Argentina - Entre Rios #40

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Subject: Feliz Navidad!
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Look out, its going to be a hot one!!  Well at least here in Argentina it will be! ha!  Man I'm getting darker and blonder everyday.  Why don't we take family pictures when I'm tan mom? hehe By the way, did you all see my family pictures?  Wow, I'm sorry but I've got a good looking family!  I have to say I am very prideful of them!  So anyways, I once again am here to say that I LOVE being a missionary and I can't think of a better gift to give my family or my Savior than to bring someone into the waters of baptism! So Thursday the 23rd Fernando Dure is getting all dressed up in white and will become clean of all his past sins.  (who said I couldn't have a white Christmas in Argentina?)  he is amazing, Fernando has had a really hard a draining life, he turned to drinking to make himself feel better or feel that he could get away for a while from his problems.  He has cleaned up and he LOVES the Book of Mormon.  He always teaches me something new!

   He had me reading in 1 Nephi 11, when Nephi sees the vision his father had!  I never noticed before, but it talks all about Christ and his birth!  Part of the Christmas story in right in this chapter!  I love how the angel explains what the tree means by telling the story of the saviors birth.  Tells of Mary, a virgin pure and lovely how she was waiting for her child to come.  then the angel asks.... 

    “Knowest thou the condescension of God?   And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”

   then the angels shows Christ being born unto the earth, later asking

         “And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father!  Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?

                             And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.”   Like it says in John 3:15, the love of God is demonstrated in the birth of Jesus Christ.  He sent his perfect son to this crazy earth, to suffer and die so we can be saved.  I hope that you realize how important you are to God.  Don't get lost in the things of the world, remember Christ always and that you have a place waiting for you in Gods mansion! 

  Keep  the faith, keep working hard and loving your family!  Never turn away from the church or from God.  That is where you will find peace, joy, comfort...and everything else you are looking for.  I love you all and I hope you have the happiest Christmas ever!

--

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Entre Rios #39

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 8:23 AM
Subject: BACK TO WORK!!!!
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hello my wonderful amazing family and friends!

  Wow can I just tell you how amazing this last week has been!  SO GOOD!  I love working!  Man every night this week I have come home exhausted and so ready to sleep and I absolutely love it!  My companion is Hermana Hansen and she is from Lehi, UT (ya basically across the highway from my aunt Stacie and uncle Todd).  She is so awesome, she only has a little bit of time left, but she is anxious to serve the Lord!  We have so much fun together and she likes to run!  Woo hoo!  We have started to go out every morning; we are excited to lose some of the “love” we have received from the members - aka food turned into chubs :)  Wow i can't even begin to tell you have happy I am right now!  I can't believe how much joy i have received from working!!!!!!!   Everyday we get out and we are obediently doing the work of the Lord!  Mom, my comp is so amazing.  She has 12 weeks left, but she is determined to work hard to the end, even though she is way excited to see her boyfriend soon!  She is from Ut, and is a mix between Georgie and steph, seriously, so extremely sweet and full of charity and also goofy and sometimes idk, like steph!  I feel so blessed to be with her!  So i am back in Entre Rios, but on the other side.  i am right by the River Uruguay and actually right on the border of Uruguay!  Pretty darn cool!  its a pretty big city, with both a centro and campo (fields)  Its perfect, i love it already.  We get up a run together and we laugh, we pray, we talk, we are trying to be better!  I love it!!!

(This is shared from mom’s letter.)  “Wow I can't even begin to tell you have happy I am right now!  I can't believe how much joy I have received from working!!!!!!!   Every day we get out and we are obediently doing the work of the Lord!  Mom, my comp is so amazing.  She has 12 weeks left, but she is determined to work hard to the end, even though she is way excited to see her boyfriend soon!  She is from UT, and is a mix between Georgie and Steph, seriously, so extremely sweet and full of charity and also goofy and sometimes idk (I don't know), like Steph!  I feel so blessed to be with her!  So I am back in Entre Rios, but on the other side.  I am right by the River Uruguay and actually right on the border of Uruguay!  Pretty darn cool!  It’s a pretty big city, with both a Centro and campo (fields) Its perfect, I love it already.  We get up a run together and we laugh, we pray, we talk; we are trying to be better!  I love it!!!”

  Anyways, we are teaching Fernando right now, he is a 35 year old man, whose greatest desire is to be baptized, he just needs to stop drinking.  He also has a fear that God won't accept his baptism b/c he hasn't been faithful all of his life.  He picked his date for 23 of December and he is so excited.  He LOVES reading the book of Mormon and its funny he'll say, hey we already read that, but I love it haha!  Pray that he will receive strength to stop drinking.  He is such a good guy!

  Then there is Luz (10) and her mom Elena, they are family of a recent convert, Frederico!  Can I just tell you this guy is amazing!  He was really hard into drugs and one time yelled at the sisters and told them never to come back.  Today, he is a different person and for that his family of 7 are all interested as well as some of his friends, which he is happily introducing us to!  Wow, 2 weeks as a member and he is already doing way more than I have ever done!  We talked about our baptismal covenants Sunday, after we have found the truth, our job or our privilege to share it with others!

   I love seeing the light of Christ work in everyone and I am so grateful that God gave everyone that gift.  This is how everyone can feel the spirit, can feel that their Heavenly Father loves them, can feel hope that they can change and be better, and receive the strength to do it!  My comp and I have took it upon ourselves to be better, we started another Purification, to change little things we do to be more in tune with the spirit, to teach with more power and authority, to be shaper instruments in the hands of the lord.  I don't want to be that hammer that has sat in my garage for years, only being used every once in a while.  I want to be in his hands and all times, I want to be molded and changed.  This takes time and effort and many times it can hurt, but the end result is always a reward of something 100 times better than what we put in!  I am so grateful for my Savior, that he has given us all a chance to be better.  What are you doing with your life to try and pay Him back for all He has done?  Helaman 5:35 (humility, put your whole heart in his care)

 I am so incredibly happy!  I love to work! I love my comp!  I love the people I have met and we are teaching and I love the tender mercies of the lord!  I love you all so much! Thank you for your support and love! I hope you are all singing Christmas carols, because no one does that here!  I love Christmas and family!!!   Keep the faith!

--

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Rosario #39

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 9:20 AM
Subject:
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey everyone,

   Wow, we are teaching the most amazing family!  Claudia, Favio, Diego, and Martin.  They just have such love in their family I can't believe they aren't members!  Favio told me yesterday that he knows we are good people and wants to be a member of our church.  He says he has known many members throughout his life and for that reason he let us come in.  You never know what your example may be for someone.

Man I am learning a ton; I have so much to do and so much to change.  My comp has a virus in her back which makes her have a ton of pain, and we can't work very much.  We already are in the house a lot because she has to come home after lunch to drink an herbal tea because she has something wrong with her liver.  … I just want to work… I want to tell more people about the gospel, I want them to be happy.  I wish I could do so much more… 

I have to go, but keep reading your scriptures and study the words of the prophet!  Keep the faith!

--

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Rosario #38

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 7:45 AM

Subject: HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Are you serious!!!!

  I can't believe Thanksgiving is already this week!  What a wonderful time of the year!  Sorry family i am not there to help put up the Christmas lights the day after we eat everything!!!  But I sure hope you guys have fun putting up those decorations.  Its funny how ya sometimes we didn't want to do it b/c it took a long time, but man how you'll want to do it one day when you can't!  But no worries, my companion and i already have plans for a little tree and may some lights!  It'll be really cute!

  So ya me and my comp have had our differences, but she really is awesome and i do love her.  We may not see eye to eye on a few things, but we have talked, we are friends and we will work!  I know the lord is teaching me to be humble and to love everyone, no matter what may happen.  I am grateful for the challenges He gives me in my life (speaking of Thanksgiving).  If He didn't love me, i wouldn't be going through these experiences, I would stay the same person I was yesterday, what a sad thing that would be.  I know that I am far from perfect, but I also know that the Lord has helped me change, has helped me see a little more clearly just what is important in this life.  For any of you that I have ever offended, neglected to help or to listen, I am sorry and wish that I could make it all better.  I hope that the Lord is blessing you all to be better people, to understand your goals in this life.

  So yes, it is important to read the scriptures, go to church, pray, be baptized, have a goal to go to the temple and be sealed for all eternity, but these are all only steps, they are the way that we can have ETERNAL LIFE.  This is our true goal, to keep going everyday until we get there.  The 24th of this month 5 years ago, I lost a very dear friend, Kyle Mathews.  I loved him and he was a great friend.  His family, they are my family as well.  His little bother Brock is serving a mission in England right now and i proudly have a picture of him knocking on doors and lovingly standing with a family he helped bring into the gospel.  Now you may ask, why is she saying this.  Well i have seen this family change immensely, I have seen them have more love and more patience in their home.  They have refocused their sight on this Eternal Life, they are working towards being sealed in the temple so that they can be with Kyle forever, so that I can give my friend a hug again and tell him how grateful I am for his love and the love from his family.  The important part for this family, is to fight everyday to be better, to find joy in serving others and in that, feeling the love of their Savior.  I am so grateful for my Savior, for His sacrifice, His love, His example, His loving arms that are always extended to take us in, His mercy, and the gift of Eternal life He gave to all, if only we follow His commandments.

  I understand a little more each day, what exactly the Savior did for me and for you.  No matter what you've done, no matter how you feel, and no matter how deep you may be in that hole you dug yourself into, the Savior is there to drop down that ladder, so you can climb out.  I promise, you can feel that relief, that love, that hope.  Don't doubt it because that would be denying what the Savior has already given us.  Take a moment to look at your life, your goals...are you doing this only to live or are you doing these things to help your family, others around you, and to ensure that you will live with God in that eternal paradise, along with your family?  I sure hope so, i want all of us to be together, laughing about old times in this beautiful place that is ALREADY prepared for us.  I love you, I love Kyle and the Fish family (you have no idea what you guys have done for me), I love my family!  Wow i have an amazing family!  I hope you have the best Thanksgiving ever!  Eat some turkey for me :)

  Keep the faith and your sight on the end goal!!!

--

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Hermana's

The streets of Rosario, Hermana's Gibbons y Dunford

So Happy!

Hermana's Gibbons y Dunford & a family they are teaching.

Hermana's Gibbons y Recinos

Argentina - Rosario #37

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Nov 15, 2010 at 7:24 AM

Subject: Hola Arizona!

To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey everyone!

  Sorry it has been a crazy couple of weeks!  I hope you are all doing well and reading your scriptures!  Seriously, its such a small but crucial thing that we forget to do!  Ok so my poor comp has a really bad neck and back and has had to stay in bed for the mornings and then we go out a work the afternoons, but she also has problems with her liver and the food here makes it worse.  So after lunch we have to come back, she drinks her Boldo (herbal tea) and that takes a good 1 1/2 hours.  So we have not worked a lot this week and it is making me go a little stir crazy!  But Scott Walker and John Davis, if you still read these, i wanted to thank you so much for your instruction and for the stim unit, i have been using my massage skills and the unit to help her get up and going.  It has been a real blessing in my life. 

   We have an awesome investigator who came to church yesterday, Brenda!  She is so adorable and she came to the church when she was a little girl!  She accepted a date to be baptized and we are going to see her on Wednesday!  She has her cute little baby boy and read and prayed about what we taught.

  The challenge with this area, or the thing we need to learn how to do better, is that it is very long and so everything and everyone lives far away!  We have to take the bus everywhere and we have NO money! Álso we do a lot of division with the members which is awesome, but then i don't know half of the people that we are teaching! HEHE!!

  I have really had to rely on the spirit and the love of God to accompany me during this time.  My companion and I have had a TON of ups and downs.  We were able to figure out a few things and it was really good!  Then something else happened and i feel like we can't communicate well.  I feel like there is a wall up again and i don't know how to break through.  Today she said, its ok, we have only 3 weeks left and we can do a ton of divisions.  We don't have to be friends...so for all you returned missionaries and couples out there...do you have any advice for me?  I am trying to be better, i am trying to change things within myself.  I feel like i am prideful, i know it is partly me, but there are things we need to talk about right?

  Well aside from that, we had a really awesome conference this week!  Elder Aidukaitis, from the 70, came and taught us!  Wow he is the silliest, goofiest man ever, yet i left that meeting feeling so edified and wanting to conquer the world!!!  He gave us great advice on how to more effectively invite others to be baptized!  So as missionaries we have people read 3 Nephi 11, when Christ came to the Americas.  The one thing that he pointed out to us was, Christ invited them to be baptized a good 10 times and this was all in the first visit!! hehe!  So, with a little more instruction I am ready to get out and serve the lord and ask those to come unto Christ.  I am supposed to be baptizing (ships are made to sail, planes are made to fly, and missionaries are meant to baptize!)  I know that the lord expects a lot from me and i want to fulfill what He has asked me to do.  I know as we put our faith in Him, we will be blessed, we will be placed in His hands as instruments in the work.  I am so grateful we have our Heavenly Father who is more powerful than anyone or anything. He also is always there, always listening, always ready to bless and help us.  I love you all!  Have a great week,  Keep the faith!

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Hermana's Dunford y Gibbons

Hermana's Recinos y Gibbons (current companions)

Happy Missionario's

Conference

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #36

Smooch! (for mom!)

All of the Elders here were in the MTC with Mandy

An investigator painted this picture for Mandy in memory of Kyle Mathews (Fish)she has carried his scriptures with her on her mission, while he serves his mission on the other side of the veil

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons
Date: Mon, Oct 25, 2010 at 10:29 AM
Subject: I GOT TRANSFERED!
To: Bonnie Gibbons


Hey everyone!
So they did transfers really weird this week! For some reason they waited until Thursday to tell us anything. We spent that morning planning, because none of us 4 Hermana's in Pergamino thought we were going to leave. Both companionship's just did a whitewash and it was a short one of only 5 weeks. When they called and said I was leaving, I did not believe them, I really thought they were joking. I was honestly really bummed at first; I cried and screamed a little :) I really loved that area and we just started to have some really good progress with our investigators and some members. I felt that I did my best there, the bishop there said, "I'm going to call your mission president and tell him you can't go. Why does he always take out the good missionaries?" I know the work will go on without me and that area will still be blessed with great things. Hna. Villarreal is really amazing.
Ok ok, so I bet you're all asking, where am I know....well I am back in good old Rosario, in a cute town called Funes and Roldán. Ya I have 2 areas! The towns are built along the highway, so they're not very deep in, but they are both really long towns! It is beautiful here, this is a place for people to get away or come on vacation. It’s honestly really beautiful and I really like the ward already! We had an investigator come this Sunday that the elders had been teaching and she wants to get baptized! Well we are going to talk with her and see how she is doing and either will have a baptism this weekend, but more likely for the next weekend! Oh ya, my comp is really awesome, Hna. Nalerio. She is from Uruguay, but was born in Italy! She's really amazing and has a great desire to work. She's way friendly and even a little crazier than me at times! I am excited to work with her. She has been training since her 3 transfer, so I am her first comp to work with her that has had experience in the mission.
So like I said I was pretty bummed at first and also I was kind of scared. I am doing another WHITEWASH in this area and it is really big! And there is not that many things left over from other companionships. So we got our work cut out for us! I got a little fearful and prayed that God would calm my heart. I started my personal study and lo and behold, right in the scriptures was my answer!
9 Believe in a God...; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power...
believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you;
and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

I don't know why I was sent to this area, and I don't know why the Lord trusts me and my comp to help this church grow, but I do believe in God and I know that he lives and he really really does love me! I know that I need to humble myself and ask him to forgive me for my thoughts and all of my weaknesses. I do believe that this is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, so I will do all these things. I love you all so much, we are so lucky to be in the truth! Don't ever forget who you are...a Child of God. I don't think we really understand that statement....

I am a child of God,
And he has sent me here,
Has given me an earthly home
With parents kind and dear
I am a child of God,
And so my needs are great;
Help me to understand his words
Before it grows too late
I am a child of God.
Rich blessings are in store;
If I but learn to do his will
I'll live with him once more.
I am a child of God,
His promises are sure;
Celestial glory shall be mine
If I can but endure.

I love you all. Please pray that my comp and I will know what to do here to help the area grow, to help others come unto Christ! I love this work and I know when we come to know who we really are, we are happier, we work harder, we receive more blessings, and we want to help others. Really I never realized how important member referrals are to the work. Please help the missionaries in your ward. Whether it be with lunch, going out a working with them, and most importantly, introducing them to your friends. Hey mom and dad, so our neighbors are not members of the church and they have been on my mind...so maybe you could stop by and bring some cookies ;) just a suggestion! Ha I love you all. Work hard, play hard, and pray fervently. God is ALWAYS listening. Keep the faith, if not for yourself, for those who are lost around you.

--

Con amor,
Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #36

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons
Date: Tue, Oct 19, 2010 at 9:16 AM
Subject: ¿Qué tal?
To: Bonnie Gibbons


Hey hey all you wonderful people!
So what can i say, i had a crazy week! We have an amazing investigator, Mabel. She is searching and reading the Book of Mormon like crazy! She wants to know the truth and she is doing what she needs to to gain it! She still needs to come to church and to get married, but she already told us that she knows the the church of Jesus Christ is the only church that has all of the truth! WOW, i love her and her niece, Angeles has been listening too, i asked her if she would like her own Book of Mormon to read, and she almost burst into tears as she accepted it lovingly and said Thank you while hugging it close to her chest. It was the most beautiful reaction i have seen to someone receiving this book of great value. I think as members, we forget how precious it is! It is a book that has been in our house, for some of us, all of our lives. But really , truly it is our guide,our source of comfort, hope, and love. Really, it has all of the answers, we just have to open the pages as well as our hearts and the words will flow into our minds and we will be able to act in the way we should. We will be able to see life more clearly and man life will just be a happy and enjoyable experience!
So we had a Talent Night in the church, some people sang (Mabel our investigator sang beautifully!!), played the guitar and one kid sang in English (the Justin Beiber song, oh baby??) So we as missionaries didn't have much time to plan, so we threw on an EFY pop song and lip-cynced and danced to it! Ha i felt so out of place, but i just had fun with it! Afterwards everyone told me they loved it and they were all going to send the video to the mission president! haha. It was a beautiful night, who knew that ward activities could be so much fun!
I love you all and wow i have a testimony of prayer. I know that god hears and answers them. I know that God loves us and wants to not only hear the desire of our hearts, but he wants to bless us with these things as well. I have come to love Enos, i think it is my favorite book in the whole Book of Mormon. Read it this week, but really dig into it and you will see how much it applies to your life. How much it can help you live better and happier!
I love you all, Keep the faith!
Until next week...

--
Con amor,
Hermana Gibbons


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--
Bonnie L. Gibbons, BSN, RN
Gateway Community College Clinical Instructor
602-721-9120
bonnie.gibbons@cox.net

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #35

The Hermana's!

From: Amanda Gibbons
Date: Mon, Oct 11, 2010 at 9:03 AM
Subject: weekly goodies
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey everyone! I can't believe that last week already passed by! I love having too much to do! Ha, sometimes it feels a little overwhelming but it is so much better than only leaving to knock doors. So I had some really cool experiences this week. I really have been trying to be led by the spirit. Hna Villarreal and I have been reading this book on tracting and how to do it effectively. We have started to do the steps in this book, pray for specific streets and at the specific times we should knock them. Every time we have done this we have either had the most amazing contacts or we have been able to enter a home and teach a lesson. I have been stopped in my tracks and turned around twice this week because I felt like I had to talk to someone.
Both of these were guys that I did not want to talk to. One guy, Miguel, his girlfriend had just left him and he is so ready and open to hear the gospel. He was crying and said a prayer to feel God's love. The other guy, really intelligent and just the most amazing contact ever (doesn't live in my area) but he said, I know that we'll live with God again, but I have never found the answer in any church of what is my purpose on earth! Oh my gosh it was so incredible. I could feel the spirit so strong with him.
I have to go, the lady here wants to take her siesta! I love you all.
Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #35

…Just do what they said in conference! The best advice won't come from me but from our leaders as well as personal revelation. Don't ever underestimate the power of the spirit in your life or the power of personal revelation! That’s what got me here! That’s why we choose to serve missions and why we are members of the church! … without this power none of us would be members, none of us would be able to feel the Saviors love in our lives, none of us would feel the sweet forgiveness that comes through the atonement! I was talking with Hermana Recinos today about all the things we are so grateful for especially for the atonement. We both said we have felt these sweet effects and for this we want others to feel it as well. She said it was only when I tried to change, when I made the step and put ALL of my faith in the Lord, was when I really felt of his love, when I felt free and full. (You can share this with everyone I guess I don't have much time!) Just like all of the talks were about, we need to be aware of what we are doing everyday, Satan is very clever and he can take you down without you even noticing it. You could be enjoying the time actually and not realize you are in something bad until you are so wrapped up in it, it is hard to escape.
Stop watching the TV shows that have just a little bit of crap in them. I was so hooked on the show bones...which now I look back and see how each episode they added just a little bit of crap, so you were hooked and just let the bad stuff go. Be a party pooper if you must. Who cares what the world says …Don't be afraid to be GOOD! The evil will always scoff at the good. Even me as a member, I used to make fun of some of my friends for the things they wouldn't do, and now I look back and I see that they were in the right and just trying to be a light in this dark world. Look at your life and see what little thing that might be holding you back from growing spiritually. I know you could feel and see the spirit that these brethren and sisters have, I know I want to have the peace and joy that they have, the security that they will be ok in the last days, the security in their Savior that he will always have their back. I love you all and we/I need you by my side in this fight against Satan! Don't scoff at those being good, support them and try to be better yourself! I want you all to be so happy and feel so loved. You CAN feel peace and have the spirit as your guide everyday in this crazy life.
I love you and pray for you all the time! Thank you for your prayers! Keep the faith.
Love Hermana Gibbons

To read or listen to conference talks click on or cut & paste: http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-1298,00.html

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #34

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 7:56 AM

Subject: Hey Hey!!

To: Bonnie Gibbons

So...what can i say. The weather here is crazy! I never know what to wear, the day will start out with sun and halfway through its raining and freezing or visa versa! But hey, that's the mission for ya! It's kinda like a game everyday to see if we are prepared or not, or over prepared! Ha. Well this ward has a ton of less-active members, like over 200, so we have got a lot of work cut out for us. We actually found a member knocking doors. There is no information on her here, but we went into her house and started talking. We had no idea she was a member until she showed us a picture of her sons wedding in front of the Buenos Aries temple! Ha, so we started to ask her question and she stopped going to church because one of the members told her she reads really slow and sloppy! Poor girl only went to school up until 3rd grade. Well she hadn't been to church in a good 20 years, so we basically had to reteach her everything, even how to pray. She was really excited we came and invited us to come back! I hope we can help her remember her covenant she made with God and that she will be able to be sealed to her children!

We also started teaching this young boy, 17, named Gaston. He is amazing!! Seriously, he lives in a crazy house where his mom just tells everyone basically that they are dirt. He has read everything we and the elders have given him and he prays like he has done it his whole life! The last lesson we taught, the house was crazy, kids running around, music, mom yelling, phone ringing and I had a coughing attack, but he was so engrossed in what we were saying, it was like we were the only 3 people in the room! He is searching for the true and wants to know for himself if its true. We asked him if he wants to be baptized and he said NO, i need to go to church and pray with more faith before i can say yes for sure! He's taking this very seriously and i love it! He didn't come to church this Sunday. Bishop went to go get him, but no one answered the door. If you could put his name in your prayers or the temple that would be amazing (Gaston Aguirre).

Also, Sergio, this amazing man who is still waiting on his divorcement papers. He really acts like he has been a member all his life. The lesson this Sunday was on keeping the sabbath day holy. I asked him what he likes to do with his family and he said a few things they do and then he said, i really need to organize my week, so that i can actually keep the sabbath day the way the Lord wants me to. He said he was going to start trying to do things other days of the week or plan his Saturdays better! Wow, that's something that I have never done before in my life, organize my Saturday to dedicate all my time to the Lord on Sundays! He also shared the most awesome analogy. He is an Electric Engineer, or the guys that work with computers and smaller equipment. He said i love how computers are like the gospel. They look cool from the outside and we can see that they work. But once you actually put one together and understand how it works, it becomes something beautiful and meaningful in your life! When we apply the gospel into our lives we can see the beauty and the joy that comes from it, and the suffering and pain when we don't do what right or we don't clean out the viruses.

I am trying to be a better missionary. In Jacob 4:12

And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ,

and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come?

We should always talk about Christ and his gospel. You will be amazed at how you can apply it to EVERY aspect of your life. If you do this you will receive the blessing in this scripture, obtain a perfect knowledge of things! To better understand your purpose here and what God has in store for you! I love you all and thank you for your support and your prayers! They are heard and are helping! Have a great week, Keep the Faith.

Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Pergamino, Centenario #33

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:36:23 -0300

Subject: Pergamino, Centenario

Hey Family!

Wow I never realizad how much I love not being in a city! Haha, ok so I did love the people in Rosario. Our bishop was so young and so willing and excited to work! I also loved our Mission Leader, Nefi. He was always there to help us and took care of us whenever anything happened! Fabian Lopez got baptized on Saturday and the Elders said he was super excited and his whole family came! I was really worried because to be baptized is a big change in someones life and to just have two new people you’ve never met come and help you with the rest would be a little scary. But that’s why I love the Holy Ghost. It doesn’t matter if i was there or not, Fabian felt the spirit and knows without a doubt that this is the correct thing to do. He can hear the message from a different mouth, and still feel the love of the Savior for him. I am so grateful I had the oppourtunity to meet him. I am trying to send a picture of him right now. Hopefully it works!

So first off…I LOVE PERGAMINO! It is so beautiful. Its not nearly as small as Santa Elena, but there are still a ton of fields and there are no building taller than 2 stories. The people are really welcoming and loving. Our first lunch was with the family Carrasco, and alter 2min in their house, i felt like I was sitting across one of my uncles making fun of me! I loved being in their home, feeling the comforting effects of the spirit! Our ward consists of like 200 people, but we have about 30 people that actually come every Sunday. It’s small, but all of the memebers are so willing to help us. Our Bishop was married 1 ½ ago and was called to be bishop 6 months ago. Apparently we had no leadership in this ward for a while until about 2 months ago. Bishop has no counselors, but wants to do all he can to help his ward. He has so many visions and goals, I am so excited to be a part of this work!

There is an investigador here named Sergio and I think I got more of the lesson then he did. He already is a wonder with the scriptures and he just has the grand Desire to learn more and to help everyone else in the process. He wants to get baptized, but he needs to relieve the papers from his divorce still. There are some problems with them, but he is working with one of the area 70’s to get it all worked out. Please pray that they will be able to work this out. He is going to be a stong leader in the church someday, i can’t wait to see what he will do for this ward.

Our appartment here is really huge! Its two stories and we put all the beds upstairs so the four of us sleep in the same room. The owner of the apartment lives right next to us and she’s really sweet and a little crazy. She is really excited we are girls, so we can be the daughters she never had. She too is listening to the lessons. I love this work, its pretty hard to start in an area where neither of us know where to go or who has been listening, but we are putting our trust in the lord and just go out and work! I love bearing my testimony at every min. that I can. I feel that the lord has given me strength to be a stronger teacher, or at least I am better at telling people that they are wrong, in a loving way J If anything I have learned is that we need to fulfill what God has called us to do, even if we have no idea how to go about doing it. Jacob 1:18-19, talks about how we need to be sure do all we can, or we will have the sin of those we were supposed to help, placed upon our backs!! Ah, i sure don’t want that! I pray that the Lord guides you in all that you do and that you are asking him to give you direction. The only thing we got to do is ask, LISTEN, and do…

I love you all and pray you are safe. Keep the Faith.

Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Rosario #32

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 1:38 PM

Subject: weekly goodies!

To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey family and friends!

Wow so crazy and awesome week! We had a special conference for just the sisters, and let me tell you, that was an awesome day, full of the spirit and of course giggles and screams of joy for seeing your old comps! Ha, President and his wife spoke and we got to watch a movie!! Ya hold your horses, we watch Errands of Angels. It was really awesome and taught me that I really need to serve my companion. All day I am teaching about the Savior and his love for others, and how we need to be like Him, but if I can’t even serve and love my comp, how can I do that for others. I do love my comp and I feel really blessed to have been with her…BUT…

Now on to a new adventure, TRANSFERS! I am leaving the big city of Rosario and going to Pergamino Centenario (I think, me and the other sisters are together) So ya, another 4 girl pench!! I am excited. We are going in to do a whitewash, which means neither of us have been there before and we gotta work there with only the map and the folder the elders left behind! It’s going to be crazy but I am way excited! I am going to miss a few things from here, like subway! But I am ready to go work in a new area!

Our investigator Fabian will still be getting baptized this Saturday! He is so excited and he cried last night when we told him we are leaving. He is really shy, but he has had the opportunity to know a lot of the members and he received a blessing, so I think he’ll be just fine. I’ll miss that family and I hope the others continue to go to church and realize what they need to do to be baptized. They all know what we teach is true, they just have a few things they have to give up first.

I guess that’s how we all are. We know that we have to be good and work hard and repent so that we can enter into the kingdom of God. But we always mess up, we think of ourselves first and how we can be happy in the here and now. It’s hard to keep an eternal perspective, even me as a missionary! That’s why we have the scriptures, prayer, the temple, and church, to help focus us again on the reason we are here! I am so grateful that God gave us these tools to keep us on track! What a blessing in our lives. It’s funny how much these have changed for me now. Sometimes I used to feel like going to church was such a bummer, a beautiful morning spent indoors!! But now I can’t wait to get inside that chapel and learn more about my Savior. I pray that you are all doing well and that you are doing the things to keep you on the straight path!! I love you, Keep the Faith,

Love Hermana Gibbons

Zach DeFrancis= Do you know Dustin Graham? I guess he played at BYU soccer and he served here! Hope all is well bud!

Hey if anyone knows Cameron Clifford, tell him I saw his video he made here about Ammon among the lamanites. You are a hoot dude!

Argentina - Rosario #31

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Sep 6, 2010 at 12:10 PM

Subject: goodies!

To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey all you out there!

Where to start! Well first I don’t think I have ever been so excited to see a bug spray man in my life! He came and fumigated our apartment, because we have an infestation of roaches! When we came back that night, we swept up some good piles of roach carcases! Glad those are gone, and we deep cleaned the pench, so it looks really nice!

We are still teaching the Lopez family! Mirian and Fabian (siblings) have a baptismal date for the 18th and they are both stoked! They are from a poor background and don’t have much schooling, but they sure do understand when we teach them the things of God. They were explaining to us what the plan of salvation was, what they read in the book of mormon and they are just do excited every time we come! They can’t wait until we start and give the prayer, so they can learn some more. Estepania and Lisandro are doing better (they were separated), but when we told them that they hadto get married before they get baptized, they pretty much just laughed at us. So tonight our lesson will be on the lay of chastity and how a family should be formed. They are so awesome, please pray that their hearts will be softened and they will have a desire to change.

Sunday the stake president announced that our area was changed, more than half of our area moved to a different ward!!! So our area shrunk a ton and the other sisters area doubled! Its pretty crazy and we still don’t know if we still work with what we were originally told or not. But with this change, it means that Teresita is not our investigator anymore. We still don’t know, but I’m pretty bummed because she is really awesome and I love teaching her!

So I’ve realized how easy it is to be taken in by the things of the world and I was reading an awesome talk by Hinckley and he said “No son or daughter or God can afford to partake of things that will weaken the mind, the body or the eternal spirit.” We have to make sure that our testimonies are strong and keep building them up. Don’t let the little things start tearing down your spirit, because those things will and you won’t even notice. Satan gets us slowly and he’s very clever! But remember you have the gift of the Holy Spirit and He will be your guide, IF you let Him. He is the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, and for this reason you can feel of Gods love and know that you are in his church. I love you all and I want you all with me forever, so this means you have to endure to the end and when you mess up, ask for the forgiveness that your Father is waiting to give! Hope you all have a great week! Keep the faith.

Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Rosario #30

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 12:41 PM

Subject: hey hey

Hey all you at home!

Wow so we had some miracles happen here in Rosario and some more crazy experiences! Ha we always got to have those! So first off, I just want to thank you all for your prayers and for your desire to serve God and the people around you! We have some awesome members here that just made our guests feel so welcomed and loved! They both said, it’s so different from any other church they had ever been in! People actually care and you explain the teachings of Christ, you don’t just bash other churches or read from the bible out loud. How blessed we are to have the true church of Christ where we have the oportuinty to learn and grow every week, that we can feel the spirit so strongly just by being with other people who have come to know the truth in their lives as well!

So we are teaching that family still. I’m going to explain the family, Jose is the old guy, the dad of Miriun and Fabian. Miriun is the mom of Ivan and Estephania. Estehpania lives there with her boyfriend, Lisandro and their son Tiego, and they have another one on the way. Ok hope that made since. Anyways, Lisandro told us that he wanted to change and the day we came to teach him the word of wisdom, we found him drunk and Miriun was embarrassed and asked us to come by the next day. Turns out he’s been being stupid like this for some time and Estephania couldn’t handle it so she kicked him out and then she got a little bitter towards us as well. Miriun was still excited to come to church and they still want to learn more about Christ. We went to look for them on Sunday, but none wanted to come, we were really sad and didn’t know what to say. When we walked into sacrament meeting (it’s the last meeting here), we had the biggest surprise, Fabian came, all by himself! It was amazing because he usually doesn’t participate in the lessons, he just sits on the side. But he came!! And he loved it! He said he loved how the songs made him feel!

Also, our cute little lady, Terecita came to church with us this Sunday. She sat with one of the members and told us she really enjoyed her time there! She is reading the book of mormon and finally said a prayer with us! And when she finished, she said, oh I forgot something, can I pray a little bit more? Ha she is so cute, she asked for our safety and that she was grateful that we were teaching her the truth! She knows this is the true church!

I love the work and I love being a missionary! These last two p-days have been pretty darn fun as well, we played basketball last week and today we went by the river and played sand volleyball! So tight! Ha Remember the Lord is always there for you, and he wants to bless you, but we need to continue to work. The hard thing is that he has his own time! But he knows better than us and He will make everything all right! I love you and I love hearing that you are all doing ok! Keep the faith family!

Love Hermana Gibbons

Debbie Fish- I love you tons and I love your family! Just wanted you to know I am still wearing Kyle’s ring and I have his scriptures with me! They remind me of our goal in this life, eternal families! I love you!

Leah Lowe- I’m praying for you and your family! I love you and I am grateful that you were able to help Coy and Becky out! You are awesome!

Steph and Georgie!- Holy cow, your children are adorable! And they are getting sooooooo big! I can’t believe how different they all look! I love the tea party picture and I love that you wore my prom dress! So cute! I love you so much!

Argentina - Rosario #29

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Amanda Gibbons

Date: Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 11:35 AM

Subject: The word from Argentina

Well Hey all you Arizonians, and all the rest not from there...

Anyways, what a week! We were led to talk to this mom and her daughter about a week ago, and we have been able to teach the family 3 times this week! Ok so the lessons have been amazing as well as really tough! Their grandpa likes to talk and so we have one of us talking to him, because he just brings up random issues, while the other teaches Mirium, Estephanie, and Lisandro! They are very awesome and receptive to what we have to share. Mirium told us she feels so much better when we come and talk, she feels more at peace and just wants us to stay for longer. Estephanie and Lisandro said their kid is a lot calmer and that he has now began to eat normal food since we've started talking! I know that the spirit has touched their hearts and we are doing our best to teach them what we can! Lisandro and Esteph came to church with us this Sunday, and their kid was not likening sitting around for too long, but the good thing is that we have a TON of kids in our sacrament, so I know they felt just fine about it! They were so excited and asked when we were going to stop by again! We pray that they will continue to understand and come to know the true church of Christ.

We also are teaching Terecita, she is a 60 year old woman, who is still very sharp and has been listening to the evangelist missionaries for 2 years now. She is really looking for the truth and she is praying and reading. Her dad was baptized over 40 years ago, so she knows a little about the church. She is amazing and oh I just love talking with her!

We had a crazy day! So some lady came up to us and started talking to us in an English accent, she lived in England for 12 years. She asked us if we could help her find a new place to live, because the church had helped her before and she knew we were willing to help. Then she proceeded to tell us that we were a cult and that we were not true disciples of Christ. This poor women has so many false doctrines, I just wanted to help her understand. We were pretty sad that she said that we were not followers of Christ, but told her we would still help her. Then that night (Thursday), we talked to an Atheist who told us we look for people who are down in life or for ppl who just lost a loved one and tell them lies so that we can take advantage of them! Oh I was so shocked, I just want people to understand, if only they would listen for 5 min with an open heart, they would feel that we just want to bring them happiness. Then the next house, at the buzzer thing, this guy had the freakiest voice ever, like lord voldomort (from Harry Potter), so we decided to leave the street, but before we got to the end of it, a man ran up to us. Started yelling at us and telling us to shut up, and he grabbed Hna Dunfords bag, jumped on the bike with his friend and drove away!! Ya I was pretty shaken up after, but it happened so fast I didn`t have time to react until after. I'm still kinda jumpy at night just when anyone passes by! But we weren't hurt, they just took some of our stuff! I know that God helped me not react, because I could've made that situation worse.

I still love the mission, I just have my eyes open more and I’m praying for guidance to know which streets are ok and which ones are not! I know that the Lord has a great work here and Satan is trying to disrupt it in any way he can!! I know that God has angels watching over us and He has more power than the devil. I love that I get to share this message with the people here who are scared to leave their houses at night! I know that God loves us and he will make everything all right in the end! Keep praying that you will be lead into the right places in your life, that you will never be taken down by the other side! Try to recognize when the little things in life start to pull you down, push those things away and do what is right! I love you all! Keep the Faith.

Love Hermana Gibbons

The girl in the middle is my companion, Hermana Dunford from Colorado, the others are the sisters living with me! They are awesome!

A son of one of my converts, Orlando, he became like a brother to me and gave me that ac/dc shirt! haha

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons
Date: Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 8:35 AM
Subject: Weekly Goodies
To: Bonnie Gibbons , Vince Gibbons

Ok so i don't have much time, but it was a great week! We had Zone conference and they taught us a new way to teach. We are to tell them our purpose in the first few min that we talk to them. We are here to help them prepare to be baptized in the true church of Jesus Christ! We are to ask them, before we teach them anything if they want to follow their savior and be baptized! So i was a little nervous about it, but it just makes so much sense! That is why i am here, to help them come unto Christ, to follow his footsteps and the only way that they can enter into the kingdom of God, is through baptism and then of course enduring to the end!

We have not been welcomed into many homes this week, but we taught an amazing women, Terecita. Her dad listened to the missionaries and was baptized over 40 years ago. But she is wonderful and taught us how she feels the spirit in her life and how it has guided her! I know that heavenly father put her in our path, there are so many houses here, its like New York, but dirtier and they don't have very good pizza Some places you can't tell if they are homes or buisnesses, so you just knock/push the intercoms and talk to people! We have to have a lot of patience and ya i am out knocking and contacting way more than I am teaching. I miss teaching, but I know that as i work hard and talk to EVERYONE, even if i feel like I'm just being annoying, that the Lord will bless me to find those that are ready! I know there are hundreds and hundreds of people here that still need to hear the word of the lord!

I have been learning a lot about the preisthood, in conference talks and in church. My brothers who hold this power, please continue to be worthy of it. You hold the same keys and powers that Jesus himself had on the earth. You have the responsibility to serve and love your brothers and sisters. I love knowing that this power is in my life. That through it, we can return to our father in heaven. We can recieve blessing and make covenants on this earth. Without it, i could not be with my family forever, and then that means there would be no hope in this life. Brothers, you are the hope in this world, you are the anchor that keeps us connected to our father in Heaven. Learn more of your duties and try to do all you can to fulfill them! I love you all and i pray that the lord keeps you safe!

Keep the faith, its what gives you strength!

Hermana Gibbons