November 15th email and pictures!

Hello family! I am finally sending pictures!! Enjoy!! The person in the photo with the bike was my trainer Hermana Carlosr! Just so you know who is who. Another week has gone by and we have transfers tuesday night but I'm pretty sure that I'll be here for another 6 weeks but who knows???

Well I have had a very eventful week!! First off I have to say that I have had my first experience where someone has thrown things at me because I'm a missionary!! My Companion and I were walking home through the neighborhood where our church is and our apartment. We walked by these teenagers and a few minutes later I could here rock flying through the air and hitting the pavement around us. I turned and looked and the teenagers were throwing rocks at us behind a bush and I saw one of them throwing rocks with all his might at our heads!!!!!!!! yep.....I was pretty horrified because we're Sister missionaries!!!!! But yeah.......the more we suffer, the more blessings that we will recieve so bring on the persecution......

But yeah I had some interesting experiences this past week. First off.....we had Conferencia de Zona in Posadas this past week. It was REALLY awesome and I recievered some big answers. Also it was awesome cause I got to see Elder Meeks from my District in the MTC. I am trying really hard not to compare myself to the others in my District or compare my area and think how much better theirs is. Almost all of them have LOTS of batipsms except for one in Corrientes in the Capital.

I'm in Ituzaingo COrrientes which is a tiny vacation town with a beach in the middle of no where. Honestly I think the state of Corrientes is the only State in Argentina that doesn't have a stake. But that's okay because Missionaries are here to help. I learned in Conference that its the faith of the missionaries that converts the investigators......interesting...huh??

Presidente Castillo said that if you don't want to work or you´re bored.......its because you're not obedient and don't have the Spirit. The Spirit brings us these desires.......be obedient and work has hard as you can and whatever problems you have will pass and you won´t want to leave your mission at the end.

But yeah there were alot of other things that were really powerful and my Companion and I left with a desire to do MUCH MUCH better in our area. Our numbers were soooo good the next 3 days after Conferience that we actually did better than our goals that we had set!!!!! One day we were sitting in the bus and this man looked at us and in my mind I heard.......talk to him....and of course my Companion and I were exhausted.....we were in the bus to head to the farthest part of Ituzaingo where its the poorest. My Companion was sleeping and so was I but the thought to talk to this man kept nagging me........so I sat up and watched for when he was going to leave the bus.......I whispered to my companion that I need to talk to him and when he got off....I ran off of that bus like crazy. I talked to him and asked if we could visit and teach him.

He said yes and later we passed by his house where he was sitting with his wife outside. His wife listens to ALL missionaries who pass by and she is special. She said that her husband normally does not listen to Misionaries but that we can pass by anytime and he said that he would listen!! Because I listened to a prompting we had 2 new investigators that day! We also had a miracle on Sunday where a woman who has ben investigating the church forever actually went to church!!!!!!! SHe has never been to church while I´ve been here and its been a REALLY long time since she has attended. So I actually cried when I saw her come with a member. She always says that she'll come but never does.

I've been teaching her for a really long time here and she actually told us about 2 months ago that she doesn't want to listen anymore and it broke my heart because she knows the church is true but is hard-headed. Her neighbors refused to talk to her and started creating problems because she was visitig with us. So she wouldn't even let us enter in her house anymore or open the door! But in the last 4 weeks she started to let us pass by again. But yeah it was a miracle for me and we actually had 4 investigators in the church Sunday. Anyway I have more but for now I've going to send more pictures!! I love you all!!! Keep emailing and writing!! love hermana Anna Schmidt

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

Monday October 25th

Well I made it through another week! The weeks fly by really fast!!! We are on week 4!! Another 2 weeks and transfers but I'm sure I ll still be here with my Companion another transfer.

We are working a lot and exploring others areas here in Ituzaingo. Here there are some REALLY poor neighborhoods that we are visiting and its always a really interesting experience! There are areas that we didn't know existed because the tourist maps don't have these areas on the map! Ituzaingo is about an area away from the state Misiones and about 4 hrs away from other major cities in Corrientes.

But in these really poor areas people are sooo friendly and listen. We always get new investigators when we visit these barrios buts its more than an hour to walk so we have to wait for a bus to go there but the buses for these areas are not every half hr like the rest of Ituzaingo. SO its always an interesting experience. And also becuase I don't look like like ANYONE in these areas. My Companion and I get a lot of unwelcomed attention here in Ituzaingo. But hopefully if we do our best we'll our 5 more baptisms! We are teaching a lot here but the problems is that no one wants to make commitments. SO we are working hard to find people who have a desire to work! Anyways I'm short on time! I love you all! Love hermana anna Schmidt

October 18th

Hey Dad, Mom, Laura. Johnny!!
Yep I am now 25 yrs old and 6 months into my mission and I can already see the effects of my mission in my body and face.........WOW..does your mission age you or what???

I am going to come home looking about 30 yrs old and feel like a million years older. But my birthday was wonderful!!!
My sweet companion talked to the Godoy family (Brother Godoy is the Ward Mission Leader) and we had my birthday lunch with them!! Sister Godoy made this really yummy lunch with homemade pasta with veggies inside and potatoes and meat and it was really good!!!

They also made me a birthday cake from scratch and they gave me a homemade gift!!!!!!! Its this big pink pillo with this beautiful knitted lace!!! It looks like something you would buy in a really nice store for your daughter's bed!!! But it was homemade!!

My Companion bought me this amazing ice-cream cake from Grido which is like the Baskin Robbins of Argentina!! All the ice cream there is amazing andn she created these birthday sign and cut out Happy Birthday Sister Schmidt and made the cutest signs ever!!! Lots of work!!!
But yeah......if you sent it express.....I should get it soon!!!!! Remember I have to wait for my package after it arrives in Argentina and then the Edlers who work in the mission office there send my package and mail to the Elders in Posadas and when we have a District meeting and go to Posadas I;ll get my package!!!!

YEAH!! Anyway My birthday was wonderful and thankyou for your birthday wishes!! I will eventually send a package with pictures and things of Argentina to yall!! I have been collecting some really cool stuff for my family!!

This past Wednesday we had our interviews with the Mission President! Presidente Del Castillo actually came to Ituzaingo and interviewed us in our apartment. It went REALLY well!!!!! I was sooooo nervous and stressed but I just really respect him more and more after I talk to him. I was feeling so discouraged with my area and the language and he had me read this section in Preach my Gospel and it answered every single doubt and frustration I had perfectly. We also talked about how we need to have 5 more baptisms before the end of the year in order to match the number last year.

IN the section in Preach my Gospel that he shared with me...it talked about how I have 2 responsibilities as a missionary:
1. To teach with clarity and
2 Teach with Power.......

now inorder to teach with power we must have the Spirit........The President asked me if I was exactly obedient.........of course I said no.....I'm obedient but not exactly obedient.

My Mission President looked right at me and said, " Hermana, if you are exactly obedient......you WILL have 5 more baptisms BEFORE the end of the year in Ituzaingo" When my mission President said that.......the Spirit literally punched me right in the face and I heard VERY clearly in my head.......ITS TRUE.

I could feel the truth of this statement right to my core. He also asked me who had created all the signs with quotes and inspiring scriptures in our apartment (everytime I read a scripture or quote from the Liahona that I like...I write it on pretty paper in english and spanish and put it up in our apartment side by side.....our walls are covered) of course I said...."I did....all"

Presidente Castillo said........there's your answers........I had written a quote from Dieter F Uckdorf from General Conference about how its your reaction to adversity that determines how your life story turns out.

This is something that I am learning in my mission....how to be happy when things are difficult or miserable.........the happiness of a person it not determined by your life circumstances.......its how you choose to react. With the atonement of Jesus Christ we can be happy and have peace even when things just totally suck in your life. But we need to study and better understand the atonement.

But anyway there were other really wonder things that we talked about but my time is limited and I have other things to say. First off........now I'm pretty sure that I'll be in Ituzaingo for the next transfer after this with my companion. Now my goal is to be exactly obedient so that we can have our 5 baptisms. Also the President was there to check out our apartment which I'm not sure if hes ever been in there before because its a disaster and I'm pleased to say that he's authorized some big changes!!!!!!

TO start with....we will be getting a whole brand new stove with oven!!!!! YEAH!!!! The stoves here use gas and are different then what we have back home.....or at least in this area. But yep......major changes to make the apartment better!!!

Now my Campanion is stressed because all the things we need to do quickly but our aprtment will be sooooooo much better!!! Now we can cook so much better with 4 working burners and an oven!!! Prefect for Christmas together!!!

Also it was funny....because he looked through our closets and told us to buy more hangers to hang up our clothes with. All my stuff is organized but I don't have many hangers so all my skirts are hanging over the bar in my closet. My Companions closet is a disaster......with no hangers. But it was really funny to have my mission President tell me to hang up my clothes......its been a while since my Mom has said that!! But of course the same day we bought hangers and hung up our clothes properly........and yes its better!!!!!!!

I have some really funny stories from my companionfrom teaching other people that I want to share because I just about died laughing when she shared them with me......I have more but for now heres one.......My Companion was teaching the first lesson and had taught about the first vision and José Smith. She asked the investigator about what questions he had. He turned and looked at her and said....." SO God and Jesus Christ are MORMONS? "

Another really funny one was about Micheal Jackson........My Companion had taught about how Jesus Christ has the Priesthood (sacerdocio in spanish) and how he gave the Priesthood to others and how he performed miracles and how because of the atonement of Jesus Christ...we can be resurrected. Well this man had seen the thriller music video where Micheal Jackson is rsied from the dead into a zombie.......and this man said....." OH!!! Micheal Jackson has the priesthood..........he was resurrected"!

Yep.......I´ve got more but for now this will do!! Anyway I love you all and please forward my email to family and friends. By the way.....WHERE ARE MY ADDRESSES??? Beckstrom family and Bret Wink???? also VERY IMPORTANTE!! Please tell Taylor Turner belated happy birthday for me and HOW MUCH I MISS HER!!!!!!!!! love you all!! love hermana anna schmidt

Monday October 9th

Hello everyone! Well my companion and I are still together for this transfer and we have 2 people with dates for baptisms for October 30 so pray for you that everything will work out and we'll get them baptized!

I think this will probably be my last 6 weeks in Ituzaingo but who knows? My Companion is wonderful and I am learning a lot from her. We are trying to help this area and we have seen little miracles here and there. Yes my Spanish has improved a lot and my companion says that I am learning really fast and that my Spanish is as good as her other American companion who has 11 months in the mission. But I still have soo much to learn and its not easy.

I have officially eaten my first weird food in Argentina......cows stomach!!!!!!! We had lunch with our investigator Salvador and he made up a really good dish of food and my companion just about died when he said what it was. She hates cow's stomach with a passion. It was weird but because he prepared it really well with spices and pasta and other things...it was almost like chicken. But I ate it because he is awesome and always wants to help us which is kinda funny because we want to help him!!!!!!!

But yeah........you can bet after my mission I will be returning to my healthy vegan ways soooooo prepare yourselves family for rice milk and dairy free ice cream, fake meat when I return in 1 year!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Note from Laura-oh joy...)

Here's something that I have learned that's interesting......you know how everyone thinks that all Spanish is the same??? Its NOT!! Every Spanish speaking nation has a different version of Spanish and different words!!! We are very close to Paraguay and they speak a total different version of Spanish that Argentines can't understand but they can understand us more or less!!!

In Formosa half of the people there speak paraguan. SO it'll be interesting to experience if I go there. I also have something kind of funny but also sad. I saw my 3rd dead dog in the street about 2 weeks ago! But guess how he died?? He was struck by lighting and he was lying on his back with his legs sticking straight up and eyes wide open like he was frozen and then turned upside down. It was a crazy sight to see!!!!!!!

! I have also become familiar with the smell of something that died. My companion and I cover our noses and gag. We are teaching a lot and trying to help all the inactives and get people to come to church!!! Its not easy but we had a fast Saturday night and the next day Sunday was amazing!

But anyway I'll tell you more about it later! I will be 25 yrs old this Saturday at 10:30 pm! How crazy is that? I am halfway to 30!!!! WOW.......that is really crazy and scary!!! Please tell the Turners Happy Belated Birthday to Taylor Turner and that I really miss her soooooo much!!!!

Also how are the Beckstroms?? Can I please have the addresses I keep asking for the Beckstroms and Bret Wink??? I love you all every much and pray for ya'll A LOT!!! Please pray for my companion as well!! My companion said that her Mom knows all about every companion and prays for them by name and puts their name in the temple!!! My Companion's name is Jessica Catricura!!!! Please pray for us!!! I love you all!! love hermana anna schmidt

6th month mark! Emails from most of September and beinning of October

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

Recent Emails

Here are the two most recent emails. Anna recently got a new companion and had a close-call with a dog attack!

Monday September 6th,

First off please excuse me if you don't get my emails every week. I try to make sure they get sent to everyone but this stupid email I'm using is weird sometimes.

OKAY

Hello everyone!! This past week I had my 5 months in the mission!!!! WOW! CRAZY! I think for every month I've gained about 5 pounds of stress AND fat........but summer is coming and everything is about to change here....no one eats a lot in the summer and you literally drop weight from sweating from the heat. But I also realized that I've spent the almost the last yr in Winter!!

Think about this....winter last December in Houston lasted longer than usual and then after I was in Utah which has longer winters and then when I arrived in Argentina, it was during the Winter months!!! We actually have a different schedule in the Summer which is going to change in the beginning of December (when its Summer here)

Okay........well my COmpanion Hermana Catricura is awesome.......she is such a powerful teacher !!!!!!!!! The Spirit just hits you right in between your eyes when she teaches. I am learning a lot with her!! Its interesting but you really do learn different things with every Companion. She is still adjusting to the total shock of being here in Ituzaingo and yep......she's not a fan.

I found out that the Mission President knows that Ituzaingo is a disaster and all the Elders in leadership positions are aware of this also. But with this Companion we are going to fix things and turn everything around.

I have an interesting announcement to make.......I have survived my first Dog "attack" and I had my second one in the same day. We are knocking on doors and at this one property....when the owners walked out of the house so did their Dogs...........and one ran right for me.........snarling like a beast......I stuck out my giant umbrella (sp?) with a metal sharp end and the Dog literally chewed it in its mouth!!!!!!!!!

The horrible owners did absolutely nothing and the dog backed off and we left. The other dog situation happened when we were visiting inactive members in this area and it was at night. We went down the wrong way and passed this house where a Dog came out and ran for us. Of course I started screaming in english to run!!!!!! There was almost no light and we started to run but the area came to an end and we were trapped in the dark with this horrible dog coming at us. My Companion grabbed my umbrella and was really brave and used it like a sword.......now its just hysterically funny to think about it.........well the kid who owned the Dog came out and kicked it back into his house.

As we walked out to leave this other kid said.....¿ Muriò ? which means he died?........he was asking if we killed the Dog!!!!!!!!! My Companion said...NO. We had a pretty good laugh about this for a long time.

So yep......we are teaching alot and many people will listen. There are actually Jehovah witnesses Missionaries here in Ituzaingo!!!!!!! They almost look like us!!!!!

Anyway......yep its amazing the things that I have learned in 5 months.....to be honest I'm tired of struggling and feeling uncomfortable.......this is REALLY REALLY hard. But I'm learning so much from my Companion. We celebrated her 1 yr in the mission this past week and I bought her this REALLY pretty cake and decorated our apartment when she was sleeping in the night!!!!!!!!!

She has had difficult times her entire mission with companions and areas! She had some really wonderful words of wisdom to share after I had a bad day and felt sooo horrible about my many flaws and weaknesses as a person & missionary and how fat I am now and all this junk. This Mission is a process.......I'm becoming a better version of myself and its not going to happen overnight like I want it to!!!! She says that she KNOWS that she is a different better version than she was before. For the first time in my life I'm aware of my blessings and things that I never knew were blessings before. Anyway we are working hard to help the people here. okay.......well I LOVE YOU ALL!! please keep writing me!!! Love hermana Anna Schmidt

Monday August 2nd,
Well I am THRILLED to say that I have a new companion who is FANTASTIC.......Her name is Hermana Catricuric and she is from Chile and we totally understand each other. She is a really smart good missionary!!!! She has had a really tough mission though. She has had really difficult companions ( one was over 50 yrs old) and she has been in really hard areas. She started out in Formosa which I think is the poorest state in Argentina. The water there is toxic and there is malaria in certain areas and some areas are really dangerous. There are people who live in houses made of plastic and cardboard. But everyone is really loving and she actually had 5 baptisms there.

She was next in the capital of Corrientes and its the hardest area in the entire mission!!! Its also really dangerous. Her American companion was mugged in this area. I also found out that the reason why my trainer Hermana Carlos was in Ituzaingo because the Sister missionaries were pulled out of an area in Corrientes after a man threatened to kill the Sister missionaries if they ever stepped foot in this neighborhood again. SO of course after the Mission President found out the same day....they pulled the Sisters out of that area.

But PLEASE....don't worry.....I am in a very safe area where I don't have to worry about any of this!!! My Companion is actually having a really hard time right now because she only has about 6 months left and is most likely going to end her mission in Ituzaingo. She is totally in shock because Ituzaingo is the total opposite of the Capital of Corientes. She is also really worried because she and Hermana Carlos switched places and whats going to happen to Corrientes now. SO now My trainer is in Capital of Corrientes and I have Hna. Catricuric. Hermana C is pretty ticked off at Hermana Carlos after she saw what a disaster Hermana Carlos left for us in Ituzaingo. The Area book is a mess and we don`t have many progressing investigators but maybe 3.

BUT I KNOW with this Companion we are going to have baptisms. We visited the same people this past week and got totally different results becuase my companion is SHARP and really knows whats going on around her. She is also in tune with me when we teach and listens. She is not oblivious to all the problems in my area. She is in reality!!

I have NEVER had so much hope before in my mission. She corrects my Spanish and actually said that her American companion in Corrientes who's been a missionary for 9 months only speaks a little better for me and I've been in Argentina for 3 months. Everyone says that my spnaish has REALLY improved. Its still really hard and I lack a lot but I am starting to be able to understand people!

We had Stack Conference yesterday in Posada with Bradly Foster of the 70 and I understood ALOT!!!!!!!!!!! Then today we had Zone Conference and it went really, really well and Bradly Foster was there and taught us. I got a picture with him and his wife!!!!! I also got to see Elder Meeks and Elder Taylor from my District in the MTC! PRETTY AWESOME!!! Elder Meeks and I always seem to end up together and we just laugh and talk about all the crazy stuff we've seen here.

Yep...so I am sooo happy!! Everyone is like...You're not sad anymore!!!!!!!!!! Its still hard and right now I am trying to really serve my companion because she is having a really hard time and doesn't want to be in Ituzaingo. Anyway......I just feel like a huge burden has been lifted off of my shoulders.

I love all the emails and letters that ya´ll send me...PLEASE keep writing!!!! I know that its only through the Gosepl of Jesus Christ that we can truly have a fullness of happiness in this life. We can't be perfect but there are things we CAN do every single day and week to become more like our Savior. Through Jesus Christ we can become perfect and have eternal life with Heavenly Father. It is VERY easy to forget our purpose in this life sometimes!!! Its ALL about ETERNAL LIFE with Heavenly Father. Every decision we make.......if it doesn't bring us closer to God........don't do it!!!!