A Labor of Love: Open Your Mouth!

HOLA!

This week started out just STELLAR. This monday the Cuevas family was nice enough to teach me and my companion how to make milanesas! They were so yummy! I can´t wait to try and make em on my own! I´m so grateful for families like the Cuevas! We also had exchanges this week, so fun!

Hermana Japa and Hermana Dote, our dear Sister Training Leaders came from San Rafael to spend a little quality time! I was blessed to spend a day with Hermana Japa! That girl is a rock. She taught me so much in just one day. As our day went by I noticed that she had literally no fear of sharing the gospel and she didn´t let a single moment pass by to not share! I realized how much I need to improve that, and was reminded of a scripture we read in Zone Conference, D&C 60: 2-3:

"But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. And it shall come to pass if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have.".

Pretty bold eh? If that´s not pretty clear, I don´t know what is. Sometimes its so true, sometimes it so easy to be reluctant to share the gospel. Because of the fear of man. But I know that we need to fear God. Not man. Pretty sure what God thinks is a little more important!

This week like every other was full of discouragements and also MANY BLESSINGS. One discouragement was with a less active family. We have been meeting with a less active family that the parents need to get married (pretty much everyone in Argentina...) and we had a really spiritual lesson and talked about the importance of families and they told us they would set a date. The next day we came and they had set a date, we were so happy. Then Saturday we had a lunch appointment with them and they said that they weren´t sure anymore... because sometimes they disagree... and aren't sure if they can handle the commitment yet. AHHHH. I wanted to cry. Satan definitely doesn´t want families to come together in righteousness. I´ll tell you that. He is ever present and tearing apart families!

This week we took some time to go through our area book. Wow. If I didn´t have a love and appreciation for the area book before, I do now. There were so many names and stories and people who need our help. I felt a little overwhelmed. But I loved it. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt. I want to visit every. single. person. in that book. SO overwhelming! But wow there are so many people to help.

This week a cool experience happened. We were knocking doors close to our apartment and we found a woman named Maria, said we could come back later that week, because she had pictures to show us of some elders she knew. We took what we could get. When we came back, she started showing us all the pictures of the Elders her family knew and we learned that her husband and three of her kids were members and inactive now. She continued to show us pictures and we would try and slip in some doctrine.. but it was pretty apparent she didn´t want to listen. After about 30 min we started to feel like we should leave, like we were wasting our time. But for some reason we felt okay about staying. And about 10 minutes later her husband walked in and started talking to us. After a while we got talking and he told us his frustrations and they told us how the last time they let missionaries in their house was 16 years ago. WOW. I felt so blessed. We talked more and more to him, and by the end he started to cry and told us he had the desire to return. We felt so blessed. We hope to continue to help him return! It´s experiences like that, that remind me how blessed I am to be an instrument in the hand of the Lord.

Yesterday for Argentina was "Dia De Los Madres" for Argentina! We celebrated in Relief Society and we brought our favorite facturas (pastries) to share. They were all so happy, and we told them all how much we loved them. As we were talking to them I realized how much appreciation I have for the Mothers of Argentina. They are so faithful and hard working, they sacrifice so much for their children! I was reminded of how important the mothers of the world really are. Thats where it all starts! I am so thankful to have such a stellar mom! What a blessing to have been raised by my incredible mom through the principles of the gospel! What a blessing this gospel is!

Con Amor, Hermana Matheson