Hola, Everyone!

I´ve officially graduated from training!! Well, of sorts. Hermana Schmutz, my trainer got transferred and will bake all summer in Formosa, and I am still here in Ituzaingó. Its weird being without her… But I guess I knew this day would come. Here, turning everything I learned about how to do missionary work on its head is Hermana Camila Alejandra Araya Casanova from La Serena, Chile.

They say that Hermana Araya is my Madastra, or stepmother, because she is the companion I have directly after my trainer, or my mission mother. I am her 12th companion, third stepdaughter (yes… that’s a lot of companions for a Hermana) and probably her last, as she goes back home to her friends and family in the Chilean coast. If we stay together this transfer and the next, then, as they say, I will kill her. (not really… it just means that after me, she won´t be a missionary anymore.)

She is sooo awesome though. She is the queen of getting references from people and getting prople to come with us to lessons. Two days ago, we had an almuerzo with Familia Rodriguez and she got 4 references and 4 lessons with member scheduled in a matter of 10 minutes! That’s more than Hermana Schmutz and I would get in a week! She is also very knowledgeable about the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and I feel lucky to have her as my companion and the chance to learn from her more.

She´s also loca.

Her favorite pastimes include, eating, making fun of people´s accents in Spanish, Singing the English hymns (but she can´t pronounce the words, and she knows it, so she just makes them up), and teaching me Chilena. She also likes to infuse English slang into her Spanish words. Its kind of funny because she sometimes uses them incorrectly. She also likes breaking out into random songs in the middle of conversations. Yes, my companion has a soundtrack…

She refuses to teach me Castellano, the type of Spanish they speak here, but everyone says that as I learn Chilena, the type of Spanish they speak in Chile, that my Castellano has improved by leaps and bounds.

I am also helping her with her English. I am still teaching English Classes, even though Hermana Schmutz is not here anymore, and my companion is one of the students. She is constantly asking me the English words for things, and when we read Manual Misional (Missionary Handbook) together, she reads in English and I read in Spanish.

I rarely speak English now, or at least, not nearly as much as I did with Hermana Schmutz. Nearly my whole day is in Castellano, and I even surprise myself in how much I have learned and can understand of the people when they speak.

A few days ago, we were having lunch in a restaurant, and overheard a conversation where it was mostly Spanish, but every so often, I would hear the same thing repeated in English, and knew that they were tourists. As we were leaving, I said, ``Enjoy your time here!´´ In English and his head jolted and he was so relieved that someone spoke English. He was from Canada, and I couldn´t believe it! I COULD NOT HAVE A CONVERSATION COMPLETELY IN ENGLISH!

My mind and my words drifted in and out of Spanish like it was nothing! I told them that I had learned Spanish here and had only been speaking for five months and the woman, who was from Ituzaingó and his wife said, ``Bob, I have been trying to get you to learn Spanish for 15 years and she speaks well after 5 months!!´´ Needless to say, I was feeling fairly confident in myself after that.

I am still anxious that I don´t know my area well enough, but I am working on it, and I haven´t found myself too terribly lost yet. I can feel that Hermana Araya and I will have much success together, and I will have a riot of a time learning much from Hermana Araya.

I miss you all so much, and Zack… its going to be okay… you are going to love the MTC. Just remember to check every so often that you are breathing normal until you get to the MTC. And just think! Every Wednesday and Sunday there is Ice Cream sundaes with ice cream from the BYU creamery. So when in doubt, drown your sorrows in the creamy goodness.

Also, When I was at the MTC, I was on the 4th floor of 18m. On the same floor of those who are ASL missionaries. So, when the cabin fever gets really bad about the 5th or 6th week in, remember that Jared and I were there… pacing the same halls… feeling the same way. And don’t forget to email me… I KNOW YOU CAN.

Love,
Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Hey all! Its me again!

Thanks for all your letters of support and love... I hadn´t got any emails, but last district meeting, I got a stack of letters through the post, I guess they all arrived at the same time. I am doing my best to write back, so please be patient with me.

Hace muchisimo calor ahora... like 100 degrees, with like 100 percent humidity. and we still have to work the hottest part of the day, during the siesta, until december. Thankfully we have our fans (Cornelius and Linus, named by Hna Schmutz) and our water cooler(Ivan). I have inherited a sun hat from Hna Glade, Hermana Schmutz´s old companion (now honorably stateside). Just trying my hardest to not die this summer. The good thing is that I have lost lots of weight, and by the time the summers over, I am sure that I will loose more.

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In our rama, the missionaries also double as activities committee. I really don´t see where that is in the job description, but ya esta. All last week, we were planning a primaria/obra misional activity for Halloween (or Noche de las Brujas (night of the witches)) We spent hours planning with Hermana Gomez to put together a night of fun and games and sweets, and for the first time in recollective mission history for either one of us, it was successful! we had investigators, community members, and church members to help. all said and done, we had about 30ish kids, and 15ish jovenes/adults.

Noemi even came with her son Augustin, and suprise! Her marido Cesar came too. Maybe him seeing the capilla will soften his heart a little.

Hermana Schmutz and I even dressed up as witches. (again the cyber is giving me problems with my pictures... grr... Its kind of touch-and-go with the machinas... I will probably send another CD pretty soon, mom.)

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We get the transfer call tomorrow. We think that Hermana Schmutz will go because during our last interview with president, he thanked her for her service in Ituzaingó and asked me if I knew the area. We are way anxious. Hermana Schmutz is way triste all the time, and I have a big fear that when she leaves, everything is going to fall into catastrophe, and I am going to do something stupid and lose all of our investigators.

She says that most missionaries that stay in one place for as long as she has, get cabin fever and want to leave, but she is different. She wants another transfer in Ituzaingó. More likely is that she will go to Formosa and bake. But who knows, Presidente could throw everything for a loop and send ME to Formosa (I shudder at the thought...)

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We put a Fecha Bautismal with Griselda. Well, half a fecha. She didn´t say no, only that she would pray about it, she wants to make sure its for her and not for us. But we have faith that everything will be okay. She accepted our desafio to obey the Word of Wisdom, and she and her marido, Emilio, are going to try to obey it together. Who knows, if the Holy Ghost will help us, we might be able to baptize her and Emilio at the same time. They still have much to learn and much to do (like get married) but it could very well lead to our next baptism. Fingers Crossed, check that, arms crossed (like prayer, get it? Get it?)

(Love that cheesy missionary humor that makes no sense)

Miss ya much. I love you all, and look forward to reading more news from the homefront.

-La Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Hey Mom and Dad and Everyone!!

This week might be a little short because time is short right now... We went to meet up with our zone today to visit some waterfalls (not the Iguazu Falls tiny ones, but it was fun anyway... )and las Ruinas de San Ignacio today... My first time since coming here that I was allowed to look like a proper tourist... I did not even have to wear proselyting clothes

Well... We went to the falls, (they were awesome, wish I could add pictures, and I will send them sooner or later, but I forgot my card reader...sorry) but when we got to the ruinas they were going to charge us like 30 pesos just because we were Norteamericanos, and the other missionaries didn´t want to pay, so we just had fun doing a bit of shopping and bargaining... I didn´t buy much, but Hermana Schmutz was a genius at the whole bargaining thing and taught me how to do it. Kind of dissapointed though... really wanted to see the ruinas, maybe I will get another chance some other time.)

Now we are feverishly writing in the cyber in the Posadas Bus terminal racing our bus that will take us back to Ituzaingó. If we don´t we will miss some pretty crucial citas, so here we are.... hoping we won´t misspell anything too bad.

Yesterday was one for the record books. We had consigned ourselves to having pretty rotten numbers yesterday, because Hermana Galbraith and Valenzuela, other Hermanas in our district, asked us to come to posadas early and help them with their activity, so we reluctantly wrote like 5 lessons taught and no new investigators. We would leave very soon after church and would really have no time for proselyting.

We left in the morning in a hurry to find Noemi, a woman who we were teaching and had a fecha... but by the time we got to church, Hermana Lita, a member of the ward, brought two new investigators... and then randomly in the middle of Priesthood/Relief Society, this drunk twenty-something Named Raoul wanders into the capilla, probably straight from the boliche (dance club) and says that he always wanted to come into the chapel but never felt he could and now he had the guts... We, wanting to be inviting to everyone, lead him straight to priesthood, where, oddly enough, he was warmly welcomed.

In Gospel Principles, Noemi, Gaucho José, the two friends of Hermana Lita, Hermana Lita, Raoul, and Us are all crammed into the small gospel principles room for one of the biggest showings we ever had.

In sacrament meeting, Raoul hit on, then fell asleep on Noemi, causing all of us to bust up laughing...Talk about bad reverence examples. Fillipa, one of the friends of Hermana Lita, got really emotional during church, and left during sacrament meeting.

Needless, to say, by the end of church, we had got return citas with them all, and counted them as three new investigators on the first day that we planned to get none.

Talk about God watching out for you and giving you blessings when you least expect it and the form that you least expect.

Love ya all, wish I could write more, but the bus is coming.
-Hermana Tritsch

Hope everything is going very well in the states as I write from the hot confines of the Macau cyber in Ituzaingó, Corrientes.

This week was an adventure and a half, to say the least, as I mended from my nightmare of a cold. Because as soon as I was on the mend, my poor compi inherited the same sickness... except for worse... because she was so worse off that she could not walk, let alone work, and we spent most of the afternoon Tuesday in the pension as she slept... Between the two of us, we had produced a missionary´s weight in snot... But we are all okay now.

This made evident by us setting a companionship record on Saturday by teaching 21 lessons in one day. We went to bed tired as ever, and slept hard, knowing we did good work.

Thursday, Hermana Sena, the same woman that fed me cow face, decided to treat us with a nice healthy helping of cow stomach... Mondongo as its called. They did not tell me what it was at first, but I kind of guessed as I smelled it... It smelled and looked like the Zoo. The worst part was that she and her mother were happily feasting on baked chicken and rice as we were suffering through it. The thing is, Mondongo is really expensive, so when you are served it, its a big sacrifice for the family, so you just have to find a way to choke it down if you can. Hermana Schmutz and I were still fairly sick, so we got away without having to eat too much, though.

Sunday morning, was Dia de la Madre in Argentina, and saddened that we couldn´t call our mothers because it was not Mothers day in our own country, we started the day by hunting down one of our menos activos, Juana Baez. We get to her house, and she is already to go, which is a good sign, because we normally wake up people we drop by to take them to church. Then we are walking, and we are almost there, but we needed to pass by Noemi, one of our investigator´s house, to pick up her and her son, so we ask if we can meet her there, she agrees, and we run off to collect Noemi. We get to church with Noemi and Juana Baez does not show up... between the five minutes it takes to get to the chapel from where we left her, she must have got lost or something because she never showed up. I sure hope she is okay. We are going to visit her later this week.

The church services were the day of Hermanas Misioneras, because Presidente Mohor and half the rama went out of town for Dia de la Madre and in their place we were assigned... everything. We taught the relief society lesson, taught the activity in Primary (making handprints of the kids for the moms on mother´s day) and gave the talks in sacrament meeting. It was a headache and a half, running back and forth doing everything, and my first talk in Spanish was probably a disaster but I really don´t know enough spanish to know if it was a disaster or not. I had never been so nervous for a talk in my life.

Today, we went to the casa of Flia Gomez, and Hermana Gomez taught us how to make empanadas and the tapa (dough) from scratch. They were fantastic, and I can´t wait to share it when I get back from Argentina. The key? Pig fat. We also made them a chocolate cake as a gift for all they have done to help us in the obra misional from the recipe that Dad sent me. In fact, they are the fourth family we have made a chocolate cake. Everyone wants the recipe and I still have to translate it. Its a fantastic recipe and it bakes really well, but I really don´t want to see another piece of chocolate cake for awhile.

I am gaining my footing here. Its hard at times, and I don´t know what to do, but I feel more and more comfortable as the days continue. One thing I have learned is that you can prepare and sacrifice and pray for the Holy Ghost to be with you when you teach, but if the investigator does not want to feel it, or refuses to recognize it, it really does not matter. Thats our job as missionaries, to help people come to the desire to have the gospel change them, then the Holy Ghost and Christ can do the rest.

I urge everyone to let the Holy Ghost touch you and change you, its the first step to allowing Christ to save you.

All my love,
Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Hey Everyone!!

Here I sit with my companion at my side, reporting on the weeks activities from the cyber in the middle of Ituzaingó. Its a pretty spring day, but the summer heat comes quickly, and I am in store for one of the hottest christmases I have ever had, I am sure. The heat, though brings the people out of the woodworks and onto the streets, and we have a goal this week to find investigadores nuevos, and we are firm in the faith and in our minds to achieve our goal.... si o si.

Last week, we got to see the baptism of José Balmacera, a gaucho from the campo... He was really golden because he was quick to recognize the spirit and the truthfullness of the message, he just had a little problem remembering what we had taught him, he is a 55 year old man who looks MUCH older than he is, and has many heart problems, But with much fasting and prayer, he sailed through his entrevista with ease, and enjoyed a simple servicio bautismal that was smooth and easy... no problems at all. We are sooo happy for him, and the spirit was strong, sweet and simple, both during the baptism and during his ordination yesterday... I am so glad I got to witness it, and that I could be part of it all.





I have been sick lately... The weather can´t decide what it wants to be, and so it changes regularly. I had a very nasty cold, and am running out of american over-the-counter sudafed, but luckily I am on the mend... I just work through it. No time to take it easy when there are people to teach and lives to change with the miracle of the restored gospel.

I really love it here in Ituzaingó. Its like the place that worry forgot... this tiny little beach town, where people still drink out of glass bottles, and sit around talking for hours about everything and nothing at the same time. Where people would rather fix what they have than buy it new, and find pride in the simplest of homes – because they built it themselves. Everyone has motos, or walks everywhere... and only the very wealthy have cars. The people are very humble, and willing to listen...

The only trouble is that it is hard to change, and there are not many who want to change. When we contact on the street, nearly everybody lets us pass by, but when they find out that being mormon is hard, they give up, and only wish to be our friends.

But we do find people who are willing to go the extra mile, they are good, and worth waiting for.

Miss you all dearly, sorry this one is a little shorter.
-Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Here is another entry to the life and times of Las Hermanas Misioneras Tritsch and Schmutz:

Happiness reigns following the miracle of General Conference this past weekend… I love having my birthday right before conference… It makes me feel as if I am recieving God´s word for a birthday present… Truly impressed as always with Elder Holland´s firm and stalwart testimony of the living divinity of the Book of Mormon. I know its not really kosher to have a favorite apostle, but he ranks very high in my list. Probably just shy of the prophet himself. I love all of his talks, especially recently. I felt the spirit so strong, I forgot to take notes… Mental Note: Get this when a printed version is available.

I love conference, and even more now since I am a missionary. It seemed as if every word of every talk was directed toward missionary work... both in and outside of the home.

The members watched it in Castellano in the chapel while Hermana Schmutz and I cheerfully camped out in the primary room in front of a small TV playing in English... The funny thing was that many of the youth and primary children decided that they were too cool for spanish, and decided to hang out with us. Surely they could not understand the conference, but they could understand the spirit, and it was wonderful to know that they loved us enough to listen to conference with us.

With the end of conference, Hermana Schmutz and I decided to shift our focus onto the menos activos and familias en que todos no son miembros. (less active and part-member families) We will work on a very strong impression of Hermana Schmutz, and we know that we will be able to recieve our meta (goal) of 5 more baptisms by the end of the year by working with them because less active families and part member families usually know more people to teach. We were kind of hesitant at first, because it means that our reports will be lower than normal, because we are not working purely with investigators, but we think it will help bring people back from inactivity, unite families, fill the capilla, and help with rama unity.

We ask that you pray for us in our efforts, that they will recieve us, and we will be successful in our endeavors.

José Balmaceda, gets baptized this Saturday and we are sooo exited. With our last lesson with him, he prayed with us for the first time with him voicing the prayer. It was so awesome and the spirit was so strong. His prayer went something like this:

Padre Celestial (Heavenly Father)
Gracias por... (Thanks for...)
Te pido por... (I ask thee for...)
En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen. (In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.)

No content... really said nothing, but he said it with so much reverence and respect for God, that we could not deny that he had really prayed, and that Heavenly Father had truly listened. It was amazing.

He taught that it really does not matter what we say, as long as it is sincere and with pure intent. God will listen.... ALWAYS:


I miss all of you terribly, and I want you all to know that I am thinking of you.

-Hermana Sarah Tritsch

PS Cynthia and Anastasia, If you read this blog, I have letters for you but do not know where to send them since you went off and got married to your fiancees... please send me an email with your new addresses, so you can get my letter.

Hey all!

Here to report that Ituzaingó is not done with me yet! I finished my first transfer, and Hermana Schmutz and I are still companions… YAY! Still teachin´ lessons and takin´ names… We are working hard to serve the people here and are enjoying a measure of success.

The missionary work here progresses faster and faster every day and we are seeing many of our key investigators progressing very rapidly… Our closet-Mormon Mauricio secretly falls in love with the gospel of Jesus Christ more and more every day, and we can see the big changes that the gospel has brought him in his life, and we pray every day that he gets the courage to notice the changes too. His friends, Luz and Lucas, both members, (and lucas, mission bound) create a nice niche for him to be too.

Our Fecha Bautismal with José fell through... sad but true... because he got called to work in the campo again... We think he has got a big piece of land that he co-owns with some other men. However, we rescheduled his baptism for the 10th of October and are somewhat thankful for the extra time to assure he understands every principle. The good thing is that for his work last weekend, he solidified the fact that he was not going to be called last minute the weekend of the tenth. See? God does work in mysterious ways.

Happiness comes to those who are anxiously waiting for conference. I LOVE doing missionary work around conference times because it completes the pattern of revelation... God called prophets biblically, he called Joseph Smith to be a prophet in 1820 and today, now you can listen to a modern-day prophet that gives us counsel for our modern day problems and difficulties, and in the first fin de semana en Octubre usted puede ver el profeta hoy y escuchar sus palabras por su mismo. Its great.... and about 10ish investigators promised to come to the broadcast in our little capilla.

Its a totally happy thing...

Speaking of happy things Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes! :) :) :) :) :) Birthday celebrations started early this year when Hermana Mohor, the branch president´s wife threw me a mini-party on Sunday.

Then today, the 28th, I shared two cakes with Hermana Sena (its her birthday too) at her little fiestita. We made a chocolate tortita (little cake) for her and she made a torta grandiosa for my birthday. Imagine a cake where there is a chocolate layer, then peaches in the middle, a lemon layer, covered in dulce de leche (caramel-like substance) and then covered in sprinkles. Topped with a firecraker. It was a sight to see...

And then tomorrow, Hermana Fortunato and Hermana Fantini both want to make me a cake.... I feel like I am swimming in birthday cake.

Its so nice to know that I am loved here and that people have their eyes out for us and take care of us... And I had a false impression that my birthday tomorrow will be a lonely one. It might just be the biggest one I have ever had...

This week we are going to focus on giving baptismal desafios (challenges) and working in and around general conference. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, suprisingly, is really popular here... with members and nonmembers alike, so Hermana Dirie and Hermana Fortunato are trying to get their friends to come by advertising the choir. Hopefully it works.

Its so wonderful to be here on a mission... Its still so surreal that I am wearing the black tag and serving my Heavenly Father... Sometimes I feel like I got here yesterday, and sometimes its hard for me to remember what it was like to NOT be on a mission... and I have only been on a mission for a little less than 4 months... I can´t even imagine what its like for someone who is nearly done.

I love you all, and if you are reading this and have any idea who Kira Johnson is, I want everyone to tell her that Hermana Sarah Tritsch says ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! (We are birthday twins 5 years apart...)

Love you all. You are always in my prayers.

-Hermana Sarah Tritsch