First week in the Campo Misional!!! (: 

This letter might be in spanglish cause I havent spoken english in a week, haha.

My first area is called Apostoles; it is a small city about an hour and a half bus ride from Posadas! It is gorgeous here! It reminds me of Mexico but it is also very distinct! The lots on the houses are separated and not all hooked together like in Colima, and a lot of them have front yards!

The people are super nice here. EVERYONE drinks what they call Yerba Mate. It's like an herbal tea and they have Mate cups which are super cool (Google it so you know what I'm talking about) but I heard people drank it but I didn't realize that EVERYONE does haha.

My companion is Hermana Maya! She is from the DF [Federal District] in Mexico!!! So two mexicanas together (: She is super nice and we get along really well! We work well together and we both have similar personalities! She has been out for over 14 months so she is a little relaxed with things, which I haven't decided what I think about that. I want to be more active and get more done but she's my trainer and I don't know how to do that, haha, but I really love being with her. I'm so glad that we are together!

This past week we have mainly been working with less active members, that is a lot of what we do here in Apostoles, I think! They are super great tho, some of them are very humble and live in very humble places, kind of like Project Amigo kids' homes, or Queseria. Others have pretty nice homes.

Yesterday they had me bear my testimony and introduce myself. It's really weird actually being the missionary! 

We have a couple investigators and I haven't met all of them but the one we are working with the most is Silvia! She is around 38, super sweet and she knows the church is true; we say that she just needs to learn to recognize when answers come! She told us that she knows the Book of Mormon is true and also that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. Her difficulty is that she thinks that god just wants people to believe in him, so any church is good and is not sure if there is a true one, so we are working with her. We had a ward activity today, though (the 25 of May is the day of the patriot here in Argentina) and she came with her 9 year old son and really enjoyed it (: 

Life is going well; I have been really enjoying it and so far so good!

It is Fall here, so Thank you mom for sending me with rain boots and coat and warm things cause it rains and when it rains it pours, like in Colima! And it can get pretty chilly as well! 

Love,

Hermana Newell

I am in Posadas!

May 20, 2015

I’m Here!!!! 

Monday and Tuesday were some of the longest days of my life. There were so many different trains and buses and planes but I have finally arrived here in Posadas! 

It is gorgeous here. It looks a lot like Colima (Mexico). The houses and stores and roads are all very similar which makes me feel a lot more comfortable! All the dirt here is red and it apparently stains everything once you start tracting! The river that separates Argentina and Paraguay is huge and so gorgeous! 

I left the MTC Monday at 6am and didn’t arrive in Posadas until around 4pm on Tuesday. It was so long! We flew in a plane from Buenos Aires to Posadas. It was an hour and fifteen minutes long! 

There were a lot of missionaries and the mission presidents waiting for us at the Posadas airport. We arrived and went to the mission home, which is a super big and beautiful home in the middle of the city of Posadas! We ate food and just chatted and then we went to bed around 9pm, we were so tired! 

This morning we woke up a little before 7 and we went to the Police station to start on our legalization to live here. We then went to another place to start our Visas for Paraguay! After that we went back to the house and I had my interview with my mission president! He and his wife are super nice and make me feel very comfortable here. Sister Lapiere reminds me a lot of mom and how mom's Spanish used to be but mom is now much better than sister Lapiere; that should make you feel better mom (; They are both very nice! 

My president said that it was okay and I’d be fine as a vegetarian but that a Vegan would be hard. So I am going to start eating cheese and stuff because supposedly it is on everything. I might start introducing chicken into my diet but I still haven’t decided because I really don’t want to, but it might have to happen.

I found out today that I will be serving in a town about 50 minutes from the city. It will be my companion (who is from Central America, supposedly) and a companionship of elders. There are two branches and about 30 - 60 people attend each week. 

My president wouldn’t tell me too much more because I will meet my companion tomorrow and he wanted it to be a surprise! 

Later today we are going to do some contacts on the street. I’m nervous but excited! 

All the elders and hermanas here are very nice! About half of them that I’ve met are from the states and the other half from Latin America! 

I have to go now, and maybe start the contacting, but I love you all and I miss you! 

Everything here is going well; a little overwhelming, but it’s been great, and it’s beautiful! 

I love you all! 

Talk to you on Monday! Good luck with everything! 

Hermana Newell

P.S. im writing on a mexican computer and dont know how to use it so that is why i dont have any punctuation haha  (Her mom helped out by adding punctuation to the letter.)

Aubrey's text

Text received from Aubrey on May 18, 2015, 9AM.

On my way to work I met a certain someone getting on TRAX for the airport.  I was able to give Hermana Newell a hug and tell her good luck.

Last week in the MTC

This week my email is today, Saturday, because I leave to Argentina on Monday and so I won’t be able to have a P-day. 

The MTC is going great! The first week was hard and really long but this week has flown by so fast, it's ridiculous! This week we started teaching a real investigator (well, she could be a member, we're not sure) and then we continued with our two investigators (our teachers) from last week. The teaching has improved so much since last week, and I am feeling a lot more comfortable with it. But I am still kind of freaking out for Monday! 

On Wednesday the new batch of missionaries arrived. There are 10 new Hermanas and 8 new Elders. It was a huge group so our zone is now a lot bigger! Since Hermana Villanueva and I are the Sister Training Leaders we had a lot of things to do with the new girls. It has been very busy but also really good.

Today was the last day of class. We had our last investigator lessons and our last classes. It was honestly really sad to say good bye to my teachers, especially Hermano Wortham. He has been amazing and it was really sad that we won’t have class again. Both my teachers were amazing and I know that I was so blessed to have them. They really were who I needed. 

The MTC is an amazing place because the Holy Spirit is constantly there. It never goes away and that is something I am not used to. As Elder Gongora said today in his testimony, "The spirit is even with him when he goes to the restroom." haha, but it is true (: 

This week was basically just class and more class, but the classes are amazing so that was okay (: 

Hermana Villanueva (my companion) and Elder Gongora and I all leave on the same flight on Monday at 6am. We fly to Atlanta and stay for about five hours. We then take a ten hour flight to Buenos Aires and then we either take another flight to Posadas or we take like a 20 hour bus ride. So let’s hope it's the flight, haha. 

I get to call my family on Monday when I'm in Atlanta so I am so excited about that!!! 

1st letter from the MTC

May 11, 2015

 

Hola desde el MTC! 

This is my first P-day in the mission field. I've been out for five days now but it seriously feels like I've been here for months. haha. 

The MTC is going really well. There have been so many moments where the spirit is so powerful and I just am overwhelmed with it. Every day is long and there is always tons to do but things are going really well. The food isn't anything special but at least I'm eating. haha. 

My companion is AMAZING! Her name is Hermana Villanueva.

She is from Oakland California. She is Mexican but has never actually been to Mexico. We both get along super well and I haven't gotten tired of her yet which is great (:  We work really well together and our personalities complement each other. We keep each other going and we are always laughing together! Oh, and she is also going to the Argentina Posadas Mission!!! We are so excited about that because we will continue to see each other throughout the next 18 months!

My district and my zone are also all super amazing! I'm in the advanced Spanish class. We will only be in the MTC for a total of 12 days. Everyone else in my zone are Latinos, One other girl and I are the only ones who have actually lived in a Latin country. In my district there are Elder Garcia from Logan, Utah and Elder Goggora, from Portland Oregon. They are both super great Elders! And then four sisters, Hermana Sanchez (from Texas) and Hermana Pirir (from Orem Utah) and Hermana Villanueva and me(:

Last Thursday my companion and I were called as the Sister Training leaders which has been a great opportunity to learn and grow! 

Oh, like the most exciting part!!! My Visa is here and so I now have all my travel info! I fly out to Argentina, next Monday, in 7 days!(: I'm so excited! I will fly out with my companion and Elder Goggora, from my district. He is super cool and is going to Salta Argentina. We are flying with like 4 other missionaries that we haven't met yet though! 

Today we went to the Provo temple and that was amazing. It was so good to be able to go again! It is also amazing to be able to have a P-day. Classes for 10 hours every day gets really long haha. 

Yesterday was very spiritual. Every class was about either the atonement or repentance and I really felt the spirit and it was amazing! I have really come to know that the atonement is the central part of the plan of salvation! 

Yesterday for Mother's day I was able to call home!! It was very exciting because we didn't think that I'd be able to because I'm in the MTC, but it was allowed. (: I was able to talk to almost all of my family for a half hour. It just made my whole week. I miss them so much and it is hard but I know I'm supposed to be here! 

I was going to send photos but we can't figure out the whole computer and photo things so I'll send them when I can! 

Love, Hermana Newell