Hola famìlia y amigos en la misìon y de casa! Primera... gracìas por todo lo que hacen y por sus oracìones!
ME ENCANTA LA MISÎON en serìo! There is not greater feeling then being a Missionary. With time my love and my gratitude for serving in this work only grows to greater extents. This is the best chapter of my life by FAR!
Even though im used to getting like 25 emails every pday, and today I only recieved one email and nothing from my family... I know you guys still love me and you must just be super busy. I just hope everythings going okay... I love you guys and you know that I just dont like to worry about how you are doing so im going with faith that the Lord is taking good care of you and I will keep you in every personal prayer.
Transfers were given last night at 10:00 pm and our leaders played a mean joke and said im going to el Sur (south) with the freezing snow and penguins... I mean that would be a cool experience and everything but at this time that would just be a huge shock and I didnt bring any winter clothes to Argentina thinking I wouldnt need any anyway. But nope.. no changes still... Im still in my first area, in Campana Buenos Aires with my best friend and loyal companion the infamous and always so charitable Hermana Romo from Los Angeles California! Shes my girl and I love her SO much! So let me tell you the funniest part about NOT transfering to any where new... Hna. Romo and I have had SO many struggles in this area here the last two transfers and we literally worked our butts off but things were falling apart left and right and we were slightly worried about this next transfer and what was going to happen. So we both had this wayyy strong feeling I was leaving and all these other people in our area and other missionaries were like yeah, you have been in your first area pretty long so i bet you will get switched out this time... Long story short, I basically had a farewell in our ward and the bishop asked us to bare our testimonies spurr of the moment and I got up there and cried about how much i love everyone and how much I will miss them. Everyone wrote in my journal saying goodbye and wrote me letters and gave me gifts and Mercedes Flores (such a sweet heart) was crying because I wouldnt be able to be at her quinceñera (big 15th bday) and just a bunch of stuff....... hahaha boy do I feel dumb now... haha Im going to show up on Sunday and evere is going to be like heyyy... what are you still doing here haha! Lesson learned im not ever saying goodbye again, if it happens it happens. But what this does mean, is i can finish what I started with hermana romo and we are going to kick it into full speed. Im so excited to be able to get all these divorces and marriages finalized that we are trying to and see our long time investigators finally baptized!
We did have a hard time during our struggles in the last two transfers and we started wondering what it was that we were supposed to learn when everything feel through... but then the last two weeks have been bliss! We have in all honesty, learned more in these struggles than any other time in our missions. Those struggles and humility and hard work brought us to cherish even more the little things. We had countless miracles and cried so many tears of joy. Those tears and prayers of ours and all of yours, have been answered. During the last week Susanna changed her feelings about wanting to be baptized and everyy started to fall away from all we taught them, we felt so worn out spiritually but GUESS WHAT, Friday I had a dream that we needed to go back to Susana and have her be baptized this Sunday and help strengthen her family through revelation that we recieved. Well thats what we did... on Saturday we went to her house, spoke with every single member of her family, interviewed them and helped work out there problems personally then asked them all to listen to our lesson and encourage Susana to be baptized. A miracle took place. Everyones attitude changed for the better. Later that day we picked her and her sister up to attend a baptism of the bishops daughter, there, she felt peace. After that we taught her lesson 4 and we had her read and pray about the Book of Mormon.... this was so beautiful. She felt so strongly that she NEEDS TO BE BAPTIZED SUNDAY AND THAT THIS IS THE TRUE CHRUCH. She said she now has no doubts whatsoever. So ironically our church runs out of water that night!!!
but we just call the other Elders in Campana 2 and this Sunday at 4:30pm beautiful 15 year old, Valerìa Susana Callejas was surrounded and supported by many who love her, as she entered the waters of baptism and became a brand new person. She was baptized by my very first baptism, my brother and friend, DAVID MEDINA!!! She and her family were in tears and all smiles along with me and my companion. we put our arms around eachother and cried and said this is why we are here. This is why its hard... this is why its so worth it. Susana said that she feels so much more complete and so happy to be able to be with her family forever. That girl means EVERYTHING to me. EVERYTHING! We hung out with her all day so that she could come to the Farewell of all the other missionaries who end their mission this transfer. The Medina family (our family) haha took us to San Fernando with Susana and her sister so that we could introduce her to our wonderful President and his Wife and hear the testimonies of others that share her similar experience. They had so much fun. We sang Hasta Ver to all of our fellow friends that are heading home now and they were so sad to leave and not be missionaries anymore but they will never be forgotten. They are leaving a legacy in the hearts of many just as we are doing right now. We took many pictures with our sweet miracle Susana, she was attached to my hip and I couldnt stop kissing her cheek and hugging her hahaha I was so happy! She reminds me of my cousin Hailey when she was 15 and since I miss my sister and cousins so much, I have found comfort in the fact that these people are like my family also and I want the very best for them. I was anxious to shake the hand of my President and tell him how thankful I am for him and for this opportunity and of the miracle we had. He was overjoyed for us!
As we were driving home from San Fernando I starred into the moonlight that touched all the green fields and I thought... I love my family so much, but I know they are under the same moon and I know there is a place being prepared for them for my service here in this beautiful land. I thought for the first time, as much as I love them... my thoughts are so occupied by the concerns I have for the families here and im finally the fully focused, fully trusting missionary the Lord wants of me right now. I know that the Lord calls us in our weaknesses to show forth His power... I know that His plan for me is far greater than anything I could possibly plan for myself so as the song goes... I will go where you want me to go dear Lord I will be what you want me to be! Im so excited for what lies in store for us here in this time with these BEAUTIFUL people!
With amazing Elder Bond, and Elder Davis as our zone leaders still and Hermana Romo at my side... im going to prove myself to the Savior. I have so much faith that we can baptize all of these families we have in mind. I have this desire to stretch myself and push myself. To think that God in Heaven would reach out to us and touch our hearts telling us it was US that needed to be here for these miracles... US specifically! Thats too good to be true it seems. But I firmly believe all my life Ive been prepared for Susana... and to finally know that at last Ive found her and brought her to know the true path of peace back to her Father in Heaven, its a miracle. You only get your mission once... so here we go...
thank you for your love and support it means so much...
gird up your loins, fresh courage take, keep pressing on you guys!
in the end ALL IS WELL ALL IS WELL!!!!!
if its not well... its not the end!
I LOVE YOU
con amor y besìtos,
xoxox hermana Ashley Ann Gillum
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