Argentina - Entre Rios #41

Hermana's Gibbons y Hansen (companions)

Baptism of Fernando Dure

Elder Kaipela from our stake

Christmas PJ's

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

Date: Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 9:32 AM
Subject: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
To: Bonnie Gibbons

Wow Time flies!!!!!!!!!!

So Christmas was so fun! Ate some waffles, watched Disney and then talked to my wonderful family!  Man if you just need to smile or need someone to talk to, head on over to my house.  It is full of open hearts, listening ears, good times, and loud crazy fun...anything you need!  I love my family!!!  Then New Years was about the same, hung out in the church and man, played soccer for 2 hours and then BBALL for 3!!! Oh man I was sore after that!  Hey dad, I still got some game in me, so be ready to play when I come home! Hehe

We saw another one of our brothers baptized, Fernando Dure and he is doing so awesome!!!  Tomorrow he will get the Aaronic Priesthood!  We have so many amazing investigators! We are working with a 21 year old drug addict, who wants nothing more than to change.  He is still having a hard time so we pushed his date back, but he is praying and has done really well, until New Years...  Cristian is amazing and we will continue to pray that he can be free of this vice.  

We are also trying to complete a family!  This family has been baptized one after the other for the last year and now only 3 are left.  Carlos Aguirre has a date for the 14th and his little brother who wouldn't talk to us at all came out yesterday and said his goal for the year is to come to church!  He wants us to come and teach him as well!  Also one of our strongest members, their daughter got married so she could get baptized but then they changed their minds.  This was over a year ago.  We talked with her and she still wants to be baptized.  She also had Lehi's dream!!! (I, Bonnie, added the link to Lehi’s dream if you are interested  http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/8?lang=eng )  She was one of the people in the great and spacious building!!! Crazy, so today we are going to explain to her that she knows the truth and her family is begging her to come taste of the fruit!   

So many miracles! I love you all and I hope you have made some awesome goals for this New Year!  Great time to start over, make new friendships, fix things with people.  Don't hold a grudge, man I have seen way to many people here losing out on the blessing of God because they were offended by something someone said.  Just forgive and forget, think of Christ.  He was treated worse than any of us could imagine, but he just loved.  Love is at the root of all he does and it should be with us as well, just like Pres. Uchtdorf said!  I love you all so much!  Keep being amazing and as always KEEP THE FAITH
--

Con amor,

  Hermana Gibbons

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