad <I have already read your letter 4 times ha-ha and counting. I will reply to it ah I love you so much and im so grateful to have you. Kaitlyn I miss you so much!!! Ah and everyone. I love you alll mauahhhhh.

Hermana Romeril

25 Julio 2014

Yesterday was a good day, except I found out that a recent convert, Dario, has cancer that he’s been fighting for 3 years and the doctor told him he has a few months to a year to live.  That was really sad and put a huge damper on my mood.  Dario is the first person here that I have a connection with.  It’s such an honor to be in Dario’s presence.  Up to this point, he’s don’t almost all that he promised he would do on this earth and he’s almost ready to meet God again so he can tell Dario “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” God has a plan for Dario, and it’s still really said, but I feel so honored to have the opportunity to spend the last few months of his life with him. 

Yesterday we had a reunion de distrito and I taught the lesson!  Ask me if I was scared-‘cuz I was!  But it was just my district of me, Hna Rivera, Elder Ruiz, and Elder Thaxton.  Elder Ruiz es de Mexico and Elder Thaxton is from Arizona.  They’re both way nice.  Elder Ruiz has the funniest sayings. They might not be funy to y’all, but I’ll tell you anyways!  He ALWAYS says, esta bien after like every sentence. And he says “pero, si! Okay maybe they don’t seem funny but take my word for it!  But ya, yesterday after the reunion, went went and picked up lunch – I had some pasta!  I had that and ham yesterday to eat!  This is my problem  with eating here—I’d rather have an empty stomach than to have all that grease in me and feel sick!

27 Julio 2014

Being here in Catamarca, hearing so many different life stories and conversion stories really makes me think how much of a blessing this gospel is.  I mean, a lot of people here weren’t born and raised in the gospel – in fact, most of them weren’t.  People here were looking for some way to better their lives, some way to, in some cases, find their purpose in life.  A lot of these people aren’t just teenagers either.  Makes me think this gospel literally is for everyone.  I love Doctrine and Covenants 18:10 which says “the worth of the souls is great in the sight of God.”  That includes the life of the person you dislike most.  Their life, their goals, their needs matter to God.  In fact, Heavenly Father loves them just as much as he loves you-and that’s a lot.  I challenge y’all to remember that this week.  I know it’s hard, but we want to become more like Christ, right?  We need to turn outward to love and service and charity when it’s so east for the natural man to turn inward. 

Today is Sunday!  I love Sundays.  Tomorrow we are going to take it easy because every p-day we are so busy.  Tomorrow I definitely think we are going to take a nap!  Holla Big Balla!  The people here are really super Catholic and a lot of people like our presence here but aren’t looking to be baptized.  It’s been kinda frustrating.  I prayed all day yesterday to let us find at least one person we could teach.  It was almost the end of the night and we found a menos active house so we clapped (which is what you do instead of knock) and the menos active didn’t live there, but a different family did and there’s an old lady there named Erika and we have a lesson with her on Tuesday.  I’m so excited! Tender mercy of H.F.

Yesterday we had a lesson with Alejandro finally! That’s not even the best part!  We had two members in the lesson with us-Angel and Javier. Javier’s like 29 and Angel is in his early 30’s.  Anyways, the lesson was going really well, the spirit was really strong, and I felt like I needed to ask him if he would be baptized- HE SAID YES!  He’s getting baptized August 15.  Legitly I am so excited!  The two members who were in the lesson really helped a lot with bringing in the spirit.  It’s my first baptism and my first invitation!

The lesson was supposed to start at 8am, but it Alejandro didn’t show up until about 850 am. In the mean time, I was talking to Angel and he was telling me he wasn’t always active and told me about how he has two kids and is now divorced—and he told me how things are really bad right now and he said he suffers for his kids.  He wants the best for them and he’s trying his best. I told him “Angel, I’m speaking from experience and clearly I don’t know your whole situation.  But I throughout my whole life, when my dad left, etc, my mom was always there.  She did the best she could and it was enough.  Angel, I feel like that’s the same for your kids.  You are such a good dad.  You love them so much and you wnt them to be so happy.  Altough things are happening with their mom, they have a dad who will always be there for them.”  I said some other things and he started crying, telling me thank you so much and telling me he needed this.  It’s so cool to be able to help people like that.  I told him I don’t know why he’s been given this trieal, ut I know everything is going to make sense sooner or later. MIGHT I ADD I SAID ALL OF THIS IN SPANISH!  I also told him that I  was blessed with the dad I have now, Gary.  And now I’m sealed with my whole family for eternity.  I told him that  HF is so  aware of him and just like Angel wants the best for his 2 little kids, HF wants the best for Angel because Angel is so special to him.  CAN I JUST TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY?!  I love it.

Dario! Recent Covert! Coolest Guy Ever!!

Sometimes I like to take aloe vera leaves from a plant and make a face mask :)