Wow I just don't even know where to begin with this week! I must say I am one of the luckiest Girls ever, and my Father in Heaven really truly loves me, and all of us! He has blessed me more than I have ever deserved!

So this last week started out like a normal week in Liniers, bad!! OK well not really. Last Wednesday we had a "lesson" with Virginia. She is a single parent, and is raising her 3 grandchildren. Her husband died 13 years ago in a terrible experience, and Virginia almost died as well, but instead found out she was pregnant. Well her oldest daughter, just a few years ago, died in a car accident with her husband leaving her 3 kids with Virginia, So Virginia is raising her 3 grandchildren ages 15, 11, 8 and also her own daughter who is 13. It's really hard for her. I actually don't enjoy being in her house very much because she doesn't have a lot of patience and is always yelling and screaming at her kids. (Mom I think I know how you used to feel when you worked with seven counties.) Well she has a lot of potential, and the gospel could really help change her life, but she always says when I have my life together is when I will go to your church. Well last week we invited her to church and she said no because she has too much to do, so I promised her if she went to church on Sunday that the Lord would bless her and she would have time to get everything done that she needs to get done! I thought she would just laugh, but no, she said wow Hermana well you have convinced me, I will be there with my 4 kids!! And you know what, she actually came to church with her 4 kids!! And she LOVED it!! All the classes were written just for her I think!! We have a lesson with her tonight so I can't wait to see if we can get her to come this week, because Pres Argyle is coming to speak to the ward and he wants to meet her!

Something I have rediscovered this week is a talent I used to have, I've always been pretty good at convincing people to do things I want them to do, sounds like a bad talent no? Well this week I have found that every time I have actually tried to get someone to commit to coming to church or, when we are putting baptism dates and whatever type of commitment I have been able to get them to say yes, even though before they were saying no. I thought I had lost this talent when I had to serve my mission in a different language, but wow I have a powerful talent for speaking! Don't think I am bragging about my own abilities, because I know it is not me that is convincing them, but the Spirit!

So after that experience with Virginia, the rest of the week was bad, we were able to put a baptism date with someone, but I don't really feel good about it! Well the worst day was Monday. We had all our appointments and backup plans fall through, it was 5:00 and we had no plans! I wasn't feeling good because we had stopped by someone's house to go to the bathroom and then she gave us a huge glass of pineapple juice that was the most disgusting thing ever and we had to drink it all and fast because she didn't have much time, so I wasn't feeling to good about being in Liniers! There is no progress or anything, at least that was what I was thinking, I must say I am too much like Laman and Lemuel, that is something I have to fight against my whole life! Like them I have seen so many miracles and blessings and good things from the Lord in my life, but one little thing happens and I seem to forget everything good that has ever happened in my life and can only think about the bad things, I'm not really sure why I'm like that, but Monday I wasn't feeling too good!

Well then Tuesday I was feeling a little bit better because we had a few set appointments and one of them was with Mayra who is really a choice spirit of Heavenly Father! I absolutely love our lessons with her! She had plans to come to church this last Sunday but then she remembered that it is the anniversary of when her father passed away, and they had family plans! But she is really excited about coming to church this Sunday, and she is going to come to a baptism with us this Saturday, and she asked if we could come more often! Now we will be going to teach her Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday! She says she loves it when we come, we put a baptism date with her and she said yes I really want to get baptized in this church, if it is really true it is something I really want! SO she is just waiting for her answer, we put her date for... MAY 30!!! I'm pretty sure that will be the best birthday present ever!! Well after that lesson we were feeling pretty on top of the world! I was feeling so much better than Monday!! Well the rest of the day was pretty normal, we had an appointment with a friend of Virginia, we didn't really get to teach anything, she just told us her whole life story! Then we had to run to another appointment that fell through and then we worked with trying to find less active members and then we had an appointment in the church with an investigator at 7:30 I didn't really think he would come, but we had plans so we went to the church we got there at 7 so I sat playing the piano while we were waiting for him to come. I was trying to think of who we could go visit when Carlos didn't come (I'm such a pessimist, I wish I wasn't). Well at about 7:35 a guy we didn't know walked by, we thought it was Carlos, and Hermana Perez started to talk to him and he said my name is Jorge I want to talk to the missionaries!!!!!!! She asked if he is a member and he said no but he wants to be! So it wasn't the person we were waiting for, but the Lord knew Carlos wouldn't be there, but that we would be, so he sent Jorge!! Jorge almost was baptized on 15 of September last year, but right on the 13th, just 2 days before his mom passed away and it really affected him. He told the missionaries he wouldn't be baptized. Between that time and now he has lost EVERYTHING!! His lost his job, his house and everything he owns! He is now living in the streets sleeping in hospitals, he said I don't know why I'm here but I always feel better in the church, he said he hates that he is coming to church at this time in his life because it looks like he is just looking for handouts, but he says all he wants is to be baptized and serve the Lord in whatever way possible! We went over the baptism interview questions with him and he answered them all perfectly and bore his testimony, which is a beautiful testimony!! And we set a date with him for May 9th!! He is so excited and almost cried when we asked if he would like to be baptized that day! I hope everything works out for him, but wow after that experience with him I truly felt very humbled. Here I was the day before complaining and murmuring about how I didnt want to be in Liniers, and the very next day the Lord gives me 2 big blessings and miracles in the form of Mayra and Jorge. Truly the only way I can explain how I feel is humbled to the very core! The Lord truly loves and blesses his children, even the rebellious ones!!

Oh and a fun little note about my Spanish, my comp tells me that talk porteño, which is to say I talk like someone from Buenos Aires, oh and Jorge said I talk too fast he can't understand me. Haha I guess I need to learn to talk slow in Spanish!!

So that is my week here in Liniers, also we had ward conference and they called a new bishop, who told us first thing that he is thinking of is a ward mission leader for us!! It is still hot here some days, and some days it is cold!! I appreciate all of your prayers, I can really feel them, please pray for Mayra and Jorge that everything will work out and they can make it to their baptisms without any problems!!

Love you all tons, and enjoy Derby for me!!

Love ya,


Hermana Gosnell