First full week here in Tandil

Dear Family,
 

Well, I am loving it here in Tandil!! (you should look it up online) Its a beautiful city and it reminds me a lot of the País Vasco and Santander! Its green and there are tons of hills. It is such a change from the heat and dryness of Bahia Blanca.  The similarity to Cantabria so amazing! No wonder why there are tons of Basque influence here. Men and youth walk around wearing the boina (the basque berret). And guess what?? there are like 10 Zubeldias that live in my area!!! I have to go and contact them. We will see what happens. Eveyone here just loves my last name and they always say they know someone named Zubeldia. Right now I know there is one that is a lawyer that lives next door to the fire station. 

Plaza de la Independencia de Tandil

With Hermana Williams, my companion in Tandil

 

My area is really big. It includes the center of Tandil and the area around. We also have a small town far away that is part of my area. This area is like 5 times bigger than my last area in Villa Mitre. I know that I won't have a problem going to new areas to contact.

  

This last week we (four sisters) have been living in the Elders apartment. There was a problem with our apartment and so we were moved to the elders apartment and they were moved to the zone leaders apartment. From the day I got here I have been living out of my suitcase haha!  Because it is an elders apartment, guess what we did all last p-day?? yep, we cleaned all day! How grateful I am that my brothers are relatively clean (haha, just kidding).

Hermanas Cruz and Pizarro

Hermana Williams, cleaning the Elders' apartment

However, since we live outside of our area we need to take a bus to our area to work each day. Both my companion and I are new to the area and so trying to learn the bus system has been kinda difficult. We have gotten lost a couple of times.

 

My companion and I are both learning this area together. It's great because we are starting fresh. It's kinda hard though because neither of us know the streets very well and don't know where anyone lives. We are managing though.

  

On Saturday we found a woman and her two kids and  guess what...when we went to pick  her and her family up for church they were all ready and waiting for us. Her kids loved church and made friends.  She said church was really long but that she liked it. We are going to visit her again on Tuesday.

 

Well, this last week I was thinking a lot about obedience. For some reason everything I was reading about in the Book of Mormon seemed to be focused on being obedient.  In Mosiah chapters 2, 3,4 5, 6 I learned a lot about why it is important to be obedient.  The Savior only asks us to be obedient to his commandments. Its the only thing that he asks us to do. And if we do so, he will bless us with many blessings. I know this has to be true, since every prophet in the Book of Mormon talks about the why of obedience. I hope that as we go about your daily activities you remember the blessings that come as we are obedient and remember our baptismal and temple covenants. They truly are for our protection and learning.
  
I hope you are all doing great! From the emails of mami and papi I hear that you are all having a great week!!! I love you all so very much. Know that I am doing well and am having a great time serving the Lord!!!
  
Te quiero!!!
 
Sarah, have a fantastic time at the temple with mami and papi!!!!
 
Hermana Susana Zubeldia