Monday, January 24, 2011

FAITH!

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ Querida FAMILIA!!! 1/22/11

HOLA from waaaayyyy down South! I was just thinking about how far away The States are from Argentina... then how far LONDON is from Argentina... wow.

I was also thinking about how different Argentina is... I guess in the States, we don´t have a siesta where everyone takes a nap in the afternoon, or when we´re starving, we buy empenadas to eat. Do we have empenadas in the States?
I feel very priveleged to be having this adventure here in Argentina!

We finished the Hermana´s Conference with giggling and pictures, hugs and tears... we have AWESOME Hermana´s in this mission! I saw Hermana Olsen, Hermana Abarzúa, Hermana Seegmiller, Hermana Lapray.... oh, and Hermana Clark is a capa, Ben! She´s struggling with a hard comp, but she´s a fighter! We really bonded. Hermana Collette too - she´s awesome! I really look up to an Hermana Wilding who is going home this next transfer! I call her ¨Mom,¨ because, besides Hermana Detlefsen, she´s our mission Mom. She gave me a hug and said, ¨You´re the next Mom after I´m gone!¨ Wow, I will be one of the oldest and need to be a peace keeper between Hermanas and make sure everyone feels loved. I don´t know if I´ll live up to her example, but I will try.

WELL, I had a wonderful realization this week. (Perdón, I think every week I talk about the same thing, but I think it´s been a big hurdle for me on my mission, as well as in my life.) Feeling content and happy with my work as a missionary. SO, I started studying about faith... and I started a ¨Busqueda de la Fe,¨ or a Search for Faith. I´ve been changing my mindset on the work, on the voluntad del Señor (the will of the Lord), and my life. Instead of just hoping or praying or trying...and not seeing the results, I am hoping, praying, and trying WITH the faith that although I don´t see the results, doesn´t mean they won´t come.For instance, when I began my mission, I had the faith that EVERYONE could get baptized (good ól greenie fire!). Now that I´m a lot older and wiser, I know not everyone will when I´d like them too... but this mindset has hurt my faith a bit. So, I´ve decided to become as a Greenie again (or as a little child) - submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to the Lord´s will, etc. I know my purpose is to help others come unto Christ by having faith, repenting, being baptized by the authority of God, and thus receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Although I haven´t had a lot of baptisms, I know that I am fulfilling my purpose because I am doing all I can to help others with their faith or repentance, to help menos activos, to help other missionaries have ánimo, etc. I don´t think I was meant to see a lot of baptisms. I think I was called to help people with their progress to baptism and the temple, and that the Lord would reveal the fruits of my labor in HIS time and not mine. I just need to be patient, long-suffering (in the heat!), humble, and just as happy as I can!

I think this can be applied to everyone´s life... we all just have to remember our purpose here and God´s plan and have faith in Him and His Father´s plan. Oh what great joy! the Plan of Redemption is perfect - truly flawless and beautiful!

Gastón said he will get baptized... he just wants more time for it to settle in with his family... but the real problem is that he needs a testimony of Joseph Smith. He still struggles with that. I am determined and have a LOT of faith, that he can still get baptized while I am here in Mar del Plata. I pray daily, crying unto the Lord for help, but it is all His will and Gastón´s decision. Regardless, I know that I have been a part of his conversion, and that Gastón is going to help the work progress here in Mar del Plata. PLEASE pray that Gastón will receive a testimony of Joseph Smith and that he will recognize it and ACT on it!!

New Investigator - SILVIA!!! We´ve been teaching her in English - wow, I can actually explain gospel principles in my own language! WOOHOOO! It was a MIRACLE! I contatcted her husband about 3 months ago in the street. Then I contacted him the other day and he said, ¨My wife would like to talk to you.¨ We´ve had two really great lessons, but she´s gotten busy with family and vacationing. Please pray that she will read the Book of Mormon and make time for us.

Cross your fingers that Romina will finally get baptized this week!!! She´s just timid...

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

Faith. Faith... and ánimo y adelante!!!

La Hermana Tingey

Familia!

¡Familia! 1/17/11

Gastón, Romina, y una sorpreza went to church. The sorpreza (surprise) is the girlfriend of a guy in the other stake. He came with his girlfriend, who is a non member, so she could get to know his religion. He slept during sacrament meeting... but she paid some attention. We´re going to have a charla on Wednesday, so I´ll let you know.

Traslados (transfers) are in 3 weeks and I´m freaking out!!! I´ve been in Mar del Plata for 4 transfers - and so for sure, I´m going somewhere. From what we´ve figured out, I could be going to Tres Aroyos or a new area Presidente is opening up to Hermanas. I´m really curious who will be my next companion. Presidente keeps teasing me about it, haha, but he also says that we need to think in meses (months) and NOT in traslados. SO, our metas are going to be all for the month of January and the month of February. Our goal is have at least 2, but we are trying to shoot for 3, bautismos in January. We are really excited! I really think we can lograrlo!

I have a GREAT experience about faith!

We went to have the entrevista for Romina for her bautismo. It was Saturday at 10 in the morning... she opened the door and chewed me out, ¨I didn´t sleep ALL night, I am exhausted! I don´t have to have a charla, I don´t want to meet your Élderes, please just LEAVE!¨ I wouldn´t budge, and patiently explained that the Élderes had traveled a long way to come for her entrevista. She was FURIOUS with me and basically kicked us out. I had NEVER seen her like that before! As we walked away, I felt peace... I wasn´t sure why. We went to tell the ELders. My líder de districto said, ¨We need to pray.¨ We prayed and he said, ¨I feel like we should go and still have the entrevista.¨ I disagreed - no, there´s no way she´ll let us in. Plus her brother attacked the last Élderes that went to their house (but with Hermanas he´s fine). But he said to me something about, ¨Hermana, are these your fears or is that what the Spirit is saying to you?¨ I stopped and thought and prayed. I prayed to know what God´s will was and not mine. We all prayed as a group again, and I saw in my head, ¨Hermana, now or never.¨ So, after the prayer I said, ¨Alright, let´s go!¨ We went to her house, and she opened the door with a huge SMILE on her face! Romina was gracious and loving . She had her entrevista without problems, but asked for some more time. She decided she´ll get baptized on the 29th of this month.

I was so grateful for my líder de districto. He taught me a very important lesson - to ignore my fears and listen to the Spirit.

I love this work! I love this gospel!

Hermana Tingey

La Obra

Queridos, 1/10/11

LONDON?! WOOHOOO!!! What a wonderful family adventure! I am SO excited for Mom and Dad and Abby and Jack - living the dream! Just a heads up - I will get home at the end of July, so it would be SOOO fun to save the family vacations and do them together, if that´s at all possible!

Gastón, Romina, and Olga all came to church AGAIN!! The same crew from last week! Gastón even came with a white shirt and dark slakes - everyone says he already looks like a member!

Gastón went to a singles dance and FHE! He´s being fellowshipped pero de diez! He loves our chats and loves learning about everything. He still struggles with some differences in doctrine, but he´s willing and open to learn. ¡Gastón is truly a milagro!

We are really hoping and praying that Romina will get baptized pronto! This weekend - please pray for her to have the courage to make this covenant with God! She´s very timid and gentle - having suffered from abuse and emotional issues much of her life - she just needs to do have faith in Christ and use his atonement in her life.

Olga is full of personality and big, wet kisses on the check! She´s the sweetest person in the world, but doesn´t understand the charlas very well. Olga´s son is SO great - he understands the lessons a lot better than she does. He just works on Sunday mornings - :(. We´re hoping to get them both reading and praying better.

Presidente Detlefsen wrote me this week and it made my day! He expressed his love for me and said that I am a, ¨gran misionera¨ and said I should not doubt. I needed to hear that - I am ready to have full faith in the Lord.

We contacted a man washing his car - he said his oldest daughter and her husband recently joined our church (about a month ago) and his other daughter is going to serve a mission in Paraguay. We invited him(Osvaldo) to church and he said maybe, but maybe one day his daughter will convince him of our faith. I know the Lord puts us in the right places because we needed to contact Osvaldo and talk to him about our
church. He is part of an incomplete family - HE is the incomplete part! We hope and pray that Osvaldo will read the Book of Mormon.

We don´t have a a lot of investigadores, but we´re clapping/knocking doors and doing everything we can! Hermana Freeman and I are enjoying ice cream and facturas every once in a while and laughing about our similarities - she loves the Man from Snowy River! :)

No unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord. I love my Savior and Redeemer - I am grateful for this unique opportunity to get to know him - in hard, rigorous, difficult, sweet, peaceful, wonderful circumstances!

¡Ánimo y adelante!

LOVE YOU!!!

Hermana Tingey

My, what a guy!

Family!!! 1/3/11
Thanks for ALL of your emails! I love them and each one made me cry – when you all talked about receiving Father´s and Grandfather´s blessings and the evening together with Grandpa and Suz… I felt the Spirit very strongly through your words. We are part of such a blessed family – such a wonderful heritage! Grandpa´s gravy- qué delicioso!

I will pray for Jackie to find a job, for Ben´s interviews to go well,for Dad´s interview to go beautifully and that he and Mom will recognize the answer from the Lord very clearly, that Elizabeth´s semester will go well, that Abby and Jack will do well in school, have lots of friends, and enjoy life. I have been thinking about Suzanne a lot too – our líder misional is single and asked me if I knew anyone
his age and single… but Suzanne needs someone very special – plus the language barrier would be quite the problem! How´s Grandpa doing? He has to be at my wedding – I hope he knows that.

How´s the rest of the family? I loved looking at Grandma Jane´s pictures! Of all the primos and tias y tios! ¡Qué lindo! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Funny similarity – la Hermana Freeman has seen Waking Ned Divine!!! She said they named one of their dogs Ned and I asked why… we laughed as we remembered memories with our families and that crazy movie.¨Ned, it´s his intestines! …It´s a chicken dinner, Jackie!¨´

Skiing – Dad, Ben, etc. How´s the powder?

3 PEOPLE WENT TO CHURCH!!!!!!!
Gaston, Romina, y Olga

Gaston – ¨My, what a guy!¨ He studied to be a cura (priest) in the Iglesia Católica, but realized the importance of families. He left the practice and got married; sadly, he later separated because his wife did not want to have children and that´s something very very important to him. He came to a Stake choir concert (which had some community choirs preform too) – a MEMBER invited him!!! ¡Qué bueno!(hint hint!) We met Gaston and chatted for a bit, found out he lives in OUR area, and invited him to learn more. We have since had 3 lessons – two at a member´s house… because we found out he is also a friend of our BISHOP! He loves SO much about the gospel! Familias eternas, church history,etc. He is having trouble believing in Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but has the desire to know. He loves our testimonies and the Bishop´s testimony of José Smith and wants that knowledge. He teaches
Electrical Engineering so he´s very practical and knowledgable. Gaston´s SO golden and needs LOTS of prayers! Please pray that he will recieve a witness of our beloved prophet Joseph Smith and the Libro de Mormón, that he will recognize his witness, and then ACT on it!

Romina – una antigua investigadora that we found. She is very very timid and shy and doesn´t want to commit to something she can´t handle. But she´s SO ready to be baptized!!!

Olga – WOW, she was a contact that we made and then went back to have a lesson. She did not allow us to enter into her house, but chatted with us on the doorstep for a while. Then she promised to go to church.. AND SHE DID! She recently divorced from her husband ater 40 years of marriage, pobrecita, but she is looking for comfort and the Savior and His true church is the best place to go.

Today, I was thinking the Plan of Salvación – the security we have knowing where we came from, who we are, what our purpose is in this life, how we can return back to our Father, how we will be judged,that we can help others to return home too, etc. We are children of our Father, preordained to be here at THIS time, these last days, to meet certain people – to help and serve and love them to the best of our capacity – and to prepare them, and the world, for the second coming of our Lord. What joy there is knowing that as tribes of Israel, as LATTER-DAY Saints, as descendents of Pioneers, as converted members of the true church of Christ, etc. we were chosen to lead the way. I hope and pray that I can fulfill my potential , especially with my mission.

I love all of you SOOO much! I apologize that I am not even close to perfect, but I promise that I will be a better missionary in the year 2011. I love this gospel! I love Heavenly Father´s children! I love my Savior! I love my family with a bond and love that will endure for the eternity – I can´t wait to make my own as well!

May many of your New Year´s resolutions have la Obra Misional as part of your goals – we all can take a half an hour of our week: to call the missionaries to ask to help, see if you can accompany them or even call THEIR investigadores or visit them yourself (like a Visiting Teaching or Home Teaching visit), invite a neighbor family to a FHE in your own home, invite a friend to a Relief Society or Priesthood activity, even just making sacrament meeting very powerful and reverent for the investigadores, etc. It´s really simple – there´s always something to do to help. I promise you that as you do, the Lord will bless you with people who need your strength and testimony.

¡BESITOS Y ABRAZITOS!

La Hermana Tingey

Tongue, anyone?!

¡Feliz Navidad! 12/27/10
On Christmas Eve, we went Caroling to Geriatric´s with a member named Liliana. It was SO fun! In the evening, we had a dinner with the Bishops family and had a very traditional meal - with LOTS of mayonaise! ¡OH! And the main course was cow tongue.... ugh!! It wasn´t my favorite, but it was interesting to try. At midnight on Christmas Eve when we were trying to sleep, we heard a ton of ruidos, ¨BOOM!!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!¨ FIREWORKS!!!! It sounded like a guerra (war) started. Some pibes were setting them off right in front of our house - I couldn´t sleep! :) haha But it was fun to celebrate!

The next morning, we woke up and opened our presents!!! Thank you SOOO
much Mom and Family!!!

Eventually we were able to call all of YOU!!! Thanks for chatting with me - it was SO great to hear your voices. I didn´t cry this time... well ok, only when I talked about how Cristina got baptized. But besides that, I was very proud of myself that I dídn´t cry! :) Dad and Mom, you both sound so great! I know it´s stressful trying to figure out moves again, but the Lord has not led us astray yet. He will use you two because you are willing servants who love the work. You are needed on the front lines. Now, we´re just waiting to see where the front lines will be. Abbs - you and lacrosse and AP US History, girl, way to keep on the tradition! ¡What a babe! Jack, you sound SOOOO old!!! I can´t wait to see how tall you´re getting! Biffy - as spunky and crazy as ever, it was SOOO great to hear your laugh again! I miss it! Backie - thanks for your help and just asking about every day life - I love hearing the comparisons from mission to mission and what worked for you all and what could work with my investigadores. Hope you both had fun in Cali!

Transfers - I´m staying here! Woohoo! Hermana Freeman and I are going into a completely new district, though. It´s sad to see so many of my fellow Elders leave - they are like brothers, like family, and I will always be grateful for their examples.

It´s SOOOO hot lately! I´m sweating up a storm and Hermana Freeman(from Arizona) always laughs and says, ¨Hermana Tingey, it´s really not that hot.¨ Haha This is my first summer in a whole year and my only summer for this next coming year, so I´m taking advantage of it.

Mom, I didn´t realize how interested you are to know about everything - I´ll try to better about answering your questions : I´m going alright with clothes - just using what I got. I´m being careful with my collection of recuerdos and everything - I´m always planning ahead, so I can bring everything I need home. But like I said, I will use moreeverything and just give away my things. I feel happy giving things away - the economy is so bad here, and Argentine´s don´t have even a fourth of the amount of things we have in the States. So, whenever I can, I find something I don´t need and give it away. Especially to the families in need.

I have a lot of energy and excitement for this traslado - I´m trying to be as obediente as I can. I´m promising myself that I as I am obediente, I won´t (and can´t) be upset with the results of my work,because I know that I´m giving it my all and doing my part, and in return, the Lord will do His in His time, not mine.

I hope I don´t get trunky - I´ve been thinking a LOT about home, but not in a bad way - just because I love all of you and just thinking about my future plans.

Wow, I LOVE the New Testament! I read Matthew and I´m reading in Luke- the Savior literally lived a perfect life. His teachings were perfect and pure doctrines. He served and loved others so deeply. I often picture him talking to certain people - and often to me. I always always always pray that my investigadores and inactive and
active members in the ward will feel of his love, mercy, peace, joy,and hope. This is the gospel - His LOVE for us! I need to have more faith in Him and His plan. Just like his disciples sometimes doubted or had little faith, I sometimes have little faith that people will accept His gospel. But I want to be more like His disciples in how I repent and turn around and help His work selflessly. I want to more like them - more like the disciples and apostles we have today, too - and more like the Savior himself.

Prayer Role
Familia Roberto: That Oscar will want to be baptized and stop
smoking, that Claudia will go to church, that jennifer, bryan, nadia y
kevin will encourage their mom and go to church
Gastón: that he will receive a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormón
Augustine: that he will get baptized!
That Hermana Freeman and I will find new investigadores to teach and baptize!

And if you have time in your prayers,
Menos Activos: Nahuel, Facundo, Fabricio, Familia Paez and Moscardi
will all go to church!

-Please tell EVERYONE that I love them and am grateful for their prayers and inquiries on my mission - in the ward, with extended family, with my friends, etc. Please encourage my friends to write me! I´d love to help encourage them to keep the commandments and make good decisions in their lives!

LOVE YOU!!!!! Ánimo y adelante!

Hermana Tingey

Sunday, January 23, 2011

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD! Or they say here, ¨¡FELIZ FIESTA! Which is sad because it´s not about the fiesta...it´s about the Savior of the World.

We had a great Christmas Celebration yesterday (that´s why I´m emailing today...)

The week... we had a very trying week – we fasted on Thursday all day until our cita at night with the familia Roberto. We explained to them the importance of bautismo and committed all of them to get baptized that weekend as planned. They said YES! But were just a little hestitant because el Papá was not there – and wouldn´t be there until the 29th of Diciembre. But they felt the Spirit as Hermana Freeman and I testified of the importance of our first covenant with our Father in Heaven. We began to plan EVERYTHING and they were SUPER excited! They even went to our Christmas Party the ward had at the church. The Party was really really fun – I even sang a solo of Cantan Santos Angeles (Angels We Have Heard on High), while Hermana Freeman was playing and Ezekiel, a boy in the ward, was playing the guitar. I was nervous, but it was SO fun! It reminded me of caroling with the fam every year!

But the day before the bautismo, Claudia called and said they couldn´t get baptized. That Jennifer is sick, Kevin too, and the Dad isn´t there. It was surreal – we had felt so sure that the Spirit told us YES! they need to get baptized now, but we weren´t sure why when in the end. So, sadly we did not have any bautismos. They didn´t go to church either. SO, we re set the fecha del bautismo to the 30th of Diciembre, but it all depends on the Papá Oscar when he comes home on the 29th if they will do it or not. As a mission we are trying to get 100 bautismos this month and we´ve felt like they need to get baptized pronto, so hopefully they will feel the Spirit and do it SOON!

¡Super P-day!

Firstly, we PLAYED PLAYED PLAYED! We haven´t been able to play for P-Day´s because we need more bautismos to get our playful P-days back, but for Christmas, we were given a morning to PLAY! I played frisbee and volleyball until I couldn´t feel my legs anymore and I had quite enough bruises on my knees.... there are still some things that have not changed! J

Next we had an Argentina ASADO!! I had carne (beef) and pollo (chicken) and wow, it was GOOD! Afterwards, the Hermanas all went to get ice cream at San Marino, a famous ice cream place here in Mar del Plata. ¡RIQUÍSIMO! Then we changed and had a show de talentos (Talent Show...haha). We had a group of Élderes and Hermanas get together and sing ¨Noche de Luz¨ (¨Silent Night¨). I sang the alto part; It was really beautiful!

Then La Hermana Detlefsen and Presidente Detlefsen did a devocional. It was wonderful! Hermana talked about developing Christlike atributes for the year to come. Presidente talked about how he worked on the USS Phoenix (an old USA ship from WWII that Argentina bought from the states, one that General MacArthur had been on – Jack, I freaked!!!) and how hard and diffcult it was, but so rewarding. He said that he left to serve a mission, as he felt he should. While he was gone, Argentina had the Fight de Islas Malvinas (Faulkin Islands) and his ship sunk. He talked about how life is hard, but when we look back, it was all worth it. He looked at me a few times when we said we shoudl not get dis-animated, but we should stay strong in the faith. I know it wasn´t happen-stance. The Lord was telling me, through Presidente, to have more faith in His work.

We watched a slideshow of fotos de bautismos from all the missionaries in the mission –when the one of Oscar and me and Hermana Oslen came up, Hermana Freeman tapped me on the back of my shoulder. I smiled and thanked Heavenly Father for this miracle in my life. Afterwards, we had sparkling soda (de pineapple instead of apple) and brindamos ¨Hacemos CHING-CHING!¨ haha for the new year. We had a light dinner and received stockings from la Familia Detlefsen.

HUGS!!!!! I´M SOOOO EXCITED TO TALK TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!

I know my Savior was born of Mary and of God, in humble circumstances, to be the King, the Prince of Peace, and Forgive of all who would come unto Him. I love my Redeemer – and am forever grateful for his Atonement. After he suffered and died, he was resurrected the third day and lives today as our Savior. HE LIVES! I love celebrating this season! I am grateful for be His servant on the earth to bring His brother and sisters unto Him.

Also, Happy Birthday Joseph Smith on the 23rd! I know Joseph Smith the chosen vessel of the Lord to restore His church in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. I love Brother Joseph and revere his consecrated life!

Con amor,

Hermana Tingey

Christmas Celebration



Los miembros...




Argentina Dessert--YUM!!!