Beautiful

whats up guys!? Hope all is well. Its surprisingly hot today! I hope you are all enjoying the snow this Christmas Season. Right now my comps and I are here in GORGEOUS USHUAIA! We have a conference with our Mission President tomorrow so we are here for a day and a half. Let me tell you how amazing it is here..... AMAZING! So beautiful! The huge mountains with a little snow on top, the huge forest trees, all the different colored houses and San Fransisco up and down hills that go all the way down to the green ocean! All the ships docked and all the different tourists sure do liven this place up a lot. There is a ton of diversity. There are plenty of hippies and artists that paint all over the walls. Im pretty sure that EVERYONE here has sunshine in their heart. These are the nicest people ive ever met. We were able to go site see a bit, and get some stuff to take home! There are bright flowers everywhere! and everyone is smiling.... very different then our area in rio grande. This place is happy. im seriously considering buying a little house here one day... when im rich. haha. I want to come back here so bad to visit. The people here are very prepared to recieve the gospel. President said he didnt want me to travel north during christmas. Im greatful he thought of that. So we will be working here with the sisters here tonight. Tomorrow, is our meeting with President Gulbrandsen. We will get back home at night. This week we will be calling our mothers on skype for Christmas!!! Then Im ready to head north when the Lord makes the change with me.

Im very happy to have recieved great news today! mom!!!!! YOURE AWESOME!!!! IM SO PROUD OF YOU!!! We can go to the temple together when I get home!!!!

Hailey Wailey HAPPY BIG 5YRS dollface! You are so beautiful just like your mama! Tal thanks for everything! I LOVE YOU! Robin wish you were here to share this with me right now! I miss you! Ill be home in 13 weeks or something. I cant believe how fast time goes. I was talking with my companions on the way over here today and said, looking back over my life, out of ALL of the fun adventures ive had, the mission tops it all. It is the hardest, most frustrating, fun, crazy, difficult, amazing time of my life. Loosing myself in the work, and finding myself in the eyes of these Argentines that the Lord loves so much! Its so incredible. I will be making the most of these last two transfers FOR SURE giving this my all. The work is rolling forward and we have been doing divisions with members to get more of our area covered in shorter time. We are learning and progressing each day and greatful for the atonement that gives us the strength we need to do it. I love you guys so much! Thanks for all you do, hope you like the pics, but even the pictures dont do it justice. The mission is the best. Everyone thats preparing to go... soak it up, its the best decision in the world!

LOVE YOUUUU GUYSSSSS CHAO

besos

hna. Ashley Ann Gillum

 

PICTURES!!!

All Good Here

Hey Family,

I dont have any time to write and fill you guys in on everything but this last week we have seen some amazing miracles. This family that we are trying so hard to complete is an amazing family and we have to have them baptized all together in white for this christmas. I have plenty of faith that they can be with the Lords help. Missionaries have been teaching them for like over 15 years and they said they have never felt the spirit as strong as they did with us sisters. So we are going to try and help them see that their committments are not to the missionaries but to the Lord and we are just simple and imperfect guides trying to do his will and complete their family. We are going to be doing much fasting and praying every week. This family means a whole lot to us. We want the best for them. And then The other incomplete family is famous with our mission, they desire that their other brother gets baptized so we will talk to him and see how he feels and help him recieved his answer. Im just doing what I know how to do and constantly looking to improve. Out with the old in with the new. The work is going absolutely amazing. Elder Gillette had his bday today so we all went and made tacos and played futbol and now we are going to meet up with natalia so she can buy a skirt for this sunday for church. Most days im like, wow I never want this to end, and there a few days... im just like... wow... a mission.... is loooooooooong! haha I love it though! Theres always alot to tell you, but I cant think of much right now. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the christmas season, its getting hot here! Jocelyn, GREAT JOB on your dance recital my dear! Awesome job!!! Thanks for sending me that little clip of it mom. Pray for Family Marcos and Family Segundo please! THANKS! Well everyone, I love you bunches and Im confident that the Lord is watching over each of you while im away. Have some fun for me but be patient and save some fun for when I get back too! PORFAVOR ;)

chao loves! Send me some pics they always liven up the week.

Take care,

Love Hermana Gillum

p.s. its nice not writing long letters... haha love youuuuu guys

Baptism!!!

This week has been a little stressful. Im still in the south waiting for a flight out to the north. So we are doing the trio thing right now and training hna. Gutierrez from California. Shes wonderful in every way and we love her. This week has been very successful and we are very grateful for the new comp.who has brought great things to our companionship. We feel blessed to work with her. The Lords hand in the work this week brought us to have the faith neccessary to bring a 9 yr old to the waters of baptism. The majority of his family being active in the church made us think that he was surely baptized by now but when we were teaching the mother in the middle of a service project that we were doing for her (we intended to recieve references) We ended up finding out that her very own son was still not yet baptized and they didnt want to baptize him until their grandmother could come down from the north of Argentina someday and at least until his brother (whos serving now in chile) could finish his mission and attend his baptism. Well we didnt feel the need to push them on getting him baptized right away up until we recieved revelation. When Hna. Milmont and I were talking about why we think im still here in this area and that there must still be a reason for it. Hna. Milmont said "hermana, im terrified to train, I have learned so much from you and I still feel like I need you here because I still have yet to learn so much and I dont think I can train without you." I knew she was sweetly trying to help me feel some closure or reason in my waiting here and then she said... "Hermana, I dont think you are ready to leave right now, I feel like theres something more you need to do here before. I dont know why, but Familia Tello is coming to my mind and I feel that you will play a big part in him being baptized." Just in that moment, the spirit spoke ever so clearly... saying Lucas Tello needs to be baptized without hesitation, he is priority! So we focused on him. We spoke with his parents. Did service for the family. Obtained many references. Taught lucas very throughily and careful and tested him on what we taught. Im proud of his great efforts of studying what we left for him and practicing THE OLA!!!!

Which was our Mission presidents revelation on the step and process of faith. That we need to ORAR, LEER, Y ASISTIR to act in faith! This has brought us wonderful success teaching such simple and important doctrine to these people. Lucas knows and is overly excited to recite the OLA and all of the steps of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He now understands where he came from and where they are going as a family. It was a miracle week. The lessons were very spiritual and I believe they touched the hearts of his family deeply. For him to recieve an answer of the Book Of Mormon, I asked an inspired question... "Lucas, how do you feel about your father?" he glanced down at the book of mormon, and his lip quivered... and he barely mustered "I love my dad." tears filled his eyes and his fathers. He ran to his fathers arms and hugged him. I saw a vision of him and his family running to Heavenly Fathers arms. It touched me. The spirit spoke through me again and I said.. "Lucas, the love you feel and the love your dad feels for you, is only a small part of the love your heavenly father has for you both. Do you want to run to the arms of your Heavenly Father?" "yes I do. and my papa too. and all my family!" "ok" I said,"He wants that for all of you also... so when do you need to be baptized?" "este sabado! Puedo?" haha so it was a special experience to be a part of. His brother on his mission ended up sending them a dvd clip of congrats to his little brother with all of his companions in the video. It was really special because it reminded me of when I heard the news of my little sisters baptism while I was also serving. It was very very special. I feel that they are all very pleased. It was beautiful to see all of their family, less active and active come together and feel the Saviors love in this one boys great faith to follow the Savior. We are starting anew this week, contacting all of our references and we are going to cover the whole area for Hna. Gutierrez to get a feel of things. Its funny watching new greenies come into the field.... they are so fresh outta the world and every little thing catches their attention. Its fun to see the change the mission brings. We have met the bishop the first night that she was with us and his whole family had us eat the famous Argentine ASADO and it was good. They call it a sin to be here and not try it haha. it was a fun experience but Im just going to have to be vegetarian again when I get home because this stuff is SO unhealthy! We plan on visiting him again tonight and kneeling in prayer for continuing to strengthen this area. We are happy. We are grateful. We are obedient. And we are working hard. WE ARE LOVIN IT! thanks for all your prayers and love! i send you all my hugs and kisses via email until I see you in a little while. CHAO!!!!!

 

love

Hermana ashley ann gillum