the summer is arriving

Oct. 27, 2014

Well as you may have noticed in one of my pictures, I tried to send you a picture of the tan line that is starting to form on my arm, summer is upon us and it is already showing! Don't worry though I change my watch to my other wrist every day just so I don't get one of those nerd tan lines ha ha just kidding.... but I really do change my watch. Something I didn't tell you last week but we have bikes!!!! First time in the mission, it really makes travel a lot easier and helps because the sube (bus card) prices have really spiked, the lowest cost trip when I got here cost 1.50 now the lowest cost trip is at 3.25! So having bikes means we don't really take busses which makes it nice. Also we technically have two areas because they closed down the branch of San Fransico and joined it with Mayol and then took the elders out from over there so we have both areas, and even though it makes things a little harder I feel like it is necessary because there aren't the best feelings between ex-San Fransico and Mayol, so having both areas we can help build up the unity! Well I am really liking my new area! It is tranquilo and there are a lot of good members. I still feel like I hardly know anything but that will come with time of course. My comp also only has about 5 weeks working both areas and his last comp didn't help him out too much so we are getting to know the area together! We have been doing a lot more contacts and even though we haven't seen too many results yet we have high hopes for the future! My comp had the good idea of taking out the peoples phone numbers in contacts (something I had kind of stopped doing) so we could call them to confirm the visits we set up with them that way we don't waste our time with people that aren't there. I have great hopes for this area and I feel like there is something big that the Lord has in store for us here. There are some really capo leaders and the bishop has about 2 months as bishop so that is an animo (excitement) factor. They also give us good almuerzos (lunches) something the Lord has blessed me with in every area. I have nothing more but than to be grateful to Him. I owe everything to him and I love him. I love being able to work here with the people of Florencia Varela, Argentina. What a great place to be at this time in my life! I love you all,

Un Abrazo Fuerte,

Elder Andrew

Photos: Saying goodbye in Quilmes.

MAYOL A!

October 20, 2014

Well like I said I was pretty sure I was getting transferred and sure enough.... here I am in Mayol A in the zone of Florencia Valera. I am with my new comp Elder Cotrell from Utah. He is the district leader. He seems like a pretty cool guy and I am super excited to get to know a new area and help out. The assistant said this area needed help so the Lord definitely has some work for me and my companion to do! Well this last week was really pretty good we tried hard to find some new people, but we didn't but at least we had some good contacts and did find a few "new" less actives to work with. We are getting Federico ready for his baptism, he really wants to get baptized and we only need to teach him one more principle. He will get baptized this Saturday and hopefully Elder Bastias sends me a picture! Then the Familia Lopez, I don't know if you remember them but we were working with them and everything was going good. Their 9 year old son was going to get baptized and they went to church for the first time in a long time and then after that we couldn't get a hold of them..... they wouldn't be there or when we talked to them in the door they would set a cita (appointment) for another day and then later cancel it, it was just really weird. Well, we finally got back into their house on Saturday, had a really good lesson and they all went to church on Sunday! So that was a highlight. The little kid Juan even made me a goku doll out of paper and tape because I was leaving! Then Ignacio got confirmed and his mom that lives in capital came down to see it. After church we went by to pick up a pen drive I had left with Ignacio and talked with his family, it was really good and we could give them a Book of Mormon and invited them to read, so hopefully that seed can grow a little bit! Ignacio is a super capo and I have no doubt that he will go far. He even went with a young man's leader on Saturday to go visit less active kids with his same age! What a champ! It was a bit hard to say goodbye to the Ward. There really were just so many good people there and I learned to love so many of them. It is also hard to say goodbye to Elder Bastias who was a super good companion and I felt like we really taught well together.... but what are you going to do? The Lord needs me here and so here I will stay. I love working for Him and trying to do what He expects of me. That we may all try to live up to His expectations!

Love,

Elder Andrew

 

October 13, 2014
Well this was another great week! We just keep on working. This week we had 2 intercambios and I learned a lot from them. One cool thing about doing these intercambios is I get to be with a lot of elders from other countries, like this week I was with one Mexican and a Colombian, so apart from learning about the gospel and how to do the work better I get to know a little bit about a lot of countries... pretty cool! Charlie went last week to the priesthood session (of General Conference) and he loved it! He said the hermanos (brothers) all talked to him and that he loved what President Monson said! He keeps reading and analyzes what he reads and then explains it to his wife, haha what a capo. Federico is also doing well and we were a bit worried about teaching the Word of Wisdom because he likes coffee, actually loves it. But we taught him and he said "okay" and he is working on not drinking it anymore! He is ready to obey. Then, we found some new people this week. Some of them are Hugo and Laura who are neighbors of the familia Romue (the family I like so much and the dad is a setenta (70)). We have been trying to get a hold of them for a while and we could finally teach them in the house of the familia Romue! It went really well as we taught the restoration, they really seemed interested, Hugo especially and you can't ask for a better member to help you out than a Seventy! Great start with them. And then we had the baptism of Ignacio. It really was quite special and made me think back to the time when Brooke got baptized. I saw all those jovenes (youth) from other Wards and from his own Ward there to help him out. He really is a special kid and I feel blessed to have at least been a small part of his conversion story. He had been waiting for that day for almost a year and his smile said it all. We asked him to give his testimony in the service and what a testimony it was! He understands the gospel! That is a future missionary right there! So a pretty good week. I really love you all and love this gospel that is so true!
Love,
Elder Andrew

semana 5.... where did the transfer go?!

October 6, 2014

 

Yeah, that is right, I can't believe that the time is going by so fast! They will probably take me out of here. One, because I have been here a while and two, I am starting to get comfortable and when someone gets the hang of things in the mission is right when they take you out! But oh well, I still have plenty of time to work here! Well I'll jump right to conference cause I have got plenty to share! Well first of all since my comp is a Latino and we had investigators show up I decided to watch all of the conference in Spanish. It was kind of cool that I could understand basically everything! Thinking back to my first conference when I had to watch a session in Spanish and Elder Bednar talked about tithing and I don't think I even understood that he was talking about tithing! At least there is some growth there haha. Then, with the new language thing, it was really cool with the two elders that spoke in Spanish. What a blessing the Lord gave me to be able to learn another language! It was good though to listen to the choir sing English hymns, what power they have in music. I loved after the prophet talked that they sang "How Firm a Foundation". How firm a foundation we really do have as members of the church! We have a prophet that receives constant revelation. 12 apostles as well. We know who God, Christ and the Holy Ghost are, and we can base our lives not only on the Bible but also on the Book of Mormon and other scripture. QUE firmes cimientos! (how firm is our foundation) Well, Federico went to the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions with his kids and he loved it. I caught one of his kids sleeping but he only has 11 years so what can you expect haha. Then, Charly showed up late on Saturday night. He is really surprising me because he told us he doesn't let preachers into his house, not the testigos (Jehovah's Witnesses) or the evangelicos (evangelists), nadie (nobody). But he read the first pamphlet and we didn't even tell him to but he started reading the Book of Mormon. And then when we were reading a part of 3 Nephi and it said something about the people of Nephi and he said "hold on a second let me explain this to my wife so she can understand".  He then told her who the nephites where!!! Talk about golden investigator! He has a lot of children living close too so hopefully we can teach them as well. Then, Ignacio came and had his interview after almost a year of going to the church as an investigator. He is going to be baptized next Sunday by his friend Augusto! How awesome is that! Then, in between sessions on Sunday, we ran to the stake center in Berazategui to do some baptismal interviews and got all wet because it was raining but they all passed so I guess it was worth it haha! Today in my study I reviewed my notes from conference and made a few goals for myself, I invite you all to do the same. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Andrew