Story Time with Me

Ok, I’m a little pressed for time. But I have three quick stories for you all or all y´all. Sorry, here we go… Story Time with Hna. Ellsworth.

So we found this lady knocking doors this week. She seemed pretty interested but had a little difficulty accepting that the Book of Mormon is scripture. So we were explaining and testifying about the Book of Mormon when we got interrupted by a neighbor. While she was up, she decided to get us some water. Hna. McDonald quickly told her that she did not need water because she had a trusty filtered water bottle. You see, she’s a little worried about the water here because it makes everyone sick, except me, I hope. Anyways, she didn’t hear her and got her a glass anyways. Well, the motherly carácter that I am, I decided to chug down the water of Hna. McDonald’s before the lady saw. Sometimes they get offended when we tell them their water is not clean. So I was chugging it pretty fast, when all of a sudden, I started choking. But I closed my mouth so that it wouldn’t come out. So the only other opening was my nose. Yep, my nose turned into a body part waterfall. I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, and Hna. McDonald was very happy to see the surprised look of horror that came over my face. And she thought it was pretty hilarious with the water gushing out of my nose. Luckily, the investigador did not see any of this. But it was a little hard to explain the water all over my shirt, and the incontrollable laughter coming from Hna. McDonald. Needless to say, it was not one of my proudest moments.

Another highlight of my week was Christmas in 100 degree weather. YEAH!! We went to the misión house and had our Zone Conference with the misión president and some of the other zones. It was pretty fun! Hna. Mortensen, and Hna. Dickey, and Hna. Stott were all there. And we watched a movie of Christmas and played a lot of outside games. It was pretty fun! We even had a water balloon fight that turned into pouring buckets of water on the hermanas fight. I lost that one. We also had an asado, and Santa Claus (aka Pte. Salas in a papa noel suit) came and handed out presents and packages. I already “misión impossible” stole all of my packages, but it was still fun to see everyone else get their packages. Then we left and headed out to Wal-mart and went caroling to all of the check out lines. It was a pretty Amazing day! We even got permission to have an hermanas sleepover for Christmas. We are pretty much excited! Caroling and acting out the nativity will definitely be involved. I can’t wait!

Today we had a zone activity and ate the leg of a cow. It was pretty delicious. And yesterday we got to see one of our members open up his misión call. His name is Diego, and he is the coolest kid I have ever met in this world. He is a recent convert of two years and he’s going to Chile Santiago North. So I already told him to look out for Shan aka Hna. Ellsworth. He’s pretty excited! He just invited us and opened it with his companion (he’s on the mini misión right now) and his family who aren’t members. I’m excited for the example that he is for his family and the blessings they will receive while he is a missionary.

Well, I’m out of time, but I want to wish you a very holly, jolly Christmas! And just remember to think of Jesus Christ and his life when you picture Christmas this year. My goal is to give Jesus Christ a present this year. I know that if we focus more on the gifts that we give than the gifts that we receive, we will have the best Christmas ever. I’m excited for Christmas and to celebrate this year in the misión. Christ lives, and don’t forget the true meaning of Christmas. I love you all!

Feliz Navidad,

Hna. Ellsworth

Pictures

Hermana Ellsworth y Hermana McDonald

Missionary Choir

araña

We found chuck!

So I have my new little hijita – Hna. McDondald. She is pretty much amazing! I went to the mission house Tuesday to go find her. We had a whole bunch of training meetings and it was very beneficial. There were two of us hermanas, and 16 elders that were training. That is a ton of new refuerzos coming to the mission. And a lot of them were latinos. But both of the hermanas were gringas. The other gringa was assigned to her trainer Hna. Lopez, who doesn´t know English. Hna. McDonald later told me that was grateful to get a gringa for her trainer. But ya, she is awesome and we get along great! She is from Idaho and is full of excitement to do the work here. She has had a couple of problems adapting to Argentina culture. But she is a trooper and just keeps on going. I am so grateful to have her as a companion. Her Spanish is way good for a week. She pretty much has a better accent than me. But I´m just way impressed with her testimony and how she can bring the Spirit into the lesson. We are definitely going to be seeing huge miracles this transfer!

We have been doing a lot of contacting this week so that we can find some new investigators that are ready to progress and be baptized. And while we were knocking doors, we pretty much found the coolest thing that I have ever seen in this world. It was a chicken/duck, and yes, we are calling it Chuck. I vaguely remember having this conversation with my sisters one time. I can´t remember when or where, but I just remember talking about that it would make me happy to know if Chuck really does exist. And he does exist, he lives in Parque Ciudad de las Rosas, and his owners are not ready to accept the gospel. Chuck was pretty distraught at that. He started cluck/quacking, would that be clacking?

We had a ward activity this week and it was very interesting. I went around talking to members, menos activos, investigators and introducing them to my companion. And they all laughed at her name and made a joke about hamburgers. It got pretty old, but my companion is cool and doesn´t let it bother her. We ate an asado and they had fuzball tables and a jump castle. It was pretty legit. They told us it was supposed to start at noon, so we came a couple hours late. And we still didn´t eat for another hour and a half. I hate latino mormon standard time. I´m not a huge fan. And we were blessed to be the only gringos in the room that could understand the music – Bon Jovi, Britney Spears, and Spice Girls. We had a chat with the bishop that he should be a little more careful about the music he puts on in the church. Ya… it was fun.

We have seen a couple of difficulties this week with investigators but we are excited to work more with members and find some new investigators that are ready to progress and be baptized. This week we have our zone conference with the mission president. I am way excited! We are going to have it with some of the other zones and I think I have zone conference with a couple of past companions. I´m excited to see them again. Oh and I forgot to tell you. I pulled a Mission Impossible on Tuesday. Apparently, the mission office was keeping the packages for hostage until the Christmas Zone Conferences. Well since I was at the mission house, and knew that my packages were there, I snuck in and saved my packages. I now have a beautiful paper tree in my apartment with presents under the tree. It was pretty cool! Thanks for remembering me Mom!

Well, please keep me in your prayers this week. I often find myself inadequate to be training. It´s a huge responsibility and I definitely feel the weight of the impact that I need to be making for my hijita. But I just myself praying more intently for Holy Ghost so that I can help Hna. McDonald learn all of these things. So if you can do the same, I would appreciate it!

Les kiero,

Hna. Ellsworth

Una Refuerza Ya Viene

So we got transfers this week. Drum roll please... I´m staying in Rosedal... and i'm training! I definitely didn't see that one coming! I really just was hoping that I would staying with Hna. Neff for Christmas but I guess that I need to follow the example of Nefi and ¨iré y haré.¨ I´m a little nervous to be training again because it´s pretty stressful. And i wish the area and the members and the language a little better. Oh well... mostly I´m just excited for a new adventure. Just remember to keep me in your prayers that i don´t corrupt this new missionary with my gringa accent and obsession to ice cream.

This week was full of exciting moments. We finally sang in our missionary choir. It was actually a ton of fun! There was about six different choirs from different religions and we all sang our songs. It was supposed to be a Christmas concert but we were pretty much the only ones that sang Christmas songs. But there was an evangelist choir group that sang some pretty fun music. There was some clapping and snapping and swaying of the hips. I´m not sure if it was completely appropriate in our church, but we all got a kick out of it.

We also had a little adventure yesterday after church. We went to go pass by one of our investigators that didn't go to church. She wasn't there, so we decided to pass by a member to get some water because there was a bunch of drunk guys outside the house that were yelling some offensive stuff at us. Well, we were just about to take off and the drunk men started fighting right outside. The members told us to get away from the door and the one lady grabbed her baby and ran to the back room. It was pretty intense! But they just threw some pathetic punches and then the cops arrived. We decided to take advantage and we left. Ya, drunk men are dumb. The end.

We´re still working with our investigators and they are just progressing slowly. Satan is working hard with them. We had one investigator that really wanted to go to church yesterday but she had to go help her mom because her dad still beats her mom. I just really hate how Satan has such an influence on people. And he´s always there when something good is about to happen. Just remember to be prepared against the attacks of Satan. I know that the gospel blesses lives and it is always worth it! Yo sé que es difícil, pero no es imposible. ¡Y siempre vale la pena! Pretty much, i know it´s hard but it´s not impossible and it´s always worth it! I´m so grateful for your examples and support. The Church is true!

Les kiero,

Hna. Ellsworth

Nori's email home on November 29th

¡Feliz Día de Gracias! So Thanksgiving was a huge success. We made turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, Jello salad, and apple pie. Pretty much we had all of the thanksgiving staple foods. But don’t worry; they had a little of Argentina in there. The turkey was deliciously
flavored with Argentina seasonings, the yams were yellow not orange, and the apple pie was more like a giant empanada. Yep, when in Argentina, do as the Argentinians do. Hna. Neff and I had a ton of fun preparing it, and even more fun eating it. It was definitely a Thanksgiving that I will never forget.

We also are very excited to work with the members. We have a new ward misión leader and we are seeing miracles. We now have the phone number of every member with a committed time that they can help us with appointments. We are so excited!! I have never seen the members so excited and aware of the misión work. We are going to keep it going and we’re going to start the month of December with some fun, new stuff. We’re going to keep folletos for the month of Jesús Christ and try to pass by their friends and neighbors to sing a Christmas song. We also are going to make a treat to a member every day so that we can get to know them better and get references. We also want to give a Book of Mormon to every member to mark their favorite scriptures, wrap it as a present, and give it to someone. I love working with members! They are the key to success. Go help the missionaries with a leccion this week, or pray specifically for their investigators, or make them brownies or something. Just do it! You’ll have no idea the impact that it will have!

So we kind of had a hard day Saturday and Sunday morning. It’s pretty much our fault because we prayed for patience and humility. And we definitely received that lesson. We had three lessons with our baptism date investigators and all of them fell through because of different excuses. One was sick, one was busy, one went to the dad’s house, and we even got turned down by a 12 year old girl who wants to be baptized, but she was too busy playing volleyball with her friends. It stung pretty bad! We were afraid to go to more citas because we were afraid to hear more excuses and receive more rejection. And then we had no one in church because of more excuses. It was pretty hard! But Hna. Neff and I went home and prayed. And let me tell you, there is power in prayer! We poured out our whole heart to Heavenly Father, and got up to go to work. We left to go knock doors with a member that is preparing for his misión, and we found 10 new investigators! It was pretty much a miracle for us. I definitely know that God loves us and sends us trials sometimes. But if we learn humility and patience, we will always see the blessings and the miracles that follow.

Well I love the misión and I miss all of you. But don’t forget the commitment that I’m leaving with you all. Go help the missionaries this week! Will you do it? If you will, I know you will have a better week and receive more blessings. I know that missionary work is important and that you can be a missionary without a name tag. I am grateful or all of the important things that I am learning in the misión. I love you all and have a great week!

Les kiero,
Hna.ellsworth

Never a Dull Moment

So we have had plenty of adventures this week. Let me just tell you that there is never a dull moment in the mission. There’s always something we need to be doing, and the unexpected always occurs. We started the week with P-day, and we got a special invite to the mission choir. I was pretty surprised because I don’t really know how to sing, and apparently you’re supposed to have some music talent to be in this choir. But I think it’s because I’m an hermana. There’s only about 6 hermanas and 25 elders. I’m the only female alto with four elders. Ya, I’m excited! But after the choir practice, we went and played some basketball with some of the elders. We played in our skirts for a little bit; and when we went to leave, all of the gates were locked. So Hna. Neff and I had to jump the fence… in skirts. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments. But I think we did it gracefully for the most part. We also are very blessed to have lunches with members everyday now. But I have learned that you have to work for your food. This week I was a little bit stressed because we ate with an old misión president, the bishop, and the stake president. I was a little nervous, but Hna. Neff and I won them over with a robbery story and misión work plans for the ward. We now have their support and offers for an asado in the future. ;o) We are welcoming in the seasons with a lot of rain and a lot of bichos. We have already found a ton of bugs, the highlights being a scorpion, slugs, and a huge spider. We attacked the scorpion with Raid, the slugs with salt, and the spider had a fiery death. Hna. Neff and I enjoyed ourselves. We have videos to show after the misión. Be excited!

All of that stuff was pretty fun, but the real highlight of the week was Maricel and other baptism dates we put. Rosedal will definitely be baptizing in December. We went and talked with Maricel with our zone leaders, and she had a ton of miracles that happened to her. She now is going back to church and is preparing for her baptism again. She said that she was pretty upset and wanted to drop us but then opened the Book of Mormon and opened to the scripture in 3 Nephi 11 about contention is of the devil. She felt like God was talking directly to her. And then she continued reading about baptism. I love miracles! Heavenly Father really saved us on that one. So she’s preparing to be baptized in a few weeks and went to church yesterday with a couple other investigators that are preparing for their baptism.

We are way excited for all of the miracles that are happening in Rosedal. Hna. Neff and I are just having a party teaching the gospel. Remember that Jesús Christ loves you, and I do too!

Les kiero,
Hna. Ellsworth

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

So this week, I´ve decided that Heavenly Father has to have a sense of humor. Because everytime I ask him a question, he always sends me the answer in a way that I´m not expecting. I´m not quite sure how I feel about that but at least I know that he´s listening to my prayers, just like he listens to your prayers. But this week, I wanted to understand a little more about the scripture that says, ¨There must be an opposition in all things.¨ I should have thought that question out a little bit better before I asked it because I definitely got my personal testimony of opposition this week. So I now know that are trials but there are also the miracles that come with. So here we go, come what may and love it!

Trials:

The Enfermidad

So since it is getting pretty hot, we have been pretty desperate for any water we can get. We ask for some sort of liquid at any house that will give it us. The basically means we have drunk some pretty interesting stuff. The most interesting we have been when my companion asked for water and they just handed us a mug from their table filled with a bright nasty yellow liquid. And of course she gives it to me first to try it. It was pretty funny. But it´s not funny because the water from the tap is pretty bad here. So Hna. Neff got pretty sick from the tap water this last weekend. So we lost a couple work days. I´ve kind of had bad luck with that with past companions. The assistant to the president accused me of poisoning my companions or they all just got sick of me. Hmmm… I wasn´t amused.

Maricel

So our investigator that was supposed to get baptized next week decided that she wasn´t ready to be baptized. I know her testimony and she has the faith and the knowledge to be baptized, but she wants more time. That´s fine because we don´t want to pressure anyone to do something that they don´t want to do, but it was just a hard blow that we weren´t prepared for.

The Robbery
It is only good when I tell it with my companion, purple = narration, green=hna neff, blue=hna ellsworth... so here it is:

So it´s a beautiful spring morning, the birds are singing, the sun is shinning, and the sky is totally clear of clouds. It´s 10am and we are leaving the pension to go to our District Meeting, we walk two houses down and then it happens.....

This moto (motorcycle) comes roaring down the street, with two men, both wearing black helmits. They come right up to the curb in which they were walking, nearly running over Hna Neff.

I am thinking "What a jerk! Who drives like that!??¨"
and I was thinking ¨Hna. Neff... why are you walking in the street! Don´t you know you could get run over?!¨

Then the one on the back jumps off right in from of Hna. Neff. He has his hand beneath his shirt, holding something and he begins to jump back and forth yelling something.....

I take a step back, not sure what he wants, but then I hear him say "SALUDAR!!! SALUDAR!!!!" (saludar= to greet someone)....so I awkwardly wave and say ¨hola?¨
and I took a step away and wondered "Why is he yelling "CELLULAR!!!CELLULAR!" and why is my companion waving at him?"

Suddenly it clicks!!!!!!

.....OOOOOHHHHHH he is yelling "CELLULAR!!! CELLULAR!!!" He is trying to rob us!!!!!! He wants our cell phone! He has a stick looking thing under his shirt! He is trying to make me think he has a gun!

Hna. Neff finally leeps in action..... she yells:

"NO TENEMOS NADA!!!!!" ("We don´t have anything!"...... aren´t you impressed with my spanish?! In this time of crisis I spoke in tongues!!!! I must be improving!!!!)
I was impressed with her spanish too...

Suddenly the Robber looks at Hna Neff´s name tag and freezes, then points and says "HERMANA?!" then he looks and points at Hna Ellsworth´s name tag..."HERMANA???!!!!".....then there is a slight pause followed by "OH PERDÓNAME!!(Forgive Me)" He jumps on the moto again, yells "SON MISIONERAS!"(They are missionaries) at his get away driver and they speed off... he yells back at the confused Hermanas... "DIOS LES BENDIGA"(God bless you)

Do you think he may have been an old investigador???
Or a less active member......???

Then the two Hermanas, serving a mission in the wild suburbias of Argentina, walked to their District Meeting...laughing and laughing all the way.

And they both lived Happily Ever After.....

MIRACLES

Hna. Neff

So my companion is just pretty much amazing. We just have a ton of fun together. Maybe a little too much fun sometimes. Did I mention that her aunt dumped Chuch Norris when they were in college. Pretty much the coolest things I´ve ever heard. Anyways, we´ve pretty much decided that we are going to baptize all of Rosedal with a roundhouse kick.

Ward Mission Work

So we have really been pushing the members to get them excited about the mission work. So we have been giving them pamphlets to give to their friends. And we have been verifying with them to make sure they have been doing it. And they are having some great experiences and we are getting a ton of references. Apparently there are three people that want to be baptized. We just have to help them to get to church and stay in church. But ya, we are seeing a ton of miracles because the members are willing to work too. We are going to start a competition with the Relief Society and the Priesthood to see who can give out more pamphlets and give us more references. We are way excited!

Bishop

So went to church yesterday and brought an investigator and had time to chat with our bishop. We have been working a ton to gain his trust and work more with the members. Anyways, he pulled us into his office, or wait, it actually was the nursery room, but we talked about missionary work. And he promised us a new amazing mission leader, four ward missionaries, and all the support that he can give. And then he ended our little chat saying that he completely trusted us and that he can see and feel that we are good missionaries that are excited and are here to work. So we are definitely going to be seeing more miracles. Because in my experience, I know that if the missionaries have the help of the members that is when there is success.

I love the mission! It´s the best time of my life and I hope it never ends! Hna. Neff and I are seeing a ton of miracles and we are learning and growing through our trials. But really, they don´t really even seem like trials because the blessings outweigh the trials. Well, just remember that Heavenly Father loves you and Hna. Ellsworth does too! El Reino de Dios o Nada!

Les kiero,

Hna. Ellsworth

Feliz Cumple!

Wow! This week was pretty exciting with birthdays, intercambios with zone leaders, cane dropping with stake president’s wife, and such. And then there were the Amazing things that happened with a perfect reference from another ward, a magically planned baptismo date, and people in the church! It’s probably been one of my better weeks. I have truly seen the miracles of the Lord and the hand of God in the work this week.

But ya, this week was pretty much an awesome birthday present for me. My birthday was way fun. We just played it like every other day. We went to appointments and invited everyone to come unto Christ. I have to admit that I was a little bummed because i didn’t get my package and nobody really knew or cared in Rosedal except for my companion, Hna. Neff who is pretty much Amazing! She made me a cake and we had a fun time together. And I got a phone call from Hna. Dickey, and Hna. Mortensen, and zone leaders, and district leader, and Hna. Peralta (my mini-missionary for three days)! I couldn’t believe that she remembered. And then at 9:00, we got permission from the zone leaders to run a mile to Grido ice cream place and buy a kilo of ice cream. It was pretty much delicious with the cake. But ya, overall it was a great birthday!

We also had fun starting this new program in the Ward. We are giving out the Plan of Salvation pamphlets to everybody to find references. And we gave them to some members during the week and then gave out the rest in Relief Society. And just to show how cool my companion is, she called out the stake president’s wife to see if she had given them out. She had forgotten but another member had a really great experience with it. Anyways, i think we have stricken the fear of God into the relief society, so i hope that we get some great results. And during our presentation, a former misson president was in the room listening. And he came up afterwards and told us that it´s a great idea and he wants us to come and tell the Elder’s Quorum next week. We are way excited. We also kind of dropped cane with the misión leader and the bishop after church, but all of it done with a smile. So we’re excited to see some miracles soon.

Speaking of miracles, Maricel came to church and loved it! She made a lot of new friends and she is definitely growing in her testimony and faith. She is planned to be baptized at the end of this month, so we are really looking forward to that. And other Miracle happened yesterday with Ana Luz. Her brother is an Amazing recent convert of 2 years and is preparing for the misión. And her sister isn’t baptized but goes every week. But now her mom wants her to be baptized this month. It’s crazy how miracles just fall right in front of us. We’re excited to see what else happens this week! But ya, the work is Amazing and I’m loving life! The church is true and we need to put our shoulder to the wheel and get to work. We need to do things that we have never done before, and that is when we see the miracles! We are really excited to get a ton of Books of Mormon this week and we’re going to have the members write their testimonies and give them out to a neighborhood. And then we’ll pass by after a week and try to teach them all. It’s an idea given to us by Presidente Salas, so we’re excited to go try it out and see what happens! We are committed as a missionary to grow in our faith and obedience to see more baptisms. It will take a lot of work but I’m excited for the changes that we are making. Well, I love you all! Siga adelante!

Les quiero,

Hna. Ellsworth

La Palada Inicial

This week was so amazingly awesome! I am so incredibly blessed to have been here for the ground breaking for the temple of Cordoba. And what more, we were able to have a misión conference with Elder Andersen. So I´m just going to give the highlights of the weekend.

So it started Friday night when some of the hermanas came to sleep over at our pension because they live far away. We had six hermanas in our small pension. The Assistants called it the Hermana Pajama Party (which interestingly enough, is translated the same in spanish.) But ya, we made a small little bonfire in the back pateo and ate smores, bon bons, and chocolate cake. It was pretty fun. And I got to catch up with Hna. Dickey, my companion from the MTC. I love that girl!

But the real highlight of the weekend was the Mission Conference. We all went to the church that is across from Wal-mart and there was about 200 missionaries there. It was crazy!! I saw all of the hermanas in the misión including Hna. Mortensen. And i saw all of the elders from my MTC district and from my other districts. But the best part was to hear the words of a prophet, Elder Andersen. He spoke in spanish and you could see that he struggled with it because he knows spanish, portuguese, and french but the spirit was so incredibly strong. He taught us that we need to focus on the little things to make the great things happen. He is confident in us that we can flouish as a misión and find more people to baptize in Cordoba, Argentina.

My favorite part was when he asked Presidente Salas to translate for him. He switched to english and started testifiying about the Book of Mormon in english. The Spirit was so strong. I know that he is an apostle of God and I was incredibly blessed to shake his hand and hear the words and counsel of him. And then afterwards, he left to go do the ground breaking for the temple. We watched it on the big screen. I honestly can´t believe that I am so blessed to have been here in this time and this place to see them build the temple. The Church is growing in Cordoba, Argentina and we are seeing miracles. We have to keep moving forward in faith and invite all of our brothers and sisters to come unto Christ.

We, Hna. Neff and I, are very excited for this month because it will be the month of families. We really want to focus on the families and teach about the plan of salvation, proclamation to the family, strength of youth, and family history to everyone in Rosedal! We are going to give a lot of resources to the members so that they can share it with their friends and families as well. And we want to finish the month with a huge activity and baptism. We are very excited to see the miracles. We talked to the bishop yesterday and he promised us that if we worked with all of our diligence, then we would see the miracles. And i know that is completely true. Just like one of my best friends always tells me- ( Faith + Work + Obedience = Miracles. )

I know that God lives and Jesus Christ lives. I know this Church is true and that Joseph Smit h was a true prophet that restored the true Church. I know the Book of Mormon is true and we call always find the answers that we need in this life to find peace and happiness. I know that Pres. Monson is a true prophet and that the 12 apostoles are men called of God. I am grateful for the opportunity to hear Elder Andersen and learn from him. I know there is power in prayer and I am so incredibly grateful for your prayers. I can feel your prayers and love here in Argentina. I love you all and I hope you have a great week. Be sure to eat a cake on Thursday for me!

Les kiero

Hna. Ellsworth

Bienvenidos a Rosedal

I absolutely love Barrio Rosedal and my new companion Hna. Neff. These last couple of days has been pretty amazing, and I’m not quite sure where to start. So I’m going to take the advice from the Sound of Music and start from the very beginning because it’s the only good place to start.

Miercoles – So I got here in Rosedal and met my new companion Hna. Neff and hung out with her old companion Hna. Stott for a while. I have kind of met Hna. Neff before - a couple of times, and Hna. Mortensen had told me a lot about her because they were companions in the MTC together. I caught up with Hna. Stott for a while. She was in my district and we got in the misión at the same time. She’s way fun, and we understand each other. So it was fun to chat with her for a while. And then we headed out and went to a Dinosaur Museum with some of the zone. It was pretty weird but kind of fun. It was something fun to do for pday. And then we had a family home evening with the bishop’s family that night. I was pretty nervous, but we just went in and taught; and it went well. I hope that we have success working with the bishop and leadership in the ward. Missionary work is pretty much impossible without the help and the support of the members.

Jueves – we stopped by a lot of our investigators and some of the members. A lot of the investigators weren’t there, but we did find Maricel. She’s a 22 year-old that is interested in the church. She is reading the Book of Mormon everyday, and she has really good questions. But she still hasn’t gone to church. We really tried to focus on that, but she still didn’t make it to church. Sometimes I don’t understand why it’s so hard to get to church. There are so many blessings waiting at church, why don’t people want blessings from God? It was raining that morning, but I don’t think rain is any sort of excuse to not go to church.

Viernes – We passed by a couple of references from members that happened to be some familias that were part menos activos and part nonmembers. But it went well. We tried to help them recognize their testimonies so that they return back to church. I hope it helps, but I think the Spirit will have the most effect and then the members. A lot of menos activos just need a friend in church. And unfortunately, us missionaries don’t really have the time to just be friends. So we’re trying to help the ward understand that important principle. I hope it gets across. We also went to a family home evening with another member’s family. And we also ask for references, and I think the Lord has been testing me. I made a goal that I would not dwell on La Calera. that I would focus on my new area and not be homesick of La Calera. But check it, every time I asked a member for a referente, they gave me one for somebody that lives in La Calera. And every few hours, I would receive a call from the hermanas in La Calera. I miss it, but thankfully I love Rosedal!

Sabado - So we got the help of a member named Diego. It’s this 19 year old boy that is preparing for his misión. He got baptized a year ago, and he’s pretty much amazing! He helped us for all of the afternoon, and I already know that he is going to be an amazing missionary! He knows pretty much everything about missionary work, and he had this excitement that I need to have every minute of the day. It’s a new goal that I’m working on. It just goes to show that you can be an example to anyone.

Domingo - It was raining in the morning, but we went to church. It was a weird experience for me because I’m not used to going to a real church house. It’s been a really long time that I have gone to a ward. They asked me to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting, and I got pretty nervous; but I think I did fine. But I’m excited to be in Rosedal and work with Hna. Neff.

Well I got to go but keep helping the missionaries and just know that I love you all!

Hna. Ellsworth

Cambios

So we got transfers this week and I have been transferred to Rosedal with Hna. Neff. I'm very excited and a little scared. Rosedal is in the capital of Cordoba and it has a ward and chapel and everything. I'm going big time now. I've only ever worked in branches where the church is in a house. So I'm excited for a new environment and to learn new things. Hna. Neff was the companion of Hna. Mortensen in the MTC so I have already heard a lot of great things about here.

I'm very excited but I{m not going to lie to you. These last couple of days has been pretty emocional for me. This morning I was listening to the CD that Allison made for me and the song Familias Forever came on. I used to play this song for my other companions that were leaving the misión because it's a perfect trunky song. But when i was listening to it today, and it pretty much brought me to tears. And here's why, the words are – And it{s hard to say goodbye and let go. And it's hard to see it end. When the memories we have made will never happen again. - Story of my life. I have had so much time here in La Calera that I feel like they are part of my family. I didn't want to say goodbye. I passed by almost everyone and took pictures and said goodbye. Some of the members/investigators made me an asado and a couple others promised that they would make me one when I come back. But i'm definitely going to miss La Calera and all of the people I have met. And I'm going to really miss Hna. Mortensen. The Aspen Companionship is breaking up but we are definitely going to keep in touch. She has no choice!

But this week was full of interesting experiences. The Assistants to the President came to pick up a mini-missionary that is in our Branch. And while they were there, they wanted to pass by and talk with our investigador. But Hna. Mortensen had got pretty sick that day so we were kinda of stuck in the pension. But they said it was okay for me to do intercambios with them. It was really weird! I{m just not used to being without a companion. But we went to the cita with me, the 2 assistants, the mini-missionary, his companion, and my investigador – Gustavo. So pretty much it was me and 5 chicos that have 20 years. It was weird but I learned a lot of great stuff. The Assistants are amazing missionaries! It was a great experience to learn from them. This last week we went to an English class because one of the members invited us to pass by for a couple of minutes. It was a ton of fun. We just talked a little bit of English like Hello and How are you? And then we gave all of the kids a penny of the U.S. They absolutely loved it! And we got a couple of references. I love it!

And i have a couple of other stories but I'm out of time. But I'm excited for everything that is going to happen this week. It's going to be very interesting so keep me in your prayers. Love you all!

Hna. Ellsworth

Hogar Dulce Hogar

So I officially feel like La Calera has become my home away from home. I can honestly leave my apartment in the morning and walk by about 5 people that I have talked to before. I know the post man, the vegetable boys, the meat man, the Chinese people at the grocery store, the policemen, the bread lady, and everybody else that I have invited to come unto Christ. I often have that one song from ¨Beauty and the Beast¨ called ¨Bonjour¨ stuck in my head. ¨Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came…¨ And then I have to repent and think of a hymn to sing in my head. But it’s pretty crazy in that everybody knows us. We´re pretty much just those ¨two blond gringas that talk weird and are always talking to people about a blue book.¨ I pretty much love the misión!

So we have been working pretty diligently with this kid named Gustavo. He’s pretty Evangelist but has a sincere desire to follow Christ. So we’ve been trying to teach him, and he likes the Book of Mormon but is not so sure about Joseph Smith. It’s kind of interesting because it’s impossible to have a testimony of one without the other. But he says that he’s praying for an answer about Joseph Smith, but that he is waiting for an answer. And it’s interesting because we have been teaching him with different members and each one, when they heard that, read the scripture in Moroni 10:4-5. So now he has heard that scripture about 5 different times. But you have to love that scripture. It’s something that I have been studying and focusing on more. With just three things – faith in Jesus Christ, real intention, and a sincere heart – we can know the truth of all things. What a powerful promise! But we went to his church last week because he went to General Conference. It was very interesting, and it reminded me of an email that my sister sent me. She summed it up perfectly. And I really don´t think I could explain it better than her. So here you go… Sis. Ellsworth in Orlando said, ¨Satan will never put us in a situation that makes us grow. It is only through God that we will learn and grow and progress within ourselves. I realized that yesterday when we attended another church. We met a man that said he'd come to our church if we came to his. So we went to Fellowship Orlando, a non-denominational church. It was quite interesting. I felt like I was at an EFY dance. Weird, huh? But although they sung songs of praise and the saving grace of God, not teaching anything that is false doctrine, I realized that nothing that was said helped us to improve ourselves. It was just words of praise and words describing the wonders of God. I'm glad to be in the true church and learn of the full gospel of Jesus Christ that helps us know how to improve, how to grow, how to see our potential and the way to obtain that potential.¨ I would like to add my testimony to hers that I know that this church is true and that our Heavenly Father gives us the great blessing to learn and grow. I am so grateful to improve myself in the misión. It´s not the easiest thing in the world, but it’s definitely worth it. El Reino de Dios o Nada!

Les amo,
Hna. Ellsworth

I thank you!

I LOVE GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!! I´m pretty much convinced that General Conference is better than opening presents on Christmas morning!! Let´s just list some of the great tender mercies that I was blessed to receive this last weekend.

1. Reunion with Villa Independencia. I get to see all of the members from my old area and I got to see 6 of my investigators that I found and taught that had been baptized since I´ve been in La Calera. I had never been so happy! I got to hug them and talk with them and I was pretty much close to tears. They all told me that they are excited when I return. (If it happened with La Calera, maybe it can happen with Villa Independencia.)
2. Roadtrip with La Calera. So we all got to load up in an old school city bus and we all went together to the Conference. It was so much fun. I felt like I was in Primary School again. I got to sit in the back of the bus and kept getting out of my seat to talk to all of the members. I absolutely love the members in La Calera. I feel like they´re part of my extended family (just a lot more tanned!).
3. We had three of our investigators that came to the conference and loved it. One of them had to leave early and that was pretty stressful for me because I didn´t know that he had left because I was in the english session. But he said that he liked it and we hope that he makes it to his baptism date.
4. I got to watch three sessions of conference in English and one in Spanish. I was planning on watching them all in english, but the members wanted us to stay and watch one with them. And i´m going to be completely honest and tell you that I didn´t understand everything in spanish but i understood most of it. It was kind of interesting to watch it in spanish but it´s definitely better to watch it in english because you can hear the emotion in the speakers´voices and the dramatic pauses in the most important parts. So COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!! You probable never thought about watching conference in your native language as a blessing, but it is a huge blessing. You jsut don´t realize it until you don´t have it.
5. We got to talk to the other hermanas that are in Villa Independencia. And this might sound like nothing but it´s exactly a huge thing for me. We are the only hermanas in our district and in our zone. So I never get to see the other hermanas. So when we see the other hermanas misioneras, we just love to catch up on everything that is happening.
6. I received my package from Mom and I got to wear my new shirts to the conference and eat a peanut butter and banana sándwich for lunch. It was delicious and it felt great to wear new clothes without stains or holes in it. So ya, thanks mom!
7. And for the tender mercy mas grande was the talks in General Conference. They were absolutely amazing. And I love how the Brethren say things that are just meant for me and exactly what I need. I always love to bring questions to Conference and search for the answers. And without fail, they always answer all my questions and they do it specifically. I think my favorite talk was given by Pres. Eyring about how we can trust in God. It is something that I´m working on and struggling with it. Because I know if i put all my trust in Him, and less in myself, we will see more miracles and baptisms. But Pres. Eyring helped me receive revelation through the Holy Ghost that I need for the missionary work in La Calera. Now I just need to apply it and see the miracles.

There are a ton of more blessings that I saw in the conference but i think you get the big Picture. I absolutely love learning from the counsel and wisdom of the Prophet and the 12 Apostles. I know that they are men called of God. And if we just listen to their Word and apply their words, we will be blessed. So I would like to do my part and apply the words of our beloved Prophet, Pte. Monson. I just like to give my gratitude to everyone that is supporting me in the misión. Thank you for the letters, for the packages, for your counsel, for your love, for your examples, and most importantly, thank you for your prayers. I can honestly feel the stregnth of your prayers. I love you and pray for you daily. I thank my family – my parents, my siblings and their familias, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my church leaders, my teachers, my friends, and everyone that inspires me to be a better person. I thank you and I love you! I know this Church is true and it brings us the peace and joy that we need in our lives.

Press Forward,

Hna. Ellsworth