Hello my family! 

First off I had a really scary dream last night that I came home from my mission and I was watching Adam play soccer (which is funny) and he totally fell and he broke his back and there was lots of blood....safe to say glad Adam is okay.

PS Congrats Adam on beating LCC and being the league basketball champs, also for making the volleyball team without ever playing before haha I cant believe you are 6´3! 

SO this week was still hard. BUT MIRACLES HAPPENED! 

Wednesday we had conference all day. First Elder Bednar came to Buenos Aires and we got to watch it.  Then after we had our zone conference with President! Literally one of the most spiritually uplifting days on my mission... I really needed it! 

One thing that really helped me and stood out from Elder Bednars message was from something his wife said. The whole conference was kind of a question and answer type of thing. This one sister asked, ¨How can we be more humble on the mission?¨or something like that. Then Elder Bednar turned to his wife and said I think I'll have the most humble person I know answer that question. She was so honest in her response I loved it and I cried. She said: 

When I was a young girl I didn’t want to go on a mission, because I didn’t think I could do it. The bishop called me in and asked me to serve, but I said no because I didn’t have the faith to go. Then she continued to say that when the stake president knocked on the door to tell her that Elder Bednar was going to be one of his councilors, she fell to the floor and cried to Heavenly Father and said, “Ï don’t think I can do this¨ And when Elder Bednar told her that he was going to be an apostle the first thing she said was, Ï don’t think I can do this¨. Then she went on to say how there where many times in her life when she didn’t think she could do it, but Heavenly Father always gave her the strength to do the impossible. And she closed with her talk saying, now I’m serving a mission and He is helping me do it. 

I appreciated so much her honesty! There have defiantly been moments on my mission where I fell to the floor crying saying to Heavenly Father. “Ï don’t think I can to this.¨ But that is the thing about trials, we learn how to use the enabling power of the Atonement.  I am seriously learning so much here in the mission. More than I ever thought I could! 

After the whole conference I had an interview with President to explain, well... everything. He had no idea about my first area. And it felt so good to tell him! HE IS LITERALLY THE BEST. He told me some personal stories that helped and also told me that I was a good missionary and that he was happy to have me here in the mission. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to hear those words from my mission president until I heard them. I defiantly left that conference with a lot more faith and ANIMOS! 

Okay so yeah the miracles of last Sunday! So one of the teenagers, Bruno, he is 14 is all ready for baptism. He even went to EFY! So this Saturday he is getting baptized with another little boy Diego...who is the last one in his family to get baptized! (his family is less active but they have been slowly coming back to church so the bishop gave his okay!)

Then the family that came, we got to visit them too last week! SO they live about 45min by bus and they come to church every Sunday... dedication. They are golden! They are only waiting on one of the sisters to want to get baptized...they said she was having some problems. 

On Friday we finally got to meet with the sister and she started crying right from the begging and said that she feels panic and fear and she just wants peace in her life! Wow I felt so strongly that I needed to share the moments when I had those similar feelings and when I did, the member that was with us also opened up about how she had panic attacks but then saw a psychologist and felt so much better and how it was such a great support for her! It was awesome! I have so much Love for the Familia Cueso! 

Sorry this was so long and all over the place! Love you all! THANK YOU ALL FOR THE LETTERS I READ THEM ALL EVERYWEEK, Solomente I don’t have much time to write everyone back! Oh PS Lilly and Nathan I got your letter! Thank you!!! 

Hermana Allen

Domingo de Milagros

Hola my fellow friends and family! 

Well things have been a little better here in Perico. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still struggling with the struggles but yesterday we witnessed a miracle! 

So we have an Investigator, Matias. He is 17 almost 18 and is golden. We found him about two weeks ago...referencia de un miembro. Anyway this week he has been progressing very nicely and came to the church activity. Tuesday we taught the Restoration and the Spirit was so strong! At the end I was baring my testimony and the words just came out ¨I know if you pray you will receive an answer, because you are a son of God, and He loves you.¨ After I said this, I could see tears filling his eyes. Gift of tongues moment...and it was so tender for me. So his challenge is that he lives in the farthest neighborhood...like 20min on a bus so we can’t just stop by his house before church. We have had to depend on his friend who is a member to bring him everywhere, which has been kind of hard because she is 16 and her family is well a little bit less active. So Sunday I called and called his friend but she didn’t answer, and then I called Matias and he said he was too shy, nervous to come by himself. SO I was a little sad because I thought once again we wouldn’t have any investigators come to church...a little discouraging. 

Now for the milagro part...

First of all the menos activos that we have been visiting CAME! 

Attendance was 114! Usually it’s about 80. The chapel was filled! 

4 new investigators showed up that we have never met before and want to be baptized. (they live kind of far) but the Bishop is way excited and is going to take the bus with us this week to talk with them! 

And then right before the Sacrament, Matias and Lucy (his friend) came! 

Also the ward had just came back from the temple so they were sharing their testimonies about the temple and 4 of them went through for the first time. Literally its my favorite part to hear the testimonies of the members about the temple! Definitely feeling trunky to go to the temple when I come home. haha

Well I don’t have much time! Today we had district activity in Carmen at this lake and it was so pretty and was so fun to SEE WATER! I’ll try to send pics but this computer is well, not very good. Enjoy that California beach and sun. Love you all! 

Hermana Allen 

Hello family! 

Well this week was interesting... This week has been really hard emotionally. I don’t really know why. I just feel so INADEQUATE. My companion is great but we both have been under so much stress that there has definitely been some tension and I’m trying so hard to make it better. Its like one hour we are both so happy then the next we are frustrated or overwhelmed about something. 

The other day we were doing verification with my district leader and I said something grammatically incorrect. Then he said ¨Hermana Allen, Como esta with your language study¨ I said, good why?...then he corrected my grammar. I don’t know why but afterwards I just broke down. I like when people correct me, but the way he said it was just so rude and I felt so dumb. Its frustrating because last transfer I felt SO GOOD like a missionary and yeah...now I feel like I’m starting the mission all over again. I felt so weak this week but I feel better today and I’m determined this week will be better! Thank you so much for all of your support! 

Also yesterday listening to the testimonies and taking the sacrament I felt so much better. Satan is really getting to me and I just need to have more patience. Sometimes it is really frustrating to hear this answer haha. But I can do it. Today we had such a great Pday! We played futbol with the whole ward and I just felt so good. Hopefully this week will be better! I’m trying so hard to be better! Mom, thank you so much for you letter!  I felt the spirit so so strong!

Nathan asked what I eat here? Tell him I eat ¨Pizza, asado, milinesa, and empanadas." 

So interesting story! Last night, well every night at about 3am there is a huge dog fight. Our apartment has no air condition, so we have the huge window in our room and sleep with it open because it’s so hot! We couldn’t sleep because here was 20 dogs fighting in the street and then I was almost fast asleep when my comp shakes me ¨Hermana! Hermana! look! This man just got robbed! We looked out our window and there was this man lying in the middle of the street. My companion saw the whole thing. She said that this guy fell off his moto and then there were two guys who stole his moto! He stood up and was bleeding from his head....so it was an action filled night hahah. (ps we live on the second story) 

So the family I was really excited about, we taught them the first lesson and the dad is really interested! He was so excited to come to church but then when we called them Sunday morning they took a last minute trip to Guemes. 

I finally have a computer today that will allow me to upload pics! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK! Love you so much! 

Hermana Allen

P-Day Futbol

Saying Goodbye- Transfers

Adios Simoca

P-Day Futbol with Ward Memebers

Futbol

Hola! 

Well this week was looonnggg. haha I really like my new area. The members are really great and there is a real church in this area! It's so pretty! I kind of forgot what it was like to have church in a real chapel with a ward haha. So first impressions of my new area:

1. HUGE.... literally kind of scared that I have to learn the area in 6 weeks. My first day, when Hermana Vacaflor said that we were going to take a bus to get to an area, I knew we would be doing a lot more walking than in Simoca haha.  On Friday I was WHIPPED. I will tell you why in a little bit.  

2. A little bit more ghetto. Haha

3. MORE DOGS. I’m repenting for ever complaining about the dogs in Simoca. 

4. COOL WEATHER. Bueno, it’s still summer but this week has been overcast all week and when the people hear that my first area was in Tucuman they just look at me with a "I’m sorry face¨ haha 

So with this being my second area and everything I still feel like a little baby in the mission. It for sure felt like I was starting the mission all over again this week. All of my insecurities have been magnified and I don’t feel adequate to be the Senior Companion. My Spanish is definitely one of them... STILL. And super embarrassing.... multiple members have made comments and asked if my companion is training me.....yeah....but I’m feeling a lot better and each day it gets easier. Change will always be a little difficult. And once again I’m having to put more trust in my Savior :) The gospel is really just the best. Each day I’m so surprised with all that I’m learning! 

Investigators in this area are well....interesting. They have a LOT of problems to overcome and are not really progressing. So this week we have been focusing on finding nuevos, and yesterday we found 9! One really great family that we are really excited about. We taught them how to pray and then asked the dad if he would close with a prayer. It was his first time praying and we felt the spirit so strong. I think that is one thing I love about the mission...watching people pray for the first time....EVERYTIME they finish there is light in their eyes...whether they are interested in our message or not. 

So why was I so tired Friday? Well my companion had to go to Salta this week for her visa and I was on exchanges in MY AREA. So yeah basically we walked everywhere and no one would receive us...we even had a member with us...but at times he got lost too.... and then we walked about 45min to our lunch apt...basically this week was a mission wake up call haha! 

I’m really excited for this area and for the milagros we will see! 

LOVE YOU! 

Hermana Allen