July 22, 2013

Fin


My people,

It's here. The moment you've all been waiting for. 
I'm sitting here in this cold cyber, blowing on my fingers every few seconds and thinking about what I could possibly write to wrap this up. My heart is racing, and well, I've tried pretty hard not to be trunky in my emails... but seeing as it's my LAST week, I'm just gonna say "I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU GUYS NEXT WEEK!!!! WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!"  

Ok. I guess I'll tell you all what happened this week and try to think of something to say at the end. 

- Let's start with the usual, ok? The funny. So one day we were walking to a cita (appointment) during the siesta. So you know, during the siesta there is NO ONE around. Everything is closed. People are sleeping. Hardly anyone in the streets. So we're walking in the middle of this neighborhood (AND all of the members had traveled to the temple), and lately the air has been so dry and cold... anyway! We're walking, and my nose just starts bleeding... like furiously. And I'm sitting there holding my nose with blood just all over my hands and face going "what do we do!? what can we do!!" and Hna Vawdrey is just busting up. So we go knock on some door, wake some poor lady up... and when she opened the door with this "what do you want" look, she saw ME... and haha, you should have seen her face!!! I asked her for some paper, and she gave me two paper towels and shut the door in our face! I was laughing so hard. We had to go back to the pension (apt) to clean myself up, and you won't believe the stares I got... people were probably thinking, 'those crazy Mormons... fighting with the people..." :-)
- It is SO DANG COLD. Yesterday it was like 14 degrees and SO WINDY with freezing rain. I wanted to DIE. I kept thinking... I'm so glad it's summer at home and I only have to be cold for a few more days. Before we left yesterday, Hermana Vawdrey and I put on like 5 layers... I said,  "Are we going skiing or are we going to preach the gospel?" I'm wearing thermals right now. In July. Yeah. I don't wanna talk about it. 

- SO MARGARITA! We are hoping we can get her baptized on Sunday! Maybe! She is so great and willing but her understanding is mas o menos. BUT we are patient and she is finally starting to get stuff. She came to church yesterday too!

- We had interviews with Presidente on Friday and it was just so fun! I walk in and he goes, "la famosa Hermana Squire!!!" (*the famous Hermana Squire) and we just laughed the whole time. He gave me some great advice for my last week. I'm so grateful for President. He's amazing.

- So, we have been working with a great couple, Juan Carlos and Cristina. They were a reference from the Patriarch and live in the NICEST house I have ever taught in. They are AWESOME. Cristina is more ready than Juan, but they BOTH have such good questions. Cristina told us she read 3 Nephi, but didn't pray to ask if it was true. At first we were bummed, but then she said, "I felt  that I didn't need to...I was reading and it just made sense. I just knew it was true."  SO GREAT! They need to get married, so I'll be looking forward to seeing those fruits in the future. Juan has Mormon cousins that live in Utah that keep bugging him to go see them, so I said, "if you go, you can come visit me!"  They were all down for that. When they found out that I was leaving, they got all sad and invited me to lunch on Saturday. So sweet! This week is going to be full of a lot of "lasts" and a LOT of food.

- Just some last thoughts. As I was sitting on the bus this morning on the way to Santa Rosa for some trunky shopping, watching a little boy lick the window while sitting on his mom's lap (she definitely wasn't stopping him), I thought about how much I was going to miss this place: the 5 people squished on a motorcycle, dogs everywhere, dog POOP everywhere, 80's style.... then there are the people. These people have become my FAMILY for the past 16ish months, and my heart aches to leave them. I love them soooo much. I have loved my mission and I can honestly say that I couldn't have done anything more amazing with my life than serve a mission. I have learned so much and grown so much. "La gran Misión Bahia Blanca" has humbled me, molded me, tried me, taught me to trust in and rely on the Lord, and taught me to see people's true worth. I am so grateful to have been a tool in the Lord's hands to serve His children in Argentina. The scriptures speak better than I can, so here's a couple of verses from Alma 26:

 28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.
 29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their asynagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been bstoned, and taken and bound with cstrong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.
 30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
 31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.
 16 Therefore, let us aglory, yea, we will bglory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his cmercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
 35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all apowerball wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a cmerciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.
 36 Now if this is aboasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, dwanderers in a strange land.
 37 Now my brethren, we see that God is amindful of every bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen.
Shoutouts: 
This is just gonna be a general shout out to ALL of you who wrote me an email. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I am just in awe and so happy right now. Thank you, thank you.  Maybe you will miss my emails, but GUESS WHAT!?  I have a blog (cydsqui.blogspot.com) where I will continue doing updates on my life. It may not be spiritual all of the time, but hey, if you wanna keep reading, follow me on my blog. I'll be doing a post for what happened the last week in the mission.

Thank you all SO much for supporting me in this amazing journey... For your endless prayers on my behalf... they have kept me going these 18 months. I hope that when I come home, you can all see the change that it has made in me. Because of these people and because of this mission, I will never be the same.

I will end with the words of one of my favorite disciples, Paul: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

See you at the finish line,
Hermana Cydnee Squire


Familia Lobos & Mikaela



Sister Vawdrey & Mikaela before she left for her mission to Peru








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