Emails November 1st & 8th

November 1st:

Hello family! Yep...another week has passed! Yesterday was my 7 months in the mission! WOW....it went by really fast.

This past week was interesting because Argentina had the 2010 Census here and I actually took it. Here is Argentina you have to stay in your house until a person comes to your home and interviews you for information. It was pretty amusing & interesting for me because they ask things like.....do you have a bathroom? DO you know how to read? Obviously it was in Spanish but I was able to do it no problems. To answer your question Laura.....yes I can understand and talk in Spanish......I'm like in the halfway mark of knowing Spanish. But my Companion is helping me alot.

The Sun is REALLY strong here!! We have not hit the high of Summer yet but WOW.....if I go outside....I get a sunburn!!! Now we are seeing alot of snakes in the sand!!!!!!! YIKES!! The other week for our P day we were exploring the beach and the forests along them when we saw a GIANT IGUANA!!! It was almost like those Komodo dragons!!! We were both scared!!!! As a missionary you experience, see and do things that you never thought you would do! Austin told me that!!! Its true!!

On Sunday we went to an investigators house to pick her up.......this investigator has this HORRIBLE dog!!!!! ! Well my Companion had clapped to let them know we were there when we saw this streak of black running for us.......the dog was coming out and running straight for my companion with his teeth out!!! I turned and jumped on top of an abandoned junk car and watched my Companion run like heck down the street!!!! The Dog kept chasing her until she was at the end! I just sat on top of this junk car in my usual missionary-sunday-clothes and was praying to God that my companion was gonna make it without injury. The Dog returned to the junk car.....looked up at me, did nothing and walked back to his house. I jumped off and went running for my Companion. I have never seen my Companion run from a Dog before......it makes it worse.....but I think the Spirit whispered......RUN!!!! Anyway afterwards.....we were laughing soooo hard.....we were both sick!!!! I literally jumped on top of a car to get away from this horrible Dog and just sat there!!!! We're still laughing about it.

But yep.....we are teaching alot and actually have some promising investigators. The stress of the mission and all in pretty severe. What's interesting now.....as I think about my time in the MTC.........how gratful I am for that period of time there and how I got to listen to Apostles of the Lord and just how I began my process of becoming what the Lord wants me to be......now I wished that I had enjoyed it more and not been so stressed about the Language. S

omething I am learning with my Companion is to enjoy my mission.......every rejection......walking in the rain....all of it because it goes by really fast and I won't have this chance again! Anyway I love you all!!!!!! I pray for you all!! love hermana Schmidt

November 8th:

¡Holá mi familia! ¿Como están? We are now in the last week and next tuesday we are going to have transfers. But I think that I have one more tansfer here in Ituzaingó Corrientes!!! Mom.......I got my package!!! THANKYOU but I am sad to say that if you put gum or food in my package......those jerks at customs stole ALL of it!!!! I got all the big stuff you put in my package but if you put food which you said that you did.....they took it! But thats okay!!!! I was so happy to get my package!!!

I have many interesting stories to share from this past week. First off......everyone in Ituzaingó knows where the mormon missionaries live...well we had Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on OUR door this past week...........my Companion said they were lucky that they didn't understand English because I was really mad. They know that we live there...the problem in Ituzaingo is that there are MANY missionaries in this town and they ALL talk smack about the Mormon missionaries to the people...interesting...right?? All the other missionaries here know the mormon missionaries.....ahem.....well my Companion answered the door and the chickas at the door said, ¨hello!!! We are Missionaires and we share a message about the bible..........My Companion looked at them straight in the eyes and said....oh...well...... We´re MIssionaries also......... of THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTERDAY SAINTS AND WE SHARE A MESSAGE ABOUT JESUS CHRIST........DO YOU BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST?

In our apartment we have the classic picture of Jesus Christ in the middle of scriptures that I have written in english and spanish. WHen you are at our door.......its starring you straight in the face. The Jehovah´s witnesses gave my Companion a pamphlet and left!!! I was really annoyed because the other missionaries talk trash about us and of course we don't say anything. But my Companion said.......Hermana, Tenemos una cosa que Ellas no tienien......El Espiritú............SIster, we have something that they don´t have....The Spirit!

I felt better after that because I know that she is right!! Another really funny thing in this mission....we are not allowed to wear sunglasses because the people think that the North Americans are SPYS or the CIA.......the stories people say are so funny and ridiclous sometimes!

This past week we were teaching this brother and Sister who have a bunch of dogs and one of them has giant blue eyes!!! There are more Dogs here with blue eyes than people!! Well I was teaching and the Brother is like 22 yrs old looked at me and started laughing......I was really annoyed and was like...whats your problem?? He said.......you have same blue eyes as my Dog!

I was sooo shocked after he said that....that I couldn´t teach and looked at the Companion and said Le toca.......which means your turn!!!!! We laughed a lot about it afterwards. Also I heard the Spanish of Paraguay for the first time!!! Holy crap!!! Its sooo crazy!!! Its sounds like the Spanish version of Japanese!!!!!! There are lots of people from Paraguay in the Northern part of Argentina.

Anyways, I love you all and am proud of all of you!! love hermana anna schmidt