Transfers! First Baptism!!!

Wow this week was filled!!!  First we had transfers on Wednesday!!  My new companion is Hermana Edwards!!  She is from the Kaysville 14^th ward!!  But do you remember the lady that sent me a Facebook message and said that her daughter was serving in my same mission.  That was her mom.  Crazy right!!!!!!!  She has 13 months in her mission!!  We were actually in the same zone when I was in Caseros so we knew each other before we were companions!!  I am so excited to work with her!!  She is so great!!  She is so nice!!  I LOVE that she is obedient, she is willing to work, she is our sister training leader so obviously the Lord has lots of confidence in her, so much more!!!   She is so great!!  I am so excited to work with her and to start this new transfer.  We are going to see miracles together.  I just know it!!!!  This companionship is going to be so great!!!!!  I am so excited to be companions with her.

Also little Maria was baptized on Saturday!!  It was crazy!!  We started like 40 or 45 min late because her uncle who baptized her was running late and kids were running all over the church but I felt the spirit so strong!!!  I am happy for her!! 

This transfer already has started off so great!!  I am excited to my companion and we had a baptism the first week!!  It can only get better from here!  I am so excited for this transfer and to see what miracles are in store for us!!  

I know that this church is true without doubt!!  I LOVE the Book of Mormon and know that it is true!!  I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love us more than we can imagine!! Love and miss everyone lots and lots and lots!!! 

Hermana Kent

Before Hermana Edwards came

After Hermana Edwards came (she's crafty)

My first baptism!!!  Hermana Edwards, Maria, and myself:)

I LOVE the Book of Mormon!!!

  Hola Familia y Amigos!!!!!

Wow this week was filled with things!! We had a zone meeting that was super great!!  We learned a lot about making our planning sessions productive and meaningful and being obedient.  Tuesday was Hermana Olson’s final interview it went super great for her.  The rest of the week was filled with getting her ready to leave to go home and sharing the gospel. 

However this week something personal super great happened.  I made it a goal when I started my mission to read the Book of Mormon three times.  Once every 6 months.  That was my goal.  And guess what????   This week I finished the Book of Mormon before my actual 6 month mark!!!!  I am so happy and proud that I completed this goal.  I LOVE the Book of Mormon!!  I KNOW that is true without a shadow of a doubt.  I LOVE the Book of Mormon.  I LOVE the Book of Mormon and I LOVE the Book of Mormon!!  It has such power behind every story.  I am grateful for this book in my life and for this gospel.  So now my goal is two read it two more times.  But not only just two more times.  Two more times in Spanish.  There is a promise from one of the church leaders (I can’t remember who) that if you read the Book of Mormon in another language you will know the language by the time you are done.  Well I am testing that challenge.  So Thursday I started reading the Book of Mormon out loud in Spanish. 

Hermana Olson left Castelar and so I needed a companion and so guess where I am at... wait for it...wait for it...wait for it... I'M IN CASEROS!!!!!!!!  That’s right.  I am in Caseros until Wednesday and then I will go back to Casterlar!!!  Hermana Zamora goes home this week as well and so both Hermana Ellis and I needed a companion until transfers this week.  Tomorrow is Hermano Llerna’s birthday, so we Hermana Ellis and I are going to their house tomorrow night for cake!!!

Well, I know that this gospel is true.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that our savior Jesus Christ and Heveanly Father live and love us very much!!  I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and opened this dispensation.  I know that he saw Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.  I know that Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today.  And I can’t wait three weeks to hear from him and our apostles of today.  Les amo mucho!!!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kent

Ward party...food from around the world.  Brownies and Blueberry Muffins (thanks Omi for the blueberry muffin mixes)

Completing the Book of Mormon 3 weeks ahead of goal!

La Obra Missional (Missionary Work)

Wow another week has gone by and I have reached 5 months!!! It is crazy how fast time flies!!  I cannot believe I am already almost a third of the way through my mission.  Honestly, I don’t know how it happened because yesterday we were crying on the Provo Temple grounds. 

This week was another week filled with la obra missional (missionary work)!!  But we had two great things happen.  We visited some little girls who are recent converts.  They have a sister who just turned 8 a week and a half ago and..... you guessed it...SHE WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED!!  So I think she is going to be baptized this Saturday!!  We haven’t had a ton of contact with her but she has heard the lessons before and has been going to church with her sisters and they have been teaching her things as well.  So she is our priority this week.  I am praying for her. 

Also we had another capilla abierta (chapel open house) that Hermana Olson and I got to help with.  I LOVE capilla abiertas!!  They are such a great tool for la obra misional. I love that I, as a sister missionary, got to start off the tour and bear my testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ countless times!!  Hermana Olson shared a story with me how they did a capilla abierta in her ward and they had a member bring her husband who was not a member at the time and after the capilla abierta and being in the church already, he was baptized!!  Such great experiences happen. 

We have so many great tools to use to help the work of the Lord!!  This week also I decided that I was really struggling with the language and so Hermana Olson is going to help me a lot this week!!  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to learn another language!!  I have definitely had to rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I know that they live and love us more than we can comprehend.  I know the book of Mormon is the true word of God and I LOVE it!!  I know it was translated through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who I know saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I know that this gospel is true!!  I love and miss you all lots and lots and lots!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kent

Baptize - Retain - Reactivate

Hola!!! 

This week was crazy getting Hermana Mendoza off but she is in her country now!!!! Last Monday we enjoyed our last p-day together and ate at McDonalds.  It is still a little weird at times that it is just Hermana Olson and I.  But it’s great!!! 

Tuesday night we had a ward activity which was super great and fun.  It was also an activity for all of the people from Hermana Mendoza’s previous areas to come and say goodbye to her.  There weren’t very many people from our ward but there was a lot from Hermana Mendoza’s previous areas that came to say goodbye to her.  It was such a great activity.  Hermana Mendoza shared her testimony and then she asked Hermana Olson and I to share our testimonies.  It started off with a great spirit.  And then we ate and ate and ate and ate.  People brought different foods from their native countries or if they were from Argentina they brought food from their providence.  It was super fun to try all of the different foods from Peru, Uruguay and other parts of Argentina. 

Friday we had a zone conference!!  And guess what I saw!!!!  Meet the Mormons!!!!  It is soooo great and powerful.  I LOVE that the families are real with real life challenges.  It made us look like the normal everyday people that we are.  It is such a great missionary tool!!!  I enjoyed the whole movie.  Every single bit!!  Especially, I´m sure like a lot of people, the last family who sent their son on his mission.  The mom’s spirit was so strong!!  I LOVE Meet the Mormons!!  I love being a Mormon!! 

Other than that this week was another week en la obra misional!!  We have tried to work a lot with our ward to gain their trust to give us references so we have people to teach and have been trying to visit a lot of less actives that we have.  We went to a family this week that has been less active for about 20 years; the Lopez family.  They have a daughter who was eight when they went inactive but was never baptized, so as soon as were finished talking with the mom we went to the daughters house who lives in our area as well.  I feel like this family has a lot of potential.  I am excited to work with them and see what we can do to help them come back to church. 

I love the things we do as missionaries.  Baptize. Retain, and reactivate.  Also unfortunately Victoria was not baptized this past Saturday.  But, we have changed her date to the 7th of March.  I am praying hard for her.  She is super great and wants to be baptized. I LOVE this gospel.  I love the true joy that it brings into our lives.  I love the Book of Mormon.  I know that it is true and was translated by our prophet Joseph Smith.  I know that he was a true prophet called by our Heavenly Father for this dispensation.  I know that families are eternal. 

I love and miss you all lots and lots and lots!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kent

A HUGE Surprise!

Hola Everybody!!!!! 

Well this week was just another week full of working!!  But a girl in our ward came home from her mission to Chile this week on Monday!!  She moved here to Castelar and was baptized here so she has no family here.  Her family wasn't very supportive of her going on a mission and joining the church either.  So, Friday night the ward had a welcome home party.  It was incredible to watch her see the ward for the first time.  The ward truly is her family.  It made me think how blessed I am.  I have been blessed to have had the church my entire life.  And have such support and love from my family and friends!!  I love everyone and I am truly grateful for all of the thought and prayers in my behalf.  A mission is hard enough and I can’t imagine having no support from my family and friends like I have. 

While talking about support; I got a call last Friday from the mission office saying that I had a package.  It was a HUGE surprise.  I was able to go and pick it up this morning!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!  Please tell Gwen “thanks for the oils,” and “Omi for the blueberry muffin mixes and tide to go.”  I LOVE the muffins!!!!  And thank you for the bear oil!!  (Cameron’s sister was passing through Buenos Aires and was able to drop a package off at the mission home for Karina).

I want to share an experience about why I am grateful for this gospel, my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Last Sunday we had a lady show up at church.  She is a member but has been inactive for most of her life.  Her husband served a mission but he too is inactive.  So this week we went to visit them.  She introduced us to her brother who has severe health problems.  He can’t talk or do anything.  She shared with us how her mom passed away a few years ago and so now she is taking care of her brother at the same time she is taking care of her two year old who has so much energy!!!  She just cried and told us how much she misses her mom and how she struggles doing all of the things she has to do.  Her reason for coming to church last week was because she decided that she needed help and she was hoping that she could find it through going to church again. 

I LOVE this gospel.  I am so grateful that through our Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement we can do everything in life that is asked of us.  I know that this gospel is true.  That Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live!!  They love us beyond mortal comprehension.  Love and miss you all lots and lots and lots!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kent 

Celebrate Hermana Olsen's 17 months in the mission!

Eating pizza, not as good as American!

A HUGE surprise package from home!!!

Sending a morning greeting to my family:)

Families Are Eternal

Unfortunately this week was just another week. We had to go to the Capital again for me.  My tourist visa expired along with other missionaries.   We got it taken care of and it is now going to be just great!!  While we were there though, we were talking to a few people.  We met a girl from Italy.  She is an actress and I guess like the Vanessa Hudgens of Italy so that was pretty neat.  She shared with us how someone she knew and was very close to passed away.  It was amazing because she shared with us how she can feel and knows that this friend of hers is always with her and watching over her.  It was amazing and I shared about my angel Kazen who is always with me and she understood perfectly. 

Yesterday Hermana Mendoza was sick so we stayed in the apartment unfortunately but it was neat.  Hermana Olson and  I were able to study lots and were able to share more about our families and get to know each other more.  It overall was a great week.   I got speak in our ward yesterday on missionary work.  It was such a neat experience.  My talk was great!!  I felt good about it.  I used a lot of quotes from Preach My Gospel so that the Spanish would be understandable.

Monday night we had a family home evening with a couple families in our ward.  We talked about our trials in life.  We all went around and shared our challenges.  I talked about Kazen, especially with it being that time of the year.  It was incredible after I shared and cried about my experience, our ward mission leader spoke and said how they are here to help me now through this time of year and being away from family.  I love this work.  I love the people. 

Well I think we are going to have a baptism next week for Victoria.  She is super great.  We are working with a new investigator named Jorge and he is super great.  He needs a lot of love though.  He doesn’t have much self-esteem and he has no Christian background so we are teaching him very simply.  We also have a lot of less actives that we are working with right now too!! 

Friday night Pres, Robertson called and told me that I have another angel in heaven to help me through my journey here in Argentina.  That is so neat for Dad to say the opening prayer.  I was thinking after I got the call for Pres. how powerful Dad is.  Think about it, Dad has so many extremely close angels with him.  Dad has his grandpa now, his dad, and his son.  It’s weird but I think that is pretty neat for Dad.  I mean we all have all of them obviously because they are our family too but its Dad’s genealogy line.  Like you know that picture of great-grandma, omi you and me -  it’s like that...  I have no idea if that was proper English or if it even made sense to you... I just read great-grandpa’s obituary it is super neat.  He did so much!!!!!!

I know that great-grandpa and grandpa and Kazen LIVE!!!  They LIVE!!  And so does our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  I LOVE this gospel and this knowledge that families are eternal.  I love and miss you all lots and lots and lots!!  

Hermana Kent

P.S. I’m super excited to hear about Heather and Atchleys!!  Baby Miles is BEAUTIFUL!!!!

My New Home is Castelar!

Well guess where I am at???!!!  I am in Castelar!!!!  The area that Zeke is from!!  However I think in a different ward because I am in the Ituzaingo 4th ward.  I LOVE it here!!!  I am in another city!!  I am really excited for this transfer and this new area!!!  Here in my new area the dogs haven’t been so bad.  In Caseros there were dogs EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!  We have a laundromat right across the street from our house so I took my clothes there to be washed instead of hand washing this time!!!!!  Wahoooo for washer and dryers!!!!  Wait, what are those again??? jajajajajajajajajajaja

I am also in another trio for about two and a half more weeks.  My companions are Hermana Olson and Hermana Mendoza. Hermana Olson is from Los Angeles California and Hermana Mendoza is from Honduras.  They are both really nice!  I am continuing to learn Spanish from them and we are having fun together!!  Hermana Mendoza goes home on the 18th of February and Hermana Olson goes home the end of this transfer. 

I have been blessed to have such experienced missionaries.  All of my companions now have been at the end of their missions.  I am so grateful for this and that I have been able to learn very quickly how to be a missionary, and a good teacher. 

This week started out rough saying goodbye to so many people that I LOVED in Caseros.  But, yesterday helped me be really excited being able to get to know the ward and the members.  I am so excited to learn this area and be here in Castelar.  I don’t know the people perfectly yet but I do know one of our investigators.  Her name is Victoria.  She is super great.  She has a baptismal date set for the 21st of February.  I am super excited to see what takes place in this journey.  I know I am in this new area for a reason and I am so excited to find out what this reason is. 

I know that this gospel is true.  I know that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ LIVE and are real!!  I know that they are in the details of our lives!!  I LOVE the Book of Mormon and it is true.  Joseph Smith saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and restored this gospel in this dispensation.  I LOVE this gospel!!  I love and miss everyone lots and lots and lots!!!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Kent

What my neighborhood looks like from my window

Our apartment

My new companions