A week of adventures and a burn

ear Family,

First and foremost before I forget to tell you, next week is transfers so I will write you next Tuesday instead of Monday.  

But your voice recording was awesome.  Your voices were clear and your song was my personal favorite.....so appropriate.  The street looks absolutely frozen....and their is a new Disney movie?!  I will see it when I get back, glad to hear that its better than Brave.  And the Olympics start in a couple of weeks?!  What the heck!  They are in Russia this year right?  So crazy.  Glad to hear all is well.  I love reading everyones little part in the email.  Everyones personality shows through in the writing and if you all wrote me anonymously I could still figure out  who wrote it......cause Im awsome (:  Ha...just kidding.

Anywho........this week was another one for the record books.  We taught lessons to investigators and menos activos...and they are all progressing!  With some of them the progression feels slow, but they are all moving forward in one way or another.  Marisa is finally going to Neuquen this next weekend to get married, and we have several other people who are all kind of at the same spot.  They are listening to us, reading the Book of Mormon....experimenting in their hearts, and we are working on getting them to the chapel for Sunday and on date for a baptism.   We walked a lot, consumed gallons and gallons of water, and had lots of adventures!

There is a watermelon truck that goes around selling only watermelon.  The truck is so old that every time I see it I am sort of surprised and mostly impressed that they even got the thing to start.  There is one guy driving, and another in the back with a megaphone advertising.  They just drive all around town selling them.  

The branch here is preparing to go to the temple in Buenos Aires.  The members who want to go have to pitch in money and they are all going to rent a big bus and travel together.  (Its like 6 or 7 hours).  They are going to stay there for the day doing temple work and then get on the bus and travel home again.  They have been planning this event for forever and its cool to see the people who are interested to go and the sacrifices they are making.  

Something that is kind of sad that I have learned is that a ton of people have diabetes here, but they also dont have any means or way to take care of it so they are just sick all the time.  Its really sad.

When it comes to traffic here....the general rule of the road seems to be "hit or be hit"  If you walk on the sidewalks all is dandy, but the cars and motorcycles out in the road pay no attention to the speed limits, stop signs, intersections, or lanes.  Its sometimes scary to watch!

So......sort of an unfortunate adventure happened this last Thursday.  We were outside on the front lawn of one of our investigators house talking to her husband.  He was really nice, and was just weedwacking away at his grass (because thats what they do....everyone just weedwacks everything, they never use a lawnmower).  There was a motorcyle to the left side of the lawn on the driveway and that is the side I was standing on.  I didnt realize I was so close, or that anyone had just gotten back....but my leg brushed up against the exhaust pipe and got burned.  The pipe stuck out further than I realized, I wasnt paying attention, and my leg only toucehed it for about half a second.  But it hurt sooooooo bad.  I tried not to make a scene, and did a pretty good job if I do say so myself considering the pain I was in (my companion or the member we were with didnt even notice)...but the man we were talking to still noticed because I kept looking at my leg.  He went inside his house, and came back out with a knife.  My heart skipped a beat because I wasnt exactly sure what his intentions were with the knife, but he went around the side of his house where he had a huge aloe vera plant, and he cut a leaf off.  Then he cut the leaf open and then handed it to me to rub on my burn.  I rubbed it on and it helped a little, but it was tender for the rest of the evening.  It formed a gigantic blister, the blistered popped the next night, and now its just open and healing.  We also had interviews with president this week and while we were waiting for the elders to finish up so we could have our turn we talked to Hermana Giuliani.  She looked at it, took a picture of it and sent it to our mission doctor, and told me to go to the pharmacy and get a cream called bactroban (which was 91 pesos....communism!- but in reality only like 18 dollars).  It hurts but I can still walk no problem.  I have cleaned it, and cover it up with gauze and tape before we ever go outside to protect it from dirt, dogs, and the like, and have been putting the cream on.  I am doing my best to take care of it so I dont get an infection...and I think so far so good.  Basically ...the moral of this story is that exhaust pipes on motorcycles are hot and not meant to touched!  I just wanted to let you know that it happened.  Im still in good spirits and health!  

But we had interviews with president this week which really was fun.  I love talking to him.  And because we were the last ones from our district to get interviewed, they gave us a ride in their air conditioned car from the chapel to our area while they were on their way out of town.  It was sweet.

This last weekend here in La Paz there was a big triathalon.  Its one of the only events this town has, so everyone went nuts supporting it.  It was like a parade....everyone lined the streets drinking mate.  And instead of sitting down drinking mate adn watching people walk by like everyone here loves to do, they just watched them bike or run by instead.  Also, people stood on the curb with a pitcher of water in thier hand waiting for a racer to come by....and then they chucked it at them.  Im not sure if it was suppose to be considered a public service or not.....because it just looked really annoying. The finish line was exactly 1 block away from our apartment so there were tons of cars and people.....but it has all cleared out and we are glad its over.  We feel like we can have our area back now, because the main part of the course was main road we have to walk on every day.  It was kind of tricky this last weekend...but its all calm again! 

I love you all lots and pray for you all everyday!  I love you more than the number of people who asked me what happened to my leg in the last few days (like every single person we have talked to) because when its wrapped up it looks like I just returned from war.  

Keep on keeping on!

Hermana Withers       

Insert something clever and witty here

Dear Family,

Glad to hear you are all doing so well!  All of your emails got me really laughing today.  Dad disagrees that summer makes up for winter, sams 8 ball cant do his math problems, and you are all getting ready to go on an adventure to commemorate the weekend that you would have left.....but you arent (:  Why exactly did you all decide to stay??  Im excited for you to all finish the winter up there and continue on with the adventure.....but is there a specific reason as to why you decided to stay? Tell Candace and Dustan congratulations for me, and to Grandma I love you too.  I need to write her....I will try and do that soon.  Thanks for sending that stuff mom, I am excited.  I didnt get my Christmas package, but maybe next month! The beginning of February we have another meeting so we will see.  From the last meeting we just had I got several dearelders from mom and grandma (I get them about a month after you write them....so in January I got December and in February I will get January) a couple of random things from the Loertscher family, and a handwritten letter from Dad.  Its all like gold!

This week it has still been cooler, with breezes and rain storms, mud, and lots of blessings.  Yesterday at church it was like Christmas.  There is this young mom named Laura, who was baptized about 5 years ago....she served as primary president and was a great member for the branch, but then had a disagreement with one of the other members.....got offended, and hadnt been to church in 3 years.  She is a nanny for a different member named Deborah (this town is real small)...and she has been helpful in inviting her and asking her every so often about the church and so on....but Laura just sincerely has never been interested.  We have been passing by ever since I have been here, and in the beginning she wasnt reading the book of mormon, wasnt praying, obviously wasnt going to church, and really didnt have a desire to change.  I have been here for almost 3 months......and since then she started to read the book of mormon, is praying, and a couple of weeks ago told us that she felt like it was time to come back.  And yesterday.......SHE CAME!  She paid for the colectivo ride, brought her two kids, and stayed for all 3 hours.  Miracle.  A lot of the members thought she was a new investigator because she hadnt been in so long, but when they learned she was a member...they gave her a big hug and now know who she is and can look out for her.  Getting them to the chapel for that first time in who knows how long is a huge hurdle, but if they can do it...the members here are really great at looking out for them.  

But the miracles dont stop there.  We also have this cute grandma in our branch who is super active, but her husband has a job on sundays and has become less active.  And her daughter and grandkids are all less active.  One of her grandsons, Luis, lives with them because of some familial problem he had with his parents...and to be honest he is kind of a punk kid.  He is 18 years old, with a good conscious to know what is right, but just in a mix with a bad bunch of friends.  He never comes to church on Sunday....because he is out late Saturday and cant get up the next morning.  Well ever since we met him and learned all of this, we said "what the heck......this kid can come to church."  So we made a  plan.  On saturday night instead of going out with his friends....he has to stay home.  And not only stay home, but expect us to stop by and share a message to keep him accountable to us and to the Lord....to make sure he didnt go anywhere.  We started this 2 weeks ago....we go over, he is still home, we share the message, he promsies to come to church, and then after we leave he apparently went out to go with friends and subsequently didnt come to church.  So we started the cycle again.  We stopped by once earlier in the week, and told him that we were stopping by at 9:00 Saturday, the last stop of the night to get him ready to come to church, we stopped by, shared a message, he promises to come.....and at 9:00am he wasnt there.  His grandma showed up wihtout him, saying she tried to wake him up but he wouldnt budge...but that she left 3 pesos for the colectivo ride in case he woke up in time to come to part of church.  We called him in between meetings, and no answer.  We get to the last 15 minutes of church and the last speaker gets up to give a talk in sacrament meeting....and, who walks in with crazy hair but white shirt and tie?  Luis.  It was excellent, adn the only talk he heard was awesome, just what that kid needed.  It isnt easy to be a youth here.  The young men and young womens programs arent very strong, and there are only a few that are even active....but they are capable.  Its taking a lot of work to get these people up and running on their own feet....but the fruits of the labor are worth it.  Even if they are only in the chapel for 15 minutes.  Its worth it and we can try to do better next week and get to church for a little longer.  

I love being a missionary....it is so cool to be a part of peoples personal conversion and journey back to Christ.  And it is incredibly fun.  I love doing this.  

Yesterday a member fed us "Carpincho" (sp?) which I have no idea what its called in english or what it looks like alive, but apparently is like a giant hamster dog type thing.  You should look it up.   It was a reddish meat that smelled kind of like fish but tasted a lot like chicken...it wasnt the best thing I have ever eaten, but it also wasnt the worst.  I think it helps that I dont know what this animal is like in real life.  

I feel like I havent been writing very much about the culture or my surroundings, but I will try to write more about that next week.  Know that moms breasfeed in broad daylight. People ask us all the time what language we speak in teh States pecause they get confused by the fact that we are Yankees speaking spanish....they sometimes think the U.S language is Spanish.  And McDonalds is super expensive here and legitimately considered fine cuisine.  If you go there people will ask you if its your anniversary or birthday or something.  Nevertheless....missionaries still go there because in dollar amounts its still really cheap and its one of the the only thing from the U.S. here in Argentina.

Anyway....I love you all lots.  Keep me updated on everything!I love you more than all of the people who ask us if we live in the chapel like the catholic nuns who live in their cathedrals!  

Hernama Withers

Hit the 6 Month Mark

Dear Family,

First I will start out by saying....I cant believe you are staying until May!!!!  Is everyone in pleasant agreement, or did it take some time to warm up to the idea?  Second....I cant believe how cold it is for you guys up there.  Of course the one winter you spend up there happens to be one of the coldest on record.  The fact that you are colder than the two north and south poles is insane.  I dont know how your toes and fingers dont freeze off.  The pictures were so fun to see.....it really is pretty!  I cant imagine what it would be like to be there in real life though....so cold.  Thats cool that you have such a close relationship with the mission president up there.  He sounds like a good guy.  They are probably so grateful you arent leaving quite yet....I bet the missionaries are grateful too (:

So....we are officially into 2014!  How crazy!  We celebrated the new years by going out for ice cream and attempting (I say attempt because we didnt have a recipe and they turned out strange) to make M&M cookies.  

We had cooler temperatures for a few days too!  The heat and humidity built up for about 2 weeks, and then the heavens just let down a huge down pour of rain.  It was beautiful.  On Thursday we were visiting a less active, sitting on lawn chairs out in her yard under a tree.  It sounds kind of picturesque doesnt it?  While we were out there, we could see huge, big, black clouds start to roll in.  At the beginning of the visit they were way out in the distance and it looked like the storm would be here by that night....but after half an hour, the clouds were right above us and the rain and wind was about to break loose any second.  We finished the lesson, and started to run.  We were too far from our apartment to make it, so we headed in the direction of a faithful member who lived close by.  In retrospect, I dont know why we didnt just stay at the first members house.....but oh well.  It was pretty windy while we were running, but it hadnt started to rain yet....so we decided to go a little bit further to our next appointment with an investigator, and we made it just in time!  It was a blessing indeed....because the rain was nuts!  It all cleared out within an hour or so, but it cooled everything off for a couple days....which was such a blessing.  

Yesterday at church we didnt have a single less active at church.  Not a single one.  And we only had Marissa, our investigator who is more faithful than most members at church....not any other investigators.  It was kind of a sad Sunday in that respect.  We feel like we work so hard, trying to new things to get people excited and interested in returning to church.....but yesterday there wasnt anybody.  And the regular members are watching.  Sometimes it feels like finals week every Sunday.....because all the fruit from your work for the week is usually seen at church on Sunday.  But...thats okay.  We will just try again this week.  

On Friday Chad and I hit our 6 month mark on the mission.  How crazy!!!  The time is flying.  

There really isnt much to write home about because I just barely emailed on Wednesday, so I think I will just start to send a ton of pictures that I have been meaning to send but have never had time.  

Thanks for all the pictures you sent, I love seeing them!  You all look so good!  Keep me posted on the extravagant road trip you are going to have.  Good thing Im not there to be a party pooper about it, you are all soo good at road trips now!  I will have to develop a good attitude about those one day.

And yes, the DriLux.  Everyone says its the coolest for the humid weather....and that carinessa is for winter.  Thanks for doing that, and yes.....small A (I only need the bottoms....because I already have mesh tops, dont know why I didnt get bottoms).  DriLux is the kind of material that Chad got for his garments.  Thanks for sending the proactiv too, and the bag.  You are all so awesome!  We have zone meeting tonight, so I will get to see what mail has arrived!  

Glad that Sam still has all of his cars and that he still remembers all of their names.  And that Lauren and Valerie are doing well in school, and that work and life are going well in Minnesota.  How is the bead stuff going?  Is there a particular reason as to why they asked you all to stay?  Cause youre awesome? (:

I love you all more than the number of Argentine kids who are given American names (Austin, Ashley Kevin, David, Jessica, and so on....they just prounce them with an Argentine accent so they sound a little different),

Hermana Withers    

Police on strike

Dear Family,

This week was an adventure!  I think I say that every week, but this time it really was.  On Monday, the police all went on strike.  In some towns the police kept on with business as ususal...but here in La Paz they went on strike.  So the day was a little interesting.  More than anything the day just felt eerie....EVERYTHING was closed and shut down(more locked up than in the middle of the siesta!)  And in the evening we were going to go out and work like normal, but we made it about a block from our apartment and both felt very strongly to go back and stay for the night.  It felt weird and in a way disobedient to be in the pension so early in the evening, but it was the right thing to do.  We stayed there reading our scriptures, listening to hymns, and just trying to pass the time quickly.  In the end, nothing dangerous or super dramatic happened....it was just one of those things where the Spirit told us to go back so we did. I didnt know why then and I dont think I will ever know, but it was right and I am so grateful for the Spirit.  Later that evening we got a call from the zone leaders with a message from President that all missionaries are to be in their apartments before dark.  Which for us means around 8pm.  It cuts about an hour and a half from our work time each night, and its weird having so much time in the evenings.....but until President says otherwise, we will keep doing it.  I have learned that obedience will always bring more blessings than impressive numbers.  

On Wednesday we had our Christmas party in Santa Fe with all of the other missionaries from the northern half of the mission.  And it was soooo fun!  We watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional, had an absolute feast of some kind of food but I have no idea what it was, and got a gift from President and his wife (a mission flag thing and a candy cane).  It was fun to see Hispanic missionaries who didnt know what a candy cane was.  There were slideshows with pictures, skits, christmas music, visiting, and just lots of fun.  When the day was over, I think we were all in denial that we had to go back to reality.  

And summer has officially started!  We are finally to the point where the heat and humidity are about as hot as it will get.  There will be some days that are worse, but we have finally hit the "normal". No more of the locals saying horrible things like, "oh its going to get sooo much worse, get ready"....we are finally to the "worst" and its pretty hot, but so bad as I let my imagination think it could get.  Its hot and sticky, but its bearable.  I think when the people were telling us to be ready, I let my imagination fantacize it being so hot that you couldnt even walk.  Maybe I am finally adjusting?  Who knows, but I think I might make it out of this summer just fine!  

I am not going to have P Day on Monday because President changed it to be on Wednesday for Christmas day.  So I think all arrangements to talk have been fixed, and I am so excited to talk to you!  It wont be rushed and its going to be great to see you all.  Praying for the technology to all work.  The same goes for New Years, President changed it  and P day will be Wednesday that week, not Monday.  

I gave my first talk as a missionary in Sacrament meeting....and it was great!  I talked about Christ and serving him during this Christmas season by serving others.  (And serving Christ by sharing our testimonies with others!)  The whole having to talk in Spanish thing really helps me slow down when talking in front of people, so that is good too.

I took out some personal money from my card last week.  The ATM didnt destroy my card (you have no idea how hard I was praying....my first experience with ATMs here Hna. Sainsburys card broke).  I have learned that they are actually really easy to use, you just have to be careful and pay attention.    

And I still havent sent the letter like I said I was going to.  At this point I am just going to wait and send it in a week or two to Boise along with a new letter.  Sorry.  The police were on strike last Monday, and so the La Paz post office was down.  

Thanks for being so awesome and for keeping up with all of the Christmas traditions!  It was fun to see all those pictures!

I love you more than all the bites of food I eat at lunch appointments even after I am demasiado full.

Hermana Withers

Short answer to email from home

Sorry to hear you are all freezing......on the flip side of the equator we are melting, crazy to see such a drastic difference in climate!  Glad to hear Chads birthday was awesome.  And thanks for sending the birthday package!  The Christmas envelope still hasnt come, but Im praying that it does!  I will just have a Christmas party for myself in January or February or March or April.....ha.  Argentina reallllly hates America.  Im learning this.  Most packages take anywhere from 3 to 5 months to get here......so........bust.  Im glad Chile has itself a little more put together and mail travels a little more quickly, because Chad was able to get his.  I will keep watching for it.  I wish I had tips for you on how to send packages to get them hear faster...but I got nothin.  Its not just you though, the church even has trouble getting things like copies of the Book of Mormon down here.  (1 box per zone per transfer).  

Rosario and back again

Dear Family,

This week was so fun!  On Monday we traveled to Parana and spent the night with the Hermanas there, and then Tuesday morning finished our journey to Rosario for the conference and training. The conference was so fun!  There were all sorts of great talks and messages, musical numbers, and activities.  They gave us a feast for a lunch, and one of the activities was to make paper dresses out of periodicals and model them.  It really was so fun and I am so glad we could make it.  Its a 6 hour ride by collectivo to Rosario for us....so meetings like that are a big deal and take about 2 days in total with the traveling.  We didnt end up going to the mission home so I wasnt able to see if my packages or envelopes came....but the zone leaders are going to Rosario end of this week or next week, so I should get them soon if they are here.  I hope they are.....I have been praying every night that they can make it since I know you guys put so much time into it, and I am really excited to get mail of some sort from the States.  

I am doing very well and staying healthy.  We have lunch appointments every single day and we are fed an absolute mountain of food every time.  Everyone always gives us more food than they give themselves.  And by the end of each meal you start to feel so full that you are uncomfortable.  Its all really good food.....but after a while it starts to become gross just because its so much in one sitting.  Portion control doesnt exist here.  But you can all be proud that I have eaten everything I have been served (people dish up our plates for us, they dont let us do it ourselves) and I have eaten all of it.  Sometimes we walk away feeling eligible to partcipate in the next episode of Biggest Loser....but with all the walking and sweating in the heat it works out.  

Summer is just about here and you can feel it.  Most kids here get out of school this upcoming Friday, and the humiditiy from the Parana river is thick.  We are drinking so much water during the day, and chocolate milk for a treat at night.  We live good lives (:  And on P days we like to stop by the best ice cream joint around (Gridos) for a cone (served with a spoon!)

I am also sharpening my ping pong skills.  Every P day after all of our weekly errands we usually go to the chapel for an hour or two and play ping pong with the Elders.  Its pretty fun!

We are still on operation strengthen the branch and sometimes we can see the fruits of our labors, and sometimes not.   Overall we think its growing but it is just really slow.  With time the church will be strong here, I have to remember that the church isnt going to magically be strong here in just one transfer.  I just need to do my best and trust that the Lord is in charge of everything....we are just His instruments.

We had a member go out with us last night to introduce us to one of her friends.  Afterwards we did some contacting with her, and she took us to this random house where one of her other friends lived.  Turns out the lady had moved a while back and this huge shirtless man opened the door.  Youd have to know this lady to really appreciate this experience but shes a super charismatic mother of 11 kids with absolutely no shame.  She started talking to him about random things about the gospel (we need to talk with her about how to contact when she comes with us..sometimes shes too helpful) and she ended up saying.........It doesnt matter that you are all dirty, we just have a quick message we need to share with you.   Haaaaaaaaa.....thanks lady.  She really is a great and faithful member, one of the few we have....but really.  Some of the things she says arent so wonderful.  I dont think the man was offended, but my comp and I just looked at each other with wide eyes as she was talking, trying to make sure we were hearing her right.  All in all it was a funny experience.  Definietly going to work with her on that.  

I really do love this work.  Its the most satisfying endeavor I have ever engaged in.  It is really hot (warmer than Rosario I think....we have the river right by us to make everything SUPER humid), and the culture is really different.....and despite all this, its still great.  The Book of Mormon is true, Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, the Church has been restored, and we have a latter day prophet.....and so with this terrific knowledge we work hard.....hoping that our efforts will help someone.  Im really grateful I know its true.....I dont think it would be worth it to me to do all of this if it werent.  But I know its true, so here I am in a little house in Argentina writing to you all about my week on a tiny little computer all in Spanish!  Its all an adventure!

As for  things that I need....nothing is urgent.  But some of my socks have been lost to a vortex of sorts and I cant find them.  At home that wouldnt be a problem, but for here where I dont have a ton to spare, its a little inconvenient.  I dont need like running socks, but my every day no show dress socks.  Im running low on Proactiv.  And I have also found out that there are some areas in our mission where you have to have a really small bag because robbery is a much bigger problem.  It doesnt matter what it looks like or what it is made out of, but if you find a durable shoulder bag that is small (like shoe box small) could you send that at some point too?  Also, I would really love to have a thumb drive with conference talks to listen to in the mornings.  Kind of crazy request is also Jenga.  You can teach the coolest lesson with jenga....I can explain it later.  Butmaybe you can just line the pieces along the side of a box or envelope and send that game at some point too, just so I can have my own. And also more pictures of you guys.  You never sent me pictures in -DC like you sent to Chad and I would love to have a few more.  Nothing is urgent though.....just as you are prepping so send a package at some point, maybe throw some of those things in there too.  Most pkgs. take about 2-5 months to get here, and I know you just sent a big Christmas one....so whenever you can is good for me!  Remember dont put the word Hermana on anything, and send it all to the mission home.  

Thanks for everything.  I am excited to see if the packages and dear elders are making it.  I am so grateful that -chad{s stuff made it, and Im praying that mine make it too.  Have a fun week this week!  Thanksgiving is so fun.  It is so weird to think that the holiday season is coming up in the states,,,,the seasons really are opposite!  I love you all lots and lots and lots.  More than all people who have big beautiful TVs  in their little shacks!

Hermana Withers 

First whole week in Argentina

Dear Family,

This week was kind of long, but it was also really great.  Here it is just barely starting to go into summer.....and there were some days this week that were sooooo hot.  I thought I was going to die.  And the thought that its really still spring and that its going to get even hotter kind of scares me sometimes.....but we also had a teriffic storm towards the end of the week that cooled everything down for a bit.  The Lord really loves his missionaries.  If you had to pick one thing that controls everything here in La Paz....its the rain.  When it rains the dirt roads turn to mud, and when there is mud their cars or motorcycles cant go anywhere.  And no one wants to walk anywhere because nobody has boots.....so everyone just stays home.   Everyone knows that if its raining....the day immediately turns into....take a bussiness cut and break from life day.

Storms really are fun, but I dont love them so much on my mission.  Mostly becuase we cant just stay inside and watch it rain....we have to go out in it.  On Saturday night there was the most insane lightning storm.  The window was literally lit up non stop for several hours, thunder non stop, and absolute torrential downpour.  I couldnt believe it and the whole time while lying there in my bed I was just praying that the members would have the drive to go to church in the morning...even with all the mud.  There was like a mini Parana flowing outside our pension, and mud so thick you sunk an inch or two with every step.  We got to church and there were only 2 members.  TWO!  We were a little defeated.  4 more showed up about an hour late, and with us four missionaries.....we had a total of 10 people at church.  It was kind of rough, but the Elders did a good job with their talks that Pres. asked them to give 2 seconds before the meeting started. (:  

This week we found ourselves spending a lot of time with less actives.  They are everywhere, and we had a nice group of people rounded up who promised they would come to church......but the rained scared them.  We met with one lady though, who is pretty inactive and last transfer was walking down the street smoking.  She has a brand new grandbaby who is 2 weeks old, and her son was desperately looking for work.  We read some of the Book of Mormon with her, and felt prompted to promise her that if she reads the Book of Mormon and commits to come to church EVERY sunday, her son would find a job.  She whole heartedly promised she would come, and despite all the rain (I wish I could sufficiently explain how much rain it really is, if it didnt effect church attendance I might not hate it so much) she came!  She walked into class a little late, but came and sat down by us and with the biggest smile on her face said, he found work! He found work!  I promised to come this Sunday, and promise to come every Sunday from now on.....even with the rain.  She was so grateful and it was cool to see her happiness as she learned how to notice the blessings the gospel brings.  

The church isnt very strong here in La Paz.  There are a handful of faithful members, but the majority only come when it is convienent.  We are really working hard to make this branch strong.  We like to tell people that the church isnt a museum to display all the faithful, righteous, and perfect people in the world...but rather a hospital for people to come and get treatment and spiritual medicine.  In order for this hospital to work though we need good leaders.  Good nurses and doctors to help everything stay together.  Its going to take some work, but Im excited to see it grow!

La Paz is a cute little fishing town right on the massive Parana river.  Our pension is 1 block from the river, and there are fishing stores everywhere.  Its really common to see people walking down the sidewalks with a fishing pole over their shoulder and a bukcet of bait.  When it rains, no one has carpet or rugs so people pull out cardboard boxes to create a makeshift rug.  At grocery stores, to prevent theft or something (Im not really sure why they do this) but they make you put your bag in a locker up front as a collateral.  And each plastic bag you use you have to pay for.  

I think I started to come out of culture shock this last week.  The smell of dirt floor shacks and dog poop everywhere isnt so startling anymore.  And the sight of kids without shoes, garbage EVERYWHERE, and jalopys so old you cant even understand how they got the thing started.  Its getting better.  The people really are nice, and my spanish is coming along more and more each day.  We had a member with us for a lesson though, and she thinks my American accent is so bad that she started translating my spanish into her spanish to help our investigator.....I was just like, Ha...thanks.  Its all moving forward though.  

One adventure we had this week was at the bank.  Something Argentina doesnt have is customer service.  Becuasue next to nothing gets shipped into this country, everything is produced here....and there are only a few brands and types of each thing which means there isnt any competition....which means businesses dont think its worth it to have customer service, because there isnt a commpetition or drive to have it.  Anyway......last Monday Hermana Sainsbury and I went to the bank to take out money for the week to pay for groceries and the bus and so forth....and the ATM literally ate her whole card.  Consumed the whole thing, and didnt give it back.  We pushed cancel a dozen times, and nothing.  So we go into the place where there isnt customer service to try and find someone who can help us....and we got an irritable lady who said to come back Thursday to pick up the card.  We went back Thursday and there was a long line of people.  We didnt have a ton of time to pick it up, but the line was moving so impossibly slow that we ended up standing in line for an hour and half.  Just to find out that the atm actually snapped her card.  Bust.  We had a moment of panic, because I dont have a card but we called the office, and they just put the money on our District Leaders card.  My card was originally stuck in customes, but we have since found out that customs through it away.  Awesome, hopefully it comes soon (:  

Today is my comps birthday, and when its your birthday you ask for permission to watch a movie.  So today we are going to watch monsters universtiy which will be fun!  

We had a baptism last week for a sweet little girl, lots of miracles, lots of rain, and lots of mud.

I love you all lots......more than all the dogs who run around without an owner (we had to run away from a few this week....dog taser i have does nothing, but rocks work pretty well!)

Con Amor,

Hermana Withers

Hola from Argentina

Dear Family,

Hola from Argentina!  This week was another great one.....and just as a forwarning, there are probably a bajillion spelling errors in my emails because this computer is in Spanish it puts a red squiggly line under every single word, and I dont have time to go back and read it to find them.....sorry more editing for you to do.

Here in La Paz, everything is quiet and peaceful.  And we are working a ton with less actives.  Some years ago, the Rosario mission baptized a ton of people....and retained very few of them in the church...and so now our President is very concerned with retention and it feels like we are working in the the aftermath of all those baptisms....working hard to reactivate people who once had a testimony but just need a reminder and invitation to come back.  Its a bit of detective work to find some of them, but its fun!  Throughout each week we rally as many menos activos as we can and get them all excited to come to church, and on Sunday leave for church about an hour early to go pick some of them up.  Yesterday it felt like we were waking up all of La Paz by clapping outside some of the members houses....when you start clapping, the nearby dogs start going nuts, and when one starts barking he can get them all barking and its just a domino effect.  We were able to get quite a few people to church yesterday though, which is awesome.  The rain first and foremost was cooperative, and the branch is starting to grow ever so slightly.  

The church isnt very strong here in La Paz.  There was one big branch about 3 years ago, so they split it and now have 2 fairly weak branches.  We like to explain to people that the church is a hospital for people to go and get spiritual healing....but on the same side we need nurses and doctors to help take care of people.  So we are really trying to help this branch grow.  People have callings, but dont fulfill them, if people are asked to give a talk....they might show up if its convenient, but the drive to show up in order to fulfill a commitment doesnt exist here.  There is just a different attitude about church here...that its important to go if you can, but if you cant (cant meaning you would rather sleep or cook) that its okay to skip.  Its frustrating to work with this aspect of the culture....but we have also been mighty bold these last 2 weeks...reminding them of all the blessings they arent reciving and are never going to receive unless they go to church.  We show our genuine love and care that we really do have for these people....share 3 Ne 18:1-12 that talks about the sacrament or Moroni 6:9 which explains that sacrament meeting is never boring becuase it is directed by the spirit....and that each message every sunday is the exact lesson that we need to hear.  Its a slow struggle, but we feel like its growing.  We go to the mutual activities to show our support for the youth programs, are holding weekly noche do hogars, and if you have any more ideas to get people to the chapel please share.

In other news.....sunsets here are beautiful.  And the mornings are the best, becaause its not too hot and a lot of people are still sleeping.

Schools here are worth basically nothing.  Most kids have school in the morning or in the afternoon....but not usually both, and never during the siesta.   So each kid has between 3-5 hours of school.  Schools also arent divided by boundaries....a family chooses a school like you would a doctors office or somehting.  All the teachers and kids have to wear uniforms, which are white lab coats over normal clothes.  It looks like Argentina is breeding a bunch of mad scientists!  The playground area outside the school is a patch of grass surrounded by a barb wired fence.  I am not even kidding when I say that the first time I saw kids in thier uniforms just walking around in the grass outside their school....I legitimately thought it was a juvenile detention center or something.  Their schools and playgrounds literally look like prisons.  

Mayonnaise is served with EVERYTHING and salads are lettuce with vinegar and salt or oil.  They have the funniest condiments.

When we get groceries, we have to get 6 bags of milk.....SIX!  The bags are about the size of a powdered sugar bag....and we just go through them quick.  My favorite treat is chocolate milk (they sell Nesquik here) and that helps our milk storage move along.  For breakfast we have corn flakes because thats the only cereal that is affordable here (everyone just drinks mate...so breakfast foods are interesting to find) and we just sprinkle sugar of the cereal and milk to make it sweet.  

We have scheduled lunches wiht members every week....and we eat SO MUCH MEAT.  So much.  Its all really good, but I think for Christmas I am going to splurge and buy some real lettuce to make a real salad.  I really miss fruits and vegetables.  Also bread is served at every meal.  So we eat a lot of bread, meat, and pasta.  Its excellent.  I just wouldnt eat their salad here, its not too good.  

After one member meal last Sunday....we were getting ready to share a spiritaul thought.  I had the verse ready to read, Mosiah 2:41 which talks about the temporal and spiritual blessings from keeping the commandments (ahem...going to church!) and handed the book to the member named Pepe and asked him to read it.  He gets up, goes to his bucket of glasses, dumps it out, and starts trying on every pair.  I told him, Its okay....I can just read it!  But he was determined, and when he finally got to the pair he wanted he started reading.....it was just really funny to see this old man trying on all of these glasses.  I dont know why he just keeps the ones he likes out, but it was a funny experience anyway!

We are going to Rosario tonight for an Hermanas  conference with President.  I am really excited!  We will be back Wednesday morning, so a nice fun little adventure.  Its a long ways for us, so its a big deal when we travel.

I love you all lots!  More than all the chickens and roosters who run in and out of peoples houses (some during lessons and member meals!)

Hermana Withers  

First week in Argentina!

Dear Family.

Holy smokes this week has been nuts.  I am in a little town out in the middle of nowhere.  In the province of Entre Rios, in a city called La Paz.  The city is about 35 years behind in technology and so we are using the computer of one of the more well off members.  The keyboard is insane......so please forgive my punctuation and grammar.  

President Giuliani gives us only 1 hour on the dot to write our letters, and there is just no way I can write everything that I saw and experienced this last week, but I will do my best.  My journal is staying caught up, so dont worry!

Travel to Argentina was good.  The plane was nice and big and I just slept most of the time.  We landed in Buenos Aires, went through immigrations and customs which was relatively painless, and then gathered in the airport to wait for the other missionaries.  It was fun to see my MTC district.  Then some nice lady who works for the church offices out of B. A. gathered us up and put us on a double decker bus for a long day of visa paperwork.  She didnt speak English so understanding her instructiosn got tricky sometimes, but we got it all done and I think I am good to go.  I should get a card sent to the mission home soon that is my official visa card.  After all of that paper work we finally got to go to Rosario.  Its about a 5 hour bus ride from BA, so we didnt get there until super late.....but it was good to finally meet president and his wife.  

All day Wednesday was interviews with president, learning about the money, how to not get robbed, how to do reimbursements, and so forth.  It was a nice day of rest to be honest.  We just sat there, ate, and spent time with the office Elders and president and his wife.  

Thursday was the day I got my companion and area!  My companion is Hermana Sainsbury (another Hermana who served in DC South too) and she is awesome.  She has only been in Argentina for one month longer than me.....so we have a lot of fun adventures up ahead, but its going to be fun.  My calling as a missionary so far seems to be sent to one of the most isolated parts of the mission with a companion who has only one transfer more of experience than me.  But she is really great, and can speak spanish pretty well because she spent 8 months in DC.  She is an experienced missionary, just not so much in Argentina.  We are going to learn a lot together.  Our area is way out in the country....where we see cows tied to trees, chickens run around like squirrels, dirt floors (I dont know if I will ever be able to describe what these houses smell like),  and motorcycles everywehre.   We live off of a dirt road, wash our clothes by hand in a bucket, and when it rains electricity is on and off.

I have learned that drinking Mate is the most Argentine thing you can do.  They do it ALL THE TIME.  At church acitivites, at the store, and basically everywhere.  Did you know that Argentines are the best motorcycle bike riders in the world, because they pile 3 or 4 people on one bike, assign the guy in the back to be the thermal man with the hot water, another to hold the sugar, another to hold the mate leaves grass stuff, and they pass the thing around WHILE RIDING THE BIKE...pouring stuff in as needed.  Its awesome.  Really grateful that we arent allowed to drink mate, its gross looking and I dont think I could share a straw with the world.  People invite us sometimes, and its nice to just say our president has said no because of the time commitment....but in reality its also probably becuase of the germs (but we dont tell them that part)

Rain rules the world here.  My very first day in La Paz it rained soooo much.  I have never seen so much rain or mud in all of my whole life.  It was nuts.  When it rains, school is cancelled, shops close, and everyone goes home.  

Siesta is nuts, and is insanely long.  Argentines sleep so much.  I dont know how they make any money to pay for anything because they dont work early in the morning, or during the siesta which is from noon to 5, or late at night....so basically the whole day.  But the pace of life is really slow here, and people just take their time, and are soooo kind.  I dont know how much of this applies to other parts of Argentina, because we are pretty isolated (I had a 6 hour bus ride from BA) and before I left missionaries told me that La Paz is one of the most unique areas and also one that all the missionaries want to serve in.  So I am going to enjoy it while I am here!  

My mission debit card got stuck in customs, so my money is being sent to my companions card and I just make weekly withdrawals.  Hopefully it comes soon.

President told us to tell you guys not to put Hermana on letters or packages because the governemnt is offset by it.  Getting anything from America into Argentina can tricky if anything looks suspicious...so just so you know!

Dont add any of the people you listed from facebook, I dont know those people.  Crazy that Rachel DeVoe is engaged, people are having babies, and that Rachel Hobsons baby is deaf.  Life carries on back home!  I love seeing pictures of you guys, and reading your weekly letters.  They are the best.

I can get dearelders at the very latest every month when zone leaders go for monthly training, sometimes sooner.  Letters apparently take about 1-2 weeks to get here (just send them to the mission home) and about 1-2 weeks for a response to get back to America.  So about a month in total!  

I am healthy, and so far food hasnt made me sick.  Although one lunch with a member was soupy rice with mystery meatballs and the whole thing looked questionable but they stood nearby the table talking and watching us eat (it was sort of bizarre) so I had to eat it.  I prayed really hard that the food would be blessed and not make me sick, and it didnt.  I felt kind of funny later that afternoon, but am just fine now.  

We walk a ton, and bikes would be nice to cut down on walking time...but my shoes are holding up well.  

Before I forget to tell you, I saw Thomas and it was awesome.  I saw him at the bus station before my trip to La Paz.  He is doing well,  He gave me a big long hug ( had to explain we were related to a few missionaires) and I have pictures but no time to send them.  Next week for sure.

I dont have time to write much else, but know that I love you sooooooo much.  I am well and love this work.

I love you more than all the dead frogs in the road when it rains (nastiest roadkill ever)!

Hermana Withers

Special permission to email today

Dear Family,

Because my P-Day for emailing will be shot with traveling, I have been given permission to email a little note today.

The word on my travel plans?  I have to report to the mission office at noon....and I'm not really sure what happens at this step, but then someone from the office takes me to the airport with the 4 other visa waiters.  Once at the airport, I go through all the checking bags and security stuff, find my gate, and wait for takeoff!  My flight is apparently around 2:00 or 2:30 (I haven't heard official word on this....this is just the estimate from the assistants) which makes me slightly nervous for time.  Between travel from the office, and then airport stuff......I hope I can make it all.  The church is developing a reputation for cutting all travel plans real close on time.  I know how to run fast though :) and I will call as soon as I can.  I have no idea what time I will have in the DC airport, or if we have a layover somewhere along the way......but be waiting to hear from me!  Interesting to know, no one actually left on Oct. 22.....we are all flying (my MTC district and I assume many other visa waiters around the country) together on Monday.

Happy Birthday to Lauren this Sunday!  As in tomorrow!!!! How exciting!  You'll be a good 14 year old I'm sure (:  

This DC South mission is getting Facebook by the end of next week, and iPads in December.  At District Meeting when this was announced some people were like, "Oh...Hermana Withers, you aren't going to be here for those..."  And I was just like, "Oh, that ain't nothin...I'm going to Argentina!"  I am really excited for the missionaries here though.  Facebook will be a great tool for those hours of the day when its harder to have appointments or to find people.  And iPads are going to be so fun for lessons to show mormon messages, pictures, and videos of the Apostles.  Exciting stuff!

We had interviews with President this last week, and he is so awesome.  Everyone else in the zone had all these specific questions they had to ask  him about the mission, their companion, areas, and so on....and we talked a little about those things, but we mostly just had a nice conversation.  He is a great president and I honestly feel like his ability to discern my needs and receive revelation on behalf of this mission is a way Heavenly Father shows His love for me.  We rarely see President, and each week he only sends a line or two in response to everyone's email...but somehow you feel so loved and well known to President.  It's a miracle really!  Funny thing about President Riggs though.  He has a tracker in his car which can keep track of all the police cars nearby him.  I don't know how legal that is, but he sure drives fast (:  And despite horrendous traffic he is able to arrive at most meetings on time! 

Thank you sooooooo much for the camera stick and USB with music!  They are both perfect, and the USB has the absolute best music ever.   Tell Valerie she did a stellar job and that I love all the songs.  Again not just sweet talking, it is the honest truth and as we have been traveling to meetings everyone is like, "oh I love this song,"  or "oh...this has such great music!"  It really is fun to have a change of pace with music, and she has excellent taste.  

Also one question....one of our fun investigators Dilia (I think her name is Lily on Facebook for some reason though)  was trying to look me up on Facebook so she could be friends with me after I left.  She found me, but for some reason there wasn't any friend request button.  Maybe the settings have been changed, but can you go to my account and change it so that anyone can request me.  I would love to stay in touch with people from here.  I had her go to Mom's account next, and she sent a request to you mom.  You can accept her if you want, but don't have to....and I am pretty sure her whole account is in Spanish because she is from El Salvador and doesn't speak a drop of English (:  Also can you log into my account every once in a while anyway to make sure it hasn't been hacked or messed with...and also to accept friend requests from people I meet?  Thanks a million (:  

Our little mile by a mile area is actually closing.  I am going to Argentina, and Hermana Woodbury is going to be companions with another visa waiter's companion.  We both have to pack, clean the apartment, and organize things like the area book and phone.  It's going to be so busy.  But two more days in America and then I am headed into uncharted territory!  It's going to be an adventure.

Thanks for everything.  Also, please be praying for me on Monday.  I don't want to throw up from nerves again (: I love you more than the number of dishwashers in all the apartments that go unused by Hispanics because they think they are too slow (:

Hermana Withers        

Una semana mas en los Estados Unidos

Dear Family,

I finally heard back from the mission office, and I am not leaving until the 28th (I will be traveling with the 4 other visa waiters from DC South).  So one more week in America!  But I have no idea what time my flight is or when I will be able to call......sorry for that.  How do you want to do the calling thing?  From past experiences with church travel, I have learned that I might not have much time to call.  In a perfect world you could all just take a day off of life and stay home all day until I call (not a bad idea :)  but if that doesn't work out.... I can call Mom's cell phone and then call Dad at work.  That leaves the kids out of luck though.  Maybe they can take the day off of school to catch up on homework or something.....?  Then I can call everyone at home, and if Dad is still working I can call him too.  Ha....I don't know.  You can all figure it out how you want to (:  But I will call (promise!) and only call the cell phones since you cut the home one.  

I'm probably not going to get to email again until I'm in Argentina though, so your best bet is to tell me what to do in a quick letter (I would send it today or tomorrow at the latest) via snail mail.

Woooohh.  Now that we are past all of that.  How was everyone's week?!?

This one was a terrific one for me.  I got your letter in the mail, and I also got the calling cards from Debbie.  I wrote her a quick note to say thank you, and its in the mail...they are so awesome.  I will be sure to call with those.  

We traveled all the way to Burke again!  We picked up my passport from the mission office (I looked at it and my visa is stapled in there!) and then went over to the police station in Fairfax to get my fingerprints.  It was very similar to a DMV experience.... I'm sure you can use your imaginations (:  I had to get 2 copies, and it isn't something the mission office knew how to reimburse me for (as in the nice senior couples are still greenies and don't know how to do anything quite yet) so there is a $15 dollar expense on my card.  I told them it wasn't a problem though, because it wasn't too expensive and they already seemed stressed.

Yesterday we had dinner with a family that was funny (crazy?).  We walked in and were slobbered by their dog.  Dinner was "soup" that turned out to be heated water with some salt, broccoli, and egg noodles.  The rolls were hot dog buns with cold cheese melted on to them (and their family tradition is to smother jam all over this bun/cheese thing.....but we didn't dare try that), and dessert was a cake that had heart attack and diabetes written in the frosting.  And their kids were off the wall nuts.  It was a funny experience, and we just took it all in stride...but I realized how grateful I am for parents who taught me manners.  And a Mom who enjoys to cook real food.  And that you taught us how to clean and do chores.  I have been spoiled with member visits out here in this wealthy part of America, it was probably good for me to have a gross dinner in a messy house...to bring me back to home base and get me ready for whatever goes down in Argentina. 

This last weekend was something called a Rummage Sale, that all the locals rave about.  A women's society collects clothes all year long, has a huge sale, and donates all the money to the hospital. It was a HUGE sale and everything was dirt cheap.  We packed a lunch and went during our one hour break on Saturday, and it was nuts.  My companion found some stuff, and the other Hermanas found a mother lode, and all I could seem to find were the cat sweaters and dresses with pearls sewn on them.  I was fine with that, and didn't want anything anyway because I still have to pack what I have and get it to Argentina.  But after they bought their stuff, the plastic bags turned out to be Costco garbage bags......and it literally looked like they were taking out the trash for this place.  I decided that that is probably what they were doing, only that they had to pay for the garbage first. (: Ha just kidding, it really was for a good cause, and I was surprised they were able to find good stuff despite having to swim through piles of junk first.  (:   

There is a recent convert we work with who is this funny old man from Mexico.  He took us to his favorite restaurant called Pollo Loco and got us this huge tres leches birthday cake.  It wasn't anybody's birthday, but it was fun anyway! (:

We have been teaching kids a lot more lately (ages 10-14), because we were teaching their parents or older siblings first, and noticed that there are more members in the family so we are including the kids too! And the kids are moving so much faster, are more teachable, and setting a cool example for their family.  These kids live in a rough neighborhood, many have sad family circumstances, and when you talk about gospel topics in super simple terms, they get it and say things like, "One miracle I noticed is that I got an A in math for the first time" or "One time I broke my mom's new TV and prayed that she wouldn't get mad."  These are real things that these kids have said, and it is so cool!  They are good kids, they know they are pretty poor, that their parents are illegal immigrants, they are learning English, and trying to help their parents keep it together....and its making them really mature.  They are growing up way faster than they probably should be, seeing and experiencing a lot of hard things, and they still can recognize miracles.  To me, that in and of itself is a miracle.

Thanks for all of your love and support, and funny stories about your adventures in Minnesota (and in Chile!).  

I love you all more than the number of emails missionaries send and receive each week around the world!

Hermana Withers

Almost ready for take-off!!

Dear Family,

Ha actually I am not near take off quite yet.  President hasn't even received any word on my flight plans, so I am still here workin hard!  We got a call from the mission office last Wednesday saying that church travel had sent me some urgent paperwork that needed to be signed, and that I need to get fingerprints again (ugh!).  We drove all the way to Burke, and about 2 miles away from the office....they called and said "nevermind" we don't have your passport yet, we will call you when its here and you can come back then.  Bummer.  In order to get finger prints at the police stations here, they require two forms of ID.....and my passport is my other form, so we went all that way for nothing.  The mission office didn't know that, and they felt bad that we had traveled all that way, but they gave us a bunch of candy, so I guess it wasn't totally for nothing? (:  My passport should be here by today or tomorrow, so we should be traveling there soon!  

Thanks for a Christmas package, you are the best.  As for right now, I haven't had a real chance to look for another memory stick, so if you can find one that would be great.  And for the calling card, I have tried to look, and our dumpy wal mart and super target have nothin.  Bust.  Maybe you can overnight them or something to make sure I get them....but if you can't get it to me, don't worry about it and maybe I can get a calling card at the airport.  Whatever you think looks good, I will probably like....so don't worry about the Christmas box....I will love everything.  I wasn't just sweet talking you about the skirt the first time, it really is my new favorite.

Out of the 6 missionaries in my MTC district, 5 of us have our visas.  And some of them have actual flight plans to leave on Oct. 22.........so maybe I will go then too!  That would be sweet, I will keep you posted though.   

Also crazy thing, my companion's best friend is serving in Concepcion...and she asked her if she knew an Elder Withers....AND SHE DID!   An Hermana Jenna Snyder, is serving in the same ward as Chad.  Small world (:

Hearing that Valerie got asked out to Snow Ball by the kid across the street is just about the funniest thing ever.  That would never happen in Idaho.  He better not be a bum.  And sounds like Sam showed Minnesota how its done with soccer!  Excellent work!  You tied with yourself!  What was everyone else doing while you were scoring all the points?

 

Also cool to hear that you are having missionary experiences too.  And also getting more Elders!  The work is growing!

And I was sad to hear about the accident.  Sad first of all that June Hobson died, but that a car drove into a crowd?  I can't really figure it out.....was it a criminal act, or did someone legitimately drive into a crowd on accident?  9 people is a lot.   

I hope you had a good time at the temple and enjoyed real civilization for a bit!  You are all staying so busy, but also managing to go to the temple and spend more time at home too......what a blessing!

This week was wickedly cold and rainy.  It rained literally ALL WEEK LONG (we woke up to rain, it rained all day, we went to bed with rain), up until yesterday when the sun finally made an appearance.  We walked around in our rain boots and carried umbrellas, for what seemed like an eternity...but the sun finally came back, and it feels so good.  I have enjoyed the fall season too.  Seeing the leaves change colors, its all so pretty.  But I also feel lucky to have a ticket south for the winter.  I enjoyed all of summer, have had a nice fall, and am peacin out for winter to have another summer!  

Besides the adventure to Burke, this week really has been a typical, busy week.  We had a few dinner appointments with members, lessons with investigators, and a few meetings.  We are finally drying out too.  

I'm excited to go to Argentina.  This mental game of staying focused here in Leesburg is getting harder and harder.  The biggest transfer of my life is coming up though, and I am ready for it!  

Sorry that I don't have much more to write about this week.  It was a good one.  And also our investigators and members are awesome.  As time continues on, plans for things like Halloween, and zone interviews, and things well past Oct. 20.....I feel a little twinge of sadness that I won't be here.  This place is so fun, the missionaries are top of the line, and our president is so energetic and insightful.  If I never got my visa, I would be okay....because this mission has felt like home too.  

I know great things are up ahead!  

Thanks for all of your love and support.  I love you more than all the rain puddles I walked through this week!

Hermana Withers