FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

So AUSTINS Mum found an amazing service  mymissionarypackagesuruguay.com and we were both able to order some food items for her (so very sweet of the Favila's) and they are hand delivered to the mission home in Montevideo!
we both ordered and they made one MEGA Package.... it made it to the mission home..Hermana Gutke only gets mail every 6 weeks but we are hoping that this big box will make it there soon so she can eat PEANUT BUTTER!!!!
HERE IS THE ELDER AT THE MISSION HOME RECEIVING HER PACKAGE!!!

JUNE 20TH....

Today is a holiday so our usual place was closed so we had to get the keys for the church and now we are here! :) crazy morning! 
Here are some pics of this week! I

 HERMANA GUTKE & HERMANA BRAVO

 WHERE EMMA LIVES

 BRIDGE THEY USE IN TOWN..BEAUTIFUL !

SHE MADE BROWNIES FOR HER COMPANION...

THEY WENT FOR A WALK MONDAY AND LEFT THEIR KEYS IN THE APARTMENT.... WHEN THEY GOT BACK THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO DO SO THEY TRIED PICKING THE LOCK WITH EMMAS HAIR PINS... YEAH THAT DIDNT WORK SO THEY KNELT DOWN AND PRAYED AND THE NEIGHBOR OPENED THE DOOR AND CALLED THE LANDLORD FOR THEM AND HE CAME AND OPENED IT FOR THEM.
THAT MADE THEM LATE SO THEY RAN FOR 30 MINUTES TO GET TO THEIR APPOINTMENT AND MADE IT ON TIME BUT NO ONE WAS HOME... THEY WALK LONG DISTANCES TO THEIR APPOINTMENTS AND OFTEN THE PEOPLE ARNT HOME BUT THEY PRESS ON AND KEEP TRYING.
ON WEDNESDAY THEY VISITED A LESS ACTIVE FAMILY CALLED THE FINGS. THEY ARE A SWEET FAMILY AND THEY FELT THE SPIRIT AS THEY SHARES TESTIMONIES AND HELPED THEM WITH THEIR NEEDS.
THEY RAN TO OTHER APPOINTMENTS ON THE DIRT ROADS TO HAVE NO ONE HOME... ON THE WAY BACK TO THEIR APARTMENT THEY WENT TO THE PANDERIA AND WERE ABLE TO GET A PASTRY TREAT, WHEN THEY GOT TO THEIR APARTMENT EMMA REALIZED THAT THE WOMEN IN THE SHOP HAD GIVEN HER TO MUCH CHANGE SO THEY WENT STRAIGHT BACK AND RETURNED THE MONEY AND VISITED WITH THE LADY AND HOPE TOO TEACH HER SOON.
ON THURSDAY THEY ATE LUNCH WITH HERMANA AND HERMANO DASSO THEY ARE A SWEET ELDERLY COUPLE IN THE WARD, THAT FEED THEM FOR LUNCH ON THURSDAY..(SO SWEET THAT THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE ABLE TO FEED THEM) EMMA SAID HERMANA DASSO REMINDS HER OF HER BOBBY NANNY... AND SHE MADE THEM ENCHILADAS AND EMPANADAS. SIESTA IS BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 1-5PM SO THATS WHEN THEY DO ALL THEIR COMPANIONSHIP STUDY AND LANGUAGE STUDY. THAT NIGHT THEY TAUGHT A SWEET INVESTIGATOR CALLED KAREN, SHE HAS TWO KIDS, SOL (6) AND THEO (2). THEY TAUGHT HER ABOUT THE RESURRECTION , THE SPIRIT WAS STRONG.
FRIDAY THEY TAUGHT AN INVESTIGATOR NAMED CLELIA (46YRS OLD) SHE IS VERY SWEET. THEY TAUGHT HER THE FIRST LESSON AND EMMA RECITED THE FIRST VISION IN SPANISH. IT WAS A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR EMMA AND SHE FELT THE POWER AND HELP OF THE HOLY GHOST.
ON SATURDAY THEY WENT TO EAT AT THE BISHOPS HOUSE .. HIS DAUGHTER MILENKA ALWAYS RUNS TO EMMA TO GIVE HER A HUG AND THAT MAKES EMMA FEEL GOOD... SHE IS 5 YRS OLD AND EMMA SAID THEIR SPANISH IS ABOUT ON THE SAME LEVEL SO THEY GET ALONG GREAT ..HA..HA
SUNDAY WAS HER TWO MONTH MARK... SHE WAS ABLE TO UNDERSTAND MORE AT CHURCH!!!

JUNE 13TH...

So here's some of Hermana Gutkes emails from today.... She sounded so happy ... As you will read a small part of the mission covers Argentina... So she is in the Mercedes stake which is in Uruguay but she is over the boarder in Argentina right now!!! Crazy.... 

I live in gualeguaychu argentina, There is a store where we buy the basics :)) I email from a public computer place in the central town center! It kind of like the high street with street stores and stuff!
it is awesome the spanish is hard but i am so loving it! the houses are so different and cold and small but I love the people they are wonderful our investigators are wonderful and the members are very nice we only have about 30 people in our ward. I bore my testimony in church yesterday it was nervewracking but good! 

The second picture is Emma with her companion and the Bishops sweet Daughter.. ( the people there can't pronounce Gutke ..) she calls Emma - Hermana Wookie... So cute!!!😀
The first pic is of Bishop and his Wife!

JUNE 6TH... SHE MADE IT AND IS IN HER FIRST AREA!!!

HERMANA GUTKE ...IS NOW IN THE URUGUAY MONTEVIDEO OESTE MISSION.

Hermana Gutke... Is adjusting to life in Uruguay,( well she is actually in GUALEGUAYCHU Argentina!...it is part of the Uruguay mission) she has already met some sweet people and is very humbled by how little they have and their living conditions.... She said it's very cold already and she puts on about 7 layers a day!!!... Because of the poverty where she is serving they are not fed by ward members... She misses the food from home... And asked us in her last email for Peanut Butter..!! So we are going to try and get some to her.... She walks all day long.. Most appointments they have average a 45 min walk there and back, but she loves walking so that's good. The Internet is very slow there and sometimes not working, so we are very grateful to hear from her when we do...  She has a sweet Latino Companion Hermana Bravo, she doesn't speak any English so Emma said its a bit of a challenge sometimes to communicate with her, but they usually end up laughing so all is well.. She is very excited to be doing the Lords work and sharing the Gospel with these wonderful people...!

May 24th 2016

I CANT BELIVE ITS HERMANA GUTKES LAST WEEK IN THE MTC IN BOGOTA......

She has had a truly Amazing time in the MTC and has learnt so very much... Spanish of course, especially being in Spanish lessons 14  hours a day!!

she went to the temple in Bogota for the last time today and said she had a wonderful time and did well speaking and listening in Spanish. 

she just can't believe its is her last Pday today in the MTC... and that she leaves for Uruguay next week...ahhhhh

hermana Gutke and her companion Hermana phipps get to go proselyting on saturday, they are very excited and hope to talk to many people and get 20 references for the missionaries there.

she said it is very bittersweet to be leaving the MTC but will be very happy to leave the compound environment and have some freedom, and to not eat rice every day... 

she shared with me that she is very sad to have to leave Hermana Phipps and get a new companion..(she is excited to see what she will learn from her new companion). she has formed an amazing friendship with Hermana Phipps and will miss being her companion. she said Hermana Phipps has blessed her life and taught her so very much.

she challenged us to read Mormon chapter 8.....

Thats all the news for now... 

her caption for this one .."what are you doing in the erm Bush"!!! inside joke ...

love that SMILE..

Hermana Gutke and Hermana Phipps

2 WEEKS IN.....

I just love Tuesdays right now..... got to send a few Emails back and forth with Hermana Gutke.

she is doing very well... she is dealing with some homesickness but adjusting well...she is eating the food better and making so many amazing friends. She just loves her companion Hermana Phipps they are such a great support for each other!
Here are some beautiful stories she shared this week......

SO on thursday night i prayed to heavenly father and asked him if my family was ok and doing well I would recieve your letters in the next few days... on friday the next day I was sitting in companion study and a man came up and handed me 7 LETTERS! 7!! so i got them all on april 29th! thank you for sending them to me. I love you so much and I know the lord answers prayers! I just cried because It was so good to hear from you. the mtc is hard but good, today we went to the temple and did a session in spanish! so i had to do the veil and everything in spanish. what an amazing experience it was to be able to do that in another language! THE LORD IS AMAZING. I am so grateful to be a missionary xx

Here is a little experience I wanted to share real fast! :) Last week when I emailed I had a hard time after with being homesick and then a really cool experience for me happened. I was sitting in my room and a latina hermana came in crying so in my broken spanish i tried to talk to her.. she is from ecuador and 3 days before she left there was an earthquake and she had just got done talking to her parents. My heart broke for her, and I realized how lucky i am that my family is healthy and well! she is such a strong woman and after speaking with her i went to my bed and just cried. I know the lord knows our hearts and is always there for us! my favorite scripture is D&

C 24:8 and I gave that scripture to this hermana, even though i cant speak as much spanish as i wish i could right now i know the gift of tongues is real and as we work towards and put in the effort of learning the language the lord will provide! My heart is so full being here and serving the Lord! I can not wait to meet the people of Uruguay so I am dedicating all my time and efforts in learning spanish so that i can effectively be who they need and who the Lord knows I can be!

the pictures above are of Emma and the MTC president and his wife....

These pictures are with her District..Mosiah

First Pday Email.....

yay after waiting a whole week we got a great email from emma...
she is doing well, heres some excerpts....

first i just want to say the gift of tongues is real so very real!! i didnt know that much spanish before I came and in one week I can pray bear testimony and teach the first discussion! its truly amazing! I am sorry if my english isnt good i am having a hard time because my brain is automatically translating this in espanol. I learn spanish 14 hours a day I am in class all day exccept meals and gym time. the food here is alright the smell was so hard at first the food smelled like dirty socks is how i can expalin it. but over time i am just so hungry i eat it. my companion is hermana phipps she is from tremonton and she is honestly the best fit for me! she is so sweet! 

tuesday: I flew to atlanta and while i was waiting at my gate i talked with this elderly lady named norma hawkes. and she shared her conversion story with me it was amazing it reminded me of why i am going serving. she said Strength isnt something you just have it is something the lord gives you over time! I loved this and it stuck with me! flying to atlanta was ok.. we landed at 450 and my flight was at 530 to colombia it was on the other side of the airport and down a level so i booked it faster than i have ever ran jumping in an elevator and riding a train with people to gate e. i barely made it on! when I saw hermana stone maddy I just cried with joy to see someone I knew! it was so good to see her! we flew to colombia and there were a lot of soldiers on our plane for colombia so that scared us a bit. they gave us a custom form and I had no idea how to fill it out so i just did my best hahah. we landed and we made through the passport stamping! then we got our bags let me tell you my little arms killed pulling 100 plus pounds! we found the people we ewere supposed to find to take us to the ccm and we went to go through and me and hermana stone filled out our customs forms wrong so we were freaking out as they were yelling at us in espanol finally wee refilled out forms and got through! we piled into the van and got to the mtc and president told us we would be the first missionaries to be in the new espanol training! it is very intense but good. then we uinpacked went to bed! 

wednedsay.... colombiam food is like a fire hydrant you get some water but mostly it just hurts your face. most of it is ok but the rest is mas o menos. I met with president duvall to get my tags and we found out we were related!! crazy! his mom is my great grandmas sister. hermana duvall is so sweet. then we jumped right into spanish! I love learning here its the greatest! I have grown so much in my testimony and in my language abilities! 

thrusday.. today i learned to pray in espanol and by the end of the day i could do it without looking at any notes or papers. it is amazing to pray in another language! the gospel is true so very true and i know if we work at what we want and ask the lord he will help us get there. today at lunch was emabrassing haha I went to clean off my spoon and i clanked it on my bowl and it made a loud sound like i was making an announcemnent and everyone looked at me haha i just said los siento! im sorry haha. as nortes we have to sit with latino hermanas so we dont speak english. but i love getting to know them!

friday.. today was amazing!! me and hermana phipps taught our first investigator raul in espanol it was amazing i was able to speak pretty good espanol using some english too. it realy is amazing to teach soemone about the gospel!! it is my favorite thing to see the light in their eyes as we teach them the truth! it really is a compound here... a spritiual compound! we  cant leave but its great! I am truly blessed to be here!! pres duvall taught me some things about my ancestors today and that was cool it testified to me that i was supposed to be switched to come to the colombia mtc! 

saturday.. today was hard lots of espanol and missing home but i felt the spirit so strong today!! heavenly father really is mindful of us!! i love mosiah 24.14 it even though when i pray in spanish i might not be able to say all i want to yet he knows the desires of my heart. he knows the desires of all of our hearts!! 

sunday.. sundays are different in the mtc! the chapel is in the building and all the meetings are in espanol so i kinda unserstood sacrament but only a little. it was so cool though! i feltl the spirit so very strong!! i love this gospel so much!! we have devotionals in english! 

modnay.. it rained a ton today! we taught raul and i prayed all  morning that i could understand him and be able to teach him in espanol and the gift of tongues was so strong today! the lord blessed me to understand what he was saying and teach and testify to him! 

tuesday.. today we went to the colombia temple it was amazing!! i will send pics of this week!!