Getting Used to Cobblestone

Hola!

 Not a lot of time but I´m going to load some pictures for you.

Junin is beautiful place. Freezing, but beautiful. 

Couple things:

We live far, so sometimes we have zone meetings on the telephone. Singing the opening hymn this morning was interesting haha.

Went to the hospital in Junin and sang hymns for the patients who have mental illnesse there. One of them is the picture below, Sandra Fuego. She is a gem! Loves everyone. 

Celebrated Dia del Nino with the ward. We´re teaching several families who have kids and it was fun visiting with them and having them interact with the ward.

Well we´re working hard...

Hermana Morales and I have been working on visiting all the less active members in our hour area and saw miracles in the capilla this past sunday. We had knocked on a door of Hermano Ricardo who hadn´t been to church for 3 years and really did nothing but invite him to come to church for the next morning (it was about time to head back home) He responded with enthusiasm that it was about time he came back and he was ready. Yes! The next morning, there was Ricardo in the capilla. He had brought a friend who later agreed to listen to the lessons as well as a fecha for the 31 de augusto. His name is Claudio. These past months I´ve seen the change the spirit brings. Those who have gone inactive, or those investigators we have deferred- in that time where we´re not teaching and they´re not keeping those commandments- they´re not feeling the spirit like before. For Hermano Ricardo, it was plain as day that he had missed doing those things that invite the spirit. I´ve seen that, sometimes, all people need is an invitacion. Sister Morales and I have had some great conversaciones in the street. Some have accepted a return appointment, some not, but I don´t let the ones who don´t accept get me down. These are the moments that will prepare them for the day when they will accept the invitacion because of positive experiences before.

A couple things about Hermana Morales. She is patient and she is generous. I started this traslado and those were two attributes I noticed right away and continue to see day by day. It´s a part of who she is. I admire that.

I love Junin!

PS. Mom! Could you call my debit card? ha I forgot to let them know I´m in argentina already...the EECU. 

I´m glad the beach went well for all and that you´re being a missionary familia! Keep it up!

Love, Hermana Cleveland

pics. Guillermo, this boy was silent as a rock when we started teaching his mom. Had been 2 weeks when one day I noticed they had a couple tenis balls. I started to juggle and ever since that day we´ve been friends. He practices everyday and is begging to show me everytime we visit. He´s also obssessed with singing hymns. Great family!

Hi DIRT

Hola familia!

So the title of this letter is a little misleading because it´s not all dirt out here in JUNIN! That´s right. Traslados. I have left Castelar, traveled four hours to el campo. We´re on bikes. Ay! The city here is beautiful, so beautiful. and when we travel out of the city that´s when the dirt hits haha. We (oi! my new companion!) Hermana Morales and I biked nearly an hour to the edges of our area sabado and we were distraught to not have brought our cameras. Saw a beautiful river.

Ok. Hermana Morales is from Mexico. All her family son miembros. Are members?  Yeah. She´s 20, and has been here in Junin 2 more weeks than I. President opened up a new area. Our area book literally had 5 investigators in it the day I came. We´re total nubes out here and just working the dusty roads of Junin. Not a big fan of cobblestone streets- looks cool, but it´s not cool! Not on bikes. If I lived in Argentina, this is the place I would live. Charming :) A movie.

Well new area, we had three days to find, teach, do everything. And we did it! O those last few minutes of sunday when Hermana Morales and I were racing home was the moment I knew this transfer was going to be one in a million. Nothing better than a companion who has the desire to work. Found 2 BIG families just by knocking door and wow. I don´t know. Our small rama of 20 saw 40 in the capilla this past sunday?! Not often when half of the reunion is investigadores. What is happening here in Junin is special. God is a god of miracles.

Don´t have much to say except that I love this. It´s a blessing to serve. Ammon sure is an example for me. Talk about enthusiasm for la obra misional. I know we´re all children of God and that He loves us. 

I love you all!

Love, Hermana Cleveland

Yikes!

Weeeeeellll  hola familia! Currently writing from the lovely city of Moron. 

Ayer vimos un milagro cuando un miembro, una mujer jovena, habia invitada a dos amigas asistir la iglesia. Uno de sus amigas, Naomi, tiene un deseo aprender y eventualmente ser bautizado. Este es una ejemplo de un miembro missionera. Ella no tuvo miedo y solo vio la oportunidad extender una invitacion. We were so excited!

Members of the ward are coming out with us more. It´s a miracle, huge. Hermana Salas and I have plans to take photos of members being missionaries in action and putting it on our little wall in the ward. It´s going to be awesome! It´ll help the ward see what´s going on. Cuz there´s a lot going on...like..

We have a new mission leader. He´s enthusiastic out of this world and we´re really excited to see the ward be more unified. 

A young member of the ward invited two friends to church. One, Naomi, has a desire to be baptized. Wow! Member missionery at it´s finest. She saw the chance to invite and wasn´t afraid. We are so excited for her!

Worked with Hermana Rohm this past week, went on splits and wow I learned a lot. She just got to Argentina and was talking up a storm with people on the street. Ok, so not a storm, but she was talking and I learned a ton from her. Things you think you always know and then you realize there´s more. I was surprised by how eager she was to talk. What was interesting to watch was that the people were very receptive. She would walk by someone washing their car and say "como esta! Usted esta lavando su auto. Que bueno..." First they´d laugh, but then wonder- what message does she have that´s so important to say? She´s trying so hard. Being with Sister Rohm has shown me that the spirit speaks when we trust in him. No Fear!

 Being with Hermana Salas this past transfer has taught me the things I know, moments without her are moments when I really get a feel for the obra. This is the Lord´s work. And when we trust in Him we cannot fail.

Love you all!

Love,

Hermana Cleveland

Frozen Igloo

Ooooh family but it is cold down here!

Ok this week has been a flash.l One translado en argentina and 5 months in the mission. Too too fast. Seen milagros este semana. Seems every person I randomly decided to talk to has past story with the missionaries. The other days this lady ran into me and was so excited for us to come over...when is the soonest you can come? Here´s my dirrecion, number...everything. A dream come true for a missionary. We have also met with several less-active families and have had great experiences with them. Didn´t know it was a milagro that they allowed us into they´re home until after the fact. A member of the ward was shocked when we told him some of the families we´ve visited and are currently teaching- said for years they haven´t opened their doors to anyone from the church, especially the missionaries. Goes to show the Lord knows what he´s doing and that there is a time and a place for everything. People are being prepared. Watching one of these families, the rojas family come back to church and have a desire to be an eternal family has been a blessing from the Lord. Sometimes I look around and think how am I here, talking to these people, watching milagros happen...everything. 

Family I love you and I´m happy to hear about you! Enjoy the week together! Almost beach time!

Love, Hma Cleveland

Short and Sweet

Familia! 

I don´t have time for nada today, so I hope to respond to all of you all individually next week ok? Hold the emails! haha Catch-up work to do...I still love you all :)

Quote of the week  "Nobody practices more than professional golfers." 

Thank you president!

Ooooooook! Miracles of the week.

Almost finished with all my laundry today.

Sun!

Pablo and Leonor were baptized this week and are unhurt safe and sound in their homes this very moment. Pablo is 82 annnnnd Leonor is 91! That´s right. I haven´t talked about then much. We found them in our carpeta and decided to pass by. They are a funny pair, special, and they loved us from the start. You can´t not love Lenor y Pablo. For me to see their baptism...for them to have lived most of their lives and have the chance to be baptized. Clean!

What I´ve realized is that making mistakes is fine, to stop trying isn´t fine. Just like everything else, we need to try and try and try and try again until we become good at something. I enjoyed hearing President Packer mention that understanding the atonement, just like everything else, takes practice. How grateful I am that we´re not expected to be perfect! Only that we never stop wanting to be better. President mentioned he had an interview with an Elder who said he had really tried the past week and was feeling down after not seeing any success. He told this elder "lucky for us you weren´t Nefi!" Think about it. The kind of person who returns 1,2,3 times to Jerusalem despite the fact he might die each tme. I´m definitely not there...TRYING to apply what I´m learning. That´s the hardest part, requires trusting the spirit more than myself.

 I feel like it´s a miracle I´m here, doing the things I´m doing, with my wonderful hma salas from peru. This mission, it´s rules, president and sister carter, everything about it makes sense for why I was called here.The mission doesn´t need me, I need this mission. Learning everyday.

Love you all! 

Hermana Cleveland