January 13, 2014

oh. oh here we go again.

I'm staying here in Pitrufquen! Why not stay 6 months? I'm down. I'm happy to be staying. I know there is still work to be done here and a lot more I can learn from Hermana Godinez. So it will be good. A lot of work. But good.

So we've had a change in the game plan for the mission. We will no longer be working so much with the less actives. Or "returning members" as I just found out is the new correct term in English...  I don't think they care as much in Spanish so we’ll just stick to inactive and less active. It's going to be good because we can focus more on our role as missionaries to find teach and baptize. We tried hard to do that through the less actives as well as include the members in helping us reactivate.
It's funny because when we first started plan Alma I was a little upset because I didn't understand why we were doing the work of the members. We’ve tried hard to help them help us but the fact of the matter is we reactivate. They come to church. But what they need is a friend and to be nourished by the good word of God. So the new plan is that we are going to work with 2 families only for each companionship. It stresses me out a little bit because I know how the members work and I have really grown a love for these people so it will be hard to just stop visiting them and hope that the members really understand the importance of this work. We'll try to do it gradually of course and the members really aren't that bad. I know they can do it if they make it a priority. I am putting my full faith in them as I hand over the list of people we are working with, who have progressed, and have so much potential and who I love. All into their hands. Praying that no one will slip through the cracks. But through all this I know I have experienced a miniscule part of the faith that God has in me as a missionary. For all the souls that I have in my hands who he has given me to help nourish and grow. Though I am far from perfect he has trusted me with his children who he loves and hopes that I can do for them what he would do.
This week i have learned how to love Jacob 5 as I take the pledge for this "ultimo vez" (last time?) New year and I'm half way through. Nope. I can't believe it. We didn't do much. But we took pictures with "pregnant bellies" for 9 months... Sister tradition apparently. I still have SO much to learn and to change and no. I am definitely not counting down.
My new camera is a sony cybershot. It’s pretty sweet. I'll send some pics soon!
I love genealogy! It's kind of something you have to have a reason to do it or be taught how to do it in order to love it. But once you understand how it's a lot of fun. I'm thankful that I had that calling before the mission to get me in the spirit of the temple and the importance of family. Keep it up!
I love you!
Hermana VandeMerwe
Oh ps. today we had our last activity as this zone because some people are leaving. It was fun. We played soccer and ate lunch and then... we found out that the elders had water balloons... oh geeze. So they gave us some of our own and we filled them up but our little hand grenades were nothing compared to their bowling ball sized bombs... needless to say we got wet..