March 18 Letter

Hello everyone!
So sorry that once again I forgot to tell you that it was transfers! My bad! Anyway, my trainer (my "mom") is now in Alta Cordoba and I stayed in Rio Cuarto! My new companion, Hermana Yañes (pronounced shawn yes), is from Chile and she's pretty capa. At least she seems cool...we'll find out after this week right? She speaks english pretty well, but I know I'll be speaking A TON more spanish this transfer. Especially if Hermana Santos trains a latino instead of an American. Oh...Hermana Santos works in Bimaco. I don't know if I've mentioned her before, but she lives with us. Alicia, I went to the link for your blog! It's soooo adorable! I love my little nephews! They're both going to be so big when I get home! I can't believe Brendon is almost 6 months old! May 1st! Wow! Crazy! I hope Aaron had a good 28th birthday! Speaking of birthdays, Happy Birthday Rex on the 10th, Happy 2nd anniversary to Jenny and Brigham on the 10th also! Hapy birthday to Race YESTERDAY the 17th, St. Patrick's day! My companion and I sand happy birthday in castellano and english to you and her mom because her mom's birthday was yesterday, too. We sang out loud in the street while we walked! So...last week (as in a week ago today) we were contacting in the street and contacted this woman named Miriam. I'm not sure all what my comp talked about in the contact because I was contacting someone else at the same time, but she was giving her address and asked us if we would go visit her mom. Uh...yeah we'll go visit your mom! She said she has cancer and would probably like us to visit her. She walked with us to where they are staying. They don't actually live here in Rio Cuarto, they live in some crazy town that I can't remember the name. Her mom, Elida, does her therapy here during the week and they return to their town at the end of it. Miriam and her dad take turns staying with the mom over the week. Thank goodness this was Miriam's week. Anyway, Miriam had to go somewhere else so we taught her mom a brief lesson 2-the plan of salvation and said the Lord has a reason for everything and sometimes we have hard times in this life, but they're to strengthen us. She said she was content and wasn't angry with God for her cancer. How wonderful. Miriam walked in when we were giving the reading assignment to her mom. We briefly went over the brief lesson we had just given her mom and she said she would read and pray with her. We weren't sure what to do because they don't live here. The next day we had another appointment with them. Miriam was completely focused intently on us the entire time. We expounded on the plan of salvation and Miriam asked how our church was formed. We then testified of the restoration and the experience of Joseph Smith. We knew she could feel something because her mom kept getting up and sitting down, poor woman, she looked so uncomfortable, but she didn't even look at her mom. Her focus was entirely on us. We gave them the pamphlet for lesson 1 and they said they'd read and pray. We set up an appointment for the next day. We returned, but the woman at the desk (I forgot to mention they stay in a hotel) said Miriam had left and Elida was asleep. We were a little sad, but continued on our way... ...On our way we saw Miriam! It was a miracle! We stopped and talked to her and pulled out the Book of Mormon we had planned to give them to read and explained it. She said she's heard about the Book of Mormon and has been wondering where she could get one. We're like...uh, really? She then told us that she has these moments/experiences where she sees something that looks familiar or knows how a certain place is but she knows she's never been there before. She said when she saw us she knew that she knew us, but knew that she'd never seen us before. We're like, woah amazing! Then we gave her the reading assignment in the Book of Mormon and she said she would definitely read it! She said, "I take this commitment and it's between me and God, not you. Because of what Joseph Smith did I now have this in my life." We're just standing there awestruck by this woman. We told her we would call her the next day to see how it went. When we did, she said she's read and that she felt really good. Also, that her 11 year-old son saw it on the table and asked, "what's this mom?"-"It's a book like the bible." He picked it up and started reading it! Are you kidding me?! Why can't they just live here!!!!! We'll see what happens with them. Miriam said she's definitely coming to conference and that she really really wants to. This week other than that has been slow. It doesn't matter though. With Miriam, how excited she is and how I can see how happy she already seems with this, it makes me so much more eager to find the people who are just like her. There are more people like her. We just have to keep looking. I was thinking that the "looking" part, the "searching for these people" part can be taken quite literally. When we lose something that we really need we pray and ask Heavenly Father to help us right? We know it's somewere! Well, Heavenly Father has lost a few children here and he needs us to help him find them. I love being a missionary and like Miriam, I too am grateful for what Joseph Smith did so I could have this in my life. I love you all and I hope life is beautiful there! Love you!
Hermana Cara