Abel and Andersson

 

 

 

            Hello to everyone out there. I'm glad to say that this week was successful and rewarding. After our attempt at diligence, Hermana Gilland and I were able to help carry out the baptismal service for Abel and Andersson on Saturday. This baptismal service was definitely one of the most special ones of my mission. Abel is 17 years old and has been going to church every Sunday by himself for 4 months now and even went to the youth camping trip last week. He never got baptized because his mom didn't want to give him permission. Other hermana missionaries and church leaders had previously tried to talk to Abel's mom about why he wanted to get baptized and how it was a special commandment. Well, everyone just left the whole circumstance alone, but Hermana Gilland and I felt that we should at least try talking to his mom. We thought of a plan and quickly told Abel so we could put it to action. We filled out Abel's registro completely and then had Abel write his testimony on a piece of paper. The mom is supposedly evangelica and cranky and at first she didnt want to let us in. We were persistent on her letting us in and told her we would only be there a few minutes. Finally, not knowing what to say or what other excuse to use, she let us in. We talked to her about the importance of baptism,how much Abel has changed as well as his desire to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and gave her the testimony. She just thought for a few seconds and said, ¨. well, if he really wants to then thats fine. We were so happy but Abel was definitely happier! The Lord truly will always come through ONLY when we have true and humble FAITH in him. If we were to doubt that his mom would give him permission, we would of never tried to talk to her. I know that faith results in miracles and that's probably why I talk about it so much. I hope you all can have a little more faith in Jesus Christ than you did last week. I'm hopeful to keep finding more exciting experiences this week in the mission field of Guatemala. Have a great day!

Hermana Argueta

HAPPY 1 YEAR!

Hermana Argueta has been out for one year! We are so proud of her and can't wait for her return in April!

Nov. 2, 2011- As soon as my mom and I drove away, I flooded the car with tears. Bittersweet day!

 
You still have a few months to send her some love! Help her finish her mission strong with a quick note or two! 
Follow the directions here =====>






 Love,
Rita 

Mulua

Hey everyone! Wow, so a lot has happened since the last time I wrote! So I had changes! I am now in Mulua, San Felipe! I have always wondered what it would be like to come to this area since so many missionaries only have had good things to say about it so I am soo excited to work here. So far I love EVERYTHING here! My companion is Hermana Gilland from Texas. She and I have always wanted to be companions so we were really excited when we found out we would be in Mulua for her last change here! So lets start with the ward. The ward is soooo big, about 260 members and the church building is huge and really nice. We seriously feel like we are in America here, especially because they pass a calendar around in relief society for members to sign up to feed us lunch for the whole month! The members and residents of Mulua are SOOOO incredibly nice and friendly! Not gonna lie, my house is super super humble and small. For example, my toilet doesn't flush and we only have water from 10pm til 8am. Not to mention theres always cockroaches who for some reason love hanging out in our house and bathroom. But we dont really think about all of this too much since we are never home anyway. So we are super busy here in Mulua.... theres always always always something we need to do or someone we need to visit. There's a lot of recent converts in the area that we have to visit often to keep them active. Right now we are teaching 2 families who are progressing and continually going to church together, so we are just working with them to get them to accept a baptismal date. Our biggest challenge is getting the wives of both families to follow through with the compromises we give them, but they are getting there.

Mulua is a really small pueblo so everyone knows everyone, ha its funny. To explain Mulua a little, its pretty much one really long road with houses and smalls streets on both sides. Hermana Gilland is such a hard worker, I am learning a lot from her and am motivated by her love for missionary work. I like how she always says that she loves being a missionary and that she doesn't want to go home in December! So something funny that happened today was that my comp left me on the bus on our way to the stake center! She was in the very front and I was in the very back so I didn't see when she got off the bus and the bus drove away with me still in it! I just looked out the window and she was standing outside waving at me! So the bus just when down the street and I got off. Then we were both cracking up laughing when we were walking towards each other ha!

So, I can feel that there are a lot of people in Mulua who are ready to be taught the gospel too and are ready to take action and make changes in their lives. There are some more families we have met and want to start teaching too. I will write more about that later! Thanks for all your support and prayers. Missionary work is an incredible work and will always be never ending :)

Hermana Argueta

Conference

Hey everyone. Did everyone enjoy general conference? I did as usual. My favorite talks were Jeffrey R. Holland´s and Ann M. Dibb´s. I love when Sister Dibb talked about the importance in having confidence in our identity as members of Christ´s restored church. I was pensive when she asked, ¨Do we have the strenth, discipline, and commitment to follow Christ?¨Also, she was so true when she talked about how we sometimes tend to step away little by little from the church and from Heavenly Father when we begin to prosper and when things are going well for us. Can´t believe women can go on missions now at 19. That's sooo awesome. I hope more young women take advantage of that. I would have totally gone when I was 19 if I could have! Well this week we have been working with Noemi and Silvia, 2 of our investigators. We hope to look for more investigators this week in our area and our planning activities to make it more fun. Dad, I can't believe youre in Guatemala right now! Wish we could hang out, oh well. Well it won't be long until it starts raining super hard so I better leave before I get drenched. I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Hermana Argueta

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom! Go crazy!

11

Wow, I can't believe I have 11 months tomorrow. time is going by way too fast. this week we were able to carry out a baptism for a family, Carlos Gomez. Carlos told us he was ready to be baptized after years of rejecting missionary discussions and the invitation to become a member of the church. He is deaf in one ear due to his previous habit of consistent drinking, and now is realizing the disadvantages of not being baptized earlier. Carlos truly is repented and has a desire to change and improve his life. He even showed up early to his baptism and confirmation all by himself, demonstrating his humble faith and desire. Carlos told us he is going to miss us when we leave because we weren't like any other missionaries and we helped him when he truly needed it. He is now homeless and doesn't have a job. I know Heavenly Father loves Carlos and is so proud of his decision to repent, change, and come unto Christ. I feel his life will slowly, but surely come together and everything will be better for him than before. I'm grateful to have met Carlos and to have seen this true change in his life. I hope you all have a happy Conference weekend! I hope you all are as excited as I am :)

Hermana Argueta

Candelario

 

          Hello. This week went amazing. Our investigator, Candelario, was baptized on Saturday and now he and all his family are a latter day saint family in completeness. Candelario has been taught by several missionaries over many years but he never came to the point of accepting the gospel. We met him about 2 weeks ago and taught him the importance of a baptism having authority of God. He said that he was ready to make a good change in his life and he accepted a baptismal date the very first day we met him. This experience really proved to me that there are so many people who are simply ready to accept the gospel and we shouldnt be scared to share the gospel with everyone... after all how can we know who is ready and who isnt if we dont open our mouths and share our testimony with EVERYONE. Candelario is truly special and I am happy he and his whole family can now me an eternal family. I hope you all had an amazing week.. Changes are this week so I'm freaking out because I have no idea where I will be in the next 2 days ha. Oh well, thats the mission for you I guess. Have an amazing week.

 

Hermana Argueta

 

P.S. Thank you Stefanie Chen for the mauna loas... you're obviously the best person alive.

 

 

 

Ten

 

Hello. So Ive officially hit double digits... 10 months of my mission is now complete. It went by too fast and it scares me how fast time is flying by... I feel like I cant control how quickly the days are going by and sometimes I just want life to slow down a little so I can enjoy each experience I have each day. This week was better for me. We found more investigadores that appear positive and have a desire to learn more and we are preparing Candelario, a man of about 60 for his baptism this week. Candelario is a blessing. The missionaries have taught him for years and he is the only one in his family who would never accept the gospel for whatever reason. But he accepted a baptism the very first time we went to go meet and teach him. He is ready. Its as simple as that. The Lord prepares his children in HIS time, not OUR own. Im not here to baptize every creature alive in a year and a half. Im here to baptize those who are READY. Thats my job. But I cant do it alone, even if I wanted to. Without the Holy Ghost and Heavenly Father´s help... I would be incapable and inefficient in being an instrument in any part of the Lord´s work. Im grateful to have realized this so I can better myself in the next area I am placed in. Im grateful for the opportunities Ive been given to learn, grow, and experience.

My birthday was amazing! My awesome ward gave me a cake and sang to me and some members made me Shucos for dinner. It was a happy day. Thanks to all who contributed to the package I recieved as well! I loved EVERYTHING! Take care, everyone. Have a great September!

Hermana Argueta