27: Fiestas Y Aventuras

Okay I know yall are excited for this email. I just sent one 2 days ago, but hopefully this will put us back on the Monday email routine. So get ready because this is the one where I get to tell you all about Argentine Christmas. 

 

 

The first festivity of the week was an amazing zone conference and Christmas dinner with my zone and the neighboring zone. There were about 30 missionaries there and it was so fun! We had matching skirts with the sisters, did a talent show, I played basketball for the first time since high school with all the Elders, had a white elephant, and (most importantly) learned a lot about how to be better missionaries. 

 

 

The next day was Christmas Eve! We got permission from our mission president to go spend the night with the closest companionship of sisters who live 2 hours away. So we packed up and headed out. There, we got to have a big asada with other missionaries and stay up until 12 am to see all the fireworks. It was so hot, the food was amazing, I watched a random Elder eat a cockroach for no reason, we played Uno with crazy Argentine rules, we talked about the birth of our Savior, and I realized just how much I LOVE being a missionary. 

 

 

And then NAVIDAD! Best day of the year. Christmas itself isn't that big of a deal here since the big celebration is Christmas Eve. They really pull an all nighter and open presents/ set off fireworks until 8 am. So our Christmas was really relaxed, just playing soccer and watching movies. I got to call my whole family and it was awesome! 

 

 

I will say that real Argentina asada gives Texas BBQ a run for its money. And yall know how deep my Texas pride is, so that's saying something. I also have come to appreciate the Cumbia remixes of American songs that I hear on the radio. I could list 42 other things that I am starting to really love about Argentina, but I think I'll just say that I really love my mission. I'm already sad to think that I'll be leaving at some point in the future. 

 

 

Other fun things that happened include a pretty good car crash I was privileged to take part in. We were just headed to Rosario for a technology training and absolutely rammed into the back of another car. Lucky for me all I got was a shredded lip, seat belt burns, a couple bruises, and body aches. Pretty sure Heavenly Father was watching out for us because it could've been worse. 

 

 

I've been trying to think of what I could share to end this email on an uplifting note and the only thing coming to mind is Ether 12:27. 

 

 

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

 

 

It's a classic, but I never had a true testimony of it myself until this transfer. With all the changes that come with Argentina and having a less than easy companion and whatever else is going on, I've seen more growth in myself than ever before. And I know it's God molding me into the person He needs me to be. And I'm so grateful for it. Grateful for the struggles and the bad days, grateful for the blisters, grateful for the language barrier. I'm not saying it's easy to be out here, but I love it more than anything. 

 

 

Les amo muchísimo! Cuídense y nos vemos!!

Hermana Thrasher

 

 

PICS!

I feel like these are pretty self explanatory. Enjoy!