Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #21

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 9:14 AM
To: Bonnie Gibbons
Subject: Hope helps you conquer discouragement

HOLA MI FAMILIA!!!
Wow so guess what! I have a new companion! She is awesome! Hermana Garcia is from Paraguay and just hit her 9 month mark in the misión! She is the sweetest thing ever! Seriously, just loves everyone no matter what! I am still in Santa Elena and so i´m kind of the leader! It´s so wierd because i am so used to just following Hna. Redfern everywhere, i never had to think about what we were going to do next, expecially if one of our citas fell through! It is definitely a learning experience and something i need to do. We are companions which implies we work together, not just tag along with one another.
So I have begun an English Fast, there is no point to talk in english since no one understands me and i know that it will help my spanish skills a ton! I am pretty excited about it and amazed at how much i have learned! I know this is only because i am trusting in my savior, cause really without him, I am nothing!
We are still working with the Familia Bazón, Maria and Roberto and their 3 kids! Maria and her daughter Romina came to church Sunday and absolutely loved it!! And just last night a miracle happened. Roberto Works in Rosario, so he is only here for the weekends and really has only recieved one lesson and some random visits from us. But he told us last night when he prayed, he recieved a feeling so strong that he Could not deny that th eBook of Mormón IS the Word of God, that it is true! They both accepted a baptisimal date for 24 of July! Oh this family is so Amazing!
I feel so truely blessed to be here and to feel so much love for these people! I didn´t know that I would want something so badly for someone else. We have another investigador, Rocio and her mom, Carolina, they both want to get baptized, but thier dad/husband refuses to allow them to do it. Please pray that his heart will be softened and he will understand the importance of this covenant. They were both crying because they know they need this in their lives. They said they are going to try to show him with their actions, praying, reading the scriptures, and going to church. My heart hurts for them and i know the only source of comfort is through pray.
I know that your prayers are heard and that you can relieve comfort from them! I love this work and i’m trying to Humble myself so that the spirit can work through me. I pray for your well being, physically and spiritually! I love you all.
Love Hermana Gibbons

Tanner: I just read that Autum got baptzed! Oh my goodness, what a blessing!! I hope the rest of your family is doing well! Tell Chelle that she is amazing! Miss you tons! I love you!

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #20

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 7:53 AM
Subject: Oh ya!

Hey Everyone!
I love the work of the Lord! We have met some amazing people in this last week. When you put a little effort and talk to the person walking next to you, miracles happen! We tried to put on an activity this weekend and we wanted it to be really good! We passed out flyers and had the whole ward helping out. We wanted to show the movie Charly(so sad, but way good!), but we needed to make money to rent a projector! So we made Pasta Froula (a type of cake!) and each of the kids were supposed to have one person that was going to buy them! 1st problem, there is no gas, and all the ovens and stoves are operated by gas! Ha so at first we had no place to cook them, luckily we have the church! 2nd problem, the day we did it was a huge thing in the schools for all the kids! So no one showed up to sell them and as missionaries we can´t! ha, but the lord provides and 3 girls showed up and sold almost all of them for us. We were really scared that we wouldn´t have enough money, but we had exactly what we needed! In all seriousness, not a penny (peso) more or less! The lord always provides!
We had a baptism this Saturday, the daughter of Betty and Salustiano, Celina! She is 15 and was so excited! Her little brother Alexi was also going to be baptized, but he came that day and said he would go to church every week if we didn´t make him get baptized. We don´t know what changed because he was so so excited, but all of his family members are in the church and are strong. So with time he´ll understand the importance!
Ok, everyone should read Alma 5! It has some questions that we should all ask ourselves. Are you prepared to meet God? Will you look into his eyes in the final day with joy, or in shame will you hid your eyes? Oh, and what does it mean to have his image in your countenance? I love my savior, and everyday and everytime I testify, I realize how much I need him, how lost we would be without him. Make sure we are giving thanks to him for all he has done! I love you all!
Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #19

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 9:50 AM
To: Bonnie Gibbons; Vince Gibbons
Subject: more goodies!

Hey all of you back home!!
So this has been a week of highs and way lows! My poor comp. Had a really bad day. We have been traveling a lot the past 3 weeks, zone conferences and tarde del milagros (we go to another area and work there so they can encounter a ton of new peple). We have slept on the floors, in buses and woken up way early and gone to bed way late. We’re a little off and also it makes it hard to get some good work done in our area. Anyways, after all this we forgot to set the alarm and woke up at 8:45 and for all you RM’s out there, thats pretty late! So we started out frantic, got our Studies done, but Hermana Redfern was not Feeling it. She said it was the first time in a long time that she has really just wanted to be home. In was pouring outside, the World cup game (ARG vs. NIG) was going on so the streets were even more deserted, and everything just kept falling through. Needless to say, it was a rough day! BUT we went and did! We worked when all we wanted was to be in homes with our friends and family! Because of this we saw miracles.
Our branch is still trying to learn how to be more unified, and we had a really fun activity! WE played the game signs, which is like one of my favorites to play! And they loved it and just had so much fun together. Also one of our investigators, Maria, told us that she was talking with her husband, and they love when we come. They feel good and know that we are here to help them. The next day she told us she prayed and read and knows that what we are teaching is true!!! Seriously, what a wonderful thing it is to hear when someone does their homework and has a testimony that these things are true!! Also, her husband let me help to uproot their tree! Ha it was a sight to see, me in a skirt with a shovel and an ax! Ha it was so much fun!! I love doing work like that and it was Amazing he let me help, men usually won’t let women here do work like that! Ha I loved it and so did their family! They got some Pictures of it, so i’ll try to send those next time!
MOSIAH 24:11-17 Remember to always pray even if you feel you are in a place that you can’t. If you let it, the spirit can always be with you. These people were told they would be put in prison if they prayed, so they prayed in their hearts because they knew it was that important. Also remember the Lord loves us, so he gives us trials. They help us grow and become more like him. Sometimes they feel like they last forever, but with god he wil ease our burdens, so we cannot feel them, strengthen, and so many other things. We’ll still have trials, but we can be happy through them! In verse 17, these people are freed. We must endure to the end, because the end is so important!
I love you all and I love this work! Please pray for the missionaries in the World! We need them, they give us strength and soften the hearts of our brethren!
Keep the faith!
Love Hermana Gibbons

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Aunt Stacie, Jordan, and Allison!!! I love you all so much and wish you Could hear me sing in my oh so high pitched voice singing happy birthday to you!! I hope they were the best days ever!

Uncle Marc: I’m not supposed to email anyone but my parents, sisters, and grandparents, but i really would like to keep in touch. So i’m asking my president for and exception. I hope you are doing well!! Te amo mucho y Argentina es el mejor! No puedo esperar a compartir todas nuestras historias juntos!!!

Linda Wilder: I would love to have you put together a scrapbook! I’ll be sending all my Pictures to my mom soon! So maybe you two can talk and get those all together! Yo are so sweet and i hope you are still Reading the book of mormon! I promise it is what you have been missing. It will make your life even better! Love you!

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #18

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 12:36 PM
To: Bonnie Gibbons
Subject: Weekly Goodies for Argentina

HOLA!

Hey everybody! I can´t believe another week has gone by! We have had some really awesome success. Our focus is to get people to enter into the chapel. It´s so important to get people to come to church, to feel the love of the members and to see that this is the true church of Jesus Christ! I love renewing my covenant every week and truely being forgiven of my sins once again. It's crazy how many times we have to repent, but we are definitely not perfect people. Thats why we have this chruch, to help fix us! To make us feel loved and welcomed and to talk with others who are in the same boat. Trying to become better people and follow the example of Christ, our perfect example.

We have been teaching Miguel, our 60 year old Hippie, who was progressing so well! He had a few problems that he completely stopped, but he still had a hard time with smoking. But what a change he went from 30 a day to 5 or less a day for 2 weeks. We went to him Tuesday though, and he dropped us. He said he was getting to used to us coming around and loved what we were teaching him. But he knows we are eventually going to leave, and he said he would get baptized, but would never go to church after that. We were grateful for his honesty and told him to continue to read the Book Of Mormon, but that we only baptize those that are willing to serve God and really want to do all they can for him. It was sad, because he was reading and praying and changing, maybe he'll be ready in a little bit longer, we planted a seed.

Cristina is so awesome, she has 7 kids all with different physical disabilities and she loves what we have to teach. She was really excited to come to church with us this sunday, but her "husband" (they're not really married but they all call each other spouses?) said she wasn´t allowed to go. He doesn´t mind that we come by and teach, so we'll see what we can do. She has a lot of family in our branch, so she might be able to get some help from that .

Also, the kids of Betty and Salustiano, who were baptized last week, finally commited to a date of baptism!!! and came to church this sunday!! Lots of parents here don´t really push their kids to do things, like they don´t make them get up in the morning, they all sleep in til 2 in the afternoon and i don´t, i´m just glad that school, church, and being healthy was always taught in my home! Thanks mom and dad. But this kids are so awesome! Celina and Alexi! Keep them in your prayers, they are set for the 19 of June!

We also taught the most awesome lesson this week! Alberto and Maria are the most amazing couple ever. They sweetly invited us into their home/yard (most of our lessons are outside with chairs, b/c their houses are very small and people don't always want us in their homes) and we taught them about the organization of Christ's chruch and how its important we are baptized like him (immersion, with the correct authority, age of accountability) and Alberto said, I think everyone should have the ability to baptize! We we're like you are right, every worthy male over the oge of 12 can posses the authority to baptize. Then we talked about repentance, and he doesn´t believe that he should have to go to someone else, who is not perfect, and confess his sins (they're catholic). You're right!!! we only need to confess our sins to God! He was like, of all the different religions we have listened to, you are the one we like the best! It was so awesome! The reason he likes our church is because it is the church of Jesus Christ, it is perfectly organized and makes sense!

I love this Gospel! We are still working with Maxi, 20 years old, awesome kid, still doesn´t believe in God and it's really difficult for him to even try and pray to see if he is there. He wants to know something because He keeps coming to all of our citas! Please pray for him, pray that he will pray and know that God loves him! Ha, he invites all his friends to our appointments, we've taught like 6 of his friends now.

There is a lot of work to do here in Santa Elena and it is a tiny town. Its amazing to me how many people are missing this knowledge in their lives! Remember your neighbors, the people you work with and maybe your family memebers. There are so many people that NEED this, this is their salvation! Don't be afraid to share your testimony!

Also, remember, you may be a member, but we need nourishment everyday! How is your scripture study?? Nephi said....

7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the ^aunbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the ^bstiffneckedness of men; for they will ^cnot search ^dknowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in ^eplainness, even as plain as word can be.

Ya i still have trouble understanding things, but its amazing what we can learn when we actually study! put some time aside for the Lord everyday, really its for you! And read and pray. I promise you, your days, weeks, years, will be so much happier!

I love you all! Keep the faith!

Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #17

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Monday, May 31, 2010 8:03 AM
To: Bonnie Gibbons; Vince Gibbons
Subject: weekly goodies from Argentina!

Hey Family and Friends!

What a wonderful week, full of water! No seriously, it rained a ton AND we had 2 baptisms this weekend! Betty and Salustiano! They are so amazing. This couple has been investigating this church since January and Hma. Redfern dropped them a while back. A member was prompted to tell us we should go stop by and they happily invited us into their home. They are amazing and bore such sweet and simple testimonies at their baptism. Betty asked us, why do people always testify that they know that this is the true church. She came up to me after she bore testimony of the same thing and said, I understand now, I feel it in my soul and my heart!

I too want to say that I know without a doubt that this is the true church. It is the same church that Jesus himself established. We have that same authority to baptize and to be sealed to our families for time and all eternity. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only church with this priesthood authority. I know that God loves us and worries about us. We can pray to him always! And HE WILL answer, so ask him for guidance!

I was reading in mosiah, about baptism because we wanted to explain the covenant we make with our Heavenly Father. I don´t know if we as members realize how profound of a covenant it is!

Mosiah 18:13

And when he had said these words, the ^aSpirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having ^bauthority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the ^dfoundation of the world.

Serve him until you are dead! And then you will receive such amazing blessings! I know that you are all busy, but remember that God is more important. I ask you to reflect on your baptisimal covenant this week and then let the spirit speak to you when you renew your covenant when partaking of the bread and water.

I love you all and thank you for your prayers!

God be with you til we meet again!

Love Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #16

From: Amanda Gibbons

Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 1:19 PM
To: Bonnie Gibbons
Subject: Oh the mission! LOVE IT!

Wow, this was a tough week. Lots of rain and many people with closed hearts. It´s crazy how some people will have the truth right in front of them, agree with it, but still reject it! I just hope at sometime they will be able to open their hearts and come unto Christ. I know that if we are on the Lord’s side we will be saved in the last days, when the Wars are Raging and the World is getting worse.

I know that life is really a tough thing, but one thing i know is that i am happier, healthier and have more time to do the things i want when I have put the Lord first. I just read in an ensign article “But when we immerse ourselves in the scriptures regulary and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come!” What a wonderful blessing. To have a more spiritual and uplifting life as well as be blessed with all areas of our lives to fall into place.

We have to work each day to have a testimony. President Kimball said, “don’t forget it! You have to fight for a testimony! You have to keep fighting!” The world is getting worse, and people all around are telling you that living the life of God is wierd or wrong. Don’t let them into your head. Remember that this is the time to prepare to meet God, not to be bad and do wrong, and then right b/4 we die, ask for forgiveness. If we want to live with God and with our families, we have to fight. As Nephi said, we are but a few people, but the anger of the Lord will desend upon the wicked and the righteous will prevail! To change is difficult and it’s not instant, like everything else is in this world, but I promise you the blessings will come! Your life will be better, pray, read, go to church. Do the simple things that really matter and life will be SO MUCH BETTER!

I give thanks everyday for being on the mision and all those years of coaches making me run. Thank you for you kind words and for your support. Continue to pray for the missionaries. As my good friend just wrote to me, there are 4 million members and Orly 51,000 missionaries and The prophet and the 12 with this oficial calling to be missionaries. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Ha. Keep the faith my Brothers and sisters. I pray the Lord will continue to bless your life!

Until next week,

Hermana Gibbons

Argentina - Santa Elena Letter #15

From: Amanda Gibbons
Sent: Monday, May 17, 2010 1:13 PM
To: Bonnie Gibbons
Subject: Santa Elena

Howdy!

Man another week in the field! What an awesome thing to experience! We have had some random lessons this week, but first we are teaching Christian, he is 21 and just an amazing kid! At one of our lessons we asked him why he was allowing us to come into his home and he said’ “I want to progress, I want to know more about God, and I don’t want to sin anymore.” He came to church this Sunday, alone and early. It’s Amazing what the spirit can do for people when they hear the truth. I love that the Lord prepares people. Me and my Comp asked eachother, what kind of 21 year-old is searching for this. We asked him to keep the law of chastity and he said he was going t oread the pamphlet with his girlfriend. Then Friday we taught him the Word of wisdom and he didn´t drink this weekend!

We also met Miguel’ he is a 60 man who acts like he’s 6. Very prideful and invited us over to teach us J Anyways, we somehow broke through his wall and the spirit touched his heart. He asked us to come again. We taught him from the Bible (b/c he says he doesn´t like our bible) and showed him the importante of baptism and that babies have no need of it b/c it is Only for the remission of sins. You Could see it touch his heart, he´d soften for a second and then fight it. He is a hoot andi s learning, He wants to g oto church but just doesn’t have the “ganas” (as they say here) to do it yet. Pray that we can continue to find a way to bring Christ io his heart.

The craziest lesson was with this family who just happend to be related to a girl we have seen on the street at least 10 times in the last two weeks (Giselda). She was really angry with us the first time we met, but we’ve softened her up a bit. Anyways the dad had a friend over and they were both drinking. Their friend was crazy, kept asking us if we wanted to be his girlfirends and then said he had a picture of Joseph Smith, he went and got it, but it turned out to be Jesus Christ. Then there was 5 kids running around screaming and the parents were laughing really loud. While all this was going on Giselda was asking the best questions ever! And she was saying that she d´t like the catholic church b/c they worship saints (against the 10 commandments), where do the "sacerdocios" get their authority...on and on. She is looking for this church because it is The Church of Jesus Christ, it´s what is taught in the bible. Anyways she reluctanly agreed to meet with us again after fighting with all the craziness around us!

I love this work and I love lerning more and more of the things i need to work on! Matthew 17:20, i love love this scripture. When i got baptized i recieved a necklace with a mustard seed. I know that by small things, a little bit of faith, we can move mountains. Trust in the Lord, I know life is hard and we have so much to do, but if we put him first, do things for others, he will give you the time to get things done and the strength to get through it. I love you all and pray for you. I'm trying to workwith all my might and love to see the spirit touch the hearts of others! Keep the faith ALWAYS!

Love,

Hermana Gibbons