Kaitlyn has arrived in Argentina! She needs all the prayers you can offer in her behalf.
Great opening title of an email right? Don´t worry..its true but esta bien (okay). So I am officially here in Argentina, and not only in Argentina but in Posadas, Argentina. Es muy bonita aqui. Pero es muy diferente por mi porque no hablo much español. (It is very nice here. But it is different for me because I do not speak much Spanish) Este es (This is) the most I can speak.
Anyway the whole travel thing was crazy. We had to wait in the Buenos Aires airport from 11AM until 6:40PM when our flight left for Posadas. Needless to say I was super duper cansado (tired) by that time. Then my carry on wouldn´t fit in the overhead compartment so we just shoved it where my feet would go and I straddled it and then covered it all with a blanket for the hour and a half flight to Posadas. Needless to say it was not comfortable. At all, pero es bien porque (but it's okay because) I regained feeling in my legs eventually. :) Also this keyboard is the weirdest thing in my life right now so sorry if this doesn´t make much sense.
Well we arrived in Posadas around 8PM and our Presidente and his wife were there and not long thereafter the office elders came in with a banner that they rolled out. I will definitely try and figure out how to send pictures later. We then traveled to the church and mission office where they had all our luggage and told us to get enough stuff for the next two days and to put it into some Chango Mas (Walmart) bags. Then we had to fill out some paperwork for our visas in Paraguay. During this time all the elders found out I was the enfermera (nurse) and they all kept making jokes in spanish to me and I couldn´t understand anything. It is muy frustrando por mi pero yo se con tiempo (very frustrating but I know that with time) it will get easier for me. Pero ahora es muy difIcil (But now it is very difficult). After that they drove us to the mission home in a different part of the city and we had dinner, which was empanadas and it was delicioso (delicious). Then we got our stuff and we headed to a hotel where the hermanas would be staying for the night. One of the sister training leaders was with us (me and two other hermanas from Mexico). The hotel was muy chucci (posh, classy). It had a blow dryer. Definitely a different world down here. I talked with Hermana Houtz for quite a while. She only has one transfer left and then she will be heading back to Salem, Utah. She is awesome.
We then went to bed and woke up today at 6AM and got ready to go to the Paraguayan consulate for our visas. Everything here is carbs. Breakfast was almost all carbs and desserts. It is crazy. No worries I just had pineapple, the fruit salad stuff Steven Nish made, and some corn flakes and eggs. Not been super hungry since I have arrived. Then we went to the embassy and then we came back to the mission home. I went and met with President LaPierre and it was great. He is a great man and brought some great insights to what I am feeling and going through right now. He then told me that I would be heading to Paraguay on Thursday to train with Hermana Chandler (the current mission nurse in Paraguay) there for her last transfer and then in December I will take over as the mission nurse in Paraguay. Es muy loco pero yo estoy entusiasmado por ese desafio (it's crazy but I'm up for the challenge). Then I went down and one of the AP´s had us do a practicar (practice) where he told us what kind of investigator he was and what his problem was and we were supposed to pick a verse and share with him how it could help him and then challenge him to be baptized. I got so scared because both of the AP´s are native and it is hard for me to understand them completely let alone speak to them without being embarrassed or intimidated but I was determined to do well. Then I heard the hermanas before me that have been here for forever go and I lost fe (faith). Needless to say, it was rough and I started crying so hard I was gulping and I had no idea why. Never done that before. I really don´t know where the tears came from but I finished sharing anyway and ended with my testimony and then took some time in the bathroom pouring out my heart to my Father in Heaven a little bit. I know this is going to be hard but so worth it. I don´t care if the language comes fast or not I just prayed to know he was there and he loved me and I was filled with peace. The STL Hna. Houtz came and we talked for a bit about it. She is so understanding and so sweet. So no worries just totally made a fool out of myself in front of all the elders and hermanas that are new and the AP, but then after he shared Helaman 10:4 with me as the scripture in response to what I shared with him. Look it up. It was comforting and so sweet of him to share.
We are just at the mission office now to let you all know I am alive. I have a six hour bus ride ahead of me to my area in Paraguay tomorrow pero (but) my mission president said it is a great city and the strongest unit of members in the entire mission so I am excited. The work is true and real and on the way here I was able to share the gospel with a lot of people on the planes (in English) but still, there is nothing like sharing the gospel and having the extra strength that comes from realizing what name is always present on you. The name of the Son, Jesus Christ. Through whom everything is possible. Even hard and difficult things like this. I am excited to get to work and I am excited to learn so much more and love these people. It is going to be great.
Chow,
Hna. Albach
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