After the Temple Dedication

5/18/2015

I don't have a lot of time, but I'll tell you a little about what happened yesterday... TEMPLO!!! Woo-hoo. We all went to the capilla en Rama 1, which is like the stake center here, even though we're not a stake yet, to watch the dedicación of the Temple in Córdoba. It was awesome!!! I loved it!! I wish you could have seen it. President Uchtdorf tried to speak in Spanish, there was a tiny choir, we used white handkerchiefs, it was awesome! I dunno if you've ever been part of a dedicación of a Temple, I don't remember if you went when they dedicated the Houston Temple or some other Temple, but it's an awesome experience.

Not my picture- from the internet

Also, Dad- I need your big brain and googling skills- we made a new friend last night. And animal of unknown origin. It looks like a nutria, but on steroids!!! It was huge. A good yard in length, and gordito!!! And it didn't have a tail. I was thinking wombat, but they don't have those outside of Australia, and i think he's a little bigger. Let me know.

Love you bunches,

Hermana Long 

Day after Mother's Day

5/12/2015

Sorry we didn't get to talk yesterday- I got sick! Super sick! Aparently I have a virus, but it's almost run it's course. I puked outside of the chuch, went to the hospital (every one goes to the hospital for every little thing here- I miss Doctor Marlow), fainted trying to get in the car, slept all day, but today I feel a lot better. We're gonna try to skype today during the hour of the siesta- we're going over to the Ferrando's house at 3.00 today. I'll have Hermana Ferrando shoot you an e-mail when we get there. I hope I can talk to everyone!

Hermana Long

And then we talked!!!

After Grandmom's Passing

5/4/2015  

[After hearing about the passing of her grandmother, due to complications of Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases-] Wow, I don't even know where to begin! This is crazy, and awful, and sad... oh, man. It's true that she's in a better place now, but it's still sad that she's not here. We've been working with a menos activa in the rama this week- her name is Carmen, and she's a wonderful, wonderful lady, but her husband has Parkinson's and she can't leave him at home to go to church. I've been thinking a lot about Grandmom and Grandad this week. They've been in such a sad situation for so long, and now things are gonna change, but they're still gonna be hard and sad.

Kate's Grandmom and Grandad giving her a kiss after her patriarchal blessing

We've been reading a conference talk this week in the casa- it's an old, old talk from Spring 1995, and i dunno who it's by, but I'll give you the details better when we talk again. But it talks about the hard things in life, and why they happen, and the Atonement. I'm gonna be reading a lot more of this talk this week. It's been helping my compa a lot, because she recently lost her grandmother, too. 

Also, do you know what this Sunday is???? Dia de la madre!!!!! Mothers day!!! We're gonna get to Skype! Our district leader called and said that we're gonna call during the Siesta, so between 1.30 and 4 here in Argentina. I think we're gonna skype from the house of Lider Misional, and there's gonna be one computer for me and my compa, so I dunno exactly when it will be. I'll have Hermana Prioletto, the esposa de Lider Misional, shoot you an e-mail with more details when we get to her house.

I hope your week starts looking up. I know that times are tough right now, but here are a few scriptures to help you out-

D & C 8:7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

 8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

1 Nephi 4:6 6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand thethings which I should do.

Alma 7: 11-12 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

I hope these scriptures help you get thru the week. Share them with everyone, read them, ponder them in your heart. Thanks for sending the news. I know it's not easy to send, but it's better for me to know than to not know. Keep me updated!

News from Kate

4/27/2015

[On April 27, Kate's grandmother, this editor's mother, passed away. I've been busy with final arrangements, and am now getting back to updating Kate's blog. Sorry for the wait!]

From Kate- random answers to random questions:

I'm good. The work is exhausting. The people of Tandil are not very receptive. We work all week, and just about nobody (investigators) shows up for church. But it's all good- I have a theory that missionaries don't come to Tandil to baptize, but to learn, especially how to be humble. I've learned a lot about that.

I always feel the Spirit. Sometimes I don't realize it, and then I think about how I am now, the things I talk about and think about, and I realize the difference. Not that I was a bad kid before, but I thought about what I was gonna eat, when I could go out with my friends, what I was gonna watch on tv. Now I think about who I can help and what I can learn.

Yes, I'm eating. Apparently an hermano in the rama started a competition between me and an elder from colombia for who can eat the most (he barely won, with a lot of cheering on from the hermano). We eat just about everything. I don't have time to write you about all the things we're eating. I'll dedicate the next e-mail to food,

The apartment is tiny and smelly. There are a lot of horses, but they're just kinda in the way, I don't know anyone who has them.

The ward members here are awesome. There are less here, but they're buenísimos. I'll send you a few pictures of them in the weeks to come.

"The famous Hermanas- Lopez and Long"

3rd Notes

Notes from Kate:

Argentina is awesome! I live in a city- not too big, not too small. There are 13 other missionaries in this city, but me and my compa are the only Hermanas. Our area is HUGE!!! And we walk a million miles a day. We're in a rama, but it's a bigger rama- close to 80 people every Sunday. It's going to be a barrio in June or July. The food is awesome! The bread in Argentina is a million times better than in los estados. The members feed us pretty well.

We went and visited a "Castle" here in Tandil.

The new temple in Córdoba is Big News. They're going to broadcast the dedication ceremony to the capilla in Rama 1 (because it's the only one with a projector) and everyone is "spiritually preparing." The only bigger news is that were going to be a stake in two months. The people here are on a self-improving high... hoping it will turn into a helping the missionaries high.

General Conference weekend

Here's a great reading assignment- John 15. In this chapter, Christ is talking to his apostles and preparing them for a life without him. But don't read it like a story, read it like Christ is talking to you- put your name in the story, think about the problems you're trying to face, and I promise it will give you strength to keep going. Its very symbolic- talks about how to bear fruit, but think about the fruit as the end result you want to see for the things you're struggling with. I promise it's going to change your life.

Have a great week!

Hermana Long

More Notes from Notes

Another week with no general letter. But we have some good news from Kate:

I'll tell you a quick story from this week about listening to the Spirit- we were knockin' doors, and we knocked a door and a guy came out- middle-aged, a little bit sketchy, and we started to talk to him. We told him who we were and he told us that he wasn't interested because he had a different idea. He told us that he believed in God, but even more believed in his saint- and as soon as he said that, I knew it was bad news bears. Turns out, his saint is Santo Muerte, the grim-reaper-death saint. We got outta there fast. And my companion told me that from the begining, she new that was his belief, cause the Holy Ghost told her, but she wanted to hear the words from him. Moral of the story, listen to the spirit and know when to walk away, know when to run!

That's all for this week! 

Much love,

Hermana Long

Notes from Notes

This week there was no letter to everyone. But, Her Dad and I (Mom) both got personal notes from her. So here are some highlights:

With members and Hna Lopez in Tandil

Things with Hermana Lopez are AWESOME! She is a great companion. I'm finally learning how to speak Español. I'm learning phrases, and jokes, and slang. Plus, I'm learning how to not contact like a robot. And she's super funny and we laugh a lot, but we always can teach really spiritual lessons too. And she's learning English. We read stuff together for launguage study, me in Spanish and her in English, Liahonas, the Missionary Manual, stuff like that.

As for my study, I spent a whole week learning about the tree of life. I read the story, then read articles from the Liahona, and from conference. I learned a lot! Then this past week, I've been studying the Atonement, specifically, the grace. There's a great devotional from Brad Wilcox, that's called "His Grace is Sufficient for All." You should look it up.

Conference was awesome! Well, Sunday... Saturday was a bit awkward because IT WAS ALL ABOUT MARRIAGE!!!! All of the misionaries almost died. Some didn't want to hear any more, some pretended like it wasn't happening, some just rolled their eyes. But it was awkward. Saturday night, Elder Jensen was like "ok, everybody pray for a new topic tomorrow. I can't take it anymore." 

Something that was different about this conference is that I'm not Kate anymore, I'm Hermana Long. I'm a missionary and a representative of Jesucristo, and there was one talk that I knew Kate would LOVE, but Hermana Long not so much. There were talks that meant more to me because I'm a missionary. I don't know if this makes any sense, but it's what happened.

Also, I WATCHED THE WHOLE THING IN SPANISH!!!!!! It was not an easy task, but I did it, cause Hermana Lopez didn't wanna watch it in English with all the other gringo misioneros. And there  were two talks in Spanish, and they were so great! I didn't have to listen to translators. 

That's all for this week. Thanks so much for supporting Kate!