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!

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Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons