Week Thirty-Four

Thank you so much for the photos! It really was a week full of excitement for you guys. So happy that you could all go to the temple together. It's such an amazing place and I miss it so much.

Well the news about transfers, I'm still here in Oncativo and my new companion, who is actually an old companion Hna Adair that I was with in the MTC. She's the blonde one from Arizona. Which  means we have the exact same time in the mish, but hopefully her spanish is really good and together we can understand and teach these wonderful people. Last week was an adventure as we went to a different area to work with different Hermanas so that Hna Waters could visit her old areas. I got to work with Hna Fairbanks from Arizona and it was good. She has the same time in the mission as well and we actually survived together. It was great to meet new people in different areas and share the gospel. We also had fast in our area to help us find new people and so we had two sets of Elders and the Hnas from Nueva Cordoba so we did splits and went to work. And we realized just how deep the joy is of the mission. Even though the hard moments out number the good, the good moments out weigh the hard times. It's just this deep fulfilling joy that even if you don't baptize these people, you can see a difference the teachings of this gospel makes in their lives. I don't know if it's just because we listen to people and their lives, or if it's because we're missionaries, but people seem to bear their souls to us about their lives. And I just feel so much love for these people that are suffering from these problems and I want to help them so badly find Christ and feel of His peace. Like this one man we talked to on the street that just started crying because he had lost his wife a few years ago and what a blessing to offer peace and comfort to these people. To tell them that this world isn't the end it's just a step to something far greater.

This week we're going to go out hard and find the people that we are here to find. It's an act of faith everyday and I know I'm here for a reason. I can't really think of anything else too exciting happening. It's just missionary work as usual. I love you all so much and haven't forgotten about you I just have a huge stack of letters that need to find the post office. Take care, and know that my thoughts and prayers are always with you.

Love Hna Potrie

Week Thirty-Three

Hola!!!!

Alright I can't believe another week has gone by the time is just flying. This is the last week of this transfer which means I'll be getting a new comp! Because this is her last transfer in the mission, which is always hard for both companions because we end up thinking about home a lot, but we're trying our hardest to fight it. Not that we don't like thinking about you guys, there's just a difference in thinking about you and how you give me strength to make it through those hard days and missing you so much I just want to be with you. It's a big difference.

So anyways, today and tomorrow we are traveling to different areas in the mission that Hna Waters worked in so she can say good bye to her converts. Which means right now, I'm actually in a different little city called Alma Fuerte which litteraly translates to 'strong soul' which sounds funny, but I kinda like it. Anyways then tomorrow we'll be working with some other Hnas in a different area Villa Independencia. So should be lots of fun getting to know people and working in different areas. Oh, and next week with transfers. I'm not sure what time I'll be emailing or if I'll be able to, but I hope so.

So this week was a week of growing and stretching. We've both been learning a lot at how to be better missionaries. We both read this amazing talk about the testifying and challenging missionary. What it talks about is how we need to testify so the spirit can touch their hearts then when we know the spirit is there invite them to follow the Savior and be baptized. Which I know sounds kinda crazy but really we're doing the Lords work and He knows who is prepared and who He wants in His church, therefore we just have to be bold and invite. It's a really interesting way to contact and teach, but I love it because we focus more on testifying to have the spirit touch the hearts so we can invite. Plus, we walk away knowing that the spirit was there with us. From this I shared a spiritual thought the other day at lunch with the family Abata Daga with the scriptures in Mosiah 18:9 or 10 about the baptismal covenant and how we are to be witnesses of Christ at all times. Then we went around and each person shared a one line testimony one truth they knew. Like I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and He personally suffered for my sins. So you go around the table and the spirit starts to fill the room as pure testimony in born and then I read 2 Nephi 33:1 about how the spirit carries the message unto the hearts. And how they can share short testimonies with the people they know to allow the spirit to touch their hearts. So likewise, I invite all of you to do this. During the week, pray for a chance to share a simple truth about the gospel with someone else. And give the Spirit an opportunity to touch their hearts. Because often the doctrine can be deep and mind boggling at first, but the spirit is pure and will touch their spirit.

I love this gospel. I love this opportunity to help the people in Oncativo. I know I'm in this town to find the 1. There is power in testimony no matter what language you speak, and when you testify, the spirit is there and it is a language that is understood by all. I love you all thank you so much for your prayers and love. I hope you have a wonderful time at the temple it is the house of God where we can feel His love and peace.

Con mucho amor,

Hna Potrie

Week Thirty-Two

Felic Pascua! (Happy Easter)

I hope you all had your wonderful fill of ham, turkey and easter eggs and that you took some time to remember why we celebrate this wonderful time of year. It's all about the Savior and what a blessing to have a Savior that lived, suffered, died and was resurrected for us. It was interesting to talk with the people and ask them why they celebrate the Pascua which most of them remembered the Savior but had no idea what it meant for them. So we had the wonderful chance to explain that because of the atonement we will all be resurrected and can be clean from our sins so we can return to our Heavenly Father forever. It's amazing! Just think about that - we can be together as families in the presence of God because of the Savior and his infinite love and atonement. It was such a blessing to share that with people. We even found a few people who said they didn't believe in God, but as we would talk it often turned out that they believed in God, they just didn't realize it. Of course there is a God that created us we didn't just come from nothing of course there is someone from whom we receive all miracles who gives us life everyday. And the greatest thing is looking someone in the eye and saying with out a doubt that I know my Savior lives and because He lives, we will too.

As far as Easter traditions they do here, they basically just spend time with the family and all the catholics have a tradition where they don't eat meat but fish is okay so they eat this weird canned fish with a cream sauce smells terrible and so happy the members don't follow that catholic tradition. We did eat with the members Sunday and it was a churipan - basically a sausage bbq. It was really good actually.

We've been working with Santiago, he's a new member and all of his family isn't members so we're working on helping him teach his family. It's great to see how excited he is to help and be a missionary. We've really taken a step back this week and are focusing more in working with the members and strengthening the branch. We're hoping to see a different sort of success as we all work together.

Well I hope everything is going good. My thoughts and prayers are always with you guys.

Lots of love!

Hna Potrie

Week Thirty-One

Hola,

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!!!! I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I. It was a busy week with trying to invite people to conference and not knowing exactly how it was going to work because here in the little branch, they don't have a satellite to get the feed so the members all just watch it in their house if they have internet. Which is hard to invite investigators to. And on Saturday, we went to another little town like 45min away to watch it there in the chapel because they had a projector. Okay I'm doing a horrible job at explaining this. Rewind, Saturday we watched both session in Rio Segundo, which is like 40 min away and we thought we would have one investigator but she wouldn't answer her phone, and we couldn't find her in her house. Super bummed about that. Anyways, then Sunday morning we made plans to bring Micaela and her mom to the branch presidents house have lunch before at 12 and then watch the first session at 1, which was the plan till we turned up to Micaela's house and she told us that she didn't know because she was waiting for the father of her son to come pick him up. So we waited until 1 and yet he didn't show so we left and got to the presidents house late (I know, I missed my favorite Pres Uchtdorf) and we ate the lunch and watched. So after this we rushed off to the bus terminal to get to Cordoba because the presidents wife wasn't sure if we could watch the second session with her. So went to Cordoba for the second session in our stake center where they had a special room in english for the missionaries. So the sad news we had 0 investigators in conference but I really loved the talks and learned so much. I loved all the talk about how this gospel strengthens families. These men really are called to help guide and direct us in this world of craziness.

Alright, so other things of this week. Sadly it looks like we will not be teaching Juan anymore. We went by Wednesday and he wouldn't even open his gate he just said he didn't want us to come by anymore. We tried to explain and testify again but he just isn't ready right now. This is always something that is really hard in the mission. We grow to have so much love for these people and to see them change their minds is sad. I want so badly to bless him with the gospel of Jesus Christ but I have no idea what else we could have said. No matter what, it's always their choice and we have to respect that, but I don't like leaving them unless I feel like I did everything I could to help them. It's been a week of hard work but we truly feel like the Lord is preparing us and teaching us. He has sent us to Oncativo and we are here for a purpose.

The members here do feed us but it's rare to eat with them in their home. They just give us the food to go. Which kind of defeats the purpose of us wanting to talk with them get to know them and gain their trust and references. But they are still great. We are trying to work more with them every week, because they are the key to success. Yes, the members are the key to successful missionary work. When the missionaries come by you should expect them to share something spiritual and ask you for references. Prepare for this. Invite friends to eat in your house with them. Be involved. You know way more people then they do in that area help them out. They are called to teach and the members are to help find.

Well like usual I gotta run. Thank you for all your love and prayers and birthday wishes. Oh I totally forgot to tell about my birthday. I was in Cordoba to do some paper work for my visa so we had bbq chicken pizza and then the familia Sarmiento in Oncativo surprised me with cake and a bag of candy. Super great family love them.

Gotta run lots of love,
hna Potrie

Week Thirty

Hola!!!

First and primero (yes I know I just repeated myself) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandpa Potrie and Sarah!!!! I hope they both had awesome wonderful days. Segundo, I got the Birthday package thank you everyone for the cards. I especially appreciate the deodorant, socks, and reeses puffs cereal. And all the cards from the different people way awesome thanks a ton everyone. Also I got a package from Kim with cookie mixes!!!! Super stoked to make those. Oh and thanks for the photos! I've added them to my photo book that I show people when they ask about my fam jam.

Bueno, so to answer your questions. We can speak in english with the other missionaries but we are encouraged to use all the Spanish that we can especially in the streets we don't want people to think we are more gringo than we already are. And that's funny you tried to listen to the radio in Oncativo. They always drive cars around with the radio blaring through speakers tied to the top. This town is totally different its more of a farming town and it doesn't have a poorer section at all, only the middle class and the upper class. For this, it's a lot different than Bell Ville that had lots of middle and lower class. And yes, cars aren't that common. It's much more common to see mopeds or motor cycles. Or they just use bikes and walk and the buses like greyhounds are very popular and used a lot. As missionaries, we use the buses, bikes and good old walking to get around.

The update on Juan is that when we went back to his house last week after a lot of prayer and fasting it was a miracle he didn't mention anything about the situation and just let us teach him in his yard. It was a miracle. And now the only problem we have is his memory is really bad so we have to teach him really slowly but he's getting it. We invited him to stake conference but he couldn't go because it was in Cordoba and we're really praying to have him at conference this weekend. Also, I hope all of you are super stoked for conference!!!!!!! I sure am, and it's amazing that we have a living prophet and I love the talk by Elder Uchtdorf about why prophets are important. You should all try to invite your friends or family to watch, it's gonna be amazing. They are receiving revelation for our times right now!!!!

I'm sorry to hear about Lois. She really was a great woman and a great friend to you mom. My prayers are with you and her family. It's times like this that really help us feel the comfort that comes from the Plan of Salvation. What a blessing to have that truth in our lives.

I'm glad you could spend time with your dad and look at those old photos mom. Those memories that he shared are very precious. I'm super excited to hear that the missionary work is changing there - it's such a blessing. Be involved members, it's so important.

Well that's about all for the excitement here. One of our investigators had her baby this week, Emma, super cute little girl with lots of black hair. A very latina baby. We're still striving to thrust in our sickles with all our might and harvest those that Heavenly Father has prepared in this little town. I'm so excited to be apart of this work.

Con Mucho Amor Y Oraciónes,
Hna Potrie