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

end of April and May emails-this is going to be a long one!

May 30th:

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 scrap0booking

Well thank you for your emails.....DAD and Austin!!!

This week was a better week...it's like everything 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 and it’s 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! What's 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!! MOm....please remember to put in money for the next week so that I can buy material to get clothes made!!! 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 Hermana Anna Schmidt




May 23rd:
I hope that everything is okay since I have not received an email from anyone....hopefully Mom and Dad are doing okay. No emails today from anyone???

?I am a kinda depressed about that........I am kinda having a hard time right now as a trainer.....We are having a hard time finding new people and I am really struggling to talk to people in the streets.....its very hard when your companion doesn't speak the language. All the pressure is on me to carry on everything. I really miss Hna. Medero sooooo much. I think some of the best time in my Mission was those 4 1/2 months together and all the success that we had together in this difficult area. What miracles we had together!!! Please pray for us........I have realized that its true that whenever you get comfortable in the Mission that there will be changes and starting over again is sooo hard. I remember when I started out here in Laguna Seca how overwhelmed I was and how hard it was with Hermana Medero and this huge change.

However......now I would love to go back to that time starting out here......I just gotta stay positive and find those chosen people who are ready to do commitments and be baptized. I am still frustrated with the language and want to improve.

I do have some good news.......I can't remember if I told ya'll or not but we have a family who have been investigating the church for about 7 yrs......all the children were baptized but the parents couldn't because they are not married and were unable to because the first wife refuses to sign the divorce papers and here in Argentina its sooo impossible to get divorced!!! If your spouse won't sign the papers...you can't get divorced...however there is a law that if you have been separated for more than 20 yrs that you can go ahead and get divorced without the signature......well these people have been together for 23 yrs but then a bunch of things happened in the church and they stopped going and their children went inactive. We always visited them and invited them to go to church for Easter and they actually went as a family and now we put goals & dates for them to get divorced and married and baptized and they accepted!!!!!!!!! Now the children are active again and we have found a lawyer to help them with everything!!!

Its seriously a miracle!!! They are now sooo happy and we are teaching them the lessons again and preparing for everything. Hopefully this lawyer can get everything done FAST for their baptism dates for June 25!!!!!!! I am very happy about that!! I hope that ya'll are all doing well.......I can´t believe that I have like 4 months and 3 weeks left in my mission......CRAZY!! okay well I don't have much than that to share but please put our names in the Temple.....My companion is named Kara Van Wagenen........and pray a lot for us.....I am always praying for all of you.
Love you all every much!! Hna Schmidt

May 16th:
Hello Dad, Mom, Laura, Johnny..........I am happy to say that I got my other packages and they only stole one of my blushes and one can of green chilies.......I also bought brand new shoes today that are perfect for the Mission and I love them.

The church Presidency has cracked down on the Missionaries BIG time here in South America......now we have sooo many new rules and its pretty tough.....now we are not allowed to get together with other Missionaries on P- day and we are no longer allowed to leave our areas on P- day (without permission of the Mission President) with is soooo tough because in my area there is nothing.....shopping Mall....Walmart and places to print pictures and ATMS are all in other areas so now I have to call Presidente Castillo every time I need to leave and ask for permission to leave....he always says yes.......He is VERY strict but even he seems to know that these new rules are very tough.

I also made taco soup from the spices that ya'll sent to me and my Companion Hna. Vna Wagenen loved it so much!! I love it how I got the girl from California.....we have a lot of things in common and she is great. We both went to BYU-I too!! Her father is actually a maxifacial surgeon like my Doctor who did my jaw surgery! Its hard because I am pulling a lot of weight to keep things going because she only talks very little and is still learning but she will learn fast.

Also I have officially received my trunky papers.........the Mission is beginning to make my travel plans and this is how it works.......I answser yes to the question that my parents WILL be picking me up and then I will put your emails......the Mission will contact you in an email with information to call the church and make travel plan and do everything and I was told that NO......you don't have to pay for my plan ticket home. I hope that ya'll are doing well especially DAD and MOM with your health.......please take care of yourselves.......and listen to the Doctors.......Mom......I have been praying for you everyday and Dad too with Johnny and Laura.
I love you all Love Anna

May 9th:
Hello everyone!!! I'm hoping that everyone had an awesome Mother's Day!!!!!!!! I was very happy to talk to my family yesterday and that Laura is putting in her Mission papers!!!!!!!!!! yep....ya'll may have heard.......I am officially training a new missionary named Hermana Van Wagenen from California. I have a child!!!!! She is learning to speak Spanish and things just got REALLY REALLY hard.

I was so excited to hear that I was training and then reality set in...........I have been feeling VERY VERY inadequate and wondering why God has give me this responsibility when I still lack so much. This poor girl is struggling with it all but I know that she will learn fast and she is really a very sweet girl and its weird for me to have an American companion. I MISS Hermana. Medero sooooooooo much that it actually kinda hurts.

We were listed as having 11 people in church and 29 new investigators!!!! I was so excited to see that we were listed in the top!!! I am very happy for the work that I did with Hermana Medero.....I miss her & love her like crazy!!! She is already Senior Companion and was transferred to Formosa!

With my new Companion I just crack up some much every time she says something really American ( like how everyone breastfeeds in front of the whole world) and she is suffering her first infestation of bug bites everywhere........I remember my days in Ituzaingo so well......so I understand exactly how she feels emotionally. I asked for a blessing Saturday night from one of the Elders and I have a really special blessing and felt so much peace after-wards.....it was really amazing.

He told me lots of amazing things but one thing in particular was that this would be the area where I would have the most impact in my Mission. He told me that the numbers aren't important but that I would affect the eternities of people here. He told me that my Companion and I would learn and grow together. He told me that God didn't give me a Missionary to make me feel insufficient but that he knew what I capable off.

I wasn't expected to know everything but I was expected to do my best. He also told me how my Mission was preparing me for a greater work in the future and that at some point I would look back and see & understand. SO please pray for me that I will figure out how to do my best and help my Companion. Its even harder when you are training because you are pulling all the weight in the beginning. On another note: the missionaries here in our mission. We have officially received information about our new mission President who will be taking over the 1 of July.

His name is Ray Heyman and he is from Gilbert Arizona....he is serving as a Stake President in this moment and he served his mission in Argentina too!! One of his sons actually served in this Mission in 2000!!! Pretty cool......we got a picture of him with his wife. Pretty crazy!!!!! I can't believe it still!

I will have a new Mission President and then I go home in 3 1/2 months in October!!!!!!!!! CRAZY!!! Okay.......I love you all very much.
Hna. Anna Schmidt


May 2nd:

Hello family!! First off.............that's freakin awesome that we have finally gotten ride of Osama Bin Laden!!!!

No I have not heard anything about this yet here in Argentina..........they always talk about how the Radio says that we are the fattest country in the World......yep.....nothing more important than this...
Second, I have received one of my packages and I was sooo thrilled & crazy happy......it had all my makeup.....shoe inserts.....taco kits and trail mix and a ton of letters that my Zone Leader forgot to give to me!!!

Grandma and Grandpa Azbill.......I have received the conversion Story of Grandpa Azbill.....it was awesome and thank you for sharing it-------one day I will send a letter when I can!! Its expensive and NOT trustworthy here to send mail.

ALSO......THIS SUNDAY I WILL BE CALLING FOR MOTHERS DAY.......I HAVE NO IDEA WHEN YA'LL WILL BE IN CHURCH AND THERE IS A 5 HR DIFFERENT HERE SO I WILL TRY TO CALL CELL PHONES AND THE HOUSE BUT IT IS REALLY POSSIBLE THAT I WILL CALL EARLY BUT I HAVE NO IDEA YET BECAUSE I HAVE NOT RECEIVED RULES YET REGARDING WHEN I CAN CALL NEXT SUNDAY BUT BE READY FOR MY CALL ALL DAY!!

Wednesday is transfers and its pretty obvious that my companion will be leaving.....I will miss her......we have had sooo much success here in an area VERY hard and we actually had 11 people in church yesterday.........every week this are numbers that the mission sends out to all the missionaries of the best of the best and my companion and I were listed for 8 investigaters in church last week.....this next week will be for 11!!! REALLY awesome!!! okay I have attached Easter pictures!!! I love you all!!! Love Hna. Schmidt





April 25:

Hello everyone!!! First off Happy Easter or Feliz Dia de Pascua!!!!!!!
My companion and I actually had 8 investigators in church Sunday!!!!

That is AMAZING for the Capital of Corrientes and for our area. We did
divisions and had success!!! Sunday, I taught my Companion how we
celebrate Easter in the United States. Sadly.....just like Christmas
is here.....they celebrate it but not like us Americans who do
everything big with the Easter baskets, candy and hard boiled eggs.

I totally forgot to ask for an Easter Egg Kit!!!! I bought the biggest
eggs that I could find and we had an Easter Egg decorating party!!! I
actually painted the book of Mormon on an egg..... and I don´t want to
hear that it's apostasy......b/c its pretty darn awesome.


We also had lunch with a Missionary couple Brother and Sister Larsen who are from
Utah and they are serving here in Corrientes!!!
They are sooo awesome and they have such an amazing family!!!
Brother Larsen spoke in Branch Conference about how the parents here
are all friends with their children and let them do whatever they
want and he let the members have it!!!

I agreed with everything that he said.......
In my Mission I have learned so much about how I want my
future family to be and how I want to teach my children the Gospel
from day 1...in other new that's really awesome.... My
Companion and I are THRILLED because our convert of 2 weeks actually
left Saturday night to serve a Mini Mission in Formosa....you can't
even imagine how happy I am.....

This is a golden baptism and he will
serve a Mission in the future and baptize!!!! I'm not sure what is
going to happen in this next transfer (in one week) because there are
very few Sisters in the Mission and a lot of mini missionaries who only
serve for 6 weeks. Its very possible that I will have a mini
missionary.....I seriously doubt that I will ever train......its
actually a really scary idea. But we will see......

I am hoping for a missionary who's already here in the Mission.
I will miss Hna Medero......she seriously cracks me up........I have soo many funny
stories to share but little time.......

We had our interviews with Presidente Del Castillo this morning and he is really happy with our
work here together. We have a goal of 8 baptisms for the whole yr and
in 3 months my Companion and I had 4 !!!! I am very happy to be here
but I am hoping to end in Formosa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN less than 3
months we are going to have a new MIssion President!!!!!!!! Its very
likly that it will be an American now.......that will be weird for
me!!! OKay.....I love you ALL so much!! Mom.....please tell Heather
and John personally that I am sooooo happy for them for their new baby
and how MUCH I miss Taylor!!!!!!! I love you all!!! I am always
praying for all of you individually Love, Hna. Anna Schmidt

Baptism Pictures!

April 11th:

Hello family! I am thrilled to say that my companion and I had 2 baptisms on Saturday for Lucas and Ezequiel....so thank you everyone who prayed for them.

IT WAS BY FAR THE MOST SPIRITUAL BAPTISM OF MY MISSION. Ezequiel is REALLY shy so we didn't share this baptism with the Elders in Maipu....and Ezequiel invited his new friends from Institute and his family.

It was sooo sweet because we also baptized his youngest brother who is 9 yr old....their Mother was sooo happy...(we baptized her in Feb) It was seriously the most spiritual baptism that I have ever attended. Ezequiel & his brother were sooooo happy and it was sooooo sweet!

Ezequiel wants to prepare for his Mission now....he is 21. He received the Aaronic priesthood yesterday in church and was so happy. His story is just so awesome because he is very shy and hates attention. When we first visited he really didn't want to talk to us because he is sooo shy but its amazing how he has changed!!

! Sunday....he just about ran up to the front to be confirmed. Lucas is sooo cute and happy as well. yep......So my companion and I are so happy because last year our area only have 4 baptism for the whole year....my Companion and I have had 4 baptisms in 3 months!!!!

The goal of our area is to have 8 for the whole year and we have already hit the halfway mark. When you actually baptize someone who has truly had a change of heart......its just worth all the tears.

Everyone in our Branch is just so excited for the progress in our area. It's amazing how the Lord can see the whole picture and we can only see a little......but if we have faith and take action....we will see the evidence that this was the right path to take and its all true.

I think one of the greatest blessing that I have received in my Mission is learning how truly blessed I am in my life. I am soooo crazy grateful that I am an American and that I have been blessed to be born into the church in an area where the Gospel is sooo strong and the members give everything that they have. Our lives are sooo much easier in different ways than other places in the World but we also have different challenges and temptations that other do not have.


I am ALWAYS praying for ALL of my family....Dad, Mom, Jonathan, Laura, grandparents, aunts uncles,cousins.....I love you all and plan to visit everyone of you!!!

What happened to my letters?? Ya'll can do it!!!!! Only 6 more months to go!!!!! But thank you all dearly for your emails......I love opening my email to see all those emails waiting for me!!!!

Right now I need everyone to pray that I will receive both of my packages with everything in it....everyone pray please!!! Love you all....Hna Anna Schmidt

March emails

February 28:
Hola Familia...........Estoy tan feliz decir que yo tuve otro bautismo!!!!

Now in English......I am very happy to say that I have another baptism. Yep our theme here in the Argentina Resistencia Mission is Baptisms Every Week.......and its true. I am in the highest baptizing mission in Argentina and I am thrilled to say that my name is listed with my companion in the weekly email that all the missionary's receive.......and it says that Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Medero had a baptism!!!!

First time my name is listed but not the last!!! Things are going very well here and we are working a lot. I'm not sure what happened here but this area has changed and we are baptizing. PLEASE THANK....the Mclaughlin family because I received an AWESOME Christmas package from them!!!!!! I was sooo thrilled because it was a bunch of really cute things from Target.I never got my christmas package from Dad & Mom.......don't ever send anything through Federal Express......ONLY UPS........you can also gift wrap the things in boxes and normally they won´t open it up!!! Anyway...if everything goes to plan-----we are planning to baptize about 3 teenagers this Saturday.....the sons of my new convert. I love you all and am praying a lot for all of you. love Hna. Schmidt

March 21:
Hello family!!! I am glad to know that things are better.
Things are good here. Transfers are tomorrow and we will see whats going to happen...
I'm pretty sure my companion is going to leave before me but I think that we have one more transfer together......I am pretty shocked at all the things are going in the World and the people here are always asking us questions about the end of the world now......we are always saying if you are prepared....ye need not fear......so LISTEN!!!

But yeah I am happy to know that things are better..........WOW......Heather Turner is going to have another baby!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW......please tell her how much I miss Taylor and how I thought of her when she had her birthday in Sept!

In July we are going to have a new President of the Mission and it will be an American..........that will be weird and interesting for me to say the least. Love you all!

March 28:
Hello family----I am doing fine......REALLY tired but am happy because our investigator who is the 21 yr old son of our recent convert has accepted a date with baptism for April 9 AND listen to this: he doesn't want to waste anytime and he wants to serve a mission right after...how awesome is that????
I am just thrilled...we also have a few investigator who is someone really special and my Companion and I are certain that she will be baptized because she is attending church and doing commitments. This Thursday is my year birthday in the Mission..............how crazy......I love you all.........hermana Schmidt

February and beginning of March emails

February 21st:

Hola familia!!! Guess who had a baptism Saturday? HERMANA SCHMIDT!

I had my first man baptized and he will be receiving the Priesthood next Sunday! Guess what?? I have ANOTHER baptism this next Saturday!!!!

Yup, pretty awesome! All day I kept thinking......wow I have a baptism! I am very pleased…it’s so awesome because before.....this man was a different person......and now......he is the happiest person that I have ever seen!! He’s had a rough life and it’s amazing to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes the lives of WHATEVER person who embraces it.

I have never before in my life been so grateful for the church. We are sooooo blessed to be members of the church in the United States where we have giant wards and the members go above and beyond their duty and have developed their talents. Here it is a very special thing if you can play the piano...it’s not like in our house where you can find a teacher in every neighborhood.

NOW...I actually have a ton of things that I plan to do after my mission like for example....now I want to learn a hymn or song from the Primary song book every week when I get back home. From what I’ve seen in my areas in my mission there are many problems but the members who are faithful are sooo amazing and it’s the same faithful members of the church who are doing all they can do to help us missionaries......You ALL need to help the missionaries back home!!!

They have other struggles and you need to invite them to eat dinner in your house! There are members here who are very poor but they always feed us- (that’s why we become fat)! There are special blessings for people who help the missionaries.

Okay.....there are million things that I want to share but I can’t remember in this minute but I am doing okay.......this is very difficult but we are not able to learn if things are always easy. I do feel very strongly that my Mission is preparing me for other responsibilities and future callings. I am planning on studying Spanish in college after my mission as well. The other week was very hard for me and I received a blessing from an Elder and in this blessing he said that it is NECESSARY that I am on a mission and that there are people for me to find and baptize. I am learning that having faith is having hope that things will get better and putting your trust in the Lord that everything will turn out the way he promised it would. I received a blessing in the MTC that told me how my mission would end. I am working hard to put faith in that promise....please pray for my investigator Ina that she will be able to meet this goal of baptism this Saturday. Also if you could all put the name of my investigator Nancy Torres in the temple! I love you all!! please pray for me as I am praying for you and what the heck???? Where are my letters?! Love hermana anna schmidt

March 7th:

Hola Familia! Estoy tan feliz decir que yo tuve otro bautismo!!!!

Now in English......I am very happy to say that I have another baptism.......yep our theme here in the Argentina Resistencia Mission is Baptisms Every Week.......and it’s true. I am in the highest baptizing mission in Argentina and I am thrilled to say that my name is listed with my companion in the weekly email that all the missionary´s receive.......and it says that Hermana Schmidt and Hermana Medero had a baptism!!!!

First time my name is listed but not the last!!! Things are going very well here and we are working a lot. I’m not sure what happened here but this area has changed and we are baptizing. PLEASE THANK....the Mclaughlin family because I received an AWESOME Christmas package from them!!!!!! I was sooo thrilled because it was a bunch of really cute things from Target. Anyway...if everything goes to plan-----we are planning to baptize about 3 teenagers this Saturday.....the sons of my new convert. Anyways I love you all and am praying a lot for all of you. love Hna. Schmidt

End of January emails

January 31st:

Hola Familia y amigos. Yo no Pudeo creer la semana que yo tenia. Otro vec es P DAY........

.First off to Hermana Shirley.....my awesome most wonderful tutor in the MTC: I am soooo THRILLED that you are now engaged and getting ready to be married in the Temple.....I got your letter about a week or two ago......I love you.......thank you for everything that you did for me in the MTC.....you listened ALOT and witnessed a TON of tears......thankyou for your prayers still......please email me wedding pictures one day before the end of my mission!!!!!!

Okay everyone, my companion and I had a VERY hard week.....but our numbers are amazing here in Laguna Seca in the Capital of Corrientes.......We had 5 investigators in the church this past Sunday and the Mission President is VERY happy with our work here..our numbers are better than our Zone Leader.

I am still struggling A LOT but honestly its been pretty awesome because my Companion and I know each other much better and we are actually laughing A LOT at all the crazy stuff thats happening. And.....that's really good.......by the way today is my 10 month birthday in the MIssion. Its hard to believe that in 2 months I will have 1 yr in the mission......its all downhill from that.

I had my 3rd interview with My Mission President and I was able to talk about a lot of things that have been in my mind. It was really good that talk about those things. This past week the members here REALLY helped us out alot and it was really great. I'm starting to get to know them better and things are getting better but its still very hard.

But something that I never understood before is that with the atonement of Jesus Christ......it doesn't take away your suffering but its helps you get through it because Jesus Christ made it through it and he knows how to help you. What's really strange now that I look back at my time in Ituzaingo.....I really have a lot of love for that area and I REALLY miss it......the faithful members there are sooooo wonderful and I miss hma Catricura and I actually miss my bed.........seven and a half months there........but I am happy to be in this new area.......

I am stilll adjusting to the culture shock here in different ways but there are many wonderful things as well...........anyways I love you all......please keep praying for me as I am praying for you all everyday!! Love Hermana Anna Schmidt

January 24th:

Hello family!!

Well......Its been about 1 month here in my new area. I have been learning a TON and its still really hard. BUT...I think I'm making progress......first off I am thrilled to say that I recieved my little package of clothes Laura sent FOREVER ago!! I was sooooooo happy when I got it!! I am in desperate need to clothes!!

I am dying my black skirt for the second time......yep...I've learned have to be frugal.......my Companions are sewing up the holes in my clothes and I'm dying my skirt black again......if I have only know how rough the mission would be on your clothes.......now If I could go back.....I would buy like 10 of the wrinkle free blouses from DCC a little big (.for all the weight the Sisters gain in the Mission ) and I would have brought those shoes I left Laura in my package in the MTC because the shoes here won't last.........I need to find some European shoes here which are going to cost a ton but whatever......my former Companion from Chile has some really great amercian shoes that she is going to leave for me when she finish the Mision in one more transfer........but I wanted to share the lyrics of a really funny missionary song that is to the melody of a church song that Hermana Catricura always played in our apartment in Ituzaingo and I totally can relate to every single word!!!!!!!!!

Will I ever learn this language?

WIll it ever come easily?

When the people I met, start to speak

Will I know what they`re saying to me ?

Teach me, I beseech thee

Help me learn my role

Teach me, Teach me

This language that I need to know

Will I ever learn this language

And recognize the sounds

of the native tongue when I am among

the lost souls who want to be found.

Will I always be a stranger in some distant foreign land

Will I ever be at home and not feel alone

Will I ever understand????????

Teach me I beseech thee thee

Help me learn my role

Teach me, Teach me

this language that I need to know

Everyday I keep on hoping, working, waiting

Wondering if I will ever feel at ease

I should be out there cause I know that I should be teaching

Instead of just crying myself to sleep here on my knees

If I`m going to learn this language

I think it is perfectly clear

Its more than just words that need to be heard, its what only the Spirit can give

Teach me, I beseech thee

Help me learn my Role

Teach me, Teach me

&nb

January 17th:

Hey family!!!! WOW.....halfway through january....its horribly hot but I'm actually doing okay with the heat.....sometimes its hard to sleep at night though because its soooo hot.We sleep with our bedroom windows open. We don't have any air conditioning in our apartment but we have 2 fans......one for each person to sleep with!!

I just have to survive another 6 weeks and then we start to cool down and prepare for autumn & winter! Anyway I am thrilled to say that we had a really good week. We had an amazing day that resulted in our District leader calling me late at night to congragulate me......yep.......I was pretty thrilled. But rIght now its REALLY hard....this is a really hard change......I miss my other Companion........I miss my bed in Itunzaingo.....I miss the members there A TON......and the investigators.

When we were in Walmart today...they were playing popular classic music from the 90's that I listened to as a teenager and there were a ton of american things in there and I just REALLY started to miss the United States & my life soooo much.

SO yeah I'm kinda dumping all my problems onto ya'll......I don't want anyone to worry......its just really hard right now. I just have to endure and have faith that in the end.....everything will be okay and turn out. My companion from the MTC is here in the Capital of Corrientes and she is in a VERY difficult area.....how lucky am I to be in this area with investigators in the church every Sunday. I was talking to her about everything and she reminded me of a really great section in Preach my Gospel about how every missionary has special talents and that they are in their areas because the Lord knows exactly what the area needs......she is right.....I know that I can do this.....

I know that my MIssion President prayed and knew that I needed to be here with a new missionary as Senior Companion........Pray for me......I love you all and am always praying for my family!!! Love you all......hermana anna Schmidt

January emails

January 10th
Hey family!! WOW......I still cannot believe that I am here in
Corrientes Captial in an area called Laguna Seca......lots of things
happened this past week and my head is still spinning......

First off we went to the city of Resistencia about 5 days this past week to do
medical for my companion. Resistencia is where the Mission office in
for the Argentina Resistencia Mission. Our mission consists of about 4
or 5 different states in Northern Argentina......YEP....its THAT huge.


But yeah....so its been really hard with my companion and all the
medical tests that we are doing. Our personalities are VERY different
so that's really hard. Honestly she could be senior companion! She's
got the missionary part all figured out! She is also EXTREMLY
obedient and this I really really like because its really helping me
to be VERY obedient as well.

She is also very careful with money and not wasteful......soooooo as you can imagine I am going to learn a lot from her and she is learning many things from me like how to
laugh at silly things and enjoy all the small things in life. I'm
pretty proud of her because this past week this teenager tried to
steal her bag and she didn't let him!!!!!! She is a little person!!


In this area Laguna Seca the Sister missionaries are always getting
their stuff stolen. We were walking in an area when we heard a bike
coming up really fast behind us. My Companion is REALLY street smart
because she is from the Capital of Uruguay and she instantly tightened
her hand through the straps of her bag.

So when this teenager with like 18 yrs went past us he grabbed her bag and she held on with
all her might and said NO!!!!!!! The teenager actually almost fell
over with his bike which could have been much worse for us but he let
go and zoomed off really fast. I just started laughing........ because
first off I was totally shocked and it was 11 in the morning !! But
yeah I was proud of her....I did tell her beforehand that she needed
to use a MUCH smaller bag. She changed bags after-wards. But I was so
proud of her!!!

As for the other crazy stuff here......there are
Gypsies in almost every corner here!!!! The Missionaries are not
allowed to teach them.......its seriously like in the movies.....all
the Gypsies here wear flowing skirts and outfits with a silky fabric
tied around their hair. They all have car dealerships here but I think
only a crazy person would buy a car from them. Also in the nighttime I
can listen to the crazy noise from that crazy religion I talked to
ya'll about on the phone for Christmas......its so nuts because we
have neighbors on our street who are this religion sooo in the
nighttime we can hear them beating drums and chanting in the middle of
the night.

But I love our apartment and we are in the safest part
of Laguna Seca. Honestly......a lot of been happening but I am very
grateful to be here. We are talking to a ton of people and our church
is the Stake Center but we don't have a stake here but pretty
soon....we are going to become the first Stake in Corrientes.....which
is the only stake in Argentina to not have a Stake.....sooo its
honestly a huge opportunity to be here at this time.......but we have
been talking to a lot of really great people here in this area and I
actually taught a lesson yesterday and put a date with baptism in the
first lesson and she said YES!!!!

So I am very excited about that!!
God has been preparing this woman for a long time!!This woman is a
single Mom with lots of teenage sons so we are hoping to baptize them
as well and bring in some badly needed Priesthood authority. But still
the church is doing way better here than Ituzaingo. But anyways I am
learning a ton and am trying very hard not to be totally stressed out
because I am still learning this language but its getting better!!
Anyway I love you all!! Please pray for us here in Laguna Seca. I am
quite happy to be here and hoping to improve a lot now that I´m Senior
Companion. I love you all!! Love Hermana Schmidt

January 17
Hey family!!!! WOW.....halfway through January.......its horribly hot
but I'm actually doing okay with the heat. Sometimes its hard to
sleep at night though because its soooo hot. We sleep with our bedroom
windows open. We don't have any air conditioning in our apartment but we
have 2 fans, one for each person to sleep with!

It’s hard to believe that its cold where ya`ll are right now! I just have to survive another 6 weeks and then westart to cool down and prepare for autumn & winter!

Anyway I am thrilled to say that we had a really good week. We had an amazing day that
resulted in our District leader calling me late at night to congratulate
me...yep...I was pretty thrilled.

But right now its REALLY hard....this is a really hard change. I miss my other
Companion. I miss my bed in Itunzaingo.....I miss the members
there A TON......and the investigators.......Right now I don't feel very
accepted by the members here.

I feel a lot of pressure as Senior Companion and I feel like everyone is judging
me and thinks that I can't do this...I feel really disappointed
that everyone else has baptisms and I have almost nothing. Yep...when we were in
Walmart today...they were playing popular classic music from the 90's
that I listened to as a teenager and there were a ton of American things
in there and I just REALLY started to miss the United States & my
life soooo much.

I just have to endure and have faith that in the end everything will be okay and turn out. My
companion from the MTC is here in the Capital of Corrientes and she is
in a VERY difficult area.....how lucky am I to be in this area with
investigators in the church every Sunday. I was talking to her about
everything and she reminded me of a really great section in Preach my
Gospel about how every missionary has special talents and that they are
in their areas because the Lord knows exactly what the area
needs......she is right.....I know that I can do this......

I know that my mission President prayed and knew that I needed to be here with a new
missionary as Senior Companion........Pray for me......I love you all
and am always praying for my family!!! Love you all......hermana anna
Schmidt