Cuidese

Mar de Plata beach

Sharla and fellow sister missionaries

Sharla, Hermana Lopez (her trainer from Columbia) and two other sister missionaries on P-day

Asada aka Argentine BBQ

July 13, 2009

Hola Peeps,

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for your emails. I really enjoyed them. Mom I really did burst into tears when you said you wish you could reach through this email and rock me. I know that sounds weird, but I really need that right now. My mission President is the one in the picture with the map. The other one is my old mission pres. My pdays are on Monday. Sorry for the confusion, don´t worry about it. Mom I hope you birthday was great. We celebrated with cake and icecream. I will send you a pic of our celebration. I love you so much. That is incredible what happened with Dave and Mandy, what an incredible blessing. It all pays off in the end. Mom and Dad I am glad to hear of your new callings and the work you are doing at home. You are incredible saints in the church. You don´t find people like you in the church here in Argentina.

Here are some things I have learned in the past week and a half.

1. Argentina doesn´t celebrate the 4th of July, haha. But we had a BBQ with the Elders to celebrate.

2. My new pet peeves are cold toilet seats and Elders who get trunky and don´t do anything for the last 2 months of their mission.

3. People aren´t afraid to stare. I get a lot of stares and I really don´t think that I look that different but my companion assured me I do. I hope that is a good thing. I have had many people ask me if I am from Holland. I guess the Princess of Argentina married the Prince of Holland, and I look a lot like her. Or something like that.

4. Blood sausage is not that bad. I tried it thinking it was normal sausage and it wasn´t bad. But I couldn´t eat anymore after they told me what it really was. I am starting to experience true Argentine food. An asado here puts any American BBQ to shame.

5. The mission is way hard. This week has been the hardest week of my life, but I really have loved it and had some really incredible Spiritual experiences.

6. My favorite lesson to teach is the Plan of Salvation. Especially to those who have never heard of anything like it. Everytime I teach it I feel so excited for judgement and resurrection. I cannot wait to see my Savior again. I know that this is the path I am supposed to be on. I also love bearing testimony that my family will be eternal. That is a huge blessing to me, especially being away from them right now.

7. Complete families are way hard to find here. Everyone lives with there boyfriend or they are single women with children. The law of chastity is probalby the hardest thing for the people here.

8. In Pompeya, there are more dogs than people. Oh, I am growing a dislike for dogs now. It is so crazy, I don´t think I have been in a house without a dog. They are also laying all over the streets.

9. Argentines have really pretty green teeth, if they even have any. It makes it even harder when people don´t have teeth because then I really can´t understand them. It is really funny sometimes.

10. A scarf is a necessary thing to have in Argentina. It is so cold here right now, but Rexburg was a good prep for me. I am doing fine with the coldness. Well, I love you all and love to hear the good news from home. Our investigators have been struggling this week. We have two that really want to get baptized but they can´t becarse they can´t move out with their boyfriend. That get´s really frustrating. We really are working our tails off and hopefully this week we will see more success. Anybody have any creative ideas for contacting people or getting investigators? Please pray for my Spanish, I am really trying hard. I find I am a little more shy in Spanish, haha, I wonder why. Here are some scriptures that have really brought me comfort this week D & C 84:88, 6:35 The Lord is shaping me into what he wants me to be and bringing me to my lowest point so I will really turn my will over to his. It is not easy but like the quote says “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.”

Cuidese, Te amo. Besos, besos.

Hermana Kjar