Missionary activity, Angels protecting missionaries from mean dogs

June 30

Dear Family,

It sounds like a pretty busy week, with selling the milk cows, mountain biking adventures, sending a package to a missionary on the flip side of the equator.  My shoes are holding up (there is a family that manufactures shoes and they re-stitched my shoes and wouldn’t accept any payment).  My coat is holding up great.  It does well in the cold and the rain.

I thought it was pretty funny the description of getting ready and packing for reunion. I laughed, and I could picture it perfectly of loading and unloading, going to Costco, and eating gobs of candy while looking at all the pretty scenery.  What fun memories.  

Have fun with the trek music acts.  In our trek group, a girl sang a Justin Bieber song from the hand cart, and I was part of the Bieber security crew who pulled the cart. 

These next few weeks, we hope to be able to do a ward activity on missionary work.  We hope to be able to train and encourage the members to share the Gospel.   We want each family to come up with their own family plan of missionary work, that includes among other things, what they study, that they pray for missionary experiences, and that they set goals of introducing friends to the missionaries.  I got the idea from a letter from a family in the ward.  I have a goal for the second half of my mission of writing at least 1 letter to each family that has written me on the mission.  It is really hard to find time to write letters, often P-day is our busiest day.

Also, about this week, they cut our water.  The bill got wet, we put it to dry in the bathroom, and forgot about it. They cut our water, and for a couple of days we had to shower in the home of a member, but all is well now, and we have water.  

If this email gets to you while you are still at reunion then please tell everyone there that I think they are awesome, that I love them, and that the work of sharing the gospel brings blessings. 

I have a lot of pictures to send that were taken on my companions camera, but they are really high image quality, so they have to be sent 2 at a time.  I will try to get them sent out next week.  

I love you all, more than the number of drops of water in Lake Alturas.

-Elder Withers

Dear Family,

How are you doing?!?!??  You are all chillin at reunion eating otter pops sitting in lawn chairs and swatting mosquitos....how I would love to be there, but I send all my love from down south in Argentina :)  This has sort of been a whirlwind of a week....

Just for the record........the world cup is no picnic down here.  It’s full on war.  People get SO involved in the matches, and when Argentina is playing there is absolutely no way to get people’s attention.  You try to knock on someone’s door and they look at you like you are an idiot, as if you didn’t know that it’s the World Cup and that everyone should be quietly sitting in their house watching the game.  It’s a phenomenal sensation, and please believe me when I tell you that if Argentina plays.....everyone knows that it’s a day off from school, and employees are let out early to accommodate the game schedule.  It’s like Christmas, but bigger down here.  It’s been interesting to watch...but in all honesty I will be glad when it’s all over and everything can return to normal.    

We met a less active this week through an active member.  Apparently 20 or so years ago this less active (Carmen is her name) let her neighbor (also a member) borrow one of her favorite pans.  It was a pan she used to cook in and she also made things in it to sell.  When she went by the next day to pick up her pan, the lady who had borrowed it said she didn’t have it and that she didn’t remember asking to use it.  Carmen was so mad and since that day hasn’t walked in the chapel.  It is so sad, and if only she knew what she was missing, all for a silly pan that doesn’t even really matter any way.  We are working with her on the atonement, forgiveness, and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  

The other day we were peacefully walking down the street, with a map in our hands trying to find a reference a member had given us....when all of the sudden out of nowhere popped out a huge gigantic black dog, running and bouncing super fast, and headed straight for us.  It was barking and growling and I literally though it was going to eat me or my bag or my skirt.... or something.  I said a little prayer in my heart, grabbed my companion, and we ran.  We got to the edge of a driveway, looked back, and the dog was still coming for us.  Shoot.  But just as the dog was getting close to us, it stopped.  Like 2 feet in front of us, as if something was holding it back but there was nothing around except for us and this evil dog.  I would like to think that an angel was holding the dog back, but I really have no idea.  It was just a simple miracle.  You really would have had to be there to understand how awful the dog was, and how miraculous it was that it somehow randomly stopped and didn’t hurt us.  

This week we were out working one evening, in the freezing cold... (humidity is awful!) and we hit 7:00pm, and we had literally used up all of our plans.  There was absolutely nothing left, it was dark outside so we couldn’t contact.....and I really didn’t know what to do.  All the people we had planned to visit were busy or weren’t home and we weren’t close to anyone else’s house.  We decided to say a little prayer on the corner of a street, quietly without calling any attention.....we looked up, and decided to walk down the street directly in front of us. Straight ahead.  We did so, and the very first person I saw was a punk looking kid smoking a cigarette.  In my head......I thought, "Really....this is the person you want us to meet?"  And I really didn’t want to talk to him, it didn’t seem like a good idea, it was dark outside, and we needed to start heading back closer to the main part of our area.  But.....I couldn’t stand the thought of this being a person Heavenly Father needed us to meet and we didn’t talk to him.....so we quickly introduced ourselves and told him we would like to give him a picture of Jesus Christ.  He willingly accepted, and opened up a huge conversation with us.  His wife came out of the little store on the corner where he had been waiting for her, and we talked with her too.....about the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation, and we were there on the corner with them for about 30 minutes.  And they didn’t even complain about the cold or try to escape.  They opened up quick, and were really receptive.  It was soooo cool.  As I have been on my mission....I have learned that our little black plaque nametags are incredibly powerful.  People open up, and are so willing to accept our message or commit to change.  We set up an appointment, passed by again with a member....and they are golden.  They introduced us to their whole family, shared some of their cake, and listened attentively.  We are totally going to visit again....and agian.....and again.  They would be perfect to have in this little branch here in Beltran.  Plus.....it’s a family!  Oh the miracles that happen when you do the work the Lords way, he knew this man had a family and would be willing to open up.  I thought talking to him would have been a bad idea, but it turned out miraculously.  Good thing we do the work the Lord’s way instead of our way.  

President Giuliani will be going home today, it’s kind of sad but I will be excited to get to know the new president and his family.  It has been very very cold here lately and I have been so grateful for my sleeping bag.  Thanks for all your letters, support, stories, examples, jokes....and for being awesome.  Have fun at reunion.  I love everybody.  Don’t forget to be awesome.  

I love you more than all the dogs that have barked at me while I have been a missionary!

Hermana Withers

Missionary work is amazingly awesome, it's in the Lord's hands

June 23

Dear Family,

This will be a super express email because I am going to email the reunion letter, and try to send a few pictures.  

News of this week:  Amadeo was baptized and confirmed, and is super happy.  The guy really likes to laugh and smile.  We preached on a couple buses this week, and it is such a rewarding thing to do, to teach and testify and then invite the crowd to listen to our message.  It has happened several times that a member is on the bus, and we don’t always realize it, but the members comment that they think that is so awesome, and it helps us get their confidence, that we are doing all we can to find people to teach.  Also, on Saturday we had a ward activity called mate criollo, where it is a party of mate and sopapillas, which are basically scones.  It was a lot of fun, and we had a little bit of karaoke.  Right before we left, I karaoked “Someone Like You” by Adele, I had no idea how to sing it, but I sang it loud and really had a ball.  

Missionary Work is amazingly awesome.  I have seen firsthand so many cool things, and I wish I could convey in words all the amazing things I have seen in the last year.  These are the last days, this is the time to preach the gospel.  The Lord is hastening his work.  We now have to work together as members and missionaries, and harder than ever before.  

I would like to begin with a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball.  “Now is the moment in the timetable of the Lord to carry the gospel farther than it has ever been carried before…. Many a person in this world is crying, knowingly and unknowingly, “Come over… help us.”  He might be your neighbor.  She might be your friend.  He might be a relative.  She might be someone you met only yesterday.  But we have what they need.  Let us take new courage from our studies and pray, as did Peter, “And now, Lord, grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word.”  Acts 4:29.  He H 

It is by sharing the gospel with those around us that many millions of of our fellow brothers and sisters will join the church.  As members, it is our duty to carry the joyous message of the gospel to all.  As Christians it is our sacred duty to light the darkened homes, and lives of our neighbors, friends at school, co workers, and people we meet throughout our day.  In order to do this, we first need to develop a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true.  I invite all of you to read the introduction to the Book of Mormon this week.  I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas.  I can promise you that if you really read and pray about that book you will gain a testimony that it is true.

During my mission I have had some amazing testimony building experiences.  One that I would like to share is about a man named Adolfo Figueroa.  He is a leader in Chilean military training, a really tough guy.  His wife washed our laundry, and was inactive for a number of years.  His wife was brought back to the church by talented sister missionaries.  Adolfo had listened to missionaries many times, had read pamphlets, had gone to church many times, and had even prayed to see if what he read was true.  But there was something missing.  It was humility and real intent.  He didn’t believe in the Book of Mormon.  He didn’t want to accept anything besides the first four books in the New Testament.  We knew that he loved the savior, and that he had an idea of Christ, but without a testimony of the Book of Mormon, he wouldn’t be able to progress in the gospel.  Over a period of about 3 months, we gave service to his family, shared gospel messages when we went to pick up our laundry, even went fishing with him once.  We had family home evenings where the spirit was so strong that he cried.  As we read out of 3 Nephi 11 one afternoon, he started to believe.  After I left that area, he was baptized, and is now an active member of the church, and a priesthood holder in his home.  I know that there are Adolfos all around us.  Adolfo Figueroa is not alone, there are many like him.  They all need the light of the gospel.

  

I love being a missionary because of the many opportunities I have to share the gospel with all around me.  It is a full time job.

I love you all more than the number of pounds of sand it would take to make a sand castle bigger than the Eifel Tower.

Elder Withers

Dear Family,

This was a pretty great week, with nothing exceptionally exciting or eventful happening.  We have been working hard to find new investigators, keep teaching the ones we have, and to keep working with the less actives. There really is nothing new or worthwhile to report, so I am going to use the time to write my family reunion letter.  I hope that’s okay.

From Argentina to my favorite friends in Stanley, Idaho:

Oh there is so much that I want to write about missionary work and why I love it and how you can start doing it too, and all the miracles that one can experience when you open your mouth and share your testimony or experiences with others.  I only have one hour to write this letter, and I am sitting here anxious to type out an inspiring story or experience I have had on my mission....and in the immediate moment nothing specific or perfect to share comes to mind, because in reality I want to share everything.  My experiences over the course of my mission up until this point have been incredible, testimony building, and spiritually gratifying.  I have worked with the richest of the rich in the United States capital in Washington DC, to some of the poorest of the poor.......and its all the same.  Missionary work is all the same around the world.  Joseph Smith once said, “After all that has been said, the greatest and most important duty is to preach the gospel.”

Sharing the gospel really is the most important.  Not to say that other things like having a job, and raising kids, going to school, serving in your calling aren’t important, because they are......they are super important, it’s just that as we go about doing each of these things we should always be attentive and prepared for missionary opportunities.  As a full time missionary, I have had the blessing of setting aside all of my other concerns and only sharing the gospel.....and it’s been awesome.  Sometimes other missionaries will ask me a question that drives me nuts, "How many baptisms have you had?"  and I always say, "None of us, ever get to claim a baptism....it all belongs to the Lord."  And I believe it.  This work doesn’t belong to us, it is the Lords.  And if he wanted to do it all really quick to finish it up and do it right, He could.  But he won’t, because he needs us to grow and progress......and there isn’t any better way to help us grow and progress than through sharing a testimony.  We are imperfect, and sometimes we blow golden opportunities but there is always another one.

Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes or for being afraid to be a missionary....it’s natural because we are humans.  But don’t let yourself stay in that position either.  Start another day, get ready to try a little harder, and do your best.  The Lord knows he has called us to a work we can’t do by ourselves, so we are naturally entitled to his help.  Take advantage of it and be a good missionary.  We are all missionaries and Heavenly Father needs all of us to work hard.  I guess my inspiring story.....is to say, “Keep going!”  The last time you were all sitting in this same camp, which was a year ago.....I started my journey as a missionary.  And I have been doing the same thing for the last year, every single day....not skipping a single one.  I have made mistakes, learned lots, experienced new things and it has all been worth it.  I also have not been in an area at the moment when the Lord blesses it with a baptism.  But that doesn’t mean that all my past work doesn’t value anything.  And if all our efforts don’t help someone reach baptism, don’t worry about it.  It’s in the Lords hands anyway.  All we need to do is be obedient, open our mouths, and the Lord will take care of the rest.  

Why I like being a missionary:

You can be an instrument in the Lords hands, helping in this ever important work.....while at the same time experience personal growth.  Its character building.  You get to know a new side of yourself, that you might not have never known before when you open your mouth and share your experiences. :)

I love you all lots, more than all the pine trees in Idaho!

Hermana Withers

Baptism in Chile, World Cup starting

June 16

Dear Family,

Well Hello!  Today there were 20 or so Dear Elder letters in the office so it will be fun to read through them this week.  I promise that I will get a letter for reunion in time.  I am thinking about writing about what an amazing experience it is to serve a mission

This week hasn’t had too many crazy happenings.  We are still here, happy and healthy in Concepciòn.  The training of Elder Sellers is coming along, he speaks good Spanish, has a testimony, knows the scriptures, and really likes to participate in lessons, so that is just awesome. 

Amadeo is set to be baptized this Saturday.  Please pray a lot for him, and that he will be able to be an active member and faithful tithe payer.  His interview will probably be this Thursday, baptism on Saturday at 4:30, and confirmation at 10 am Sunday morning in ward conference.  

I decided to write my MTC district for the first time, so I ran a little short on time.  Just know that I love you, I care about each and every one of you.

I love you all, more than the number of kernels of popcorn it would take to make a popcorn ball big enough to look like a fully grown apricot tree.  

With lots of love,

Elder Withers

Dear Family,

As for life here in Argentina......its amazing.  I LOVE my companion; it’s amazing what a difference it makes to be around people who make you happy instead of sad.  I feel like I am my old self again and it feels good. Ha...I think I wrote in my journal several times this week how awesome my companion is, but she really is so fun to have around.  The training is going well, and she is actually ahead of schedule.  She came into the mission already knowing lots of things, now we are just working on learning how to plan/use the agenda/teach lessons/contact...and so forth.  It’s been good, plus it’s been fun to watch her get to know Argentina.  The only thing that has been hard is that I have to explain things or remind her people’s names or where we are going like 12,000 times.  Her car accident has left her with difficulties in memorizing things.  But if I review things over and over and over again, she gets it.  So it’s working!  

This week has been really cold and rainy, and we had hot humidity for a few days.  I totally did not miss it, it felt like the beginnings of summer all over again and it made me so grateful that its winter and that I don’t have to endure another Argentine summer (like a month, but that’s it!).  

And in case you missed it, the world cup started.  Everyone here has been going crazy.  There is lots of Argentine pride in their soccer teams and everyone here is sure that they are going to win :)  I have also never seen so many Argentine flags in my life, all the houses and stores have one on display right now.  

The other day we were walking down a dusty dirt road (like every day!) and we saw a group of kids playing marbles in the street.  My whole life I thought it was a really old fashioned game that the pioneers played, but it still exists!  I’m not sure why, but here in this little town lots of kids like to play marbles.  And they are good too!  Little 4 or 5 year old kids have stellar aim and it’s fun to walk past them playing :)  

Last Saturday we combined together as a zone to work in one area to help out, and this time it was Elder Hill and his companion’s area!  Ha, it was fun to work in his area, but I am also grateful that it isn’t mine.  It is HUGE.  Seriously gigantic.  They took us to our assigned sector (ha, of course the part with all the rich people with fancy gates and buzzers with speakers) and it took us 45 minutes to walk back.  And we weren’t even as far as you could go, there was much more.  It went well though, we were able to find some great people who were willing to have them stop by again.  In all honesty though, I really am so grateful for my area.  We have a great little branch here and the members are awesome.  They are small in numbers down here, but the little that we have is really strong.  

This Friday we are going to have a big talent show activity, with skits and songs, jokes, music, balloons and treats.  It’s going to be awesome and we are excited! :)  We have also been having lots of family home evenings with the members to work on building up trust and confidence so that they give us references and are willing to do visits with us.  And so far it’s going well!  Roberto and Teresa are progressing and are going to be married in July.  We met a less active family this last week through an active member, and they haven’t had a visit from anybody in years.  It’s an older man and his 2 grown children, and they are all blind.  They have an incredible story and for a living they make/repair shoes in their little house.  Out of all the experiences I have had on my mission, getting to know people is by far my favorite and most worthwhile.  I really have no complaints about my life here, all is well (other than having to wash my clothes by hand.....now that it is winter its COLD)  but all is well :)

Thanks for all your emails and for keeping me updated and for being awesome.  I love you all lotsssss!  

Don’t forget to be awesome and know that I love you more than all the waffle blocks it would take to make a line from Argentina to Boise!

Hermana Withers

Days are long, weeks are short... Rebecca has a new companion!

June 9

Dear Family,

Well, hello everyone.  I am starting to notice that the days seem really long but the weeks really short.  I really like the view we have out of our big windows, and off the balcony.  It makes for a really nice view of the sunset out towards the ocean.  This past week there were a lot of things I learned.  There is a baptismal interview tomorrow at 5:30, so that has been on my mind.  The other day we were walking down the street, and my companion stepped on a construction man hole lid, that was only halfway on.  the lid wobbled, and he tripped and fell forward.  Luckily he didn’t fall in.  I said the City of Concepción gets an ´´F´´ rating for that safety hazard.  He got up and was fine, he only had small cuts on one hand.  We went to a nearby member’s house and got it washed out.  The whole way he was saying “Chilean utilities”.  It made me think, oh yeah, we are in SOUTH AMERICA.  It has been a good week, and I have been enjoying reading all the dear letters that piled up over a couple of months.  I still have more to read.  

The Plan of Salvation teaching tool you guys sent in a package really proved its worth this last week.  On Thursday, we went to go re-teach the Plan of Salvation to Amadeo.  He really just had a hard time getting it because he believed in re-incarnation.  We drew out the plan on a piece of paper, explained it to him, asking him questions to make sure he got it.  Then, we pulled out the puzzle, from its case.  We had him put it together, and then we had him teach us the plan.  He finally got it.  At the end of the lesson, I asked him if the teaching tool helped him understand it, and he said it helped a lot.  I will start using it more to teach the Plan of Salvation.  Amadeo came to church for the third time yesterday, the only things we haven’t taught him yet are tithing and keeping the Sabbath day holy.  Hopefully, he can keep progressing and be baptized on the 21st, and be confirmed in Ward Conference on the 22nd.  

Question-What things worked well in the International Falls MN branch for getting members to help the missionaries?  Things that worked in the mission field in San Bernadino, in Bahia Blanca, or Rosario.  Ideas to get more references?  

Thanks so much for all your prayers.  I love all of you.  You are all my favorite.  I love you all more than the number drops of water it would take to make a lake deep enough to fill the Grand Canyon.

-Elder Chad Carl Withers

Dear Family,

This last week has been a dream, an absolute dream.  On Tuesday, I took Hermana Ospinal to the terminal with her luggage and things, and then got in a taxi with other missionaries who were also heading to the mission home to pick up their brand new baby companions.  

We got to the mission home and Hermana Giuliani had a whole spread of food for breakfast for all the trainers (and there were only 8 of us...ha) 5 elders, and 3 hermanas.  We had a few hours of training, and then finally met our companions.  I was nervous to see who she would be, and I am super duper blessed.  2 out of the 3 new sister missionaries were from the states, and the other is from Mexico.  I was sitting there thinking, oh please let me be with the one from Mexico....and she is my companion!  Her name is Hermana Gonzalez, and she is from Mexico City, Mexico.  She is from the intense part of the city where millions and millions of people live, and is the 9th out of 10 kids.  All her family are members and she is the 6th missionary from her family.  She is 23 years old, and the coolest companion I have ever had.  She is also in hard core culture shock.  Her first day she asked me like 7 times why everyone doesn’t just drink a glass of water or something.....why does everyone have to drink mate?  And she is missing her Mexican food like crazy.  But she is also in love with the alfajores.  Ha...it has been fun to see Argentina through new eyes again, get to know everything and see her thoughts and feelings about everything.   

She is a champ in all honesty, and doesn’t let fear stop her.  She wanted to go on a mission earlier, but a few years ago she was sitting in a chair out in the sidewalk in front of her house, and a truck lost control and hit her.  She was in a hospital for a month and getting the medical permission to leave was almost impossible because she broke so many bones in her hip and legs.  She made it though!  After lots of studies she finally got the medical release and is considered very healthy.  She is a bold missionary and loves to chat, and I love it.  I have missed having someone who likes to talk about everything.  She doesn’t even have a month into her mission, but she has a solid grip on the doctrine and is so fun to teach with. 

The work really is progressing and since the transfers we have found several people, and a cute family.  Miracles are happening and I am really making an effort to take the time to explain how to do things like contacts and planning and so on.....showing her an example and then letting her try for herself to see what she feels is best.  We are learning lots, and more than anything I am just so grateful to have a companion who I get along with.  We are also working hard in this branch to really help it grow.  What we need here more than anything are priesthood leaders......we have so few and they do so much because there aren’t very many people to help share the load.  But it’s all in process.

I love my mission, I love my area, and I love you all!  I love you more than all the hours it would take to drive in a car from Argentina to Boise! :)

Hermana Withers 

Chile is getting cold, Stake Conference in Argentina

June 2

Dear Family,

Greetings!  Concepción is getting sort of cold.  We got quite a bit of rain and wind recently, but I am in good health.  Last night the mission president called and asked me if I would be willing to serve as district leader here in the same zone.  I really don’t know exactly what I have to do, or how to do it, but I know both of my zone leaders well and they are going to show me what I need to do.  If you could include me in your prayers that would mean a lot to me.  I am staying in the same area, and so is my companion, so that is nice.  We are going to be getting an Elder Harrison from Nampa, Idaho in our apartment, so that will be fun.  

Today has been quite the party.  Our zone had lunch at a fancy American style restaurant called Mamut, and I ordered a buffalo burger.  It was really good, and the lemonade was amazing.  It was funny when I ordered the lemonade.  I made up my order really fast, and forgot to decide on what do drink.  I said ´´puedo tener una limonada de, um .....3 seconds.....limon?´´  They had a lot of different fruit options, and I realized I just wanted my lemonade to be from lemons.  It was good.  

This past week I got some amazing pictures of a sunset, but I forgot to bring the camera with me to the computer place, so I guess I will do that next week.  

We had the family home evening with Norma, the person who one day asked where church is and how to become a member.  She is really nice, and we hope she can progress well.  Amadeo came to church this Sunday.  We are thinking about moving his baptismal date a week forward, because he is understanding everything we teach him.  He was a soldier, then a FBI guy, and he is now retired.  We hope he can stay strong.  

I love my mission.  I know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us and watches after us.  He sent his beloved son, Jesus Christ, to die, so that through faith and repentance on His name, all mankind may have the chance to be saved from their own sins.  I know that if we follow his example by being baptized by someone who is in the authority to do so, we can receive a remission, or forgiveness of our sins.  Then comes the baptism by fire, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.  We then can receive personal guidance and direction in our life, to help us return to our Father in Heaven.  I know that if we choose the right we will be blessed.  I humbly testify of these things in the sacred name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Today, I received a large stack of nearly 20 dear elder letters that have been piling up over the last few months and were in the home of other missionaries.  I will have a blast reading them this week.  Thank you all for all of the awesome letters.  I love you all more than the number of cheerios it would take to fill the super bowl, more than all the cows it would take to have enough whole milk to pour into the super bowl, and more than the number of calories you would eat if you were to cover it all with sugar and eat the entire bowl for breakfast.

-Elder Withers

Dear Family,

This week was awesome.  First and foremost, with the transfers.....Heavenly Father loves me and is blessing me with a change.  I will be training a new missionary fresh from the MTC, and I’m really excited!  A new set of challenges and adventures awaits me.  I am going to Rosario tomorrow to pick her up :)

Like Chad said, I can’t believe we are almost at the year mark.  Today is 11 months!!!  Soooooo fassssttttt.   

Also........I don’t know how much I want to tell you this, but it’s sort of a miracle so I am going to.  But don’t freak out.  Yesterday...........we got robbed.  Ha.......I told you, don’t freak out.  This is what happened, yesterday was our day to deep clean the apartment.  We did our studies like always in the morning, and then went to the store to get a few cleaning products (because we had absolutely nothing).  We got back from the store, entered our apartment, and all was good.  I went to the back of the apartment to start cleaning the patio, organize the junk I have always wanted to organize but didn’t have the time...and throw most of it away.  Hermana Ospinal came to the back too, and we really made some progress.  Hermana Ospinal had been going back and forth from the front to the back, taking out bags of garbage, and for some reason left the door open between trips because it was faster and less of a hassle.  I didn’t know this (I would have told her to shut the door and lock it every time) but on another run with garbage, she only made it to the hallway, and came back white as a ghost.  She said, "Hermana.....someone was in our apartment" I asked did you see them or do you only recognize things out of place?  She said no, there was a tall skinny man with a hood on and his hands in his pocket, I didn’t see what he was doing, I only saw him leave.  I was surprisingly calm, and said "Well shoot......let’s see if he took anything."  And sure enough, he swiped her wallet and 300 of my pesos (like 60 bucks).  She felt awful....and went on and on about how scared she was, and how sorry she was for leaving the door open for a minute... but I honestly feel fine.  I am at peace with everything, just a little weirded out that someone else was in our apartment.  The miracle is that he didn’t take the phone/documents/cameras or try to hurt us.  He just entered and left.  And it’s totally our fault because the door was open (just to take the garbage out....you can’t trust anyone these days!)  but if anything it has taught me a good lesson to be on guard ALWAYS  always always always.....to always know what my companion is doing, and to be extra careful, locking and double locking everything.  I love that we have a member who lives next door and looks out for us, and this week we are going to be working closer to our apartment walking by frequently so it looks like we are always home.  We really are so blessed and I am so grateful for the safety and protection.  Please don’t freak yourselves out, I just wanted to share this story and miracle, I know that the Lord is always looking out for us, even if we make mistakes.  He always loves us.  Also know that I really do feel very safe in our apartment, it’s a good place.

I also wouldn’t mind if we could go a couple of weeks without a big adventure.  That would be sweet :)  This week a member gave us dinner, and served us something called Matambre.  It is probably the most Argentine meal I have ever eaten, it’s a pizza, with cheese and sauce, but instead of bread for a crust, the crust was steak.  It sounds weird, but it really was good.  

We also had Stake Conference this week, and it was incredible.  We had 2 general authorities, and a big theme in the sessions was missionary work.  It’s fun to be in a bigger area, where general authorities from the seventy come for conferences.  The conference was in Rosario, and Roberto and Teresa were able to go which was awesome.  They stayed for the whole thing and really liked it.  They have also been sharing pamphlets with their family about the church which is incredible.  We really love them and pray that their paperwork comes through every day, so that they can get married.  

We are ready to start another week with contacting and finding and teaching and serving!  Enjoy your vacation and adventures in the East (and in Chile!) and know that I love you all more than all the people meeting with the missionaries around the world!

Hermana Withers 

Diligence, Trip to Rosario

Dear Family,

This past week passed really quickly, and I am shocked that I am almost at the halfway point of my mission.  TOO FAST.  I wish it would slow down.  Yesterday I gave a talk about the Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.  I focused most of the talk on enduring to the end.  I used the tortoise and the hare analogy, and invited everyone to be gospel tortoise, not in the sense of being slow, but in the sense of being diligent. We were delighted to see that Amadeo, the reference from Bro. López came to church.  I would appreciate it so much if you could include him in your prayers.  He still has a long ways to go. He has a baptismal date set for the twenty first of June, and he really needs your prayers.  This week we hope to finally have the family home evening with Norma, the reference who contacted us in the street.  We have been waiting for the members to set up the family home evening, and they have lost her phone number a couple of times.  I really hope we can start working with her this week.

Oh, I dont remember if I sent the recipe for microwaveable cake yet.  Here it is.  You can make it in a mug, a bowl, or anything that can go in the microwave.  Feel free to double or triple the recipe.  4 cucharadas de azucar+ 3 cucharadas de harina + 2 cucharadas de chocolate amargo (nesquik will probalby work just as fine) + 4 cucharadas de aceite + 3 cucharadas de leche + 1 huevo.  mix until well mixed, then put the microwave on highest power setting and cook it for 3 to 3.5 minutes.  Enjoy!

To answer a couple questions, we haven’t come in contact with the Matthew 28:19 investigator, I think he has been out of town.  We will either find him this week or we will slip a note under his door.

I love you all more than the number of bugs the car will hit between now and the time you pull the car into garage in Boise.

Sincerely,

Elder Withers

Dear Family,

This was an out of the ordinary week because we had to go to Rosario 3 times (3!).  That’s a ton! We first went so my companion could have an x-ray and MRI done, then we went the next day to pick up all the results, and we went again to do what is called a "choque de fuerza" or in other words, overflow a single area in our zone with all the missionaries in the zone for 3 hours to help with contacts and lessons.  It was really awesome, and made me so grateful for Beltran.  The area we were working in has tonnnnns of money, and lots of cold, uninterested people.  But it went well, and it was fun to all work together as a zone.  And as always, it was fun to see Elder Hill :)

When we went to downtown Rosario for the medical stuff, we were told to go to the Gamma Institute, which turned out to be a huge, big medical place right in the middle of downtown Rosario.  It takes almost 2 hours to get there because you have to take 2 different buses, and it took even longer because we had to go the mission office first to pick up the money to pay for all the tests.  It felt like we were traveling all day long.  And when we got to the area of downtown Rosario, everything started to get nuts.  You have to walk really fast to keep up with the speed and the sheer number of people that are invading the sidewalks.  You have to guard your bags because there are so many people everywhere, and not breathe in too deeply because everyone and their mother is smoking.  We walked past the big Broadway theater....ha and in case you are interested they will be showing Phantom of the Opera this week. :)  I would have taken pictures of everything to document it all.......but I didn’t want to attract attention and get robbed, so I just locked it all in my memory and am doing my best to explain it all.  

Funny story....at one point in the journey from the mission home to Gamma, we were given permission to take a taxi.  We called the taxi, got in, and were on our way.  It was an insane roller coaster (like every cab ride.....I miss driving laws) and the car broke.  Right in the middle of the big road.  We got out, and kept going, but it was a funny little adventure.  We spent a lot of time in the big huge city this week, and it was a little stressful, but we made it out alive. Hopefully we can figure out what is happening with my companion’s knee.   

I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish yesterday, and it is such a powerful book.  I prayed again to ask if it was true, and just like every other time I have prayed and asked.....I got the same peaceful and reassuring feeling that it is.  And I know it is.  

Our investigators are all doing well.  We are still waiting for the paperwork for Roberto and Teresa to come through so that they can get married.  They are progressing well, and we even got to help them lay the cement and place the bricks on the house they are building this week, which was fun.  :)

We also had an investigator named Jorge, who went to church yesterday.  He is living with a member who has 7 kids, and they moved to Beltran recently.  They want to get married (so many people need to get married!) but they are waiting for the divorce paperwork for Lorena, his girlfriend.  Hopefully it comes quick!  They are both cops, and super awesome people.  

All else moves along nicely here in Beltran.  Our branch president is this nice man, but he is huge.  I learned this week that he lifts lots of weights, and it all makes so much sense.  I will send a picture of him some time, he has to turn sideways to walk through the doors his shoulders are so big.  He is awesome though.  Crazy thing is that the relief society president and her husband (he isn’t a member, but we are teaching him) both had polio.  It is very rare to meet people who have had that disease, but apparently Argentina was hit with a bad case that spread quickly, and they were affected before there was a vaccine.  They are incredible people.  

The general conference talks have been like angels to me.  I love listening to them.  And just so you know, everything has cleared up with the packages.  They arrive without problems.  Just don’t use private companies like FedEx or anything.  

This week really was a stellar week and I am excited for another week of adventures!  This is the last week of the transfer, so I won’t be emailing until next Tuesday.  

I love you all lots!  More than all the people I walked past in downtown Rosario this week!  

Hermana Withers

Using Both the Book of Mormon & Bible to Teach, Love Being a Missionary

Dear Family,

This week was a really good week.  Working with Elder Sellers is really nice, he speaks amazingly good Spanish.  He sometimes has a hard time understanding the Chileans, but so does everyone.  We get along without any problems, and I really have my fingers crossed that neither one of us gets transferred 2 weeks from now.  We have finally got the member who knows the lady who wants to become a member of the church to set up a family home evening.  It will be this week.    

There is a mentally challenged member in our ward, his name is Christian.  He is 32, is handy with the scriptures, and lives with his parents.  His favorite thing in the world is to work with us whether it’s confirmed teaching appointments or knocking doors in the rain.  He gave us a reference of a preacher who uses the Book of Mormon in his ministry, teaching about 60 people every week in the shed behind his house.  We have passed by that house about 6 times, trying to find the preacher, but we’ve never found him.  Saturday night, he was home.  He said he was busy, but he came out to open the front gate and we gave him more literature to read.  We were finally able to meet with him.  We found out he actually isn’t a preacher, but he does have a Book of Mormon.  His name is Amadeo, he is 83 years old, and is retired.  He worked many years for the PDI, the Chilean equivalent of the FBI.  Having a pretty sharp mind, he taught himself English using an old textbook.  We taught the message of the restoration in English.  The spirit was so strong, and he had really good questions.  I shared my conversion story with him, of how I came to know the truth for myself.  Towards the end of the lesson, he grabbed a Book of Mormon, and said, “I know that this book is true.”  Then he grabbed the Bible, and said, “I am not sure about this book, but I know that this other book is true.”  He is so prepared, and we are going to pass by this Wednesday with Christian.  We are teaching some other really good people, and I wish you could meet them all.  

A while back we were teaching a preacher named Roberto.  He has a very good handling of the Bible, and told us that he respects and admires the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a great deal, but will never join it because we baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  He is so set that baptisms should simply be in the name of the Son.  He then said if we could show him a verse in the Bible that explains baptism in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, then he would join our church without question.  We stopped visiting him, since it seemed he only wanted to argue with us.  This morning, I was listening to a conference talk, and Elder Holland was speaking.  He said something that made me think to look up “missionary work” in the topical guide, and it led me to Matthew 28:19.  “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.  I will hold Robert to his word, Matthew 28:19 has him.

I love you all so much, more than the number of paper clips it would take to make a paper clip chain between the International Space Station and the Statue of Liberty.

Sincerely, with lots of smiling,

Elder Withers

Dear Family,

I’m  glad you are all having a great week!  I can’t believe you are getting ready to leave Minnesota and are going to visit the east coast.  Take lots of pictures!  

This has been a good week and I am so grateful to be a missionary.  We are making lots of fun progress with the less actives and our golden investigators Roberto and Teresa.  They are progressing lightning fast and the only thing we are waiting for are the wedding documents and paperwork to come in the mail so that they can get married and baptized.  Woohoo! 

It is getting pretty cold, and my coat has been the best thing ever.  I love that it’s long, and I am totally ready for winter.  

Congrats to you Chad on all your success in Chile!  It’s amazing how the Lord puts people in our paths to find and teach, but so important to remember to do our part first so that we can be ready and worthy of the blessings.  Keep it up!  

Thanks for all your letters and messages of support.  I love you guys so much, and I feel lucky to be in South America.  My time ran short today because I had to do some paperwork on the computer (my reimbursements!) so sorry the letter this week isn’t as good.  Next week I will have more time and be able to send pictures (Ha...I have been promising for like a month now, but next week I really promise ;).  

I love you more than all the people I am going to meet this week through contacts!  

Hermana Withers