Rivadavia Week 11

Hermana Bonner didn't feel well enough to write anything today.  She has spent the last week with the amazing Mission nurse, Hermana Kathy Ashby.

Hermanas Ashby, Cuellar, Ferrel & Bonner

President and Hermana Goates, Office Elders and Hermanas Ashby and Bonner

Hermanas Cuellar, Bonner, Ferrell

Rivadavia Week 10: Como le va Familia?

Hello There Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great week and everything is going good!   This week was a little slow not a lot going on.  We worked as much as we could and we just keep pushing :) 

 First off I got my first letters after being out for almost 3 months and it was better than Christmas! I was just crying and it was the best day ever.  It's amazing what a piece of paper can do in the Mission.

 My girl Dom decided to serve a Mission and I'm so stoked for her!  Hearing of others desire to serve is so amazing and it strengthens us Missionaries. 

This week I got a PB and J and it was the best day of my life!!  Yay for AMERICAN food. 

We also have Elder D. Todd Christofferson coming on November 8th and that's super awesome!  There are mysteries of God and also Mission mysteries........ So I was thinking how is it possible that we walk ALL day long yet we still get fat?   It doesn't make sense. My belief is that it's just evidence of how much the poeple of Argentina love me.  My little belly just shows how amazing the people are and their love for the Gospel :)

This week was another hard week... I feel like I'm always saying that!   I'm sorry I'm not a baby I promise!  I was reading some talks trying to strengthen my testimony and looking for some anwsers and I was reading a talk from Jeffery R. Holland.  I love his words!  And I wanted to share something I learned... 

We all come down here to this earth to learn, and to have experiences and most of all to become like Christ.  We go through hard times, and have bad days. We also suffer.  It's not easy sometimes.  But we are here to learn and grow and become more like Him.  Sometimes it is nessacary for us to go through a SMALL portion of what He went through to understand just how much He loves us and how much He really understand us.  We all might have to suffer for a minute or two just like Christ suffered in Gethsemane.  When we suffer is when we are most Christlike or closest to Christ. I want to know and I always ask  "Why is it so hard?"  It wasn't ever easy for Jesus so the same is for us. Hard times are nessacary.  And that's something we have to expect.   But Christ understands us and will always be there with us.  He has walked with me and some times even held my hand throughout my Mission. 

I love my Mission as hard as it is.  It has been one big adventure but it's the time when I have grown the most!   Thank you all for your support.  I love you all and miss you!  My family is so amazing.  Mom youre a BA . Mountain biking with mountain lions and dad and Rhett shooting deer and Addee just killing it in school.   Love you all!!

My stitched finger!

The lake in Rivadavia

P-Day  and we're going to the Lake!

One of the Fiat cars here

Hermana Bonner and her little baby, Nawell

Feliz Dia de la Madre  (Happy Mother's Day in Argentina 10/19/14)
Hermana Bonner with the Mission Nurse, Hermana Ashby ( in white)

Rivadavia Week 9: The Argentine Hospital Experience!

Well this week was just crazy.  Yesterday we decided to cook breakfast for a family before church cause we want them to come to church.  So I was super excited and just cooking away and I decided to cut open something with an old pocket knife.  Well I cut my finger instead haha.  Blood was everywhere and my comp was dying.   The members put salt on it to stop the blooding and that was so painful and they were like we need to go to the hospital and I was like no its fine!   They came to church with us so YAY!!  But during church my finger would not stop bleeding so we went to the hospital.  They opened it up and could see my little tendons and so they started operating.  They were talking to me in Spanish thinking I can talk back when they are jabbing needles in me. But in the end everything was good and it was a fun adventure!  We don't really do to many exciting things on the mission so I needed that little adrenaline rush! 

Also this week... I FOUND PEANUT BUTTER!  I was crying it was the best day ever!   Prayers are answered haha.

We have been working really hard this week and I decided I would have been a really good pioneer cause I can walk forever and ever.  I also have a watch tan line so I guess you could say I'm a legit missionary now.  

Also one day we were teaching a lady named Ellie who is amazing and so sweet. Well someone knocked at the door and it was a Jehovah Witness.  WOW.  I froze up.  She started drilling us on everything we believe.  We responded with scriptures and then we realized we weren't getting anywhere.  She tried to tell us we need to drink to have fun in this life and God wants us to be happy.  We remembered the conference talk of respecting other religions and we told her we wanted to sing her a song.  So we sang a hymn and left.  We were dying after but we realized we handled it well and we were respectful.  We did all that we could and the Lord will now do his part!  

This week was filled with more hard trials.  But I was on the bus one day thinking, and it hit me.  Missionary Work will ALWAYS be hard.  But when am I ever going to experience this again?  It's like anything else.......Being a mom, going to school, having a church calling, going through hard times at work, when will we ever experience this again?  We only have limited time here on the earth and everything we go through is part of a plan. So that's the best thing is we only get certain experiences one time.  So we need to live them up!  We all have hard trials and go through hard things but every single one of us has amazing talents and abilities to make it through these hard times.  I'm grateful for all your support!  Love you all and have an amazing week! 

Hermana Bonner

Hermana's with the Alanez family

Hermana Bonner with my Zone wishing "Mom" a Happy Birthday!

Hermana Sorenson and I finally found PEANUT BUTTER!!

Flowers for "Merm's " Birthday!

 An old train station in Rivadavia!

I cut my finger with a pocket knife!

I might need stitches!  There's a first time for everything!

Rivadavia Week 8: General Conference Weekend!!

Wow what a week........... Haha let's start out with the best stuff first. So we got back to the pench and I was laying in my bed that night.  Well my comp was showering and I kept hearing noises so I look down and there was like an inch of water on the floor.. .....And it was grey.  Wow it was so terrible it was just water coming out of all of our drains.  So I yell, "HERMANA HAY MUCHO AGUA," and she runs out of the shower and it was actually pretty funny.  We just swept all the water outside and it took us about an hour.  So we get done and we are just laughing.  And we are getting in bed and we are hearing water dripping...... So we go in the bathrooom and the toilet is overflowing........... With sewage! Yes that was my breaking point.  I was done!  So we start cleaning up again and I look at my comp and I just had to laugh cause what else can I do?  Haha so we laid in bed that night and cried a little and laughed a lot.  But other than that it was a really awesome week!   

Conference in the Mission is so amazing.  I LOVED it!  Every talk was amazing, but for me, one of my most favorite parts was when the man who offered the opening prayer, prayed for the missionaries.  And then he said, ¨bless their families and their grandparents."   I just started crying cause everyone always blesses the missionaires but to have my family blessed was amazing!   

Conference was hard cause I had to watch it in a dress. I was dying!   I wanted my sweats!  I was in the bathroom and 2 little girls came in.  I went in the stall and then I heard one of the girls say,   ¨There is a REAL missionary here in the bathroom with us.¨    It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard.  I walked out and talked to them and they told me they loved me.   A reminder of the kind of missionary I need to be!  

 I watched conference in a little church on this little TV.   It was very humbling.  The white kids watch it in ¨the Gringo room¨ and it was way fun cause we all bring American food and we get to hear it in English. I really loved this conference and learning so much!   The thing I got most from it was Kindness.  We need to preach the Gospel at all times and when nessacary we need to use words. The way we can do that is by kindness and service.  

 As we were leaving to get on the bus to come back home after conference, an Elder jumped on the bus and helped every person off.  That right there is preaching the Gospel.  That's ALL we have to do! We need to serve and to love.  It was something so small but who knows the impact it had on the people and the people watching.  With kindess comes respect.  I learned from one of the talks we need to respect other Religions and people.  They have a love and a faith also and we can preach to them the Gospel with love, kindess and service.  We can bear our testimonies without words.  And that's why the Gospel is SO great!!  

I love you all and I hope everyone is doing great!  Mom Happy Birthdayyyy!!  I love you so so much. Grandpa, Kade and Jack Happy Birthday also!!  Everyone have a great week and I will be praying for you all :)

Hermanas y los niños 

Investigators

Hermanas Martinez and Bonner with an Investigator

Sewage coming up out of the toilet!

Cool wall mural