Hermana Barker in Bahia Blanca : Transfer or Not?

This week was awesome! Just like the rest! But to start off transfers, they didn´t happen...but they did. So we got a call on Friday saying that we are going to have long transfers so that all the missionaries can have the Christmas Conference. So transfers aren´t until the 23rd but since my companion was going home to Utah anyway they had to do something with me. So today, I am in a trio with the other Hermanas that I currently live with Hermana Morgan and Williams. Tomorrow I will switch areas for 3 days and go work in Toay with another Hermana (from Peru) whose companion left too. And then Friday we will be back in my area Santa Rosa for the weekend then we will have transfers on Tuesday so yeah...kind of really crazy right now.

Anyway, this week; Monday after e-mailing was super frustrating because we had two appointments that both fell through and one of them was for a Family Home Evening, so we had a bag of stuff with us to carry for the rest the night...we contacted a little bit but nothing really happened but we went home and made French Toast for dinner(:

They were just taking it easy on me with food here the first few weeks. This week I ate lamb, collard greens...and wait...SARDINES. Oh my goodness, they were awful. The lamb wasn´t that bad But like four hours later Hermana Zubeldia started feeling super sick and then next I was super sick too, pretty sure we got food poisoning, but oh well, hahaha we still got to go out and work! Tuesday...We had lunch with la familia Cruz. We got to their house and it smelled really weird, but weird smells aren´t unusual in Argentina so, I ignored it. Then I saw the food it was mushy rice with lots of Mayo...LOTS of mayo and some unidentifiable substance, all mixed together and put in a hollowed out tomato. So after feeling like I was eating cat food for like 20 minutes AND I was done because I didn´t want to know what it was until I was done, I asked Hermana Zubeldia what is was, she told me it was Sardines. We both felt pretty sick the rest of the day. I’m pretty sure I brushed my teeth 5 times that night…blehhhh!!! I´m still glad we have members to feed us though!

Today was interesting we taught two recent convert lessons...one of them her house was so hot...it was rough, and the other...he comes outside in his boxers, we´re thinking oh he´ll go put pants on. Because lots of people answer the door indecently then go change...nope. He didn´t change. We taught him a lesson in his boxers...and he´s like 75 years old, it was Oscar, the guy who was baptized last weekend, haha.

We have an investigator Rosa, who we are working so hard with right now. She has had every lesson 4 times because 2 of her kids are converts and 2 or her grandchildren are converts. She knows it´s all true and she loves the change she has seen in all of them, but every time we go to see her there is a new problem in her life. We taught her a ton this week, we went once with our District Leader, Elder Dement and he taught an AMAZING lesson and she loved it, she is just scared to get baptized, but I know it´ll happen. She´s the sweetest thing in the world though. I love when we are teaching and something comes up that I studied in personal study and I can really see how important personal study is. That happened with her. I read a conference talk and it was PERFECT for what she was going through. I LOVE reading conference talks!

We have another investigator a lot like Rosa. Sofia has the same problem, they both want to help everyone else before they try to get help for themselves and they are both drowning in the trials of the world as they try. It breaks my heart to see people so close...but so unwilling to take the next step of faith.

This week we contacted a ton and tried to visit so many people and nothing was working out. We probably knocked on like 200 + doors this week and only have 2 new investigators. In all of Santa Rosa this area we need 140 baptisms this month to break 1000 for the year!

This Sunday was awesome though! Between the Elders and us we had 15 investigators in Church! (just our ward). They all loved it. The biggest problem here is people NEED to get married. Remember Moira, the lady we have been visiting since I got here; she and her boyfriend have set a date to get married!!! She told us that she is so excited to get baptized, and married, in that order! I really hope they do get married!

I love you all Happy Holidays!

Always,

Hermana Barker

xoxoxo