Hola!!!

So another week has come and gone with a lot of surprises. First of all, transfers. I was transfered back to Villa Urquiza and am with Hermana Velazquez. She was the one that Hermana Renteria did the second part of her training (or as we call it: her stepmom). Hermana Peralta goes home tomorrow. Hermana Renteria is going to be receiving a new missionary tomorrow when they arrive. There are still only two of us here in Villa Urquiza, and the weather is beautiful right now.

The week was a wonderful one. There was a wonderful missionary activity this last wednesday. All the returned missionaries (didn´t matter what year they served) brought things to display and share from their missions. Most of them had served within the last 10-15 years, but there was one of the counselors to the bishop who served about 20-30 years ago (I don´t remember). It was really cool to see all the different epics. A lot of them brought food from the different places which just made for an interesting time. There was a lot of sharing, reminiscing and the Spirit was really strong. Everyone felt motivated to share the Gospel especially after the special musical number. It was rendition of ¨I´ll go where you want me to go¨, ¨We´ll bring the world it´s truth¨, and ¨Called to serve Him.¨ I believe that it was by Janice Kapp Perry. It was really good and the Spirit was so strong. I look forward to doing something like that one day. There weren´t any non members, but had they been there, it would have touched there hearts. There were a lot of Institute youth there and I think that they are more excited now to go on a mission. I´m sending some photos from the activity. Belgrano has a great mission leader. He is from Brazil, but works for the church so he has traveled some with his wife and daughter. He knows Portuguese, Spanish, and , because of serving in Provo, english. He works hard for the work and looks to God for inspiration.

I am happy to be back in Villa Urquiza. I was very surprised but the Lord only needed me for a week in Belgrano. That´s ok, because He knows better. It will be interesting to see how this transfer goes. I will actually be finishing the last week of training of Hermana Velazquez. So I´m technically her 4th ¨mom¨. I don´t think anyone in our mission has that record.

We were so excited to hear about the 58 new missions. One of them, the Argentina Rivadavia mission, is actually the south of our mission. Rio Gallegos, Tierra Del Fuego, and all of that will be it´s own mission. I was one of the last sisters in Rio Gallegos, before it becomes it´s own mission in July. We were all so surprised by that. It´s an amazing time to be a missionary. I hope that all who can, take the opportunity to do so.

Well, there isn´t too much more to tell, so I´ll say goodbye for now. I love you all sooooo much. Stay cool and don´t forget the basics.

Love

Hermana Alvey

new companion Hermana Velazquez

Hola!!

So I have a surprise for all of you. We have transfers this coming sunday, but President received some revelations. I am no longer in Villa Urquiza with Hermana Peralta. I am in Belgrano (not Belgrano Sur) the next area over with... you´ll never guess.... Hermana Renteria!! We are pretty excited; unsure of what is going on and what the Lord has planned, but excited nonetheless.

We were actually doing intercambios (divisions) and at 10:30pm the night before we were to switch back, the asistants called us and said that we were staying that way. We were so surprised, and of course a little sad to leave our companions. We are pretty sure that we are not staying together, because we both end at the same time so that would leave Belgrano completely open.

I just got here, so I´m not sure what to talk about. It used to be an elder´s area 2 transfers ago, so Hermana Renteria and Hermana Hermosa opened it up for hermanas. The area 70 is in my area as well as the stake president. Most of the ward seems to be returned missionaries, several of which served in the states.

I do have an interesting story, though. So the pump has been broken for the baptismal font since December and Nuñez (the other area next to us who shares the same building) had had a baptism, so the water has been in there for about 2 1/2 months, then they finally got it working and they let out the water. The problem was that all the mold went to the bottom and they didn´t clean it for a couple weeks, so the mold stuck and grew. It was pretty gross as you can see in the photo with Hermana Renteria. It was interesting cleaning it. I sometimes joke about when the pump breaks. I would tell my companion: ¨This is why we baptize weekly, so the pump doesn´t break and the font stays clean.¨ Our goal as a mission is to baptize weekly. Not for the numbers, but it´s just like President Hinckley said: ¨We can double the numbers of baptisms. I´m not being unreasonable. We can have both quantity and quality.¨ The Lord is preparing in all the world in every area. There are ministering angels in all parts, both seen and unseen. The Lord is working hard, we need to as well.

Well, our time is up. I love you all sooo much. I hope you saw the video of the rededication. It was an amazing experience. If you haven´t seen it, still, here is the link. http://countrywebsites.lds.org/ar/ or just lds.org.ar

I will talk with you soon. Don´t forget to pray for missionary experiences.

Love

Hermana Alvey

Bye Hermana Peralta

Hermana Peralta liked doing my hair

Hermana Renteria cleaning the baptismal font

Hello new companion Hermana Renteria

email from 2-11-13

Hola!!!

Congratulations Mom in your calling and Dad in your skills competition!!

How is everyone going? Things here are moving along. The other week, we were approached by Susanna and her family. They are the ones that live in the take in building and live on the 12th floor. For those who don´t know or remember what a take in building is, it´s a building that isn´t finished and people live there for a lower price. There is not an elevator, so we climb 12 floors everyday. It´s a good work out. We are working hard with them. They didn´t go to church again this sunday, because they slept in. We did everything we knew how to to help them: daily contact, reminding them every appointment, doing practices, asking ¨what if¨ questions, and have as many members as possible involved. They still didn´t go to church. We stood knocking for a good 20 minutes. We identified some reasons as to why they didn´t come and we are going to work on them this week.

Other than this family, we don´t have any investigators. The search still goes on. I can´t help but encourage and invite all who read this to pray for a missionary experience. If it´s because of fear or timidness, you can pray for courage and strength to accomplish it.  Moroni 7:33 says¨ And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.¨ Now some might think to themselves: ¨It´s easy for you, you´re a missionary.¨ The thing that has been the hardest for me to do in the mission is the thing I need to do every moment of every day: opening my mouth. Few know the kind of struggles and experiences I have had to go through to become who I am today. I have come to know the scriptures and my Savior in a way I never knew possible. I have felt His love as well as my Father´s love; not only for myself but for all of His children. I have gone into the depths of despair and have seen His hand in every part of my life. We cannot feel joy if we do not know what sorrow is. That is what Adam and Eve came to understand. Is it hard? Yes. Is is possible? Absolutely. Is it Heavenly Father´s will? Definitely. He wants His children to come home. The only way for them to come home is through ordinances. The first is baptism, the second is the sacrament, the priesthood (if you are male), and then the ordinances of the temple. Heavenly Father has told us His plan and Christ has shown us the way. Not only has He shown us the way, He is the only one that makes it possible. We often don´t completely understand or apply the Atonement. We know that He suffered for our sins. We know that He took upon Himself our pains and our sorrows. Yet how often do we really apply that. The Atonement means that we are never alone. There is someone who understands our hardships and heartaches. There is someone with the power to comfort us spiritually and emotionally. As we have our own experiences with the Atonement we will want to share that joy and freedom with those closest to us. Alma and his friends understood that. They had tasted the sweetness that comes from repenting and feeling the love of God in their lives. As our testimonies grow from our own spiritual experiences, we gain the desire and testimony necessary to share the Gospel. We do not need a lot of knowledge. That is not what converts people. I believe President Brigham Young´s experience helps us understand that. President Brigham Young (1801–77) said he knew the gospel was true when he “saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord.’” President Young said when he heard that humble testimony, “The Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminate[d] my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality [were] before me.” It is the Holy Ghost that touches hearts and converts people, and He will only do so as you bear a sincere testimony.

The Gospel is a joyous thing. God wants us to be happy, not just for the moment with temporal joys and indulgences, but genuinely happy. Remember that His work and His glory is to bring to pass the inmortality and eternal life of man. Eternal life is when we come to know our Heavenly Father and what our relationship is to Him. Don´t forget the bascis: obedience is the first law under heaven; ¨Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.¨; search, ponder, and pray; and finally go to church. The Lord does not ask us to be perfect to go to His home. He asks that we do our best. The healthy don´t need a physician. We don´t need Christ if we are perfect, but we are not perfect and we do need Christ. That is His entire purpose, go to Him. Let Him heal you. It´s hard when someone offends you at church, but you aren´t there for them. You need the sacrament; you need the Holy Ghost. You can only receive those two things as you attend church every sunday. Satan´s most effective lie is that you can wait until next time, or tomorrow; that you can be casual. It is a lie. Four months ago, we heard a prophet of the Lord call on the younger generation to step forward and become missionaries to spread the Gospel to all the earth. The Lord is quickening His work and we can either be a part of it or fall behind. There isn´t much time. ¨It´s getting late¨ (Elder Holland General Conference April 2012). This is the time for men to prepare to meet God. He will never ask us at the final judgement: ¨What did others do to you? or What happened to you?¨, but ¨What did you do for others and What choices did you make?¨.

In 8 weeks our mission will receive 81 new missionaries. There are about 200 missionaries in our mission and, on average, we normally receive 10  new missionaries every transfer. I imagine that it is the same in just about every mission now. As members and missionaries, we need to be prepared to receive them and forward the work according to the vision that Heavenly Father has for each area. It is not a short range vision. The stone cut out of the mountain without hands is rolling forward and covering the whole earth.

As missionaries, we have very little time to write. I try to follow the Spirit to know what you need to hear. I know that I am not perfect, but I pray that the words I do feel to write will touch your hearts. You are all wonderful and amazing people and I love you soooo much. Keep moving forward. It´s possible and it´s worth it.

Love

Hermana Alvey

Hola!!!!!!!!!

So another week has come and gone. We are dying of heat one minute and the next it´s freezing, but that is a normal week here in Buenos Aires. We are searching for the people the Lord has prepared and it is a dilligent search. We are working hard together and it has been a wonderful experience. Hermana Peralta has been through a lot in her life because of health reasons and actually has a prostetic in her right hip, yet she still goes forward. We are absolutely exhausted, but we are in the Lord´s work and He will take care of us if we do our part.

We are trying to find those who are prepared by the Lord and in turn are walking a lot. We know that the Lord is preparing people and that we need to do our part. It is a struggle when you aren´t teaching. The cycle is to teach when you find and find when you teach. Getting that cycle going is a little harder to do sometimes. We aren´t discouraged and we are trying every day to do better. I still remember what President Gulbrandsen told me when I first started the mission. You can´t be a missionary and be happy if you aren´t doing missionary things. I can finally say that I want to be here. Yes, there are things that I still long for at home (washing machines, sunday naps, etc), but I am no longer tempted by them and I know that they will be there when I get back. It´s a long struggle and it´s getting late (as Elder Holland says). I know that this is the Lord´s work and there is much to do.

I´m not really sure what else to talk about. We are expecting about 30 new missionaries this coming transfer and we normally receive about 10. It´s going to be fun. We are excited to see what happens in the mission. I went on intercambios with Hermana Renteria. We have practically been together in one form or another for our entire mission. I often think to myself about Mom and Dad with their companions 30-40 years later and what it will be like for me and my companions. We have all grown and changed so much. There are inside jokes and stories that only we know. 

Well, I wish that I could say, I had things to talk about, but it´s been very quiet and nothing you haven´t heard before. I guess no news is good news. I am very happy to see all the progress you all are making. I pray that you will continue moving forward, firm in the faith. Keep your chin up and never give up.

I love you.

Hermana Alvey