12-25-2015

From Tanner's Skype on Christmas day.

He said that his city has had so much rain that it's flooding really bad.  The stake president called and told them to pack their bags so they can be ready to leave at any moment if they need.  The day after Christmas they ended up moving in to another apartment that is less likely to flood.  So they are 4 Elders in an apartment for 2.

For Christmas they had a zone meeting in the morning and then the skype at the church.  He then was going home to make jalapeno poppers.

They are hoping for a baptism on Jan 9 they have a person committed for that day.  They are always looking for new investigators.  He loves what he is doing and loves the Lord.

12-14-15

Hola family how are you?  Another week has come and gone with lots of rain and sun.  It's 7:30AM and it's already 95 degrees.

Yesterday was church and E came again so that was fun.  We only taught him once this week because his schedule is very complicated and he works a lot.  We only met with him once but we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ and he still wants to get baptized on the 9th of January and yesterday in church I gave him the paperwork to get married.  We have a lesson with him tonight, hopefully that all goes well. 

Christmas is 12 days away.  Sister Franco gave us a folder that has 12 days of Christmas and every single day we have to do something special for someone else.  Yesterday it started and what it said was write someone a note and give them a gift.  I had this extra scripture case and one time in church Brother C said that he really like my scripture case.  I gave it to him for Christmas and he was pretty happy.  Just trying to make this Christmas special.  

Yesterday was the Christmas devotional and we went and watched.  It was really good.  I like President Uchtdorf's talk and how there's a lot of Christmas giving and it's a good atmosphere but we need to remember that Jesus Christ gave us an eternal gift.  

We also had divisions this week.  I went on divisions with Elder Reynolds.  He's a good guy that will go home in about 1 transfer so he's a bit trunky but that's OK he's a good guy. M wasn't progressing very well so we hadn't been by but we went by again this week and it looked like she may start progressing again but she didn't come to church.  I don't know what's wrong, we are teaching so many good people that don't come to church.  It makes it hard but that's OK.   My district leader (my comp) is going to talk about commitments tomorrow.  We're going to work on that so we can get more people to come to church.  We are still looking for more people.  We have great people that want to get baptized but don't come to church.  

The family B is a family that lives right next to M to so we are teaching them too.  They like us.  The dad invited us for lunch.  We ate fried alligator for lunch.  It's alligator or crocodile (not sure of the difference).  It's breaded and it's fried.  It was pretty funny because he was drinking his wine along with the whole family and we were drinking our juice.  We explained that we don't drink alcohol.  They like the lesson, so we'll see where that goes.

I don't know if I told you this but we often get up early and go run.  About 3 or 4 blocks away is a BIG cross and for Christmas they put up a nativity by the cross.  Around the cross is 4 big pictures.  On the side of the nativity there is a star.  On the other side there's the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove.  Pretty Catholic but we're living in a place that is 90% Catholic, the dove covers the world with its wing.  The other side there's a picture of the nativity on the 4th side there's a picture of Mary on a donkey with Joseph walking with her.  It just so happens to be that the picture is from our church.  You know the live videos and with Mary and Joseph, that's the picture, we recognized it.  I'm not sure that they got permission to use the picture but that's OK it's Jesus so we can get over it.  It's kind of funny.

This week was a good week, that's all I have to say.  I love you guys.  Another thing today is my last p-day before Christmas.  So in other words no p-day next week until Friday when I Skype.  I'll probably email you right before I Skype you to be sure you're ready and then I'll call you.  We'll chat a little, see how the weather is in Utah, how the Jazz are doing, how REAL SLC is doing.  Love you tons.  I'll talk to you on Friday.  Bye.

12-7-15

Hola family, how are you?  

 We had another great week, Wednesday we got back to work after p-day on Tuesday.  We'd been working a  lot with the family M.  We had passed by their house Saturday and because his schedule is weird but this last Sunday he didn't have to work --but they didn't show up to sacrament meeting.  Half way through Sacrament meeting I get a text message from the mother who said the alarm didn't go off.  So I went outside of the sacrament meeting while everyone was bearing their testimony and called them.  I told them that they could still come to the classes and not worry about being late.  Then they showed up a little bit late but I think they really liked it.  He is so solid, he would be a great member.

 Two weeks ago I was on division with Elder Lopez, we were working in his area and we had lunch with some members and we asked them for references.   They gave us a reference of a lady that is in our area, we went Saturday in the morning and watched the new A Savior is Born.  As missionaries we're using that video to get references to teach lessons and to feel the spirit of Christmas.  We took it to the reference, her name is M.  We watched it with her and she felt the spirit super strong.  She couldn't go to church yesterday because her cousin got in an accident.  She's a solid investigator.  I think she'll get baptized. 

Other than that our other investigators kind of disappeared.  C, we saw her Monday and since then we haven't seen her and we've passed by and we can't get a hold of her.  M was so solid and he didn't come to church.  We set plans on Saturday and he didn't come to church.  Sunday we called him and he's not answering.  People are just disappearing.  Other than that we are looking for new investigators and trying to help the ones that we have get baptized. 

This week we also had meetings in Resistencia, we woke up nice and early, at 3AM and got to Resistencia at 7AM.  We left at 8:30pm and got home at midnight.  We didn't sleep very much that day.  Basically we talked about the Christmas videos and how to use them in the mission work. 

This week it was cloudy all week long and it rained a ton.  There's a lot of flooding, and when it rains a ton all the little rivers flood.  The little rivers fill up and flood everything.  It's like the little river down by the Madson's house and when it rains it turns in to the size of the Jordan River in Lehi.  Anything close to the little rivers get flooded.  A lot of people don't have a house right now.  It's actually pretty sad. 

Something else that is heart breaking, Saturday we went to the R family.  G the little girl that is 9 that was baptized a month ago, we went over and the mother she understands the basics of the gospel.  She understands that Joseph Smith was a prophet but she doesn't have a testimony.  She understands the words we say but she doesn't have a testimony.  We stopped by Saturday to see how they are doing and she said you guys can't come by anymore, I've decided to go back to my old church.  That was kind of sad because she has 3 kids that don't have any hope any more.  We told her we respect your decision but we represent Jesus Christ and we represent His church and testified that this is His church.  But that's ok.  I hope they have success in the future. 

That was about all for this week.  It's going to be a nice hot day, the sun came out and it will be a sweaty day.  I love you guys ton and I'll be seeing you soon through skype soon, woot woot.  Oh the other thing my mission has been shortened by one week.  That means I'll be home for Thacker's birthday.  I leave Argentina the 20th of June, which means I'll probably be home June 22.  It got shortened because all the missions in the whole world are changing the time that missionaries are in the MTC when speaking their native language.  They'll be in the MTC 3 weeks.  So I'll be home a week earlier and we'll party on Thacker's birthday.

That's about it.  Love you tons.  Chow chow.

12-1-15

 I don't like speaking in English so bear with me.  It's been a fun full past week, it was  a great week.  How are you family?  Last Monday we had a Family Home Evening.  We had A and G over to a family's house and watched a movie about Thomas S. Monson.  Because we were going over the baptismal questions and G y Adidn't really know who he was so we watched the movie, On the Lord's errand.   It was a little confusing for them, not for me because I've been a member my whole life but they felt the spirit.  That Monday we planned the baptism.  Everything that could have gone wrong for the baptism went wrong.  Literally Satan was fighting so hard against us this week, so many problems, so many obstacles, so many changes, it was honestly incredible.  But they got baptized, we prayed a lot and did everything we could so they could get baptized.

This week I went on divisions with Elder Lopez, I'd been on divisions with Elder Lopez a long time ago when I got to this area.  As we were walking around his area and we say some kids playing in the sewage ponds, the Sanhas.  They were fishing or something.  Elder Lopez goes over and talks to them and jokingly asks if there's a shark in the pond.  Long story short it turns out the kids were Mormons.  They wanted us to talk to their mom and dad.  It turns out one of the little brothers hasn't been baptized yet and he wants to.  From now on Elder Lopez and I call the sewage pond the holy sewage pond, because that's where we found investigators to baptize. 

It's really hot again in Argentina.  Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday it was so hot.  120 degrees Fahrenheit.

I've honestly sweat this week more than I have in my entire life.  Friday we went to go to work and it was super hot and we didn't think it would rain.  Out of nowhere came a huge rain storm, even hail fell.  We didn't have our rain coats or an umbrella so we got completely soaked.  It was kind of fun, one of those moments on the mission I won't forget. 

We've been working with the family M, he's a Dr and turns out the mom was a missionary like 10 years ago.  He is really starting to open up and he was going to go to church this weekend but Satan put his horns in.  Hopefully he'll come next week.  C was also going to come to church but right before she came to church her mom showed up at her house for a surprise visit.  So she didn't want to leave her so she wasn't able to come to church.  This week we found another investigator in our area named M.  Saturday in the adult session of stake conference.   After one of our members brought an investigator to church who wants to get baptized.  He's set a date for baptism for 26th of December. 

This week with stake conference there were a ton of meetings on Saturday and Sunday.  Originally we planned the baptism for Saturday at 3PM but G and A couldn't get baptized then.  Then we moved it to Sunday after Stake Conference.  Then we talked to the assistants and president wanted it before Stake Conference so we moved it.  Then the bishop that is in charge of the stake center called and said we couldn't have a baptism Sunday morning because they didn't want it dirty before Stake Conference.  We called the stake president to get permission to let them get baptized and it all worked out.  We were running around all week trying to get the baptism ready.  The baptism was brought to pass.  It was super cool they showed up at 8 AM.  We got dressed in white, took some pictures.  A lot of people showed up for their baptism.  The water was super cold.  I baptized Aa and Elda Tapia baptized G.    After we ate cookies.  After stake conference they were confirmed and they are new members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   That was probably my favorite baptism of my whole mission just because we worked so long and so hard with them.  They are just so cool.  I love them so much.

Transfers happened again, surprise surprise,  I stayed in the area.  I really excited that I'll be here for Christmas and New Years because it is a great area.  I stayed here with Elder Tapia, he's a good guy I like him. 

Yesterday we sat in the terminal until about 4PM.  Then we went out and worked.  We had another Family Home Evening with A and G.  This time we watched The Testaments.  It was kind of funny because after A had a question.  She said she had been thinking that morning about  if the church is so focused on the family why do you you guys leave your families for a mission.  It must be  really sad when you leave she said.  Then the spirit told me to say that we have our families too and we'll return to our own families but what we hope is that they will always apply what we teach them.  If they always apply what we teach them then they will get to heaven.  When we get to the celestial kingdom, there we will be an eternal family and we'll never separate ourselves again.  It was a pretty decent answer and it seemed that she like the answer.  We need to keep helping them become strong members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was a good week.  Next week we have meetings again.  We just need to continue to find people to teach and baptize. 

Love you guys a ton and I'll see you all later.