NELLY!

Hola amigos y familiares!  We had another wonderful week in paradise and witnessed so many miracles!  The sun is shining (and burning), the birds are tweeting, and I really couldn’t be much happier (well maybe with a bag of flaming hot Cheetos).  Just kidding!  I am so happy to be a missionary and serve my Savior!

CHISTOSOS

·       I SAW A RANDOM KID WEARING A NEBRASKA SWEATSHIRT!  What are the odds?  We are super far away from Nebraska, and Bueno, Nebraska isn’t that cool.  But that was a fun sight to see!

·       It happened.  I used a random lady’s bathroom.  Here in Argentina, there are no gas stations or anything so when you gotta go, you knock on doors until someone lets you in.  So, my apologies to the lady in San Carlos.

·       Like I explained, the sun is shining pretty hard and my poor white skin is getting a little crispy.  Don’t worry mom, I’m using lots of sunscreen!

·       We had a baptism this week (as explained in Milagros) and Hermana Adams and I were put in charge of filling the baptismal font.  But, bueno, we are two gringas and we had no idea what we were doing.  Out of all the things my dad taught me (which is a lot), I was very confused.  And we didn’t have any tools and so Hermana Adams and I were knocking on doors with a Spanish dictionary and asking the neighbors if they had any “herramientos”. So yeah, my Spanish is getting better but only in gospel vocabulary.

·       Found a small apartment with 26 cats, 6 dogs, 3 adults, and 3 children.  Welcome to Argentina!

MILAGROS

·       Nelly got baptized!  We found Nelly on September 1 and she got baptized on the 23^rd.  We witnessed so many miracles with her in her very quick progression.  She is a witness that God is truly preparing people.  The member support was great and Nelly was so happy when she came out of the water.  She was talking to Hermana Adams and I that she feels like a new person.  The most special part is that now she has the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.  She lives alone and suffers from depression and so often feels lonely.  But now, if she remains worthy, she can constantly feel of the love that God has specifically for her.  Love Nelly so much!

·       I got to see Hermana Norman!  She came to Salta for a meeting so it was so good to see her and remember the great times.  We had in limacher. Hermana Norman only has about 2 months left in the mission but continues to be such a great example of love and dedication! 

·      Sandra is progressing really well and should enter the waters of baptism soon! She is making lots of changes in her life to be worthy of the blessings that God is preparing for her. She has a great habit of reading the Book of Mormon every day to receive direction and the light of Christ. Keep her in your prayers! 

·       Priesthood power is so real! This week Nelly was sick and was really worried that she wasn’t going to be able to be baptized. We visited her with Andres, our ward mission leader, and Andres was able to give her a blessing of health and the promises would be accomplished according to her faith. Well let me tell you - Nelly has so much faith! Immediately after her blessing, she explained that she was feeling a calming sensation beginning in her eyes and healing in her throat, head and nose. I know that priesthood power is real. I know that if our faith is strong enough, we can receive the strength we need to press forward! 

·       We had zone conference this week and I was asked to do a practice...in Spanish...in front of a lot of people...That was terrifying but with the help of the Lord it went really well! 

This week I would like to share one of my scriptures that has given me hope for a better tomorrow! 

2 Nephi 25:25-26

For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

I love my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He is the Son of God. I know that He suffered, died and was resurrected for every single one of us. I know He lives. I know He knows us and loves us perfectly. I find indescribable joy in Him. I know that only through Him, we can receive a remission for our sins and return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I am in the mission to learn and grow closer to Him. Still seems crazy that I am in Argentina but like the scriptures says, I serve so my children know where to find a remission of their sins. And bueno, I don’t have any children yet but I serve so you all know - yes you - family, friends, strangers, every single one of you know that Jesus Christ lives, He loves, and He has changed my life. 

Thanks for all the prayers, love and support! 

HOY ES EL DIA! 

♥ Hermana Mannewitz 

Briefly reunited with Hermana Norman!!

Hermana Adams made a Captain America cheesecake

Nelly's baptism

mi semana

Hola family and friends!!!! Things are going great here in Argentina. God is truly preparing people for the His message and we are seeing so many miracles!!!

Bueno...here is some exciting news from the week! 

-       This week we had a multi-zone conference with Elder Mark A. Bragg and it was so so good! I learned so much and have so many things to improve on haha! We talked a lot about how we can work with the members to see more success in our area. It went really well and now we have new things that we can focus on! 

-       Our neighbor had puppies! Bueno...our neighbors dog had puppies! So now every time we head to our apartment we have super cute puppies to watch yay! 

-       We had a service project with the Familia Caceres family this week where we made 800 empanadas! that’s right 800 emanadas! yummmmmmm

-       This week is a special holiday in Salta - Semana de Milagros. It’s a catholic holiday where the Catholics show their sacrifice and devotion to their religion and walk to salta. Some Peligrinos (the Catholic group) walk for 12 days to make it to Salta. It was super cool to watch other religions show their faith and dedicate themselves to God. Plus, lots of people give out free food because they don’t have food after walking for so many days so i got some free food as well! 

-       Our investigator Nelly, is progressing so much! She reaffirmed my testimony that God is preparing people for our message! She has gone to church the last two Sundays and loved every minute of it! She doesn´t have any problems with the Palabra de Sabiduria and she has such a strong testimony of Joseph Smith. I am so happy to help her prepare for her baptism!!!

-       Other investigator, Sandra, is finally progressing! She has been investigating the church for over a year and is finally making changes in her life to be able to be baptized! Keep her in your prayers that everything will go well and she will be able to prepare for her baptism in a couple weeks! 

Sorry my letters have been pretty boring. I will try to make this week super memorable and worth writing about haha! 

Love you all!!! Have a great week! 

HOY ES EL DIA 

♥ Hermana Mannewitz 

I have a new obsession with Argentine Pizza.  Oh, and look at my llama sweater!

They also sell full sized chickens.  Smell really good but aren't that great!

My day one homie...Hermana Tolson

Elder y Hermana Bragg

These are my new favorite snack - Puflitos

We were in the same ward in BYU and now the same mission.  que loco!

Hermana Oliviera - my sister from the mission!

Milagros

Hola Amigos!  This week in Limache was so good!  I am so happy to be a missionary!  This letter is going to be short and sweet.

CHISTOSOS
• I don’t know why, but here in Argentina it is super normal and not offensive to call someone fat.  The other day, in almuerzo, the lady answered her phone by saying, “Hola gordo” (that means “Hi fatty” in English).  So Hna Adams and I decided that we are gonna speak like that as well.
• This week we had splits and so I got to work with Hna Oliviera on the day she completed 1 year in the mission.  But we were doing our studies in the park and she fell asleep haha.  Her head was doing that bobbing that happens when someone is really tired.  I guess that happens after one year in the mission.
• There is an alarm system in the church to keep it safe and the other day after locking up the church, the alarms went off.  But we were really scared so we just ran away but then the police came so yeah, that was fun.
• Hermana Lisboa, from Brazil, is trying to learn English, but Brazilians have such a strong accent that they just sound ridiculous.  But she asked me to teach her to say “shut-up” so I tried to stop laughing and help her (because I know I sound just as ridiculous in Spanish).
• Creepy old man on the bus tapped my shoulder and said, “You’re so pretty!”  THANK YOU!  GOODBYE!

MILAGROS
• I found a new favorite snack for 5 pesos!  That’s like 40 cents.  What a deal!
• This week we taught our recent convert how to pray in English and it’s the most beautiful thing.  I’m literally so happy!
• My Spanish skills did something really cool this week!  We were teaching the Plan of Salvation to one of our investigators and I was teaching and just having a great time when suddenly I realized that I was actually TEACHING!  For the past 5 months I have been teaching, but mostly just saying the same thing over and over because I don’t know a lot of Spanish.  But in this lesson I was actually teaching and bearing my testimony from my heart.  It was so cool when we walked away.  I was so happy so I offered a prayer of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for all the blessings He gives me every day.
• I gave a talk in Spanish.  That’s a miracle.
• The Lord is preparing souls in Limache.  We found a miracle investigator last week and seriously, the gospel is changing her life.  She came to church in a skirt and was so so happy!  And the members were so good at making her feel welcome!  Keep Neli in your prayers!

1 Nephi 21:15-16
“For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?  Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”
Drops mic
Thank you for all the prayers and support!  I’m so grateful for my support team from the USA!  Love you all and have a great week!

HOY ES EL DIA
♥ Hermana Mannewitz

Capilla Abierta in Palermo

Hermana Oliviera completed one year in the mission!

Hermana Adams said her throat hurt

so i helped her out

Uno with the district!!!

Save the Fork

Well, happy transfers!  There is still a lot of work to be done here in Limache so I am staying here!  I’m super excited to strengthen the ward and help others come unto Christ.

CHISTOSOS

·       The bus driver was jamming so hard all alone in the bus when we walked by . . . so funny!

·       We ate noodles for lunch almost every day this week so now I am sick of noodles.  And when we were in lunch the other day, the mother and son left the kitchen so it was just Hna Adams and I and she took of handful of noodles and threw it on the little boy’s plate of food.  When the mom returned, she said “Wow, he didn’t eat anything.”  It took everything in me to not burst out in laughter. 

·       I’m very gringa and it is really obvious that Spanish is not my native language and the other day we were looking for a referencia named Norman and this random man opened the door and he asked “Estan buscando un novio?”  Which means, “Y’all are looking for a boyfriend?”  No!  We are looking for Norman!

·       Hermana Caceres, AKA BFF, told me her favorite quote is “Stomach full, heart happy!”  I don’t think I’ve heard anything more true in my life!

MILAGROS

·       Hermana Adams told me a story that is called “Save the fork”.  She reminded me that when we eat in fancy restaurants they always serve a main dish as well as a fancy dessert.  When the waitress comes to clear your plate from the main dish they say, “Save your fork” for the dessert.  We save the fork because we know something good is about to come.  So my new life motto right now is save the fork – hope for a better tomorrow.  (The story made more since when she explained it but you get the point.)

·       I got another free tortilla this week!  My favorite tortilla lady calls me her gringa.  Life is too good!

·       Sandra, one of our eternal investigators has really shown signs of progression this week!  Keep her in your prayers that she can continue with her plans to be baptized this month!

·       Missionary work here in Limache is a little tough.  The past two weeks we haven’t seen a lot of progress even though we are really working hard.  But I know that it is all in the timing of the Lord.  I only need to have more patience.  But keep Limache in your prayers!

I finished the Book of Mormon this week.  I love reading Moroni because it reminds me of all the things I need to do to improve and be worthy to return to the presence of our loving Heavenly Father.   I especially love the invitation in Moroni 10:32:

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”

The invitation is very simple – come unto Christ.  And as we come unto Christ, we can feel His love more in our lives as well as be given the strength that we need to press forward.  I know this to be true.  I know that our loving Heavenly Father is always willing to receive us and bless us, but is only waiting for us to show our faith.  I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and only through Him we can become perfected.  I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God and we can come unto Christ by reading it every day.

Have a super great week!

HOY ES EL DIA!

♥ Hermana Mannewitz

Somos chanchos

Familia Puca

Walter Puca - he is always dabbing

Maria and Mateo Gavilan

Maria Gavilan

Familia Schraifer

La ultima tormenta blanca

Familia Caceres

Familia Vieira

Limache losers

Flower photo shoot

Wow!  this is why we have so many investigators

AMERICANA!

My tortilla lady.  She called me her gringa!!!

Guad

HOLA!

August 28, 2107

Hola! Que tal en los estados unidos? I can’t believe that it is already September. Time is flying by. This past week I completed 5 months in the mission. 5 months already! I can’t believe it!

CHISTOSOS

·       We were in lunch with some grandparents and their grandchild and out of nowhere, the grandchild yells “Mabel, the fatty of bancamo (fat grandma of the neighborhood). It was so so funny.

·       In a family home evening, Bishop asked Walter to say the prayer and Walter dabs so hard. Really reminded me of my brothers.

·       I burned my arm hair. I was making arroz con leche, like a normal Argentine does every morning.  And bueno, cooking is a dangerous thing and my arm got too close to the fire and ya fue. Now I just have stubble hairs on my left arm and its super ugly, but oh well.

MILAGROS

·       I got my first mission package with a lot of love, letters, and peanut butter from my family. It was the best surprise! I am so thankful for fancy mailing service men who safely bring packages to Salta. Happy missionary!

·       We recently found a super awesome new investigator named Sylvia.  She is totally amazed that we are in Argentina – so far away from our families and friends and everything.  But she is too kind. She told us that she could be our Argentine mom and if we ever needed anything we could call her. There are lots of good people in the world.

·       We had another tormenta blanca this week and it went really well. I always leave with more excitement for missionary work. But at the end of this tormenta blanca we were singing “there is sunshine in my soul” with the other missionaries and members from the ward and I definitely felt sunshine in my soul. I was singing loud and proud and with a smile on my face because I am just so grateful and so happy to be a missionary.

·       Yesterday we had a special multi stake conference which was a broadcast from the United States. I was so excited to receive counsel from our leaders and even more excited when it started to play in English because, bueno, I understood everything haha!  But the more Argentines were patiently waiting and couldn’t understand a thing. So they asked the missionaries to come to the front and translate. There were about 5 of us so we all walked to the front very nervously. The miracle of this story is that when it was my turn to translate it finally got fixed and the language turned to Spanish. Thank goodness! But now I have a new motivation to study and always be prepared.

I have recently learned that the secret to a joyful, peaceful, grateful life is to recognize that doing things the Lord’s way will make me happier than doing things my way.  We read in Moses that our Heavenly Father loves us so much!

Moses 1:39 “For behold, this is my work and my glory – to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Heavenly Father’s greatest desire for each and every one of His children is to help them return to His presence.  And He has given us everything we need to return.  Thanks to Jesus Christ and His Atoning sacrifice, we can be forgiven for our sins and shortcomings.  Trust in His plan for you.  I know that His plan is a perfect plan of love and happiness in this life and the life to come.

Be happy!

HOY ES EL DIA!

♥ Hermana Mannewitz

High skirt in the hard work

Shout out to my younger brothers

Tormenta blanca

District 8-28-17

All tuckered out

That's 5

Little love from home

Scripture Power Man made it to Argentina

Playing one

District tacos

District Uno