here to stay
Sept. 8, 2014

Well transfers came and went and luckily we are staying together! I am excited to have another transfer with Elder Bastias. We really do get along well and I feel like we teach well together as well. Now we start the new cycle of intercambios and planning meetings and everything haha. But this week was a really good one. We found some really great people this week. About 98% of the people that we are teaching right now are people that Elder Bastias and I found in this last transfer (there weren't many people to teach when I got here haha) and just this week we found 7 new people! Most of them were references from members and they are the most prepared ones! Well to tell you of a few of them. Like I told you last week we had the 50 years (50 year anniversary of the chapel in Quilmes)  and on Sunday in sacrament meeting they had invited a lot of the old bishops to come and gave them each time to share a brief testimony. Well one of the old bishops was from Bia Blanca, a different provincia (province), and as he was here he felt the impression to visit some family members that he hadn't seen in a long time. These family members are Adriana and Gloria, who just so happened to be looking for some kind of change in their lives! Adriana was an active member of an evangelist church for 30 years! Even went out preaching and did camps and everything but in the few charlas (discussions) that we have had (2) she says that she feels peace in everything that we say. She resolves her own doubts and depends a lot on prayer and the spirit. When we explained the restoration she even said that for an evangelist what we were saying was crazy and that her head told her this was crazy but her heart told her to calm down and pay attention to the feelings she has, peace. Her daughter also says she feels peace when we talk with her, which is something she hasn't felt in a very long time. Tonight we have a noche de hogar (family home evening) with them in the house of some members so hopefully it goes well. These are people that we can't deny that God has prepared just in this moment. Then we started teaching Federico who is another friend of a member. He lived in the states for 13 years, speaks perfect English and works for a large international company. His father was a scientist and so when he was little he was always discouraged to believe in God because it was something "illogical" but he always kind of doubted that. When he was about 13 he had a vision in which he saw God and later as my companion explained the nature of God and said that he was a glorified being of carne y huesos (flesh and bones) Federico stopped him and said that in his vision that is what he had felt, that God was someone that had a body. He doesn't have much religious background but is very willing to learn and has a super good start. With all these experiences I just realize even more that it isn't me or my companion that do this work. Really this is the work of the Lord and we are just his instruments. What a privilege to see how he prepares the hearts of the people here in Argentina! I love you all and hope you are getting to know the investigators in the Glenview Ward!

Love,

Elder Andrew

 
Sept. 1, 2014
50 years of Quilmes!
 
Well due to the letter I got to write to Glenview Ward this one will probably be a bit shorter, but a simple testimony is better than all the stories I tell you anyway! Well this week we did two more exchanges! This week we have one more and then we are done! Oh, but then the next transfer starts and we will do it all over again haha, well, unless they take me out of here but I don't think so. I was with Elder Stevenson who has a month in the mission and is from Virginian.  It made me remember the times I had at the beginning of my mission! I tried to give him some tips and it was good. Then, I went to El Cruce with an Elder Mason and we had a good day there! But I am always just glad when we can work normally with Elder Bastias in our area. The 50 years of the cappilla (chapel) was really pretty cool. There is a lot of history here! I am trying to learn to be more organized and trying to ask my companion and others what I can do to be better. Sometimes when people give me suggestions the natural man says "get mad, they don't know what they are talking about and besides they can't tell you to get better when look at all the things that are wrong with them!" but when I don't take heed to those feelings and realize, hey I really could do better in that then I can get better and if they hadn't told me then maybe I wouldn't know! Like Elder Christofferson says in a Mormon message about a bush that the gardener prunes. One of the hardest things is to ask that other correct us, but it is necessary! I invite you too look that video up, your situation made me think of it, Dad. I still keep trying to go good with my scripture study and I am learning a lot both from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Today I read about Korihor in Alma 30 and I was just so awesome how Alma resisted this Anti-Christ. He had complete confidence and control of the situation, his knowledge of the gospel protected him against the cunning ways of the devil. Gospel knowledge really does give us strength and we can put up with the people who may try and trick us with false doctrine. Alma sure is a k-po! Well, my weekly invitation for all of you is to help out the missionaries in your ward. I am going to ask you to help them in a way different than just giving references (which if you have them go ahead and give them!) but if not, do you know the investigators that the missionaries are teaching? When they bring someone to church do you get to know them? Their name, their job, how they like the church. When they come over to eat do you ask them about the people that are preparing for baptism and how you can help that person in their preparation? These are some things that a 70 talked to us about and I invite all of you to think about it and be more attentive to the investigators and new converts! You will make a difference! Last thing I wanted to say is that it makes me SOOO happy to hear about Hunter and Steven. When I read that part a smile just came to my face! I sure do love those guys and am so glad that they have decided and are making the effort to go on missions, tell them that I send my love!

Love,

Elder Andrew