Hey Everyone!!

This week, we got highly involved with the members when the relief society presidency and primary presidency completely changed, including my convert, Ana Maria, as relief society first counselor... The ward has a new desire to work hard to find the inactives and help with the obra misional. As a result, we got 2 new weekly lunch appointments and 3 new assigned less active families. Put that with a litany of recent converts as well as our duties to find and teach our investigators, you can see that we have had our work cut out for us.

Funny story: We are still working with Natalia and her family, trying to teach her husband and child, and stumbled upon her brother and law, Fabian who had a baptismal date at one point, but could not give up smoking. He lives with Natalia, so we had a little plan to make sure he got to church Sunday. We already promised Natalia that we were going to look for her and her family and we got there and sent her children to jump on Fabian´s bed to wake him up for church... With a little push and shove and the shouting of children, Fabian groggingly got to church this sunday... one more step to guarding the word of wisdom, and on to baptism... (we hope.)

Well, Sorry this one is short, but I am out of time... Love ya.
Hermana Tritsch

Hey everyone!!!

Lots of Love and news:

This week, my mini went home and Hermana Lila Madariaga came from Goya to work with me here. She is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, although her English is a million times better than my Spanish. She has only been on a mission for a little over two months, and I am her second companion (Madrastra, asi dicen). She is really smart and friendly and we seem to work well together. She helps me refine my language, develop a better accent, and encourages me to be more obedient. The funny thing is, that she knew who I was long before I knew her.

Before my mission, (with the help of my dad) she stumbled upon this blog and read it and found out many details about me and my experiences. Its a little disconcerting when you begin to tell a mission story and she already knows it.... jaja. But its great... lots of laughs.

But we work hard and study hard together... we had record numbers this week with 19 new investigators and 6 references contacted. Arguably the best numbers I have ever had in my mission. I know that God put us together for a reason...

We made leaps and bounds with Natalia, the woman who had been attending church but did not know how to read well.... This week we were trying to put a baptismal date with her for the 26th of June but when we gave her the commitment she asked us if the baptism that she had when she was a girl still worked... Many people tell us that they have already been baptized because they do not understand that the baptisms of other faiths really don´t work for God... only the faiths that have the authority to do it, so we were not immediately alarmed.

So we began to ask her questions about her baptism to clarify... what age were you baptized? how was it done? do you remember anyone putting their hands on your head later? and the and the answers were all correct... that she had been baptized in Candelaria (another branch) when she was 12 years old. she remembers elders with tags and filmstrips, and a bunch of men putting their hands on her head... and lo and behold, our progressing investigator, really is not an investigator at all, but really and INACTIVE MEMBER!!! NO WONDER SHE WAS SO RECEPTIVE! jaja.

So now we are working to reactivate her and are teaching her husband and oldest son (the only one that is old enough to baptize) How´s that for a drastic change of events. I am happy that she is a member, but at the same time, I am a little dissapointed because she was our only progressing investigator.

We also started teaching two girls Maria and Damaris, two 17 year old girls that the missionaries taught in this past year, but could not get baptized because their parents refused to give them permission (thats an understatement...) They turn 18 at the end of the year, and thus will not need parental permission to baptize, and their friend Luci, a member asked us in their behalf to teach them again... I first knew them algunas meses atras, and I remeber feeling like they were already members because they had a spirit about them. We know that they will get baptized, either now or when they turn 18, but we are trying to make it so when they do get baptize that it will not destroy their families. I see them and hear their stories and I feel like I have heard it before... Its resoundingly similar to that of Dad´s.

They came to church in secret yesterday... I hope it does not blow up later.

I love you all very much and thanks for all of your letters.

Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Greetings from the trenches of Suburban Posadas!!!

This week, we worked super hard trying to get everything back to normal after a week of no work for the sickness of Hermana Loria... I am soo tired,,,, and my mini too. We go to bed early almost every day.... plan... brush teeth... pray... sleep.... repeat the next night. I am learning a ton from her and how to teach better because she does not know anything... a nuevita would know the charlas... but minis come in, and if they happen to have or have read or even know about preach my gospel its a good thing...

I love Hermana Stein, don´t get me wrong... she is awesome... a hard worker and has a willingness to learn, but I am trying to develop more patience... that christlike attribute always needs developing, so it seems.

But the work continues... I am a firm believer that the gospel is so strong that it can overcome the petty mistakes that I make... well, I hope so anyway.

We are working hard with Familia Mancuello... A family that was born and raised in the circus. The mother, Maria, is really awesome... she is not afraid to ask her questions, which is a really big sign of interest... Her daughters Yamila y Yanina are also listening, and two friends of theirs, Noelia and Angel are also escuchando las charlas. Every time we go over there, its all jokes and giggles... Yamila and Yamila are "little people" and work in a functioning circus that is about to open, so we get to hear all about it.

Noelia has a great desire to know why she is here in the world, and is eagerly reading the Book of Mormon to find out why.

Saturday we took them to see a baptism and they really enjoyed it!!! Some of the members were suprised to see them(you can imagine) but every one treated them well and were really exited to see them... Especially Hermano Tau, who gave us their names as a reference. Its really fun to teach them, and I am so exited to see them progress. Its a new experience, and if they are to get baptized, there is alot of work to do.... (Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity above all) but I know that if this is something that they really want to do, that they will become strong converts in the church... I am sure of it.

We are also teaching a woman named Natalia, she is really awesome... has a strong desire to change, and has been coming to church for the past few weeks... Its hard for her to read, so we are taking everything slow and steady, so she can remember and understand everything. Sin embargo, she loves coming to church, even though her head still hangs really low when she is there... I know that she will come to baptize in time, and I hope I can be here to see it.

I love Ya,
Hermana Tritsch