The Hotdog Boutique

Queridos amigos,

I can´t believe another week has come and gone! I hope that it was wonderful for everyone.

First, to explain the email heading. Here in Argentina, they have interesting names for restaurants and stores. For example, "The Hotdog Boutique", and my personal favorite, "Your Majesty the Cow". So, if you´re thinking about opening a restaurant anytime soon, I´m sure these aren´t taken in the states and you should take advantage of such creativity.

Our zone activity last Monday was fantastic! I had a blast, and ate a lot of good food. The best part was getting to hang out with other missionaries and hear about their experiences. It´s so wonderful to be surronded by such great people. I can only imagine what they are going to do with their futures. During the activity, I had several sisters tell me that I look like Hannah Montana..... hopefully they are comparing me to Miley Cyrus pre-wrecking ball 😊 Haha

Tuedsay, my companion and I along with the Elders in our ward taught an english class. It went really well, and we had a pretty good turn out for the first class. We are going to start doing this every Tuesday, and I´m excited to see how it turns out. 

This Thursday, we invited the wife of the mission president to go tracting with us. It was so fun to share our testimonies with the people of Argentina and have her joining us. She is soooooo sweet and loves missionary work. She is like a mother to all of the missionaries, and gives the best hugs.

My companion and I get asked a lot by members and other missionaries how we are doing, and "bien" just doesn´t seem to cut it, so when we get asked, "¿comó está?" we respond with the spanish version of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which is SUPERHIPERARCHIMEGAFABULOFANTASTICO. Try saying that 5 times fast 😊

I love you all and hope that you are doing well. Keep smiling!

Haz lo justo,

Hermana Chaffin

"Temptations and worries are a bit like the birds of the air. You can´t prevent them from flying around your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair" -Martin Luther

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" Proverbs 16:32

Time Marches On

Dearest friends and family,

This week was another glorious week! I am so blessed to be here in Buenos Aires working for the Lord. It truly is the best job, the hours are long, the stress is high, but the joy is immense.

We haven´t found a lot of people to teach, and the ones we do find aren´t home at the times we make appointments.... There are many wonderful people willing to hear our message, they just never seem to be home.

We visited Soledad this Tuesday, and discussed her baptism. She is excited for this, and committed to stop smoking entirely. She says that she wants to be a better example for her children and show them the right things in life. She has changed so much in her life since she met the missionaries. We had an appointment with her on Saturday, but she wasn´t home. We called her, and she said that something came up, but that she would see us at church on Sunday.

We traveled (bus, train, and walking) for an hour on Sunday to help her make it to the chapel on time, but when we got to her house, she didn´t answer our knocking or phone calls. We waited for 40 minutes but she never showed. It was a very long trip back to the chapel. It is so sad when people miss out on opportunities to feel the spirit more in their lives. Hopefully we can meet with her tomorrow and see what we can do to help her attend church.

Last Monday we had our district activity, and it was a blast! We played ping-pong and foosball (not sure on spelling) and then ate pizza! After everyone had eaten, we played soccer, and I made a goal! It was so fun to relax and spend time with other people. My companion is great, but sometimes I need to hear other people. Afterwards, we shared photos of our families and ate icecream. It was perfect.

Friday, we had exchanges (where we trade companions for a day) and I went to a different area with Hna. Latoja and Hna. Menezes (they are in a trio, so I got to be with 2 new people!). I had a blast! It is so fun to meet new people and see how they do things in the mission. I can´t wait for my next exchange. Hna. Latoja is from Chile and Hna. Menezes is from Brazil. They both speak a little bit of english, and were showing off what they know. My favorites were "Jesus is my friend and God is my bestie", "Don´t make me come over there!", and the endearing, "Good-night buttheads". I don´t know who´s been teaching these sisters, but I guess you´ve gotta start somewhere.

Today we have a zone activity in Lanús. We  are going to eat asado!!! Asado is what Argentina is famous for. It is basically barbecue, but better. The meat is AMAZING! We will also be doing some form of physical activity and then go about doing the rest of the things we need to do (groceries, etc).

While this week has been fantastic, it has also been incredibly difficult. I´ve gained a greater appreciation for leaders, hard work, and patience. I hope that everyday I´m improving and that I can return better than I left. I know that God is aware of our needs and that He will support us in our trials.

Besos,

Hermana Chaffin

photos

1 Hna Menezes y Latoja

2 The dolls Hna. Menezes put above my bunk to scare me

3 Silly smiling sisters

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words, than words without heart. Mahatma Gandhi

God is greater than your greatest need

C. Mervyn Maxwell

If ye are prepared ye shall not fear

Doctrine and Covenants 38:30

10 Minutes

Dear Friends and Family,

I only have 10 minutes.... I had so many lovely emails from my family that I ran out of time!

This week was great! We had interviews with the mission President and they were wonderful! He is so funny and loves the work. He truly wants what´s best for us.

Today we have a district activity, which should be fun. It is my first district activity and I´m super excited. All I know is that pizza is involved.

We taught a woman named Soledad who lives alone with her three adorable children. The Elders were teaching her, but couldn´t always get a member to accompany them, so they passed her on to us because sisters can teach single women. She is so humble and kind. She accepted our invitation to be baptized!!!! She is working to stop smoking and desires to follow the Savior.

I know that God knows each of you personally, by name. As His representative, I testify that He loves you and has blessings ready to pour upon you if you follow Him.

That´s all I have time for!

Lot´s of love,

Hermana Chaffin

D&C 122:9 ...Fear not what mlan can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever

Photos- Our apartment

P.S. 2 MONTHS DOWN!!!