Emma

Mi Gozo es Completo!

Hola Familia

I loved seeing everyone together for Thanksgiving! How fun! Still no picture of Liz...cough cough ;) I’m so glad you were able to have such a fun Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving was pretty great too! I HAD A THANKGIVING MIRACLE! No joke when I woke up in the morning I opened my window and there were 10 turkeys just chilling outside our apt. I’VE NEVER SEEN TURKEYS IN SIMOCA BEFORE! I think they came to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Um okay YOU MET HERMANA SMITH'S FAMILY!? So Happy about this you don’t even know! Ah like so special! Best thing ever!

Funny story for the week. We have been teaching this mother of a less active, but she is super catholic and I'm pretty sure she only listens to us because she wants her son to, and I quote ¨get to know such nice girls of your church¨ #marriage. Anyway, her sister was over and joined in on the lesson. And she was so so sweet! haha At the end of the lesson she said ¨Now how much do I pay you girls for your message?¨ Hermana Nunez and I just look at each other laughing. She kept trying and trying to hand us each like 20 pesos. Super weird feeling. Didn’t like it, but really funny at the same time. 

Ruben update. He has a baptism date for December 10th!! YAYAY! On Saturday we taught him the word of wisdom and I was so nervous because he finally was keeping the law of chastity and I was so worried that he would have a problem with the word of wisdom! After we taught him he said that he drinks sometimes with his buddies, but was more than willing to give it up (miracle!!!) Seriously I am so happy for him! 

We also have 3 little primary children that we have been teaching from part member families scheduled for baptism this Saturday....basically this week Hermana Nunez and I will be running around with our heads cut off. We have so much to do before the end of this transfer! It’s literally the best kind of stress :) So happy with the success in Simoca! 

This weekend was stake conference in Concepcion and president Chaparro was there and everything! It was really good and also It was mostly members from Simoca and missionaries....which made me kind of sad. I’ve been so blessed to be in such a strong rama (branch) I didn’t realize how many less active members there are in the other areas of our zone. My district leader said that Simoca has the highest attendance in sacrament meeting out of the zone. The conference was centered on missionary work and building up our testimonies and strengthen the ramas. It was very good! 

So now for my spiritual thought of the week hahaha. president has challenged us to read the BOM by Christmas, and I’m doing it in Spanish and can I just say it is so fun when I can read a chapter and have no problems understanding. This week I was studying Alma and in chapters 26-29 just hit me full of inspiration and guidance. I have been struggling to ¨be happy¨ sometimes. I would have such a great day and then something would trigger a negative thought and I would be sad for the rest of the day! It was so frustrating and I would keep trying to tell myself “be happy... it’s not true! be happy!” but I could just feel Satan sitting in my head and it was awful. When reading in Alma over and over Alma and Ammon repeat the phrase and my joy was complete. How can we have complete joy? In Alma 28 there was a war and many lives were lost. All the people felt pain and suffered, but the members of the church were still filled with happiness. (Alma 28:14). 

I made of list of every time Alma said “my joy was full” and the action that was associated with it. Literally the gospel of Jesus Christ and Missionary work made him happy! I then felt this overwhelming happiness for my mission so far. Coming up on 6 months it’s crazy to think about all I've gone through, the Lord has blessed me with so many joyful experiences, I am so blessed to have the gospel during those times of pain. there are so many people in the world who just feel the pain and don’t know how to receive te joy. I know this is like ¨Duh Hermana Allen”... but it is something that really helped me this week.

Keep living the gospel! BE HAPPY! 

Be Brave little champions! 

Hermana Allen

We loved meeting the Smiths while we were in Utah!
Thier Daughter...Hermana Smith was Emma's MTC companion. Also serving in  the Salta Mission.