the beach, the sun, the city....MAR DEL PLATA!!!!!!!!!!

I got transfered to.....MAR DEL PLATA with a NEW COMPANION!!!!! But first a few notes... 8/25/10

**********END of LA FALDA****************
So, before I got transfered I had a few very very spiritual and wonderful experiences in La Falda.
1. La Flia Alarcon (Rutti and Fabian) As we were walking to service last week we were in a HUGE hurry, but I looked to my left and saw a door. I ran to the door and rang the timbre. A woman answered and I did some sort of normal missionary shpeel and she said, ¨I´m a member! But I´m a menos activo...¨ we ended up talking for about 5 minutes through the timbre and she asked me, ¨Who are you? You are very sweet.¨ ¨I´m Hermana Tingey... and we´ll come back to visit you!¨ We went back on Friday and wow, the Lord definitely knew we needed to visit them! They were members in a different city and then moved here. Rutti and Fabian were even sealed to their children in the temple! But they had had problems with a Bishop and stopped attending. When they moved to La Falda, they didn´t even bother looking up the church. But they are wonderful and want to keep ¨having the discussions from the missionaries.¨ I testified so powerfully of the necessity to go to church and partake of the sacrament and the many blessings we receive when we do so. They fell in love with me and my love for them - oh it was hard because I had JUST found out I would be leaving to Mar Del Plata and I wanted to keep working with them! But I know they will come back and help make the rama stronger - I just know it!
2. Victor y Cristina - We were contacting in the streets and I felt like we should visit some antiguos investigadores del Elderes. Sure enough, they were home! (That does NOT happen everyday, by the way, but I think I´m getting better at listening to the Spirit and acting on the prompting!) Victor and Cristina are soooo great - we ended up having a 2 and 1/2 long lesson, which is NOT what Preach My Gospel recommends, but Victor kept asking me question after question about the Priesthood, about the nature of God, about baptism for the dead, etc. etc. deep deep stuff - I am SOOO eternally grateful that I´ve learned from my parents, from seminary, from BYU, and from studying, because for the first time in my life I could answer almost ALL of the questions! I felt the Sprit sooo strongly as I testified of families and that Heavenly Father has made this organization for a very special and specific reason! It was hard saying good bye, but they are GOLDEN!
3. Natalia Perez - is the Presidente de Relief Society. She and I got sooo close while I was here in La Falda. She is from Cordoba, Argentina and served in Bahia Blanca a few years back!!!! She moved back because her husbands family lives here in Bahia. We went on divisiones together and I learned so much from her! We became close - she gives the best hugs! Anyway, I felt prompted to write her a letter. And to tell her to always stay strong during tribulacion and trials. I gave it to her at church and she started bawling and hugged me soooo tightly!!!! As I observed, I could tell she and her husband were having marital problems. He didn´t sit next to her during sacrament meeting and left early without her from church. I am so grateful that the Lord helped me to help her and to perhaps give her a little animo to keep moving on and trying hard. Life is difficult, marriage is difficult I imagine!, but as I´ve learned in La Falda, we just need to keep going and keep going... there´s always a light at the end of the tunnel!
4. Hna. Abarzua del Canto - saying goodbye to her was SOOOO hard!!!!! I didn´t realize just how much I love her and how much I´ve learned from her!!!! I will miss her terribly! And I hope to see her again after the mission!

***********MAR DEL PLATA************
Hermana LaPray from the other zone, Elder Wallace, Rain, Frias, Seegrist, Decilia, and my friend Matias from Barrio Cerrito and of course, La Hermana Abarzua del Canto waved to me as I boarded the bus to Mar del Plata. It was really hard saying goodbye to so many people whom I admire and saying goodbye to La Falda, but that´s the mission! After a 7 hour bus ride by myself and after giving the first lesson to the Catholic boy next to me, I arrived in Mar Del Plata tired and was met by my new comp La Hermana Olsen from Riverton, UT! She is a HOOT!!!! She´s 5´11¨blonde, blue-eyed, mountain biker, rock climber, lactose intolerant, crazy spastic girl!!! (I added in lactose intolerant because she can´t eat ANYTHING with milk, butter, etc. No facturas, alfahores, etc. POBRECITA!) She´s a hard worker and very capable! And I didn´t realize how good my Spanish was until I met her... hahaha! She speaks well, as in using lots of words and her grammar, but she pronounces like an American! I pronounce like an American too, but it´s funny because people look to me to translate for what she says! HA!!!
So, we started off contacting and contacting and contacting and contacting.... but we had one lesson with an investigador! We´re in Mar Del Plata Centro - the city city city! And it´s right off the Beach with the sun and with the blue sky - it´s GORGEOUS!!! I just spent P-day playing ultimate frisbee and soccer in the sand, and then taking a million pictures with the otras Hermanas with the Ocean!
I´m SOOO excited to be here in Mar Del Plata! I LOVE IT HERE!!!! It´s basically Babylon, there are casinos and people drinking and smoking ALL over the place and EVERYONE sins, but I feel like we´re going to have success here. There´s a reason why I´m here! And not just because I´m obediente and wont´go to the beach like other Elders would! haha But I really do feel like this is a very special place for me and that I¨m going to just love it here and have a great deal of success!!!!

I love all of you SOOO much! I know that Heavenly Father is our literal Father in Heaven! He loves us sooo much! We are literally his children - we are His divine sons and daughters of God who have the special responsability to be witnesses of Christ at all times, and in all things, and in all places! I LOVE being a witness here in Mar Del Plata! I LOVE THIS CHURCH!!!! AND THIS MISSION!!!!
Animo y adelante.... always! :)
Love,

Hermana Tingey

P.S. I don´t have a prayer list because I don´t really know the investigadores here yet! But next week!