LA PAMPA NEEDS INVESTIGATORS

SHOUT OUTS

Okay. This week is my friend MORGAN GARDINERS BIRTHDAY! She has been super close to me alll throughout high school. We went through lots of … crap. But shes seriously a rock star and i know she is just killing it as a missionary in Washington! Happy Birthday, morgs.

Also to Canada. Tomorrow is Canada day if anyone wants to celebrate that…

AND TO MY COUNTRY. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I DIDN'T REALIZE JUST HOW SPECIAL IT IS UNTIL I LEFT IT. AND I MISS IT DEARLY. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY. I LOVE YOU. 4 OF JULY.

A few last week that I threw in because I wasn't sure but I read my calendar and I know for sure these are the Birthdays!

Morgan Barfuss. Thanks for being the bestest baby sitter I ever had. Thanks for cleaning my wounds from my motor scooter and for punishing me inhumanly. I love you.

To my cousin Cade Mellies… JELLY BEAN TIME. Happy birthday, bud. Hope all is well!

Also, happy birthday to my Grandma Kathy. She has honestly been one of my biggest supports here on the misión and i don't know where i would be without her in my life. She makes me want to be a better person every day. And its because of her that i practice my spelling everyday. Hahahha love ya, Grandma.

Annndd… to Uncle Roger. You better be at my Homecoming. No excuses. Happy Birthday. I actually pray for you a lot. I hope life is treating you well. Saludos a Jennifer!

Okay, not much time left here.

My área… is very different.

So much… dirt. There's about 3  paved streets in my área and then a highway that separate us from the Santa Cruz North Mission. But we cross the highway every day to get off the bus… whew. I'm always on … LIMITS. Limit with missions… with counties… I kinda like it.

The people here are definitely different. In all of my other áreas, the people were nice and open. Here… not so much. We get lots of shouts from cars and wáter thrown at us from Windows, creepy cat calls from old men. It's not so “friendly-Bolivia” anymore.. But i don't feel unsafe. I love the members here, they are so loving towards us and so willing to help us with anything we might need.

Ive already learned to learned to love the Ward. But the investigators… well. There aren't really any to love yet haha

The other day.. we were walking and i was thinking…. WE NEED TO FIND NEW INVESTIGATORS TO TEACH. So there was a woman walking towards us with a Little boy and i whispered to Hermana Duran..

“yeah, we are gonna talk to her, okay? We need to find new investigators. You do it.”

And she looks at me and smiles and says “okay…. I'll talk to her.”

Next thing you know… Hermana Durans like..

“HOLA HERMANA COMO ESTA???” (Hola Sister, How are you?")

And I'm like.. “ya le conoce??” ("You know her?")

And shes like “yeah, shes the Relief Society President” and she's like laughing so hard.

Look, I tried.

We live with a really great family. But I hate the dogs. The other night they were barking sooo much. And i finally just got up, filled a bucket with wáter.. and drenched them.

Hermana Duran was like…

“.. okay then.”

It had to be done. They haven't barked since.

The rain here is crazy.. just a side note haha

The área is absolutely gigantic, but at the same time, we are hardly teaching anyone. This week, hermana Duran and I have goals to be super obedient. This past week we struggled a Little bit with obedience, and our numbers were really low. We made a goal last night to be completely, 100% obedient this transfer so that we can be worthy to receive the blessings that Heavenly Father has prepared for us, and so that we can be worthy to teach the people that God has prepared to receive the Gospel.

I read a quote this morning during my personal study. Its by Elder Bruce C. Hafen..

“If we must give ALL that we have, then our giving only ALMOST everything is not enough. If we ALMOST keep the commandments, we ALMOST receive the blessings”

This made me want to be obedient with EXACTNESS so that I don't just ALMOST receive the blessings of God… but that they come to me easily and freely. I know that by being obedient to the rules and the commandments, I'm more free.

Out of time. But i love you all! Thanks for writing me!!

Love,

Hermana Cedeño

getting used to change

Hey ya´ll…..

SHOUTOUTS…

Crap. I forgot to look at my calender, but there are a ton of birthdays!  If I miss you I promise to get you next time!

I know i just gave my dad a nice Little shoutout last week…

But his birthday is on Sunday hahha so here's another one for ya!  Happy Birthday Dad!

Some more birthdays!

My Cousins Morgan and Cade!  My Grandma Kathy, Happy Birthday Grandma!  My Uncle Roger,  Happy Birthday Big Guy!

ALSO.

STACIE AND JOSH JENSEN. TRANQUILO.

They're having ANOTHER baby. Yes, people. We got another baby Jensen on the way. Ive never been so excited! Congrats!!!

GUUYYSS!!

Im out of Yacuiba. And I'm sooo sad about it. I was so excited to have another transfer with Hermana Villanueva and with all of my people down in Yacuiba.

We were expecting to receive the call for transfers on Wednesday night, like always… and Tuesday night, the Asistente (assistant) calls Hermana Eden's phone, and she puts it on speaker and Elder Gallego says

"Me pasa con la Hermana Villanueva?"  ("Can I speak to Hermana Villanueva?")

And we all run into the room and listen and Hna. Villanueva's like "hola?"

And Elder Gallego "Hna. Usted va a entrenar. Tiene que estar en el airepuerto mañana a las 3. Ya?"  ("Sister, You will be training, You need to be at the airport tomorrow at 3:00, ok?")

We were in shock! Ugh. Terrible. But the good part was that, for the first time, I knew I was the one leaving. So I had my Wednesday to go and say goodbye to all of the people I'd grown to love so much. Hermana Villanueva was the hardest to say bye to.

Tuesday night, we got on our knees to pray, and she just starts crying so hard and says

"Usted es como mi Hermana…" ("You are like a Sister to me...")

And we cried. Because that's what transfers are, everyone just freaking cries because honestly, i don't know when the next time I see these people will be.

La Familia Alvarez... this was the hardest family to leave. He was the one that you got the picture of him making hamburgers. I'll miss them a lot. Hugo, the dad, cried lots. haha, he is so sweet, really. it was really nice. lots of tears were shed on Wednesday.

This is Florinda, the deaf girl I was teaching. We ended up being really close, she was sad because I always helped her at church to understand everything. Hopefully she keeps going... ugh. kills me

 Me and Hermana Eden.  I will Miss her!

 I'll miss these girls so much!  Last Moments Together!

WHEN HNA VILLANUEVA AND I GOT LOCKED IN OUR STUDY ROOM... IT WAS TERRIBLE.

But Here I am! In Santa Cruz, a Neighborhood called Guaracachi, the Stake La Pampa. My companion is from Nicaragua and her name is Hermana Duran. She's "nuevita",("new") with 5 months on the mission, so hopefully I can help her out.

Her and her old companion opened this área. And honestly… there isn't much. There's lots of work to do here. There aren't many investigators, but there are lots of less actives. 

 So I get to Barrio Guarecachi and immediately I fall down and scrape my knee bad.  Welcome to Guarecachi.  not...

i'm here!! my companion is from NICARAGUA!!! she reminds me so much of Celia already ahahha it's so funny. her name is Hna. Duran and she ha 5 months on the mission. the area is like... empty. because they just opened it. but im gonna try really hard this transfer to find people to teach here. its cool being around other misionaries. in yacuiba there were only 10 of us. here there are like.... 30 haha

The view from the front door of my house in my new area.

I thought the change would be so hard for me again… but i think I've realized something. Every transfer, I am so mad about every change. I never want to leave my área. But every área that I've left… there was a time that i didn't want to be there. Does that make sense? God really does know what's best. And I know that I'm going to fall in love with different things in every área… so this área, I've decided to have an open mind and an open heart from the beginning. I'm not going to waste time missing my other área. Because I know that at some point, the La Pampa stake is going to have a very special place in my heart.

The city life… is different. Its so … HOT here. I haven't seen the sun since February and now I'm sweating again. Crazy! It's great meeting other missionaries. When I got to our zone meeting yesterday… I looked around like.. crap. I don't know anyone.

And then from behind me I hear..

"You just can´t stop following me, can ya?"

ELDER GALLAGHER.

So good to see him after such a long time. Nice to have a familiar face in my zone. He was in Yacuiba before me, so we talked about Yacuiba for a good long time. It was good to see him.

It's definitely different. The área is huge. But the people are very welcoming. I think I'm going to like it here.. smiley face... ( this computer doesn't let me do it haha)

Thanks for all the support, and NO MOM.. I haven't gotten packages yet haha

LB

Hna. Cedeño