WILLINGNESS TO SERVE

So this week my bike was acting a little like my bike in Lobos (the rusty steed) because I swear every day this week my tire popped.  So the whole week I had to carry around the pump and I had to pump it every 20 minutes. That was fun.  Luckily I got it fixed and all patched up so now it works like a charm. Almost. But close enough right?

Today me and Elder Carrion recieved a new companion! His name is Elder Funk from Tucson Arizona. ELDER CARRION LEAVES THIS NEXT SUNDAY FOR HIS MISSION IN MEXICO!! Wow it all happened so fast!  Elder Funk got to Argentina TODAY from the MTC!  We spent most of the day picking him up and helping him get settled, that`s why we are writing a little late.  We had a great trip to the capital last week for Elder Carrion's visa interview.  It was super awesome! Obviously the interview went well, since he got his visa.  Elder Carrion loves Ezeiza and all of the members.  He will be coming back to visit them for sure when he comes back home after his mission.

This last Sunday was the best!!  We had a super awesome Church attendance of 170 and we even had 7 investigators that came!! Wow it was awesome! I could not wipe the smile off my face. It was also ward conference and after the meeting the new stake president wanted to meet with us. In the meeting he wanted us to tell him what we were doing to increase church attendance so that he could have other wards do the same thing. Wow what a humble stake president.  He asked a whatever missionary from Utah that has no idea what he is doing for advice. I was amazed at his humility! I was speechless, I literally had no response.  I mean I feel like we are doing nothing out of the ordinary.  It was a super cool experience. 

One of the things that I noticed about this ward is the unity that they all have. The friendship they all have and the willingness to serve one another! I think that`s the key!  I mean if I have done something it`s nothing compared to what the members of the ward do here. So that`s the important thing, because 170 Members can do a lot more then 4 missionaries!!!

Sounds like it is pretty chilly in Utah.  Today it was so hot here.  We had a zone activity today and we played tag and capture the flag. It was super fun, but I got burnt in the face a little. :/ oops

Well that was everything from my week.  I love you all and I hope you have a good week!!

Elder Ward

THE HAND OF THE LORD

So this last week we challenged a lady to pray for her divorce to go through so that she could get married with her boyfriend.  Then  he can get baptized.  She said that 2 days after she started praying she got a call from her lawyer saying that it had gone through! WOO! So we are hoping that they can get married this next month and that the guy and their daughter can be baptized then too!!

This Sunday we were sitting in the priesthood class and one of the families that we are teaching showed up! WE WERE SO EXCITED! This last week we taught the ten commandments and when we got to the 4th commandment we explained that we shouldn't work on Sunday so that we can reserve that day solely for the Lord.  The husband said "Really?  I never knew!"  So this last Sunday he told us that it  was going to be the last Sunday that he was ever going to work in his life again! MIRACLES PEOPLE! MIRACLES!

So remember that my comp is from Buenos Aires.  Well, funny thing is that here in Argentina you have to go vote, so we had to go down to where he lives and vote or else he would get a HUGE fine, and President let us go over to his house for like an hour, so yeah, that was super weird. But it was good! I think it gave him a little push to see all his family there and they were super supportive and all the goods.  His family is amazing! And it was awesome to see Elder Carrion bearing testimony of the truthfulness of these things. It was just super powerful. I was moved. And his family was too.   I'm not sure how long it will take him to get his visa so he can go to Mexico.  We are going to capital this week to go and do like a visa interview, like they are gonna ask what he`s gonna do over there and blah blah blah, haha it should be fun. We are getting along really well!  Sometimes I think that he completely hates my guts, but I mean it`s hard to adjust to the mission life, so I take it easy on him, but at the same time I am firm because if he doesn't learn now, then it will hurt him later!!

Oh and we also got our hair cut this week so that`s pretty neat.  We are liking our bikes,  they are much nicer then the Rusty Steed that I had in my first area.  But they are a little feminine....

Well have a good week everyone and we`ll see ya next week! Just keep recognizing The Hand of the Lord in your lives! It is there always, even if it doesn`t seem like it!

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Birthday to Grandpa Shields and Davie Ward!!

Elder Ward

GO SHARE IT!

Ok so we found a person this week. Her name is M****, when we contacted her she didn`t want us to come in. We were sad, but then my comp felt prompted that we should go back and offer her a Book of Mormon and tell her to read it, so we went. And she accepted and she said if she got an answer from God she would come to church the next day. Well yesterday in church she went. Sadly we didn`t get to talk to her after sacrament meeting (it`s at the end here) because she left super fast out the door! Almost running! But wow that was a miracle! I am glad for a companion that is sensitive to the spirit!! WOO!!

We contacted some people from the ¨Open Chapel¨ don`t know what it`s called in the USA, but it`s when they open up the church and people from the ward invite friends, family and neighbors to go get to know the church.  We explain things like service, baptism, the organizations, Sunday worship, and then there is food after. But we got a lot of reference from that ( it was like 3 weeks ago we weren't even here) but we contacted like 5 of them and 3 of them said that they wanted us to keep coming! Which is a super good rate for references! at least for me that`s good! So we just keep geting people here and it is super awesome. The ward only lacks 3 tithing payers to split the ward so that`s gonna be awesome, i hope i am here to see that!!! 

This last week we also had the meeting for new missionaries and their trainers and I learned a TON even though it`s the 3rd time that I have been there.  Every time I go I keep feeling the strongest impression that  being an example is the best way to help someone know what is the right thing to do. 

I really like my area! It is super big, there is a lot of progress even though I have been here for 2 weeks, and we almost have food everyday!!! There are police EVERYWHERE! The township even has their own police here on top of the regular police from the government... Because there is an area super super rich. it`s called the¨Clover¨ but in Spanish obviously. And another one called Bamboo village... But that ones in English, so yeah even more rich. Places that are rich here are in English... not sure why...

Obviously Argentina does not have Thanksgiving but  practically every time there is a game with Argentina playing is a holiday.  And when ever the twos biggest teams of Argentina play (River and Boca). The whole world just goes dead because everybody is sitting in front of their tv or their uncle`s TV.  Here it is soccer, or die.

The weather  is really heating up so fast.  These last days I  have been sweating so much, and it hasn`t even hit the hottest part of summer yet!! CHRISTMAS!! NOOO!!! I think living here in argentina is the only time in my life when I didn`t want Christmas to come. Cause man... it`s just hot.

Also I would like to invite all of you to do something special! This morning I read something super awesome in Preach My Gospel! It said that we as members should REGULARLY be praying and asking God to know if the Book of Mormon is the word of God! It`s not a one time thing! It is something that needs to be asked over and over and over again!! So if you haven`t done it in a while I invite you to do it! Read and pray to see if the Book of Mormon is the Word of God. And when you receive your answer... GO SHARE IT!!!

Love you all! Have a good week!

Elder Ward

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

I picked up my new companion on Tuesday.  His name is Gabriel Carrion and he is from Buenos Aires Capital.  He is actually a visa waiter like I was in Ventura, California.  He is waiting for his visa here and then he is heading off to the Mexico Cuerna Vaca mission. He was baptized at 12 and he was the only member for a while.  His sister got baptized later and  then a week before he went to the mission his mom got baptized!! so cool right!?!!?

Me and my new comp Elder Carrion, Elder Avila and his new comp Elder Kofford

I  went to the mission home to get him and then we headed out to our area.  We wrote down some directions, took a map and hit the road! It was a super good experience, I am glad that we hit it right off the bat. We are seeing a ton of miracles here in Ezeiza!!

We are working with 3 families. They all have a baptismal date for the 28th of November, because here in this stake the whole stake does one day for all of the baptisms in every ward ( no idea why) they they are called ¨white doors¨.... it is different then I have done in the past, but we will see how it goes.

The ward is GIANT!!  It has about 140 members and here in South America that is pretty dang good!! And yes they do feed me very well, there is a super sweet sister that sets up our lunches for us! But really this is a great ward, we are getting a lot of help from the members.  They are helping us by giving us references and places to go, and it is just all around awesome!  The members are telling me that the majority of the elders that have come here to this ward stay a long time and finish up their mission here,so i don`t know.  I still have 9 months left! HOLY COW! 9 MONTHS LEFT!!

Our pench is pretty great.  It used to be a sister`s pench so it is niiiice.  We are back on bikes which is both good and bad.  They both have their ups and downs, it`s easier to talk to everyone walking, but the bike is SOO much faster.  But they are sister`s bikes. They have little cute baskets on the front... Whoopee.

This last Sunday we had the stake conference and the stake presidency here in Monte Grande (the stakes name) and the president of the area South America South came here, he name is Elder Walter F. Gonzalez. He talked about a lot of stuff... He actually talked for 45 minutes almost, haha but 2 of the things that stuck with me were:

Keep the Sabbath day Holy.

Be an example to the coming generation. 

Actually the first presidency is trying to focus a lot on Sabbath day observance. The Elder Gonzalez told us to make a positive list of things that we should do on Sunday, and that we should avoid making a list of things that we shouldn't do.  So we should all do it!

He also explaned that the coming generations will be a light in the darkness to come. We can also be that light right now, but who will be it tomorrow? or after we have gone and passed away? We have to assure that the youth (yes I know I am included in that group because I am only 9) need to be like the song... I can`t remember what it is called in English, but it goes like this, the chorus...

Al erante marinero, ayudemos al salvar.

If we are light houses on the coast. we will save those lost sea men!!

HAVE AN EXCELLENT WEEK!!

Elder Ward

ROLLER COASTER

I am getting transferred!!!.  Well I  am now heading to a new area called Ezeiza.  It is right next to the airport that brought me here to Argentina... Not going to try to escape! I promise! But it`s going to be good. I will be opening up the area with my new fresh Greenie!! WOO!! It is going to be a ROLLER COASTER!!

Of course yesterday was hard.  We went to church and then I said goodbye to 3 families. Luckily I was kind of  prepared because I had been thinking a lot that I was going to leave so it didn't hit me very hard, but I was still super sad! 

Transfer days are super crazy!  I woke up at 5, finished packing, got ready, and then a taxi came and picked us up at 8. We got to the offices around 9. Waited for an hour, and then the transfers started at 10. Everyone left and found their new comps, I talked to some mission friends (Ellie Holt says thank you so much for the package!!).  Then I left with other trainers to stay in their areas tonight.  We went to eat at an all you can eat buffet and it only costed 95 pesos (which is like $9.50).  It was super awesome! They had an Argentine grill, sushi, fish, just like everything, we stayed there for 2 hours eating. And I am. SO. FULL. 

Well 2 days this week my comp and I were doing exchanges and being with other missionaries in other areas. It was really good, honestly there were a lot of miracles that happened in both areas. Where I was  we found a guy that wants to be baptized as soon as possible, and we found other less actives that said that they were for sure coming to church this Sunday! The area that Elder Avila went to had 2 youth commit to serve missions that didn't want to before! He also taught and almost made a whole family cry from the spirit being so strong in a lesson!! Just miracles all around!

There were also 2 little kids in our area that had birthdays, the first was at the home of  a sister that feeds us every Tuesday.  Her daughter got baptized and turned 8.  The other birthday was the Bishops son that turned 1!  Man do Latins go serious with their parties! Even for 1 years old!  He`s not even gonna remember that party! Haha

Ok so super super bummer this week. We had set an appointment and we planned to go have a lesson with a recent convert, her 2 cousins, her brother, and her aunt... 2 new investigators, and they all wanted to come to church on Sunday. So we called them in the night and we set up the appointment. The next day we went through our  routine, had some lessons and then that night we had a Noche do Hogar at the Church.  As we were walking back to the pench we had realized that we had completely forgotten about the appointment that we had with the family. We called her that instant and asked forgiveness. She said that her family was really disappointed that we didn't come, and said they thought they had heard that we were ¨Representatives of Jesus Christ¨. When we got back to the pench I just dropped to my knees. I couldn't take it anymore, and I think that was the hardest I have ever cried in my whole mission. That night I asked for forgiveness from my Father. Hopefully I can do better and remember to be more organized!! 

I am dying laughing at Dad and Davie in their Kiss costumes!! Oh man those 2 are too funny. Literally I am only a little ashamed I have their blood in me... na just kidding, haha.

And wow. I can`t believe it about that shooting that happened with the Jacobs dad.  I know both of the Jacob kids. Sadly in Laferrere that happens like... 2 times daily. When we left to go to church in the morning on Sunday we saw like 4 fights that were super bad, and we just walk so fast so that we didn't get caught in them!!

But I am super glad that you all are safe and that nothing happened to you guys! I always have you all in my prayers! 

Love you guys so much! I`ll tell ya more about Ezeiza next week!!!

Elder Ward