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!

Monday, May 31 2010

Well sounds like the trip gets funner every year! Ha it was wierd that i didnt even think about it this week, after last weeks email i was sick of my attitude, and tired of having the same feelings, so this past week i have decided to try setting goals, for the first time haha, and it really worked well, it gave me a drive to work and made time fly by and it gave me huge success this week, i didnt let myself or i didnt have time to think, i have loved this past week. Tuesday was independence day for argentina, so we got to eat a soup with the ward, it was alot of fun to have a ward party, i sure love my ward here, we brought our investigators, the gomez and pacheco family, and they loved it, then all week we have been setting up a talent show in the ward, and that came to pass saturday night, and holy crap it was awesome, i loved it alot, it had alot of argentinan culture and i got to see alot of comedy, it was alot of fun. I dont really want to leave my area but we will see what happens, this wednesday is transfers and i have been practicing all week how im going to be better, i have improved alot this week, im starting to learn when i get homesick to just be obedient and work and it is a little easier, if i keep this up ill be a pretty good missionary by the end haha, we played some soccer today, i kind of realized i wasnt made for sports that involve balls, never was haha, but it made me really miss my triathelon, thats something that i really want to do when i get back. Oh so i got the package! man the cars are sweet! I opened it while my companion was interviewing another companionships investigators and so we all opened it, there was three kids from 9 to 11 there and we played with the hotwheels for a while, one of the maple extracts opended up so everything is sticky haha, but it didnt do anything to the flavor! I am super grateful for the sweet tarts! And the other companionships loved the corn nuts, twizzlers and skittles, we had a good time sharing it all, but im not going to share my nutterbutters haha, thanks so much for the package, i was ju st getting used to not having delicious candy when i recieved it haha, what a treat, and i cracked up when collin wrote that hes turning into a girl! Haha what a wierdo! Thanks for the letters and the food and ill write you all next week, i dont have much else to say! I love you all and miss you so much! its wierd to think that in one week a year ago i would have recieved my mission call... time is flying by, but the same time its a never ending story, depending on the day haha! Well i lvoe you all!

Monday, May 24 2010

Hola familia! It sounds like life is a blast there at home! Oh man goblin valley... my heaven here on earth haha, man im going to miss out big time haha, congrats on stephs showcase, what a cool accomplishment to direct a play, oh i remember the senor dinner dance, i hung out with Thomas Peterson practically the whole time, what a blast! And wow two years has gone by since i graduated from seminary, whoa, and high school also, time really does fly by eh! Haha but its been dragging on here in the mission, but there are days that i love it, and days that i dont want to be here, so either way just depending on the day the time changes haha, its either fast or slow. This week has been a bit of a drag, mostly because we only had 2 youth investigators in the church and both the pachecho and gomez family didnt show up, this is week 3 of the gomez family not coming to church, so its a little frustrating, since we put the baptismal date they havent come to church... But im working on it, we will get them coming.This week we had to give baptism interviews in Ituzango, which is a little town 90 kilometers from posadas, about 1 and a half hours from posadas in the buses. It was a fun little trip, its a very calm town with a beautiful church, it was fun to break the routine, because thats whats been so tuff lately, at the end of everyday i just feel like ill be doing the same thing for the next 17 months and its a huge downer, which really staggered my performance this week, man my mind is like the ankle of achilles haha, if i think about the future or the heat i just lose all hope or patience or something, ive been fighting this weakness my whole mission and i havent been able to conquer it yet, its really frustrating, i dont understand why im like this, i try my hardest not to think about the future, and take things day by day, but its so hard and its practically impossible for me to do it, so if you have any advice i really need it, everytime i try to get lost in the work i get scared and back out, i have a huge fear, huge.It just eats at my soul, but dont worry, ill continue to fight and perservere and hopefully ill find the answer soon. But im trying something new, something that i should have done at the beginning of the mission, i have set goals every night to make sure that everyday is better than the last, that should help me alot. I havent done anything this hard, i hardly never enjoy it during but i am proud of myself after, so right now its worth it i think. More patience and diligence and ill get out of this mindset, or whatever this is.But on the good side i had an interview with the mission president this past week, he asked if i was ready to start being the Senor companion and i told him i could use the responisbility, he laughed pretty hard at that comment, he asked how many months ive been in Jardin, my area, and i told him about 6 months and i think that will be it, he laughed again and said who told you that you would be leaving, truthfully, i want to stay here my whole mission, i really do love the ward and we have found some really good families, but im willing to be anywhere that im needed, after this he told me that of all of the elders that have the potential to gain more responsiblitly that i was the one that stood out most, so that was good to hear haha, so we will see what happens in a week and a half, im excited for whatever happens.
Today i learned how to be a championship ping pong player, haha im addicted to it, argentina is really good at soccer, chilie is really good at ping pong, so i have been learing from the chileans here, and im learning to be really good, its alot of fun. I bought a mp3 player to play all of the songs i have recieved here in the mission, im pretty excited to listen to some sweet scottish music about Joseph Smith. All of my investigators are progressing, slowly and rapidly, ill tell more next time! Love you all so much, send a bunch of pictures of goblin valley and stuff!! I love you all!

Monday, May 17 2010

Dear Family! Well this week has been a pretty good one, difficult as usual but im starting to enjoy it a little more every week. First off thanks for all of the emails, i love getting emails! hehe. Well i did celebrate my birthday well, i started off the day finishing up my fast with eating lunch with the gomez family, we fasted with the family so that all will go well so they can get married, they almost died of hunger haha.We ate milonesas, which are like giant chicken nuggets, they are delicious, after that we worked hard and that afternoon spent a half hour with a professonial soccer player who has played in 7 countries, we had a good time talking about sports and then the gospel,after that we went to the Mochado family and they had a huge cake for me it was delicious they are a huge support here for me and they take good care of me, after that we went and taught a lesson with the Pacheco family who are going to be baptised, and they had bought me a cake also, so saturday i was taken care of haha, then all of the missionaires called and sung to me in english and spanish and we had a happy ending to the day, this week i did splits with the zone leaders to show them what i am made of and it was a good time, we rocked the area with numbers, we did more in one day than we usually do in three so i was pretty pumped about that.I believe the president will see something in me one day, haha one of my good friends from the mtc is already training, so thats crazy! I believe we are having more sucess than i can imagine, we have 15 people who want to get baptised, which is very rare here, seeming if you can have 15 in a year your a huge success here, but i believe its because we are finding all of the chosen that were prepared before and now, ha and the older missionaries here couldnt find them, but we are rocking it here, Elder Soclle is starting to be more obedient and its easier for me to do everything possible, so all in all everything is perfect, its a little warmer this week, but today changed the weather drastically, its raining like crazy here, and im soaked from head to toe, but i love it, i love walking in the rain, i feel like a traveler in lord of the rings or something cool like that. but all in all im having a pretty good time here, ive decided i dont ever really like it during the time, but when i look back i love it, so its worth the sacrifice. Its all in my mind right now, nothing is physically difficult here now, the weather is tolerable or perfect depending on the day, its always cold at night so thats all i want. The only really difficult challenge i am having right now is that i work so hard all of the time, but if i allow myself to think about the future and that i have to do this for two years i lose hope and its tuff to recover it, so im learning to not think in the future, but to only think about today like jesus said to do in matt 6, and if we do this we will be taken of like the birds or the grass are taken of, so i know that i dont need to worry as long as i am working for the lord, and im starting to love it here so much, well i love you guys, it is good to here from home as usual, it sounds like you had a good time in Las Vegas mom, and its good to hear about Bryce, ive thought about him alot this past month, and steph, oh man i remember gotcha, haha noone knew my target, nor the teachers who organized it... it sucked! Well good luck with it, dont be blonde about, take it seriously and kick some butt! Get the help from the professional, Tay tay haberman was one of the best! The legend of gotcha haha, it was good to hear that my idol also had a hard time yet he learned to love it also! Im working on it, alot of fasting and praying, haha im quite proud of myself that fasting isnt a problem for me anymore and i actually look forward to fasting once a week, its such a spirit builder! Well i love you all so much! Its hard to be away from my home but i have learned how much i want my family!! Good by my familY