Got Me Some Chocolate :-)

Hey PEEPS,

-OK I know you're all DYING to know who my companion is. Well here you go. Her name is Hermana Batista. She's frommmmm........ PANAMA!!! doo doo dooo PANAMA-HA. doo doo doo PANAMA!!! doo dooo PANAMA-HA! (please tell me you're all singing Van Halen right now... dad, are you super proud of me that I knew that Van Halen sings that song?!! ) I really have been singing that song in my head for the past few days. Not good to have an 80´s rock song in your head while trying to preach the gospel. :-)

ANYWAY! She´s 26, and the only member in her family, in fact, her mom didn't even want her to go on a mission. BUT SHE´S HERE! She got baptized 2 years ago. Hna Batista is very sweet and ready to work and study and practice. And that´s really all you can ask for as a trainer. And I'm STOKED to improve my Spanish!
- Speaking of training... HI! I'M A TRAINER NOW:  What the? Everyone says that you really learn so much and you surprise yourself with how much you really do know. And that has happened exactly. I have to explain a lot of things and I surprise myself with my knowledge. I'm like "hey, I can do this. I know how to be a missionary."  We had a capacitación on Wednesday (what's that in English? workshop? English skills= waning) and the A.P.'s (**assistants to the President) talked to us about how great our responsibility is as trainers to help these new missionaries develop the skills necessary to become EXCELLENT missionaries. I was freaking out like almost the whole time. Especially since everyone there had already trained or had a year in the mission. I thought "WAHHH THIS MISSIONARY´S FUTURE IS IN MY HANNNDDDSS!"  Can you tell Presidente to PRAY AGAIN? I think he received the revelation wrong. But all the office Elders were just way nice to me and said, "Hermana, Presidente didn't choose you, GOD DID! You are CAPA! You can DO THIS! You will be FINE!" Ha, so then I calmed down. I wasn't necessarily freaking out but I guess I had a look of terror and stress on my face. BUT I'm doing great now. I love training. And I love that we get this extra time to study and practice. 

-Ok, JTs "Sexy Back" song is now playing in the cyber. Hna Vawdrey and I just exchanged looks and now we can't stop laughing. I love Argentina and their love for American music. They ask me to translate sometimes and I'm like... "Um. No. I'm not translating THAT!"

- Well.  We don´t have any investigators that are progressing. We have a few that need to get married though. We are really struggling finding people that will progress and COME TO THE DANG CHURCH!!! My word. I feel like I have been working really hard and being obedient but I'm not seeing any fruits from my labors. I'm not seeing any baptisms. It's tough when all your leaders are like BAPTIZE! BAPTIZE! BAPTIZE! and you're like what am I doing wrong? It's a little discouraging, but you gotta keep going. Gotta keep knocking on those doors and stopping people in the street, hoping to find the ones who are ready. The ones who have been praying for you to come and help them change their lives. But in the meantime, you gotta take those doors that are shut in your face, people talking to you from their windows, and LOTS of rejections. I was reading in Alma 5 (LOVE THIS CHAPTER) and in verses 

14-15 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? 15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?" 

I have realized that is what I need to do. I need to look forward with an eye of faith and keep going, having faith that the Lord will put people in my path that need me.
-Also in that chapter, it talks about humility in vs 26-29 

"26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? 27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? 28 Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless." 

Being a trainer has made me realize that I have to rely on the Lord more. It was like when I was made trainer, it was the Lord's way of saying, Ok Hermana Squire, enough relying on yourself. It's time to rely on Me. I've spent a lot more time on my knees, praying for help and guidance, and for strength to take on the day. I need the Lord's direction every day, so I can receive the inspiration of where to go and who we should see. Being humble is not a sign of weakness.

-SHOUTOUTS: Adrienne, got your email THANK YOU! LOVE YOU! Fernuiks, thank you for the bday card!! 

HAPPY BDAY TO MY BFF JENNY!!! 

And to Sister Thurman and Brianna Hall this week! 

GRANDPA! QUE BUENO QUE SU OPERACION FUE BUENISIMO!

Love ya! Peeps, next time you get this, I´ll be one year older (and hopefully wiser too). HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND KNOW I LOVE YA!!

Hey. Work hard, and pray harder. P.S. now they are playing Lady Gaga. WOO. 

Hermana Squire

 Dad, can't wait for Mustang Monthly!  Love ya!!!

Mi Nueva Compañera: Hermana Batista de Panama!!

Well, I Got My Giant Bowl of CHOCOLATE Ice Cream!!

Hello all you lovely people,

Name: Hermana Cydnee Squire

Area: Villa Mitre 2

Companion: Unknown

Status: Almost a "mom", aka "pregnant" (in mission lingo)

What that means to all of you....

I´M GOING TO TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Someone please come pick me up off the ground because I have passed out in disbelief. OH. MY. LANDS. I'm going to TRAIN A BRAND NEW MISSIONARY! What the..?? 

Ok. Story time. So. On Saturday, we got transfer calls in the middle of studies... I was asleep in bed because I'm a lazy missionary... haha NOT!  I got sick the day before with a terrible sinus infection so I was sleeping it off. Elder Araya (our DL--District Leader) called us and we put it on alta voz (speaker) and all four of us were listening in. All he said was "ok hermana, prepare your bags because you're going to Pigüe with Hna Baker! And your companion is going to train!!" But he didn't say any names! So we were like "wait!!"!  "WHO ELDER!!!!!" And he said "Hna Israelsen, you're going to Pigüe! Hna Squire! YOU'RE GOING TO TRAIN!! WAHHHOOOO!!!" All the hermanas flipped out and were jumping on me and hugging me and cheering, and I was like... uggghhh I think I'm going to be even more sick!! I was in such shock! This was my thought process: "Oh my gosh. I have 4 transfers. I've been in Argentina for 5 months. I've only had one companion. I'm not ready for this! I'm not ready to be a 'mom'!!" So went my thoughts. I'm still frazzled and such. 

There are 6 missionaries coming, 3 Hermanas, 3 Elders, ALL LATINOS! WOOOO! I GET MY LATINA COMPANION! But I don't know who she is yet. It's supposed to be a surprise. I'll pick her up on Wednesday. So I've been flippin' out for the past two days. Just feeling way inadequate and things. But if the Lord thinks that I'm ready, then I'm ready. We read 1 Nefi 17 with a menos activo and verses 50 and 51 really helped me. Nefi is explaining to his brothers that if the Lord can work mighty miracles like parting the Red Sea and helping the Children of Israel escape, he can help Nefi build a ship: 

"50:  And I said unto them: ^aIf God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

51 "And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot ^ainstruct me, that I should build a ship?" Or how is it that he cannot instruct me to train a new missionary? I'm scared out of my MIND and I know I'm just about to enter into the refiners fire of my mission. That this experience, training AND training in a tough area will shape and mold me into the missionary that the Lord knows I can be. 

I'm scared for it, but I'm happy to know that the Lord thinks I'm ready for the refiners fire.  I have been praying for change and an opportunity to progress, and the Lord has given it to me. Not in the way that I thought, because I was 90% sure I would be leaving. But He is putting his confidence in me to do this. And with his help, I can do it. 

Like the Lord said to Joshua after he was made prophet after Moses, in Joshua 1: 5 and 9 : 5. "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with ^aMoses, so I will be ^bwith thee: I will not fail thee, nor ^cforsake thee.9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the ^aLord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

 Um hello, how great is this promise? I know the Lord will be with me wherever I go. I just hope and pray I can be a great trainer and work for miracles in Villa Mitre 2.

- Ok, so how I got sick. The climate here changed OVERNIGHT, I swear. One day it was normal and dry, the next, HOT and HUMID with 1000000000 mosquitos. If you didn't know, mosquitos LOVE ME. LOVE. ME. I have 32 bites. THIRTY TWO. And they all swell up to the size of silver dollars. OH MY WORD. I've been itching to the point that I have bruises all over my legs. It's getting to the time to ditch the tights... and I have the most unattractive, white, bruised, mosquito bitten legs. Put on your sunglasses Bahia, the white girl is ditchin' the tights!! So because of the change of the climate, I got super sick. As in 101 fever, sore throat and congestion up the wahzoo (haha wahzoo. I like that word). That's why I was in bed for transfer calls. I'm doing better, I still sound like Squidward when I talk. I'm nervous about summer... everyone says it is SUPER HOT AND SUPER HUMID in Bahia. Hope we don't die. Don't worry mom, I'll take water with me.

- Elder Caicedo left! So sad! He said to us in English yesterday at lunch "Seesters. I'm going to miss eating lunch with you. Remember you have to eat more" Definitely won't miss that kid trying to sneak more food on our plates! Little goober. But we will miss our Columbian and all his crazy energy!

Shoutouts! Ashley! Sorry I missed your bday! Hope it was great! Stefan! Happy Birthday!!!! Also to Jake Dunn! LITTLE LACIE WELCH IS SO CUTE! And Rippy family! Congrats on your baby! And congrats to the Thurmans too!! 

Send some extra prayers up for me this week, people. I'm gonna need em. Sorry this email is way unorganized and stuff, but it's all I got! I love you all!

Hermana Squire.... or Mamá Squire

Parents: PLEASE SEND SOMETHING TO REPEL MOSQUITOS TO WEAR ON MYSELF: I don´t want to smell like I'm camping all day!!! THANKS!