Still Living In Good Ole ´Tina! (1/5/15)

Where do I start! First off, HOLA! Happy new year, feliz ano nuevo, todo! I hope you all had a great new years! 

This week was, hands down the most difficult week in the mission. I was placed with trials before me that I didn´t think I could support, but somehow, I am still going and it is because the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is real. It carries people. If I have learned anything in the week is that Jesus Christ lives. He is here with us when we need him and when we want him. He literally saved me and carried me through this week.

What everyone is waiting for, is the knee. My companion and I left at 3 in the morning to travel 5 hours by bus and subway to get to Temperley to go get my MRI. Every obstacle that we could have had, we had. I cried almost the entire trip but SOMEHOW we finally got there. I got the MRI and they told me, well because of the new year and everything no one will be working till monday so you can get your results on monday(today) at 7pm. They just told me basically lay down and not walk for an entire week while they all took their vacations.. welcome to argentina! BUT, i called president and told him and I just started to cry. I have just felt so depressed in the apartment all day not being able to work. I want to work so bad and President just gave me the wise advice to be patient and pray and all will work out. He said that the mission cant loose Hermana Root and we are gonna do all we can to keep her here! So we got back to dolores and I spent the entire week in the pension. It was the hardest week of my life. Reading, studying, crying, wondering what on earth is going to happen with me. I literally felt a fog over me. I was just so sad. But yesterday, the branch president picked me up to go to church. While we were sitting in the sacrament meeting, we sang Count your blessings. The last verse just hit me, it says: 

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

1. Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
2. The meaning is a little different in spanish but, i realized that its all okay. I am going to finish this mission. There is nothing more in the world that I want to do. And if for some reason I cant finish, I know that its the plan that God has for me. I was praying for a way that I could just be happy and forget these problems and Hermana Lida, the branch presidents wife, came up to me and said hermana root, I dont know why I feel like asking you this but would you like to come and help me sew some curtains for me house? Heavenly Father knows that sewing helps me feel better and I got to spend 8 hours yesterday sewing curtains and a new skirt for me. God really listens to our prayers and I know that there is something that I need to learn from this trial. I am learning really how to trust in the lord and how to apply the atonement. The atonement is everything. 
3. Right now in my district, we have an Elder that I was in the MTC with, Elder Powlus. He is from Twin Falls and we became such great friends in the MTC and now we are in the same district. I sent his mom an email full of pictures of a birthday party we did for him and she emailed me an email of encouragement. Elder Powlus told his parents that he gave me a blessing and that I am having knee problems. She told me how her whole family fasted for me and put my name in the temple. Then mom told me how she put my name in the temple twice and emails from so many saying they are praying for me. I am so thankful for all the people that are taking the time to think of me. It makes me feel not so alone in this far away land. 
4. This week i should know what happens but I am going to think positive and I am going to finish this mission. Theres no other choice. I need to be here. 

I love you all! 

Hermana Root 

1. District meeting!

2. New Years Dinner

3. My companion icing her knee so she can be just like me! (I ice my knees with frozen pees just like mom taught me!)

Happy New Year! (12/29/14)

Wow, Feliz Navidad y Ano Nuevo! Cannot believe that the holidays are already passing. It gets more hot and humid here every day. It has been a long week but just like every other week in the mission, it was filled with opportunities to learn and see that I really do have a savior. 

First off, skyping with the family was hands down the best christmas gift I have ever recieved. I immedietly cried when I saw all of your faces. It feels like I have been gone for just a few months but when I started talking with you all I realized just how long it has been since we have all seen each other. It was hard to hang up and we all shed a few (or more) tears but I am so excited for the next one in May. 

We spent christmas eve in the apartment and Hermana Dora brought us dinner. We made popcorn and got to watch a movie and it really was a fun night. I never will have another christmas in the mission and I will never forget it. I got a little sad on christmas morning but all in all, it was a great day. We came to the Branch presidents house for christmas day and we barbecued lamb and ate SO much. I have barely at all week! 

On friday, we got back to work. We were both so excited that we have 4 baptism dates that we worked so hard visiting and teaching them. My knee hurt really bad but it didnt matter, I just wanted to work.Remember how I said how I tripped walking down stairs and hurt my knee. But, on saturday we went to La Plata to go to the doctor. He looked at my knees and he said my right knee is okay but my left knee has problems. It looks like I tore my miniscus. Also, There is a sack of liquid under your kneecap that allows your knee to move freely, the liquid is leaving the sack. So, he said that I cant walk very much, no bike, and basically just lay in bed all day till I can get an MRI. We left the hospital and I just started to cry. I didnt think it was anything bad and we dont know if its a minor tear or something major till we get the MRI. So, i had to call President and tell him. He was in shock. He told me that if the healing is more than 2 weeks, I have to go home. I started bawling and said please president, dont send me home. He told me how it was the last thing he wanted to do but for now we are just going to wait for the results. The truth is that I basically have been crying since saturday and praying that tomorrow 

when I get the MRI that we dont find anything. I mean I love my family and of course I would love to see them, but I need to be in Argentina right now. I am here to work and not be hurt. This week I have relied so much on the atonement and am just trying to put my faith in my heavenly father. I know whatever he wants will happen, and lets just hope I dont see home until November. 

But dad, you will be proud. My zone leaders and the assistants called me and told me how tough i was for riding a bike and working hard for 2 weeks with a torn miniscus. I told them my dad always taught be that if its a long way from your heart, its all good. Everyone laughed and that Dad was hilarious. 

But, that was my week. I cannot believe its going to be 2015. I am so thankful for this past year. My decision to come on a mission was the best one I have ever made. It has changed the person I am and the person I am becoming. I have really come to know Jesus Christ. Through all these trials, I can see that I truly am never alone. I know that I could have never learned these things if I wouldnt have decided to serve. I am eternally grateful. 

I love you all and happy new year! Lets start the new year our right and try and get to know our Savior more because with him is the only place we can find true happiness. 

Merry Christmas Eve! (12/24/14)

Hola!! Feliz noche buena!!! I am alive! What happened is that we had the choice to email on wednesday or monday and we chose to email today! Wow, today is christmas eve and the truth is that it doesnt feel like it AT ALL! 

Seriously, I cannot even express the miracles that I was able to see in the past week. I am so blessed. I have realized that yes there is always the trials, but for those who are obedient, the lord always has their backs. 

We had exchanges this week. I was with Hermana Knowlton from Utah and we had a blast. It was raining but we worked so hard and found 2 new investigators and HAVE A BAPTISM DATE!! They are Carla and Marcelo and they are a young couple and SO awesome. So prepared! We also got 15 references using the He is the Gift cards and ALSO 2 more investigators that ALSO have baptism dates. In one week we went from absolutely nothing to 4 baptism dates and close to 20 references when we ended the week. Heavenly Father knew Christmas would be hard so he saved all the blessings for the month till this week haha. 

We had an interesting experience this week. It was the branch christmas party and last minute, they called us and told us to set up all the seating and do the decorations. The party was going to start in about 2 hours. We were all frustrated because we had been asking ALL week as to what we could do and we had to cancel appointments because the members are lazy! The poor presidents wife did ALL the food. For 45 people! ALONE. No one helped her. But, the party was really great. We had permission to stay till 10:30 and asked a member a week in advance if they could take us home at 10:15. The hour came and the member was like oh just wait hermanas, we are going to clean up first. And everyone didnt know what to do so of course, I had to be the one who told them how it was haha. I said how we need to be obedient and we needed to be in the apartment at 10:30 (It was about 10:45 at this point) They blew us off and said it didnt matter if we were a few minutes late. So I called a taxi and ALL of the members were irritated because we werent going to stay to clean up when they knew we had to leave at 10:30. By the time the taxi got there, we got home at 11:30. My poor companion was so sad. She had never broke a mission rule before and she was crying. it was so uncomfortable but oh well, we have now learned to not put our obedience in the hands of these members!!

This week I might have tripped and fell super hard and kinda have some knee problems. On saturday I am going to a doctor but yesterday I got a priesthood blessing and today my knee was so much better. The priesthood is real! It works! 

it doesnt feel like Christmas. its just another day here that no one really celebrates and also, its like 100 degrees. We were really sad that tonight we are just going to be in the apartment but this morning Hermana Dora, the relief society president called us and told us she is going to bring us dinner to the apartment. It was such a blessing to know that at least someone thought about us during this week. We spent the past two days going to the houses of all the members and less actives singing christmas songs and giving them a card and ornament that we made them. We are hoping they will maybe start to like us a little more now! haha 

But, I have learned one thing. Christmas isnt about all the presents, or all the material things. Christmas is about Christ, family, and memories. I miss everything from home but I am thankful that I can give just one christmas to my heavenly father. Tonight all of you watch He is the Gift (www.christmas.mormon.org) Remember that he really is the reason for all of this. 

Love you all! Merry Christmas. I will be home next year! 

TALK TO YOU TOMORROW FAMILY!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!

¡¡Feliz Navidad!!

1. Hermana Tongi and I! We both went to BYUH at the same time!

2. Teaching the horses!

3. The missionaries and the branch president and his wife!