Snapshots

ice cream from mcdonalds! every p day

congreso y colectivos <3

i love argentina

hermanas

the battle for cheez wiz

with the minions ;)

i will read the BOCA mormon

(La boca is a soccer team that is really popular. their colores a blue stripe and yellow)

Asking Questions

This week was so much fun! for district meeting they asked us to come up with a game to play. we were teaching about how asking questions we can learn more about the investigators and find out their needs. so we watched a video from the district.and everytime the missionaries asked a question we had to standup and say "Pregunta PODER!" do 5 jumpingjacks, hop on one foot to the other end of the room, make a basket in the trashcan, and write on the chalkboard what the question was. the elders LOVED IT.they got really competitive and by the time they finished doing all the obstacle stuff they forgot what the question was. it was so funny and I thought only on the mission they would go along with my crazy ideas. and we baked a cake that we called "pregunta pan". oh also the prize was cheez wiz that came from the birthday package, so thanks! everyone is like wowwww you´re so creative! how do you come up with these ideas. hahah but hearing about the star wars party, now I know where I get it from.

We had divisiones this week with the sister training leaders. and they are in a trio so I was with two of them. and they are both really short from peru y honduras. first of all they are always laughing. about really little things. and it was so funny, I felt like I was walking around with the minions hahah, they´re so cute! and they taught me so much about charity. they were ALWAYS doing little acts of service for me, for each other, for the people in the streets. and so positive, you just feel so good to be around them. they listen to everything you say and laugh about it (kind of like Jordan) and they made breakfast, pay for the bus (which we get rembursed for, but a really nice gesture that is free haha), they gave me a case for my scriptures from Peru. and they LOVE their investigators. it inspired me so much to do more. so often in the mission its tiring! but charity is a force so powerful that it gives extra energy to put together a star wars party, or help your son finish his eagle scout, or go to the temple with the ward. Because you love them and it makes everything worth it :)

PMG says when we have charity we want be obedient to God´s commandments, to serve others and really have sincere desire to help. We avoid criticizing or negative thought of others. Its true because when you have charity you´re not thinking  "augh this person. why do they have so many problems?" you´re thinking OH i see a problem! how can I help them? 

We always always invite people to read scriptures, pray and go to church. but this week I felt like I wasn´t asking it OF them. I was asking FOR them. God gave us these things to make us happy! and I know if they do it their lives can be that much more full!

I absolutely love the mission. It is a dream to be here. God has been so merciful with me all of my life, And I love how having a focus on spiritual things in life has really opened my eyes! 

Okay, I have a challenge for you all. Pray for missionary experiences. for yourselves. We have extended a challenge to the members and seen so many miracles. one member said he had no one in mind but when he was studying his scriptures BOOM the names started coming and he has a list of about 15 people that he has started to contact and talk about the gospel. some of them agreed to come to church! HAGALO!

Also do little acts of service. de verdad it will increase your charity. two ways to have more charity: SERVICE and PRAY for it.

bueno. son capos. les amo. hasta la proxima semana. 

chau<3

Pictures

Birthday!!! I saved this until august 14.

Thanks mom for the pb

Birthday package!

Zone conference! President Ayre. lo mejor.

Hermana Ramos. MY BABYYY! everyone loves her

zona la boca

Milagros!

August 24, 2015

This has been the best week of my entire mission. WOW. milagros! we found so many people!!!!

A part member family-- the dad (david) was baptized when he was 8, but its been 19 years since he has been to church. His wife and two kids (14, 9) aren´t members! We had been trying to call them and pass by for a while with my other companion but never could get in. BUT a less active girl just moved into the same building! We went to do a FHE con ella and stopped by and knocked on their door. (in Buenos Aires there are buildings and you have to like ring the door bell and talk to them through a buzzer thing if you want to visit someone, which makes it a bit difficult because you have to have a good reason for them to come down and open the door for you) BUT WE WERE ALREADY IN booya! So we talked to them and set an apptmt. We called our convert DAvid because he is from salta (provincia in argentina) and so is the family. and IT WAS INCREDIBLE. they both are named David, both are 43 years old, both from salta, and both had death in the family, both went to Jehova´s Witnesses. THERE WERE SO MANY SIMILARITIES i have no doubt that it was inspired and he was the perfect member for the visit.

Dominicano-- We were looking for a name and address that we had and rang the bell, and talked with the mom who told us that her son wasn´t there. My companion asked if the mom could come down to the door. And that never happens that people come to the door to talk to us when they don´t know who we are. but she said YES! and invited us into her home too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 WOWOWOW huuuuge miracle. we talked to her and then her son came home and we talked with Edgar. They both have sooo much faith. We gave him a book of Mormon and told him to read and pray if its true. The next day he told us that he did it. And in the night he heard a voice that said "Keep reading this book. You will learn a lot of  and recieve guidance for you life" and he said that he felt as if someone were next to him when he was reading. but wow. what an experiance! now he reads the BoM twice everyday and he came to church! 

Jesus-- We were visiting Miguel and I heard his cousin, and said "Miguel invite your cousin to come meet us!!" and he said nahhh, he doesn´t want to. next time i´ll tell him. and we said COMeON!! really quick we just want to say hi.   entonces ok. and he came out and we said "sit down we just want to know a little about you" we talked about soccer, his job, random things lots of jokes and won his confidence! booya. then we started to talk about how he is so young (21) and what is he going to do with his life, and BOOM the gospel. he started to become really interested. We gave him a verse to read and while we were talking he read the entire page and was very interested! He said he wanted to go to the church and we gave him a book of Mormon. WOW!!

This week we have really been focusing on the needs of the people we are teaching. I have grown to love them so much more! And I really feel like this charity has drawn more people, and they are more open to our message! it´s funny because now that I just typed that, its almost word for word from my setting apart blessing. It is so beautiful to see these promises being fulfilled. My teacher in the MTC said "God saves a special kind of joy for those who share the gospel. Search for it" and I feel like I have really been feeling this special spirit, because I am always so dang happy! it is more rewarding to teach a lesson than when we made it to CCS in waterpolo, or when I got a 4.0, or when I got a car or the best date I ever went on (honestly I don´t which was best). But this is a joy that just fills you up. There is nothing in the world I would rather be doing in my life. Nothing can compare with a mission. Especially when I have been feeling like such a powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord to help so many people!

okay, one more miracle --- yesterday we were searching for someone and a man who lived next door passed by and we started to talk to him. and my charity was swelling and I really felt for him as he explained his problems. He said that he had been angry with God. He couldn´t understand why these things had happened in his life. and I told him how much God loved him, and had a special plan for him. He looked me in the eyes (he was at the point of tears) and asked "If I go to church will I be able to understand why?" and in this moment, I felt so much God´s love for him that I wanted to cry and I said Yes. We taught him how to pray and he did. and He said he felt a lot better and we are going to visit him today. but Holy Canoli. that was something special.

I love being a missionary. I love Congreso. I love the members here. I love the Gospel. I know I am preparing the world for the second coming of Christ, and there is no greater work than this!

Con mucho amor,

Hermana Haight <3

Happy Birthday!

WOW. let me just say Congreso is heaven <3333

for my birthday you will never guess what I ate: dun da da daaaaaa

MCDONALDS hahah (but i´m serious). We had a meeting for the new missionaries and so I went with my companion and they gave us McDonalds, but here it is expensive. But all day people were calling the phone (my first companion, hermana Lopez, the mission president´s wife, the members) to send birthday wishes. One member wrote out how many months, days, hours, minutes, seconds in 21 years (he´s a little old man and I don´t think he knows I turned 20 haha). Other member bought earrings and a bracelet. BASICALLY I GOT A LOT OF STUFF. 

WOW I HAVE NO TIME! we took a bus allllllllllllll around Buenos Aires hoy por Pday. but I will send you pictures and tell you more next week. just know that everything is good here :)

LOVE YOU ALL

miguel se bautizó!

dijo que "now I understand why you told me I would feel better when I got baptized"

I had to show hermana ramos LA BOCAAAA

CAMINITO CON HERMANA RAMOS

ITS POURINGGGGGGGG and we got lost, and soaked. But we´re misioneras so we´re always happy:)

August 10, 2015

This week has been INCREDIBLE. I have really started to fall in love with the work. I have really started to enjoy testifying to anyone and everyone, and I love talking about the gospel. I love the people here, I just want to help them so bad! Really a new spirit has come into my mission, and now I know why the missionaries always are so happy.

We taught Miguel about diezmo (tithing) and Hermana Ramos explained that when we pay our tithing its like we have 10 oranges and give God one of them. and he takes that orange and makes a delicious juice and gives it to us. It seems like we are giving something but really we are recieving. the windows of heaven will open and pour out a blessing that there will not be room enough to recieve it. He said that he can´t wait to pay his tithing! (que loco) because he knows he will recieve so many blessings. 

The next day we didn´t have an appointment with him but we were close by and decided to stop by. When he answered the door, he had been crying. He just had an argument with the mom of his 2 year old, and he is so sad that they are separated and that he can´t live with his son Benjamin. I know the timing of our visit was inspired because I thought about passing by earlier but decided to wait until later. We shared a scripture about when Alma prayed to God and asked him to comfort his soul! Alma 31:31  Miguel dijo "I´ve never thought about praying when I am sad. I'm going to try it next time"  It feels so good to be able to help lift someone´s spirit, and that is exactly what happens when anyone shares the gospel! Try it! :)

Other miracle: there is a family that we tried to visit SOOOO many times with Hermana Lopez but they NEVER EVER were home. and one day I went with Hermana Ramos and BOOM they let us in!! we chatted and shared something with them, came back the next day and did a noche de hogar with their three kids and grandparents and the mom. Later we came and taught the Restauracion. It was a lesson so powerful. because like I said there has been something realy special and different about this week. and we had already given away all of our extra books of Mormon, but I told them that "this is so important that you read and pray tonight that I am going to let you borrow mine" (with all my markings and tabs) and tomorrow we will bring you your own! It made it that much more special, and they could see that this was really important to me!  The next day we went back and the grandpa of the family said that he read what we marked (moroni´s pro

mise) and two more chapters and that he knew it was the word of God. he said he felt very calm-relaxed. and we invited him to be baptized. he said he is going to pray about his fecha. AND THEY CAME TO CHURCH SUNDAY TOO!!!!! AHHHHHHH. wow. que emocion.

Also we did an activity in RS so that the members could know us better. we cut out colored papers and each of the 4 hermanas represented a color. and we asked questions like "who is the oldest?" "who´s parents aren´t members" "Who can say lettuce tomate onion pickle pepperchini really fast in english?" and the sisters had to raise the color of the missionary they thought it was. THEY LOVED IT. they had so much fun!! one sister said "YOU SHOULD DO THIS EVERYTIME THERE ARE NEW MISSIONARIES" and now our entire calendar of lunch appointments is totally full. usually they only fill up one week at a time, but I really think the game helped :D

Love you. Chao!

Hermana Haight <3

MY BABY!!!!

Hermana Ramos. from Brasil. she is the cutest thing ever. honestly she just makes me so happy. her accent is so cute and she is so excited about everything in the mission. and she does whatever I say!

OUR FIRST NIGHT: EATING ICECREAM :)

TRAINING IS SO GREAT!!!! SO MUCH FUN. HERMANA RAMOS IS UN AMOR!

HNA LOPEZ (mission imposible in the background)

fuimos a Tigre! when we were waiting for the nuevitos

Hermana Ramos

wow. being a trainer, EVERYONE says such good things about you. First of all, Presidente told the new missionaries "these missionaries are excelentes. I know each and every one of them very well. and they are exactly obedient, baptize a lot, and ..." and lot of nice stuff. He told my companion, hermana haight is a baptizing machine! Follow what she does and you will become a great missionary.

And a member of our ward that works at the MTC for 10 years (idk) and has seen hundreds of missionaries said "your companion is one of the best missionaries I have ever seen. And I don´t say that to everyone. She is says no because she is humble, but in realidad you are in the best hands of the mission"

  Ahhhhh, I wanted to cry. What a compliment. and honestly, I really feel like I don´t deserve what hno pizarro or presidente said. But I know that my companion believes them and she has 100% faith in me, which really helps and makes me feel good too :) haha.

But, the best missionary he has ever seen is about to change when he sees HERMANA RAMOS!!!!! SHE is incredible. de verdad. She has sooooooo much fire. she wants to talk to EVERYONE. Shes not even scared! she asks everyone if they know anyone else that we can visit. Normally we get about 3 references a week doing that. BUT THIS WEEK 14!!! she is so so cute, her accent, her castillano. her first day I asked her how many people we want to talk to and she said 12! and we did it!! the other companionship in Congreso talked to 4, which made me think. WOW, how often do we limit ourselves, but someone new who doesn´t have limits and sets their vision high can achieve so much!! what power the trainers have! yah. 

OKAY LOVE YOU ALL. THE MISSION IS THE GREATEST THING EVERRR

HH

A Sweet Note

July 29, 2015

A sweet note and a picture from Natalia Santadrián, a missionary that served in the El Camino Ward.

Hi Bishop! 

Today, while I was in facebook, I saw that one my friends from Spain was tagged in some pictures in her mission, and guess what? Hermana Haight was there! It was great to see her! My friend is not in the picture I am sending to you, so I think she is not serving with your daughter, but my friend (miriam gomez) is tagged in the album where your daughter is too, so maybe one day Courtney can learn spanish from Spain...  

And also, a couple weeks ago, I went to a sacrament meeting in Sandy, and.. I think I met your aunt? For sure, they are relatives of you. The husband was not there that day, but I think the family I was visiting told me he is your uncle. I could be wrong. But.. every time I see or meet someone from your family, I am happy. 

Hopefully everything is going well! And see you soon! :) 

Natalia Santidrián