Last pictures from the mission- December 3, 2012

December 3- How do you measure a year-and-a-half in the mission?

How about Love?
 We are having a good amount of success right now and I'm so happy, I didn't want to leave this area nor the mission completely dry, needing to start over. We have 2 beautiful new progressing investigators that came to church yesterday with their member (less active, inactive) parents and they all LOVED it! The kids (our investigators) have a baptism date for the 22 and we're working to help them get their answer. We're also hoping to strengthen the branch a bit more before we have to go, the branch president is incredible but he doubts that sometimes, so we want to help him, we also are going to leave with the youth to help them out too. This week was really good, we had some good talks with our district leader and we're all working well.
Some funny things that happened this week: 
I finally got nipped by a dog, in the bum.....yeah no damage, it scared me a bit though. We went to Liliana and she thinks a lot and talks and this time she recognized how that is somewhat funny and said, I wasn't taught bad etiquette, poor thing my mother, she has nothing to do with my craziness. I thought it was funny.
We were talking with a recent convert about some of her fears and doubts, and she has a great imagination. She was asking us, what happens if we have an atomic bomb and we take all the bibles and keep them safe, so that when we all die from the bomb the new species of humans can find the bibles and...and and....and.... Hna Alvarez cuts in, Chica, God is all powerful. The girl thinks about this a bit.....oh yeah.
This is cute, not funny, A man in our branch said that the hardest thing to bear is not sickness, it's not what man or nature can do, it's seeing his wife without a smile. We all sighed.
We're getting a good amount of rain too, it's really hot in the morning and so it does stuff with the pressure and we get a lot of wind, a good deal of our skin gets exfoliated off, and sometimes it rains. We may need to see these waffles......
Ah Navidad, did you get to see the Christmas devotional?!! We heard that is would show and we all wanted to see it. Oh the joys of being young and in primary....and teaching primary :) I wonder what we can do to help grandpa...... rolled butter mints! As long as I can make the peanut butter balls we're good! Retail therapy! I finally found something for Kim that we probably won't find in Utah to wear, but it's kinda weird, so if we need to I may need a plan B....we'll see how it goes. Reuben sandwiches and carrot cake...can we do this again one day? New game!....uh...Guestures!
We have our last meeting Wednesday and then I'll be in the office next week until I get home, so I hope it (the package) comes in time. From all accounts this will be my last email because we do an FHE with President next week, we'll find out all of the details on that one later on in the week, everyone's worried that we'll get trunky. I figure that this is the last bit I have and I don't have time to be trunky, there's a million things to do! I'm glad I have this last week.
We started packing today and it doesn't seem real. I feel like I'll be going to another area or I'm helping clean or something, it doesn't feel like it's time to leave, but I know that this is when I need to be done, I received that answer long ago. I would like to ask something, when I get home I won't be perfect. I'll still have a lot to grow and a long way to go, I ask that you all keep that in mind. I am humbled to be called a missionary for our Savior Jesus Christ and to bring the world His truth, I feel I should be greater, but I know that God calls the weak things of the world to do His work. I am proud to be a weak thing.
Thank you so so much Mom for always supporting me, it's been a good run and I'm not done yet, every email, every prayer has helped me in this great journey. I will always remember this and I'm so glad I listened and obeyed. You have helped me and I hope to one day show that to you. I love you and I'll see you soon!
LOVE!
Hermana Aubrey Pixton

November 26- 18 months!

Hna Alvarez wants me to write you a note from her.

Dear Momma Pixton

Your daughter is dead!

Cry cry cry, and more crying.

All of that she wrote herself in English

Yes, she is very happy for the fact that I end my mission in the mission and she ends her mission in her house, so I am now "dead". Bueno, technically I'm a zombie because I keep walking and talking and stuff even though I'm past my date. But I'm good! Alive (olvio) and very excited to start this next week, we did the activity with the branch this last week and they are super excited to work with us, we also got 5 less active/inactive members to come to church! We were ecstatic! Our numbers aren't great this week but we feel like we've worked and that God is satisfied in that. We will do all we can to get more lessons in and everything but we've stopped looking so much at the numbers and more on the people, and sometimes that makes you step down before you step up again, it's another focus, and it's the one that I feel better working towards.We are working with a great part-member family and they are really excited to come back to church and help their kids find the Gospel too! We're excited. We also have a lot of the members giving us references of their friends and praying for who'll accept the Gospel and...it's AMAZING!

The week sounds so great! Full of, I'm sure, Family Friends and Fotos.

We've had a lot of sun, and wind, and some random really cold nights, but we have blankets so it's all good, it's like the climate at girls camp, really hot in the day time but then really cold at night. Megan got married!!!!!!!How old is she!!!!!! I thought she was Jacob's age! I'm so old!!!!!!!!

YES! I got the A-team package and it was so great to get the letters! My companions were ALL OVER the stickers and I was happy with the candy and fruit snacks(yes, they are different). Ha ha, poor Brock, elders can be funny sometimes. I've yet to get the hymn book one, but I'm lookn'.

Yeah! Clean garage! In winter too! Good job family!

Aye, esta piba! I've been waiting for an announcement for about 9 months! Maybe they're .....waiting.........name that movie!

I am healthy, I still have some side effect from that horrible chicken the elders gave me but I'm good. They're gonna give me a purgative when I leave so I think I'll be ok. It's so good to hear that everyone is ok. Hna Alvarez just lost her grandfather. 2 weeks.....she learned it today. If you could add her family to your prayers that would be great!

Thank you so much Mom for everything!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Hna. Aubrey Pixton

November 19- Buff and Creepy Frogs

So my companion is deathly afraid of frogs. I found this out last week when it rained, there are a lot of frogs here and we were leaving the church to get back to the apartment and she screamed and wouldn't move. I looked down to see a frog, and said, oh how cute! and she looks at me, horribly surprised, and says, no! it's not cute! they're horrible and disgusting and.....etc. I thought it was rather funny the three days that we had a good rain storm, though she is getting better, she'll let me walk by her with the frog on one side and her on the other, clinging to my arm. I love my Hna. Alvarez! She also learned in English "buff and creepy" from someone earlier in her mission, and has been calling me this for a few weeks now, ja ja ja ja.

Other than that we worked on the activity for the branch so that we can work better together. Two families showed up so our branch president said we need to do it at the end of the normal block of meetings this coming Sunday. We worked a lot on it and a lot of our appointments were canceled so it didn't look like we did a lot of work but we were pretty tired by the end of every day. We also found a man who, when we knocked, he came out and said, I've been searching for you, and I need something. Turns out he has been reading the Book of Mormon for some time but because his wife is super de un otro religión, he doesn't want to cause problems and become part of the church. He was great though! It showed me that the people are being prepared, maybe I'm not the one to help him but he is being prepared.

Ha ha, I read the first line from s that was all, YOUR COMING HOME SOON! and I though...I'll reply to Mom's letter first. No but really I'm ok, the people here have been saying how much time I don't have for about 3 months so I'm mas o menos used to it :)

I had a dream that Hna Cruz was with us for thanksgiving! It was weird.I can understand your feelings about the show, besides being unfamiliar is was strange and hurtful to see Jacob like that for you. I'm very very glad Jacob talked to you about things, sometimes we don't understand all of what's going on, but how could we, we just see what is in front of us, but God sees more, He knows what will help and what can help heal. (For now I realize that good can come from bad?) Yeah, it's a song worth analyzing. I'm so happy it all turned out ok. Give me mountains to climb!

Ha ha, take only one piece of bread, words of wisdom right there. I still remember when I was an ankle-biter and took two, rolled them into balls and played with them, then I lost them to your cleverness and said, what happened to the little balls? Good rule! You are the best friend to everyone, you can always help someone! I'm happy you have such lights in your life.

YES Knock and run adventures!

Christmas is coming...weird no?

April or March, or April. I guess it is all between him and God. The gap will be very much smaller between when our family will all be together again.....again! OH WE ARE WARM! I baked today some VERY late gifts and thankyous and sorrys....our apartment was an oven! We were all sweating, and all I could think of was "good for the pores, good for the pores". We are doing well, we're working and trying the best we can to not run in circles with the amount of work we have, but I guess that's why we have weekly and daily planning!

I love you so much Mom. Thank you for your offer of help, we always need all the prayers we can get and I love knowing you are always praying for me/us.

Keep each other close and remember I love you!

Hna. Aubrey Pixton

 

November 12- being eaten to death by mosquito

Do you remember the part in Other Side of Heaven where they're walking through the jungle and Elder Groburg (I can't spell the other name) is driven mad by mosquitoes and runs ahead of his companion and throws his bag on the ground and shouts? Yeah, that happened yesterday. They're savages! Savages I tell you! We were talking to a man who didn't really want to listen but we were trying anyway, and there were more mosquitoes there than I have ever seen in my life, and they all wanted to eat poor Hna. Cruz. We got back to the house and she had big welts of bites, it was pretty bad I have repellent and we bought more today, but these things are really "blood-thirsty". (Yes, I ran crazily in front of my companions, threw my box on the floor and shouted (quietly)).

Other than that we are teaching a woman who needs to get married before she gets baptized (but in W this can happen in 20 days), and a man who has a lot of fear of failing, of not enduring to the end. We're trying the best we can to be worthy of the Spirit so that we can teach these people. We also need to find a lot more. But the members here are awesome and are giving us the contacts from their cell phones. We're getting a lot of help and we hope to have three baptisms before the end of the year.

Working in three is different. We need to listen to each other a lot more and to the Spirit to know when to speak and what to say so as to help the lesson run smoothly. This is the 4th trio that Hna. Cruz has had, so she's relatively used to it.

This week we're working more on the Tree project we started in July, we're planning a lot and doing more work with that and we hope it pays off. We won't be here for the end of the year so we're doing all we can to help the next missionaries and members have success.

I'm so glad to hear your birthday was very happy! YAY!!! My Daddy won't be in Germany when I get back! (happy dance in the ciber) I was thinking what if he came in the same day as me.....Que cosa no? God has His bag of tender mercies open, (it's always open, this one is just easier to see :) ). 

*Personal situation of an unnamed person.* Has he prayed about it? If not, ask him to pray about it and tell Heavenly Father, pay attention to how he feels and what God wants, then go forward with faith, let you know and whatever he chooses, he'll learn. I remember I had a line in college that was to swear and I felt horrible and dirty saying it, my teacher saw it and I asked if I could change the word, he said I could and it worked out the same way. I personally don't want to marry a man who swears or yells, more now then ever. These are my thoughts and feelings.  I want to help so so much but I feel like I'm blocked from that kind of communication and help. Maybe I'm supposed to be home for him, but whatever God's time table is, I will accept it gladly.

 

We're getting more attention now us missionaries, no? I love your ingenuity with your little kids :) Weather here is hot, we all got burned, but we're being more consistent with the sunscreen now. Ha ha! A serger! Que bueno! You can sew........a dress........or a rug, I'm just throwing out ideas...

More for the box.....carmex for Hna Alvarez.

It's true, a lot of the time we are very conscience of how we are seen but most of the time we are happy because we desire to serve and help others be happy, if we're not happy to begin with, how can we invite others to be happy? I am personally happy because every person is a child of God and He loves them, I need to show His love. There's a line from the Veggie Tales Sweet Pea beauty that I've been thinking about a lot. "It's God that sees the beauty in all things, I just chose to agree with Him" I really like it because it's true, God sees things how they are, He created them and they were good. True there are things vile and evil but we focus on the good and the right. Man are that they might have joy. :)

Thank you for being my Facebook detective :) I love you so so much Mom and hope everything is going well. Keep praying, keep reading and let God tell you His will. He loves you and wants the best possible for you and our family. I love Him and I love you. Thank you for your prayers and your love. I'll never forget it!

LOVE!!!

Hna. Aubrey Pixton

November 5- Trick or Treat?

So we were just waking up on Wednesday this week when we got a phone call, it went something like this:

Hna Alvarez: Hello

Elder Galan: Hey Hnas, how're you doing?

Good, what's going on?

Have you ever trained before

Yes...

And Hna. Pixton

No...

Oh, well you both need to be in the office before 9:30 because you're training! The same person!

Hna Avarez freaked out and I felt faint.

We get to the office and we find our 3rd part! She's Hna. Cruz from Colombia Bogata.....algo así. She's a bit shorter than the measuring tape and is 30. She's super sweet! It's relly different to have a third person! Oh, and we're not really training her, she has 6 months in the mission already but she was waiting for her visa, but this is her mission. So we're three until the end of our days. It's made me think a lot about family life, before you just have your spouse, then you get a baby and it's different. I assume it's like that but I don't actually know. So I'm learning all about Que Chevere things are, and Que te digo! It's quite fun.

We had stake conference and no one came! Ok, the members came, but no one that we were stressing about! We were rather sad and I could hardly concentrate on the talks. We're wondering if this is the trial of our faith and we're pretty darn sure it is. We'll keep working and hoping, fasting and praying. It's all we really can do. We'll find our three-groove.

Halloween in Argentina was very uneventful....other than I got another companion.......that kind of uneventful....

Silly Jacob, don't you know that you eat with friends with Mom?! I completely understand how you feel! I hope to always have a good sense of respect if nothing else, I have a lot to learn still but I'm working on it. I LOVE your sunbeams! Kids make your heart melt and spirit sore! The discussion on your book made me think of 2 Nephi 4:27-30. I love to think of Nephi as a great example and these are some great words of council. I'm glad your trip was fun :)

Ha ha, We're more western but less...big...SECRET SANTA SILLINESS, DO IT! I'll be your elf! If you need one taller than your sunbeams that is.

Jacob is into politics? Hmmmmmm :E I can't complain about these elections either because once again I did not vote. But we'll see and it'll all be ok in the end. We just need to know who we serve and what He asks, and do it. NO importa los cosas en el mundo. I did hear about the storms! Everyone who found out I'm from the States had a terrified look and told me about them. Ha ha, On the news giving platelets, that's my mom!

I was ok the last week, it's been a while and I've gotten used to being in missionary mode so it was more I as in missionary mode talking with you! Hna. Alvarez is very excited about "su marillo"

I know of Elder Forkey, that he comes home with me,  Elder Forkey, Elder Kitchen, Elder Peterson....and more, OH! And Hna. Bingham sayed for this transfer so she'll be coming home with me too!

I totally forgot my camera in the house! But next week! I'll have it.

I Love you Mom! Have an excellent week!

Hna. Aubrey Pixton

Oct 29- A W ending

I'm finishing my mission in W with Hna Alvarez! We're all pretty excited, though the branch isn't too excited about losing Hnas. But it's not really our plan, is it. 

Well we did divisions this week and I went to an area called H to work with the hija of Hna. Alvarez. She's a great missionary and has only been a member for 3 years, but she knows that it's true. We worked and walked a lot, her area is bigger than W, and we had a good deal of fun. I got back and my body decided to get sick again but after a days rest I was fine. So we're back and running for this last 6 weeks, we're both setting goals of things we want to focus on and be better at. It's really funny actually, there we're a whole lot of changes this last transfer, Hna. B is going home this transfer and we also have different elders in our district but all the Hnas, basically stayed the same. 

We have a YM in our branch who is a convert of 9 months who goes with us to appointments and things, he is such a great kid! Great testimony and always willing to help us. He is 15 so he has a few more years until his mission but my companion and I think he'll be a great missionary

Yay! Baby! Out here we had a wedding! To be completely honest they are kind of anti-climatic, but it was very cute anyway! The groom shouted "SÏ" when they asked if he wanted to be married to her. We all threw rice at them and they are very happy now.

I want to go to the temple with y'all! 6 weeks...here we go......6 weeks! What! 

OOOooooooo, birthday in Houston! Nice and warm :)

Ha ha, JC will always be JC but maybe we'll just call him Jack-attack, Jack-jack, or .....Bloobee. I will get the hammer to Hna Alvarez, ha ha, the elders came to check our house for normal maintenance and they found my hammer and were SO happy with it, unscrewing all the little parts to find more screwdrivers :) Thank you So So much for your help Mom! You are awesome with the sunbeams! Such a great idea! Ha ha, dead people and extraction....You're so great :)

Do we know anything about Joseph's entrance date? He said he'd have news this week but maybe not.

I love you so so much Mom and hope you have a happy Harry Potter, pizza filled Halloween, and a great birthday!

LOVE

Hna. Aubrey Pixton

Oct- 22 I feel like I've been a Mormon my whole life!

K was baptized! Yay! Now we just need to help her family keep her active, she's 10 and her parents aren't active (but her dad came to her confirmation and her baptism, he said he wasn't going to) and her grandparents don't want to pressure her, so we'll help them help her without the pressure. 

I weighed myself this week and yes, missions in Argentina make you fatter. I'm slightly working on it, more I'm waiting for this transfer to be over to start (not the BEST plan but hey). Oh, I forgot, Happy Argentine Mother's Day! it was yesterday. A lot of the youth here call their moms Momoo :) L taught her class for the youth this week for the first time and was very happy.

We're all guessing about the transfers but there are so many changes that will probably happen we can't even try to guess. I may be moved because I have 4 transfers here, but we'll see.

Poor Daddy, traveling so much and without frozen yogurt....Yay Laura! Did my letter arrive? I sent it a while ago for birthdays because I completely forgot to send things at least 3 weeks ahead of time. I'm so happy you all had fun! And that the boys are workers! Here we've had really hot, then really cold and rainy, but I guess that's October in Argentina. We'll see more sun in November for sure! Don't worry about not writing a ton in emails, I'm happy to see that I have email! and photos! I love to watch Grandma and Grandpa with each other, it's one of the best things :)

 Ha ha, Primary is so cute! And their examples are good people(personages?) so that's good too! I bet you're a great teacher for them! Oh yeah, Halloween is super soon, they don't do a lot here for Halloween, already we're seeing fruitcake and Christmas candy out. I also learned (sad to say) that in many Latin countries, the day of the dead is 2 Nov. I apply it to elections. 

Prep day! Yay! It's almost better than the actual Thanksgiving! I thought of sticky tac that you could send me! We can't do anything to the walls so it has to leave without residue. Uhhhh, colored envelopes, I am going to take out another 50 from my account today so that should cover other things. Thank you so much for always being willing and wanting to send me things :D 

Thank you so much Mom for your words of courage and strength. I often tell people this but it's always harder to apply it to your own life, you know? Thank you again.

With school I was thinking about doing something medical so intro to anatomy or something like that would be great, I'll call my president today to figure things out, this week I was praying a lot and thinking a lot and I was about to skip this time for school, but then just barely I got the impression to stop and pray, ask what I need to do and I got the answer that I can go to school this semester. I really wanted to and it was hard during the week to make the decision not to go, but this reminded me of Isaac and Jacob when Jacob first had to make the choice and almost go through with it, then the Lord stopped him. I feel that now, so I'll do all I can on my side and maybe let you know in the week. I would like to take dance but I'm worried about transfer credits.....I'll try to look at it. I think I left all my info in a jar that I happened to leave on the side of your bed when I left,  my license my be in that jar, if not it's in my bookself I'm almost positive. 

I'm doing better in health. I'm letting go of the stress a lot, I've tricked my mind into thinking I'll finish in May with my elders. That helps. Also having other people to focus on helps too.

I love you Mom and thank you SO much for all that you do, it's a lot.

LOVE!

Hna. Aubrey Pixton