NOVEMBER 14, 2022 — THE LAST ONE

 I'm coming home this week.

It's really bittersweet.

We had been teaching our friends boyfriend and he recieved a baptismal date, when our friend had a stroke. This has been a hard week for them and we spent time with them in the hospital and visiting their family. It was such a blessing for us to see him, at church bright and early yesterday even without the companionship of his girlfriend as she's undergoing medical studies and surgeries. His conversion to Christ and desire to come unto Him even through his trials was very inspiring to me

We're teaching another one of our friend from church’s fiancé ! We introduced her to the Book of Mormon and she loves it. Her fiancé , as a member of the church always slyly talked about eternal marraige and she confessed to us that she just did not understand that, so we got to talk about the sealing power of the temple and she's willing to put her life in order for for her family to be eternal!

An aunt and her niece are coming to love their friends at church! We met the niece in the street playing soccer with all of our little neighborhood streetrat friends. I love my little soccer team🥺❤️ But she talked to her aunt about how she wanted us to teach them about Jesus and now they have came to church and are reading the Book of Mormon.

Our friend RAUL is so wonderful! He is way excited for his baptism next Saturday and super determined to make it there.

What is the point of sharing about these random people that you all don’t even know and probably never will? 

I've come to a new understanding on my mission how badly the world needs Christ. How each individual person needs Christ. The changes I’ve seen people make these past months is remarkable. This is the spirit of missionary work. Faith in Christ and trusting in the healing and changing power of His Atonement, REPENTANCE! That repentance forging a desire to commit to Christ and be baptized as a member of His restored church.

Looking from the back end of my mission, SEVEN months at Temple Square and TEN months here — I had two completely different experiences. 

At Temple Square, I came to know my Savior in Hellos and Goodbyes. In coming to know and love people in minutes and wishing  them a happy and faith filled life. Sharing spiritual experiences on Holy Ground together. 

I gained a new appreciation  for the temple. For God's living prophet. For the Book of Mormon. 

Here in Argentina, I came to know my Savior through acts of service. Being received  into humble homes and hearts opened to me full of love. I came to know the Savior in walking, and walking, and walking. Quite literally going the extra mile haha. Sacrifice. Dedication. Persistence.

I’ve gained a new appreciation of promptings of the Spirit. The power of a heartfilled testimony. Service. The power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

More than anything I've grown to love my Savior. As my companion, Sister Munns had told me once, we don't only love Christ for what He's done, but also for who He is! I love Him and I've loved making a fool out of myself trying to speak spanish and serve Him to the fullest of my capacity. There is no joy greater than hearing your friend read their scriptures and pray. When that person who you didn’t  think would come to church shows up. When they come out of the baptismal font with a grin on their face and a light in their eyes.  I am going to miss it so much. My mission has been the most joyous year and a half of my life and my biggest treasure thus far.

#hermanaamytracy

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OCTOBER 31, 2022 -- HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Fun news this week! Round TWO of rabies shots went well and we´re getting a new companion today! Hermana George is coming up and we´ll be a trio for my last three weeks.

We live in the 8th floor of our apartment building and its SPICY up there. It´s springtime here and 105 degrees every day. Summertime it gets up to 125 degrees, pray for us haha. The city is buzzing here at 6.30 in the morning but once it hits noon every one starts heading inside to gear up for the hottest part of the day. From about 1 pm to 5:30 pm it´s pretty dang hard to get stuff done because everyone´s eating lunch and then sleeping to get out of the heat. It´s super big here in Argentina, they call it the siesta. So we´ve been absolutely cooking just out beating the streets at 3:30 pm looking under rocks for people to talk to. But I love it! I´m getting a wicked farmer´s  tan! 

I´m typing on a super janky computer so it´s kinda hard to type. So this might be short, but I was super amazed this week to be reached out to by so many inactive members of the church wanting to come back. It´s super awesome seeing people who have received spiritual confirmations and have fallen away reconnect with those experiences they had. It´s a crazy spectrum of dedication to the gospel here. Those that are faithful members are FAITHFUL and those that aren´t just aren´t! I feel like there´s not much in between.

But we´re out here with our ward La Rioja and branch La Quebrada and up to our necks with work. Lets gooooo!

Luke Chapter 12 really touched me this week. Here in Argentina the economy is having some troubles and it´s a big stress causer here for almost everyone. This chapter is an example that it´s not the material things but the spiritual things that matter. Putting our lives in line before God and preparing ourselves here to be with Him again there.

Verse 34 says  ¨For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.¨

I pray that we can lay up our treasures in heaven now.

Love you guys!

#hermanaamytracy

OCTOBER 25, 2022 — Bat/Rabies Shots Update

 If I'm wearing the same clothes in a lot of these pictures just know its because we were traveling WITHOUT KNOWING we'd have to be traveling for three days.

Also our washing machine flooded our apartment this week.

Pics include random hospitals

Farids baptism 

and other stuff

#hermanaamytracy

OCTOBER 25, 2022 -- I ALMOST WENT HOME THIS WEEK!

We had Zone Conference yesterday so our p-day is today! 

Crazy title, but due to some crazy circumstances (a bat flying into our apartment and dying there) made us jump through some ridiculous medical hoops trying to receive rabies vaccinations (mandated by the area mission doctor) and not finding them in La Rioja after going to almost every hospital in the city that afternoon. Not a single place would give it to us, we even went to veterinarians. 

La Rioja is just casually SIX hours away from Córdoba capital and we had to travel, overnight, in a special taxi (this is all happening last Monday night) to try and get the vaccines we need.  Our Mission President tells us if we can't get them this same morning they were going to have to send us to the U. S. of A. to get them. Effectively ending my mission a month early to be able to receive the whole series.

THANK THE LORD we convinced the random man at the anti-rabies center to give us authorization and then we traveled to this other hospital where they gave us five shots, three in the arms and two in the place I will not name. haha

So we were out of our area for three days trying fo figure that out and then we get back and eat something janky, and puts me out of business ALL SATURDAY. At this point I just wanna work and work and work but its like there’s some outside force working against us.

But the tender mercies of the Lord were still shown... 

FARID GOT BAPTIZED!!

STAKE CONFERENCE!!

MEETING A BUNCH OF LITTLE KIDS IN THE STREET, THEN DAYS LATER THEIR PARENTS APPROACHED US IN THE STREET ASKING TO TEACH THEM!

So I’m m grateful I didn’t have to go home. Even though we have to make the six hour trip to Cordoba to finish the treatments I just count my blessings. It really made me have to reflect on what my mission has meant to me and how bad it would have hurt to cut it off a month early knowing I still had so much to do. So here I am! 28 days and trying to leave my all there on the altar. 

LOVE YOU GUYS

#hermanaamytracy

OCTOBER 17, 2022 -- HAPPY MONDAY!

I've been transferred to La Rioja, one of the hottest parts of Argentina. We're entering spring and in the summer its supposed to be 122 degrees. I'm a little sunburnt:) But I'm ready to just grind and work until my feet fall off.

Going into my last transfer (6 weeks) of my mission, I'd just like to leave you with a quote I found in the first transfer of my mission.

"It is as if the judge in that great courtroom in heaven, unwilling to ask anyone but himself to bear the burdens of the guilty people standing in the dock, takes off his judicial robes and comes down to earth to bear their stripes personally. Christ as merciful judge is as beautiful and wonderful a concept as that of Christ as counselor, mediator, and advocate."

This is just so tender to me. I love my Savior so much. This knowledge and testimony I've grown of Him is the entire world to me.

Love you guys so much!

#hermanaamytracy

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022 -- FLASH BACK TO TEMPLE SQUARE

This week was SO FUN!

Monday:  P-day w all the sisters in mission

Everyone came in to Córdoba and we hung out! It was a blast!

Wednesday: Temple Trip with all the departing missionaries.

Here (Cordoba, Argentina) when missionaries go home, they go on a temple trip the week before they go home. I go home in November, but the temple is closing this week for three months -- so we got to go this week! It was special getting to participate with companions and friends in the Lords house!

Thursday: TEMPLE GROUNDS TOURS!!

You guys  --  I can not tell you how excited I was to be giving temple tours again. The temple grounds and church owned buildings were opened to the public to be toured. It was so neat, hundreds and hundred of people came! We were there until midnight giving tours. Its like everything comes full circle, I spent seven months at Temple Square in SLC doing it and I got to experience it here in Argentina too

Also! we have a tree in our front yard that puts out these DELISH berries.  So,  today I think I'm gonna make a pie!

I'm so filled with love this week. Grateful for my Savior and to wear His name. I love you guys!!

   41 No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

   42 By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—

   43 Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy;

   44 That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death.

   45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

   46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

My scripture of the week.  

ALSO GENERAL CONFERENCE THIS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!!