The Bare Necesities

Hola Amado Hermanos Mios... Y Padres, Tios, Tias, Abuelos, Abuelas. :)

I´m good... cause I´m totally at home here. You know how I said that Candelaria reminds me a little bit of Morgan?? Well if there was a Morgan County in Argentina, It would be Candelaria. The only difference between the two places is that the houses in Morgan are 10 times as big as those here and everyone at home has running water and bathrooms inside their homes... Aside from those couple things, I´m living in the 3rd world version of my hometown... Where EVERYONE and I mean EVERYONE has more animals than they have children... and still, they have mountains of children. One family has 8 DAUGHTERS. 8... and one poor boy. Poor thing. Also, In this little town, the dogs run free but the people walk their horses every morning. There are more horses than cars and almost everyone has a farm. If not a huge farm, a garden por lo menos. The best part... EVERYONE IS RELATED. "Oh yeah, She´s my grandpa´s brother´s sister." If you want to find someone´s house, you don´t need the name of the street... because people don´t know the names of the streets... You have to know the name of the family who has lived on that street the longest... or the name of an ancient tree cerquita to where the person you´re looking for lives..or something crazy like that. Everyone knows everyone and everyone is family..

But the real best part about a little town like Morgan or Candelaria.... EVERYONE knows the church. Either they know where the capilla is or they have a friend, neighbor or family member who is a member OR they are members  themselves... Most of whom are super inactive... Like 350 of the 400 members who live in Candelaria... but it´s all good. There´s room for improvement!! :)

Like I said, our branch is kind of a mess. One bad thing about small towns, everyone is in everyone else´s business. and that causes people to be offended over stupid things which causes everyone to hate each other and go inactive. Sooooo we´re trying to help them realize that no one is perfect... not even the leaders of the church and that we can only control our own actions... and that we need to rescue our lost brothers and sisters!! Hermana Fuentes and I both gave talks in church yesterday and it was really good. We´re hoping to animate the branch and we are hoping that they will learn that we´re here to help them. Not the other way around. I feel like members are super overwhelmed when missionaries ask for help.. but if we could just realize that we´re not helping the missionaries, they are helping US, everything is so much better. :)

We have some pretty awesome investigators. But nothing is progressing too much yet, so I don´t want to jinx it by telling you too much. We are finding more and more people every day which is great! Elder Clark told me the other day that white washes are the best. I was talking to some of the other missionaries about how hard it is to start working in an area with nothing to work with. We´re starting from scratch basically... and he said, How does an artist start a painting?? With a white canvas, no?

I loved that. and it´s soooo true. I have very little fear of talking to just about anyone cause I always have an excuse to talk to someone. We´re constantly asking for directions or just stopping random people in the street cause they look nice.. I´m working with a blank white, beautiful canvas and Hermana Fuentes and I have the ability to make whatever masterpiece that we want to make!!

Hermana Fuentes is rocking it!! We´re still struggling with the transition to new rules and new goals.. but she´s getting it and she is seriously so humble and willing to learn. I have been so blessed to have her. I´m sure I drive her crazy sometimes and I am not the greatest example of a missionary but I´m trying to be better and do better every day. 

Hopefully today we will get our new door. It´s not that I didn´t have a door... just that the door we had was broken... and it let some bugs in sometimes... But it´s all good... I just feel like I´ve been on a REAAALLLY long camping trip.. But the elders are taking care of us. Sweet things. I feel so bad, I call everyday to check on the door and to ask when they are coming and what´s going on and they are just super patient with me and sacrificed their own door so that we wouldn´t have to sleep with our table as a door for one more night. And it isn´t just that... We needed a new shower and lots of books and a new dvd player and a kitchen... and they are just getting everything ready for us. It´s crazy how much I have realized that I really just need lots of things.. More than just clothes and food. There are more necesities in this life and my heart aches for the families that we are meeting that have literally nothing. (this area is a lot more humble than my last one.)

Lucky missionaries who are going to live in our apartment next.. The fruit will be ripe and they will have everything that they need. Ha. But this adventure has made for some great stories no?

We´re counting our miracles.. I know there are lots coming our way. Like a door.. avocados.. rain boots... and hopefully a baptism this month!!!

Bruno Mars is singing again. I´m crying.

I love you all. The church is true!! I can´t believe how fast the time is flying... Ha it´s funny that I´m saying that cause I still have more than a year but seriously. It´s flying and I am changing so much. I have been changed by the people here and I am so happy that I chose to serve a mission. There is no where else in the world that I would rather be. 

I love you all. 

Muchisimo amor,

Hermana Rupe

CORB LEAVES THE MTC this week no? WHOO HOO!! 

Pictures;

Zone conference... The day after our Consejo de Lideres... Hermana Chung and I got to give a little testimony thing and we were in charge of the practice. I´m all cool and official now and I recieve the leaders emails from the assistants every week... But really behind my pride I´m still freaking out and I still have no idea what the heck I´m doing.

waiting for the bus to come to posadas!!

Welcome to Candelaria

And the longest, craziest, weirdest week of my entire life.

I don´t have a door. My companion told me not to tell you that cause mom, you´re probably going to call the office. but please don´t. It´s fine... I just live with frogs and scorpions and lots of flying things. :)

Apart from not having a door. I HAVE AN AVOCADO TREE. And a mango tree and one of lemons and oranges and bananas. Too bad nothing is ripe yet.. but still it´s the fact that I have a freaking orchard in my yard. We live in a TINY TINY house behind the nicest catholic lady. Tiny house full of bugs and animals and the shower electricuted me.

Welcome to Argentina.... A true riches to rags story.

BUT I´M SO HAPPY!!

There is something very special about Candelaria and I don´t know how to explain it. I feel something different here than I did in Posadas. Like I´m needed here more than I was there.

So Candelaria is a tiny tiny town.. but it´s HUGE!! It´s kinda like Morgan but with less mountains and less stores. Seriously. And less paved roads. There´s like 3. No more. But it´s so cute. The capilla is TINY. And I have a rama-- a branch instead of a ward. And right now the branch is kind of a mess. The missionaries before us caused a LOT of problems.. so it´s my job to fix them. And I´m so ready for the task!!

Hermana Fuentes is from El Salvador. She says that she knows Austin Gottschalk. I guess he was in her home town before the missions there split.. Which is pretty awesome. I´m glad that she´s my companion cause she´s helping me lots with my spanish and she is a rockstar when we´re teaching... When we´re not teaching, she´s a ball of negative energy and sometimes I want to kick her into the sky. She served 3 months in El Salvador waiting for her Visa... So she is used to another mission. The rules, the normas, everything.. How they work, what they do, EVERYTHING. We´re all doing the same work but every mission is different. And everytime I teach her something new, she has to comment that "well we didn´t do that in el salvador.." And I´m like well you´re not in El Salvador anymore... We do this here. It´s a little difficult but we´re working on it. Also, she tells me all day everyday that she can´t be like me. She can´t be positive and happy and bubbly all the time... and I say, bueno. that´s fine... but you can be a happy person. You don´t have to look at the negative side of EVERYTHING. She even told me that her trainer in El Salvador asked her once why she was even in the mission cause she is so darn negative about everything. I don´t know how we´re going to change that.... but I´m working on it. :) Apart from the negativity, I adore her!! She is hilarious and we are always talking which is something that I didn´t do with Hermana Mendez until the end of our companionship... Mostly because of my lack of spanish but also because of the big wall I put up between her and I for her lack of compassion. haha. I know though that Hermana Fuentes and I will become a good team. I already am seeing something different in the way I am as a missionary with her. I just hope that I can be a good example for her and help her transition to Posadas go smoothly. :)

In reguards to the whole Sister Training Leader thing. I have been super humbled. I am SO not ready for this. But bueno... We had a consejo de lideres today, which is why I´m writing you all so late.. But it was inCREDIBLE!! I am so excited to be a leader in this mission and to help the other hermanas here. Even with my little experience, I know that I can be a help to the mission if I will just put my trust in the Lord and let Him work through me. He has trusted me with more than I could ever imagine and now it´s my turn to give myself to Him so that His trust for me won´t be in vain.

As a sister training leader, I´m going to be going on lots of divisions with other sisters.. and basically be training them to be better missionaries. and teaching them how to be happier and more effective... all at the same time, I get to be a counselor!! Whoo hoo. I was born to help people with their problems. :) Really, I love that we focused on the word INSPIRAR. Inspire. It´s my job to inspire the other missionaries to be better, to work harder and to learn more, do more, be more...

As well as it´s our job as missionaries to INSPIRE our investigators. The members, everyone to come to know more closely Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Because those two people are the only way to true happiness.

Los requisitos para ensenar por el espiritu no son la elocuencia, la educacion ni LA GRAN EXPERIENCIA, cino la oracion, la dedicacion, la reverencia y la humilidad... INSPIRAR por el espiritu..

I think that this is all I have time for today. We have to head back to Candelaria.. It´s super late. 

Just know that I am happy and healthy and loving life.

I know that I am where the Lord wants me and that He is proud of me. I have learned this more the last week than anything else. I was so disanimada and I was struggling thinking that I wasn´t doing enough.. But these new responsibilities, no matter how stressful they are, have been such a blessing from the Lord. That I really am doing okay. Always, I can do better. But I am a good missionary and that the Lord is proud of me. 

This knowledge just makes me want to be better and better and work harder and harder. Perdon for my pride, but isn´t this what a missionary is supposed to be like?? Hahah.

But on a more serious, spiritual note, this experience has been incredible. Tomorrow marks my 3 months in the field and 4.5 in the mission. The time is flying and I´m a little scared about it. I love being a missionary. I really do. I don´t know if I´m going to want to leave. I have learned so much about myself, the scriptures, the gospel, the atonement and especially my Heavenly Father and My Savior. I have a relationship with them that I never had before and I am grateful for that more than anything. I know that my reedeemer Lives. :)

I love you all. Thank you again siempre for your love and support.

xoxox

Hermana Rupe

oh yeah.,.. I traveled to corrientes this week for my visa... 5 hours with my mtc pals. we ate mcdonalds.. and we get to go.. have to go back next week.

OH!! I talked to Hermana Mendez today and MARIA... yes, maria who I taught for 3 months and never went to church... SHE WENT YESTERDAY!! a miracle.

I had LOTS of emails today and I am so grateful for you all. Sorry for crappy replies.. super short replies or no replies.. I will try to get back to you all next week!!

The song that is playing right now... Don´t know the name but I´m dying... Guilty feet have got no rhythm!!

and by some miracle I finished in less than an hour!! Look at me being obedient!

I GOT MY PACKAGE FROM HOLLY!! she´s an angel!!