i am actually in neuquen...

wow, this week feels like a super blur, it went by so fast. I love Zapala, I love the members and everyone that I met there. I am super grateful for all of the miracles that the Lord made happen and that I could take part in the lives of such marvelous children of God. This week we had transfers, and I am officially here in the city of Neuquen. I am so overwhelmed by all the movement, people, music, stores, smells, cars... whoa. I went from suuupper tranquilo to freakin' CENTRO of Neuquen. hollaaa. my new compy is hermana Narvaez from Columbia and she is just super tiiiny! but super nice and cute, and I am hyped to be here! (:

This week we did intercambios with Hermana Calderwood, I went to Ruca and it was super fun. I got a huge spiritual slap to the face because we did lots of contacting in the morning and we literally talked to like 10 people that accepted a card and a return appointment... Right now the mission is focusing on contacting in the mornings to find prepared children, ready to receive the gospel. I have kind of slacked on it lately.. but don't worryyy! I love how Heavenly Father works with us and shows us humbly and patiently that we can always work harder. It was a super fun time to work with Hermana Calderwood and I learned a lot from her experience. 

Basically this whole week, Hermana Soto and I shared about the prophets and how we need to listen to their counsels. We helped lots of people write down their questions and doubts, in order to really pay attention to the conference. It was a really great week and I felt super energized and happy to prepare spiritually to listen to all the inspired words of the general conference. It seriously blew my mind. SO powerful, spiritual, and simple. I say that every new conference is my favorite, because it gives me so much spiritual energy for the months that will come. Wow, I can't even begin to express my love for the prophet, apostles and other leaders. I am so hyped on the priesthood and to know that God truly knows us and loves us. I can honestly say that every question I wrote down, had an answer. and I am such a silly kid, I have so much to learn. I was looking for deep, profound answers, but when I listened to the conference, I was again reminded that the gospel is SIMPLE. It is super easy, if we make it that way. I loved hearing about faith, prayer, the family and going to the temple. I loved listening about repentence and the atonement.. i don't have my journal. (probably better because this email would be like 10 pages long.. haha. needless the say, CONFERENCE IS SO SIIIIICK!!!)  

I could say a million things about this week, like how Meli just up and started going to seminary, hosted a family night at her house with her friends and just gave a mind blowing spiritual thought about martin harris and the 116 lost pages... are you kidding me meli? you can bet your bottom dollar I bawled my eyes out to say bye to that kid. love her forever. so solid.  ...but mostly I just want to report that I am happy, healthy, and super surprised that I was called to be a Sister training leader here in Neuquen.. I am super humbled and grateful to be working with the hermana Narvaez because i know she is going to help me SO much to be a better missionary, and disciple of Christ. I am so excited to serve here in Neuquen and help the other sisters in their areas. 

well.. just a huge shoutout to my super hero and my best homie in the whole world.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAADDD!!! Love you tons, to infinity and beyooonddd!

Also, sadly enough, neither of our two baptisms went through this weekend... Rocios mom went to Chile, so that is kinda tough to do. and then Cristina ended up having a lot more doubts than we thought and didn't feel prepared this week :(

Alsoooo... just having to say bye to everyone in Zapala literally hurt my heart. so  sad.. iloved everyone there, and I am in dire need to get back there and give everyone a giant big fat hug. so there's that.

I hope that Neuquen Centro is ready for all the Hermana Narvaez and I have got in the baaggg!

keep it cool, cool kids. (:

xoxo Hermana Terry

....if I do say so myself!

This week was pretty great, if I do say so myself. (: 

We had a family night with Rene, our recent convert, and even though his health is pretty bad, I am surprised everyday by his good attitude and ability to laugh at all of the silly things we say. They came to church this week, so that was a logro (< accomplishment?) for sure. Every week we have a fhe with them, because Irma, his wife, loves to do them and invite all of her nietos and hijos. It is always fun and spiritual. 

This week we also had the opportunity to prepare Melina for her baptism. I am always amazed at the people that are beyond prepared to accept the gospel, because they have strong testimonies right away. Every lesson that we had with Meli was a powerful moment and another testimony to me that God is REALLY preparing peoples hearts to have the gospel. We only taught Melina for a week and a half and she is already a completely different person. She shared her testimony yesterday and it sounded like she had been a member her whole life... are you kidding me? HEAVENLY FATHER IS THE BEST!! 

Also, some super cool news... Anahi received a calling the primary as the valients teacher, and Rosa received the calling as the HLJ teacher.  I am super excited to help them in their callings and help them keep learning about the gospel. 

All 5 of our recent converts were at church yesterday, and we had 3 investigators in the sacrament meeting! We are feeling so blessed and thankful for the miracles that we see everyday.

This week we are hoping to prepare Rocio and Cristina for baptism... keep them in your prayers, because they need lots of love and preparation!

Hermana Soto is seriously great. She is a really prepared and inspired missionary. I feel super privileged to be able to work with her and learn from her humility and pacience everyday..

keep it real, be good, be patience, be kind (:

xoxo Hermana Terry

9 Months. Rosa.

I don't even know where to begin, because we are seeing so many miracles in every second, i can't keep them all straight. Here are some great things that happened this week: Rosa was able to move next door into the house of her daughter to start to live the law of chastity and to be able to get baptized on Saturday, we had really great interviews and practices at the entrevistas!, Melina, our investigator is continuing to progress everyday and is super excited for her baptism on Saturday, and two less actives, the daughter of Rosa and her boyfriend came to church on Sunday! We feel like he is super ready to come back to church, but we need to strengthen Celias testimony.

In these past weeks, I have felt super grateful to be here in Zapala right now. I LOVE teaching. I love it!!! I love talking to people in the street, and helping them understand that we aren't crazy and that we believe in Jesus Christ and that God has a plan for us. I feel overwhelmed with all of the love and happiness I feel for the people here. I can't believe how fast the time is going, but I just love being a missionary. I have never felt so happy in all of my life. Keep my cute girl Melina in your prayers so that she can get baptized on Saturday! 

Also, give Alma 48 a read. Im just trying to not have a crush on Moroni.. is that freaky? haha righteous dudes are what I am after.. after the mission of course (; 

I LOVE YOU GUYS. BE GOOD. 

xoxo

Hermana Terry 

just nine months.. is that a funny sight or what? sisters don't have anything cool to burn..so we take the "9 month" picture. (: 

also, my compy made me the cutest heart tree full of nice compliments. she's so great (:

Shout Out...

just a shout out to the 4 dudes in the picture.. probably some of my best homies in zapala.. okay, i have a lot of good homies here, but these peeps are luis,1st and only counselor, elder parkinson, bishop salazar and elder thurman. such good dudes (:

also... AHIAN. yes, we made him a missionary shirt. and he wore it to church on sunday. too freaking cute, right? 

Good labor/painting

This picture kinda sucks, but we did some good labor this week.. as a gift for Anahi and Gustavo, we painted their house! haha wahooo.. it was super tight. Also, not to mention the we looked like we were campaigning for Pechi, since we had a bucket with yellow paint in it. (:

it turned out so good, but i dont have any pics of the houseee...

Anahi and Gustavo getting freaking murrrieeedd!! EEEEEP (:(:(:

Successful week.......

We had  a super successful week... it was tiring and long, but at the end of the week, I felt super happy. This weekend, Anahi and Gustavo got married and so they are now living together and it's like seeing a completely different couple. I am honestly amazed and overwhelmed at the changes they have made to follow the gospel and accept Christ as their Savior. so cool. 

Also, Anahi's little sister Melina (17 years old) went to the baptism and went to church to see her confirmed... turns out that she really liked the meetings and felt something different than any other church. She has now been to church two weeks in a row and we couldn't let it go one more day without inviting her to be baptized. the truth is,  we haven't even had a lesson with her, we have only talked to her and asked what she liked about the church and testified of its truthfulness. She told us that she liked it, but she wanted to keep learning and feel really sure because baptism is important for her. She also said that she wanted to take the process really slow to learn more. (Hermana Soto and I said that we understood and helped her feel good about everything, but she is WAY too prepared to wait much longer.) Then, we had a FHE with the bishop about baptism last night, she came with anahi and gustavo. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted the 28th of march!! Something that helped her feel like the church is really different and true is that we invited HER to pray to God to ask if the church is true and if she needs to be baptized. She had never received an invitation like that from another church before. She said that she really feels like that is what makes the church different, we are focused a lot on our relationship with God and the family. 

So we are preparing to have Rosa be baptized this week and Melina the next week, on the 28th. Then, we also have 3 kids - Rocio (14), Sol (11) and Hernan (9) that are prepapring to be baptized on the 3rd of April. They are all super receptive and love learning about the church, and going to the meetings. SO MANY BLESSINGS!!! (: 

Also, we had SIX investigators in the church meetings yesterday. We are feeling SO blessed. (: are you kiddin' me... I can hardly even contain my joy. I literally don't have words. I just feel so overwhelmed and cried my eyes out to my Heavenly Father of gratitude for being here in the mission and being able to help others find true happiness from the gospel. 

lets take a good look at this picture... my feet. see all the whiteness? yah, those aren't socks... that is my SKIN. super tan, right? hahaha so embarrassing. but I am so happy for Anahi and Gustavo.

so keep on keepin' and prepare yourselves for the general conference!!!

xoxo

Hermana Terry

Also, this is the Noche de Hogar that we had with the Bishop and his family. So hyped. Sooo hyped! melina is in the black and white polka dots on the right. she's going in the waterrr!! (:(:

(isn't that KYLEE so cute?!  Love her) (her mom) =]

A letter to Kylee from Kylee

Kylee wrote herself a letter and I wanted to share it..........
She is so precious and sweet and a spirit that Michael and I were blessed to raise, to have her teach us to be good, and to bring so much joy to our lives.  We are blessed to have her as our daughter.

Kylee going into the MTC........

First day in the mission... crazy! It's been super awesome though. It still doesn't feel like I'm really in Argentina, it's just that everyone speaks spanish. It's been very long two days of travel, and I am still so tired, but I'm just getting ready to always be tired. The Lovells are the beesssttt. todo esta bien! Can't wait to keep going and start the work of missionaries tomorrow!

I have some goals that I wrote down before I came here...

1- No fear. No worries, it's not my time, it's The Lords.

2- Talk to everyone. IN SPANISH. No more english, that's for the USA! (; No matter what, don't get embarrassed. 

3- be obedient and work hard. 

I have a testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ is true and complete. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I know that everything we do and have is because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that Thomas S. Monson is our modern prophet today, and he is called of God. I know that God is our Heavenly Father, and he knows us and loves us. I know that the work of temples is amazing and the closest thing we can get to heaven on earth. I know that families can be eternal and I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the only way to progress. I know that missionary work is so important and the best place for me right now! Keep working hard, be happy and always be obedient.