4.28.08- with pictures!

*Editor's note: Hi everyone, it's Bethany. This e-mail was so good, so hilarious! We love to hear from her. Enjoy!

Sometimes I really really don't like this email. I just lost my email.

anyway now this has to be not as good.
well to answer questions that you asked madre:

I dont think I got the dearelder from grandma. They usually take about 2 or 3 weeks to get here. And your package is here but i wont get it until next week because it wasn´t sent express. If you send packages express they will go directly to the offices and i can easily pick them up. the address is:

Italia 26. 4to Piso, 1832 Lomas De
Zamora, Buenos Aires Argentina

you can also send phyiscal letters to this address. I have about an hour online to read and write emails so it is better to send long letters the dearelder way. I want to hear about anything and everything is everyones lives. But you can send short comments, questions, thoughts, factoids by email. That way I will have more time to type and more hope for actual letters that I can hold and read over again if I so desire. Also maybe you can tell my friends this. I miss and love everyone and please continue to write. and dont forget me! Remember that there is this little rubia hermana on the other side of the hemisphere that loves you! and thinks about all of you lots!!

Me and my comp go to this little internet places. currently I am sitting in a little room just lined with computers, the radio on, and people typing or surfing away.

El Dorado is tiny. I don't know if you would really be able to find on a map. I can load photos, i will do that now! I don't have my cord so you are going to get photos from my comps camera.

ok if i have the numbering right:

1- Alejondro and his baptism! Isn´t he sooo cute?? And yes I am sporting braids in public. I am a sister missionary. but all of the young women loved it!


2- me and my comp at the temple. we get to go every 6 months and lucky for me my first week we got to go. it was in spanish and i was completely lost. oh man. it was difficult. but i met the temple pres wife who is from colorado!!! I asked if she knew Grandma and she said that she sounded familiar.


3- bus ride to the temple. these are things that missionaries just live for i swear.


4- Hermana Guterriz in the ward I love her! she is this little loco lady wiht 7 GOREGOUS daughters I have some really cute pics with them i will have to send next time. But she gave alejondro a white shirt! I wiah i had time to write this whole story - it was so touching. but just know that reaching out and serving others is amazing!


5- me and my comp where bad last pday. but i like this pic. haha.


i am sending some yummy argentina treats home! enjoy they are amazing and i want to eat them!!!!

Hna Gracia teaches me spanish and i teach her sweet words like sugardaddy and golddigger. man i got to go to the bathroom
love h urban

Hermana Urban's first e-mail from Argentina!

*Hey everyone, here's Elissa's first e-mail from Argentina! Enjoy! Love, Bethany

Alright people the email from Argentina!!! My pday is once again on Monday. First of all Dad did you get the email from my mission president? If not I will let him know.

Ok so we will start out with the plane ride. Very long. Not very comfortable. On the first flight I had a really good experience with this lady that I was sitting next to. She was a member of the church but has been through a lot. recently divorced and she was about 24. But I shared some scriptures with her and we cried. Ya know the girlie moments.

Well then the ten hour flight. oh man. it was fine but long and I got no sleep. They actually played "Becoming Jane" and me and Hma Dax wanted to watch it sooooo bad. And we were going to, but for some reason our side of the plane audio didn´t work. God works in mysterious ways wouldn´t you say?

Well we arrives in Argentina at about 8 am. 4 am your time. We went to the mission home. i met my new comp. went to my area. and went to work.

Ok so my comp is Hermana Garcia. AND I LOVE HER!!! We get along insanely well. She teaches sooo well. She is 29 but looks 23 at the most, from Mexico and just the cutest little thing. I am really lucky because I am the only one who got a native spanish speaker. But she speaks english fluently - really well. But she is just so great with the people. She doesn´t treat people like they are investigators or "numbers" but as friends. And that is how it should always be! Sometimes I think missionaries forget that these people could be their friends as well and not just an appointment.

My area is called El Dorado and is huge! We walk a ton. Part of it is slightly nice but majority are campos. Campos are what you see in those infomercials to support children. . . yeah i think that describes it correctly. Me and my companion dont live in the campos. they are too dangerous for Hermanas. But we live in a nearby apartment. The front is this orange garage door with a tiny little door that you walk in and then there are like 3 other apts next to ours. Well anyway, there are dogs EVERYWHERE!!! They are a disturbing matter really. Think diseased dogs roaming the streets. The nicer part of our area has sidewalk. But most of it is dirt. Well a combination of dirt and trash. Honestly trash is a major problem there.

But what really matters are the people. AGH! I am so lucky to be serving in this capacity. Everyday we go out and help people find faith. We serve in anyway we can whether that is cleaning, cooking, just being there, but most importantly teach about Christ and how His church is on the earth today. People are so interested when we teach. We taught 30 lessons this week! can you believe it? Everyday I am exhausted with walking, talking, and mostly listening.

Spanish. what can I say? All I know is that this is going to take faith, diligence and everyones prayers! It is a little funny if and when I talk everyone leans in and becomes very attentive. But I have had some people say that I do speak well. the only problem is that I am having a hard time understanding.

OK but some people I really want to talk about are:

Hermana Espinola. She is a member of the church she lives in the campos with her husband and her son. But she religiously feeds us lunch every thrusday and Saturday. I have no idea how she affords to do this. She absolutely amazes me. We offer to pay or help, but she always declines saying that we are doing the work of the Lord and she wants to help, she knows that she gets blessings from feeding the missionaries. And her food is so delicious! On thursday we had this potato and egg thing with a salad. And then we had Canelones - this delious italian dish. But as you know Argetina has a lot of italian in it, so it only makes sense! I love Hermana Espinola.

Well, if youcan believe it or not we had a baptism this week! Alejondro is a 12 year old niño that amazes me. He only lived with his mom in the campo but sadly this past December she past away from Cancer. Can you imagine? It just breaks my heart. His older brother moved down to live with and take care of him. Well, Hermana garcia and her past companion started to teach him and he started going to church and having purpose in his life again. He is still sensitive with the passing of his mom, but now he has God. He can always got to Him in prayer. When I think of Alejondro I think of how his life is going to be so much richly blest now. I am so grateful for the church and the importance of education. With the Perpetual education Fund that the church has, Alejondro not only is a part of Christ´s Church but can continue his education. I am just so grateful to be a part of this church. I don't think people realize just how much the church reaches out to the world in every capacity. Which is fine. People don´t have to know. But I get to see a lot of it first hand here.
well time is up. I have to go.

love all of you!
hermana urban´

- you can send packages to the mission office (the address on the letter from the mission pres a while back) but send it express - very important. if you put stickers on it of the virgin mary and write mission supplies it shouldn´t get opened. you cna still dearelder

Hermana Urban Is In Argentina!

I Just wanted you to say a prayer for Hermana Urban. She is now in Argentina. It may be a little more quiet now for awhile while she adjusts to her new surroundings. Plus, maybe somewhat intimidated by the new language. This is a time when she needs our prayers the most. We are sure everything is OK, but an extra prayer never hurts. Please include in your prayers that she will be led to those people who really need to hear her testimony and teachings right now. It may be through another person she is led to those people. Maybe it is simply your prayer that leads her to her proper destination for that day. Thank you for your prayers and have a wonderful blessed day!

Argentina 1 week away!!!

Hola Familia,Como estan? I hope all is well. Thanks for the updates on your lives - please continue to update~! especially when I am in Argentina. And guess what? You can use "Dearelder.com" in my mission. Just put the pouch address in instead of the MTC address.Well, basically Conference was the most amazing experience of my life EVER! I can testify that watchiing and listening to it as a missionary is very different and eye-widening. I went in with some questions in mind and within the morning Saturday Session they were ALL answered. While the elders were in priesthood, the sisters watched the recording of the young womens broadcast. So needless to say I was completly exhausted at the end on Saturday. On top of the Spirituality at the MTC I had 6 hours of listening to the words of church leaders and apostles. It was an amazing experience. I am so grateful that I was able to sustain the presidency and Prophet.Young womens was amazing. I felt like i was looking at myself when the choir was singing. I never realized how much those broadcasts effective my life. They always taught me to satnd a little stronger. To be a virtous and to rise above. Janelle- I thought of you the whole time! I hope you were able to watch it and learn from it and apply it - I know I will! I especailly loved the story from Sis Dalton about her running the marathon.Well, then Sunday came. And because I had all of my questions and thoughts answered I went in with more. And guess what? Yup you quessed it: they were answered as well. I know that is it through the preparation of the speakers that we can learn. But only if I am listening with the Holy Ghost in my soul will I beable to hear everything that I need to hear. The spirit was so strong and I pretty much wept through the entire last hour of Sunday afternoons session!anyway mtc world is great. If someone can explain the weather that would be nice. But I have my travel Itinerary. I leave next monday!!! A week from today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (So if you are planning to send me anything do it fast haha)but my flight is at 1:15 in the afternoonar: Dallas at 4:50Lv: Dallas at 7:35 (expect calls! give me your phone numbers!)Ar: Argentina at 8:05 am (so about 4 oclock our time!)and probably that day i will give my first lesson. If "first lesson" means being utterly lost with spanish - then yes!I am so excited! But this last week counts and I need to be sooo diligent.well anyway the church is true I love you all, thanks for being awesome!I love life!hermana urban