"Time....sometimes it flies, sometimes it drags. Sometimes it does both at once."

thanks for the christmas cards from the simmons family, aunt lynn and co and the magpad!   and thanks to sis. terrill for the dear elder!  and thanks to hna mangum, rachel, gee, sis. young, sam, jmag and ma for the emails!  loved the photos and the video from the frozen anderclan.

gee, send my regards to my peeps at the grove.  i´m surprised people still remember me.  didn´t live in snowshoe, but i sure lived a lot of my free time there.  photos of the kitchen brought me back, man.  i learned how to play speed scrabble (from jim dodd´s younger brother dave) in the living room of snowshoe.  play a round for me, eh?  also, everytime i go to an event (of any type) i feel a special fondness for the people that set up all the chairs and tables.  i set up a lot of chairs there.  every once in a while i think about working there again.  it was a happy summer.  lots of good good experiences that really changed my life.

this was a long week.  time is weird on the mish...sometimes it flies and sometimes it drags.  and sometimes it does both at once.

hna vaamonde is my new comp--from uruguay.  she looks young, and everyone tells her so.  i would personally get sick of everyone asking me if i was 15, but she is really good about it.  and she´s really awesome to work with--makes a big difference.  she came from tribuno, my first area.  she read in the weekly letter from the offices that they had a baptism this last weekend--someone that she worked with her whole time there (i started teaching her with hna rojas) and she was super bummed that she missed it.  it would have been her first baptism.  that´s hard.  i get it--you get mighty possesive of your ripe tomatoes.

had an fhe with kevin and his family last monday.  i was surprised that one of his brothers and his older sister participated.  it was good.  they liked the banana bread that i brought and they made pizza (i think once i said that pizza is like the universal fhe "refreshment" here).  angel didn´t get baptized because we could never find the dad to sign his ficha.  i wish we got it done when we did kevin´s in december.

have i said that agustina is awesome?  she is.  is beginning to love the book of mormon.  things are too awesome--her baptism is scheduled for this saturday and i´m worried that things will go awry at the last second.  her mom also is never home to sign her ficha--we left two (one for her younger brother facundo who is also scheduled for baptism) and we hope that she´ll sign them without problems.

we found an old old old lady (90 yrs +) that got baptized in calif about 10 years ago.  she´s way sick now and lives with her non-member son.  she´s from another country (syria?) and was way catholic before getting baptized--wanted to be a nun.  she recited a whole bunch of catholic prayers in her native language.  it was really beautiful.  she can´t see well or hear at all, so we couldn´t really share much, but we prayed with her and left a pamphet with pictures of jesus (more for her son than for her).  she really appreciated our visit.

found a lot of new investigators this week that are a little emotionally taxing.  super receptive--they all want to get baptized, but because of the "false traditions of their fathers" don´t understand the need to actually DO something to become converted.  ugh.  they also have huge family problems.  we arrived a one house and found almost everyone in the family just chillin´ outside (except for the two girls that we had committed to come to church and that didn´t show up--they ran to hide from us).  i asked one of the girls how she was doing and she said "bad.  my brother just punched me in the face."  i had noticed that one eye was way red and swollen but thought it was from allergies or something.  but then i noticed that her nose was purplish and swollen too.  her brother is 12.  so sad.  she went to the hospital for an injection (hospitals are free and are where you go to see the doctor and "getting an injection" is the universal remedy for ALL medical problems).  i asked her if she had put ice on it to keep the swelling down and it was like the first time they had heard of something like that.  shoot man, i should open a clinic here.  i am ever reminded that we ALL have the need for emotional and spiritual healing, which can only come from repentance and the atonement.

the church is true!
hermana magnusson

"This work really is of God and these are His children"

 Editor's note:  This is a Save The Date posting:  Lisa is flying into LAX on March 13th.  She'll be speaking in church on March 17th at 10:00.  1452 Royal Oaks Drive. Duarte, CA 

wow!  lots of love this week!  thanks to lizzie hernandez and sis. cornwall and seminary class for the christmas cards.  and thanks to sis. parkinson, rachel, gee, grandma harris, pa, nea, sam, ma, and jmag for the emails!  good to hear from the whole fam.  especially fun to hear about gee in utah and sam´s talk.  and about daily life for everyone else.  i really really like hearing about everyone´s daily life inasmuch as "daily life" here is so different.  i guess that would be my advice for anyone that wants to write to a missionary but doesn´t know what to say--just write about dumb stuff that you do all day long.  they will love it.

today are transfers, hence i´m writing early.  i stay here (last transfer!!!) but am getting a new comp--not the newbie that i was going to train (still visa-waiting) but a newish latina that is coming from my first area, tribuno.  i don´t know anything about her (can´t even remember her name).  stay tuned.  it´s a little emotionally draining working with a new comp--you have to figure out how to work/teach together, have to introduce her to all the peeps, they´re all sad because they miss the last comp, you have to do all the decision making because she doesn´t know anyone/where people live, etc.  president is wise for leaving people in areas/companionships for several transfers.  hna rodriguez was a good comp and i will miss working with her.  we don´t have as many people lined up for baptism in these upcoming weeks, but have some promising potentials.

last week we had a "conferencia de hermanas" with hna levrino.  it´s always nice to get together with other hnas.  talked a lot about how to teach better.  i like to learn about how to be a better teacher.  i like to teach.

Lisa is in the middle of the back row.  Hna Levrino is in the front row in the black blouse.

kevin (teenager that got baptized a few weeks ago) received the priesthood two sundays ago and was scheduled to pass the sacrament for the first time yesterday.  a member of the branch gave him a white shirt and tie so he could do it appropriately. but he came late to sac mtng.  bummer.  but he brought his neighbor with him and he was really receptive.  so that was happy.  his younger brother angel will be baptized this upcoming saturday, we hope.  i´ve really been preoccupied for his family for a while--the three older brothers all got baptized in 2005ish, but are all super innactive--not sure for how long.  they never want to talk to us when we are at their house.  the mom died about the time that the older brothers got baptized (cancer, i think) and it hit the family hard.  the oldest brother committed suicide shortly after.  the older sister maira was also listening to the missionaries, but had to step up and be the mom when the mom died and was overwhelmed by everything and stopped coming to church.  she is now a single mom.  we met the dad when he signed kevin´s ficha (form) to get baptized--said that he is a "hearer of the word" but doesn´t have time to committ to anything.  they all have so much potential.  i would love to reactivate the brothers and baptize maira and have the dad listen to us and then they can all go to the temple and be sealed and kevin could serve a mission and it would all be great.  but this will all take looooooooots of time.  so we´re starting with an fhe tonight.  and we taught two lessons INSIDE the house for the first time this week (we always teach outside) so i´m thinking that´s progress.

agustina is great.  came to church with her siblings AND without us--"when i get baptized i´ll have to come on my own.  i have to get used to it now."  she scared us on tuesday saying that she needed more time before getting baptized--like maybe in december?  but in the next lesson said that she wanted to be baptized with her brother in feb.  she loves church.  the members love her.  it´s great.  rene, another newish golden investigator, is sad because he feels alone (is older and single), is out of work and a relative recently was killed in a tragic moto accident.  has bailed on us in our last few appts and didn´t come to church.  i´m worried.  we met patricia, a widow of about a year. was attending a church regularly but hasn´t for some time and recently has felt a spiritual emptyness. was receptive. she was a contact of the other hnas.  mariluz´s husband showed up again last week and beat her badly.  she can hardly walk and so she couldn´t come to church.  wants her kids to go but can´t send them solo.  we reconnected with valeria and armando--the golden couple that got offended when they came to church the first time.  i think there is still hope.  we´re keeping busy.

saturday morning we had our first few lessons bail on us and so we were a little discouraged when a teenager ran up to us (i never know how to react when someone runs up to us--it´s a little freaky)..."hermanas! i´m a member!" pfew. jonathon is his name, got baptized about 6 months ago in another city and moved here to live with his tios about two weeks ago. wants to go to church but didn´t know where it is or what time it starts. everytime we "happen" to be in the right place at the right time i am reminded that this work really is of God and that these are His children. it´s humbling to be an instrument in His hands.

the church is true!
hermana magnusson

Look Who Santa Found!

Santa went all the way to Argentina to give Lisa a Christmas present.

I found this photo of Hermana Magnusson on the Salta, Argentina Mission facebook page.

We are glad that Lisa's been a good girl this year. 

Haz Lo Justo (Choose the Right)

Editor's note:  Lisa's birthday is coming up Feb. 1st.  Because it is so close to her coming home date, I would suggest that you don't send her any packages.  I'm sure she would appreciate a birthday email sent to her to on the Monday before her birthday.   (That would be by January 27th.)  Her email address is:   lisa.magnusson@myldsmail.net  Thanks for all your prayers and support on her behalf.

 

we made empanadas!  they were delish!

 

 

 natalia got baptized!  so happy!

 

muchas gracias a betsy!!, heather!!, ma, gee, sam, rachel and jmag for your emails.  loved all the photos and newsy updates.  i wish i could write everyone back individually.  but i can only email family (fun rule, no?) and i have zero time to write letters.  i´m definitely planning on visiting all my peeps when i get home!  two months to go........

this weekend: natalia got baptized!  she hasn´t smoked for over a week.  we buy boxes of gum in the feria (like a street fair/farmers market) and give her a ton every time we see her.  the night of her baptism interview, gabriel was commenting on the good changes in the family: "we ended the year with two baptisms (carla and anabela) and have started the year with two baptisms" (natalia and agustin).  natalia added, "and one wedding!"  and gabriel added, "and looooooooooooots of gum!"  they are happy.  we are happy.  i was a little disappointed that hardly anyone from the branch showed up for the baptism and reception that we planned for afterwards.  the branch pres blamed it on the corso which started that night.  corso is like mardi gras (i guess)--it lasts for 5 weekends and consists of groups that dance/perform (parade-like) in the street.  apparently it´s pretty inappropriate.  thank goodness we don´t work very much in the area where it goes on.

i got asked at the baptism to speak in church the next day.  my assigned topic was "haz lo justo" (choose the right)--inspired by the start of the corso.  the other member that spoke with me did a fantastic job--said everything that i wanted to say, but couldn´t due to no time to plan and less-than-fluent language abilities.  my first talk in this branch.

agustina is progressing fantastically.  is reading daily in the book of mormon.  understands it all.  has great questions.  went to seminary.  will probably be our next baptism in two weeks.  we are teaching her younger brothers--equally fantastic.  LOVE THEM!  her 12 yr old sister is working on getting confirmed in the catholic church and will listen to us from the window, but only if she thinks that we can´t see her.

gabriela, our golden golden investigator from a few months ago lost steam when we taught her she had to get married to get baptized.  has little interest now.  i gave her a liahona with talks from general conference and she was unimpressed.  HELLO, this is a living prophet we´re talking about.  it makes me so incredibly sad to drop her, but we have to.  dah.

tomorrow we have a conference for the hnas in our zone and the neighboring zone with hna levrino.  i´m excited.

sorry not much to report.  much is the same.  the days fly by.  i came home utterly exhausted every single night last week.  the church is true!

hermana magnusson

We are all His children, after all...

 hna rodriguez and i new years eve day in the house of a member 

  

miracle of miracles!  gabriel and natalia got married!  

my comp and i were the witnesses!  

(basically that means my signature is in some huge book in the registro civil of orán)

 the families and friends of gabriel and natalia that came to their wedding

 agustin´s baptism (natalia´s son--the last of the kids to get baptized).  

next week will be natalia´s baptism!

thanks to ma, gee, sam, jmag and rachel for your emails this week!

can´t believe it´s already 2013.  here are some fun facts from 2012:

• number of days spent living in argentina, speaking castellano all day, every day: 366
• number of areas served in: 4
• number of companions: 9
• total number of lessons taught to investigators: 1066
• total number of new investigators found and taught: 458
• number of pairs of shoes broken and repaired: 3
• total number of miles walked, mosquito bites recieved, testimonies bourn: countless!
• and in 2012 i finished reading the book of mormon in spanish.  yay!

new years was pretty low-key.  we had to be in the house early (to avoid crazies).  we cleaned (happy p-day!) and then made/ate tacos with the other hnas.  i didn´t realize how much i miss tacos.  they don´t exist here.  we had to teach the argentine hnas how to make/eat them.  i watched fireworks just for a bit at midnight.  i´m not a big new year´s person, but the people here are.  like, it´s waaaaaaaaaay bigger than christmas.  sad, eh?

on wednesday natalia and gabriel got married!  it was so happy.  gabriel bought a suit and shaved for the occasion.  he arrived at the registro civil before natalia (she was prepping at her friend´s house) and he was so nervous.  we had to buy him gum.  both sets of parents showed up, and about half of gabriel´s 10 siblings.  lots of family and friends came.  hna rodriquez and i were the witnesses.  natalia is going without cigarettes this week so she can get baptized on saturday.  (she was smoking last week so she couldn´t get baptized with her son on sat.)  i asked gabriel how she´s doing, and he said she´s pretty hysterical.  he is a good, good man.  he bore a sweet testimony yesterday (in his new suit!)--how this week was so wonderful, how happy he is that his family is getting baptized, and that prayers are answered.  he was interviewed by the branch pres. yesterday and will be able to baptize natalia.  this is the most miraculous experience of my mission.  i´m glad i´ve been able to participate in their conversion/reactivation.

agustina (teenaged girl from last week) is progressing fast!  she was so excited to get a book of mormon and begin reading it.  wants to pray daily with her family.  loved church on sunday.  we found out that her uncle (lives with her) was receiving the charlas from the missionaries several years ago and was super receptive.  is nice to us when we stop by but won´t listen.  it´s very mysterious.  can´t wait to get a chance to talk to him.

things are busy busy busy here.  i am often overwhelmed by the volume of potential/work that we have here in the area.  i guess that´s a good thing, eh?  definitely keeps one humble.  i can´t do it all on my own, so i have to do it with the help of heavenly father.  they´re all his children, after all.

the church is true!
hermana magnusson