Re: The first of many!

Que alegria verte feliz.. Ojala guardes mis palabras cuando tenias hambre, y es que una mision sin desafios es una navidad sin dulces.... Me alegro que hayas recibido el dinero y perdona la carta tan impersonal que te envie, pero tenia que hacerlo asi para que no se viera el dinero.... I hope I can see you before I return to USA July 2.  please let  me know where you are and where you live.... I know you are very blessed by the Lord, and I'm sure your mission is going to be special... one day we can be together to share all our experiences. My mission!!!  , you don even have any idea. I'm psycologist, kleenex to wipe the tears of the people,  realtor, teacher, motivator. . hoy dos de los miembros que venian a nuestra oficina (guardias de seguridad), los convenci de regresar a la U y YA ESTAN ESTUDIANDO SU CARRERA los arranque de las manos de la ignorancia y la pobreza.. te decia que hasta banco me ha tocado ser, dar dos capacitaciones cada Domingo a barrios estacas, pelear con las viejas ricas que abusan a mis hermanas cuando las contratan para aseo, o no les pagan o las tratan como a cualqueir cosa..  en fin que la lista es grande..
Me voy a dormir que hoy fue un dia muy trabajado, pero no queria hacerlo hasta saber de ti...
Rosa y tu papi deben de estar muy orgullosos de ti, al igual que mi Padre Celestial..
Te quiero xoxo
Hermana Rodriguez

On Mar 25, 2013 3:15 PM, "Gladys Ibarra" <gladys.ibarra@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hello family and friends! This week was transfers and I am writing to you from my new area called Santa Maria. Were in a little branch called San Martin in Los Andes. It´s super beautiful here and we´re right next to the Andes mountains which is sick, but cold in the winters, nothing a winter in UT can´t beat haha. Our house here is HUGE which is nice because I´m in a trio with Hermana Cacique from Peru who´s my age and came into the field the same day as me, and our trainer Hermana Cottle from Heber City Utah. I am so excited and happy to be with them both it´s going to be a lot of fun being in a trio especially with someone from the states cause we´ll have more in common. It´s pretty crazy because we´re gonna have 50 sisters in total in the mission and out of those 50, 29 came within the last 4 weeks, which includes me and the group I came with. So they´re putting all the sisters in trios to train and it´s totally nuts but I´m loving it! I´m a little sad that I had to leave Til-Til, after 4 short weeks there I met so many wonderful people and families, but I left with a big smile on my face and a heavy heart because yesterday I had my first baptism!!! His name is Manuel Ortiz, we met him our 2nd week out and from day one he knew that our message was true and felt the spirit so strong our first lesson. He´s seen so many miracles in his life as he´s read the Book of Mormon and started going to church. He has knee problems cause he´s like 74 and he got a priesthood blessing and said he felt so amazing afterwards and could walk better and do things he couldn´t before. Yesterday he entered the waters of baptism and it was kinda ghetto because the font didn´t fill up all the way so he had to sit down to be submerged in the water lol. He was baptized by a recent convert Andres who has such a strong testimony of he gospel for only being a member for 4 months and is such a member missionary and would always go out with me and Hermana Rodriguez to teach investigators and less actives. It was his 1st time baptizing anyone so he was pretty nervous but he did great! It was a pretty emotional moment for both me and Hermana Rodriguez, we couldn´t stop crying, I think in part because I was also leaving. Nonetheless, I am glad I was able to bring a soul unto Christ and that I left Til-Til having made a difference. Some good news is that I´m no longer homesick, I am loving my mission and teaching and talking to strangers and want to thank everyone who has sent me Dear Elder´s and for your incredible words of encouragment and support, you have no clue how much I needed it! The mission is full of sacrafices, especially when you go foreign, but the rewards exceed the challenges by far! This is going to be the best year and 1/2 of my life and I´m taking in every moment and putting forth all my effort and most importantly all my love into this work. Also, sorry if I haven´t sent any letters I wrote back everyone who has written me but I have yet to find a post office anywhere so it´s a bit complicated, but I haven´t forgotten you my friends and you will get my letters soon enough I hope! Peace & blessings your way!

xoxo,

Hermana Gladys Ibarra

P.S. the pics are of my last district meeting in Colina, Manuel´s baptism and some members of the branch, and my new compañeras! :)

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