From Hermana Williams

EMERGENCY TRANSFER...and I got caught right in the middle haha

Good day everyone :)

My new companion, Hermana Morgan

Well the story goes like this...we were grocery shopping in Bahía Blanca and we get a call. Hermana Asencios answered and I thought the Elders had told her that Jose Luis was going to be baptized at 6:00....wahhoooo! But no. Hermana looked at me with red eyes and tells me I'm leaving to Santa Rosa, La Pampa at 6:00. Seriously? I couldn't believe her for a while because there were still 3 weeks left of the transfer. And now here I am, in La Pampa- area Santa Rosa 4th ward- with a new companion Hermana Morgan, from Kentucky! We lived together my first transfer in Bahía Blanca (the house with 6 Hermanas) and here we are again together as companions.

So this week has been SUPER interesting and exceptionally difficult. I don't know what it was but when I left, of course I was super rushed and sad (I almost missed my bus and 5 of us missionaries were running to wave it down J oops) But when I arrived here and got all settled, the next morning I was super tired but super pumped!! I just felt that God wanted and needed me here for a purpose.
What has happened is that:

1. I am Senior companion and I was freaking out about that. But I have already learned so much in this position and also learned more that the title "Senior" doesn't mean I have to do it all by myself. My companion still is learning the language but shares thoughts that really help me feel the spirit and teach me. It is super amazing. I am really trying to help her learn the importance of contacting daily and inviting people to baptism!

With Hermana Zubeldia again!

2. We live 4 Hermanas in this house and guess who lives with us....HERMANA FREAKING ZUBELDIA!!! hahaha I can't describe how much of a joy it was to see her and it is to be with her again. Wow, I tell you it just made me even more happy to be here! Her companion is Hermana Godoy from Paraguay.

3. We had a baptism on Saturday and confirmation Sunday!! Her name is Betiana and though I did not teach her much before her baptism I already love her and her 4 cute kids. They are a handful but if you know me, you know I love kids and it's just fun J haha So she is 23, single, with 4 kids and was an investigator for like 5 years before she decided to be baptized. WHAT A MIRACLE. And I was able to be a part of it.

4. There are also 3 other couples listening to us from before I got here that just need to get married and they are good to be baptized! They obviously need more lessons but they have the most important part: the DESIRE. It is amazing! We just really need to be in tune with the spirit to know how to touch them so they can get married now! Because there is NO reason to prolong the day of our repentance, the day we receive so many blessings.

5. All I will say is that our ward has a lot of difficulties. Things that make our work as missionaries VERY hard, and made a lot of members inactive. But one thing I do know is that I'm not going to give up. Because (not by chance) I was talking to Hermana Asencios before I left about focus. She gave me to counsel that I should pray for more trials so I can notice the miracles even more and learn more! Well that is what I did... and a few days later I got transferred here. I know I am here with my companion for a reason and we are going to kill everyone with kindness! We are already finding lots of prepared people and working a ton. I have so much faith and I am so grateful for my trials.

Through leaving a great area, coming in to an area needing lots of work, getting super lost in the area many times, and having people give me sad faces because they want the other missionary that was here instead of me has really just made me understand the importance of this work even more. I understand the Atonement and am really learning how to apply the love and sacrifice of the Savior for ME into my life and my teachings.

I love being here! I love this work! And I am going to continue in it ALWAYS...it is a part of me and I know my life will be forever changed for the decision to serve my Lord and for the people that have come into my life since then.

Jesus only asks:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Follow Him:)

Amo a todos… que tengan una semana buenísima!

Hermana Williams

With Hermana Godoy

Families can be together forever - from México, to Spain to Argentina to USA

Dear Family,

How I love being a missionary. I love sharing the gospel and I love bearing testimony to everyone I meet that this is the True and Only gospel of Jesus Christ, the only Church that provides the necessary baptism, and that because of the restored gospel, our Families can be together forever! And this was more special to me because it was your 23rd wedding anniversary.  How wonderful it is to know that my family is an Eternal family!! Thank you mami and Papi for your wonderful example of great parents.

Valentin and his grandfather, just before the baptism.

This week our friend, Valentin, was baptized! He is such a ball of energy and was super excited to get baptized. His grandfather, who is the 1st counselor to the Bishop baptized him. Because his mother isn't a member we had the wonderful opportunity to teach Valentin. The next step now is to teach his parents and help his family also become an eternal family.  The elders in our ward also had a baptism. On Saturday we had an 8 year old and a 79 year old get baptized. It doesn't matter what age you are, the gospel is the same for everyone and we all need this baptism. It was a beautiful baptism.

Almost all of the investigators that we have been teaching or finding haven't wanted to progress that much. We are going to work a lot his week to help them progress and to continue to find new families to teach. Just today on our walk to the Cyber-café a member stopped us and gave us a reference to a family. He said that just this morning he talked with his friends and told them that he was going to send the missionaries! He walked away and said, "call me for their baptism!" Its wonderful to work with the members! Papi, I really like what that sister missionary said in our ward,  "Trust us with your friends, trust us with your referrals. It is not up to you to decide whether someone is ready to receive  the Gospel. Give your friends the opportunity to make that decision for themselves. Don't deny them that opportunity."

What she said is true, everyone needs the opportunity to hear the gospel. Its us, the members who offers it to them. If they accept great, if not, well, maybe next time.

Yesterday my companion and I were talking during our study time about how important it is to understand the Plan of Salvation. I studied about Agency.  Agency is the capacity to choose between good and bad. The way we use our agency in our life determines our happiness now and in the eternities. Everyday we make choices, and those choices through time build up and can either create a sure foundation or can break our foundation. In Abraham 3:25 it says that our Life is a period of trial for us to prove how we use our agency. (read 2 Nephi 2:16 and DyC 29:39.

I am so grateful for this wonderful gospel. I know that this Church is true and that there really is a prophet of god on this earth, a prophet like Moses. I know that Families can be together forever. I know that living the gospel really does make us happy. I want to invite you all to do what Pablo and Sarah said: To read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if its true. If you do so,  you will know in your heart that is is true. And if its true, then Joseph Smith really was a Prophet. If he was a prophet then this is the TRUE church of JESUS CHRIST:

I love you all. I hope you have a great week

Love,

Hermana Susana Zubeldia

The plaza of Santa Rosa

My companion and I helped a member after her house flooded. It was raining a lot that day!

Guess who came to Santa Rosa?? Hermana Williams :) my old companion!

Dear Family,

What an amazing week my companion and I have been blessed with. We truly are so grateful to be here in Santa Rosa together.  This week we had some great experiences. First of all, I am so happy to hear that you guys are all doing so good. I love your emails and all the fun updates that are happening in the family. I'm grateful that you guys are receiving so many blessings. This week I have been thinking a lot about the experience that Élder Zubeldia had to be with our family in Spain. It truly is a blessing for Pablo to get to share the gospel with our family and to get to spend some time with them. I am so grateful!!!

This week we had a Zone conference with Presidente Parreño y la Hermana Parreño. It was a beautiful conference. We were reminded of our purpose as missionaries and the importance of staying focused in the work. It was a wonderful conference.

Also we attended a beautiful baptism of a 16 year old girl in our ward. Over the past 6 months her family has been baptized and she is the last one to join her family in the gospel. The Spirit was strong in the baptism and you would see her happiness as she came up out of the water. One of the most amazing things to see on the mission is to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ unites the family. I can just imagine my whole family one day accepting this beautiful gospel.

This weekend we are going to help our friend Valentine get baptized! He is the grandson of a member in our bishopric and is going to get baptized this Saturday. He is 8 years old and is super fun! He has tons of energy and loves going to church.

I want to share another experience we had this week as we have tried to be more grateful in our companionship. In the Book of Mormon it says:

38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you (Alma 34:38)

We have seen blessings as we have tried to count our many blessings in our lives.  Expressing our gratitude has helped us concentrate more in our prayers. As we live in a spirit of thanksgiving we will be happier and see that we really are blessed each and every day.  Each day as I return home, my companion prays and thanks our Heavenly Father for the wonderful blessings we have seen that day. As she prays I realize that even though we didn't see much success on the surface, we were indeed blessed the little everyday moments.

I invite you to express more gratitude in your prayers. As you do so, I promise that you will be happier. Our Heavenly Father really is watching us each day and blesses us as much as he can. One of the greatest blessings that we have is that we have the gospel in our lives and a wonderful family.  I love this gospel. I love my Family and I love being a missionary!

I hope you all have a great week! Know that I am praying for you each and everyday!

Con todo mi amor,
Hermana Susana Zubeldia

Zone Conference

They served us the biggest hamburgers I've ever seen...and I ate it all!!

I made my own empanadas!

They are filled with "choclo" (corn).

The miracle of working with the members

Dear family,

Sorry that this letter is going to be short. I tried to email all of my cute little siblings individually today and so it cut my time writing you all collectively.

My companion, Hermana Godoy

I am doing great. My companion is amazing. She pushes each day to try hard and to work every moment. She is very diligent and is helping me a lot. Haha, I think she is training me.

This week we saw miracles happen. We were able to work with the members in our ward each and every day and they gave us many references. We have been blessed to find many families who are ready to accept the gospel, families who once had listened to the missionaries but for one reason or another stopped. They all have accepted to allow us to come back and to start over. My companion and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with them and the members together.

This week my companion and I are trying to Work diligently and obediently. We are learning that as we work diligently each day with Faith, that we will find and we will be able to continue to see miracles. I know that miracles happen and I know that there are people who are ready to hear the gospel.

DyC 122 verses 7-8

Thank you so much for all you have done for me. I am grateful to have been born into this wonderful family.

Santa Rosa is a lot warmer than Tandil

My companion is amazing!

Spring is starting. This place is beautiful!!!

They even have real churros, like in Spain.

The other day it was hailing. From hot hot hot to cold cold and wet.

It was fun for Hermana Godoy with tall boots.

Our area was flooded and it was definitely fun to try to figure out a way to cross and not get my shoes wet.

As you can see, it rained A LOT!!!

Santa Rosa!

Dearest Family,

Bueno, Santa Rosa is a beautiful little city in the middle of the Provincia de la Pampa. Truly we are working hard and seeing lots of miracles.  Santa Rosa is very different than Tandil in many different ways.  First of all, the weather here is really hot! Today, after 5 months of wearing my heavy coat and thick tights we left our apartment in short sleeves and our hair tied up. Haha, yesterday I got sunburn because of the sun. Its only spring and I can only imagine what summer is going to be like here :) Also, La Pampa is known for the wind and it has definitely been windy here! I love the wind though.

I'm glad to hear that Sofia and Daniel like their braces! I can't believe that Soraya is now is Kindergarten! Please send pictures! Also, Levi have fun at Fairfield next week! Daniel, good luck at Davis! Guess what? The other missionary in my ward just got here to Argentina and he went to Davis. He knows Brianna Barlow. His name is Elder Swenson! Ask Brianna if she knows him. :)

Just like Pablo, I have been blessed to go to a city where a lot of Zubeldias live. In just my area there are about 2 Zubeldia Families. I haven't contacted them yet but don't worry, I definitely will be getting to it. Papi, next week can you send me a genealogy chart and names of your grandparents and their siblings? I want to contact the Zubeldias here and see the relationship! I am really excited! There is a Pablo Zubeldia here who is teacher to two youth in my ward!

This week we had a great experience with our Ward mission leader.  We went with him to contact a couple of his neighbors. We were able to find a young married couple who just over a year ago almost got baptized but didn't for some reason. With the mission leader we were able to enter and teach them again and they agreed to meet with us again.  We also were able to give one of his neighbors a Book of Mormon and they accepted to read it. We are seeing miracles here in Santa Rosa as we are starting to work with the members. There is such a Spirit here in the ward. We have already recieved many referrals from members of family and friends. This week we already have planned to go out with a couple of members.

I love being a missionary. Each day my testimony is strengthened of how wonderful the gospel of Jesus Christ is. This week, for the 12 week training program of my companion we have been studying the importance of the Book of Mormon.  I bear my testimony that when someone reads the Book of Mormon with real intent and prays about it that they WILL receive an answer. I confide in the promise given in Moroni 10.

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God's dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fullness of the everlasting Gospel.

The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the Gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come.

We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)

Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.

I bear my testimony that I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that he restored the gospel of Jesus Christ back to the earth. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church on the earth that holds the priesthood and has the AUTHORITY of Jesus Christ to perform the saving ordinances that help us return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  I know this is true because I have prayed about it and felt the peace of the spirit confirm to me that it is true.  I invite you all to continue to read the Book of Mormon and ask in prayer if it is true. If you do so, I promise that you too will know that Joesph Smith was a prophet of God.

I love you all so very much and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

Hermana Susana Zubeldia

Good bye Tandil and Hello Santa Rosa!

Dear FAMILY!!

I've been transferred to Santa Rosa, Province of La Pampa! I am in Barrio 2 and my amazing new companion is Hermana Godoy from Paraguay! I am going to help finish her 12 week training. However she doesn't need it because she such a focused missionary and has such a love for the work. I am so excited to work with her and see and make tons of miracles this transfer.

My companion Hermana Burgos and I

Right now I am in the cyber cafe and the music playing is from the musical Wicked. The song is called "For good."  Listening to the lyrics it reminds me of each of my companions. The lyrics say, "I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason... bringing something we must learn to help us grow if we let them and help them in return."  Truly this is how I feel about my last companion Hermana Burgos. She truly taught me a lot through her service and humble character. Even though we were only together for a transfer I will always remember her and her service she rendered to the people of Tandil and to me.

I loved Tandil. It was hard to say goodbye to all of the wonderful members that made me feel like family and goodbye to our investigators. Tandil really is a LUGAR SOÑADO.  I want to come back and take you parents to visit all the wonderful people here. The 6 months I got to serve in Tandil taught me a lot about my purpose as a missionary. It tried me at all points but it strengthened my testimony as to the divinity of this wonderful work.

This week, due to some illness I wasn't able to work as much as I wanted to however, the time I was able to work was incredible. We were blessed to find many people to teach and blessed to have members accompany us in almost every lesson this week.

Walking to our lunch with the Romero family.

One of the many miracles that I witnessed this week was finding a referral given to us by a member. On Monday we had scheduled a FHE with a member and upon arriving she told us not to take off our coats because she wanted to introduce us to her neighbors. We met her neighbors and found out that this family 5 years ago almost got baptized but because of family challenges stopped meeting with the missionaries. The sons, five of them, were excited when we invited them to church. The member bore her testimony to them and the mother of this family started to tear up. She said that she was now ready to hear the missionaries again and go to church. I am so grateful to know that even when it seems that no one wants to hear our message there are always people who are willing to hear... we just need to find them and WORK WITH THE MEMBERS. In Tandil, I learned how to work with the members.

I love you all so very much. I am grateful to be a missionary to share this gospel with everyone I get to meet.

LOVE YOU.

Hermana Susana Zubeldia

Me, my companion and Alejo :)

The cutest little dog ever! He is 4 months old.

Last meal together with Hermana Burgos!!!

Look! I cooked this :) 

Tandil - The gospel is wonderful

Dear Family,

My week working with Hermana Zurita!

What a fantastic week!! This week we did Super Divisiones! I worked in another area for a week with another sister (Hermana Zurita). We worked really hard and found tons of people to teach! Truly, wherever we go there are people who are ready to hear the gospel. I have learned a lot this week from Hermana Zurita.

This week I have been thinking a lot about the reason behind why we do missionary work. Hermana Parreño and Presidente Parreño talked with us last week about how to keep our focus on the why of missionary work. During or zone meeting with our district leaders they also shared with us the purpose behind all the work that we do. In a talk called, "Why do we do missionary work" by Elder Oaks it says:

The doctrinal basis of missionary work is contained in the Savior’s statement to Nicodemus: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

The “kingdom of God” referred to here is the celestial kingdom.

We do not preach and teach in order to “bring people into the Church” or to increase the membership of the Church. We do not preach and teach just to persuade people to live better lives. We honor and appreciate the many ministers and others who are involved in the kind of ministry that makes bad men good and good men better. That is important, but we offer something more. One can qualify for the terrestrial kingdom instead of the telestial kingdom without the aid of this Church. We are concerned with a higher destination.

The purpose of our missionary work is to help the children of God fulfill a condition prescribed by our Savior and Redeemer. We preach and teach in order to baptize the children of God so that they can be saved in the celestial kingdom instead of being limited to a lesser kingdom. We do missionary work in order to baptize and confirm. That is the doctrinal basis of missionary work.

What a wonderful calling it is to share the gospel with the people of Argentina!

I hope you all have a great week! I love you and pray for you everyday! Thank you for all your letters!!!

Love,

Hermana Susana Zubeldia

We worked in Hermana Zurita's area until late.

Look: my hair has grown a lot on the mission!!!

My companion and I made lunch... I'm learning how to cook! :)

 My companion caught me playing the piano.

We use the planner all the time.

Hermana Martinez and me.