Perico, Jujuy

HOLA! So yes, I’m currently writing in a little cyber in Jujuy with my new companion Hermana Vavaflor de Bolivia! I’ve been here for about an hour and I’m so excited to work and my companion is just this smallest little thing! So adorable!

So funny story I was waiting for my bus in with this new missionary and I asked her where she was being transferred and she said Guemes. Then I asked who her companion was ...Hermana Smith! I WAS SO JEALOUS. But the good news is that we were on the same bus and Guemes comes before Pericio and I looked out the window and saw Hermana Smith and I was so just happy I kind of ran off the bus really really fast and gave her a hug. Tender Mercy. We are both ¨step moms¨ this transfer... a step mom in the mission is when you are companions with someone who just finished their training. So yeah I’m the mayor companera and I still feel like a baby so we will see how this goes! hahaha

SO quick update about SImoca. Last week was a week of miracles! Hermana Aliaga felt so much better and we were able to work A FULL WEEK!  We saw soooo many milagros. 16 new investigators and a lot of them are REALLY interested. Let’s just say Hermana Aliaga is going to see the bendiciones of her trial this transfer :) Also 2 weeks ago, Ruben received the priesthood and blessed the Sacrament!!! BEST MOMENT EVER! Ruben is just so happy and I’m so happy and proud of him. He radiates the light of Christ. 

I feel like more happened this week, but my mind is literally blank. Saying goodbye to Simoca was hard, but I feel so much peace I know this is were God wants me to be. I don’t know I just came out of this transfer feeling REALLY good. Oh also mom I got your other Christmas package today! Thank you :) 

Love you all! Have a great week! Thank you for sharing your experiences with me....sorry if you can’t read this...the keyboard is well ghetto. hahah 

Love,

Hermana Allen

Hola! 

 Well this week was another week of staying in the apartment.... four days. The meds just were not working and then we went to a different doctor and he gave us more meds and these seem to be working which is so good! However, my companions are really sad and discouraged. It’s kind of interesting because I have felt like the senior companion this week, which has been hard mostly because I feel like I was in my companion’s shoes not too long ago. I think before the mission I would have an experience like this...not being able to work and do the things that I want to do would have killed me. Hahah I’ve really been trying to work on patience and charity this week and I JUST FEEL SO GOOD. Every time I feel stress I just say a little prayer and think about patience and it’s all good. I’ve never felt peace and comfort during my trials like I have this week. The atonement of Jesus Christ is real.  Also thinking about how much I’ve grown and it is truly amazing how much my testimony has been strengthened.

It’s is a goal of mine to read the New Testament and man I’m LOVING IT. If you want a stronger relationship with our savior read the New Testament with the Book of Mormon together...it’s the best thing ever!  I was reading in Matthew 9:35-36 and I just wow...had this moment of realization I’m a representative of Jesus Christ. We preach, help others, we have the power to heal through the spirit and Priesthood, and we obtain compassion for those sheep without a Sheppard. I also read a talk about our “Spiritual Confidence Before God”. I feel like my spiritual confidence is growing and growing! One thing that Presidente said is that he is happy to hear when missionaries are struggling because it means that we are growing. Haha kind of weird but its SO TRUE....“We receive no witness after the trial of our faith”. Sometimes we just need to pray and be like... okay Heavenly Father this is a test isn’t it...then have the faith and hope that it will all work out and make us stronger and a more Christ like person. 

Random story... The other day we were eating with Rosa and one of Caesar’s friends came over and he was DRUNK AS A SKUNK haha.  He came up to us and was talking about how the Mormons are so nice and how he is sick of his life and wants to change. I was very taken back. But also was a moment were I felt really grateful for the gospel and for the opportunity to change. This man only knows that alcohol can stop his pain for a short period of time, but we have the Gospel to change us and be eternally happy! We invited him to church but I don’t think he remembers our conversation, but I’m still very hopeful for him :) We also ran into another alcoholic when we turned down this street and Hermana Aliaga just looks at me and says OH NO... hahah!  He was at the end of the street yelling “HEY MORMONS. you are going to hell!” and bunch of other not so nice things.  I just started laughing, I don’t know why?  Then he got even angrier and said WHY ARE YOU SMILING?

This was the first time someone yelled at me like that on my mission ...it was great! I felt like a true missionary hahaha :) 

Well next week is transfer week and I might be leaving Simoca. Usually the first area is only 3 transfers.....I DONT WANT TO LEAVE. Expect a very emotional letter next week hahaha 

Sorry not much to tell this week.  I hope I didn’t sound preachy. 

Love you! 

Hermana Allen

HELLO! 

SO wow this week was interesting. So we went to the doctor for Hermana Aliaga and we did a blood test and everything. The doctor said that she has problems with her intestine and it’s not her appendix. So she gave her some meds...but they haven’t been working so well. We think that maybe she has a parásito from her last area...today we tried meds for parasites. After every meal she feels a lot of pain. :( 

I’ve also learned a lot this week and Heavenly father has been teaching me some lessons. This week we had zone conference and I received a letter from Dani, in it she talked about finding blessings during our trials and it has been on my mind all week. The beginning of the week I felt kind of frustrated.  Frustrated because I felt like our investigators were having problems and we couldn’t visit them, guilt because ...well not doing a whole lot of missionary work. However, every time we have weekly planning we have companionship inventory and Hermana Aliaga started to cry and express her feelings and I felt the spirit say to me that you haven’t been a very good companion this week. Eso es verdad. I’ve been so preoccupied with our numbers and with my own problems that I wasn’t really thinking about how my companion is feeling and have been expecting her to do things that she physically and emotionally couldn’t handle. So I changed my attitude and began to look for the blessings in my life and it completely changed my week. idk...I feel the love of God more and just feel a huge desire to help my companion! Please pray for her! 

After the doctor this week we had lunch with Rosa and because of the rain the streets were flooded and so was the casa de Rosa. (she basically lives outside) I felt so sad, but she was so patient and humble and happy while her house was being flooded. We tried for a few hours to ¨sweep¨ the rain out of her house...but it didn’t do much good. A lot of houses were affected really badly :( we saw police cars with canoes attached to the back....yeah so that was interesting. Also this week we had a very spiritual lesson con Rosa. I’ve been really worried about her lately because she is has relapsed and is smoking a ton again. But this week idk she had a desire to learn and participate in our lessons it was so great! She also shared a story I’ve never heard before about how before the missionaries came to her house she was in such a DARK place. Like really dark. She would cry everyday and couldn’t sleep. But then the missionaries came and she is just so happy and can see the blessing in her life. THE PEOPLE HERE ARE SO AMAZING. Literally they have casi nothing. But they are so grateful and SERVE so much! I love when people describe the gospel as a light. 

Also we saw Ruben yesterday en the street that was a miracle because he lives far away and his phone was broken so we couldn’t visit him this week and he didn’t come to church. He was covered in dirt carrying a shovel and I asked ¨you worked all day didn’t you?” He said yeah ....having some troubles right now with money and his family. Once again my heart was aching for Ruben. I asked him what we could do to help...if he needed food or algo and he just looked at me and said “you have done everything for me already... I’m okay”. Ah missionary work is the best. THE GOSPEL IS OUR LIGHT! Especially in those moments when its hard to find some. 

Have a great week! LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DAD IN THE WORLD!

Hermana Allen 

Flooding in Simoca

Casa de Rosa

Hermana Allen's Crocks have come in handy.

San Javier Statue in Tucuman

Crashed another Zones Activity.  San Javier Statue

Hola my beautiful family! 

So not going to lie this week was kind of miserable.... but ended on a good note! 

After I wrote you guys last week I felt not so good and it turned out, I still had a fever. Wednesday I felt like I was going to die and so we went to the doctor.  She gave me some drugs and by Friday night I felt so good! However, right now my companion is very sick. I’m pretty sure it's her appendix! ah idk... we are going to the doctor for her later today. 

Heavenly Father has definitely tried my patience. Being sick as a missionary is not the greatest thing in the world especially when you have people to visit and work to do. But I learned this week to be patient with myself, my companion, and with Heavenly Father. Also I just love Simoca. We asked President to bring me some meds last week and after that I think I received 10,000 phone calls and text messages from ward members. Also like 50 meals haha. The people of Argentina love to serve and I love that about them. Seriously I learn so much from the members here. 

Sunday we had interviews with President. It was weird that it was on a Sunday, but it was the highlight of my week. He previously asked all the missionaries to set goals, so we talked about my goals and plans for this year...kind of weird to think that all of 2016 is the remainder of my mission!  That is kind of cool. He also said I speak very well and that I have improved! Well that is... my first interview was all in English hahaha. It felt really good to have an interview with President in the mission language. 

The reason I didn’t write yesterday was because we were in the church about to start writing and the power went out. It was out from about 4:00-10:30 at night. Yeah.... the power going out has been happening a lot this week...so mom yes, I have been using the flashlight you packed for me. hehehe President gave us permission to write home really fast. Anyway, I have to go! Love you so so much and miss you all! 

Hermana Allen