Happiness is...

Me and my new companion, Hermana Alvarez

So I love my new area!  It is so different, but change is always good. (: 

If everything works out, we are going to have a baptism this Saturday.His name is Brian, he is 17 years old, and he has a really hard life. His family has a lot of problems, but he has found hope through the Book of Mormon, he LOVES it.  There is so much power in this book.  It truly can change lives! But I` m beyond excited.  

We are also teaching another man. He is Korean and doesn't speak much Spanish or English. It is a challenge to teach him because of the language barrier.  But yet, we know he is getting something out of it all, because he keeps saying, "I can feel it. I know it is good." Everyone speaks the language of the Spirit. 

We also have another family that we are teaching. They are the nicest people ever! Yet looking at them, people may be a little scared. They have a rough life being in and out of jail. Their appearance may not be one that we consider "friendly". But I tell you, don't judge a book by its cover. If we had, we would have missed out on knowing such amazing people. 

My companion and I were able to sing a musical number at a baptism this past Saturday, and it was so special.  It was a good reminder of what the goal is... to help people come unto Christ by entering into the waters of baptism!

I am so happy.  I love my new companion, she is hilarious and we are constantly laughing. We live with two other Hermanas in our apartment and we all get along so well. We can talk about spiritual things, work hard and still have such a good time together. 

I. AM. SO. HAPPY.

I am ready to work hard and ver milagros.

I hope that everyone can enjoy Thanksgiving, and that we can all give thanks for all the blessings that we have! 

Love you all!

Con amor,

Hermana Norman

Welcome to my new apartment....our front door

our kitchen

A tad bit of an upgrade from my last apt

Our celebratory pancakes...18 months, 2 at 13 months and me at 5 months in the mission field

Change is good....

So I knew with my transfer happening, that I wouldn't have much time to email. So I wrote things down as the week went on. I wanted to remember my last days in Ciudad de Nieva. 

So I am transferred and I am in........

SALTA!

How cool is that! I am in the city and will be in the same area as my Mission President and family. It will be such a change from where I was. I miss everyone already. I cried....a lot! A piece of my heart will always be there. But I am excited for what the Lord has in store for me here in Salta.

This is a pic from a while ago, but my new comp is the one that is 2nd from the left

My new companion is Hermana Alvarez. She is Columbian from Calgary, Canada. She and I are "sisters" in the mission field as we both had the same trainer, Hermana Melo.

Keep the faith, be strong and firm in the gospel of Jesus Christ and keep praying! I am so thankful for change as it keeps challenging me to be better and to do better. Can't get too comfortable! I love my Savior and Redeemer. I love this gospel. I love you all!

Till next week....
Con Amor,
Hermana Norman

How do I leave?

WOW!!

5 months dedicated to serving my Savior. The hardest yet most rewarding 5 months of my life!  This is my last week here in my first area. I can´t believe how attached I have become to the members here and to the people I am teaching.  We are currently teaching a mother and son. They will be baptized at the end of this month, after I am transferred.  When we were talking about their baptism with them, the Mom, Rosa, started crying when she found out that I would not be able to attend their baptism.  She thanked me for finding her, and for teaching her how she can have true happiness in this life and for the eternities.  I am so grateful that I could meet all these amazing people, and that I could be a tool in the hand of the Lord to help remind them of their divine potential.  I am going to miss Jujuy!!

Many have asked me if they celebrate Halloween. They do not celebrate Halloween here but they have Dia de las almas.. where they make an offering to and put their pictures of their loved ones who have died all over. Different, but fun to see the different cultural celebrations.

I love the food here... and strangely enough, I haven´t had to eat mayo. The Lord knows me, and knows what I can handle jajaja.  But we are fed soooooo much. The other day someone asked if my companion was pregnant right after we ate lunch. Needless to say, we are working out harder in the mornings now jajaja

I am learning to cook so much. I can make pancakes (without bisquick!) and rice with milk--I love this! I know you are all proud of me!

D.O.G.S.

There are dogs everywhere! One actually tried to attack me this week, but with my ninja like reflexes, I kicked it away! Yep! I did that! 

Funny thing is that one day a dog followed us for about a mile. My companion and I tried to run and hide from it and it just kept finding us! We were literally playing hide and seek with a dog! We finally dodged into a small store and had a nice chat about the gospel with the store owner and then the dog was never to be seen again!

I finally got to go to the doctor and get my arms checked out. They are not sure if it is an allergic reaction or bed bugs. They drew some blood and I should get the results tomorrow. Meanwhile, my bedding is all wrapped in plastic bags....

Something that I have learned this week:  we choose and we determine how we can react to situations.  Even when we have a hard day in the mission, I can choose to remain positive and happy and have faith that Heavenly Father is preparing someone for us.  We can choose to be annoyed with someone who is different than us, or we can choose to love them and look for the good in them.  Everyone is a child of God. We can always choose to be happy, and we should be happy! We have the fulness of the gospel!!

My invitation to all is to 

Not Judge. Just Love.

I am so grateful for every day, and for the small miracles I witness every day, I hope that everyone can have an amazing week, and look for the tender mercies of the Lord every day!

Thank you for the love and support!

With love,

Hermana Norman

Waiting for Carolina

I am becoming quite the chef! 

Look mama!

What my planner looks like

one of our investigator's dogs....always looks dead! So strange!

My beautiful Jujuy