June 23, 2014 E-mail

Mommy!!

So, this week was incredible!!! We had Zone Conference, and then two days later Sister’s Conference. Zone Conference was great! We learned all about the nature of this work and the importance of faith and really believing that Heavenly Father can and WILL do anything and everything to save His children, and all we have to do is work and work and work and believe and believe and believe some more! More often than not the work we actually do has nothing to do with the miracles that Heavenly Father makes happen, but He makes them happen because He sees that we believe that they can happen and we are working so that they do. If that makes any sense!

We have been practicing English this week with Hermana Fuzaro, because she wants to go to BYU after the mission. So I’ve been all over the place with languages and words and grammar, and I just have it all mixed up now—haha! Then we had the Sister’s Meeting, and it was without doubt the most spiritual and inspired meeting that I have ever been in in my entire life!! And I really mean that! I can’t think of another meeting that affected me so much! All the leaders follow divine inspiration, and we were drowning in the Spirit! Our time is short and our purpose is clear! Help as many of God’s children as possible start their eternal journal to exaltation by being baptized!! Where Michael and Cassie are right now is where we want everyone to be! That is the vision that Heavenly Father has for all of His children! And that after they continue faithful and will stand in your place, Mom, on Thursday and watch their generations follow in their footsteps! 

In short GREAT WEEK!!!! Great week for the Arntsen family in all the world!!! Great week for family of God in all the world!!!!!!

Love,

Hermana “cardboard-head” Arntsen :D

(We took a cardboard cutout of Megan to the wedding. One of Caitlin's friends thought Megan was actually there!)

June 16, 2014 E-mail

Mommy,
Guess what!! Last Monday we had to go to the offices to get some supplies, and I looked in the mail for the wedding announcement, but it wasn’t there. Then a couple days later we had to go for an interview and up comes Hermana Lines from the offices and says hey!! You have mail!!! There was a postcard from the beach--how pretty, a DearElder from Liz Carroll, another postcard from a friend from BYU and.....drum roll please......MICHAEL’S WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! It´s so CUTE!! I’m so excited about the wedding!!

This week was a little tiring because my beloved companion got the flu and basically we stayed inside all week. :( But the good news is that she is all better now and we are going to get to work this week!!!!!!!!!!! So this week also started the Mundial or World Cup! Last night Argentina played. There is no one in the street. Literally. No one. And when they score a goal everyone is shouting and they throw bombs out their windows. Well, they are essentially like fireworks but without the pretty lights, just the noise. So, it sounds like WWII outside the house. It was a little freaky last night when we did go out, but Hermana Fuzaro says you just have to get used to it. If we feel that we are in danger, we go back to the house ,of course, and inform our leaders but other than that we can work. The hard part is finding anyone to talk to during the game because EVERYONE is watching it, and they get mad if you interrupt. Especially if Argentina is playing! They are wonderfully patriotic here. I like it.

So, that was my slightly uneventful week. But, a happy one in the end. Always happy in the service of the Lord! The bright side is always better and the good cause always wins!

Have the BESTEST week ever!!

 
Love,
Hermana Arntsen

June 9, 2014 E-mail

Mommy!

Yep bikes again! I actually like this bike better than the last one, and it´s not nearly as high grade! You have to pedal backwards to brake!! I really like biking!

The suburbs (Provincia they call it) are really nice and tranquil. We actually have a little house that we live in. They call it a house, but it´s closer to a studio apartment. It is a house in that it has its own little plot next to some other ones and isn´t in another building. It rained twice this week but what tender mercy only in the morning, and it stopped when we went out to work! Heavenly Father knows what He´s doing! Yeah my comp is AMAZING! Her English is almost flawless, and we are working on her Castellano and she´s teaching me a little of Portuguese! Yes, I’m finishing her training. She has two weeks left of training, because she arrived in between transfers. But I forget that she only has three months in the field because she´s so great!

How is the ward doing with missionary work? Do the investigators come to church?

I’m learning a lot about the people from Paraguay. There are a ton of people from Bolivia and Peru in the city, but here we are a mountain away from Paraguay. Another culture to know! And they speak two languages: Spanish and Guarani. Pretty cool, huh! Oh, and I forgot to tell you before in Caballito there was a couple in the ward that were mission presidents in Paraguay, and they met President  Heyman and his wife a few times.  How cool is that?!

FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD!!!! Let´s make some more and share the Gospel!!!!

Love,

Herman Arntsen

June 3, 2014 E-mail

Mommy!!

You will NEVER guess the miracle that happened this week!!! We had interviews with President and that is when they bring everything from the office all the mail and all the pamphlets and stuff that we need. Well, I had a surprise waiting for me: your Valentine’s package!!! The chocolate was actually still really good!! Reese’s!!! Yum! I was SO happy so thanks a lot for sending it! And the socks were desperately needed, so it was all just perfect! Everything just sounds so great at home!! Enjoy the heat, and I’ll start enjoying the cold! Haha!

So we had transfers....and I GOT TRANSFERRED!! I’m now in provincia (like the suburbs) called Villa Adelina. My companion is Hermana Fuzaro from Brazil! She speaks almost perfect English and is rockin’ it with Spanish! She is so great! We are going to explode this place!! Also, WE RIDE BIKES!! I just can’t escape it! My fate is to ride bikes. It’s actually not bad--I like it. You just need to pray for our safety because there aren't bike lanes here, but the Lord protects His missionaries!!

I don’t have a lot to tell because I don’t know anyone yet--haha! But you will never believe what happened! We got here in the taxi and we didn't have the keys. The other sister had left in such a hurry that she left the keys in the gate (you have the reach around and close from the inside), and when I arrived they weren't there. Ah! So, we are unloading the luggage and thinking what to do when a man on a bike shouts “Hi, Sisters!” It turns out is a member from the ward. So he stayed without luggage will we went with the taxi to the apartment of the zone leaders (who have a copy of the key). When we got back the brother was still there and our neighbor had gotten back, too. And, as it turns out the taxi man was born in this city and has family who are members and gave us the address of his mom and sister who live in our area!!!! What miracles are already happening!!

Loving it!!

Hermana Arntsen

Mommy!

Yeah I can’t believe it’s been a year already! I feel like we were just in the MTC yesterday! We were the only sisters in the zone last transfer but this transfer two more came but they didn’t come the President’s house that’s why they are not in the picture. WOOHOO for Jared (Cannon)!! I can´t believe it!! He is already heading out on his mission!!! How crazy!! Let’s see how many missionaries we can have at one time in the ward!!

Discouragement? From me? Nah! haha! I’m not going to lie, this work is hard and it should be. Elder Holland once addressed some mission presidents and he told them something like this: Presidents, you will surely one day have a missionary ask you ¨President, why is this so hard? We have the truth and we know it. Why shouldn’t the only difficulty in this work be from getting pneumonia from standing in the baptismal font all day?¨ Then he explained about the Atonement and all that Christ suffered and said: this work isn´t easy because salvation is not cheap. It never was. And if your missionaries want to bring people salvation that means that they have to be prepared to walk part of the path He walked and pay part of the price He paid. I don’t remember it exactly but just look up in you tube Elder Holland atonement and missionary work and you’ll find the video. It is so moving and has stayed with me. Really it should be just that simple as standing all day in the baptismal font, but it’s not that easy. We have to pay a price. If we really want to represent the Savior that means that we have to be willing to suffer part of what He suffered. Quite a few authorities spoke about it in General Conference. They call it being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Of course it’s not easy. What good thing is? But it is the most satisfactory in the entire universe!!

We went to the temple today!!!!!! It was so great!!!! And there were three members of our ward working in the temple that we got to see! IT was awesome!!!!! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!! I love the peace and soft words and pretty music and wonderful people!! I love LIFE!!!!!!!! Next week is transfers and I think I might be leaving but I’m not sure. I have already been here for three transfers (four and a half months), but I’m training so I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen! We´ll see!

I think that´s about all I’ve got for right now! I love you!!! Let me know what’s happening!

Love,

Hermana Arntsen