Week 38~

Elder Knight shined my shoes- que capo!

This one is going to be a little bit shorter this week because I am trying to send a bunch of pictures, but pictures are worth a thousand words so I sent like 9000 words.. But this week was so great as always. We had another week of craziness. As leaders theres always something every day that happens that makes it so we don't get to just work all day in our area and visit all of the people we have planned, but it keeps things interesting so I love it! This week we did divisions with the assistants so I went to Rosario for a day and worked there with one of my best friends in the mission Elder Holloway. We lived together in my last area and became super good friends so it was super cool to be with him for the day in Rosario. I learned a bunch from him and after divisions were over I had one of those moments again in the mission where I thought,¨what am I doing?¨ I need to step my game up. I have found that that happens fairly often to me on the mission. I get to a certain point or a certain level and just start to feel comfortable and limit my progress a little bit, but then I get a wake up call and realize I have so much to improve on and so many things to change! And I had one of those moments this week, I started feeling really bad about myself and about all of the things I need to work on. But I remembered a scripture in 2nd Corinthians 7:10 that talks about Godly sorrow and how sometimes we have to feel that sorrowness to help us remember to repent, and ultimately it brings salvation. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to feel that desire to repent and be better. And there are lots of things that I am trying to do better so that I can help more of my brothers and sisters come unto Christ! This week we had interviews with President Zanni and he talked to Elder Knight and I together. He reminded us of how God is literally our Father, Jesus Christ is literally our brother and the Holy Ghost is also our Brother and all three of them are part of this great work that we are doing. We have the blessing of the Gift of the Holy Ghost which is truly the constant companionship of a God with us at all times. We have a Father that is willing to give us any blessing we ask if it be righteous and with faith. And we have a brother that knows exactly how we feel and is pleading to the Father for us when we do what he taught. President always reminds us of the importance of having faith and making goals remembering that its not just my companion and I working, but My companion, myself, and the Lord! I wish I could properly convey how awesome President Zanni is and how much he inspires me and how grateful for him I am, but its pretty hard to do. But I know that I am becoming such a better missionary than I was before, due in great part to his advice and inspiration. This week we have a baptism planned! Maria is the mom of a recent convert to the church named Nicolas who is such a stud! He is about to get his mission call. But we have been visiting maria since we got to the area and have had lots of very powerful experiences with her, we love her a lot and are super excited for this step of faith that she is making. Everything is going so great. I am so happy and so excited about the area that I am in and the people I have met here! Next week is transfers so hopefully I don't leave! I love Alma 37: 6-7 Its the little things we do day to day that lead to salvation. I know this is the only Church on the earth that has the Priesthood of God, the authority to baptize, to give the gift of the Holy Ghost, to seal families for the eternities in the Temple, to give blessings of health and comfort, and so many other blessings. I love Jesus Christ and all that he did and does for us. I love my Heavenly Father that blesses me so much more than I can ever deserve. And I love being a missionary and feeling the love that God has for His children in Argentina. I love you all, have a great week!

We found chips and Salsa in walmart.. yeah walmart is in my area

Week 37~

This week was so awesome! We saw so many miracles! So we started working in our new area last monday and immediately found lots of success in finding people to teach and finding members that could help us out and everything just seemed to go so perfectly. We visited less active members that we found in our area book and knocked on doors (or clapped at the doors because thats what we do here) and we called all of the phone numbers we could find and tried to do everything we could to get established right away in our area and it went so well. One family we visited is a part-member family, the moms name is Marisa and her boyfriend Martin and then her daughter Daniella and her son José- Martin is not a member of the church and the rest of the family hasn't gone for two years, but we visited them and right away felt a lot of confidence that we are going to see lots of progress and changes in their family. And this sunday they all came to church for the first time in two years and it was just so cool! They are super prepared and ready to make changes in their lives and we are just the lucky missionaries that get to see it happen. Another person we have in our new area is a woman named Maria and she is the mother of a new member named Nicolas who is a total stud. He got baptized like 10 months ago and is already waiting for his mission call to come. He goes out and visits people with us all the time and isnt afraid to share the gospel with anyone. But his mom is Maria and she has a date to be baptized very soon too so we are working super hard to get her prepared for that. Yesterday we taught about faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. It was a lesson full of the Spirit. Maria really opened up to us and shared with us a lot of really hard things that have happened in her life, she has lost a lot of loved ones. We talked to her about the Plan of Salvation that Heavenly Father has put into effect so that we can have eternal happiness. At the end of the lesson I felt prompted to share with Maria something that our Mission Presidents wife said, ¨that we need to look for the people that have ancestors waiting to have their works done for them that they need for their salvation¨ or in other words, there are people in the spirit world that have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and all they are waiting for is that someone does the ordinances in the Temple for them. And we need to find their descendents. That came to my mind in this lesson and I felt like i needed to tell that to Maria. I told her that her family members are waiting for her to accept the gospel and then afterwards give them the chance to accept it as well. I told her that she was one of those people that we needed to find. We all felt the spirit testify so strongly in that moment and we know she felt it. She is going to be a great member of the church of Jesus Christ. Besides them we have found a lot of other great people and we are so excited about our new area. I know we are going to have success. I feel more excited about this work than I have ever been probably. We are still looking for a new apartment because right now we have to either walk an hour to our area or take a bus and that is getting expensive so we are on the hunt! This transfer is flying by. Time needs to slow down on the mish. But I am enjoying every moment of it, even the lame ones! I love you guys. I love the Lord. I love being a missionary and I wouldnt trade it for the world. The gospel is the way to happiness! Have a great week!

Week 36~

This week was so great! This week I went to Rosario for my first Leaders council with President Zanni and all of the zone leaders and it was so awesome. I love President Zanni. He is such an inspired man and he has so much love for the Lord. The faith he has really rubs off on everyone and he just tells us how it is. I was asked by President to give the spiritual thought at the start of the meeting and immediately a scripture came to my mind that I felt like I needed to share and it was D&C 58: 26 For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward. 27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; 28 For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. 29 But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned. 30 Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments? 31 Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled? I love that scripture. The Lord tells us that we should do good for our own free will and that we shouldn't have to wait to be commanded in all things and if we do so we will be blessed greatly. The Lord always completes his promises. I have come to learn on the mission that it really is that way. I know the Lord loves us and always keeps His promises. As missionaries we have such a short time to do this work and it is so dang important and we have to be agents unto ourselves and be anxiously engaged in this good cause. I am trying to take advantage of every moment in the mission! We also had our first zone meeting this past week and I got to give a talk or presentation.. I don't really know how to describe it in english.. But it went really well. I talked about Christ-like attributes and how it is completely necessary that we have trials and tribulations to become sanctified and really learn if we have the attributes of Christ. Isaiah 48:10 talks about that. Elder Knight and I are working super hard and having a bunch of great investigators and people that are progressing in the repentance progress and we can truly see a mighty change of heart that they are having! I love this work and I just wish there was more time every day to talk to everyone that lives in Santa Fe haha, but I am doing what I can. I know the Lord is happy with me for what I am doing, but I also know I still have so much room to grow and develop and be more obedient and be better. I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth, restored by God through the prophet Joseph Smith. in the words of the Apostle, Jeffrey Holland, talking about the Book of Mormon, ¨No evil man could write such a book, and no good man could write it, unless he was inspired of God.¨ Love you all! Be good

Week 35~

Hey Family! Well this week was a super exciting one! I had to say goodbye to all of my dear friends in Venado Tuerto which was super sad, I was only there for 9 weeks but I already loved the people there so much and had a lot of really great friends that I was super sad to leave. I really didnt want to leave that area, but I am already loving my new area too! Santa Fe is HUGE. There are so many people here. Which means so many people to share the gospel with obviously. So that makes me super excited. I actually really love talking to people in the streets and there was hardly anyone in the streets in my last area so now I am in paradise with all the people in the streets haha.. My area is in the city so there are a lot more people with money and cars and with that comes more robberies and the people arent as trusting and willing to let two random grown men come into their house and teach them about God.. But we are working on it! I already knowing my companion and I are going to have tons of success together. Elder Knight is from Syracuse, Utah! I asked him if he knows the Warner family, but he said it sounds familiar but doesnt know them.. He has about 19 months on the mission and knows a ton about life and being a ZL so he is teaching me a lot. We are also like best friends. We get along so well and laugh all the time, it is so fun. We are working super hard but also having lots of fun which is great. I already know our time together is going to fly by. He is a super humble dude and loves the work and is willing to respect and support me and my ideas as the other zone leader which I really appreciate. Being a zone leader so far has been super fun. I have ten other elders in my zone and ten sisters and there are tons of new missionaries. We have four missionaries in our zone that just got here to argentina last week and then theres another 3 that are still in their first three months so there is tons of excitement and desire in the zone to work hard and see miracles. I already feel so much love for all of the missionaries I am leading and serving and I am learning a lot about how to make decisions and how to do it in the way the Saviour would. I love this work and I love being a missionary. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is the only true church on the earth that has all of the truth and all of the authority that is necessary to make it back to the presence of Our Heavenly Father. The evidence is in the scriptures and I dont just know its true. I feel it. I know that Heavenly Father loves us soooo much. We dont even get it. We wont ever understand how much He loves us. We just have to do what He asks and He will give us all that He has.. Which is everything.. I love you guys.

Me and my buddy Elder Holloway- he was called to be a new AP

Week 34~

Hey Fam! Well this week was a crazy week! With the final of the World Cup going on, we didn´t have a whole lot of successful work haha but my mission pres let us watch the game!! It was so awesome. All of us missionaries went to another city (Pergamino) to meet the president and he is such an awesome guy. I seriously am so excited about having him as our president. He is giving us a lot more freedom to do what we want and says that he trusts us to do the right things, which I think is great. He is changing lots of things and I think the mission is going to keep moving forward and progressing. While we were there, president asked to interview a few of us and I was one of them and I had an awesome interview with him. He gave me some great council and I am even more excited to be in this work! So we got to watch the final and that was super sad. WE SHOULD HAVE WON! Argentina didn´t really play that well which was a bummer, so all the argentines are sad, but maybe now I can bring some joy into their lives with the gospel! This weekend transfers started and yesterday they called to assign the new trainers and zone leaders and I was actually really hoping that I might train because I think that would be super fun to help a new missionary in his first two transfers.. But I got a call from one of the assistants and they told me that I have been assigned to be a zone leader in Santa Fe.. I was super shocked. It was something that had never even crossed my mind. It almost never happens that someone goes from being a junior companion to a zone leader because normally they should have experience as a district leader or at least senior companion.. So I feel super unprepared and inexperienced and not ready for the assignement I have. And I am also super sad to leave my area here in Venado Tuerto because I love the members and we have some awesome investigators and I feel like I just got here. But I am excited for the new opportunities I will have to lead and help other missionaries and learn a lot from those I serve. I feel super humbled and not ready, but I know that God puts us where we need to be in the mission and I know that He will help me to learn and grow and fill the capacities that I have to fill.. So hopefully I don´t blow it! Haha. But My new area is called ciudadela, in the city of Santa Fe in the provincia of Santa Fe and my new comp is Elder Knight from the States! I heard he is awesome guy so I am excited about that. So I have a lot to do today to pack up and say goodbye to everyone before I leave tomorrow morning. And I have to do a lot of praying... That will help for sure. Other than the big changes, I am doing great, I am super happy to be a missionary and super excited about all the time I still have left. I know this is where I am supposed to be and I am doing what I am supposed to do and that brings me the greatest joy that I have ever found in my life. The mission is so dang hard. If anyone ever says its not, then they did it wrong. But it truly is the best two years. I love the Lord and I know He Lives and loves us. I love you all and am so grateful for your love and prayers. I am praying for you all and I know the Lord is blessing and protecting you during these two years. Always seek to recognize the immense amount of blessings we have. There are so many! Have a great week!

Tried to make stir fry~didn't turn out so good!

Week 33~

Hola Querida Familia, This week was excellent! We saw lots of success and blessings this week! I knew it was bound to come soon.. This week we found several new people to teach which is what we have been lacking, so now we are going to be super busy visiting lots of people! We also have been visiting lots of the members that live in our area and we have been strengthening the relationships we have with them. I love visiting the members.. I think its something that a lot of missionaries undervalue, but they are people and families with problems and needs just as much as the people that aren´t members. I have seen that even the strongest families need the help of the missionaries to remind them of the little things they should be doing and also to help bring the spirit into their homes. I love that as missionaries we have the calling to invite everyone to come unto Christ. I love visiting families and helping them to keep progressing as a family centered in Jesus Christ and his teachings. Its the best way to have a happy family! And I am learning so many things about how I want my future family to be. Yesterday we contacted a man and his wife and at first they kind of rejected us, he was saying that he already had his religion and that he is busy and stuff, but we asked if we could just give him a pass-out card and he accepted and then he just began to talk to us and open up about how his dad had passed away a couple months ago. He began to cry and cry and share how he has been this way ever since the day he died. He doesnt sleep and doesnt eat and he has been having problems with alcohol and it was just super sad. It was sad for me to see someone with so much pain because he doesnt understand the great plan of our Father in Heaven. We shared some scriptures from 2 Nephi 2 in the BOM about the plan of Salvation and the purpose of this life and then also in Alma 40 about the Spirit world where we go after we die and the spirits of the righteous are in a state of peace and rest. I felt the spirit so strongly talking with this man and his family. I felt so strongly the love that the Savior has for him. We were able to testify to him that what he is going through is just a moment and that there is opposition in all things so that we can have joy and so that we can grow and progress in this life. It was a lesson full of the Spirit. It made me so grateful for the knowledge and peace that I have as a member of this church. And it gave me a reminder of how important it is that I share it with everyone! And every member of the church has that same responsibility to share it with their friends! Yesterday some drunk or stoned guy came wobbling over to us and tried to rob my companion haha it was super funny.. It was day time in like the middle of the street and he comes up to my comp and touches his beany and says, is that yours? ANd my comp said yeah and then he says to some other guy that he was talking to that he was going to rob us so then I said ¨okay we are going to go¨ and then he comes after us and says to my comp, hey give me your jacket and my comp said no and then he said give me your jacket again and then my comp was like no its mine.. And the guy grabs my comps arm and so then we just told him to go away basically and he like threatened us haha, but honestly I dont think he ever even saw me haha he was just looking at my comp the whole time. I think because I am bigger.. But it was silly, he wasnt scary at all and he was super out of it. But that counts for both me and my comp as our first attempted robbery haha it was funny. ALl is good here! I love you all and am super grateful for you guys. Thanks for all of the love and prayers that you are sending my way. You are all in my prayers and thoughts! Con mucho cariño

Week 32~

What up family? Hope all is well with you guys and that you are behaving.. This week was a pretty normal week, we didn't get a ton of work done because Elder Hokanson was pretty sick all week so that has been frustrating.. But we have been able to work with an investigator that is progressing super well and he came to church yesterday which was huge because NO ONE comes to church here.... But yeah he came and he really liked it and he is preparing to be baptized in the next couple of weeks! He has a desire to change and leave a lot of things behind that he has done in his life and we have the way to do that! Through his faith in Jesus Christ and a sincere desire to change and repent he will be able to feel completely free of all of the weight that he has been carrying in his life. I love that we bring that message of peace and happiness to the people. The satisfaction of seeing someone in the process of coming to understand the love that Heavenly Father has for us is something so fulfilling that I just want to do it for the rest of my life.. This week I did divisions with Elder Holloway (my ZL) and that was sweet because we both just want to work and get it done so we had an awesome day together. HIm and I have become super good buddies. We had a crazy lady flag us down on our bikes and she started saying ¨hey come here, get of your bikes..¨¨ and elder holloway said no we are okay and so then she comes over to us and said hey come here, there are two germans that live here and we are gonna say a prayer.. come here we are going to pray.. and then she asked us for our cell phone number and obviously elder holloway gave her a fake number and then she gave us hers but we didn't want to write it down so elder holloway said he was going to memorize it haha. I don't know if adequately explained how crazy she was but basically she showed a lot of potential to be someone we will be visiting in the future.. But it has been a good week, yesterday I had an interview with President Giuliani and it was his last interview because the new Pres comes like next week! So that was really good, he gave me a lot of good advice. He is an awesome guy! All is well, I am loving the mission and still trying to develop patience. Certainly the Christ-like attribute that I lack the most, but I am trying to get better! I love you all and want you to know that I love our Savior. Have a great week!