Week 16: Humility is the Key to Success

Hola familia y amigos** ¿Cómo están?

In our zone conference, we were told that the more humble we become, the less fear we´ll have and the more powerful we´ll become. Humility has always been an interesting concept for me, bcause it seems so weak, but it makes us so strong.

Speaking of which, the scripture shared was 2 Cor 12:9-10, about how our weak things will become strong. Interestingly enough, the scripture I´m memorizing this week is Ether 12:27. I think I need to get this message.... :D

During our district activity we played pingpong, and I discovered that I´ve inherited my Dad´s love for the game :D.

This week has been a week of creative food adventures. First, I made sandies again for our district activity, and then again with Hma Conceicao, for her cumplemes-- but the second time we put leftover shazaam in the middle. Mmmm... we wanted to also put a little piece of strawberry with the shazaam, but didn´t have strawberries, which made it hard.

What we did have were a lot of apples, because neither of us ever feel like eating them. So I made applesauce** It´s surprisingly easy when you just have eight apples and three little jars, and only takes an hour :D. So much fun.

Today I´m making lemon bars to celebrate the end of the transfer with our district. Woo hoo** And brownies and dulce le leche to celebrate General Conference. Mmmm....

During district meeting we talked about Family History and how it´s an amazing tool to find people. I showed my little booklet that I´d filled up the day before, and I´m going to put in more pictures when I get home. Those little *My Family* booklets are so much fun, I recommend filling them out personally, and also sharing them with your neighbors. It´s a very easy way to share the gospel, and one of the most amazing truths we have in this church is the truth that we can be together with our families forever, and can help those who have already passed away receive this joy as well.

This week as we were walking down the street, a dog came up to the gate we were passing and started barking at us. That didn´t fase me, becuase there´s almost always a dog barking at us. But then a smaller dog came up from behind the other one and started barking at us... and then walked through the bars of the gate, and started chasing us :O. It didn´t follow us very far, but it was funny to see the little puppy trying to act big. --and he did scare my companion :D--

This week I had tramites --which means governmental paperwork-- in the capital. Pictures to come next week becuase this week my card is being tempermental and won´t connect :S. It was fun, I met another hermana from Pennsylvania, and we had pizza and chocolate mousse in a restaraunt called the Kentucky.

This week one of our new investigators is an older woman named Juana. She was so cute, and repeated everything she said a few times... sometimes in the same sentence. :D She´s very catholic, but liked hearing about the Plan of Salvation.

Another investigator--Prisila-- is preparing for baptism** She´ll be baptized after I leave, but it´s still amazing to see her and her family grow in the gospel. She´s 9 year old, but very mature, and helps her younger siblings understand the scriptures that they read together. The primary president is excited to see how well she´s doing, and has given us another primary aged referral to work with. Yeah**

We were finally able to teach a lesson to a contact that had turned out to be an inactive member. She´s attending another church now, and has troubles with the Book of Mormon. It was amazing during the lesson with her, becuase one of my weaknesses is asking questions, but as she was talking, I remembered to rely aon the Spirit, and the moment I did, a question came ot my mind, and we were able to help her see the importance of the Book of Mormon. We challenged her to read it, as well as her sister, who isn´t a member, but was very receptive.

As many know, this week is a very special week because we get to hear from the living prophet. This week, I read in DandC 21:4-6 that through listening to the prophets, and clouds of darkness are dispersed, and we receive greater light and strength. Today, I started my personal preparations for listening to conference. As I was studying, I had the impression to make time for my scriptures. ¨No,¨ I thought, ¨I´m on a roll learning about the prophets, and I just finished reading about King Bemnjamin, so it won´t have anything to do with prophets.¨ But, I read anyway, and I´m so glad I did. Mosiah 8 contains the testimony of Ammon to Limhi about prophets and their role in our lives.

This week we have this chance to receive guidance and blessings through the prophets. Take advantage of this opportunity, because it will bring great blessings to your lives.

Love you all so much**

Espero que tengan una buena semana :D

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission

ps, ¨The field is ready.... are we?¨ 

Week 15: Hola de Villa Madero**

So, anything with dulce le leche tastes good, as I discovered in intercambios. We had bread with dulce, empanada wraps --not actual empanadas-- with dulce, and this next week for the cumplemes we´re going to have brownies with dulce and before I leave, I´m going to have icecream with dulce. Mmmmm.... Dulce le leche is one of the top reasons missionaries gain weight :D

Also a couple weeks ago we were helping a member move. One of her beds didn´t fit out in the hall-stairway leading down from her second story apartment, and so we were trying to think of what to do. In my mind, I thought, ¨Oh, we can just throw it out the window¨ and literally right after I thought that, Hna Alicia --the member-- said, ¨Do you think it will fit out the window?¨ :S. 

So we figured out 1- If it would fit. Yes. 2-If the window would stay open. Yes. 3- If it was safe. ... That question was never answered, but we put the elders underneath the window, in the passage way just at the top of the last flight of stairs, and we were hanging out the window, holding on to the rope that was fastened to the bed. :D. Everyone survived, but it was a close call for the bed. 

We also had a lesson with Maria Ester --a less active-- and managed to set goals with her for living the word of wisdom. This was something she´d never allowed Hma. Walters and I to talk about, but with Hma. Conceicao, she opened right up and set the goals. We´re taking huge steps with her to get her back to attending the church.

This week I found two more scriptures about repentance leading to missionary work, and your homework is to look them up and apply them. Sound good? Great** Mosiah 3:19-20, and the other one is in my second journal, so I´ll need to send it to you next week. D:

We had our first zone conference with Pres. Calquin, and it was amazing** It´s like a personal and interactive general conference* I came away with more goals about how I can improve, and ideas that we´re going to apply to our work. 

Another first this week was my first talk in a baptism. Yeah** We were visiting investigators and talking with the member who was going with us, when the elders called and told us that their talks had fallen through, and were wondering if we could give them in an hour and a half at their baptism. Ummmm.... With some quick rearranging, we were able to go, and even have fifteen minutes to prepare :S. I´m not sure if I was understandable, but I just put my trust in the Spirit and hoped it came out well. It was a beautiful baptism. She´s the thrid sister in her family to be baptized, and they´re still working with the mom towards baptism, but it´s so amazing to see the unity that baptism brings to the three sisters. 

Saturday was a day of miracles** We found an investigator that´s never home, and were able to present her with a Book of Mormon. She says she has troubles reading, but my companion´s grandma had a powerful experience reading the Book of Mormon despite her lack of education and we were able to promise this same experience for our investigator. 

As we were running from there to another appointment, a dog started barking from across the street, so we turned up the next street to avoid it. There was a woman sitting outside her house, and when we asked her how her day was she said ¨Horrible.¨ We were able to talk with her, and sing a hymn. She cried with us, and we said a prayer with her. We set an appointment for the next day. 

Yesterday was the appointment, and we taught her about the Plan of Salvation, and how the Savior has experienced everything that she´s experienced and is able to help her perfectly. We were able to serve with her temporal and spiritual needs.

Speaking of service, Hma. Conceicao gave an amazing talk about service in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. I know that my time is approaching when I´ll receive a call and be asked to give a talk, but for now, I´m just focusing on talking with people in conversations and lessons :D.

I´ve been reading the talk that King Benjamin gave to his people, and it´s an amazing teaching on not only service, but on acting on your change of heart and how to retain a remission of your sins. 

I know that it´s through Jesus Christ that we can overcome our weaknesses, and that we can become the people He needs and wants us to be. Real and lasting happiness only comes through Him and through living his gospel.

I hope you have a wonderful week, filled with miracles**

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission

Week 14: "When you find out who you are, you''ll be sorry you didn't try harder"

I´m not completely sure what this quote means, but it´s really made me think about who I am, so I liked it. 

A couple of our new investigators are amazing** Juan and Marta are an older couple. Juan grew up in Russia and was greek orthodox, but converted to catholicism to marry Marta. Marta was almost baptized  years ago, but went to a different chapel for the baptism, and after that was upset with the missionaries. :O. Lesson: communication is important** She´s open to the lessons again, and we´re going to make sure to communicate with her :S. 

Last week I had a problem, so I prayed about it and the next morning I decided to read a couple of the talks that H. Walters had left, and it was the answer to my problem** It was a testimony builder that God answers our prayers and will help us through other people.

There was a lot of rain on Monday and Tuesday, really nice the rest of the week, and now it´s raining again :D. Woo hoo** While we wait for meetings to start, I´ve been helpind teach Hma Conceicao how to play the piano. She´s amazing, and can play basically all of the simplified hymns even though she had never played piano in the beginning of her mission. She´s practicing so that she can play for her ward when she goes back home.

We´ve been visiting Maria --less active-- quite a few times and even though she´s not attending, she´s started to pay her tithing and has set goals to keep the word of wisdom. She has such a strong testimony, but I read this morning in a talk by Elder Bednar that although testimonies are essential and amazing, we need to do more to be converted. *Gospel truths are the essence of testimonies. Being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.* --or somehting like that :D--

My testimony of the Book of Mormon is another thing I´ve been working on, --while you´re on your missino you kind of find out where your weak points are in your testimony :S--. It´s been amazing the power that comes from studying, praying, and really trying to obtain a testimony.

I´ve learned so much from H. Conceicao. A few things are : how to sing Silent Night in portuguese and japanese, how to teach a lesson when you first contact a person, and how to have fun while doing missionary work.

WE had intercambios, which was great** I got to know my new sister training leader and we were able to talk, and teach a less active in their ward. They have bikes in their area** :D We didn´t get to use them, but I can dream.

While visiting with a member, she asked if we could die her hair. Thankfully, H. Conceicao knew how, so she was able to help her.

Today I read more about the Atonement, and it´s such a beautiful process.

I know that by studying the Atonement and the Savior´s life we can become closer to Him.

Love you all, have a great week**

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Week 14: Pictures and chocolate!

My first real mango** Besides having the texture of a peach, it tasted good​

​Chocolate during intercambios --I can never remember the word in english--​

Can you see what´s wrong with this picture??

Mom's response:

Well, if it is the mango pictures, maybe you forgot you already took a picture and accidentally took another one?  Or maybe it is that you are trying something different, like  a mango :)?   I can't see anything that is deliberately missing or misplaced between the two.

Ummm....the chocolate picture with you and the other sister: what is wrong?  You don't have both of them :)?

The chocolate bars one: the fact that they are uneaten yet?

The first one?  Let's see...you have lovely shoulders and must be overly warm to be displaying them so :).  You lost your hair?  No, it's just pulled back...hmmmm...the crack and leak in the wall behind you (please don't tell me that your house collapsed, although that would be quite the story!

Ummmm....there is definitely not anything wrong with that beautiful smile!  Love you!  Can't wait to hear!

Dad's response:

I can see lots of things wrong with the picture:

One room is pink and the other room is white, but the paint line between the two is not straight. 

There is a hole in the ceiling where the rains gets in.

There are three pack of cigarettes on top of the fridge and you shouldn't be smoking on your mission (or off your mission). 

You have two refrigerators.

Your hair is parted on the wrong side.

One of the fridge magnets is for a company that is no longer in business so the number has been disconnected. 

Week 13: Pictures!!! And "Learning About the Atonement"

Kinotos --the fruit​

 Tip for preparing for a mission-- make a plan of salvation kit and a kit for teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, because if you wait until your mission you don´t really have that much time :D. But I´ve been putting mine together because I realized when Hma Walters left that if Hma Conceicao didn´t have a kit we´d have to teach with out it --and it´s so much more fun**--

This change has been good, because I´ve had to talk more as the person in charge, and this has put me out of my comfort zone. Unfortunatly there are still times when I look ¨lost¨ as my companion puts it, but it´s been a lot better, and I feel more like I´m using my own words in the lessons rather than the words from the book. 

This week I tried to move on from studying the attribute of faith to hope, but faith kept popping up** Naturally, this led to the following set of scriptures: GEn. 14:26-36 ´´JST,  Eph 2:8-9,  James 2:19-26,  1 Peter 1:7-8

Last Friday we had a meeting with Elder Packer from the Area Presidency, and he showed us the video of two people trapped on an escalator. Sometimes, in our missions --or our lives-- we get stuck, but only because we don´t move to change something. 

He also shared something that I thought was cool about Family History. Through family history, the Holy Ghost can testify of the divine nature of the family. That put so much more meanin into what we did when we helped the new member with her family history, and made me want to fill out my ¨Mi Famila¨ booklet. 

This week we were able to contact SO MANY PEOPLE*** We have a lot of new investigators and are working to get the members involved in helping them come on Sunday. 

When we were contacting one of our new investigators, the kids ran in to tell her we were there, and then came out and said ¨She said she´s not home.¨ :D I never thought that would actually happen to me, but it has.

Hma Conceicao is teaching me portuguese along with spanish. They really are similar. I can introduce myself and sing Silent Night :D.

Beautiful scripture--Jacob 6:5-6.

We had an awesome lesson with Elizabeth in the library, and she was able to understand the Plan of Salvation. Next step.. baptism** :D

Guess what happens in Jacob ? People repent, and then go and PREACH THE GOSPEL*** What is it about repentance that relates so closely with sharing the gospel with others? Then I read in Enos --I tried to read it with my friend´s perspective, because it´s her favorite part of the book of mormon, and it was soo cool. After he received a remission of his sins, he prayed that others could receive the same joy, and then he acted on his prayer.

Funny story-- you know how we´re not supposed to greet the men with a kiss? Well there was a man this week, and when we explained this to him and I was shaking his hand, he said ¨Oh, so I´ll just kiss your hand instead.¨ and before I could take my hand away, he bent over and kissed it. :O. We´re still considering whether or not we should go back and teach him :S.

Amazing talk from today-- If Ye Lack Wisdom, with the beautiful teaching that although the internet is amazing --I couldn´t imagine my mission without hearing from my family weekly-- ¨One should not roam through garbage¨. He then quotes the scripture that we should study by faith, and I´d never applied the scripture in that way. When we study by faith we can discern the truths from the falsehoods of this life. 

Have a great week***

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission

Letter To Mom, Dad and Kelder: August 29

My companion really likes the name Drew and is going to name her son Drew :)

¨Fear is unworthy of a child of God¨ (Bib Dictionary)

Two quick knock knock stories... One man said Do you know who I am? Yes, you´re Juan. ¨I´m an archangel, but you can still visit me.¨ Okay....

Same day, another man asked Do you know who I am? (Uh oh, I thought). ¨I´m from the profesesia (his word).. I´m Anti. ... But you can still visit me.¨

Okay! We´ll see how those lessons go.

Love you all!!

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission

Week 12: Pictures!

 Party with Hma Chappell

Oops..I guess you can turn your screens around for this one :).

 The empty plate from when the kids ate the cookies...

 Packing...

 ...with some still lifes.

 Waiting for the train and loving the pink sun.

 One of the kids put this in my suitcase... on purpose?? Probably not....

Week 12: Here goes...

So when Hma. Walters left last week, she accidentally brought our phone with her. ... :S So we went to a members house to use their phone to call the elders, but we didn´t have their number, so with some tricky manuevering we were able to contact the elders and find out when and where he had meetings :). It was exciting.

I read some hard duty stuff from John Taylor ¨If you do not magnify your callings, God will hold you responsible for those you might have saved had you done your duty.¨ I definitely need to improve in this calling I have as a missionary.

¨If they would see the star that should at once direct their feet and influence thir destiny, they must lok for it--not in the changing skies of outward circumstances-- but in the depth of his own heart and after the pattern provided by the Master¨ --(not sure who :S)

This week has truly been miraculous as far as contacting. We have been able to contact nearly everyone we plan for every day and meet the spouses and parents of our less actives that aren´t members. One of them is now an investigator and willing to be baptized!

Testimony of the Book of Mormon from the Book of Mormon ... 2 n 33:3-5

I don´t have time for much else, but I´ll fill y´all in next week :S

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission

Week 11: The Danger of Bringing Cookies to Church on el Día del Niño

So last week I studied a bit about the Holy Ghost, and how a confirmation from the Holy Ghost is stronger than any other confirmation that we can receive. There´s something similar in the District, when an elder makes a mistake in a lesson, but he says later, as long as you have the Spirit, you can make mistakes and the Spirit will fix it.

Also, I opened up my bible again ( :) ) to Mark 4 and 5, and found a pattern in these chapters. In the three miracles I read about (calming the sea, healing he woman, and raising the daughter) the requirement, commandment, prerequisite, thingy was faith and courage. 

Then, I read in 2 Nephi 30:2 which talks about repentance, and guess what it talks about three verses later... MISSIONARY WORK!! It´s crazy how intertwined these concepts are, and I never saw it before. 

In District Meeting we sang O My Father to the tune of Come Thou Fount, and we also sang God be with you til we meet again for Hma. Walters, who left to go home this morning. 

Throughout the day we needed to run for three different buses. During the second run, my shoe flew off my foot and landed in front of me. Since the bus was literally pulling in front of me to arrive at the stop, I just picked up the shoe and kept running (I was so smooth that the only people who noticed were those directly around me.... I hope... :)). Thankfully, a woman was purposefully getting on the bus slowly so that we could get there in time, and I slipped my shoe back on as we stepped onboard. 

We were able to meet with Nora the recent convert a couple times this week-- once for a lesson and once to help her get set up for family history work. She had already gathered all of the information she knew, so we just got her started and showed her how. Now she´ll be able to print off the names and bring them to the temple!!

Then later that day we had to travel out of our area because Hma. Walters was going into the capital to talk with President for a few days with other missionaries before she finished, and I was with Hma. Chappell -my room mate in the CCM!!-- and a couple other sisters.

We were able to teach Valentina before we left, but still needed to meet with her a couple times, so Hma. Chappell and I traveled all the way back to our area, and managed to teach a lesson all by ourselves!! (remember, we have the same time in the mission:)) It was faith building for me that I didn´t have to depend on a companion in order to survive, and lots of fun to get to know the other Hmas. While we´re talking about Valentina, we also had .... her baptism this week!!

It was yesterday after the sacrament meeting. Her grandfather baptized her, and her mom, dad, and brother (with his girlfirend, too) attended not only her baptism, but the sacrament meeting, too. It was a very spiritual service despite a few confusions and frustrations beforehand.

Speaking of which, I made happiness cookies for Hma. Walters to experience the pure joy of them, and also for the baptism. But 30 minutes before the baptism, we walked into the kitchen, and the plate of cookies was gone. ¨Who would steal cookies in the chapel?!¨ we asked ourselves. 

Well, a well-meaning primary teacher had assumed that another teacher had brought the cookies to share with the primary because it was Children´s Day. (yes, they have an actual children´s day here....) Ah well! But the saddest part was that Hma. Walters wasn´t able to try any of them :(. 

Cool thing studied--In 2 Nephi 31 we hear the voice of not only Jesus Christ, but of Heavenly Father as well--twice. This chapter teaches us a lot about the doctrine of Christ, and is beautiful. 

On Saturday we had a chapel openhouse. The people who came were amazingly prepared, and when we asked if they had questions, one of them asked where he could receive a Book of Mormon. :O. Yeah! It was a lot of work, but we were able to contact a lot of people, and I was able to get to bond with the members of our ward more as well as the other missionaries.

This week has been crazy busy, and I´m excited to go back to regular missionary work this week with my new companion--Hma. Conceicao (the last c has a squiggle underneath, and the a has a squiggle on top :)). She´s from Brazil, and I can´t wait to work with her and improve my spanish and portuegese :)

Love you all, have a great week!

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission