Dear Family:
Memories of Bragado!
The Rizzo family is kind of a long story. They were inactive for a long time but about a year ago the elders in Bragado started working with them as well as President Carter and they were reactivated. The dad has brain cancer and is pretty much waiting to go. About two months ago their son headed off for his mission in Brazil and will probably not see his dad again. Hermana Peterson and I started visiting them because they can't come to church. They are wonderful! We always sing (sometimes in English because Hermano Rizzo loves it) and share scriptures and sometimes she even lets us do service. Anyway, I just wanted to share them with you because they are wonderful.
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| The Rizzo family. |
Hermana Larralde gives us lunch every Saturday. Her two daughters are inactive and we have been working with them little by little every week. They're awesome. I'm hoping Sofia goes to church before Hermana Peterson goes home.
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| Hermana Larralde and her two daughters. |
There was a beautiful sunset this day and it just happened to be right in front of the towers where David and Cecilia live and where we spent a ton of time hiking the stairs to contact references etc.
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| My favorite person in the whole wide world. I can't even tell you how much I miss her!
Wednesday was transfer day and we had to leave for transfers at 3:00 in the morning. On Tuesday we had lunch with the Lopez family and everything was going great, then I told them that I was leaving for sure. David just immediately shut down and didn't say anything and Cecilia was sad. I tried to play it cool and share a scripture but then I started to cry and Cecilia started to cry and Jazmin was just super confused. It was awful. I couldn't focus the rest of the afternoon thinking that was the last time I was going to see them. Luckily they are awesome and went with us to teach David's dad and his wife and everyone was much happier. After that we went to David's mom's house (yeah we're teaching both his mom and dad and their separate spouses) and taught them with Cecilia and Jazmin. (Jazmin told me I could stay as long as I didn't cry. :))
Noche de Hogar with the Lopez family.
Out first mate cocido with the Lopez family. Yum!
Then I went home and packed like crazy and we slept for like 3 hours. We called a taxi and when we pulled up to the terminal there was David and Cecilia standing inside waiting for us. AT 3:00 in the MORNING! They had an adorable sign (in English) and a picture that I now look at every day and the most delicious alfajores I've ever tasted. It was amazing! They stayed and waved goodbye as we pulled out and of course made me cry again.
David and Cecilia at the bus station to say goodbye.
It was the hardest goodbye ever and I still miss them every day. (I'm sure Hermana Rohm, my new companion, is super sick of hearing about them) but I know we'll see each other again in July one way or another. :) The goodbyes were extremely hard. I still look at the picture of David and Cecilia every day, but I think it will be like leaving you all. I've kind of had to put thoughts of you on the back burner so I can focus and I will have to do the same with the Lopez family.
So now I am in Ramos Mejia. Is it as downtown as it gets. My new companion is Hermana Rohm from California. She goes home this next transfer (with about all my other companions, Hermana Miller, Hermana Morales and Hermana Peterson). She is awesome and I'm sure we are going to get along great. She is so full of animo, which is exactly what I need in this area.
Hermana Rohm in the city.
So in my interview with President about a month and a half ago he told me how he needs more animo (excitement) in the city. Hermanas literally cry when they get called to Ramos Mejia. He told me to enjoy my time in campo but that he was going to need my help in the city.
Therefore, I had a pretty strong impression I was headed to one of the harder areas in the city. I was, however, pretty sure that I would be released as HLE because I am now one of the oldest.
And now here I am in none other than Ramos Mejia, still an HLE. I am extremely grateful that I had the forewarning and was able to prepare myself to come to the city because boy is it different. I know, however, that the Lord has great adventures planned for me here and a lot that I need to learn.
There are some challenges with being in the city but also some really amazing blessings. I'm excited to give it my all and see how the Lord can bless us.
One of the areas in our zone had a capilla abierta on Saturday. It's this awesome program where we give a little tour of the church and teach them basically everything in about 10 minutes. We pull people in from the street and bring them in to see the church. It was a HUGE success. I brought in a Bolivian family from the street and they LOVED it and ended up coming to church the next day. The other hermanas also brought in a man who brought his whole family to church the next day. We did basically nothing in our area that day but it was an awesome experience to share the gospel in Atalaya.
Las Hermanas de Ramos Mejia
As you well know I absolutely LOVED Bragado but I know I fulfilled my purpose there and the Lord has a plan for me here. I am fully willing and excited to give Ramos my all. My hope is that when I leave I will have as much love for Ramos as I do Lujan and Bragado.
Arriving here I have seen some of the great challenges that Ramos brings but also some of the great blessings. I was extremely impressed with the way the ward works together to bring about the work of salvation. Our ward mission leader is incredible, full of suggestions and action to help us and our investigators. In our ward correlation we had the opportunity to go through all of our investigators and listen as they offered suggestions and offered to help. I am so excited to work with the members the way the Lord has planned!
The wonderful planning also means I will have the opportunity to re-learn how to plan with the members. In California we found all of our success in working and planning with the members but that level of planning wasn't necessary in my other areas. I will now be able to incorporate everything I have learned throughout the past 14 months to bring about miracles in Ramos.
We have already seen wonderful little miracles throughout the week and I know with diligence and lots of hard work we will begin to see the change that Ramos needs.
I'm sorry my letter is kind of short. The time went flying. I LOVE YOU!
Love,
Hermana Millet
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