Holy cow, there is a montón de things that I want to share with you all, but very little time. Don´t worry, though, I´ll pick the best things!! :D
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| Celebrating my last night in Provo with some Popcorn!! Lani, I thought of you MUCHO!!! |
First, if you want to send me a little note, I definitely recommend sending an email (emily.chipman@myldsmail.net). DearElder works, but it takes A LOT longer and sending letters back is much harder.
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| Oh, hey, just getting on a plane (not to Spain this time ;)) |
BUENO, so a week ago I was sitting on an airplane bound for Argentina. That feels like a year ago, en serio. I thought my first half week in the MTC was long. This has definitely felt longer. But it´s also a much bigger change, so it´s all good! We spent two days traveling to Bahía Blanca, where the mission home and office are. We flew into Buenos Aires from the states and then we took a van to another airport where we waited for like six or seven hours to take another airplane to Bahía. That flight was only about an hour. But I sat next to this woman who lived in a little city close to Bahía and we talked the WHOLE TIME about my mission. She was super intersted in learning more about what we believed and I was able to answer a ton of her questions. I also "just happened" (yeah, definitely was NOT an accident) to have a Book of Mormon in my purse. I had decided to move it from my carry-on to my purse because it just fit better in there and I wanted to unload some of the weight in my carry-on. Well, that was perfect. She wants to read it and she gave me her address so if I´m ever in her town, I can stop by her house. I need to pass that on to the missionaries in her area... Seriously, this is the Lord´s work. He is def in charge here and He puts people in our path who are ready to hear and accept this message. SO COOL.
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| My first friend! I have a feeling there will be lots of dog friends... |
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| Missed our bus... |
So, my first day here, Wednesday really, we had our transfer meeting and we got our trainer companions. Her name is Hna. Pinnock. She is so great. I couldn´t have asked for a better trainer. This is her last transfer so she´s really excited to do all she can before she goes home. Everyone thinks we´re really sisters because we look so alike. It´s funny. Literally everyone asks us that. Anyway, after that meeting we had some time before we were supposed to take a bus to the area we´ll be working in so we went out to do some contacting. Well, we were so excited about talking to people that we ended up missing our bus. Oops, haha. The next bus didn´t leave until 10:30pm so we had even more time and we took a taxi to one of her old areas. Now picture this, two Americans just walking down the street having a good old time and of course, it starts pouring rain. So now we're running through the rain looking for cover, trying to keep our cards and books dry. All I could think was "Yup, now I´m really a missionary." :) We decided to pray for someone who would let us in and who we could teach. After that, the first door we knocked on let us in! Milagro. Heavenly Father was watching out for us FOR SURE. Fun first day. :)
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| Just knocking on some doors! (actually, we don´t really knock doors here) |
I´m working in a little (or big, yeah big) city called Mar del Plata. Google some pictures if you want to see what it looks like! It reminds me a little of Spain, but I definitely feel like I´m in a very different place than anywhere I´ve ever been. It´s pretty neat actually.
Ok, the last thing I want to share is something I learned this week. I was reading in Mosiah 4:5-8 and my call letter as well and these thoughts just started flowing. I was wondering why I am here in Argentina and this was the answer I received.
"I have certainly come to a sense of my nothingness and my worthless and fallen state here. I CANNOT do this on my own and thank goodness that´s not what Heavenly Father is asking me to do. In my call letter it says that I must serve with all my heart, might, and strength. It does not say mind, which I think is interesting. This doesn´t mean that my mind should be elsewhere, that I don´t have to focus, or try and learn this language, or study the Gospel. All my mind should be here. But to me this means that I don´t have to KNOW everything. I don´t have to have all the answers. I just need to put my heart into it, and my might and my strength. I doesn´t say put God´s might and strength into it. Just mine. And I am weak, but I´ve got something to give, even if it is small. God will give the rest and He is mighty! I have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, His matchless power, His patience, and His long-suffering (He has been VERY long-suffering with me). I have come to a knowledge of this wonderful, incredible Atonement, which has strengthened and healed me countless times. Now I must put my trust in the Lord, be diligent in keeping His commandments (be exactly obedient!), and continue in faith even unto the end of this mission (for now - the rest of my life after). Then shall I receive salvation. Then shall I receive greater blessings and more happiness than I have yet experienced, just like my call letter says. I have to believe that this is true. It was given to me by a prophet of God. Just think, if I can live up to this, and try to see if it happens by testing it out, my testimony of prophets and my conversion to the Gospel of Christ will sky rocket. I know we have a prophet on the earth, but then I will REALLY KNOW that He is a prophet. I will know that the promises of Christ are SURE as given by Him and His prophets. I want this!! I want my testimony and my conversion to be even more sure. I want to glow with testimony and confidence in my Savior. That´s the kind of wife I want to be. That´s the kind of mother I want to be. This is HARD. Countless times this week I´ve thought a lot about coming home. But just think what I can become through this refiner´s fire. I can come to know and trust my Savior even more. This is why I am in Argentina, where I can´t understand or speak the language, where I essentially know nothing, where I can´t do this of myself. Heavenly Father is trying to make something of me, and I am going to let Him, because I KNOW that´s who I want to be and I know it will be worth it. I will provide my heart, might, and strength. He will provide His love, His might, and His strength."
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| Hermanas!!! |
I hope you all know how much I love you all. I can´t even express in words that love. I miss you more than I can say, but I know you are in good Hands. And so am I. Until next week mi querida familia!!
Con mucho amor,
Hna Chipman
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| Hna Pinnock and I, yup we´re twins :) |
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