Tuesday, February 28, 2012

02/28/2012

Hey Everyone, thanks for all the emails and the stories, I love hearing about what everyone is doing and how things are going! It sounds really exciting all the ball games that are happening, and that Tean is looking for a college, that is crazy! Hopefully i´ll be able to respond to those individually but we´ll see.

The baptism didn´t end up happening this week, the mom had to work and so hopefully this week we can do it this friday. This friday we have 2 baptisms planned and so far so good with both, and hopefully we won´t have any more problems with those. This coming Saturday is stake conference here, but the Stake conference is really hard to do because the wards are pretty far apart, so our ward has to travel about a half hour to the other chapel, so hopefully all goes well there.

Sorry I didn´t email yesterday, it was a holiday and here everyone is home for the holidays, so our mission president wants us to go work, so if you ever don´t get emails on Monday, it´s because of that.

Last Tuesday I saw a huge spider start to make its web, and instead of killing it, i decided just to watch because i´ve never seen a spider make a web before, and it was actually fascinating! I´m sitting there in a lesson and this spider is just flying around making this enormous web, and I won´t lie, I wasn´t paying attention to the lesson at all because I was just so fascinated with what was happening, but don´t worry, the lesson was with a member, we were helping him write his talk for sunday, so nobody´s eternal salvation is at stake. But it was so cool! I don´t know how they know how to make them, but if you ever get the chance to watch one, watch it. It´s awesome.

This week I had the >Bishop´s wife cut the sleeves shorter on my shirts, and that helped a lot with the heat. My sleeves were really long and started to annoy me really bad with the sweat, but now that´s fixed so the heat is a little more bearable.

On Wednesday we were waking back from our last visit for the day, it´s hot, about 9:26 pm, and we were really really tired and it was dark and we were just trying to get home, when all of a sudden these really really drunk guys call us over there. So we walk over and just start greeting them and all of a sudden as i´m greeting one of them with a handshake, he pulls my hand up to his face and he kissed my hand. It was the nastiest thing on earth with his beer lips and a little spit was left on my hand after, and it was discusting. But we took down all their addresses and we´re going to go teach them all haha, maybe one of them is ready for the gospel right now in their life. Hopefully not the hand kisser though, that was just weird.

Here it´s also custom to kiss cheeks when you greet people, but of course the missionaries can´t do that, so we have to try really hard to make it known that we can´t do it, but almost everyone does´, and you don´t want to look rude or make them feel awkward, so ´that´s a litlte bit of a challenge but This week i got kissed.... it was really awkward, not just because i haven´t even touched any type of woman for 4 months, but i don´t know. haha hopefully it never happens again. My companion taught me some tricks that we can use to get out of it, which before he conveniently didn´t tell me about of course. ha.

But earlier this week a few people died from the heat because they didn´t get enough water. It´s actually really common that people die here because it´s just too hot, its not healthy at all to be in the sun, but we do our best to drink water. Our mission president last week told us each missionary has to have like 8 gallons of water handy, and there have been a lot of power outages lately so we finally bought that and we feel better.

I think something bad is going to happen here. Last night I had a dream that an earthquake hit, and I think that the people here are so wicked that something like that is going to happen. But we´re going to be prepared if it does.

I did hear about that huge train wreck, but that was near Buenos Aires I´m pretty sure, which is really far from us, but it´s still really sad. This week on Friday night we were teaching a big family, and in the middle of the lesson we got a call from the zone leaders and they said that all the police officers went on strike, and so we had to return to the pension early because riots were going on and people were going crazy and lighting cars on fire and stuff. That actually scared us a little, because we were on the farthest outer edge of our area, about a half hour walk to get back to the pension, and we had to cross the main road through the town, but we made it back safe and nothing happened, but it was pretty nerve racking.

Saturday it started raining really really really hard. So much water was being dumped and everything got soaking wet. Luckily one of the members gave me an umbrella, and luckily we went back to put our boots on, so personally I was fine, but as we were walking back that night, we saw a car off the side of the road, and they were trying to get it out of the mud, and it was 9:45, so we were supposed to be back at the pension at 9:30, but we decided to go help them. So we walk over there, and their little tiny mazda is just buried in this sink hole of mud and the guys getting it out didn´t know what they were doing, and they were covered in mud. But we started to help them and manuever the car, and each time the wheels turned the mud came up and just splattered all over us. We got so wet, and muddy, and dirty that it was crazy! But we finally got him out and he offered to give us money, but instead he´s just going to give us lunch this week, and we´re going to go teach him. Hopefully there was a reason he got stuck and just so happened that two big tall white guys came to help him. Maybe he´s a chosen one to get baptized! We´ll have to see. But that was pretty fun.

Cleaning the pension today isn´t going to be fun because of all the mud we got everyone, and all our clothes that are stained, but a little bleach should do the trick. I think that´s all for today, thanks for all the support and for everything. Good luck with all that´s going on. I pray for everyone every night! Next week i´ll be able to send some more personal emails so seeya in a week. Chau, nos vemos

Monday, February 20, 2012

2/20/12








Today is a holiday here, so I don´t have as much time as usual to write, so sorry this is´n´t going to be super long! BUt, Not a whole lot to report this week, other than it was really long, and really really hot, and it was pretty difficult.

We went on our first transfers this week, so I went with another companion and my companion went with the district leader, and that was a Little interesting. The companion that i went with, his name is Elder Pusey, and he´s from colorado, and he´s gota round 5 months here on the misiĆ³n, so he doesn´t speak very well at all, and we were trying to communicate with all the investigators that he had planned. It was also rough because I had to go to their area, so I didn´t know anyone, and it was a really really poor area. Most of the people we visited didn´t have really anything, and it was pretty humbling.

But we met quite a few drunk guys that we got their addresses and we´re going to go teach them this week, so that´s good. Oh and yesterday we had 10 people at church! It was so awesome. The people we brought made up about one fourth of the congregation, and the bishop was really excited. We have our first baptism planned for this Saturday, it´s a boy named Gerardo, and he´s 11 years old, and he´s so awesome. He reads every night, and through him we are going to reactivate his family which has been inactive for a little while now. Every time we go over to his house his mom makes us this juice that is so good! Each time is a different kind, and last night it was pinapple with tons of pulp, and it tasted so good! So this saturday we are going to baptize him, and we are finally finding people that are ready for the Gospel. Finding people that are keeping the committments and finally showing us they´re willing to learn more, and I hope things start going a little better from here on out.

For the 17 of March we have around 8 people´s baptisms planned, so that should be a really good weekend, and we´re praying and fasting really hard for the people. We are finding famalies now too, which makes me a lot happier, because as a family getting baptized together would be a really great blessing.

The food here is getting a little bit bette every week, and i´m not sure if it´s because i´m getting used to it, or if it´s because i´m gaining weight! Haha I think i´ve put on a few pounds, which this week is going to change, there is a little basketball court and my companion has a basketball so we´ve been playing that a little bit every morning, and that´s pretty fun. But I think i´m starting to get into ¨the groove¨ now, and things aren´t SO new anymore, and my castellano is improving a lot, and I can communicate pretty well.

We are really trying to strenghten the ward a lot, and right now we´re trying to think of activities that we can do for the ward to strenghten them, so I need your ideas, what are some things we could do for ward activities? Thanks for all the support, I love you all, and Hope all is well


Monday, February 13, 2012

2-13-2012



Hey Everyone
This is a family we´re teaching. In total they have 14! Most families are really big here, but this one beats them all! It´s really fun going here, and they´re very nice and very respectful, and I love talking to all the little kids, and they think it´s hilarious when I say a word wrong or something. They just laugh and laugh and laugh, but it´s a lot of fun. This is the familia Claro
Not a whole lot to write this week! We have been working really really hard, and the beginning of the week we placed a lot of baptismal dates, but the problem here is the people are really really lazy, and this area is a pretty wicked area, but we´re doing our best, and we´re finally getting a few people to come to church.
We are working with a guy right now his name is Goyo Rivas, and his son Mauricio, and his wife is an inactive member of about 20 years, and the first time we met him he told us he wasn´t a religious person, and he wanted nothing to do with religion, but he agreed to have us over, and now he´s come to church 2 weeks in a row! Which is great, but now we have to get him and his wife married, becuase here, nobody gets married, they all just live together, and have a lot of kids, and they say they´re married which is one of the hardest parts of Argentina.
Also because it´s not free to get married here, it´s pretty expensive, and a lot of people don´t want to spend their money on getting married, when in reality, it doesn´t change anything for them, but he´s been feeling the spirit, and he´s been reading all the assignments we´ve given him, so that is doing really well, and we are praying to know how to help him. He says he knows this is the right path for his family, and everytime we go to his house, he improves a lot, and so right now he´s our main focus.
We´ve got 14 people with baptismal dates in the upcoming month,and we´re doing our best to get everyone on track and keeping their committments. The people here are really lazy so that´s the hardest part.My castellano (language) is improving a lot. Every day it gets a little better,and a little better, and it´s fun to be able to say things in adifferent language. They tell me i´m improving really fast, faster than most, which makes me have a lot of confidence, because I still get a little frustrated sometimes, but it´s getting better.
It´s funny, my drive right now is that I can´t wait to talk to Rossy and Giovvani when I get back, and for some reason I think about that day often. Haha i´m not sure why.
The food is getting better and better though. My companion got a bugearlier this week, and he was up a few nights sick, which didn´t help. Hopefully i´ll be fine and not get it. We have been meeting alot of families lately, which is good. Right now we´ve got about 30ish investigators in total, which means we haven´t really had to clap doors yet, so that´s good.
The problem is people tell us they´re going to do all the things we ask.... and then they don´t do it. But we´ve got a few that are actually following through.I´m starting to really enjoy the people here, and starting to finally be able to love them enough to want to help them in their lives. I also feel this with the members as well, which is really cool to see the change not only in myself, but in the spirit and how it works in their lives.
I have been reading the Book of Mormon like crazy lately, and one thing I really regret is not reading it very often at all before the mission. I never realized how fun, and how meaningful studying the scriptures are. I´ve learned so much from reading, that I enjoy and value every single hour of study we get. I know every missionary encourages their family and friends to read it, but I completely understand why now. Each page has a message, and each page is inspired from our Heavenly Father to help our lives, and to ensurewe are the most happy that we can possibly be in this life.
Don´t really have any stories this week! Hopefully next week i´ll havea lot more. Thanks for all the support that I get from everyone, I hope that my emails are helping people and that people are having their prayers answered because I pray for everyone each night.
I remember one though, yesterday we were clapping a door, and this guy was out front of his yard and was putting this bag into this can, and like getting whatever was in the can all over the bag, and then putting the bag up to his face and breathing really really heavily,and we asked him what he was doing... all he responded was....oooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. And then we realized it was paint thinner, and he was getting high off of paint thinner, right in front of us... THe best part was the house we were clapping was HIS house! and he just sat there and acted like it wasn´t his. Hahahaha oh man, This place is absoutely crazy. something new happens pretty much every day. But I love it here, and i´m excited to bring everyone back someday to visit. .
I love you all thanks for all the support, next week i´ll let you know more about the investigators, this week i forgot to bring my notes of the things i wanted to tell you, sorry! But hope all is well, sounds like you´re all doing great. Love you
PS. Oh also, one last thing, I found out i CAN email any family member, no matter the relation, as long as their family, so tell everyoen they can email me if they want!
And i just changed the setting on my camera so the pictures aren´t so big, i found out that is the reason it was so hard to send pictures via email, so we´re making progress!
Dad, your email made me laugh. Hey son not much is happeng, but hereis a story of some guy scaring little kids with a snow man suit!hahahahahahaha that was so funny to me. thanks for the laugh! love youall

Monday, February 6, 2012

Pictures 2-6-2012





Here a few pictures from leaving the MTC and arriving in the mission home, sorry i know i´ve said i was going to attach some every week, but we haven´t had a good computer or a good technique, but i found one now, so next week i´ll have some more.

Thanks for all the support, tell everyone that letters are much better than email, because i can ONLY email my direct family, and nobody else, so just tell them they have to send me a letter, and i have plenty of time to send letters, so let them know it takes a few weeks for me to get the letter, then a few for them to receive mine, so i´ll just start doing that, thanks for everything, i´m doing great, and i´m loving it here, so no need to worry or stress. I love you all and pray for you every night. Nos Vemos, Chau
So Trent and I are guessing these pictures are: where someone they teach sleep? The resistencia airport with Elder Rogers (MTC companion). A building where they have thier noche de hugar, and the last is a picture with Elder Taylor (current companion)

2-6-2012

Hola Familia Not a whole lot happened this week, but a few things were pretty cool. Mostly we´re just working really hard, sweating an enormous amount, and eating too much for lunch haha.

On Thursday we had another Noche De Hogar where people from the ward come to a members house and we have a little lesson and stuff like that, but this one was half a birthday party too, but it was our turn to do the lesson, so that was fun. It was my turn to start talking and I just talked about how important families are. I keep a picture of our family in my scriptures too, because the investigators and the families always want to see my family, so I keep one in with my scriptures, anyways, i pulled that out, and they all loved it. It was hilarious too because I pulled it out, and went through and told everyone the names, and the ages and thigns like that, and then I made them all try to say the names, and it was probably the funniest thing i´ve ever seen in my life. Nobody could say any of the names. Then they all wanted to know what their names are in English, so we told them all their names, and it was just a lot of fun.

Then after, for some odd reason the members love giving us food, so the lady gave us a ton of cake which we´re still trying to eat, but it´´s very good, so i don´t mind.

We have been having a little bit of trouble with getting our investigators coming to church, but this week we were really surprised, because the 3 that came, were the 3 we didn´t expect to come. And last night we went to his house, and asked him how it went, and he´s really excited, he said he felt the spirit in the chapel, and he knows this is right for him in his life, and for his kid. His wife is already amember, but she has been inactive for aobut 20 years, and so hopefully through him, we can get the whole family activated in the next few weeks, and strengthen the ward. The ward here is a little bit weak right now, so we´re really trying to activate everyone, and get a lot of attendance each sunday, and that´s kind of our main focus right now.

Two nights ago we were welcomed back to our appartment to thousands of ants that had for some reason thought it was okay to invade our appartment, but we exterminated them rather nicely with a little bit of acohol and fire, (i´ll try to upload the video). And then this morning we were under attack again by these ants. It was actually funny because i´m reading in the last few chapters of Alma about when all the wars happened, and the 2,000 stripling warrios, and how Mornoni built up his cities with huge barriers and he was really defended, and we feel a little like the nephites right now, with how numerous the lamanites were, but we´re still under attack as of today, so we´re going to go buy some stuff haha.

The last few days have rained like crazy, and the rain here is just absolutely insane, and it´s amazing the amount of water that drops. It just soaks everything, but thankfully we don´t have any leaks or anything in the pension, so we´re doing good, and the rain cools us off a little bit. The families are really accepting of us lately for meals, and they all seem to want us to come over for some reason, and we had to make like a sign up sheet because there are so many.

Right now we just received a new area added to the one we have, so the area we have is huge and we´re walking like crazy every day, but it´s good because we eat so much. Elder Tayler has had ingrown toenails really bad this last week, so for last p day we went to the plaza to get them takenout, and we wasted about 7 hours waiting and walking trying to find somewhere, but nobody would do it, so we wasted all that time just to have a member do it that night, so today is going to be really nice to relax a little more.

Food is really good, we have enough to snack on each night and in the morning. I´m going to buy more stuff though because i keep running out haha. Yes i´m drinking enough water, i have to pee every hour it seems like. I am just drinking the tap water, my body is used to in now and it´s not dirty at all, so it´s just fine.



We think this week is going to be really good because our last one was a little bit rough, so hopefully next week i´ll have a little more to say. I´m going to try to answer all those questions from before, so i´ll send another email after this one. Love you all thanks for the support.