September 13th:
I saw my first dead dog in the street this past week with my Companion. But I know I'm adjusting when I'm not longer upset by seeing things like this. I actually thought......that dog is better off dead. But anyways sorry!!!!!!!!!
What a sad way to start my email! This past week we worked really hard and pretty much got no results because we didn't have any investigators in church for the first time. We always have at least one! About 2 months ago the President of the Mission said that the Missionaries can't attend church if we don't have investigators in church. So my Companion and I didn't get to have sacrament and we were looking for investigators for 3 hrs to go to church.
Things are hard for my new Companion because my sweet oblivious trainer left everything a disaster here in Ituzaingo. There are problems with our apartment that my trainer never got fixed and other things. But we are working hard to change things! I have some crazy stories to share. One of them involves a catholic priest! We were knocking on doors when this young adult came out and we talked and he said we could visit. Well as we were talking a Catholic Preist ( A Father?) came out of the house!!!! I think he was there to give someone a blessing or something like that! He came right up to us and starting asking my Companion questions like.....whats your name? WHat church? WHO is the son of God? WHo is the Mother of God?
It was really irritating because he knows we are Mormon missionaries and we have black tags right on our shirts. But she looked at him and answered the questions. I looked at him straight in the eye and held my ground. It says right in Preach my Gospel that we have power that he doesn't have. We are the true Restored Gospel in this World. He wasn't mean but it was like he was trying to school us.
What's funny is I'm pretty sure we have the same amount of religious education with years of Seminary in high school and religion classes at BYU and being a member of the church our whole lives. What was funny was later in the week we saw him in a Parade here in Ituziango and he looked at us and I waved at him. When he saw he.....he looked away really fast. Kinda funny! The Catholics here aren't friends with us like the Catholics in the United States.
Anyway another funny story was when we taught this old lady this past week who was really sweet but I think crazy. I was trying so hard not to die laughing because it was almost like something in a movie. She has these 2 Dogs and when she wants them to leave she waves around this stick with like a piece of string tied to it like a whip. I stood there watching this old lady screech at her dogs waving around this stick to get them to leave. She was so sweet but my Companion and I couldn't teach becasue she kept talking and couldn't hear us very well.
I really thought.......I'm in a movie right now.....this isn't reality. But yep my Companion is frustrated here because people here won't say that they´re not interested.....they all say yes!! I want to go to church and blahblah but then they do nothing. IN Ituziango.....just about everyone listens but won't make commitments. IN other places......people straight out say no or actually when they listen...they do their commitments!
SO we are teaching a lot......we have many investigators but very few progressing! But anyway at some point I will be leaving here and I have a strong feeling I'll be heading off to Formosa or some area in Resistencia. I'm basing this on the fact that I had a blessing which described the area I would be in and our Mission is huge.....but based on this blessing....those areas best fit the description. But who knows?? Anyways I am grateful for the support of you all!!!!!!!!!!! If I didn't have your support I don't think I could do this at all. Please try not to change the entire house while I'm gone or get ride of anymore animals until I get back! Seriously I want our house the same!
I love you all!! PLease pray for me....I pray for you all!!! love hermana Anna Schmidt
September 27th:
Please forward this email to all of the family!!! Well............I will start off by saying ITS REALLY HOT!!! Summer hasn't even started yet but its already REALLY hot. We don't have any ceiling fans but we have about 3 giant fans in our apartment that we are using so I can't complain! I shouldn't even complain now because its not even Summer yet.
We had our Reunion de District in Posadas last week and I was able to recieve ALL my mail!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!! Keep writing and keep sending emails. If you want to send me uplifting photocopies of talks in the mail.....I would love it!! Every month the missionaries receive the church magazine Lihona but the Spanish speaking missionaries get it first!! We get our english versions a little later. As far as general conference my companion says the the English missionaries always get to watch it in English in another room but since I'm in Ituzaingo I wonder if I'll get that same chance.
We shall find out...my Companion Hna. Catricura wants to watch it in English too. After her mission she wants to go to BYU in Utah. (Shes from Chile) Anyways......she is absolutely wonderful!!!!! Its interesting how many of our investigators after we teach them and we ask them when we have another appointment....many of them say....TOMORROW???
Its really sweet...its interesting also as companion we can feel the spirit at the exact same time and knows things...its also interesting how when someone is angry how the spirit just leaves the room in a second.
Anyways we are working hard in a difficult area with problems but hopefully with time my Companion and I can change this are and help it. We are teaching some wonderful people who I just want them to receive their answers sooooo BAD!!!!!! If they know the church is true.....they can totally change their lives and have the hope they need to have!!
We have seen some little miracles here and hopefully these peoples' schedule will change so they can go to church cause they want to!!!!!!!
I love you all and I am doing well. I have a lot fo spanish to learn but with time its getting better......who knows?? Maybe one day I'll have an investigator who'll do commitments and be baptized....heehee......love you all!! Love Hna. Anna Schmidt
October 4th:
Hey family! So Tuesday night is when the Elders call to say if you're leaving or not. TRANSFERS!! But I'm pretty sure I'm going to have another transfer here or at least I hope with my companion. We worked hard as usual and had investigators with us in Conference. We had about 5 people in the space of 2 days there with us which is a miracle for my area. I got to watch conference in English of course in another room with my own tv and it was really great!!!!!!
Today we had an activity with the Elders and other Hermanas in Posadas and we went to a chinese resturant and ordered chinese food in spanish.......pretty crazy huh???? But it was REALLY good and my compnaion and I were so happy to get out of Posadas. Anyway Sorry this email is really short but I would like to follow the advice of Jeffery R Holland and say THANKYOU DAD; MOM; LAURA; JONTHAN for being my family. Thankyou Dad for how hard you have always worked to support our family and for always encouraging me to get an education and serve a mission. Thankyou for playing with me fun games! I'm grateful for Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt for their examples and how hard they worked and loved me Thank you Mom for always pushing me to leave my comfort zone and encourage me to develope my talents. Thank you for the awesome summer memories when I was in school and for singing me songs in bed and reading stories. I am most of all grateful that ya´ll always took us to church and insisted on reading scriptures and having family home evening.
Thank you for the vacations and life experiences. Laura and Jonathan, thank you for being my sibling. I always brag about my siblings to all the missionaries. I love you all every much!
-Hna Anna Schmidt
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