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