Monday, June 28 2010

Im going to start with the most important thing first, Grampa and steph, i found the biggest avocado that is imaginable! But the neighbors wouldnt let me have it so they gave me the littlest one they had, which is in the photo, the others were about the size of my head! man it was crazy awesome! Well this week has been interesting, i havent felt the homesickness at all, yet i have felt like its the longest week yet, i worked hard everyday yet i felt like i wasnt achieving my best, this week has been HOT, about the same as judd, but a little less, about 33, which is like 86 degrees, or something like that, and its humid also, but it didnt really affect me that much, i just needed to shower a bit more thats all, something interesting that happened this week is that week had a Religion convention here in Posadas of all of the religions, and as usual our religion was practcally forgotten or ignored, but it was fun to help people open their eyes a bit instead of having all of the fear that they have, i got to talk with a bunch of little kids from ukraine who did a one of those russian dances, reminded me of the twins, it was a huge testimony builder also, im not really sure what triggered it but after thursday i was so excited to be a representative of the church and even though it was really hot i enjoyed it a little bit more, i have also read my patriarchal blessing every day and that has helped me alot, and ive fervently prayed to help me keep in the attitude i am having, its still tuff but im looking at it in a little different way which is alot easier. Well i think i broke the record in the mission for how many investigators that come to church, i brought 17 to church, and man i didnt know what to do! We filled the church with less actives and investigators and it was really good to see, the members were a bit more helpful and suprised to see missionaires working, since my area is pretty famous for just having lazy elders, so they are really shocked that we have 16 baptisms in two weeks, so hopefully this will get the work moving even more, the president had a revelation that we can baptise every week, and to help us have the faith to do it and to help us achieve it we are learning alot of new things which are really bold and interesting,i will be interested to see what will happen, i dont know what it is but the mission is getting better and better, there are more and more rules to help us get more sucess and we are learning how to have more sucess, i feel like the lord is teaching us how to be better when we are more ready to listen. So its good to see the turn around in the misson since i got here. Well one more week until the wedding of the pacheco and they are ready for baptism, the Ramallos are also ready and wanting the baptism, its so wierd that we havent had to work really hard with them for them to believe everything, its been really easy so far, but i believe that they have a doubt, we will find it. The Gomez family is continuing to progress, now we are just waiting for the marriage, we have another man who is wanting to bapitize named jorge, he is an awesome man, his wife is less active and they live in a way crazy neighborhood, so we cant enter much but he is progressing well. Well i have one and a half weeks left with Elder Soclle, we have been together 6 months or so, and it will be interesting to see the changes, its been tuff at times, especially during the world cup right now, he really wants to watch tv and when argentina plays he doesnt want to work, its been tuff completing with the weekly goals and im a little frustrated, and that has worn down alot of patience but im pushing forward and trying to show my love, haha but its fight.Well today we had a bbq to celebrate all of the hard work we did this week, that was alot of fun, we spent a lot of time cooking eating and talking about sienfield haha, a fun break from the everyday routine,
Happy fathers day last week, i dont know if i said anything last week so i say it now, i always love to get letters from you dad, and just like Judd i look up to you in so many ways, i love you so much dad, thank you for everything. Well i am glad to hear about life at home and the vacation, it sounds like such a fun time! Its been wierd that this is the first week that i havent been excited for home, yet im neither excited to be here, i believe im in a weird phase, mostly im just trying to work hard until the transfer. Well i love you all so much! i cant think of much else to say, so ill write you next week!

Monday, June 21 2010

OOOH my stomach is grumbling just hearing about Mexican Food! If there is one thing i miss its Mexican Food! Oh man Texas sounds so much fun! I really miss the trips haha, but if there is one thing i have learned here is patience, so i can wait a little longer, i only have two thirds more, its not that much haha. Then i can enjoy all of the Blessings of the best family, in the best country, with all of the best things haha. I have been blessed so much, and i dont think i would have realized how much if i hadnt come here, so now i know what ive been given, and im thankful for that. Well this week has been super tuff as usual, but im pushing forward, ive done all i can to work hard and im not letting anything put me down, but its super duper tuff, this week i have woken up every morning with a sadness or homesickness feeling, in my soul that has been so hard to conquer, my mornings have really stunk this week, but i have pushed through these tuff times and i have been blessed, so this past week we went downtown with Sister Pachecho and her daughter to set plans for the wedding, they are going to get married on the 7 of July! That was a fun experience, and so they are progressing, they have alot of fear because they have been decieved alot by different churches but its ok, we are working with them.The gomez family will marry the 22 of july! and so finally they will baptize, but this is one week after transfers so its likely that i wont be here for them... Which really stinks but i know they will baptise so thats alright. Then the other family that we found the last week, Mario and his family, Ramallos, they went to church with us and they are super prepared for baptism! So if all goes well ill have 12 baptisms before transfers and then the gomez family after, but all in all ive been blessed. The Ramallos have a kid who is 5 years old, and he believed that Elder Soclle and i live in Heaven and that we come down to teach them haha, ive never seen a five year old who knows more or wants to know about the gospel, during sacrament meeting yesterday all of the little kids were causing havoc and he was on the front row, listening and so focused on the speaker, he listened better than i can haha, So im super excited for them. This week we had zone conferences and one of my friends from the mtc is in my city with me so that made me excited, it brings back alot of fun memories from the mtc. Well about the feeling that i have had in my chest for the past few weeks, its been really tuff to fight it out, and im always homesick or depressed or something, well i have fasted and today i woke up and for the first time in my mission my soul felt normal, so that is some progress that im really thankful for, one day i will really love my mission, ive been extremely blessed throughout this trial and i wouldnt give this up for anything, but i really would like to love to be here thats all. A love to teach and do all of the work for love instead of duty, but im working on it, patience and prayer. Well i love you all so much! And ill write you next week!

Monday, June 14 2010

Oh man texas!!! What a fun trip! Ya of course it isnt the same without me, like abbey would say, its alot more peaceful without nate haha, ya i cant wait to go on a trip also haha, i feel a little claustrophobic being in the same area for so long, and not only that but its so flat here, you can see over the trees so it feels like im in a box haha, i need some mountains!! Oh funny story, this week i washed my hands in a sink that had cold AND hot water, the first time in argentina that i had a choice, its so funny the little differences here, and this week a zone leader recieved a bag of reeses pieces and man every single one of those little buggers was a treasure, haha and the beef jerkey is like gold here haha, its so much fun to have all of the things that used to be so common be so rare all of the sudden, the missionaries here go crazy for the stuff and its alot of fun, this week i have worked harder than ever before, my numbers for the week were amoung some of the highest in the mission, so im proud of the work that i am giving, but i lack something, as i read judds letters i can really feel his desire to help people, and thats what i lack, im working hard to try and forget home and to do what i know i need to do but i dont feel a sincere desire, so im trying to figure out what i need to do, Uncle Bruce helped me alot and if any of you have any idea i would love it. I dont know how to truly forget myself. Well this week i have worked my butt off, and i have found some awesome blessings, we found a family that was totally prepared, just like the Pacheco family, i was on splits with the zone leaders and i decided to clap a house, because it was the only one that had lights on on the block, it was like any normal contact but when we passed by two days after the wife came out and begged us to come in, she told us that when we first came by that one of the kids couldnt stop talking about how jesus had finally come to visit his house, and as we taught the restoracion the wife afterwards told us that she had a strong desire to cry, and as she looked at me she told me that my eyes were glowing with light, that made me feel good that i could be worthy to have the spirit testify through me, well she prayed and knows its true and the dad is working on it, he believes but wants to know, they are a family of 7 who are MARRIED!!! so we dont have to wait months to baptise them like the Gomez and Pacheco family, so i am exicted. Well Gomez decided to get married the first week of july so hopefully i will get to be here, it will be the last week of the transfer so im pretty nervous that it might not pass, but we will see. The Pacheco family is in a stalemate, she cant get married only because she doesnt know if your old husband died or is living, so we will ahve to find out tomorrow...Its such a different place here ha, so this week i can now finally say that i have eaten very organ that you can find in a cow, and the photos im sending with prove it, man the intestines were like meat spagetty, and man its wierd, after eating i felt pretty sick to my stomach, its a pretty powerful food haha. Well i love you so much, the photos are of the pachecho family and i, well i love you all and im grateful for everything you have done for me!! I love you so much!
PS WHEN ARGENTINA PLAYED SATURDAY, NOONE WAS IN THE STREETS, NOONE.... THEY ARE SOCCER FANATICS! AND USA TIED WITH ENGLAND!! WQOOT

Monday, June 7 2010

Hey family!! Whoa steph got a diploma!! Haha how sweet! Grats steph! I hope that the parents didnt cramp your style haha, sounds like a fun time! Way to enjoy your last year of school! And abbey keep up the hard work! stay busy and keep praying! And hannah i miss you also!! My favorite animal is a wolf! I am definitly missing my family this week haha, but its alright because im working hard, or trying to haha, its been a tuff week as usual but its had its ups and downs, so first off i am still in my same area with my same companion, which i am loving, i didnt want to leave here so im excited for another six weeks, and to see all of the baptisms i have worked so hard to get, but im a little disappointed that i didnt get to train or become the senior companion, but hey its all good i get to see my baptisms and we will see what happens next transfer, the president asked my companion and i to talk in the zone conference about our success we are having with tripling the goal of investigators attending church, and the zone leaders called us to tell us that is why we are together one more transfer, because we are rocking it up in Itaembe! Tuesday night i was sure that i was going to leave, and i was so sick to my stomach, the whole day i felt just like the day before my mission, i couldnt eat and it was so hard, i felt like i was leaving on a mission again, not a great feeling haha, but i was so relieved when i got the call that said i was staying, i had told all of the members goodbye and i recieved some way cool jerseys from the members and now i get to stay haha! it was sweet!! Well this week has been tuff also, every night i have had a dream that someone was disappointed in the work i was doing and i have really become discouraged, so i have been fighting that all week but now im ok, my dreams are back to normal, and i am trying my hardest to give it all i have, its been tuff but as usual nothing is new, the lord is trying me and i hope that i will ahve the strength to pass, im really looking forward to the day i can wake up excited for the day! haha but until then im striving to find that goal! I have been really wanting to read the conference talks from this past conference but they are not here yet.So about my investigators, well the Gomez family is being a little flaky with attending church, its been like every other week that they come and they arent that persistant, but they are trying, they are used to partying all saturday night so they never have the strength to wake up haha, they are going to set the date of the wedding today, so we will find out tonight! They are reading and praying in family and so there is a huge change in the family its awesome! The Pachecho family is something else! They are a chosen family! From day one they have done everything perfect, they dont have any money, and they have alot of health problems but they always find the way to get to church every sunday, they arent even members and they are fasting and they are paying tithing and fast offerings! Every time we go to visit them they are studying the principles of the gospel book, its really amazing! They are a really humble family! I really dont deserve to be the missionary that found them but they are fantastic! We are teaching a friend of one of the members here, she is 17 years old and has 8 brothers and sisters, she knows the church is true and she is trying so hard to be the example for her family and is bringing her little brothers and sister to church! She is fasting, and praying everyday! She also reads to all of her younger siblings the book of mormon so that they can also learn! If all goes well the parents will start to change and in a month or two we can baptise them all! They are all working hard to help the parents, we are also working with a family of 5 that they want to get baptised because her sister in law is mormon and so were teaching them, but she lacks the desire to wake up early to go to church, its always freezing in the morning and she doesnt like the cold at all! So thats all of the good ones thats going on right now, and i love to teach them all! So everymorning there is very thick fog, its freezing and it makes everything wet, we never can have dry clothes haha, but its so much better than the heat that i had, its alot easier to walk around all day in the cold haha! Well i love youall so much! i MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH! Ill write you next week!