June and beginning of July 2011 emails

June 3rd:
Hola familia...WOW!! Can't believe that ya'll already got a letter from the Mission President saying that I'm training!!!

Make sure and save that for scrap-booking. Well thank you for your emails.....DAD and Austin!!! Those brought a big smile to my face although I am concerned Dad & Mom because ya'll have already sent me a bunch of packages and we are only allowed to get 4 in our whole Mission......I think that I'll still get them but I have told you that its better to send it in a padded vanilla envelope b/c I don't get charged and if its small enough...customs won't open it up......

This week was a better week........its like every thing just got way harder when I started training. You are pulling more weight for sure.....my companion is an awesome girl and I think she will learn fast.......its nice to actually have someone who can understand how you see things since we are both American and from similar lifestyles.......when I heard that there were 3 girls to train and that 2 were from Idaho and one from California----I sooooo knew that I would be training the girl from California!!!!!!

One things that's really hard is I feel like everyone is judging me because I'm training.......I hate that and I know that their opinions don't matter.....but it still kinda hurts............ We are working hard to find people to teach and praying a lot..Its REALLY hard & I need the prayers of everyone PLEASE!

Whats interesting in the Mission is that there's always something that's a huge challenge and when you eventually get over it and get comfortable.......THINGS CHANGE and you think.......WOW.....that last challenge was WAY easier....why can't I do back to that??

The goal in life is to learn to be happy when things are crappy because there will always be some kind of challenge that's for your good eventually.
I found a really interesting quote from Gospel Principles when I was doing my personal studies today-----
"IN Reality, everyday is a day of judgment. We speak, think and act according to celestial, terrestrial, or telestial law. Our faith in Jesus Christ, as shown by our daily actions, determines which kingdom we will inherit."

Pretty interesting huh??? I hope that everyone is doing okay.....I do pray for every single one of you--My parents, Jonathan, Laura, grandparents, aunts & uncles.............I really can't think of anything else to share. The Members have really stepped up in my time here......now we have lunch almost everyday and we have members who wash our clothes so that's no longer a huge hassle!!!!
I love you all!! Please take care.......when I get back one day I want to make a huge dinner of food from Argentina for everyone all together!!! Love you all....I hoping that Mom and Dad are doing better........ALSO.......where are my letters?? I feel VERY unloved-------yep...I'm being a brat.....love you all Hermana Anna Schmidt




June 13th:
Hey family..............so I survived one of the worst weeks ever.......I am happy to start over again with a new week. I literally have no time to write to you all........I went to Resistencia today to do papers to be here legally in Argentina.....I have been in Argentina for over a year and it was time to do papers again!!!!!!!!!!! CRAZY..........

Before I forget......I want to say Happy Birthday to Mom before it passes and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my awesome hardworking bulldog Dad........I love you all sooooo much and WHAT THE HECK?!..........email me people.......I need your support because I am in a VERY VERY hard time in my Mission as a trainer and you would not believe how everything went wrong last week.......

Transfers are Tuesday night and everyone thinks that I am leaving........honestly part of me is really hoping to go but I don't want to go until I fix up this area now and help my companion......I need ya'll to fast for me & my companion and put our names in the temple.......I am struggling big time and am a basket case of emotions........seriously......pray for me and this area Laguna Seca........

I know that God can do anything but I am lacking some faith in myself big time.........I just want to do the things that the Lord wants for me and help my Companion so please pray........I will let ya'll know next week where I am...I'll probably still be here......Our Mission President leaves in just 2 weeks!!!!!!!! SO crazy..........please write me letters!!!!!!!!! Love you all......Hermana Schmidt





June 27th:

Hey family!!!!!!!!

First off.............I have a question and need Dad or Mom to answer......I got an email saying that ya'll sent me packages right.......what clothes and stuff right........that's a question that I would like answered.......please let me know...hopefully ya'll will put money in my account as I have almost nothing and its the end of the month so I have VERY little money left from the mission...Well...........we are not going to have a baptism the end of this week......our investigator's HORRIBLE dad returned to the house and ruined everything..........we are super bummed.......Its amazing how he somehow returned to the house after we finally put a date with baptism......she was sooo happy...........

Its okay.........we will endure......don't have much to say about anything except that for the last time.....my mission was not extended........all the sisters end up finishing their mission at the end of the transfer and not in the middle......that would be a disaster and a mess so you end up leaving at the end of the transfer.......so that would be October.......

I sent in my travel plans to the MIssion so ya'll should be getting an email soon to coordinate travel plans.....make sure that ya'll say that you want to have at least a week vacation with me after wards......I have no idea how that works.....but ya'll should get an email with contact information to do all of this with the church.........I love you all.....sorry that I don't have anything awesome to share....I am struggling and mad cause I want to baptize but because I am a CRAPPY missionary. I am lacking.........and don't have baptisms.......somehow I will figure this out and have success.......I feel bad for my new missionary who doesn't have baptisms with me........how crappy when almost everyone else in her district have baptisms with their trainers................PRAY for me......love you all sooo much!!!!!!!!!! love Hermana Schmidt





July 4th:
First off..........HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!!! I have never had soooo much pride for my Country in my life before!!! I am sooo grateful to be American and the sacrifices that were made so that we could be a country and be free........its soooo weird that its already 4th of July.....I remember last year........I hadn't been in Argentina for very long......

I was in Ituzaingo with my trainer and now this year I'm in still in Corrientes but in Laguna Seca and I'm training........sooo crazy how fast time goes by!!!!!!!

I think that I've been in Corrientes for wayyyy too long............well....We have a new Mission President and it is sooooooo weird......I'm pretty nervous because we have interviews tomorrow and this will be his first impression of me.....I'm kinda wishing that he had been here to actually see my progress. But I am also excited as well.......I don't have much to say except that we are working and trying hard to find people who want to listen.......this has seriously been a very hard time.

We did actually find someone really great who listened........was there for his return appointment AND actually went to church!!!!! I put a baptism date and he accepted!!!!! MIRACLE.....we'll see what happens........sadly our investigator Valeria is not able to come to church now.......she and her family lives almost in front of our President for the Branch. I can't believe that less than 24 hrs after she accepted her date with baptism that her father returned to live in the house!!!!!!!!!

Now she is not able to leave her house and her Father won't even say hello to our President........Her father is an awful man who hates the church......I am still pretty mad about it.........so we didn't have a baptism on Saturday......that's okay......we will baptize before I leave with Hn. Van Wagenen.......okay.....don´t have very much more to say......LAURA......MAIL MY SHOES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!! Mom and Dad can ya'll please check on those packages?? love you all.......Hna. Schmidt





July 11th:
Hello everyone!!! I can't believe that this transfer is more than halfway over.........CRAZY.......I only have 2 transfers left after this one!! (Not to be trunky or anything...HA) Well I had my first interview with the New Mission President and got to know his wife.......look in the Liahona to read more about them!!

Its in the new one about the Latin pioneers of the church. Presidente Hayman is a HUGE change!!!!!! I loved my interview with him!!!!!!!! He is soooooooo American! He is just sooooo loving & wants to listen & understand.......it WAS WEIRD!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited about this Mission President and sad that I only have 3 months with him!!!!!!! Don't get me wrong......President Castillo was amazing & I'll miss him & his wife. He helped me sooo much.

I did tell President Heyman that I did have a whole year in Corrientes and that I was ready to leave the state of Corrientes........he promised me that he would keep me in mind & pray and ask where I should go..........my other 2 options are Formosa and Posadas Misiones!!!!!!!

We will see what happens!!!!!!!! Well we had the first good week in FOREVER!!! We actually found new people who wanted to listen!!! It was pretty awesome and my companion & I were sooo excited. We did have the craziest experience this week..........now that there are 2 gringas together....the men in the street are EVEN worse........its soooo awful sometimes.......we were walking and this kid on his bike rides by and starts saying things to me that are totally not okay...

I asked him how old he was and told him to be quiet........well he starts following us and it turns into this whole group of 13 yr old teenagers on their bikes following us forever......luckily we had a church member with us who was a guy. I walked up to the house of an investigator and knocked on his door and these teenagers just started surrounding us around the house........it turned into a group of like 15 teenagers just yelling dirty things and teasing us......... the sister of our investigator answered the door and looked out of the house in shocked and asked what was going on!!!!!!!

I was totally overwhelmed and couldn't talk to her because it was just so crazy!!!!!!!!!! Some of them just came right up close to us to look and say things!!!!! CRAZY........but luckily they left us alone as we walked away from the house........we kinda walked in shock and the member told us that it was good that he came with us this day.

Sunday was an AWESOME day because our investigator Valeria who was suppose to have been baptized on June 25.......came to church!!!!!!!!!! Her horrible Father moved back in with her Mom and told her that she couldn't go to church anyone so we lost contact of her for a while........She told us Sunday that her Mother is fighting with her Dad to let her come to church....She is soooo strong!!

She just turned 15 and I have hope that one day we can baptize her!!!!!!! Anyways......don't have much more to say!!! I just got a call from the Mission office saying that I have gotten that package that Mom & Dad sent and that I can't recieve anymore cause its my 4th one.................so don't send me anymore........ya'll can send me the padded vanilla envelopes filled with stuff though.........I love you all.....PLEASE KEEP PRAYING FOR US!!!! Happy Brithday Mom......I love you very much!!! Love Hermana Anna