HELP THE MISSIONARIES

This Week wasn´t too eventful. But we did go to the temple again!!! I also found people from Neuquen there, so I sent a letter for Elder Motzkus with them!! We´ll see if that gets to him, haha, I have faith. The temple was awesome as ever. We had some families come for the first time and they just Marveled when they sat in the visiting wing of the temple. They were just left with awe. They loved it so much! Hopefully that motivates them to get baptized!!  I took a bunch of pictures of the temple.  I just love that place so much.  Some of my photos look professional! Tell Kate Bushell to look out! I might give her a run for her money!! haha

On Sunday I also gave a talk about Missionary Work! And I talked a lot about how the missionaries can´t do ANYTHING without the help of the members! The Church will NOT GROW unless members help out the Missionaries! So give them references! Have a Family Night with a 

non-member family and invite the missionaries to share something! There are so many things that we can do to help this Church Grow! And they are so simple! 

So HELP THE MISSIONARIES! I promise they don´t bite... Only when you help them! Haha Have a good week! And I hope that everyone had Fun in Cali that went! Love you all!!

Elder Ward

CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN

This week we had a Zone meeting, interviews with president, and someone say she would finally be baptized!! After missionaries asking her since December!

The interviews with president were good, and he gave me an AWESOME ANOUNCEMENT!! Instad of coming home the 12 of July next year I will be coming home the 22 of August!! I was so excited!! I am able to serve for 2 years and 9 days! I was so happy to hear that and to be able to serve more time! It was so awesome. The thing is that they can´t release a missionary from missionary work more then 30 days before the day they entered the MTC. If they want that they need  approval from the parents, mission president, stake president, area president, and a general authority... That´s a little much so I decided to leave it as President told me.

We then had an investigator make the decision to be baptized!! And it was really hard. The last time we asked her to pray to our Father in Heaven to know if she should be baptized on August 1st. We then visited her 3 days later. When we came to the house we saw that her and her mom were yelling in the front room. Everything was a mess. She said she wanted to be baptized and now her mom is angry (she is SUPER SUPER Catholic). We entered into the house and tried to explain to the mom why but nothing got through to her. She had the spirit of contention in her and she wasn't going to be accepting anything anytime soon. After the mom left and we got the opportunity to talk to her, she said that she prayed the night before to know if she needed to be baptized. That night she said that she had a dream of her being baptized. She took that as a big ol´ yes. She said that even though her mom was furious with her, she was still going to be baptized. She feels like that it is the right thing to do for her and for her family.

It was such an awesome experience to to able to be here when she made this decision! This week in the Gospel Principles class (the missionaries teach it) I gave the class on chapter 26. It was about sacrifices and the sacrifices some people have made to follow god´s commandments. One of the examples was of Abraham when he was commanded to sacrifice the only son that he had, Issac. 

  

A challenge would be to make a sacrifice! God gives us challenges to be able to give up earthly things. Whether it be sleep, time, money, whatever. So that after that challenge we can be reminded that the important things are things ETERNAL, like knowledge, our families, testimony. So yeah. Pray to Heavenly Father that he will give you opportunities to exercise your faith, and to be able to make a sacrifice! Pray for mountains to climb! It´s hard to climb the mountain but we know that from the top the view is worth it!

Love you all so much! Have a good week!

Elder Ward!

MISSIONS ARE TOO SHORT - 1 YEAR LEFT!!

This week we had a super sweet patriotic festival or something... We got a bunch of food and it was good so I'm not complaining. It was called Locro. It`s a like a soup that has just a bit of everything. 

And it was in a GIANT pot. 

Pot of Locro

This week we had a family come to church!! They have 6 kids that are under the age of 10... The were kids running everywhere during the sacrament meeting which was hilarious! The parents were so happy! We have been working with them for 2 or 3 weeks and it was super awesome to see them in the chapel finally!! They are waiting for a call from a lawyer for the divorce of the dad and his first wife so that they can get married and the mom can be baptized!! We are super excited to see that happen! We think that she will be baptized in August.

And for this week that was about it! We didn't have too much happen. A lot of walking and a lot of people not answering their doors because it is cold haha. But we had a lot of lessons with less actives and the recent converts luckily!

The whether is getting colder. Not too bad. But the coldest time is at the end of July, beginning of August. sooo yeah. But the pench doesn`t get too cold because we have heaters and all that Jazz. 

The only difference in the South mission is that this Mission President is putting a lot of trust is us. He doesn't ask for ANY numbers. Only the attendance that we have Sunday and the baptisms we have. The rest he doesn`t want. But that`s pretty much it. I don`t think it's better or worse just different. 

P-Days are pretty boring. Today we are going to Walmart but other than that we haven`t done anything fun so far. haha there isn`t anything to really do here but play sports and we can`t do that unless we have a district activity or zone activity and that`s like 1 or 2 times every 6 weeks.  

They have told me that my release date will be July 12, 2016 which was 1 year from yesterday!!  I can`t believe it!  I screamed a little bit yesterday when I realized it... The mission is too short!!

We can`t extend. President said only if we have a really good reason to extend. But if the reason is because we want to serve more time. He doesn`t give it. Something that he told us that Boyd K. Packer told him is that they want to leave the missionaries wanting more. So that when we come home we keep dong missionary work!! 

Well that`s about it from me! Hope you all have a good week!

Elder Ward

BUENOS AIRES SOUTH MISSION!!

Farewell to the Buenos Aires West Mission - Elder Ward is on the very back row in the center

The New Buenos Aires South Mission Boundaries

So these 2 past weeks (sorry for not writing last week) Have been FULL of a lot of stuff! First we went to the temple 2 Thursday`s ago, then the following Friday we had a BAPTISM!!! This last week we changed missions.  On Tuesday we had our goodbye with the Robertson family in their house, had a testimony meeting and ate some food! Then on Thursday we met our new Mission President, his name is Pres. Thurgood, and he`s awesome. He was a religion professor at BYU - Idaho and knows a lot of stuff about the gospel. I am super excited to be able to serve under him! SO that`s pretty awesome.

President and Sister Thurgood

A drunk came into the church during an activity, it was my comps birthday last week, I have eaten at least 6 cakes, annnnd I got robbed. I will spare the details, haha, but nothing bad happened. They only got my cell phone and 10 pesos.  So that is just a fun week right there! I tell ya nothing is ever boring while you are a missionary. 

Teaching wise this week we have two families that we are focusing on. They both have an inactive Husband and the wife isn't a member. One of them really wants to be baptized but can`t yet because they aren't married.  We are just waiting for a call from somebody so that they can get the divorce over with and get the marriage going! The other one doesn't want to because she is scared of what her mom will think... Even though she is 36 years old. But that`s ok! We just have to keep teaching with the spirit and she will realize what is more important! 

Something that the South mission is doing together is studying the Attributes of Christ in Preach My Gospel. And it is Awesome, I invite everyone to read them. It is so amazing to be able to study how Christ is and how we should be. 

Well love you all and hope you have a good week!

Elder Ward

P.S. So jealous, haha looks like the parade was a complete success! Glad to see that you guys are havin fun!! and Welcome Home Sarah!!!!

SHOUT OUTS

Dear People.

First off I have three shout outs.

Happy Birthday to... The best little sister ever ERIN!!! And the best cousin ever JAKE!!!!

And a happy father`s day to the studliest dad that a son could ask for!

So this week was pretty good. Yesterday was the best of them all but I'll get to that later...

So this week I got to finally make waffles in Argentina. I told a member that I made waffles before the mission, this family was baptized in December. We passed by a couple days later and she had bought a waffle iron just so that I could cook them for the family... I was so surprised!  So I showed them and they loved them! Now every time I see one of the kids of the family he is just dying to know when I am coming by to make waffles again... Maybe I should just Waffles de Sabado (Saturday`s Waffles) here!

This last week me and my comp had a hard time finding new people to teach for some reason. We were trying really hard to hit our goal of find 6 new people to teach. Almost every day of the week we had no success. Monday through Saturday we found only 1 new person. On Sunday we said a prayer that we might be able to find some more people to teach. That day right after Church we had lunch with some investigators to celebrate father`s day, we had an asado (the BBQ of Argentina) and as we were there we had his daughter and her family come in and eat with us unexpectedly! We taught them a little bit and found out that they live really far away, but in 1 or 2 weeks they are moving into our area! They were really receptive and have a lot of desires to go to church this next week! There were 4 people that counted as an actual new, but they had 2 kids under 8 years, so I counted that as an answer to our prayers! I am so grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord!

And yesterday we had the opportunityto go to the temple. It was so awesome. Seriously love going to the temple, I regret not going more before I left. Because now we can`t go whenever we want and I am getting temple withdrawal!! I had some really cool experiences in the temple yesterday. Haha I'm not gonna share them, but I'll just say that my testimony of receiving revelation in the temple is a lot stronger. Then we had a family night with the whole mission and the Hermana Robertson talked a lot about how we should have a stronger faith and caracter (I can`t remember how to spell it - haha).

I am going to the South mission this next week! As in I will still be in LaFerrere but it will be part of the south mission!  I am not really sad, the majority of my mission buddies are coming with me, except for everyone that was in my MTC group, and Elder Alexander, but I will definitely see most of them after the mission, I think all of them are gonna go to BYU after the mish.

  

Well love you all! A challenge for the week would be to go to the temple with your family or a session with those that can! Have a good week!!

Elder Ward

P.S.  Sorry no pictures this week.  I could not find my camera in the pench.  But don't worry I know it is in there.  I don`t really use it too much outside of the pench here because it`s pretty dangerous, haha so yeah

GETTING COLD!

Hello Family!

Exciting news for the week is that we found a huge family to teach!!!  The dad is a member and he has 10 kids. He always wants us to come over to eat in the night, so that`s pretty awesome!

Things are going great with my new companion!!  He's a stud!!  It's a little weird leading things because I am the senior companion but luckily I don`t do more then he does, he`s is great and knows a lot of stuff.

Elder Cortez, me and the other two elders in our ward.

The club by our house is such a problem... the music is really really loud during the weekends... Luckily I had some spare ear plugs on hand, without them I cannot sleep.

The Club

It's getting cold... Really cold... And it hasn't even hit the dead of winter yet!!  The thing that stinks is that during the day it`s really hot, and during the night it`s really cold, so I have to lug around my giant jacket everywhere during the day, haha I am hoping that no one steals it!  I am also using my sleeping bag at night to try and keep warm.

Our pench is huge!! And it's awesome because we have a WASHING MACHINE!!! That`s unheard of here.  There are hundreds of penches and only a couple that have them... So I guess we lucked out! We also have a huge grill, two full bathrooms, a living room, kitchen and 4 BEDROOMS!

This week we are going to have a baptism on FRIDAY!! I AM SO PUMPED! Her name is B and she is awesome! She is my age and loves the gospel, the missionaries found her through a recent convert. 

We also have another family that we are working with. We are going to set a baptism date with her today. Her husband is a less active and they both just barely started wanting to go back to church. and they always give me my favorite drink that`s called Malta.  I'll send a picture of the package, like I said it is Mormon coffee.

Malta

Well that`s about it! My advice for this week would be to talk to someone you know and invite them over to your house to listen to the missionaries. I personally have not felt a greater Joy than the joy I feel when I see someone accept the Gospel!  And please have my good ol' Grandpa Ward in your prayers!! He really needs it!

And a shout out to my favorite little sister Erin for her Birthday this week!! I love you so much and I will be thinking about you that entire day!!!

Well see ya'll later!

Elder Ward

LAFERRERE, ARGENTINA

Transfer Day was crazy!!  We woke up at 5, packed a little bit more, took a taxi over to the mission offices, saw the slide show of the transfers to see where people were going, and then we left! I have been sent to the area called LaFerrere.  My comp`s name is Elder Cortez and he is from Chile, he has been out 6 months, and he`s awesome! He is done with his training but I have been made senior companion.  Sorry I forgot to take a picture of him before we got to the ciber, haha oops, but for sure a photo next week!

I think I will be going to the South mission, but I am fine with it, haha it`s the mision igual (same mission)! No worries!

La Ferrere, it is pretty poor, none of the streets are paved and most of the houses are just made of bricks and not painted or anything. But I am excited! Humble people means a lot of baptisms!!!

The new ward is pretty awesome, there are like 80 people that go every week and are like 400 members that are on the records.  This happens a lot in South America, lots of less actives. There

are 4 missionaries in the ward, and the bishop seems like a stud! I am super stoked to be working in this ward and I know that there will be a LOT of miracles that happen here.

My last days in Villa Madero were good.  We just went and visited people that I wanted to say goodbye too.  I was sad to leave the Famila M****** but it is ok because I know that I  will be seeing them in April this next year at their sealing!!! BOOYAH!  It is always sad to leave but I am glad to be in another area to meet more people and to change more lives!

Well not much else happened this week.  Something cool about my area is that there is a MCDONALDS IN IT!!! Heck yeah! Been way too long since I have been there! Haha, but sadly it`s super expensive, more then the states!

Also there is a club right across the street from our new pench... And sleeping on the weekends is pretty much impossible... These are all the `Zombies` After Saturday night clubbin.... The worst was on Sunday morning when we went looking for investigators and all the drunks were out... Yeah that wasn`t too fun, haha.

Well that`s about it! I love you all and hope that I have a little more to say to ya next week! Haha see ya!

Elder Ward