Hola familia!

Where did this week go? It feels like not too long ago I wrote y'all!!  This week has been a good one!!
We had 2 baptisms on Saturday!! F___________ (11) and L______(9). Both are cousins and very prepared to be baptized! Both came from families that are members just less active. It was fun teaching them!! Their grandpa was able to baptize and confirm them! It was really good!!
We also did another exchange this week. Hermana Gentry came here with me. I think it is funny that in all of the exchanges I have been on, I have always stayed in my area! Haha! It was good working with her! She is from Utah and never got reassigned. She has been in Argentina for about 7 months. She was fun to work with.

So now we are on the last week of the transfer! The past 5 weeks have flown!! At least to me they have!  I am sure that I will be staying here in palpala. Hermana Mortensen said that we don’t transfer much in this mission. I might be in Palpala for the next 4 months or so. Which is fine by me! I love it here! The work is good here! It is hard though but I guess every mission is hard! I love being here and teaching the gospel! The Spanish is coming along. I have learned so much in the past 5 weeks but there is still a lot to learn. I can see myself progressing in the language, it's slow but I can see the progress!

Hermana Mortensen has been such a blessing!! She is fantastic and I am so grateful that she extended because I have had the opportunity to learn from her!! I am going to miss her a lot!!

Sorry the info about this week seems so short but I want to talk about the things goin on with y'all.
I am glad that you told me what has happened this week. I'm so sorry to hear about that. Today while we were in the apartment I knelt down and prayed for you. I pray for you every day and every night but now that I knew what you needed I knew what to pray for. I asked for guidance on any spiritual uplift I can give you. You guys teach me all the time and it's my turn to teach you. After my prayer I went to the Book of Mormon for guidance. I fanned through the pages and just read where I stopped and I came across this scripture. Mosiah 2:21-22

 21 I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

 22 And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeep his ^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

I know that it you serve God and keep ALL of his commandments, HE has PROMISED that HE Will BLESS AND PROSPER YOU!!! And Just as verse 22 says, I know that God does not go back on his word!! My advise to you is to be completely obedient! Be faithful servants in your callings, serve him with your heart, might mind and strength!! I know it's hard but I know that HE WILL PROVIDE A WAY because I know that He needs me here and that If we are Faithful servants together, we will be blessed!

Dad your talk is AMAZING!! I really love it!! You will just have to give it again in sacrament meeting once I return so that I can hear it in person!!

That color chalk thing looked like fun Conner!! Maybe we will have to do that one day!!

Well there is not much more to talk about this week

Hola!!!

So week 4! Honestly I feel like I have not been here that long!!! It's been interesting. We have had a lot of success the last couple weeks. No baptism last Saturday. We tried so hard. We are teaching the grandaughter of our ward mission leader A____________. She is 8 years old and is great. We had everything set for her baptism paper signed and everything but there were a few lessons that we had to teach her. So we set up appointment after apointment but she was never home. Turns out that she was living with her dad in a neigborhood further away and no one knew where he lived! So Sister Mortensen and I went in faith. We asked around to different people if they knew where they lived and no one knew. We did this for about 3 hours. It was very frustrating. We never found her. But it was a good experience... I guess... ahaha

Another thing that happened this week was Sister Mortensen had to go to another area this week but instead of having another sister come here, they had me work with someone in the ward. WHAT?!?! crazy! I was sooooooooooooooooo nervous because I had to take the lead in the lessons. In English, no prob but in SPANISH?!?! let's just say that I spent a lot of time on my knees this week. At first I worked with the Relief Society Pres. M__________. She is great. She served a mission in too in Argentina but southern. She talks extremely fast so communicating was really difficult!! After she had to go to work so I then worked with a girl named J_____________ and she is FANFREAKIN FANTASTIC!!! She also served a mission in Argentina but she tried really hard on her mission to learn English because so many missionaries speak English. But anyways it was great working with her. Communication with her was great because she wanted to practice English so she would talk to me in English and I would talk to her in Spanish. It was good!!

Spanish is difficult but when I look back 4 weeks ago to now, I have learned a ton! I think the hardest part is I went from training someone, taking the lead in the lessons, being able to share what I needed to share and knowing the investigators needs to not knowing how to do any of this in Spanish.... I think that is the hardest part. I feel like I am being retaught everything.... But I read a scripture this week and I am trying so hard to apply every part of it into my mission. Alma 27:23

Not much more has happened this week. We are looking forward for 3 baptisms on Saturday!! It should be really good!!! F___________ and L_____ are cousins and A__________!!

Transfers is the Monday after general conference. Hermana Mortensen and I have 2 more weeks together!! Time is winding down fast! Today we traveled to Jujuy so she could get souvenirs. Lets just say I got a couple too.... ahaha! I got my first pair of toms!! Supy cute! I really like them! I got a few other things but I can't tell you what they are ;)

Yes the picture of me I the dress is Zone conference!

Shoes are fantastic thank you!! Yes there are a few other things I want. I need EOS capstick. The chapstick that looks like an egg. I dont' know where mine went! and in the package I sent home I have a Book of Mormon that I have all marked up in orange. I want that too. Speaking os CDs yes we have a cd player. All the mission homes do and I want more CDs!! Hermana Mortensen has a cd that I really want. It is called ¨The Work¨by Nashville tribute band. She said that they have other cds that are really good too.

So sad to hear about con dog!! I hope he gets better!!! I still have not lost my accident proneness.... I'm just glad to hear that he wants so badly to be like me! haha!!!

Well I love you a ton and I miss you even more!!!

All my love

Hermana Creason

Hola mi familia!!!

3 week in Argentina and we had another 2 baptisms!! We got a referral from a member last week about her two granddaughters. Both are 9, love going to church but have not been baptized..... GOLDEN!! So we found one of them last Monday night and she accepted to be baptized on Saturday. Her mom is a member just less active. She served a mission in Argentina, I can't remember where. Anywho, the girl's name is D______________. She is so sweet and she was so prepared. We had a hard time trying to find her cousin Y__________ but we finally did on Thursday and she too accepted baptism for Saturday! When we taught her, she actually took over most of the lesson and told us about it! It was cool! Entonces, we had a baptism Saturday morning!! It was awesome because they are family and were able to enjoy this experience in their lives together!! It made me think of how important eternal families are. Now both Y_________ and D_________ can live together with their families in the celestial kingdom because they made the covenant of baptism! So beautiful!!

This week was good but rough. Hermana Mortensen is a leader and so she goes to other sisters areas to help them out, entonces I stay in Palpala. On Tuesday we did exchanges. Hermana Quispe came here. She is from Peru and knows no English, so it was difficult to understand but I carried my dictionary with me and we made it work! 

We also had a zone conference on Friday and it was really good! (at least the parts that I understood) They taught about how we need to experience repentance in our life in order to teach it. Also we talked about teaching towards commitments, not lessons. Because when we know what commitments they need to make, we know what we need to teach. It makes it a lot easier to know what they need!

I think i jinxed myself last week when I told you that we are sweating bullets! Well we were. It has been freezing the last 4 days!! I am bundled up the best way that I can! haha!!! It has rained but it's not really rain, it is like a mist so an umbrella does nothing! Its cold!!!

The Spanish is coming along....slowly.... but I am starting to understand a little. I struggle most during lessons because I don't know what most is said so it is hard to know what to share, but Hermana Mortensen is great in helping me! I really don't want her to go home in 3 weeks! I wish she could extend another transfer! haha! But the Spanish is coming along. I definitely know more than I did 3 weeks ago!! It has been hard but I am learning how to turn things over to the Lord.  I do all the study I can, and I have to let Him do the rest. It is hard because I want to know the language now but my relationship with the Savior has grown so much because I am relying so much on Him!

Palpala is HUGE!!! We have not even seen all of the city yet! Last night we were in a neighborhood that I didn't even know was in Palpala! It is huge! It's not really a busy city like Jujuy. Kind of compare it to West Jordan. It's a city, but no big buildings. The people here are great! 

I have not cooked anything native yet. Hermana Mortensen made dulce de leche empañadas..... DELISH!!! yeah I will have to bring so home to ya!! haha!! 

Laundry is not by hand.... well kinda. We have a washer but it is not like a washer in the states. it is smaller and doesn't spin much. After that we have to rinse the clothes out by hand in a sink like thing. Then we move it to a "dryer"... It's tiny but you put the wet clothes in and it spins really really fast and it forces most of the water out and dumps into a bucket.... I hope that makes sense... haha and then we hang it on a clothes line! fun right?!?! haha

Yeah I have seen Toms, but I haven't bought any yet. The price of them went up so they are no longer 7 pesos. They are about 30-40 but that's still not bad for Toms! And they are really cute here! 

As for boots, I wish I had them now. You might want to send them for the future. And I need socks to wear with my shoes. Not tennis socks. Like the ones that I wear with my black and brown shoes. Hermana Mortensen has gone through 6 pairs of shoes.... so yeah... ahaha

I see a lot of souvineers that I want!! I'm just trying to decide which ones because I know I can't have them all! hahahaha

It sounds like you guys had a great week! The Stake conference sounds really good!!! I like that idea too! To remember our baptism covenants each Sunday because after all, that is the covenants we are renewing! 

I love being here and I love being a missionary! The people that I have come to know and love have touched my life for ETERNITY!!! Thank you for giving me this beautiful opportunity to serve!!!!!

LOVE YOU TONS AND TONS!!!!!

Hermana Creason!!!!

Palpala

Empanadas - YUM

My dear family and friends!

Thank you so much for your prayers this week! It has helped me a lot! My second week in Argentina! It has been better this week. The language is still very frustrating but I can see my progress.

As for this week, MUCHO MUCHO miracles! We had 2 baptisms on Saturday! CRAZY! The work here is crazy fast! They are two girls. L__________ age 9. Her siblings are members and her mom, E_____, wants to be baptized but she needs to get married first. We were hoping that she would get baptized with L________ but she didn't get married. I hope that with L________ getting baptized, she will see the importance of baptism and that the spirit was able to testify to her of the truth! I pray that this will happen! Our other baptism was E_______ age 13. Her mom is a convert. Our lesson with her was really powerful this week. Basically she has come to church a lot and we brought a member to the lesson with us. We went into the lesson planning on teaching about keeping the Sabbath Day holy but the member shared the scripture of the people in the Book of Mormon at the waters of Mormon that were baptized. We invited her to be baptized and she accepted!! Woot woot! We are now going to try working on her siblings!

The work here is so much different than in Cochran! Much faster and much more! We have a lot of investigators and a lot of potentials that I really can't tell you a lot about them. But we do have one investigator that I would like to talk about. We met with them last Night. M_________ and G___________. Yesterday was so hard. But we ended the night at their house. We wanted to teach both of them about the law of chastity and marriage but G_________ had to leave at first. So we just talked to her. We asked if she received and answer about the Book of Mormon. I didn't understand anything that was said but I could feel the spirit so strong. Later I found out that she had a dream that the Book of Mormon was true!! WHAT?!?!?! Crazy cool!!!!  She has the desire to be baptized but they need to be married. G________ does not see the importance of it but we asked them to pray together about it! So cool!

The work is fast here!

So it turns out that K____ didn't get baptized in Georgia. She is having second thoughts. Keep her in your prayers!!

On Tuesday Sister Mortensen had a leadership meeting so I spent the day in Salta with Hermana Wilcox in her area. It was different.

There was a couple ward activities this week.

We walk a ton!!!!! My legs KILL!! These shoes are not going to last… I am thinking about looking for shoes here… let me know what you think. A lot of the time Hermana Mortensen is way way ahead of me. I feel like such a slow poke! Haha but I keep reminding her that one day , I will have legs like her! Haha

Speaking of Hermana Mortensen, She is FANTASTIC!!! She is such a great missionary! I am so grateful that she has extended because I have the opportunity to learn from the best!!! She is from Cottonwood Heights. She has 1 month left!! Crazy! She said that she struggled a lot with the language too but it is hard to see that because she is so good, but it actually gives me a lot of hope, because I know that I have that same potential.

Argentina is so different! Not a ton but enough! Haha The food is not the same at all. We eat a lot of Milinesa. Its kinda like country fried steak… it's not my favorite but we get that a lot in members houses… Oh and the Alfajores!!!!! Delish!!!! So yummy!! Empañadas are really yummy too! I think the food that I miss a lot would be mash potatoes but I had that a lot in Georgia! Oh and butter beans!!  I don't know why I love them so much but I do!!!! No we don't get milk in a bag. We have a refrigerator in our apartment. Not sure if I will have to do that…

I thought the apt in Cochran was small! Our apt is about the size of the kitchen and family room (at home) It is tiny! But it's OK because we spend very little time in it! The city is HUGE!!! So much area to cover!! A ton of walking and we take a bus or taxi just about every day. It is big, but that's OK because that just means that there is a lot of work to do. There are a lot of statues here. We plan on taking pictures after emailing J The ward here is great! Very helpful! The bishop feeds us every week. He is funny.  The weather here has gotten really hot! On Tuesday I was wearing a cardigan it was so cold but now I am sweating bullets!!! Haha It's very hot! But I do have a killer watch tan ;) haha

I am glad that y'all are doing well! Rock hounding sounded like fun! You really did score! Those topaz are beautiful!!

As for my birthday, I am not sure what I want… Oh I do need socks!! Like the footie socks! They don't have any down here. Maybe clothes? I am kinda tired of the clothes that I have… haha. Lotion from bath and body works….not sure… Surprise me ;)

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be on a mission! It has been such a blessing!! I am struggling understanding and speaking but I continue to pray and do what I can to let the spirit guide! I know that I have been called here for a reason and that He will help me! After all, this is His work!

All my love and more!

Hermana Creason

¿Como esta? Well that's just about all the spanish I know! haha

I am in Argentina!!! Can you believe it?? It is so different here! I am serving in a city in Jujuy just north of Salta. The city is Palpala. It is so different here.

Let me tell you about my week. So Monday I got to talk to you guys. Well I had no idea but I didn't have a confirmed seat. I was just a stand by and I was suppossed to check in as soon as I got there.... well I didn't know that..... so when I got there I realized that I didn't have a seat so I went to check in and I got the very last seat on the plane!! Lucky or what?!?! So that then takes us to the plane ride......... It was horrible! 10 hours of travel!! I was sitting next to a guy who was doing a study abroad program in California. He asked me about missionary work because there were just about 100 missionaries on the plane. I took this opportunity to teach the gospel in English one last time ;) It was a good discussion. The elders sitting behind us participated in the discussion. It was cool. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he seemed excited about it! So cool!! I hardly slept on the plane. Maybe 3-4 hours. They played 3 movies and 2 were rated R..... stupid Satan. But us missionaries worked together to keep each other preoccupied. So we got off the plane in Buenos Aries and traveled by bus to church headquarters in Argentina.  On the way there we drove past the B.A. Temple!! It is so beautiful! Luckily I had my camera out to take pictures. We ate lunch at headquarters and then took a bus to take a plane to Salta! Thank goodness! On the plane I had the whole row of seats to myself so i propped up my legs and took a two hour nap. We arrived in Salta around 8 that evening. There were around 30 missionaries that arrived. We all spent the night in a hotel to spend the night.

Now that takes us to Wednesday. We woke up and went to the church building. There we had a lot of training "classes". It was there I realized that i hardly know Spanish.... I received my new companion later that evening. Hermana Mortensen! She has been out her 18 months and has just extended for another transfer. She is FANTASTIC!! She is so good at teaching! We got to our area and out new apartment. Elders lived here before.... Oh just wait till you see the picture of what they left us! It was FILTHY! Food still in pans on the stove, dirt everywhere! ECKA! The next morning we spent 5 hours cleaning and found a ton of cockroaches and moldy food!! It was gross! Later we got to work. We actually had a baptism on Saturday. The elders had been teaching him but then got trasferred out so we went to teach him. His name is I__________. He is 10 years old. His family are members but just inactive. It was so different!! Baptisms happen so often here that not much preparation is required. They don't print out programs and only like 12 people show up. It is so different!

We do a ton of walking here. The City Palpala is big. Its very weird thinking about walking down a street in another country.... it has been weird.

The work here is very different. We do a lot! We talk to a ton of people. It's not a bad thing.  It is actually very good, it is just different than Cochran! Ugh I am so home sick for Cochran! I miss it so much! I think I miss it so much because it was easy to teach there because it was in English!

The language has been taking a toll on me. I have been getting really frustrated this week because I went from being able to share the gospel to not knowing how to share it. It is hard. I know that I have only been here a week but I can't wait to be able to speak it! 

Satan has really been working hard on me the last couple of days. I know that the language will come over time. This morning we came to the computer lab to print off your letters so that way it doesn't take time from our emailing time (which is 1 hour) and I was reading them and they all gave me so much more hope! It was so uplifting! Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I know that the language will come because Heavenly Father called me to be here and I am entitled to receive the Heavenly help that I have been promised!!

Well I am running out of time! Know that I love you and that I am doing alright! I love you more than you could ever know!!

Una escritora yo quiere que compartir con ustedes Alma 34:41

Love you!!!! 

Hermana Creason 

Buenos Aries Temple

GROSS!!  What a mess.