Argentina - Entre Rios #42

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Amanda Gibbons
Date: Mon, Jan 10, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Subject: Goody Goody Gumdrops
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Hey hey all you fun folks back home!

   Man I can't believe how fast this week went!  It was pretty intense!  Our investigator, Antonia, was set to be baptized on Saturday, but her older daughter wouldn't be able to come...sooooo we changed it for Wednesday night!  YA, so Monday night was when she told us, we had to have to mission leader, so we had a TON to do!  We ran around calling everyone and seeing who could do what!  It was crazy, so many things just didn't look like they were going to work out, but in the end, everything went just fine!  It was a really beautiful and a really quick baptism!  She looked so happy and man she understands exactly what this means!  Antonia is just an amazing woman and Sunday she received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  I haven't seen her look so peaceful since I met her.  In the end, her daughter didn't end up coming, it was pretty sad.  She is a mother of 8 and only one of her children came.  But it didn't seem to affect her at all, she just has faith that all will turn out just fine, that this is going to help her family!

   We have been teaching Carlos Aguirre, since my first week in Concordia, he is from a family of 8 and 3 are not members.  He has listened to missionaries for over a year now and he now finally understands that he needs to be baptized, and not only that, he is super stoked!!!!  We asked him if we could announce it in church, b/c he was still a little "iffy" and he looked at us like "duh, of course you should do that"  Ha, he is very smart and going to be a much need addition to this branch! 

   Also this Sunday, Fernando, who was baptized just before Christmas, received the Aaronic priesthood!!!!  Oh man, he was pretty nervous, and still not exactly sure what it meant, but he knows that he has the opportunity to help others with this power!  He was so cute, we came over and he said, "Sisters, I fasted yesterday, because I needed Heavenly Fathers help.  He gave me the strength I needed and it was a blessing because I came across a few of my old friends who are not very good.  I was able to be an example to them!"  We then took him with us to a less active member’s house, and he bore testimony to them that they need to come back to church!!!!  This family is awesome, but keeps putting excuses in the way.  Fernando said, if you put God first, he will bless you!  So cool to see that!  His testimony has grown so much!!!

  Well, I hope you are all doing well with your goals for the New Year!  I hope that your goals include helping out the missionaries!!!  Man, we really can't do this work without you guys!!!!!  Feed the missionaries, have your house open to have investigators for Family night, or simply make a batch of cookies for a baptism!  Thank you for all of your love and for your hard work in being examples to the rest of the world!!!  Keep the Faith!

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

Oh ya, I got an Argentina passport!!! I am now Argentine and American!!! So cool! hehe