Its almost spring

Dear Family,

I will send the family history thing to you for the Seely book next week. I am going to write it today during lunch.  Thank you for the reminder last week. I didn't remember about it until this morning.

Also, yes papi, the mission president is trying to change how we work with the members. its going to take time, but with lots of patience and hard work the ward here will soon get to the point of working with the missionaries.  I am trying to work really hard with them and be positive about what the future will bring. 

This week:

 

1. I lost my name tag!! It was raining and it was dark and I realized I had lost my name tag.  I didn't know what to do.  We prayed and decided to retrace our steps to find the tag. Along the way we contacted.  After finding a few people and after retracing 10 blocks in the rain we found my tag in the middle of the road!!! It was a miracle. We then decided to contact one of the referrals we received from the Elders last week when they helped us.  This referral lived right by where we found my tag. Her name is Carolina. She was very interested and we are going to start teaching her.  Miracles always happen.  Maybe there was a reason why I lost my tag and why we went all the way back to teach Carolina.

 

2. Someone said that they were going to call the police on us if we knocked on his door again. :) I wish the best of luck for the sisters who are here next transfer when they knock on his door. 

 

3. We are going to start teaching a girl from León, Spain!! Isn't that cool!  She is married to a less active member of the church.  She wants to learn more about the church and is going to come to General Conference with her husband.  Its great to talk with someone with a Spanish accent again. I am having a hard time understanding the argentinian accent. 

 

4. I am learning so much about all the different religions here.  Here are a list of some of the different religions I have talked to: Catholic, Católico Apostólico Romano, Seventh Day Adventists,  Evangelistas (different branches on each street corner), Bautistas, Testigos de Jeováh, and Umbanda (never heard of this before...I don't know.)

 

5. The weather is raining and cold but we are staying warm!

I don't have much time to write this week because we got to the computers late.  I love you all!! I wrote you all letters and they should be coming soon in the mail!

Alma 8

The people of Ammoníha didn't listen to Alma and they kicked him out of the city.  Alma labored with much spirit and prayed a lot for help.  He sorrowed for the people  but an angel told him that because he was faithful he would be protected.  He was then commanded to go back to the city and cry repentance again.  The Lord gave him a companion (Amulek) and gave them the spirit and power to teach.  I love this story because even though the people say no, we aren't alone in this work. 

In Alma 34, Doctrine and Covenants 6 and Doctrine and Covenants 9.....We need to pray with real intent and have faith that we will get an answer.  Lust like Alma said, begin to exercise your faith...begin to call upon his holy name. To get an answer we need to BEGIN. 

This week, as you prepare for general conference pray and exercise your faith that you will receive answers to your questions. 

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!!

 

PS: Here is a picture with the two other sisters in our apartment,  Hermana Rosza, from Utah, and Hermana Marín from Chile.

Life in Villa Mitre I

Dear Family,

This week has been really cold and wet. Yesterday was the first day of Spring here and apparently it is supposed to be getting warmer but everyone is telling us that it is going to rain some more this week. I am keeping cold though so don't worry. The jacket that I brought has been a life saver.  I am going to have to buy boots though because I don't want my shoes to get ruined in the rain.

I learned a lot this week about the importance of having faith and not letting things get you down.

 

We have had a hard time this week finding people to teach.  It seems like everyone is too busy to listen and they don't see a need to be happier than they already are.  Well, after having a hard week a miracle happened yesterday.  Hermana Silva and I were walking to visit a referral we had received when the phone rang.  Our zone leader said that we needed to go to the church because they were waiting to meet with us.  We didn't know what he meant, but we walked the 6 blocks to the church. As we entered, I saw my entire district, all 6 other elders waiting for us.  My entire district had come to help me and my companion find people to teach.  For 3 hours we went contacting.  Yesterday, we found a total of like 30 people that we can teach this next week! The elders all came to help us find people to teach. I am so grateful for the missionaries here who help us.  We are all in the work together.  It was a blessing for me.  We found more people yesterday than we have the entire time I've been here. 

I also met a man who knows someone with the last name of Zubeldia here in Bahía Blanca.  He didn't remember where the man lived but he said there are a lot here. Its my goal to find them and teach them the gospel!!! You know what people say to pronounce my name?? They say, SUBE EL DÍA really fast. haha, I am the light that is bringing them gospel and raising their day!

 

The mail system here should be working now so I should be getting letters soon.  I don't know when the package will come though... I'll let you know when it does.  Also, dearelder.com works here.

Sarah, I am glad that you had a good time at the football game.  I didn't really enjoy the games because I find them boring. Its fun though to be with friends and spend Friday with them eating ice cream.  How was Brooke's bridal shower? I can't believe that she is getting married!! I am so happy for her.  Let me know how the wedding goes and please send pictures!! Too bad that Brooke won't have Pablo, Brittany and Me in the pictures, they would have been better if we were there. :)

 

Daniel, I am glad that you are becoming the big kid in the home.  Isn't it great to be the oldest?? You can boss people around and assign chores or delegate chores :)  What song are you singing in your recital this week? Good luck on it. I am so glad to hear that you are doing well in school and that you are enjoying being in Rhapsody.  Are you still doing indexing? Who won the contest?

 

Levi, I am glad to hear that you have Life in you. It would be really cool if you got your Eagle Scout before you were a teacher.  If you want to do that you need to start really working on it and being diligent.  Just like violin, you need to work on it often. How do you like your new violin teacher in our ward? She is really nice. Did you know that she also went to BYU Jerusalem? She also served a mission in Korea.  Before I left on my mission she went out with me and Aja to teach some families in our ward.  I will be praying for your muscle spasm pain. I am sorry to hear that your back is hurting. My feet are hurting too because we walk all day long.  Also, what do you do in the Nerd Club??

 

Carlos, that is great that you made friends with Zach's cousin! Now you can play with Zach and his cousin all together. I will also pray for your head that you will feel better soon. 

 

Sofia,You are a great missionary! You should take a Book of Mormon to school and give it to your teacher, I bet she would accept it and read it if you gave it to her.  I am also impressed that you are helping around in the home with Soraya and making breakfast. You remind me a lot of when I was a little girl.  Keep up the good work!! And you are playing "Teach me to walk in the light" from the big green hymn book?! That is incredible! Way to go! You will do great.  

 

Soraya, keep being cute! I love to hear all of the funny and witty comments that you make. I wish I could hear them in person, but I guess I will just have to imagine you saying them.  And yes, God's greatest creation is you (and also all the siblings)! You definitely should say that in the primary program!

Thank your for your letters! I love to re-read your letters throughout the week.  I think of you each day as I share the gospel.  Its amazing the difference the gospel makes in the home. Going from an investigator's home to a member's home is such a drastic change.  To feel the love and unity brings me comfort and joy and reminds me of how much I love you.

And don't worry. I am staying safe at all times. Don't worry about the robbers.  We aren't allowed to wear purses or bring bags with us, just in case.  All I carry around are my scriptures. The members are feeding us.  They make sure we have a meal with them everyday.

And like Pablo said, CONFERENCE IS COMING!! I am really excited! We are also inviting everyone to come and hear a prophet speak and feel for themselves the power of the prophets and how important it is to have a prophet hoy en dia :) 

I LOVE you SO MUCH!!!

Write to you next week

Hermana Zubeldia

 

Hi family!!

Dear Family!

I am doing well and my companion is doing great! This has been a great week of knocking on tons of doors. My companion is helping me a lot when it comes to teaching and contacting. They do it a lot different here than what I learned in California.

With my companion, Hermana Silva, on a warm day.

With Presidente and Hermana Parreño and Hermana Silva

 My companion is really great.  She is from Paraguay and is 34 years old.  She joined the Church 4 years ago and has a miraculous conversion story.  She was raised Catholic but when she got older she started to explore all kinds of religions.  She was living in Buenos Aires at the time, working.  One day when she went home for a break she found the Book of Mormon on their book shelf. She started to read it and she couldn't put it down. She asked her brother where the book had come from and he told her that two American missionaries brought it to their house.  She found the address to the church in the back of the book and went looking for the missionaries to learn more.  And know here she is, on her mission.  She is an incredible example to me of having hope that one day we will find someone who is ready to learn about the gospel.  She has a strong testimony and is so dedicated to this work.  I know that I am going to learn so much from her.  I am already learning how to teach by the spirit to the needs of the people.

Yes, we live just 6 blocks from the Mission home.  Its great to be here in Villa Mitre.  The town in large and is right outside of the city of Bahia Blanca.  We do a lot of street contacting and knocking on doors. Because my companion has been here for 6 months everyone knows who she is and where we live.  Now that I am here we are obligated (great!!!) to knock on all the doors again because they don't know me! haha :)  There are many religions here in Villa Mitre. There is like a church on every other block. It reminds me of what it would have been like for Joseph Smith.  There are a lot of Catholics, Evangelists, and Jehovah Witnesses.  We run into the Jehovah Witnesses once in a while.  I am learning a lot about what other people believe and how to use what they believe to know what to share with them.  My companion is great at relating to their confusion and mistrust of religion.

 The weather here!! Its freezing and has been raining all week. it should start warming up soon..I hope :)

The ward is helping in giving references.  It definitely is harder though having members in our lessons because the work schedules for everyone are so different.  But we are trying really hard to include members in the missionary work.  I am trying to help the members in THEIR missionary work. Each member is a missionary.  That is so neat that the theme of the stake conference was on missionary work and family history.  I truly am learning that our work as missionaries can't happen effectively without the work of the members.  After my mission I want to work with the missionaries and help them fulfill their calling. I also want to invite the family, each of you, to find a less active member or a non member to hear from the missionaries. 

My district here in Villa Mitre

With the APs. Elder Bird is from Kaysville. He lives by Katie.

We are teaching a man named Adrián.  He is honestly seeking for the truth after years of going from church to church.  I don't know how Hermana Silva found him though.  I pray each day that he has the faith to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true.  The Book of Mormon is so powerful and when one prays sincerely about it they will know that it is true.  I have also taken Pablo's challenge on reading the Book of Mormon each day.  It is remarkable for me to take the time to read it.  Its incredible to be able to share what I read each day with people I talk to in the streets.  Whenever I meet with someone and talk with them I am reminded of what I read that morning because it seems like it what that person needed at that moment.   I promise you that as you read the Book of Mormon it will guide your day and help you in those moments that you really need inspiration.

Graciela's Baptism

We had a baptism last week! I seem to come right when a person is about to be baptized (with Jordan in Brentwood and now here). The woman that was baptized was Graciella.  She truly has been converted to the gospel. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and reads it everyday.  We went to her house this week after her baptism and found her studying the Gospel Principles book and the Book of Mormon together.  She has such a hunger to learn.  Tomorrow we are taking her the Book of Mormon with the Doctrine and Convenants and Pearl of Great Price so that she can look up the references she finds in the Gospel Doctrine book! She is great! We are starting to teach her son and daughter in law. Lives truly change when the gospel enters people´s hearts.

Well, I love you so much! I have to go and shop for our food.

I love you so much!! Write to you next week!  Also, the mail system here is on strike and so nothing with come through.  You don't have to worry about sending me anything for a while since it won't get to me for months :)

Hermana Zubeldia

PS: Sarah, Elder Bagley just arrived last week from the MTC.  he asked me if I was the sister of Sarah. I asked him how he knew.  He said that by my last name he knew that I had to be from Kaysville.  He graduated from Davis High with you. Sarah do you know him??

I'm in argentina!!!

Hi family!

I arrived in Argentina safetly!  The flight to Argentina was really long but it gave me a good opportunity to sleep a little and write in my journal.  I sat next to a woman from Brazil and shared a little bit of the gospel with her in Spanish.  She already had a Book of Mormon because her daughter's best friend is on her mission. It was great to talk to her.  Also, a member of the church walked up to me and said hi in the Atlanta airport.  It was a comfort to know that I wasn't alone and that people know who I am.

 

I took a flight from San Francisco to Atlanta and then caught a flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  In Buenos Aires a member from the area office picked me up and took me to the area office.  I stayed there for a couple of hours.  They got my lunch, it was great! I hadn´t eaten for like 12 hours!!  And then I went and got my papers done for my DNI (identification ID card). My driver gave me a little tour of the city and then dropped me off at the airport. I took a 2 hour flight to Bahia Blanca where I was picked up by President Parreño and Hermana Parreño.  I spent the night at the mission home, and the next day I spent my day in the mission office by myself with 8 other elders, and no companions... they were nice.

 

Papi, no, I don't think I got my visa. What they gave me was a traveler's visa and so in a month or two I will have to pick up my visa somewhere else.  I  honestly don't know.  All they did was give me my passport and my ticket and I got on a plane.  Everything was set for me.  It was really easy.  And thanks to all the traveling I have done, it was easy to move around the airport!! 

The keys on this keyboard are terrible. Some of the keys work and others don't work at all. Also, the computer has been freezing and took away a lot of the time I have to write. I only have 10 minutes left to write to you, so I am going to make this message shorter than the others.  Next week I will write more when we are at the church and have time.

My new companion's name is Hermana Silva.  She is from Paraguay and has 4 months left on her mission.  She is a convert of 4 years and she has an amazing conversion story.  I am in the Villa Mitre area in the Bahia Blanca zone.  The weather has been really cold and I have been wearing my heavy coat, a scarf and tights.  It took me by surprise!! From the heat of California to the winter of Argentina. It's been great though. I'm warm each night and I sleep very well.  

The people here are good. The way that mission work is done is so different here.  In California we did a lot of "member present" lessons and almost no contacting. Here, all we do is contacting in the streets, knocking on doors one by one, street by street.  Everyone confuses us for Jehovah Witnesses or Evangelical missionaries.  Most of the people in this area are Evangelical or Catholic.  It has been a little hard to get used to the way things are done here but little by little I will learn. My companion is very patient with me and is willing to answer all of my questions.  I ask a lot of questions!!  The way they teach is different too and the focus is a little different.  What helps me is knowing that we are teaching the same gospel but in a different way.

The mission presidents are really nice.  They picked me up at the airport in Bahia Blanca on Monday night around nine and took me to the mission home.  Hermana Parreño made me "tortilla de patata" and I ate with President and Hermana Parreño.  They gave me my own room and I slept wonderfully that night.

I am glad to hear that you guys are doing great.  I am learning a lot. Good luck with school everyone. Pablo, that is way cool that you bought new furniture!!! I didn't know you could do that!! Have fun Sarah making new friends.  I am glad that you have great roommates.  Daniel, good luck with your solo!! Levi, I am glad you joined that club, it suits you well!!  Carlos, have fun with your new friends!!! Remember that two years will pass by fast! Sofía, I am glad to hear that your Spanish is going well!! And Soraya, patience is a virtue!!!  I love you all so much!! I will send pictures next week when I am at a good computer!!

Hermana Zubeldia!!!

¡I Have Arrived in Bahía Blanca!

I left Sunday at Noon from San Francisco, and arrived in the Bahía Blanca airport on Monday at 9:20 PM. It was a very long trip. Here is the first picture with Presidente and Hermana Parreño. (This picture was sent by the president's assistants).

I got my Visa!

Hi Family,

   

Well, I am off to Argentina this Sunday! The mission home got my Passport, Visa and other travel documents on Wednesday.   I am leaving San Francisco on September 1, 2013 at 12 noon, exactly one month to the day that I've been here in California! :)

   

I go from San Francisco to Atlanta and then to Buenos Aires.  I will meet a group of other missionaries in Atlanta and fly with them to Buenos Aires.  From there, I will catch a plane from Buenos Aires to Bahia Blanca where my Mission President will pick me up.

   

I am really excited to go to Argentina but I am really sad to leave the Oakland Mission.  My trainers have been amazing and have taught me so much.

   

I love you guys so much! I hope you are doing well this week!  I just wanted to update you as to what part of the world I am living in.  ;)

   

I LOVE YOU!

   

Hermana Susana Zubeldia

Here are some pictures...

With my companions (Hermana McLaws and Hermana Cooper)

The hills in San Francisco

The Brentwood district

Visiting sister Treat -  in Brentwood

With Sister Cooper and Sister Goff (from Edmond, Oklahoma)

 

Hi Family! Week 5 in the mission Field!

Hi Family,

I am so glad to hear that you guys have had a fantastic week with school starting and your trip in New York!  What a great time you had in New York; seeing the Sacred Grove, Hill Cumorah, The Temple, Plays and the the Statue of Liberty!!!!  I can't wait to see pictures of your trip. Email them to me next week, or mail them, it doesn't matter.  Also, I would love to get some letters in the mail, hint hint ;) How long does it take to mail a letter?

We went bowling with our Zone. We had a blast!

Me and my Companions: Hermana McLaws and Hermana Cooper

My district at our Zone Bowling Activity

I hope you have a great week now that almost everyone is in school now. Sarah, have fun next week starting COLLEGE!!  You will LOVE it!  Thanks for keeping me updated on everything back home. I love hearing about it!  And I hope you guys have fun with the Teacher from Barcelona. Its kinda weird that most of the teachers in the Spanish school aren't Mormon since we live in Utah.

Well, this has been a great week.  I have seen many miracles as we have found tons of people to teach.  We have been running into a lot of less active members on the streets and visiting a lot of less active families.  We also have been getting a lot of referrals from other missionaries.  Just this week we met with four people who have accepted a "soft" invite to be baptized!

Jordan's baptismal day!

Also, Jordan was Baptized!!!  The sisters here have been working with her for 3 months. She was so excited and happy after her baptism. :)  Nelson came to the baptism which was really exciting!  He seemed to really enjoy it.  He went to Church yesterday with the elders and then went with them to have dinner at a counselors home with a couple of other YSA members.   I can't wait for his baptism on September 14!  Its exciting to see the change in people's lives when they find and accept the gospel.

The work is going good.  This week, as a zone we beat the mission record in having the most investigators with baptismal dates-  27 total!  It was a good week.

Some of the sisters in my zone at the Stake Safety Fair

My companions are great!  We are learning to work together and to help each other.  Because there are three of us sometimes one of us (usually me) doesn't get to say much in the lessons.  We are trying to work together and equally teach the lesson.  Sometimes when my companions are taking over the lessons, I have to stop them and ask questions to see if the investigator is understanding what we are sharing.  To fix this problem, during companionship study we are practicing teaching the lessons and take turns and write down possible questions that we can use.  These practice lessons are really helping me learn how to work in a companionship of three :)  Each day I learn that there is so much for me still to learn and do better at.  I am having to be patient with myself.  :)

Me and Hermana McLaws and Hermana Bram (from Panama. She knows Fernando, Noemi and April!!!)

Life is busy with teaching, finding people, and driving all over the place.  The members are feeding us well.  We have dinner appointments with them each night this week.  Papi, last week when we were eating dinner at the bishops home I was talking with their grandma and she said that she works in the healthcare industry.  She was talking about Ingenix and how they were bought out by some company I don't remember.  It is great to understand what she was talking about (clearinghouses, providers, etc.)  I told her that you used to work at Ingenix.  :)

Sarah - Have fun at BYU! I am so glad that you had a great trip and that you are enjoying yourself. Be good and make more friends than the 11 DHS kids in your ward.

Daniel - Have a great time at school! Be a good kid!

Levi - I am glad to hear that you are having a good time at your new school.  Make some friends! and bring them over to the house.

Carlos - Make friends at the new school and then you can play with them and Zach together! That would be way fun!

Sofia - I am glad that you have a great teacher! Good job for trying out to be in the student council, that takes a lot of courage!

Soraya- Stay cute! I can't wait to see the picture you drew for me and Pablo

I love you guys so much!! I am also going to reiterate what Pablo said: READ THE BOOK OF MORMON!!  I know that when you read the Book of Mormon you will see blessings in your life as you apply what you learn from each day's reading. Also, my challenge is to pray each day for an opportunity to share the gospel.  I know that you will have the chance each day. Pray and look for the small opportunities to share!  Let me know how it goes this week.

I think of you everyday and I pray for you every night. Have a great week and remember that I love you so much! 

Love,

Hermana Susana Zubeldia