January 5 Letter

Feliz Año Nuevo everyone!!!
So how´s it goin? I´m actually not even in Rio Cuarto right now, I´m in Alma Fuerte (meaning ´strong mind´when translated into english). We´re here because we´re going to play here today!!!! Our district rode on a really really nice tourista and we´ll play until p-day is over and afterwards we´ll all be given a map of the area and do a splash! We better get some dang good referrals! There´s gonna be like ten sets of missionaries in this area tracting! We spent the new year in our apartment. It´s a little more dangerous than Christmas Eve! My companion was awoken by the fireworks, but she let me use her earplugs and I slept right through them! These people are so loud it´s rediculous. I seriously might come home a little bit abnoxious and not courteous of the fact that anyone anywhere is sleeping. Haha I really hope not. What are everyone´s goals or changes they want to make for the new year? I have one to read the whole Book of Mormon and write in my journal every single day. I´m getting better! Did you know the book of Omni was written by five different people?! Crazy! I can´t believe how quickly this week went by. That saying ´the days go by like weeks but the weeks go by like days´has never been so true in my whole life. Some days are sooooo rediculously long. Especially when there are no clouds in the sky and the sun is searing into your (my) albino white skin. However, I am getting my tan back which I am SUPER excited about! It´s true, those of you who have never seen me tan, just wait. It´s awesome, we´re working so hard. We really haven´t had that much success and it´s super discouraging, but I´m doing everything I know how. Out here you have to be constantly relying on Heavenly Father and trusting and having faith in him that he´ll put those precious words that the person walking towards you needs to hear. More often than not they say, ¨no thank you¨ or yeah, come by my house, but they´re rarely ever there. It´s tough. Our zone just did a fast yesterday for the investigators with baptismal dates, the investigators we want to have baptismal dates and for those we want to find. Missionary work takes A LOT of work. Huh...weird. Speaking of fasting, when I was saying my prayer to start my fast on Saturday afternoon, I fell asleep! I totally drueled on the blanket! My companion said she knew I had fallen asleep because I made a really funny squeak noise or something! We were laughing pretty hard! Mom, you would love it here because the flowers are GORGEOUS!!! They have these amazing trees that have beautiful flowers on them and oooooohhh they´re sooooo pretty! I love it here, it´s gorgeous! I´ll make sure to take pictures. Haha okay, everyone and they´re mom, and sometimes grandma, rides motorbikes of some kind. From a scooter to a motorcycle. It´s so funny. Actually most of the old people here ride bikes! Everyone once in a while you´ll find one on a motor type thing. Also, all the old men in the afternoons sit outside they´re houses with their shirts open because of the heat. It´s soooo funny! I´ve never had to be more conscious of where my eyes are looking than here! It´s hilarious! Yesterday was so awesome! Testimony meeting at the church was great. We have an awesome ward. A baby from a less active family was blessed and one from that less active family hadn´t born her testimony for three years and got up and bore a beautiful testimony. It was so awesome. The thing that amazes me was that her husband usually comes by himself and this week he wasn´t there and everyone else from his family that usually doesn´t come was there and his wife (the one who bore her testimony) was deathly ill Friday night. I really really hope this family continues to come to church. They´re so awesome. Also, one from that family who was there, her husband just left her without warning a little over a week ago. They haven´t been married that long. I was so impressed. The people here are amazing. We helped one of the not so fortunate families put up a pool in their backyard yesterday! It was so fun! It reminded me of when we put up our swing set and our trampoline! Now, don´t pass judgement on us because we did it on the sabbath, we were so excited to FINALLY do service for someone. These people don´t ever let us help with ANYTHING! We were so so so so ecstatic to finally have something to help with and someone who asked us! It was great and so fun and now I know how to set up a pool! It was awesome! Mom, I need a new watch. I do not care what color it is, but I need one that is good silver that doesn´t look too expensive. You should see my white one. It´s not so white anymore and the silver is a pinkish orangeish color now. It turned my arm green. If you could send me not a white one and nicer of a silver, that would be awesome! I don´t want one witht he link band though. I like the leatherish kind better. Argentina grows on me more every day. I count my blessings constantly because I´ve never had to endure some of the things these people have endured all their lives. I will never complain about anything ever again. You can hold me to that. I´m so grateful for my nice teeth, carpet, a home not infested with flies, my health, air conditioning, my appendages, my good health. I´m glad I´m not one who cares about getting my hands dirty. Thanks Daddy. =) Anyway, let me know how everything is going okay? I´d really love to see a picture of Kaden´s cancer patient head =) I´m so glad your new year was so much fun! I´m so sad that I missed it, but I have my own things to enjoy here! One question, if you had that many people, who´s quads did you use? Hermano Adams, how are things going with your advanced missionaries? Are they as cool as we are? =) Hermano Hernandez, how is the training coming? Do you see much of Hermana Jesperson´s dad? Hermano Gruber...what are you even doing now? Do you teacht he advanced students with Hermano Adams? Tell me everything! I love you family! I pray for your health and safety every day! Give the little boys lots of hugs and kisses for me! ¡Chao amores!
Hermana Shumway