Sister Becca Alley: Summer cleaning

wow what a week and where to begin...

my comments from last weeks email.... I cant believe I leave for one year and dad forgets to make slush and mom doesn't bring out her own camera for Christmas? what next... you need the baby to put things back in order!!! also, I read and reread and reread the comments on gay marriage. I NEVER thought the way would come... wow add that to my list of prayers hold up Utah, you are zion remember... goodness. But it sounds like a full and eventful year! what a great Christmas for the fam!! not as good as dart gun wars but maybe the next step down! thanks for the details.

Cleaning time in ARGENTINA!! if you have seen this place its filthiy and this week was full of hard work put your shoulder to the wheel clean urrr up! starting with last week the capilla! it was the missionaries turn with one another family. naturally they didn't show up right. well t-minus one hour until a lesson, time to get dirty! literally sprinting from one room to the next my companion and I put our soul into the stains and stubborn filth of the capilla! the worst part... here in Argentina the companys cut the luz aka electricity because its used so much for fans and other things during the summer. it can be up to hours to days with out anything.. aka no running toilets. thats right I had to scrub toilets that hadnt been flushed in who knows how long. yum. I think the toilets might have won. nothing stops an alley thats had 19 years of experience, the smell was close but never fear I pulled through. by the end we finished and I think the saturdays growing up helping dad clean our church helped me pull through. yah we mighth have been like slugs and left behind a trail of sweat but we made it and were only... well 30 mintues late to our next appointment. we also deep cleaned our appartment becuase what president says we do! lots of gunk there, and dont even mention the baptismal font... oh wait I already did. 2 weeks later bishop remembers that the water hasnt been drained from raytchos bauptism... talk about all sourse of fungi... and once again we took head on the job of accomplishing the task. my shoes were soaking from it all day but the thing sparkled from the bautipsm in the morning. Ive never seen so much mold and bacteria! cleaning machine!!! oh and one random note... is it just me or does the water spin the other direction here? haha its been 2months.

well folks we had a baptism this week!!! he is eight! ok his grandpa is also in the 70... ok his whole family is members.. these are only small details! the Zivic family is incredible, and make up our whole ward. everyone is related to everyone and they all served missions. well these past 3 weeks we have had the opportunity in teaching their son the lessons before his bauptism. correction he taught us, what a stud. its incredible how much a little fella can know. and it made me so stoked for calebs, just like Caleb knows there needs to be a star on top of the trees for jesus, this kid knew how important baptism was and is in cute argentino words "i am very emotional about it". the place was filled with his large family and he had the cutest grin on the whole night, the day of his birthday and baptism. yesterday he got up and bore his simple testimony that just hit all the adults out of the park. his mom told a story that just screamed Caleb and well left me crying. in a summarized version... Facu (his name) claimed that he didn't believe in santa clause one day. When his mother asked him why, he replied "because I havent seem and neither have you". His mother began to explain that believing isnt seeing and explained the concept to him. She then exclaimed you believe in Jesus right? "yes" he replied. "well you dont see him either" "yAH but I can feel him!!! not santa clause"... she then had to back peddle about how he shouldn't start praying to santa... haha but really what a smart kid. SO young but yet feels Christs love for him, and really feels him as a part of his life. It was the sweetest things and brought me back to the scriptures of becoming like a child, submissive to the will of God, and humbly loving. This little guy is dear to my heart and a testimony to convert, and he doesn't need the knowledge of the world. He knows for himself and that's enough. He shares what he truly believes and it has the ability to touch others. I need to become more like him in so many ways. It was a highlight of this season for sure. We had an investigator attend (amelia) who is deeply thinking if she is worthy enough to be baptized. After his confirmation, she looked at me and said "awee que lindo. yo quiero este experiencia" She felt the spirit through this boy, and as it touched her heart she changed. Just like that. His intention wasn't to convert her, and his testimony was maybe two minutes long, but the feeling of the spirit stayed with us a lot longer. It was such a neat opportunity to be apart of and I came away with a different perspective on missionary work. all from a new member of the church of 8 years old. Put a name tag on him, he is ready!!!

Our area is great as we are finding more and more everyweek. Yesterday we found some of the biggest miracles as people we never have the opportunity to talk to had the time. Sometimes I feel like I have talked to every single person in my area, that no one else is new and hasnt been stopped by the missionaries. yet yesterday, everyone was new. Hadnt seen us and were more than willing to accept a lesson from the missionaries. It is a good lesson on faith, and although it is the first and most important thing I know I lack in it a lot of the time. I also need more faith in the work, because really it has the power to change missionary work from night to day. I am commiting myself to living what I preach, word for word. As an example of a believer!

Un beso grande, anxiously awaiting the news of the little angel!!!

Hermana Alley