This is my first post, nearly 2 years after I have returned from La Gran Mision Argentina Resistencia.  Just an update:  The mission is now split! Thanks to a monumental revelation given regarding the minimum age for missionaries (18 for men and 19 (from 21) for women)  the world wide missionary force has increased to well over 60,000 and the number of missions, with the new additions, to over 400.  What a miracle.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765623191/LDS-Church-announces-creation-of-58-new-missions.html?pg=all

As I served 15 of my 18 Months of my mission in what would now be the new Mision Argentina Posadas,  I wanted to put this update for all future missionaries that may be serving in the new mission.

If you want to find out about that area, please read all posts up to 69.  Have Fun!

Posadas is my Argentinian home and you will love it.  It is so lush and beautiful, and the people are so friendly and the church is growing so well.  Enjoy every minute of it, and I know that you will learn to love Posadas and its surrounding area as much as I do.

Viva La Tierra Colorada!

(Former) Hermana Sarah Tritsch

Testimonio de Honorable
Hermana Sarah Jennifer Tritsch

Yo nunca pensaba que yo iba a escribir mi Testimonio de Honorable, pero como me he sentado escribir eso, me doy cuenta de los grandes milagros que he visto y he tomado parte. No soy una que “bautizó cada semana” o menos “bautizó cada mes,” pero no niega los milagros que han pasado y sé que mis esfuerzos no son en vanos.
Agradezco a mi Señor por esta gran oportunidad que me ha dado para servir en lo mejor, La Gran Misión Argentina Resistencia.

Yo recuerdo mi primera entrevista con Presidente del Castillo. El me preguntó lo que quería yo de mi misión, y yo le dije que quería regresar honorable de verdad. No solamente alguien que termina sus 18 meses y ya esta, pero honorable de verdad. El me prometió que yo lo haría solamente si yo lo quería. Espero realmente haberlo logrado, pero tal vez, solamente el Señor realmente lo sabe si yo he logrado o no.

Yo creo firmemente que la misión es el herramienta que Padre celestial usa para cambiar chicos a hombres y chicas a mujeres – personas listas para ser parte del Reino de Dios. En mi mismo, puedo ver eso, también. Me siento muchísimo mas preparada para seguir con la vida, ser esposa, y eventualmente mamá – la “dos-mil-joven” tipo de madre que Dios necesita que seamos en un mundo que esta cayendo un poco mas peor en cada momento.

Recuerdo muchas veces en mi misión que sentí que estamos empujando un gran roca, y aún que empujamos y empujamos sentimos que no hay progreso, porque la obra es muy grande, hasta que miramos atrás y nos damos cuenta del estado de nuestros músculos y regocijamos en el progreso que hemos hecho, y solo nos falta muy poco hasta que revolce… y eso nos hace felices. Solo hay que seguir empujando, para que cubra toda esta tierra como la roca cortada sin manos.

Yo sé sin duda que Nuestro Padre Celestial tiene su santa mano en esta parte de su viña. El esta trabajando fervorosamente porque ya es tiempo de la cosecha, y tiempo, hay muy poco.

Tenía yo, una compañera que siempre decía, “El Señor no nos necesita en su obra, sino que nosotros necesitamos ser parte.” Solamente ahora estoy empezando a comprender lo que ella quería decir.

Nosotros no servimos en donde y como somos más capaces a servir sino en el lugar que es mejor para nuestro progreso, no necesariamente el progreso de la obra. La obra de Dios siempre va a progresar porque él puede hacer todo. Por eso, el llama a los hombres en sus debilidades y los califica para la obra. Entonces, obramos, sacrificamos, transpiramos y a veces sentimos que todo es en vano, pero se que Dios esta contento cuando dimos nuestro mejor esfuerzo.

Yo sé que nuestro Padre Celestial me ama y porque me ama me ha dejado venir en la misión. Sé que Jesucristo es el Hijo de Dios y el autor de esta gran obra y agradezco a Él por poner su confianza en una ser imperfecta como yo.

Yo sé que Jesucristo vive, y cada cosa que nos dicen los profetas nos ayuda allegarnos más a Él. Yo testifico que las palabras santas en el Libro de Mormón son verdaderas. Sé que nos muestran todo que tenemos que hacer.
Agradezco a manos inspiradas que compilaron, tradujeron, y trajeron ese libro maravilloso de luz. Sin ese libro, no podemos saber quien es Jesucristo realmente y lo que realmente tenemos que hacer para que su expiación sea parte de nuestras vidas.

Ellos dicen que lo que realmente hace una misionera buena o mala es lo que hacen después. Espero que cuando saque mi pollera larga y placa y me vista en mis jeanes preferidos que mi conducta muestre la tipa de misionera que soy y pueda vivir según los convenios que he hecho acá y en el templo del Señor.

Seguro vendrán tiempos difíciles, pero si hagamos nuestro parte, Él siempre estará a nuestro lado.

En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amén.

I am counting down the weeks and I realized I am running out of weeks. Thanks so much for reading my blog... It means a ton that you read it.

I feel strange.... I am packing my bags, but it still does not seem real... like a dream, really.

This week we pulled the big guns out on Julia. There is a Missionary couple here that is in charge of making our district a stake, (Matrimonio Larsen, from Lehi, Utah) and they joined us for a lesson on faith... and how to take the big leap of faith into the baptismal font. The spirit was really strong for the lesson, and it was hard to deny it. Pero al pasar de todo... she still has a lingering doubt... My leaders wanted me to put a baptismal date to get baptized with José for Christmas, but when we got there... I could not do it. It did not feel right. we did a soft invitation (without date) and she still stands by that its too soon. Meanwhile, she keeps the word of wisdom (gave up tea) and goes to the ward activities.

I know that she is headed there... We only pray that she opens up her heart and takes the leap of faith to ask God. The thing is, I think she already knows what the answer is, and so she´s afraid to ask, so she does not have to be responsible.

So for right now, we are going to focus on José Gauna... Who is happily dancing his way to the baptismal font. It feels like when I taught another José, José Balmacera -- the Gaucho in Ituzaingó. Less Gaucho pants and more Nike knockoffs... but the same simplified teaching and many visual aids. Also the anxious desire to know and to feel, even if its hard to understand all the details.

Proof that Faith has nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with trusting in God.

Thats all for right now.... Stay tuned for the final entry from Argentina next week to see how it all turns out.

Chaucito, Che-citos.
Hermana Tritsch

Hey All!

So, Julia did not get to her baptismal date... she thinks its too soon. And I got fustrated because I know that she knows its true, its just that she does not know that she knows it. And I felt fustrated because we worked really hard with her... we have been working with her since Hermana Hall was my companion and when it came right down to it... it did not happen.

Meanwhile, the least expected person to enter the waters, José Gauna is exitedly preparing for his big dunk on Christmas day. And I am thinking, where in the world did this great blessing come from?

I figured out something when I was busy filling out teaching records and progress records and whatever other type of record that you can think of, and reviewing old ones of old investigators and I said to myself... look at all the work we do that did not amount in baptisms. all the people here that have been taught everything... how many miles walked and doors knocked... and one would feel sad...

But I realized that all of the hard work we do, that seems like it amounts to nothing is work to show God that we are worthy to have his divine help. Then I looked back at all the times I was priveleged to see baptisms, and it seems like every single one of them... in the end, fell into our laps, like it fell out of the windows of heaven.

The thing is that we don´t know who it is that God puts in our way to test our diligence and who are the truly prepared people that are headed for the baptismal font... But either way, every person we teach, even if they downright reject us, is a golden oportunity to show Heavenly Father how much we love him.

I know that now... I am just sad it took me so long to realize it.

-Hermana Tritsch

Our Grand focus this week was trying to find people to baptize. So what do we do? We try to put baptismal dates with everyone and we see what happens. Some accepted the challenge, and some did not, but President del Castillo says it is a way to weed out those who only want to be friends and those who have true interest in our message.

I guess it worked because we were able to put 7 baptismal dates this week and we were able to find key people, that we were not expecting to progress.

José Gauna is a very simple man, whose drug and alcohol use in his juventud, have reduced him into the thought process of a teenager. But he is really sincere, and when we teach him simply, he understands and wants to do what is right. He no longer drinks or smokes, but he has a firm belief that Christ has helped him overcome many problems in his life. He accepted a baptismal date for Christmas Day.

Olga Maldonado, accepted a baptismal commitment, but no fecha. We came to our appointment and told us that she was catholic and there was no way we were going to be able to change that. She was backed up with the wall of catholic Idols that she has inside of her home that we did not see before, because our first lesson was outside. We taught her the importance of the Book of Mormon, and invited her to Church, the spirit was very stong, and I know she felt something special. Then, miraculously sheshowed up to church this Sunday ALONE. She listened to the testimony and we introduced her to everyone, and I could tell it was very special for her.

Julia Muñoz continues to progress, even though she is beginning to doubt as her baptismal date gets closer and closer. She went to the Christmas Devotional last night to hear of the prophet and some apostles, and she promised to pray and see if she needed to get baptized.

The short story is this: in the conversion of a person, there are two factors, the faith of the investigator and the faith of the missionary. I realized that what was lacking was my own faith, and when I sucked it up and just did it, even though I was scared, God was able to bring about big miracles.

Love,
Hermana Tritsch

Hola mi familia!!!

AHHH!!! My mother was kind enough to remind me today that I have exactly 31 days until I come home…. There is so much to do before I go… I cannot believe that I have gotten this far.

This week has been a hectic one... Hermana Medero certainly keeps me on my toes as she asks me for everything from if she can shower in the night time to how the internet works. Its so wierd how in-control a trainer can be. Hermana Papenfuss was easy to train and caught on very quick... I was blessed.

I am still blessed, don´t get me wrong. Hermana Medero´s enthusiasm for the work is contagious, she is just a lot more dependent on me than Hermana Papenfuss.

But we continue to work hard and struggle and sweat like any other missionary. I am trying to teach my newbie how to have fun while doing it. She is a really serious, focused person... not that´s a bad thing or anything.

We are making good progress with Julia, as she came to church for the second week in a row... thats a very good sign. Things are looking bright for her baptismal date.... all holds barred.

Miracle of Perseverance moment: forever ago, with Hermana Hall, we contacted a reference of a member named Azucena, then promptly lost contact. We went by several times, but eventually, we gave up. Recently, the son of the family that gave us the reference, Marcos, asked us to pass by again... which, even though I had my doubts, we went anyway. She had told us that she had been reading a copy of the Book of Mormon that the elderes gave her forever ago and was almost done with it, and even though she did not understand it all, she felt a peace inside and had been praying that we would pass by.

Its like a story you only find in the Liahona.

We will see what happens with these two women, as time progresses.

ChauCito. Hermana Tritsch

Hey Friends and Family!!

Well, it seems like everything is winding down for me… within 6 weeks time I will be back on North American soil… I can hardly believe it. It feels like I just got here, but then again, it feels like an eternity ago.

To keep my feet firmly on my toes, I was suprised to recieve a phone call that I had to get myself to Resistencia to look for Nuevita #2, Hermana Vanessa Medero from Montevideo, Uruguay. She is a good missionary, very serious and focused... just what I need in these next few weeks.

Its a whole different ball of wax than with Hermana Papenfuss, the problem is that I knew Lavalle like the back of my hand, and Laguna Seca, parts of it, are still foreign for me.

But we are having some success anyway. We are teaching a woman named Julia, the mother of a member of our ward, named Sebastian, and even though Sebastian is socially awkward at best, and kind of ignored her when she came to church this week (shortly after attending then leaving the catholic mass), she thouroughly enjoyed it anyway, and everything was made better when a seventy decided to randomly go to church in our branch... she felt really special to be there.

The thing is that morning it had been raining, so many decided that they would not brave it to come to church, and they missed out. Its kind of sad in that way... how people, decide that “just this once” I will stay inside, and then they miss out big time.

Well, got to get to work, I miss you all, and I hope that none of you miss a big oppurtunity by thinking ”Just this one time” I won´t do it and then miss everything.

Love You all,
Hermana Tritsch