Week Twelve!

Hola family and friends!

This week has been SO GOOD. Hermana Dixon is the perfect companion (no exageration). We have been talking a lot this week about praying to be strengthened in your circumstances, instead of praying for your circumstances to be changed. It comes from a talk by Elder Bednar called "In the Strength of the Lord" which I would highly reccommend. Even though life is hard, if we pray, God can strengthen us to do whatever He puts in front of us. We will learn and grow so much more if we are strengthen rather than removed from the hard things. 

Also I would invite every girl reading this right now to read Psalms 46:5 because it is beautiful.

My two favorite testimonies I heard this week:

1. We should wake up at 5am every Sunday to drink Mate before we go to church and if you do not then you are breaking a commandment

2. (from a 9 year old) I know that Jesus is always in my heart

We went to Paysandú this week for a zone conference, so I got to see a lot of my old friends from before! It was so sweet to see all of them and they were all glad to hear I was back and healthy again. I was especially grateful to see Hermana Tafur, the sweet Hermana from Peru that emailed me every week when I was home. 

I can easily say that I walked more this week than I ever have in my life. My legs are slowly getting srtonger and stronger and hopefully my blisters will heal this week. Our area is so large. Hermana Dixon and I decided that pretty much every night our feet and legs feel like we have been at Disneyland.

We work every day from 6:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night nonstop, as we should. We can see the payoff from our hard work. When I arrived here, we were pretty much starting out with no one to teach. Now we have 6 investigators! It is such a miracle and we feel so blessed to be working with the sweet people of Mercedes.

One classic rejection story of the week: we were contacting a woman on the street and asked if we could pass by her house some time to share more with her. She said sure, and then we asked for her phone number. She told us that she did not have a phone. The catch: she was texting on her cell phone as she said it. We laughed it off after haha. 

This morning we walked about 5 miles (2 hours there and back) with our district to go to a cute little zoo outside of town. It is a beautiful spring day here with lots of sun, so it was really nice. The animals were all cute and the Uruguay countryside is absolutely gorgeous. 

I just continue to feel so blessed to be here in this amazing country with my incredible companion Hermana Dixon and so many people at home supporting me. I love you all so much!

Hermana Kaylee Marsh

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Week Eleven!

Drive from Visalia to Bakersfield. Fly from Bakersfield to Phoenix. Fly from Phoenix to JFK. Fly from JFK to Santiago, Chile. Fly from Santiago to Montevideo, Uruguay. Bus from Montevideo to Mercedes. Walk from bus stop to my apartment. Over 36 hours of travel but definitely worth it because after 2 long months at home I finally made it back! As soon as we made it back to Mercedes, we dropped my suitcases off and started working! I was just a little bit tired.

Now for what you have all been waiting for: my new companion. Hermana Dixon!!!!! I knew Hermana Dixon at BYU because she lived in my apartment complex and was in my ward. I have been praying that she would be my companion, and here we are together! This is her last transfer in the mission, so we will only be together for about 4 more weeks. She is so obedient and such a hard worker. We have gotten along together SO WELL it is incredible. She is just one of the sweetest girls I have ever known and I just want to brag about her all day. She always is trying to find ways to serve me, like she makes me breakfast! I really hope one day I can be as good of a companion to someone as she is to me. 

We have been working harder than I ever have before here in Mercedes. We pretty much have no current investigators, so we have been doing a ton of walking and street contacting. What we do is try to teach the message of the Restoration, starting with God loves you, in less than 5 minutes. We have truly seen miracles with this. Yesterday we were searching for a house and walking down a street when we saw a woman, so we started talking to her. We gave her the Restoration and in the middle of it, after I talked about Christs purpose here on Earth, she stopped me and said "This message is so beautiful, can I go to church with you two ladies sometime? I have so much time." THINGS LIKE THAT NEVER HAPPEN IT WAS INCREDIBLE. 

This week was definitely stressful because I feel like my Spanish skills completely regressed back to what they were when I arrived to Uruguay the first time my first day here. But after that, I feel I picked up on everything really quickly. I can feel the Lord helping me every day, because I know it's as important to Him that I succeed as it is for me. 

The people here have all been so kind in welcoming me back. I've definitely been able to feel their love and support, which is always nice. I feel that when I email every week from you guys as well, but it is good to feel it from them throughout the week. They have all been offereing us so much food and giving besos all around.

General Conference was this weekend! Amazing right? It is always one of my favorite weeks of the year, and I am so excited to get November's Liahona magazine so I can go back over and read all of the talks again. I watched it all in Spanish, but could feel I could understand about 95% of it. 

Soo my birthday was yesterday, and I think I want to spend every birthday of my life as a missionary. Hermana Dixon did so many things for me throughout the day. We had pizza and alfajores and popcorn for lunch. I was sung happy birthday to in 3 different languages (like 20 times throughout the day haha). A cute little girl drew me a picture that said feliz cumple and I got cards from Hermana Dixon and Hermana Smith. We also saw a lot of miracles that day, so Hermana Dixon told me "Its God telling you happy birthday!" It was such a good day and I absolutely loved being able to watch conference for a lot of it. 

One funny story: in the mornings, we always jump out of bed at exactly 6:30 and shout "hoy es el dia." So Friday morning the alarm went off, so I did that and then started making my bed. After a minute or so, Hermana Dixon was like "Hermana Marsh, are you okay??" So I responded I was fine. She asked "what are you doing?" So I said just getting ready for the day. She was like "Hermana, its 2:30 in the morning, go back to sleep!" It turns out that alarm was just an accident, but she turned it off and didnt tell me. So I was just making my bed in the middle of the night for no reason hahaha she thought I was insane. 

Last night we had a lesson with Antonio and María Jose, the people I had my very last lesson with before I left. Antonio told me "It feels like everytime we are having problems, the Hermanas come knocking at my door. I havent seen you in 2 months, we are having some problems, and here you are." It was so cool so I told him that God sent us to them, and I really think they are going to progress. He has already committed to be baptized, and I think we are going to commit her to be baptized in the next lesson this week. They arent married and have a 6 year old son, so they will have to get married before they can be baptized, but Antonio told us that he knows its time to do what God is asking of him.

Overall this week was just incredible. I am so grateful to be back here in Uruguay with amazing people and an amazing companion and healthy and everything. I thought my first week in Uruguay before was the best week of my life, but this one has overthrown that title.

Love,

Hermana Marsh

p.s. we are supposed to tell everyone no matter what do not send packages through anything other than the public mail service of your country, so USPS for America. I would highly suggest not sending any packages though because they are way too expensive. If something gets sent through Fed Ex or UPS, I will not receive it.

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Argentina MTC Tips (CCM)

Tips for the Argentina MTC:

1. Bring a water bottle. There are those big jugs of water and small cups, but you're sitting in a classroom for like 12 hours a day and get thirsty. 

2. Start fun traditions with your district. Our district created "milestones" and every time we accomplished one, we did a chant or celebration to mark it off the board. It helps break up the time a little bit. We also told a bed time story every night right after planning before we all had to go to bed. 

3. Set goals from the beginning. Have goals going in, and make more goals once you've been there. Make them realistic and then do everything in your power to achieve them. These can include writing in your journal every day, memorizing a certain number of words per day, etc.

4. Talk with the Latins. Especially your roommates. Even if you speak no Spanish, they want to help you learn! And it will help you improve your Spanish so much, no matter what level you're starting out at. Meal times, exercise time, and night time are great for this. 

5. Work hard, play hard. Work hard in the classroom all day, and then play hard during exercise time. It really does help relieve stress. I hated exercise going in, but after sitting in the same chair all day long I really just needed to get up and move to stay sane. 

6. Get to know the cooks. First of all because they are actually really cool people, and second because sometimes you really want that second pudding which is not allowed but they will give it to you if they like you. Also the good piece of meat or the big brownie etc. 

7. You're going to leave most of your stuff in a storage unit. Don't freak out when they tell you. Just be prepared going in knowing what exactly you want for the MTC and have that all in one suitcase to make unpacking easier. They give you a list of exactly what you need, but just go by what you want. Also you can always get into your suitcases in the storage unit if you need to by asking the President or his wife. 

8. You're going to teach a lesson in Spanish your second day there and go proselyting on the streets of Buenos Aires your second week. Don't freak out. This is just a time to learn and you're supposed to make mistakes. Hundreds of missionaries have done the exact same thing before and survived. 

9. Buy chocolate and coca cola while you're proselyting. It's worth it. You can exchange your US dollars to Argentine pesos in the US, at the airport, or the President (might) be willing to exchange some for you.

10. You'll be going to the temple every week, so if you have any family names, bring them!

11. You can buy things at the distribution center on P-day, but there's only really hymnals, scriptures, garments, and some other church related things. Not any snacks or anything like that. You can use US dollars there, though. 

12. Bring snacks! You'll want them. Had a bad lesson? A little chocolate will cheer you up.

13. The plastic forks will break at pretty much every meal. Just get two.

14. Your teachers have some of the best wisdom and advice for your mission. Respect them and listen to them. 

15. Take notes. They give you a little journal when you get there for this. 

16. The MTC provides you with Spanish scriptures, Preach My Gospel, True to the Faith, a Spanish/ English dictionary, and like 3 language study books. Pretty much all you need is your English scriptures and Preach My Gospel.

17. Remember everyone is going through the same thing as you, so if you're struggling, you can talk about it. There's a pretty good chance someone else can relate. You can also always talk to your teachers or the President if you are getting overwhelmed. The first week you pretty much feel like you're going to explode. It gets better after that.

18. You get to watch a movie every Sunday night (in English). It is the best time of the week probably.

19. We had a constant battle in our classroom between the Elders and Sisters on the room temperature. Not all of the rooms have AC, but ours did. The Elders wanted it literally freezing all the time. Suggestion to the Sisters: bring a sweater just in case.

20. Enjoy your time there! It will seem long at the end no doubt, but once you get to the field you will realize how easy the MTC was. You get fed 3 times a day, barely walk at all, and always have someone close that can understand you if you speak English. This is also the last time you have to study for yourself for the next 18 months/2 years because once you're in the field, you are constantly focusing your studies on your investigators. 

The Argentina MTC is called the CCM in Spanish. It is only one building, 3 stories tall. There are never more than 100 people there. First floor meeting rooms and offices. Second floor housing. Third floor half classrooms, half housing. 

Week Ten!

Dear family and friends,

"To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle" -Walt Whitman.

       Last week, I traveled to Paysandú for a zone conference. This week, I went to Montevideo for training for all of the new missionaries for a day. This week, I will be going to Paysandú for divisions with other missionaries (when my companion goes with one hermana, and I go with that hermanas companion so we can all learn from each other). Every time I travel, I have to wake up at 3 to catch a bus. So much tired. 

       As for our investigators: they are struggling. Cirilia has been trying to quit smoking for over 6 months now and we have tried pretty much everything we can to help her. She lives with people that smoke so the temptation is always around her. Geraldin says she feels the spirit while she reads the Book of Mormon, but that is not a good enough answer for her that the church is true. It is a struggle. And as for Joaquin, our 8 year old, he decided he does not want to be baptized anymore. He is really scared so for now we are working with his mom and helping her progress, and she is helping him. I know the mothers influence is key. 

     I LOVE URUGUAY. The cutlure is different, the people are different, the food is different,  but I love it all so much. Our ward area is really large, so sometimes when we go to members houses to eat, we walk a lot. A lot. The picture attached is from the top of a hill (you cannot really tell) and as far as you can see is not even yet to our area. So I walked all of that plus some just to get back to my area. It was crazy. It is great though because I get so see so many beautiful and funny things as we walk. 

Love and miss you all!

Hermana Kaylee Marsh

Week Nine!

"As surely as the sun rises in the morning, faith produces hope-the expectation of good things to come-and brings us the power of the Lord to sustain us" -Marcus B. Nash

This week I: gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting (I wrote it all by myself too). Gave the prayer and my testimony in Spanish at a multi-zone conference (there were about 100 missionaries there). Was offered a cigarette. Explained what "then again, maybe not" means to someone who only knows English phrases from his video games. Ran up to the stand during church to get a 3 year old who was about to play the piano and explained to him why we could not do that during church (some things are the same all over the world). Ate chicken milganesas (I do not know how to spell that) at all but 1 meal served to us. It has been a busy week. 

My daily schedule is roughly this: 6:30- wake up and literally jump out of bed and exercise

7:00 shower, eat, prepare for the day, pray

7:50 personal study

8:50 set daily goals, finalize plans

9:30 pray and leave to teach

12:30 eat lunch

1:30 language study

2:20 companion study

3:20 daily planning

3:50 training on how to teach

5:00 leave to teach

9:30 return home, eat dinner if desired, write in journal, get ready for bed

10:30 pray and sleep

Next day: rinse, repeat.

It is nice and cold here. And by nice and cold I mean quite literally freezing 0 degrees celcius. Luckily I was prepared for this with my two jackets and fleece lined leggings. Sadly, I apparently forgot all of my gloves and scarves. The mission did give us a pair of gloves, a scarf, and wool socks, so I am taken care of haha. 

One fun fact about Uruguay is that everyone drives a moto. Not an exagerration. Most people cannot afford cars, so every single person has a moto. You see babies and dogs riding on them all the time. 

The work here is moving along. We have been trying to include the members in our ward in working with the less active members. Some are very willing, others not so much. It has been great to witness how much Christ can change lives, and I have only been here for a short time. 

There have been no prime picture taking opportunities so I included an awkward selfie just so you can all see that I am still alive

Love, 

Hermana Kaylee Marsh

Week Eight!

Okay, now for this week. We live in a cute little apartment on the third floor. We have all the basics: sink, oven, stove, microwave, and mini-fridge. There are actually 3 rooms and only 2 people, so each of us have our own walk in closet. Our ward is amazing with the best 4 and a half foot Bishop. We actually have over 1000 members on record for our ward, but only an average Sacrament Meeting attendance of 60. Needless to say, we do a lot of work with less active members. The people here are some of the most generous and kind people I have ever met. Almost everyone knows who the missionaries are, and we got told "hola Elderes" a lot haha, but even funnier is when we get told "Hola Elderas." 

The members feed us lunch here almost every day. The food is so good. Typically we have some sort of meat with pasta, no sauce. I have also drunk more soda in my two weeks here than I did in the previous 5 years before coming here. We cannot drink the water, so everyone gives us soda. The other day we were eating with a member and I looked down and there was a chicken at my feet. Never in my life have I been so happy to be eating beef. 

"Happiness doesnt come as a result of luck or accident. It most certainly doesnt come from having all of our wishes come true. Happiness doesnt come from external circumstances. It comes from the inside-regardless of what is happening around us." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Attached is my address for all that have asked for it. I love letters!

Love,

Hermana Marsh

Weeks six and seven!

Hola everyone! I am a real missionary now teaching real people the real Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is real-ly amazing. The last days in the CCM were long full of a lot of field training which was less than ideal but now I am out and so happy! 

On our way to Uruguay we boarded the plane, sat on the ground for two hours, flew to Uruguay, circled the airport for 2 hours, then returned and landed in a different airport in Buenos Aires. I really have no idea why because they were speaking rather quickly in Spanish. So we got pushed through customs and I was going to go with all of the missionaries travelling with me to talk to the airline to find out if they had another flight for us when the worst thing ever happened. Every other North American travelling with me was stopped at customs and taken to a back room by the police. I still had 4 other missionaries with me but they all only spoke Spanish. I was freaking out a little because I had no idea why I made it through with no problems and the rest of the Americans did not. When we got out of the airport, the first person I saw was someone who worked for the CCM. It was nothing less than a miracle. He was able to get all of the Americans out of the room and got us new tickets from the airline. For a good 30 minutes there I was on the verge of tears because I had no idea what was going on but all ended well and we got on a new flight 2 hours later. It was a long day and I got 4 stamps on my passport in one day, 3 from Argentina, so that was cool. 

Now to Uruguay: it is the best country in the world!!! I love it here so much. I am in Mercedes, which is beautiful.It is a pretty classic South American town and everyone is soo nice. Much nicer than the people in Buenos Aires. My companion is Hermana Cabrera and she is from Mexico City and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Her personality is much bigger than mine, but we have worked so well together so far. She knows a little English and obviously is fluent in Spanish, which is exactly what I wanted in my first companion. We mostly teach less-active members of the church, but also have quite a few investigators who I already love so much.

One of the investigators I am teaching is named Joaquin and he is 7, turning 8 next week. He is the cutest 7 year old I have ever met. We left his house at 9 a few days ago and he was sooo worried about us walking home alone it was adorable. Anyways I asked him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized and HE SAID YES. Okay I wish I could describe it but I cannot. I almost cried I was so happy. And after we left my companion and I just hugged and screamed we were so joyous. It was the happiest moment of my life. He is from a part member/ less active family. Yesterday he and his mom (who up until yesterday was inactive) came to church and I almost cried I was so happy. I just know how much having the gospel is going to bless their lives. 

Things here in Uruguay are great. One classic moment is that we met a man with a met monkey. It feeds and dresses itself and is toilet trained. It also tickled my feet. I will try to attach a picture but I do not know how good the internet is. It was so cute. 

Yesterday in church I was asked to direct the music...in the middle of church. With no notice. So I went up there to lead the music and it turns out the pianist nor the congregation really knew the hymn. The pianist stopped playing and every single person stopped singing. I had never sung the song before in Spanish, nor am I know for my amazing singing voice, but I stood up there and belted the song and directed trying to get everyone else to start again but it did not work. So I stopped too and the pianist tried again. The same thing happened. And then again. It was so awkward. The Bishop then stood up and changed the song. I was just laughing so hard. How many times in my life am I going to be standing in front of a group of people I do not know, leading a song I do not know in a language that I do not know, and have the pianist and congregation all go silent? It was great and definitely one for the books. After, my companion and I could not stop laughing. 

On Saturday we celebrated the 4th of July by making hamburgers with all of the Elders in my district. My companion is the only non-American. It was great and nice to have an hour to speak English haha. 

I love being a missionary. Everyone says the first week is the hardest and if that is true, these next 16 months are going to be the best months of my life by far. Everything here is so great and at night it takes me a few minutes just to stop smiling before I can go to sleep. The people and food and culture and just everything is better than I ever expected and better than I can explain. I hope all is well with all of you and you are all looking for miracles every day because they are there. 

Love,

Hermana Kaylee Marsh