Monday, August 13, 2012

Week Fifty!


Happy Birthday Allan! I hope you have a wonderful day/Bar BQ. The work just keeps moving and moving along. I can't believe how fast time flies and that Courtney Smith is already home! Crazy. We're still working hard at teaching Jose, and he is progressing in his little testimony. We've had some discussion with the members as to whether someone can be baptized without being able to read. And clearly the answer is yes. It's not a prerequisite to follow the example of the Savior to read and write, only to have faith in Him as our Savior. And even when people can read, it doesn't mean they internalize and apply the teachings of Christ. I love these humble people because they believe with their whole heart and have a desire to change and grow. It's also been amazing to see Carlos grow in his ability to read. He read a scripture with us yesterday slowly but almost without fault. This book is working a miracle in so many ways for him. We also are teaching the niece of Carlos, Karina. She lives with her two little girls and is going to have another baby this week. We had an amazing plan of Salvation lesson with her. She told us about all the death she had seen in her life and how her heart has been so broken by it. Especially when one of the fathers of her second girl committed suicide. She explained that she doesn't want to believe the spirit world exists because she has this fear that she won't recognize them, or that she won't see them again. It was hard to really see the fear in her eyes and the hurt that she has been carrying. I explained that ya it hurts, but the separation of death isn't permanent. It's just like they went on a really long trip and even though they come back different, it's still them, and we recognize them. I just wish I could give her the testimony I have about the spirit world. Instead of fear and sadness, she could feel a hope that comes through our Savior, Jesus Christ. 
 
I hope everyone has a fantastic week. I love you all and my prayers are with you. 
 
Love hna Potrie

Week Forty-Nine!


Rain rain go away come again another day. So it's not raining but it's doing this weird thick mist thing. Kind of like the mists of darkness that it talks about in the book of mormon. It was another great week in the mish. At the beginning of last week, we did an intercambio with the Hnas in Nueva Cordoba. It was so awesome! I got to work with Hna Steward. She's from Utah and entered the MTC at the same time as me. Anyways we had some awesome lessons. We taught these two guys that live in a poor area called the villas. They both had super interesting stories about their hard lives but we just testified to them how they don't have to follow in this way of life and a how Jesus Christ can help them over come this and leave their past behind. We also got to teach a couple Manu and Marysol. He is a less active but when they started dating he taught her everything pretty much about the gospel. And then one day his dad asked the missionaries to pass by and so they started to go by like 9 months ago but then the missionaries got changed and what not and lost contact with these people. Marysol was heart broken because she just wants to get married so they can get baptized. So she started going to a pyshcologist and low and behold it was the only mormon pyshc in Cordoba. Then one night Hna Steward needed some plans of people to visit and she just grabbed random pages from the area book ( a binder that has a teaching record for everyone in the area that was taught by the missionaries in the last 2 yearsish). Anyways Marysol was one of them and now she's going to get married this weekend so she can get baptized and then they can get sealed. It just testifies how much Heavenly Father really cares about each and everyone of his children to have so many miracles happen for just one person to come unto Christ.

This week Carlos learned how to tie a tie and was there in church to receive the Priesthood! It was so amazing to hear the blessing that he received. He is also an awesome missionary. He's been helping us teach his friend, José. Tonight we are going to go by and try and teach them how to read. It's been a really amazing experience with José. Hna Frias found him when I was in NC and I wasn't too happy to hear they were teaching him because of some things that had happened. But I started praying and as we started teaching him I started looking into his eyes and I felt my feelings change into a love and caring that only comes from our Heavenly Father.

Last thing, I heard this really cool parable from our mission president. About how God asks his servant to go out and push this giant rock. And the servant goes and starts pushing and pushing until they have no more strength to push and they stop and realize the rock still hasn't moved and they become frustrated and he goes to God and says I've been pushing and pushing but I can't move this rock. How can I do this? Then God says to him I didn't ask you to move the rock I asked you to push the rock, but look at how strong you've become. Love it right. It helped me a lot. Because as long as I'm doing everything that I should be and working as hard as I can, I know that the Lord is strengthening my for His purposes, not mine. Sometimes I think we just forget that we've been called to push sometimes, and not to move the rock.

Oh and just to let you know the package and letters lately have gotten to Cordoba they are just in Capilla del Monte - the area I was supposed to get transferred to. There was a little confusion in the office. So I know they're here, just not in Oncativo. Pero está bien. But it's all good. Thanks so much for the photos. I have the cutest niece and nephew in the world! Also, little Alma is so cute and definately has Sarah's eyes.

Lots of Love,

 Hna Potrie

Week Forty-Eight



Hola todos!!! Cómo andan?
 
Another week has just blown by I don't know where the time went. It might have something to do with this crazy wind going on. Anyways I'll try to give you some of the highlights.
 
 Carlos came to church this week!!!!!! He just melts my heart really. He's just like a little child in this grown up body. He came in his white shirt we gave him but with out the tie. We gotta teach him how to tie it. Ooopps!
 
We met this new lady named Graciela, and the second time we passed by she had told her friend Teresa about us. So we had a lesson with the two of them. We started by singing a hymn abide with me and they both ended in tears. I love the power of music. Then we explained the plan of salvation because Teresa´s husband died five years ago. She told us how for the first time since his death, she felt a peace. Wow right?! What a blessing to share the glorious plan that our Heavenly Father has for us. We testified that it was the spirit that they were feeling.
 
We almost crashed on the bikes into each other because of a lack of communication about where to turn, opps my bad. We're being more careful. 
 
This week, we also found a lot of  inactive members that I've been trying to find for months. It's truly sad to see how they totally forget how they felt when they started in the church. But I have a lot of love for them and try to help them understand that what they feel is missing in their lives is the gospel or that their lives are good but they can be so much better with the help of the Savior. In life, we're going to go through hard times but we can do it with the help of the Lord or we can try miserably on our own.
 
I think that's about it. We are working hard and I really feel like the more I try to just lose myself in the work the more I am on the track to becoming who my Heavenly Father knows I can be.
 
Lots of Love and prayers,
 
 Hna Potrie

Week Forty-Seven

So I'm still here in Oncativo for the time being. President Salas is still trying to figure things out. Right now it doesn't matter so much if I stay or go to a different area, but I would just like to know so I can unpack. Living out of suitcases isn't my favorite. But anyways, this week was good we have been still teaching Carlos the lessons after baptism. He is so great. We passed by the window before we knocked and saw him reading the Book of Mormon. It really was just a tender moment from the Lord to see him putting forth such an effort in the things the Lord wants. The sad part though was that Sunday came and he didn't make it to church. So we went by and apparently something happened he got hit or fell and hurt his head. We don't know exactly because we heard two different stories. So it was more of a he didn't go because of what happened not because he doesn't want to. So we're going to go by again tonight and talk to him and try to figure out what happened. We are still teaching Manuel and we had a lesson with the Branch President and we realized that he has a few doubts still and that he might not be doing things for the right incentive, so we're going to get the Elders to help us out and keep praying and working with him. The greatest thing that has helped with him is getting him to pray about things while we are there to help him recognize the spirit and that these things are true. It's been amazing in lessons how sometimes the Lord blesses me to remember situations or things that I have learned that can help these people.

We also had interview with President Salas. It was kind of a wake up call for me that I've become to comfortable with where I'm at and that the Lord wants me to keep growing spiritually. How I've been serving with my strength and might but I've been with holding my heart and mind. I haven't given Him those things completely. And I read this amazing talk the Fourth Missionary that really opened my mind and although it's for missionaries I think it can apply in general as well. "Your greatest work: your most important creation is and ever will be you. What kind of person will you become?... When everything else is removed and there you stand alone who will you be? Envision and plan for your greatest work." And it talks about how everyday we can either make choices to help shape us to who we will become or we can be shaped by world and the result of the world will just be another average person." The realization of your amazing and true potential happens only in the hands of the Lord. But you and only you can place yourselves in those masterful, loving hands." We must give our will to His to become who he wants up to become. As a missionary it requires forgetting ourselves and giving our selves to the Lord.  Then, and only then do we start to become the missionaries He called us to be. I pray that I can give him everything my heart and mind and through that I know I will find the true joy and peace that comes from this work.

To answer some of your questions. Food is expensive in thoughts of pesos for example 1L of milk is like 6 pesos. Fruits and veggies aren't to bad it's a lot cheaper if you go to the little veggie stores then the super market. I hope you enjoy the cherries and apricots I haven't seen those here. As far as service we try to plan something every week. We usually clean the church for the members and then we just try to serve when we see people who need a hand. And no I haven't gotten the package. I should have gotten it last week when we had interviews but all of my letters and packages were in the wrong zone because they organized it according to how transfers were supposed to be so I'll have to wait till the end of the month probably and pray that nothing gets lost along the way. But don't worry I'm sure it's here I just haven't received it.

Con Mucho Amor,
 Hna Potrie