Lluvia

Queridos Amigos,

Esta semana fue... haha I'll write in english...

This week was amazing! I learned so much and really felt the spirit teaching me this week. I love my new companion and we make a great team. I love her humility and her constant desire to be a better person.

I had the blessing to be in Banfield 2 again this week. I was grateful for the chance that I had to see Oscar again. He never ceases to amaze me.

This week my beautiful sisters, Rochelle and Sydney, start college and I can't believe it. Time has passed by so quickly and I'm sure that these next 11 weeks will pass by even faster.

I've missed out on lots of important events and occasions, but in the end it really hasn't been a sacrifice. Getting up at 6:30am or walking all day in the rain isn't a sacrifice. I'm really not sacrificing anything because all that I have is from God. My time, my energy, my everything, is from Him. The least I could do is set aside 18 months to serve Him and His children.

I invite you all to set aside time to serve Him as well. You don't have to come to Argentina, but a smile can work wonders. Look for opportunities to help those around you. I promise that you will see a difference in your lives.

Thank you for blessing my life.

Con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

Barro, pizza, y helado

Queridos Amigos,

This week was absolutely spectacular!

I had the lovely opportunity to be in Burzaco with my bestfriend in the mission, Hermana Hernandez. She's been there with me every step of the way and I was so glad to have the chance to work with her this week. We worked our hearts out and had a blast doing it.

We had some very spiritual lessons this week and I loved to see the lives of others changing. Many people here don't have a very good life. They have humble homes and work hard to just get by. Their houses flood when it rains and mud fills their homes and streets. Single mothers raise their families and give their last pot of rice to their sick neighbor. It is a privilege to be able to sit down on a wobbly chair with a dog nipping my ankle and bow my head and offer a prayer asking God to bless the lives of the humble people who allowed me to enter their home. It is in these moments when I most strongly feel my Father's love for His children. It is when they read the Book of Mormon for the first time and say, "Chicas, this is the truth!"

I love walking 20 blocks in nasty mud while I sing church hymns with my companion. I love feeling the rain on my face and smiling at all the people I pass.

I'm never going to have another chance to do all the crazy things I do day after day.

I've met the most amazing people, and they're not amazing for the sport they play or the car they drive. They are amazing for their hearts and spirits. They are amazing because they are children of God and He sent me here to visit them.

This life is such a beautiful gift and we have a gorgeous world to live in. I hope that you all take a moment this week to see the many blessings you have.

This week marks the start of a new transfer and a new companion! My new companion is Hermana Rivarola from Cordoba, Argentina. I continue as a traveling sister with all the adventures that implies.

Thank you all for your love and support,

Con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

Banfield 2

Queridos Amigos,

This week was absolutely amazing! I had the wonderful opportunity to return to my first area, Banfield 2. It was great to walk the same streets that I walked a year ago. Not much had changed. The same old potholes and the same man selling churros in the train station. But, there were some changes and they were the most incredible changes of my mission.

Monday we had an activity in the church with all the recent converts, and Oscar was there! I couldn't believe how he's changed. He was answering all the questions and laughing and having a good time. He shared his thoughts and feelings and helped those that were new. He looked so happy and I was filled with joy when I saw his happiness.

I don't know what I expected the mission to be, but it was't this. I thought that it would be hard work, but easy to love. I thought that it would be full of success and that missionaries are always happy. The mission is full of disappointments, failures, tears and exhaustion. But, every once in a while you experience moments of PURE JOY and it makes it all worthwhile. I wouldn't trade any minute of suffering or pain that I've had while on the mission. I wouldn't trade the moments of hunger or the homesickness. It's all shaped me into the woman that I am today. Those little moments of pure joy are amazing and they are pure. They usually aren't even moments of our own joy. Pure joy comes from seeing others accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and let it change their lives. That's what it's all about.

Oscar probably knows more than me. He gets it. He studies the scriptures everyday and is always helping his neighbors and the members in the church. He understands what he promised when he was baptized and he entends to keep that promise. I'm just a simple girl from Montana trying to do the Lord's work here in Argentina. I'm not always happy and sometimes it's hard to work everyday. But, I go out and I give my best because that's what God's children deserve. It's not about me, it's about Jesus Christ. It's about coming unto Him and allowing Him to change your weaknesses into strengths.

I've come to know my Savior much more in my mission and I will strive everyday to live up to His expectations of me.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week,

con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

Buen día

Queridos amigos,

I am so very sorry that I haven't been very good about this whole writing thing.

Last week I got to return to San Vicente and it was the most amazing experience. I got to see old friends, investigators, members and converts. It reminded me of the importance of my efforts and I truly left a changed person. San Vicente will always have a place in my heart.

This week I was in Cañuelas with my old companion Hermana Chappell. It was so great to catch up with her and work our hearts out. We quickly fell back into our old rhythm and it was like we never separated.

Today we talked about the Book of Mormon in church and I was filled with so much love and gratitude for this book. I wouldn't be here without it. I invite you all to read it and see what it has to teach you.

I can't believe how fast the time is going. I only have 3 1/2 months left and I hope to use every moment to the max.

I know that my Savior lives and I know that through His perfect sacrifice we can all be made clean and return to God's prescence. Through the grace of Christ we can overcome our weaknesses and reach our full potential.

Life isn't easy but how boring would it be if it was?

I love you all and wish you the very best.

con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

"It is for us to make the effort. The result is always in God's hands" -Mahatma Gandhi

"I do the very best I know how; the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brigs me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything" -Abraham Lincoln

Amo Argentina

Queridos Amigos,

This week was abosolutely amazing! I learned so much and really saw a personal growth in myself, my companion, and the other sisters.

We went to Adrogue this week and I had the blessing of being with Hermana Hernandez (from Mexico) after 9 months of not seeing her. She is my best friend in the mission and I had a blast working hard with her.

This week I was reflecting a lot on what my mission has meant to me and how it has shaped my life. Sunday morning we passed by an investigators house to accompany her to church. She ended up being sick and couldn´t come. As we walked to the church, I had a moment to reflect on these past 14 months. I was filled with so much love for Argentina as I walked through the mud, looking at the leaves on the trees. It´s a love that I can´t express with words.

I love this country and it will always have a special place in my heart. It´s not perfect and it´s not paradise, but I love it. I love it because it has completely changed my life. My time here has brought me closer to my Savior and to my Father in Heaven.

I wouldn´t trade these past 14 months for anything. I can´t wait to see what these next 4 bring. I know that they´ll be great.

I love this work.

Con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

Libertad

Queridos Amigos,

This week was amazing!!!! I hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day. It was different celebrating it here in Argentina, but it was the same day as district meeting and the Elders went all out. Haha the non-Americans looked at us a little funny, but they all said that it was so awesome that we love our country so much. It was interesting because July 9th is Independence Day in Argentina and nobody celebrated....

This week brought a lot of reflection. I had the opportunity to be with Hermana Medford again and it was great to work with her. I can´t believe how much the both of us have changed.

The mission passes so fast and it´s always changing and I love it! I love the oportunity to change and constantly strive to be a better person. I´m no where near perfect, but I´m trying. I think that the fact that we can change is one of the happiest parts of the gospel. Jesus Christ and His Atonement make it possible for us to repent. Repentance means change. I´ve felt Him urging me on and lifting me when I was down. I know that He lives.

It´s amazing how the Lord can take such imperfect people and mold them and teach them and make them instruments in His hands.

I love this work and I love what I´m learning about my Savior and myself.

I love you all!

Con amor,

Hermana Chaffin

"find the extra in the ordinary"

"we need to always share the gospel, and when necessary open our mouths"

-share by example

Banfield 1

Queridos Amigos,

This week was amazing!!! I absolutely love Banfield 1 and it was so fun to work with the sisters.

My companion is a convert (she got baptized 2 years ago) and has the biggest testimony. I love her so much and I´m so grateful that I have the opportunity to be her companion. She´s a hard worker and we both use every moment to the max.

We have lots of conversations about the gospel and seeing her love for the gospel has reminded me of the many blessings in my life.

I am so grateful for the knowledge that I am a daughter of God.

This week I was focusing on my prayers and tried to improve the quality of my prayers. I am constantly amazed that the grand Creator of the universe loves me and wants to hear from me. He asks that I call Him by Father and He cares about me and my desires. I know that prayer is that way for everyone. Our Father has a plan for each one of us and wants to bless us. He will help us if we put our trust in Him.

I hope that you all take a moment to reflect on who you are and who you want to be. The sky´s the limit! You are all children of God with incredible potential.

I love you all and hope that you have an amazing week!

Con amor,

Hermana Chaffin