One of Those Weeks....

Hello everybody!

Ok, this letter is going to lack its usual perkiness because to be honest, this week was just very, very difficult. Every missionary has them and wahhh.... I'm struggling a little bit. This week was just SO CRAZY. I've never had a crazier week in my life. My heart has been broken one too many times this week! Darn Argentines. Love em too much. I've almost broken down crying a few times, it's just been a little much. Now, don't feel bad for me or anything, just know every missionary has these kinds of weeks. Also, don't think that I'm some dramatic sister missionary that cries when things go wrong. I'M NOT! I'm usually pretty positive, but it was just a rough week.

- I'm staying in Pringles for now with Hna Israelsen... but we might be changing things around in the week to come.

- Let's start with Friday. Our zone leaders came to Pringles to talk with Pedro. The thing is, Pedro told us that he has depression now. He's been having bad thoughts about his past and is now on some pill trial to help him. He wants to wait until October when he finishes this pill trial to be baptized. We spent an hour and a half with him, sharing sciptures and testimonies, promising blessings, but he still wants to wait. Heart. Broken. I feel so sad for him. Keep him in you prayers and pray that he will be protected. PLEASE.

- (Mom, you might want to sensor this or take it out for the little ones, or THOSE OF YOU WHO READ MY EMAILS TO YOUR CHILDREN*****READ IT FIRST & YOU DECIDE) After we left Pedro's house, we heard a crash on the main blvd. It's pretty common here because NO ONE follows the traffic rules and I have only seen one stop sign here in Pringles, NO JOKE. ONE. The Elders were walking in front of us, and then they took off running. So I'm like, oh crap, then I start running. A guy had gotten hit by a car on his MOTORBIKE (Dad, PLEASE be careful on the Harley. I'm freaked out now!!!). The Elders ran over to take the bike off the top of this guy. No one was doing anything, just gathering around (of course school had just gotten out), so I run over there and kneel next to this guy and he's cussing and trying to get up. But, his leg is just thrashed. His ankle was cut wide open... I could see (for you anatomy nerds) his talus and his lateral malleolus was SHATTERED. Yes, I could SEE it. One of the Elders was closer to his leg and said his bones were exposed in his calf and he just had TONS of glass in his leg. He kept fighting to get up and we're like NO! Your LEG IS BROKEN! LAY DOWN! But he pushed us away and GOT UP AND STARTED WALKING! He tried to get on his bike, and drive away!!! (I can imagine Adrienne right now... You're covering your mouth with your hand aren't you?) Luckily the ambulance came and took him away, leaving us shaken and our ZL with blood on his hands. WHAT THE CRAZY??!!!

- This week, our numbers were just so bad. The worst of my whole mission. I don't know what's going on, but Hna Israelsen and I were talking and we just feel like failures. This is one of the reasons why the week was so bad.I felt like I had let the Lord down and wasted His time. We were wondering why we weren't having success, what MORE could we do in Pringles, when we felt like we've done everything to get menos activos (*less actives) back and they aren't progressing, and WHY the 80 percent of the conversos (*converts) of the last 6 months have NOT been coming to church... Then I read a talk by Elder Holland that explains Missionary work TO A "T"! Here it is: "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary...I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price."  Then THIS is my favorite part, that has given me SO MUCH comfort, especially this week. "The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Yes. No matter what happens, no matter how sad I feel, or how I feel like I'm experiencing moments of Gethsemane right now, or how many times I get rejected, I am standing with the best life this world has ever known... I am standing with the Savior and Redeemer of us all... whose name I wear on my chest. 

- Let's get happy now, shall we?

- So we had to go to Bahía from Saturday to Sunday, and we attended church in Villa Floresta with the Hermanas. WE WERE IN A WARD. A real live ward! I didn't have to teach a class, give a talk, NOTHING. Is it bad that I liked the break?? 

- So the Olympics are playing EVERYWHERE. TEMPTATIONS!!! Some guy was talking to us and he kept saying, "That Pellps guy can swim" and i was like who the heck is Pellps?? Finally it clicked. PHELPS! Jaja, ph=f sound doesn´t exist here. 

- OK ARIEL! I LOVE THIS KID! I've never had such strong desires to hug a 15 year old! He learns so quickly, is so intelligent, and WAH! So great! We asked him to pray and he said "Thank you for this opportunity I have to learn about your church. I ask that other kids can have this opportunity as well". Wish I could give him a squeeze, SERIOUSLY.

Shoutouts! KELS! HE'S HOME!!! YAHOOO!!!. TAY. Jimmer and JT I DIED LAUGHING!!!! Have fun in DC for me! I love yah! HUGO! Congratulations! You are a TEACHER! Never take for granted the Holy Priesthood that you hold. It is a divine gift and responsibility. HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK JULINA!!!! Everyone. I love yah!!! Sorry I'm so dang morose today. I'm still happy to be a missionary. I still love life. I still love serving the Lord. 

LOVE YA,
Hermana SQUIRE

Padres:

LOVE YA: WATCH SOME OLYMPICS FOR ME. 

PS. A guy showed us pics of his travels to Lima and his hike to MACHU PICHU. LET'S DO ITTTTT! PLEASE!!!!! POR FAVOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!