BURZACO!!

Almost exactly a year ago, I arrived in Argentina and came to my first area: Burzaco. Today, I write to you from the same. How deliciously nostalgic! I have been asked to train a new missionary, and so while I await her arrival, I am working with the Sister Missionaries in Burzaco. Once my new companion arrives, it´s back to Monte Grand! The city and I will miss Hermana Hill like crrrrazy, but I know she´ll keep working miracles in LA PLATA! (Another of my beloved Stakes here in La Argentina.) As for me, I´m cramming anew, reading the mission manual along with the other books and manuals that describe the mission and its rules, and I´m going to do my best to read through all of Preach My Gospel anew, so that I can help this new Sister Missionary get off to the best start possible.

Excerpt from letter to President Stapley (our amazing, loving, and faithful Mission President):
We have an investigator in Monte Grande who was very excited for his baptism and had studied everything and was quiting smoking and everything great, so it seemed. We stopped by his work one rainy evening last week and he told us he didn´t want to learn anything else for a while and that it was clear it wasn´t the right thing for right now. We were shocked. After much internal prayer and calming words, Hermana Hill and I were able to convince him to meet us again in his home. When we went to that cita, it appeared he was still a bit ¨desanimado¨, but we started off reading Helaman 5, with an Hermana from the ward who accompanied us. The investigator mentioned that he´d need at least a couple of months before being baptized. A bit after reading, I felt my companion needed to speak, and I needed to keep quiet to let her. Keeping quiet is hard for me. But when Hermana Hill opened her mouth, I realized why I had felt to do it. She taught simply the doctrine of Christ, that the hermano needed to have faith, repent, be baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost. The Spirit entered the conversation. The investigator started speaking and again began making excuses and straying to other conversational topics. I looked at him at one moment, opened my mouth, and the Spirit filled it. I testified to him of what my companion had said, explaining that he already had faith, and he already had repented, and that he could not resolve his problems - personal, familial, etc - without living the Gospel as he had learned it. I felt and knew that the Spirit had revealed to me his thoughts, in a way. It was amazing. He looked at us and said, ¨No se preocupe, hermana. Entendí. Me bautizo en dos semanas¨ (Don´t worry, Sister. I just understood. I´ll get baptized in two weeks¨). Rarely have I felt the Spirit so strongly in teaching. I learned that it has to do with being humble and allowing the Spirit speak. I hadn´t any idea how to resolve this problem, neither did Hermana Hill. There in our most desperate need to know how to help this beloved brother, Heavenly Father could use us best. I need to be a better instrument in the Lord´s hands. Working on it!

And HEY! Happy birthday DAD!!!! We had preparation day today (Wednesday) instead of Monday, so I didn´t get to tell you beforehand. But hey, you get the whole year! So FELIZ CUMPLE!!! And guess who else cumplirs soon....Brandon too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! October sure is a good month. :) You know who ELSE? Marissa Gardner! FELIZ CUMPLE AMIGA! If I´m forgetting someone right now, my apologies. And to you too, happy birthday!

Thank you, family and friends, for all your goodness and enthusiasm for life. Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your letters. Thank you for working hard and living every day with faith. That in and of itself is HUGE. Así que, les felicito, y más, les agradezco. MUCHAS GRACIAS!! (So, I congratulate them, and more, I thank them. MANY THANKS!!)

UN ABRAZO GIGANTE Y MIL SONRISAS, (A GIGANTIC HUG AND THOUSAND SMILES)
Hermana Lindquist