CHAU Grandon. HOLA Gonzalez.

Holy smokes this week has been so nuts and busy. It feels so long since I’ve had to write one of these. But holy moly, it was a pretty good week none the less. We got quite a bit of stuff done. Not in terms of lessons and new investigadores, but it was a really busy week and we were running around all over the place doing things. Well. Alright.

Monday night is where this week begins, because Elder Cortes and I had to go to Santa Fe and sleep there before going to Rosario the next morning for Tramites. So, we were traveling pretty late at night. We didn’t leave Santo Tome until super late, but when we got to Santa Fe, it was raining super hard, and I mean absolutely dumping, and we got a little lost. So we were walking around in the streets of Santa Fe, completely drenched, and pretty dang hungry. But, we ended up getting were we needed to, ate some cereal and milk and got to bed because we had to wake up nice and early the next morning. 

Tuesday starts off at 4 in the morning, getting ready and eating quickly before piling into the Office Van and heading to Rosario. This trip was me, Elder Cortes, two other Elders, two hermanas, and Elder Marshall and Elder Sanchez from the offices. It was a pretty good trip. On the way there, Elder Cortes and I got to talk a bit and have a few good laughs. In Rosario itself, sitting and waiting for the paperwork to be done and stuff was pretty lame, but I was able to talk to a few people and get to know them. It’s super cool because in the Tramites offices, there are a bunch of people from all different countries. So I got to talk to a lady from Puerto Rico, a guy from the Dominican Republic, and a few others from places like Guatemala and Costa Rica and all these different places. It was pretty awesome. Spanish is pretty much the same wherever you go.  I could talk with all of them without any problems. They always end up asking about our religion and beliefs and things like that, so it’s actually a great way to share and testify to people. Other than that, we didn’t do anything in Rosario. And this trip was actually super good and fast, so we got back to Santa Fe and had lunch there. We were able to get some McDonalds and then hang out in the offices for a little bit. Elder Cortes and I had to stay a little bit longer than the rest because we had to pick up a new phone for him and Elder Delgado after Elder Delgado baptized Francisco last week with the phone in his pants pocket. So, by the time we got back to Santo Tome, we were right on time for the dinner/teaching appointment with the FML Penno. Since we weren’t really able to celebrate their baptisms the day of, we had a bit of a party in their house with a few other members and their families. It was pretty great actually. We had a lot of laughs and the Penno’s are totally the best family ever. Gosh dang I love them so much. They are also becoming pretty good friends with the other member families too. They make me so happy!!

Wednesday. In the morning, not too much happened. We had set up a few citas, but they had fallen through. So, there isn’t much to say about that. But, in the afternoon, we went on divisions with the Zone Leaders, which would be Elder Loveridge and Elder Christensen. I went with Elder Christensen to their area in Santa Fe. So we traveled to their area, dropped my stuff off at their pench, and got to work. We had two pretty dang good citas. The first was with a contact that Elder Christensen and Loveridge had met a few days earlier. So we passed into her home and talked with her and her son. The mom was a little old, but the kid was only 22ish years old. They both had a little bit of learning problems, so neither knows how to read. But, we were able to get to know them and share a little bit of our purpose as missionaries and what we do. Then, we were able to teach them how to pray and it was so funny because after we had taught them, the son just started saying his own little silent prayer. It was so funny and awesome! And so amazing to see just how excited he was to learn more! After that, we had a lesson with a few of the Zone Leaders super cool investigadores. The family is so amazing and they are actually really ready to be baptized, the only problem is that they aren’t able to attend the church meetings very often because the mom always has to work and the dad usually can’t keep the kids under control all by himself. But, they are progressing really well and are still looking forward to being baptized. The family consisted of the mom and dad, a daughter of 9 years, a daughter of about 6 years and a little son of 3 years or so. They are all so amazing. We were teaching the daughter more than anything, but still teaching the parents at the same time because they can always learn more too. But, the daughter started feeling sick so we gave her a blessing and then she went to bed. But they offered us to eat dinner with them and we are never ones to say no to food, so of course we accepted. By the time we were done eating, it was time to go. So, they offered to drive us home too! So amazing. That family alone makes me want to work in Mayoraz, the area of the Zone Leaders, at some point in my mission. 

Thursday. In the morning, we went to the house of a member in Mayoraz that owns a Dietetica, or a store of diet and healthy foods. She needed a little bit of help in her store. So, we say that it was "service" but it wasn’t too hard at all. I always think of service as chopping down a tree or cleaning the water tank or cutting grass. But no, all we did was put some product from one bag, and put it in another. It was super chill and took basically all the morning. But it was also really good time to talk to Elder Christensen and become better friends. He’s a stud. Then we ate lunch, studied a little bit, and then went all the way back to Santo Tome to end divisions. It was a pretty good time that I had with Elder Christensen. I always learn quite a bit from him. Then, in the afternoon, we had a meeting with our Ward Mission Leader in the church just to review things, talk about the investigadores, and get things planned for the baptisms on Saturday. The afternoon before, Elder Grandon and Elder Loveridge had had a lesson with Mari that went really well. She was still feeling really good and ready for her baptism and we were happy to hear that. They had also gotten all the information for her baptism program. Because we baptized two people, Mari and a girl named Jazmin, they shared the program. So both chose only one person to pray and one person to give a talk. After the meeting, we were able to stay at the church and while Francisco and Ari had piano classes with Elder Delgado, Elder Grandon, Elder Cortes, and I were able to stay and chat with a few of the members, including Jose and Noelia for a little bit. It was a good time. Then, after that, not too much happened. We didn’t have any citas, but we tried contacting for a little bit and talked to a few people. 

Friday.

In the morning, we had our Limpieza Profunda or the Super Duper Deep Cleaning of our pench for the end of transfers. This time around, the Assistant’s made it so that we had to clean our pench and then send pictures of the clean pench to the Zone Leaders before we could know our transfers. SO we made sure the pench was nice and perfect before sending the pictures. Sadly, we had to wait until the entire flipping zone was done cleaning before we could receive any transfers, so we didn’t find out for a long time. So, in the meantime, we had a little meeting with Mari in the church that went pretty well. We read a chapter of the Book of Mormon with her and then left her with a little bit of homework reading in 2 Nephi 9. We also cleared up a few things for her on the baptism for the next day and she was still feeling super ready and excited. We also went to a cita for the other Elders because Elder Cortes was super sick, so we went and visited the girl Jazmin and talked to her for a little bit. Both Elder Grandon and I had been to her house before, so she already knew us. But we talked with her and ran her through what was going to happen during the next day for her baptism. She was feeling super ready too and didn’t have a single questions. It was super nice. Then, afterwards, we went to look for the baptismal clothing for both Jazmin and Mari at the house of a member. Then we had to go  back to the church and wait for people to come to the English Class, but sadly no one came. So we went back to the Pench, dropped off the white baptismal clothing, and went to see the FML Penno to tell them about transfers. It turns out that I’m staying, but that Elder Grandon was leaving. All the way to Federal that is in the provincia de Entre Rios. Super far away. So we let them know first out of anyone. They were all pretty sad to hear it. Noelia even cried a little bit. But then we set up a dinner and chat time for Sunday to say goodbye officially. Then, we went to the house of the FML Amarilla for dinner. This time around, we had some pizza and these super dang amazing calzone kind of things. Like always, the food was amazing. And, I had a lot of fun with the Familia because they are super funny and the dad is a little nuts, but super great. Then we had a super good kind of desert that was a crepe with bananas and dulce de leche and oh my good golly was it good! But yeah. I always love going by to see them and have dinner. They are an amazing family. 

Saturday.

In the morning, Elder Delgado had to do some laundry, so I had to stay with him in the pench while the other guys went out to see a few people. So I was stuck in the pench all morning. Then we had lunch with a member family and then went to the church to set up some of the chairs for the baptism and then start filling the baptismal font. This time we knew how to get hot water going to the font, so the water wasn’t nearly as cold. Then we went back to the pench to get all of the baptismal clothes that we needed. Then we raced back to the church, got changed, got some pictures taken, and got going with the baptismal program. For this baptism, a bunch of people came again and we had a really good time. I was able to baptize Mari and Elder Delgado baptized Jazmin. It was a great program. Jazmin’s mom, who is a member that has been inactive for a while, gave her testimony and experience from her baptism that was super good! Then, after the baptismal service, there was a devotional of President Nelson while he was in Chile, I think, that everyone could stay to watch. As for the missionaries, it was our turn to clean the church building. So while the members were watching that, we were working hard to get the church clean. Then, after we were done, and after the devotional had ended, we had a ward dinner that everyone was able to participate in also. It was amazing. They had bought a few pizzas that were bigger than the tire of a truck! They were huge! And of course Jose was sure to make fun of me for eating so much... (sarcastically roll my eyes.) So we spent the rest of the night hanging out with all the members, having a good set of laughs and enjoying ourselves at the After Baptism Party. 

Sunday.

We got to the church and had a really good time. The classes were amazing and the sacrament meeting was great. In sacrament meeting, I was asked to direct the music. I wasn’t the best at it, but sitting up behind the pulpit was super great because I was able to see all the members and converts, the FML Penno and Mari, and feel the peace and joy that comes from missionary work. Also, in sacrament meeting we were able to participate in the confirmation of Mari and that was a great experience, especially for her. And then, totally as a surprise to me, they announced that Jose was going to be receiving the priesthood right after the meeting! I had no idea, but I was so happy to be able to participate in that also! Especially as part of the last day for Elder Grandon. Then, we got back to the pench, ate, and Elder Grandon got to packing. After that, we went to the house of FML Penno and spent the rest of the afternoon there. It was great. We had dinner, chatted, had a lot of fun and spent the last few hours of the transfer all together. It was so great, an amazing way to end the week. 

Monday, because it was transfers, we went to Santa Fe and I picked up my new companion, Elder Gonzalez from Bolivia. He is super chill and quiet and already has 9 months in the mission. We are going to get a whole bunch of super good work done this coming transfer, I can feel it. Also, along with Elder Grandon, Elder Delgado is leaving and being replaced by Elder Carter. The hermanas are staying the same. 

So that was the week. A pretty dang good time, a little nuts, but super great. This coming week is going to be a little like it. This week we have conferences with Elder Villar from the Presidency of the Seventy both Wednesday and Thursday, so we are going to be pretty busy with that. So, I can’t wait to tell you guys all about it! Until next week!

Oh, some exciting news!  Remember Elder Robinson, my good friend and companion from Rafaela?  Well, he told me that Gabe wants to be baptized now! That is so amazing.  Elder Robinson left Rafaela to Rincon this transfer also, which is in my District!  I love that guy!

Chau!

Te quiero,

Elder Haley

My clothes line for my drenched clothes in Santa Fe

Playing a game and laughing our faces off

On the Mission Van

Jazmin and her mom

Mari and I before her baptism

After Baptism Party

Those giant pizzas!

Familia Penno

Last pictures with Elder Grandon at the church

He is a great missionary and friend!

At Familia Penno's saying goodbye to Elder Grandon.

At the train station with Elder Grandon

New companion, Elder Gonzalez from Bolivia!

Santa Fe

Get together at Familia Penno's home

Goofy pictures from Elder Grandon's camera...

Familia Penno's baptisms and holy cow I need a nap

Holy cow this week was nuts.  It was so great, but I am so dang tired now. Let me tell ya, it’s been quite the time here in Santo Tome. Let’s just say I’d be down for a nap right about now. BUT! We keepin’ on ‘ on. Right. So, about the week. Let’s seeeeeeeeee....

Tuesday. In the morning, we had a lesson with the one and only Jonathan out in Las Vegas. This time, we were able to talk to him about the story of the Brother of Jared. He was super interested in that, so we read a little bit of the story with him and we explained to him all of the stuff that was happening and who people were and what some words meant. In the end, we were able to teach him a little more about faith and then help him understand a little bit more of that. After him, we visited a few more people in Las Vegas, but not too much to report. After lunch with a member family and the siesta, we went to a few other people too. Truly, not too much happened up until our cita with the FML Penno. They are the coolest. Have I said that yet? But yeah. We went there and had a super good time with them. We helped them make some empanadas and we then afterwards planned all of the baptism and then answered a few questions. So, they decided who they wanted to be baptized by and who would speak and say prayers and all the good stuff. And, as my reputation has come to be, I ate a whole lot of food. But it’s not my fault. The empanadas were freaking amazing!

Wednesday

In the morning, we had a lesson with Mari in the church. It was a pretty good lesson. We were able to review all of the commandments with her. So Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, Diezmos, and Sabbath Day. She had already learned or heard about all of that, so it wasn’t anything too new to her. She didn’t have any problems with any of it either, except for tea. She drinks a lot of tea. It was funny because she asked "Why can’t I drink tea?" And I said to her "Because God doesn’t want you to!" After that, she didn’t ask "why" again, she only said it would be hard to change. But, we assured her that she could do it and that we were there to help her. So yeah, then we went through the questions for her baptismal interview and she did pretty well! Then we gave her the questions to practice and a little bit of reading to do, and that was that. After that, not too much happened, but it was a good time still. Then lunch with some members and after the siesta, we went back out and got some work done. First was a cita in Las Vegas with the lady that calls us Spies and her family. We had given her a pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation and she and her kids had "Studied" looking for some things to ask us to try and stump us or make us confused. We said "Bring it" and so the questions began. But really, all of the questions that they asked we answered super easily. I love that about being a missionary. It super easy to teach people and ask questions because the Church and the Gospel itself is super simple really and it all makes sense. So really, I don’t have to try and think of super deep and profound doctrine to answer questions, but I only have to answer super simply and teach basic principles. It’s so fun! After that, we went to the house of our Ward Mission Leader and we talk to him and shared with him the plans that we had made with the FML Penno for their baptismal service so he could know and then contact the members and people who had been chosen to give talks or prayers and also to contact the Presidents of the groups and organizations of the Ward so they could attend the baptism and give the Welcomes for the FML Penno. It was a good time. And afterwards, we went to visit another member family to see how they were doing. Like always, visiting members is fun because we get to know them better, and a lot of times, I get to mess around with some of the kids and have fun joking around with them. So yeah, it was a good time. 

Thursday.

Well. It was a pretty cool day on Thursday too. Not too bad. In the morning, we had a choque de fuerza in the area of the other Elders. It was alright. We honestly didn’t contact too many people. It takes forever to get out to their area by foot, so we didn’t have too much time to work. But, we were able to visit a few people that we had contacted already from choque de fuerzas before. But, we also contacted one chick that was super cool! She seemed to be super interested and accepted a Book of Mormon and everything! It was super cool. Now we can only hope that the Elders are able to find her while she’s home and teach and baptized the woman. We also were able to pass by a members house and pick up the clothes for the FML Penno and their baptisms. Then, lunch and the Siesta, and back out to work we went. Not too much happened. Oh wait, actually, on the way back to the pench from lunch, I got a random nose bleed which was super not fun, and afterward, my head started killing me. So, I took a fat nap to help feel better, but sadly, I wasn’t feeling too hot until about 6 o’clock or so. But, we went to the church building after that for a kind of meeting thing with the FML. Basically, Ari and Fran were going to have some piano classes from Elder Delgado while Elder Grandon and I talked to Jose and Noe. But, they ended up dropping off the kids and left. So we didn’t really know what to do. So we ended up talking to a few members and stayed there until the piano class was all done. It was fun, but not too much to talk about. After the class, when Jose and Noe came to pick the kids up, we made sure that they were still feeling good and ready for their baptisms the next day. It was a nice time to chat with them real quickly and help them feel comfortable and ready. But yeah, that’s about it for that day. Not too exciting. 

Friday.

Ohhhhhhh boy it sure was a crazy day Friday. So, we woke up in the morning and Elder Grandon and Elder Cortes were feeling flipping dead. Elder Grandon was super bad with a crazy cold and flu mix, team attack. So, Elder Delgado and I left with each other and hit up a few people. In the morning, we went to the church and had another lesson with Mari, but this time we were privileged enough to be accompanied by HNA Maciel. It was a pretty dang good lesson. We made sure to review the questions for her interview the following day and we were happy to see that Mari had practiced a lot and knew all that she needed to know! It was great. Then we read together in Alma 36 and learned more about Repentance. I love that chapter so much!! It’s so great! Mari really liked it too. I was super happy to see that she understands that repentance is not something to be taken lightly. She also shared with us that she felt that she had repented of her past mistakes. It was fantastic to hear! We set up a solid hour for the interview for the following day. Then, we had lunch with a member family and then after the siesta went back out to work yet again. This time, I hadn’t set up any citas for the afternoon, so we went around to a few people, just to talk to them for a little bit. We went by Fabian and invited him to an activity that we were doing for Saturday morning, and also to the baptisms. And we also visited a few other contacts and other people, but nothing really happened. Then, we went to the church and had an English Class with Dante. He is actually progressing a lot. His accent sure is thick, but he can understand just about all that I say, if I say it slow enough. He is also excited to finally get to read the Book of Mormon, because for a really long time, about 2 or 3 weeks, he was super sick and wasn’t able to do anything, especially really "really small words" as he puts it, or in other words, read the Book of Mormon. After that, we went to visit an investigator of the other Elders named Jasmin. She is a girl of 10 years and is planning on being baptized the same day as Mari. She has been coming to church and is having fun with the other girls her age and getting to learn new things. In the lesson, we reviewed some of the things about baptism and explained to her that when we are baptized, we make "promises" with God and Jesus, and they make their "promises" with us. It was a fun and good lesson and time to get to know her a little bit better before I did her interview for her baptism the next day. But yeah. It was a pretty crazy day and I was super dang tired by the end of it.

Saturday. 

Holy cow. It was an amazing day on Saturday. Oh my good golly. In the morning, we woke up and Elder Grandon was just as dead as the day before. It was pretty bad. He was super congested and couldn’t go a few minutes without blowing a nasty bit of gook out of his nose. So, we stayed in the pench for most o the morning and let him get some good power sleeping in. Then, when he woke up again, I gave him a few good ole Yankee medicine pills to help pep him up. Not too much, but just enough to give him a nice buzz. And then we went to the church and participated in very little of the activity that we had planned. It was meant to be a big tournament of ping pong with a bunch of members and less actives and investigadores from the two wards, but not too many people ended up coming. But, we were still able to play a bit of ping pong and had a good time. Then, when everyone left, Elder Grandon and I stayed in the church during the Siesta to fill the baptismal font. After that, Mari came for her interview with Elder Christensen, the ZL so we got to see Elder Loveridge too, and Jasmin came for her interview with yours truly. Jasmin did really well and passed her interview!! And the same for Mari. After that, we got all changed for the Baptisms and then got a bunch of pictures taken with all of the FML Penno. Gosh dang they are so cool. The baptismal service went really good too! I was able to baptize Jose, Elder Grandon baptized Noe, Elder Cortes baptized Ari, and Elder Delgado to Pancho. So, we were all dressed in white and we all had the chance to spend some time in the nice and cold water! After the actual baptisms, we were all super surprised when Bishop stood and asked Jose and Noe to came to the pulpit and share a few of their thoughts and feelings. It was great to listen to their words and the Spirit that they had felt as they were baptized. I loved to see that they had actually recognized all of the Spirit that was so abundant there. I love to hear their words and see how the Spirit was making them feel. After all of the program, we had a small little snack and chat time and the members were all able to greet and congratulate the family. It was amazing. Then, we said goodbye to all of them, packed up the stuff, and headed to HNA Amelia’s to wish her a Happy Birthday. Sadly, we weren’t able to stay for too long because Elder Grandon was still dying, so we spent a little bit of time with her, and then went back to the pench and ended the night there. Let’s just say that by the end of the day, I was all worn out and ready for a little bit of rest. But no need to say, it was a truly amazing experience to participate in their baptisms and share such a wonderful time with them. What great memories. 

Sunday. 

Well holy dang. Sunday sure was something. In the morning, we obviously went to church and had our classes and everything. It was a good set of lessons that we had this week. First was on Forgiveness and how we should try our hardest to forgive others, but just as important, to learn how to ask forgiveness from others. Then we had a lesson on Talents and how we all have them and how we can learn to develop and practice those talents that we have. Then, in Sacrament Meeting, we were able to do the confirmations of all of the FML Penno. The Spirit was so strong during that meeting. I was happy to be able to be the voice of the confirmation and blessing for Noe. You could really tell and see the difference in their eyes as they felt for the first time the companionship of the Holy Ghost. I know that they are going to always remember this day and cherish it forever. I can’t wait to write my feelings of gratitude and happiness that I have felt this week in my journal. I will admit, it was super nuts and a little crazy to get everything set up, but we were able to, in the end, help the FML Penno have a good experience. After lunch, we took the opportunity to try and nip this sickness thing in the bud. So we stayed in the pench for yet another afternoon, but luckily, Elder Grandon started to feel better. Slowly but surely. 

But yeah. That was the week. I’d like to take the time now to thank everyone that reads these crazy stupid long emails, especially you Adrian! It really means a lot. I know they aren’t always the most amazing things to share, but you can bet your money that I’m willing to share them with you all. 

I would just like to take this opportunity to leave you all with my testimony. I really do know that this church is true, and I will go to say that it is the only true church in all of the world. I know of this because I have felt the Spirit and each and every time that I kneel in prayer, asking my Heavenly Father if these things are true, I always feel the warmth and love of the Holy Ghost. I now take this time to invite each of you to do the same. I promise you all that you will come to know for yourselves if these things are true of not that by so doing, you will be blessed with peace of mind and hope for the future. I love this church and the missionary work that I am doing here in Argentina and wouldn’t trade this time for anything in the world. And I leave these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Until next time!

Chau

Elder Haley

Lunch with Hermana Vina

Ian and I

Familia Penno

All ready for the baptism

Yep, I helped make those beautiful empanadas! Food for Amelia's birthday.

Great week!

OOOOOOOOOOOOH my good golly this week sure was a little nuts, but in the end, IT WAS SOOOOOO FLIPPIN GOOD!!! Oh boy where do I start. Well, we all got pretty sick, but FML Penno is progressing better than ever! Man, I LOVE THEM!! Alright, so, for the week in total, day by day, lets get into it. 

Tuesday.

In the morning on Tuesday, we had a choque de Fuerza in our area, but it didn’t go too well. The Hermanas got a few contacts, but the other Elders and Elder Grandon and I struggled pretty bad. Legit, there was absolutely no one in the streets where we were working in. Pretty weird because it wasn’t a holiday or anything, just that no one wanted to talk to us, so they all stayed inside. Then, when we tried going door to door, legit, no one opened their door. NO ONE. It’s probably the first time in all of my mission that that has ever happened. But, it’s okay. After lunch with a member, we had Reunion de Distrito, and that went pretty well. Right now, the other Elders are working with the daughter of a Less Active lady, and she is progressing really well. She has a lot of good friends in the Ward and she already has 3 lessons now, so we are coming pretty close to doing her entrevista bautismal and setting everything up for her baptism! Yeah! The Hermanas are working really hard in their area, but are having a little bit of trouble finding people to progress really well, but we are helping them know how to work better in their area and how to use their time a little better. After that, we had a bit of time to read and study the scripture together. This week, we read together in Mormon 9, a super good chapter that covers just about everything. It was a good meeting. After that, we had to wait in the church a little bit for the Elders from the Offices to come by and drop off some pamphlets and bug spray and other things for us. So that took a little bit of time, and after that, we went to go see a few other people, but not too much to report, other than a super amazing Noche de Hogar with the FML Penno. We went by their house and walked with them to the house of our Ward Mission Leader. When we went to pick them up, Noelia told us that she had already made it to ALMA. Yeah! Flipping ALMA in the Book of Mormon. Dang. She also told us that the Sunday of General Conference, she watched the afternoon session of Conference at home. Gosh dang. But, the family home evening went pretty well. We were able to talk to them about Temples and Eternal Families, and also the Word of Wisdom. It was great. They understood everything, and they already have goals to work with the other groups of the church and do fundraisers so they can attend the Ward Temple Trip in December. In the end, we were sure to ask who already knew that they were going to be baptized. Big surprise, Noelia said she was going to, and also Ari and Fran. But, at the time, Jose still wasn’t too sure. He didn’t tell us that he wasn’t going to be baptized, but he just said he was "undecided." So, we didn’t spend too much time talking about that because we didn’t want him to feel too zeroed in on. But yeah. That’s basically all for that night. The two families got together pretty well. It was a good time all around. 

Wednesday. 

In the morning, we started divisions with the other Elders, and this time I went with Elder Cortes. In the morning, we went to a lesson with Mari, and it went super good. When we showed up, she had been reading and praying and was feeling really good. In the beginning, we asked her how she felt about Conference, and she said she really loved it. But she also had a few questions. And of course, one of them was why we don’t drink or smoke. So, we taught her the Word of Wisdom, and it was pretty good. Basically, no matter how thoroughly you explain something, Mari will always ask why. But, we were working pretty well to answer all of her questions and to use scripture to back it up. Elder Cortes is a wizard with the Bible. He knows all the good scriptures. Its pretty great. Then, we also talked with her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and explained to her Faith, Repentance, and Baptism. It was great. She really liked it, although she is a little scared of baptism. Not because of water or anything to do with the baptism itself, but because she knows just how important and meaningful it is, so that is actually really good because she doesn’t take her baptism lightly. But, in the end, we were able to invite her to be baptized, and she accepted the baptismal date that we presented, which was the 27th of October. But, she did say that she had to pray to know if it was what God wanted for her to do. So yeah, pretty dang good lesson. After that, we had lunch with a member family and had some noodles and sauce. It was pretty good, but you’ll see what that stuff did to us. All four of us Elders ate it. But, after lunch and after studies, we went back out to work. Jonathan had texted us that told us that he wasn’t going to be able to meet with us, so we went to see a few other people instead. We went by the FML Varino to see if they could help us have a Noche de Hogar in their house for the following night with FML Penno, and they said we could! We planned a few things with them and then headed out again to work. This time, we went by to see Fabian and we talked to him for quite a while about all sorts of stuff. We honestly didn’t teach him anything, but Elder Cortes got to know him and we tried to talk to him a little about coming to church, but we couldn’t really get him to focus on stuff other than video games. So that was pretty lame, but we invited him to church and he told us he would try. After that, we went by the FML Amarilla to pick us a few Pre'Pizzas that we had bought from them and to just talk with them for a little bit. They are doing well, but HNO Amarilla has to get another surgery done on his wrist to fix a little bit of nerve damage. So that stinks because it’s been a few months now since he has been able to do real work around the house, let alone work at his actual job and provide for his family. But, they don’t let that get them down. Their two missionary sons are still doing really well, and they are always super proud to talk about them and all the success that they are having. It’s amazing to see. They are one of my favorite families. 

Thursday.

Well, this is where that lunch from Wednesday becomes important. The night of Wednesday, I woke up feeling pretty sick, and lets just say... it wasn’t pretty. So, I stayed inside all morning and half of the afternoon. The crazy thing, is that the other Elders got sick too. Elder Delgado and Elder Cortes both got sick during the night, but amazingly, Elder Grandon didn’t. Dang Porteños. But, being sick wasn’t too bad. I mean, obviously it stinks that we weren’t able to leave and work, but I was able to take a few good naps and also catch up on a lot of my journal writing that I had gotten pretty behind on. So that was the bright side. But, in the afternoon, we still had our NDH with the FML Penno and FML Varino. So, even though I wasn’t feeling the best, we were able to leave and take them to the house of FML Varino for the lesson. Luckily, HNO Varino was able to talk a lot and share a lot of his conversion story, because I was not feeling up to talking too much. But yeah, FML Varino was able to share a lot of their conversion story, including that HNO Varino at first wasn’t too excited or ready to be baptized. This was perfect for Jose Penno! It worked out perfectly because Noelia was able to open up a little bit and HNA Varino was there to help her and HNO Varino was there to help Jose with a few of his doubts. Not to mention that Francisco was getting along super well with the Varino boys. But, still, in the end of the lesson, Jose wasn’t too sure about if he wanted to be baptized yet. And, also Ari was having a few doubts too. But, we told them that they had to pray personally to know, and not only think about it. They had to ask God too. So, they told us that they would do it and that the next day, Friday, they would have their answers for us. This was important because we needed to know who was going to be baptized a week before the baptisms so we could do the interviews on Saturday. But yeah, a pretty good night.

Friday. 

Friday morning I woke up feeling pretty good, or at least a lot better than I did the morning before. But, sadly, Elder Grandon was feeling super bad after eating something at the NDH the night before. So, another day stuck in the pench. Not too exciting, but it is what it is. Like the day before, I was to catch up on my journal writing and get through my week or so of missed journal entries. Also, I got a whole lot of studying and reading done. I’ve started to read the Old Testament in my free time. So, I read that all the way through Genesis. Dang, the Bible is pretty awesome. It’s also really nice to review all of the stories, because I obviously remember them, but I had gotten some of the details messed up. I also got a bunch of studying done in the Book of Mormon. I freaking love it!! I’ve started to get really good at marking my scriptures and I love how meaningful every scripture is. I’ve also been following up on the invitation that Hermana Westover gave us in Zone Coference to mark the scripture of every chapter that stood out the most to me. It has been going great and I’ve noticed how much more focused I am on what I’m studying as I seek out the scripture that means the most to me. But that was the day. Staying in the pench and not doing too much. But! Like the FML Penno had told us, they told us who was planning on being baptized. At first, we got a text message from Ari telling us that she was super sad to say it, but that she just wasn’t ready to be baptized yet. But then, a few minutes later, we got a phone call from the entire family, and Noelia asked us what time the interviews would be the following day. We told them that it could be at any time, but it depended on them. They told us that THE ENTIRE FAMILY had decided to be baptized and that they were all ready for the interviews the next day. YEAH!! While we were still on the phone with them, Elder Grandon and I didn’t scream or shout, but you can bet your butts we did as soon as we hung up!! So amazing. I was so happy to hear that they were ready to be baptized, especially because they would be doing it all together! I love them so much. So we called Elder Loveridge, the Zone Leader, and told him that the interviews would be the next day during the Siesta. He told us that he would be able to come and do them. Yay!

Saturday.

In the morning, we had accidentally set up two things. First, was a lesson with Mari. The other was an activity at the church to play Rugby with investigadores and less actives. But, because Elder Grandon and Elder Cortes still weren’t feeling the best, especially not good enough to play some rugby, they went to the lesson and Elder Delgado and I went to the activity. It was pretty fun though! Not too many people came, but it still worked out pretty well. We played with the Ward Mission Leader, Jose and Francisco Penno, and an investigador of the other Elders named Tomas. We played all morning and because it had rained the two days before, we were slipping and sliding a little bit in the mud. But, Jose and Pancho had a lot of fun and we were all laughing and messing around together. After we were all tired of running round, we went into the church and played some Ping Pong. It was great. Oh, and at the same time, the Young Women and their Moms were having an activity of their own. So Ari and Noe were there too and they had fun with the other girls and got to know them too. We had some pizza and juice and it was a grand ole time. Then, during all of this, Elder Loveridge, came and we were able to do all of the Interviews. All four of them were pretty nervous, but they had studied well and knew exactly what we had taught them and they were more than ready for the interviews. And, they all passed! It was great. They all seemed so much happier after the interviews. More relieved and not so scared or nervous. It was great to see. Then, we said bye to all of them, and we headed back to the pench so Elder Delgado could shower and we could go out and visit some people. But, when we got back to the pench, he decided he didn’t feel well and we had to stay in the pench for another afternoon. A little frustrating for me, but I was able to get even more studying done and it worked out in the end. Gosh dang I love the Book of Mormon!! I also wrote a letter to Alma and Ariel back in Rafaela that will hopefully get to them pretty soon because from what Elder Robinson tells me, they aren’t doing the best right now. But, I hope the letters can get to them and help them remember that I love them. But yeah, other than that, not much happened.

Sunday. 

It was a really dang good Sunday! In the morning, both the FML Penno and Mari were able to come to church. All of the lessons were amazing. In Elders Quorum, we talk about how everything that we do should be connected to the Atonement of Jesus Christ because it is the most important part of the Gospel, of the Church, and of our Lives. So, we read a few of the quotes from General Conference and talked about why those things were important and how they were connected to the Atonement. In our class of Gospel Principles, we talked about Missionary Work. It was super good too and we were able to discuss how we, as members of the Church, can be missionaries too. Then, in the Fast and Testimony Meeting, they were able to announce the Baptisms of the FML Penno. Also, during the other classes, Ari had a good time with the young women, Noe and Mari both learned a lot in the Relief Society class, and Pancho, of course, had fun with the other Primary kids. It was a good set of Sunday Meetings. We were invited to have lunch with our Ward Mission Leader and I made some Pancakes for them and used the last of my supply of peanut butter. After that, we went out to work and finally we were able to have a lesson with Jonathan after not having a lesson with him all week. It was pretty good this time around. Together, we were able to read in Ether 12 and Jonathan really liked it. He was super interested with the story of the Brother of Jared, so we gave that to him as homework for the next time we go by. Then, afterwards, we just got to know him a little better and we were able to talk about fishing and school and just hang out for a little bit. After that, we went by to see our friend Dante, the guy who comes to English Class, and he is doing pretty well. He has found some work, but has been pretty sick, so he hasn’t been able to read any of the Book of Mormon that we gave him a while back. Also, we went by the FML Maciel and dropped off our clothes to be washed and spent the rest of the night there. It was a pretty good Sunday. Nice and chill.

So there is the week for you guys. Not too much excitement, but a lot of really good news with our investigadores, especially with FML Penno. Thank you all for the love and support you give me all the time, and for reading these super long and repetitive emails. I know they aren’t the most interesting, but if you like them, then I’m glad. Also, thank you all so much for all the prayers in my behalf and for all the other missionaries in the world. You might not think they mean too much, but really, we can feel the faith and trust that you have in us. So yeah, thank you again. 

See you all next week with news and details on the Baptisms of FML Penno. Love you all!

Chau

Elder Haley

Some pretty awesome flowers in bloom all over town

Found a dead dog...and thought the Plan of Salvation pamphlet was appropriate

Some awesome missionaries :)

Elder Loveridge and his companion in town to do baptism interviews

 Just a dog in church on Sunday