Serving Salta : Great joy comes from bringing souls unto Jesus Christ!

 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!   D&C 18:15-16

Two souls. Two souls were saved on March 11, 2017 in Salta Argentina! The gratitude and happiness I feel is without words. I can only imagine how Heavenly Father feels.

Mailen and Rocio (Lolo) finally were baptized! It was a crazy week trying to plan two baptisms, but everything turned out great. Mailen's mom, who is a Jehovah's witness, was able to attend the baptism, and Lolo's dad, who also isn't a member was able to witness the baptism. Talking to both of them Sunday after they were confirmed, they both said that they felt different. Lolo said that she felt like God and Jesus were giving her a huge hug. Mailen said she felt hope, and that her past mistakes wouldn't define her.

The Spirit was very strong and I feel so grateful that I was able to witness such a special moment for these two girls. I've grown to love Mailen and Rocio and their families! These people will always have a special place in my heart.

So this morning was an exciting one. I received a phone call at 9 am from my mission president. He told me, you are being transferred. I was a bit shocked. I immediately thought of all the people I love in this area that I wouldn't be able to say good bye to. The ward members, new converts and those we are currently teaching. In an emergency transfer you have hours to pack and get to your new area. I was going to another area in Salta...Limache. So Tres Cerritos is in my past. I left a huge part of my heart there. My heart actually hurts....literally HURTS! I love those people so much. I am finishing the training of a newer hermana. Her name is Hermana Fereirra. She comes from Brazil. She doesn't speak much Spanish and so it makes me quite nervous that I have to teach her. I feel so humbled to be put in such a situation, but all I can do is my best. I hope I live up to what Heavenly Father expects from me. 

Bueno...it was an exciting week of missionary work. We talked with Atheists, Jehovah's witnesses and of course a lot of Catholics. The majority of the people here are Catholic. It is great that Christianity is prominent here. The virgin Mary is everywhere, literally EVERYWHERE, but...we still manage to find new people to teach. Evidence that the Lord is preparing the hearts of the people here in Salta. 

Fun Facts:

-when I say we knock doors, we don't knock, we clap...don't know if I ever mentioned that. Also, brown sugar doesn't exist here. So there aren't any good cookies. 

-When you greet someone, even strangers, it is always with a kiss on the cheek. Similar to my Polynesian culture. But as missionaries, we shake hands with the men. It is always so awkward when they try to kiss our cheek and we have to awkwardly stick our hand out and explain that we can't as missionaries. 

-Argentina is obsessed with bread. There is always bread at every meal. I'm not complaining...

-All the cars here are stick shift; plus our area is basically all hills. These people are pros at driving stick shift.

But anyway, Argentina is very different. The culture, the language, but I have grown to love all of it! It is amazing how in the mission we have to learn to adapt to changes. This is something that I know will always help me. I have been studying a lot about charity this week and I really like what I read in a conference talk. She said, "Charity someimes means refraining from judging or criticizing." As humans, it  is natural to judge and criticize, but I have learned that as I strive to withhold judgement and see people as God sees them, it has allowed me to love them as God loves them. Like it says in my favorite movie, High School Musical, "We are all in this together!" It is our responsibility to help all of our brothers and sisters in this life. We all have the same goal, we all need the Savior's grace. Let's just all help each other out and not tear each other down. Always look for the good.

Have a great week!

Con Amor,

Hermana Norman

We had to clean the church before the baptisms