Yet another crazy week plus I hit 9 months

Well, this week sure was a crazy one. Let’s just jump right into it.

On Tuesday, we had our normal visit and lesson with Jonathan. During this lesson, we came in with the idea of finishing lesson 3 with him, but we ended up talking about something else entirely. He told us that over the weekend he had had an encounter with some Evangelico Priests and he told them that he was talking with us. So they showed him some videos about the Mormons from YouTube and had a few things to say about us, but it turned out okay because he ended up not doubting us or anything, he just had some questions that he wanted up to answer. So he asked us some stuff and we answered his questions. But by the time we were done with that, we didn’t really have time enough to run through the lesson with him. So we just left him the invitation to read through the pamphlet and then we would talk more about it on Friday. Then, in the afternoon, we started our divisions with the ZLs. I was with Elder Christensen. He is a super good missionary and Ex Assistant, so he had a lot of good tips for me. In the afternoon, we went to Las Vegas and talked to quite a few really good people, one of which was a lady named Guadalupe, who I’ll tell you more about later. So, we talked to all of them and set up a few citas for the next day. Then, when we were leaving Las Vegas, we were passing a house and Elder Christensen stopped and said he felt like we should stop and talk to the family that lived there. So we did, and after talking to them on their door step for a few minutes, they let us in. So we had a prayer and pulled out the Restoration Pamphlets and started teaching and discussing with them, but the father of the family was being pretty crazy with us. Alright, first, the "Family" was the dad, a daughter, and her baby son. So we were trying to teach, but the Dad kept asking us all sorts of crazy questions that didn’t really have anything to do with the lesson. So that was getting a little frustrating and was starting to test my patience. I can say that in the mission, I have really developed patience a lot more, but this was really starting to get to me. So, when it was apparent that he didn’t really want to hear anything from us, we just ended by saying thanks for letting us in and that if they needed anything, they could just ask us. So we left, feeling a little irritated, but it was a good lesson for us on how to avoid bashing people when it would make a bad situation. For the rest of the night, we had been invited to have dinner with the familia Amarilla, and that was actually really good. We helped make empanadas and had some pizza too. It was some really good food, and at the same time, they told us even more about their conversion story. I love hearing those kinds of happy stories!

Wednesday. Hey! I hit 9 Months!! Woo Hoo! In the morning, we had a lesson with  Nazareno and his brother that went really well. We showed up with the idea of only teaching Nazareno, but when we sat down, we asked his older brother, Cristofer if he wanted to listen to us too. He did and sat down. It was a really cool because before we had left the pench that morning, I had the idea of grabbing my Plan of Salvation outline thing. It was really awesome because when we started the lesson, we taught Plan of Salvation and the outline thing with all the little pieces and with my face on the little guys worked really well. Nazareno and Cristofer both really like it, so that was great. They had a few really good questions, but they understood everything too. After the lesson, we had a bit of time to contact and look for a few of the futuros that we have. We didn’t have too much luck, but we did talk to a really nice Panadero for a while and that we cool. We made lunch and had some really good studies together during the Siesta. Companionship Studies together with Elder Christensen was really cool because we both had a bit to share form our personal studies and then we talked about our strengths and weaknesses as missionaries. Then we went to Santa Fe to pick Elder Loveridge up from divisions withe the other ZL Elder Walker. When we got back to the pench to drop Elder Loveridge’s stuff off, he was actually pretty sick and I was starting to get that way too. So we ended up staying in for the afternoon. We basically slept the entire time, but we ended up making some of Elder Loveridge’s Brownies too, to celebrate our 9 Months in the mission, which was really cool because we have the exact same time in the mission and everything. But staying in was actually really hard to do because we had a few really good people to visit out in Las Vegas, one of which was with the really cool Guadalupe lady. But we figured that if we went out into the cold, windy, rainy storm while we were sick, it would just make things worse and we would end up even more sick that we already were. 

Thursday was just a lame sick day in the pench. it turns out that over the night, I got worse and ended up having to stay inside the whole day. The weather this week was really crazy. While on divisions with the ZLs, it was super sunny and hot. But then on Thursday and Friday, the weather was super cool and rainy, so the change in the temperature, especially with the humidity here made things really bad. So all day Thursday we were in the pench trying to rest and get feeling better. 

Friday morning we went to Las Vegas and taught Jonathan again. It was a really good lesson and we finally were able to finish up the rest of the lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was really cool to see how Jonathan we understanding everything and how when we explained it all to him, he could piece things together before we were teaching him everything. We talked a lot and explained more about baptism. So, when we were finishing up the lesson, we asked him again about the baptism invitation that we had given him a long time ago during our very first lesson together. He was very excited to accept the invitation again and completely understood when we explained that he would have to attend the church at least three times so he can get used to the church and learn more about the gospel. After the siesta, we went contacting for a little bit and found a few good people but we weren’t able teach any of them. Then we taught English Class in the church and it was a really good time. Every week, we have a guy named Dante come in. He is a super chill 50 year old guy who is a lawyer and basketball coach in one. The lesson was okay, we answered a few questions that he had. But, a while ago, Elder Loveridge had given him a pamphlet of the Restoration. Apparently, he has been reading it every day for a few weeks and wants to learn more. So, we talked to him about when we could by to teach him and his family. So that’s super cool and we are excited to get to do that. After English class, we went by a few of Elder Loveridge’s old investigadors, and one of them was really interesting. The guy is super poor and may have some kind of mental disorder. But that’s not what was interesting. When I told him that I’m from Nebraska, he was super surprised and amazed. He told us that he absolutely loves Nebraska and really wants to go there someday. It’s crazy because back in the USA, if you talk about Nebraska, nobody understands what you are talking about. But here, everyone knows about Nebraska. Super crazy. Then, at the end of the day, we visited the FML Varino. They are a really awesome family and have been members for a few years now. It’s always fun to visit them because the husband is super funny and the kids are always a little crazy. But we like to visit them and share a scripture because they are passing through a really big tough time in their lives and we always love to help them as much as possible. 

Saturday. In the morning, because Elder Delgado was sick, I went with Elder Mario and did some visits in the morning. We went to Las Vegas and looked for a few of the contacts that Elder Christensen and I had made. But we also went by Jonathan’s house. When we passed by, Jonathan didn’t answer, but for good reason. He finally found some work!! Yeah! But his girlfriend answered and when we asked if he was still planning to come to church, she told us yes and that she was probably going to come with him too. So that was awesome! The rest of the morning we were looking for people, but without much luck. During the siesta, we had our district meeting for the week, a little later in the week than normal, but only because basically the whole district was sick the entire week. After the meeting, the young men were having a small activity and they invited us to join them for a little bit, So we ate some torta asada and played ping pong, but then the Young Men’s leader helped us. He challenged us to find some people on the street and to bring them into the church building to teach them a little bit about the Book of Mormon. So elder Delgado and Elder Mario went out into the rain and found two teenagers to come in and talk to us for a little bit. So, Elder Loveridge and I sat down with them and taught them a super simple message on the  Book of Mormon that took probably less than 10 minutes. They took the book and we got their address and names to pass the reference to the Hermanas. It was a short cool little experience. After that, we had to go out into the rain and walk around looking for people because we didn’t really have any lessons or citas set up. But it was a good time anyways. Let’s just say it was nice to get back to the pench that night. 

Sunday

Well, Sunday was a pretty cool day all around. We had a good time. In the morning, we went looking for Nazareno to take him to church with us, but he answered an said that he wouldn’t be able to go because he was too tired. So that was a bit lame. We went to the church all alone and when we got there, we were a little disheartened to see that Jonathan wasn’t there either. So that was super lame. But, church was still really good. We had a good lesson in Pricipios. We didn’t have any investigadores, so we helped the Teacher, one of Elder Loveridges recent converts learn more about the temples because he is preparing to go soon. In sacrament meeting, I had a really good experience. Basically I just at complete peace. It was super amazing to feel that. After church, we went back to the pench and I just studied for a while and did a few small projects to keep myself busy. When we left again, we went to Las Vegas and had a really good lesson with a guy named Maxi Emiliano. This is where that Guadalupe lady comes in. So, Elder Christensen and I contacted this lady and set up a cita for the day that we had to stay in because we were sick. Super lame because she seemed to be super interested. So, the rest of the week I was really trying to get out to talk to her again, but different things were happening like the Rain and meetings out of nowhere. So, we didn’t get the opportunity to see her until yesterday. Sadly, she wasn’t home when we went by, but her husband, yes husband. They are married. Well he was home. His name is Maxi Emiliano and he is a total boss. We got into the house and taught him about the Plan of Salvation. It was a super good lesson and he learned a lot and had a lot of cool questions and was super interested the whole time. In the very end, Guadalupe came in, so we told him that he could explain the lesson to his wife and then the next time we come by, we can clarify anything for them.  So that was really good. Basically the only other thing that happened was us talking to a lady named Mari. We had walked passed her as she was standing outside her house on our way to visit one guy, but when the guy wasn’t home, we went back the same way and ended up talking to her on the way back. It was super good. At first, she didn’t want anything, but then she warmed up to us and we ended up talking for a while. Then, after we had been talking to her for a while, Elder Loveridge just sat down on the ground. So both Mari and I were super confused about what he was doing. So we asked him and he told us that he just didn’t feel too good. So she kind of freaked out a bit and let us inside and told us that she would bring us some food or water or something. So basically, we were both pretty weak form the fast that we were doing, but Elder Loveridge was taking it a little worse than I was. So we ended the fast really quickly while she was in the other room and then shared some Mate Cocido and tarta with her. It was a little nuts, but pretty funny and good because now we have a pretty good relationship with her.  After that, we visited an older member couple and they told us a lot about Galvez because he used to be the Branch President for a while out there. So now we know a lot more about the members there and how to work and some funny experiences that they had there. I’m actually super excited to get out there this week and finally see what it’s like. We are planning on going Wednesday.

We bought 10 kilos of potatoes for 150 pesos!  We had fun playing ping pong on pday today. We also made some German pancakes. They really aren’t the same at all but still were good.

So yeah that was the week. But that’s not even the craziest part. 

Saturday night after we had already made it to the pench and everything, I was just kind of hanging out and the phone rang. Elder Loveridge answered the call and seemed kinda confused until he handed it to me. I answered and it was Dad. He told me all about what has been happening with the family lately, specifically about a big accident that Drew was in. So for those that don’t know, (MOM CAN YOU TYPE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. I HAVE TO LEAVE AND CANT TYPE IT ALL OUT RIGHT NOW THANKS AND LOVE YOU!!!!) I have attached a document with all the details about Drew’s accident so you know what Morley is referring to. 

I just want to testify of the great Plan of Salvation and that it really is real. I want to testify that as we go through life’s trials, we can always find comfort and peace in and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that these things are true and testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

During my fast yesterday, I honestly was just at peace the entire time about Drew. I didn’t really feel scared or stressed or anything about the accident. I thought it meant that he would keep the leg and everything would be fine, but now I understand that it just meant everything was going to work out for the best and that God was taking care of everything. Well, crazy, but yes, everything is going to be okay.

 Love ya all!

Gotta run

Chau

Elder Haley

Crazy news and Elder Rasband!!

Tuesday

Tuesday was a really good, all around day. We taught a few lessons and had a good time. In the morning, Elder Loveridge went with Elder Mario into Santa Fe for Elder Marios physical therapy, so I was with Elder Delgado for the morning. We went to a lesson with Jonathan in Las Vegas and it went really well! When we showed up, Jonathan was all business. He said that he would say the opening prayer, and we were more than happy to let him do that. After his prayer, we jumped right into his reading of the Book of Mormon. He had only made it a few verses into 1 Nephi 1, but we read with him and finished Chapter 1 and then continued into Chapter 2. He seemed to really like it and be interested. He asked lots of questions about who Lehi is and about why he and his family left Jeruselem. After that, we got to talking about what we had covered in the last lesson, about the commandments of LOC and Word Of Wisdom. He told us that he used to have pretty bad problems with Word Of Wisdom, but now he is a whole lot better and doesn’t have any issues keeping that commandment. But the other part was about him and his girlfriend. So we told him that in order to help his girlfriend understand a little bit more about why he wants to keep the commandments they could read the Family a Proclamation to the World and explain to her that God wants us to be married and have kids because that is the best way to help, protect, and bless everyone that is involved. He said he would try to talk to her about that, I believe him. And after that, we talked even a little bit more about how some kinda crappy stuff is going on in his life. Not anything too bad and serious, but he had the question of "If Im starting to do all the good things that you guys are telling me about, why are bad things happening to me?" So we basically told him that it is important to know that God is real, but just as important, Satan is just as real. So, when we are doing the good things--like keeping the commandments and reading and praying everyday--Satan doesn’t like that, so he will try to mess things us in your life and make you feel frustrated, angry, and confused. But then, we promised him, that if he continues to do the good things, God will bless him more and more. So yeah, that was basically the morning. After lunch and studies, we went and did service with teh FML Amarilla. The dad still can’t do any manual labor, so we did if for him. We help him with cutting his lawn and weeds and stuff with a machete and a sharpened shovel. It was pretty crazy, but fun and a good time. We got it done, and then they showed us some family videos that they have. They were of one of their sons, who is now serving a mission.  In the videos, the son is beatboxing like crazy. It was super cool to see. They told us about how he went to competitions here in Santo Tome, and also in Santa Fe, and later, in Buenos Aires. Then, after changing and leaving to work, we had a lesson with a really cool kid named Nazareno. Crazy cool name, no?  But he is a guy of 17 years and Elder Loveridge contacted him a long time ago, but could never find him in his house. But, we passed by, and he let us in. So we met him and his parents, and then taught him a lesson. We talked about the Restoration and he really liked it. By the end, we could ask him to review all of what we had talked about, and he could do it almost perfectly. It was great! So we set up another appointment for the following day and ended with him giving a prayer. It was a good way to end a good day.  

Wednesday. 

In the morning, we had a Choque de Fuerza with the Hermanas in our district. Their area is pretty far from our pench, so we were walking for a while, but when we got there, we had a good morning full of contacting. We only had about an hour and a half or so, but it was full of finding good people. We had a nice chat with an older guy who lives alone after losing both his wife and daughter. So we talked to him for a while about Eternal Families. Then we found a few other people, all of which seemed to be pretty interested in what we had to say. So that was really nice. It seemed that at almost every door that we knocked or clapped, there was someone ready for our message. Why can’t all days be like that? Then we went back to the pench and had a good lunch and study time. When we left, we had plans to teach Nazareno again, but whe we went by, he sadly wasn’t home. So, we went back to the pench so we could do divisions with the other Elders again. Elder Mario was feeling pretty sick, so I had to stay in the pench with him while Elder Delgado and Elder Loveridge went to appointments for the afternoon. I used my extra free time to get quite a bit done. I did some laundry that I had been ignoring for a while and caught up on some journal writing. I also had time to study a little bit more. So yeah, pretty chill afternoon, but I still got quite a bit done, making the best out of being stuck in the pench. 

Thursday

In the morning, Elder Loveridge went with Elder Mario into Santa Fe, so I was with Elder Delgado for another morning. We had a few citas set up, but they all fell through. So we went walking around looking for some of the other Elders investigadores, but none of them were home either. So we did a whole lot of walking, and a whole lot of talking. Pretty uneventful morning to be honest. During the siesta, we did our planimiento semanal and this week, we actually had 2 people to plan for, so that was pretty good. Better than only one. But, there is definately a lot of room to improve. We are going to be trying our hardest this next week to speak to everyone and find new people to meet with and teach. We will see at the end of this next week just how well our prayers work. But don’t worry, we aren’t going to pray and just hang out the whole time. In the afternoon, we went looking for a few references from the other missionaries, but it turned out that neither of the houses existed. But we did a whole lot of contacting and ended up finding a few people. It was pretty fun to find new people. That’s always nice to do. Towards the end of the night, we had a meeting with our ward mission leader. Sadly, we did have too many people to talk about, but we did have a good time with him sharing mission stories. He is a recently returned missionary who served in Mexico. He had a few crazy stories. But other than that, we didnt really have anything too noteworthy happen on Thursday. 

Friday

Friday morning we had our regular Friday morning appointment with Jonathan. It was a really good lesson that we taught about Faith and Repentance. When we showed up, we started with a prayer by Jonathan and then read together in 2 Nephi 31. He really liked it and had a few good questions. When we finished, we started talking more about the gospel of Jesus Christ in general. We taught and explained about Faith and how it is believing, but more than just that, We taught that faith is more about action and not just a passive belief. He told us that he doesn’t really feel that he has faith, for now, but maybe he has a desire to believe. So we looked up both Ether 12:6 and also Alma 32:26. We explained to him that if we don’t exactly have "Faith," we can have a desire to believe, and that is enough for Jesus to help us and enough to Repent. And then, we taught him more about Repentance and tried to take a little bit of time on that to really explain it really well. One way that we explained it to him is that Jesus, through his atoning sacrafice, has, in his hands, our new lives and wants to give it to us, but we have to do a few things first in order to earn it. We have to first believe and have faith in him, and then, through true repentance, we can receive our new lives and begin to be more and more perfect everyday. He really liked that, but I still don’t think that he understands it completely. So we gave him the invitation to read through the pamphlet about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and then to think and ponder what Repentance really means to him. So that took up just about all of the morning. During the siesta, we had a pretty big, eventful and somewhat crazy reunion de distrito. The assistants came into town to be part of the meeting and they gave us some pretty big news. We had a pretty good scripture study together. We read in Heleman 5 and we all learned a lot. I was asked to think of and set a goal for the entire district that has to do with something in the chapter. I thought a lot about how great and fearless the missionaries like Nephi and Lehi were and how through their testimonies and fearless preaching, they were able to teach and baptize over 8000 people in one day. So, for the goal, I thought it would be good for all of  us to try to be more fearless and really focus on testifying and preaching to the people that we are meeting with during the week. But, after that, the assistants shared the big new that they had for us. They told us that all of the missionaries in the district were going to completely flip all of their areas around. So, here in Santoto, we have two branches and the boundaries basically split the town in half. But, because the areas that the missionaries were working in had be set while Santoto only had one ward, some of our area was in both of the new ward boundaries. So, we had to change everything so that all of the missionaries are assigned to only one ward. So, for now. the hermana missionaries are going to be part of ward 1, which completely changes their area. And now, Elder Loveridge, the other Elders, and I all share parts of the hermanas old area. So basically, people were a little frustrated because they are losing all of their old inbestigadores. But for me, I’m actually keeping both of my investigadores, so that’s nice. But, wait! Theres more! Presidente is trying to open another area called Galvez. It is a smaller town that is about 2 hours from here. Galvez used to be a branch that had two full time missionaries working there. But a few years ago, some crazy stuff happened and the mission had to close the area. But now, Presidente Westover wants to start to reopen Galvez. But, very slowly. So, the assistants told Elder Loveridge that as the District Leader, he had to decide which of the Elder Companionships was going to make a trip out to Galvez twice a week and attend a sacrament meeting there every week, starting on the 9th of September. So, after a bit of thinking, Elder Loveridge, my dear and beloved Companion and District leader, decided that we are going to be ones that make the wonderful trip out to the promised land of Galvez. So, we are going to start making the grand journey twice a week for the afternoon and then, starting the 9th, go every Sunday morning to participate in the sacrament meeting of the "Group" of members that is being held at the house of a member out there. So that is going to be a really fun time. So we are still going to be working in Santoto the rest of the time that we are not in and traveling to Galvez. But for now, Presidente is trying to see if we should start sending missionaries to Galvez permanently. For the afternoon, we had an english class, but other than that, we didnt have anything too important and special happen. 

Saturday 

In the morning, we spent most of the time walking around the Centro of Santoto looking for a place to buy tickets to go to Galvez. We were told that we had to find the prices of the trips so we can get the info to the Financero in the offices. Because it is going to be a bit of money to go to and from Galvez 2-3 times a week, we are going to have a little bonus to our mission funds. Sadly, we didn’t have too much success, but now we know that we actually don’t buy tickets but just pay by cash to the bus driver. So we will see if we can talk to members that have gone there in the past. After the siesta, we had a meeting with one of Elder Loveridges converts, named Geonfranco. He is a really good, funny guy. He speaks pretty good Engish, so we talked to him in English and basically just used the time so I could get to know him more. He is really into video games, so we were able to talk about that for a while, but he also told us that he is reading a chapter of the Book of Mormon everyday. So that is really cool and amazing. He tells us that he is just getting to 2 Nephi 31ish so he is learning a lot about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and also the Second Coming. He is a really great guy. After that, we went to the chruch so we could meet with the other missionaries and trade different registers for our Area Books as missionaries. Because now that we are changing all of our areas, we have to take out nearly all of our Area Books and give them all to the hermanas. It was a bit of work, but we got it all done. When we were done, we didn’t have too much time left, so we left and went to visit a contact that we had made not too long ago. It was meant to be a guy named Matias who is about 25 or 30, but an other man, about 65ish answered the door and basically just started talking for a really long time. Granted, he was a little drunk, but he basically told us his whole life story and all of the crazy jobs that he has had, how he bought a house and then added about more than half of what the houses is now, and how not too long ago, he lost his wife and now is a little lost and sad. So we shared a pamphlet with him about the Plan of Salvation and testified to him that he will be able to see his wife again and live with her and all the rest of his family again in the heavens forever. He seemed pretty happy to hear that and told us he would read the little booklet. After we got back to the pench, we had to prep for the big Sunday that we had the next day. We shined our shoes and made some fish empanadas, that ended up being pretty dang good. So that was a bit crazy, but really good. 

Sunday.

Well. Lets just say that Sunday was a heck of a day. And I mean, a HECK of a day. Holy cow. It was sooo good. We woke up and got going pretty quickly so we could get on the colective with all the members to go to Santa Fe for our big Stake Conference. When we got there, we were pretty early, so we had a bunch of time to talk with other members and missionaries that had come too. I got to see a bunch of good friends including some guys from the MTC and other good friends that I have. I also was able to see Elder Robinson so that was pretty good. He brought my socks, because I may or may not have forgotten more than half of my socks back in Rafaela when we did transfers about 3 weeks ago. So that was a good thing. The meeting was really good too. I had a kinda hard time paying attention because I had to move a few times to give my seat to other missionaries and members and ended up on the far back wall of the stage, behind the overflow. But, I still got quite a bit out of it and felt the spirit a whole lot. After that, we had a time to kinda hang out and wait for the other meeting to start. So we ate our Fish Empanadas that we made the night before and then talked with all of the other missionaries. Then they got all of us missionaries into a nice, big formation for a nice picture. We were all standing there waiting for it all to look good and perfect, and then he walked in. Elder Ronald A. Rasband, an Apostle and Prophet of the Lord came in and we all took a big ole picture together. The Spirit that we could all feel at that moment was almost tangable. I literally stood less than 5 feet away from him. And then, we all were able to shake his hand and the hands of the other General Authorities their wives. It was a very great experience. We sat down in the chapel and had the opportunity to listen to a few great testimonies and messages. First was from Hermana Westover. She gave her wonderful testimony and the Spirit I felt was absolutely amazing. She really is a wonderful woman. Then, we were able to hear the words and testimony of our dear President Westover. One thing that he said that I really liked was the the mission is not a "Program" but is a "Cause," the Cause of Christ. I really do love that man and all that he does for me and all of the other missions here in Santa Fe. After him, President Benjamin De Hoyos, the Area President, gave a short message on the importance of working using members in Missionary work. He shared a lot about Preach My Gospel and its importance and power. After him, President Carlos A. Godoy, President of one of the Quorums of the Seventy, spoke on the land, the people, and the mission. It was a really good talk and I got a lot out of it. Probably the biggest thing that I learned, or more realized, is that while I am here in Argentina, I am working and being a missionary in the very same land that people like Alma, Ammon, Amulek, Nephi and Lehi all worked, taught, preached, and baptized in. I realized that if they could do it with the same calling and power and authority that I hold, why the heck can’t I do what they did. I can. After him, we had the opportunity to listen to the words of Sister Rasband. She gave a sweet message all in Spanish, which she doesn’t speak. But through the help of Google Translate and lots of practice, she read her message to us and it was very spiritual. I loved it, even if it was a little harder to understand her through her thick American accent. But, it was yet another testiment the the Gift of Tounges is real. After her, we listened to her husband, Elder Rasband himself. He had a lot to say, which I’m not complaining about. He definitely brings a very strong spirit with him. He explained to us the process of calling a new Stake President. He explained that they spend very little time in interviews with the potencial Stake Presidents, but, by the power of revelation, they are able to make the decision after less than 15 minutes of interviews. He also explained that as missionaries, we should kneel down and ask God for success in specific areas. He also talked a lot about how important it is that we try our hardest in everything we do every day, because even if we don’t see the future ramifications, or the future "Fruits" of what we do, we have planted the seed. He also explained to us that our main purpose as missionaries is obviously to teach repentance and baptize converts, but that the end goal that we should have with each and every one of our converts and members is that they enter the temple to receive and enter into covenants that will give them Eternal Life. So, after we baptize someone, we aren’t done. We still have to help them stay active and to help them set goals and do the things that are necessary to do before entering the temple. He told us about President Gordon B Hinckley’s 3 things that every member needs to do or have in order to stay active and happy in the church. First, is a friend. We need to bring members to the lessons with us so that the investigadores can have friends in the church to help they want to go. Obviously we aren’t going to want to go to church if we don’t know anyone there. Second, a calling.  He told us that we need to help our converts receive callings in the church, and if it is necessary, to stand on the doormat of our Bishop or Branch President and demand that they receive a calling. Third, is the continual nourishment of the Good Word, meaning that we continue to go by them and teach them more about the gospel and doctrine, even after their baptisms. A few other quotes that I really liked were these:

*Go forth with Faith, not Fear.

*Today is the first day of the rest of your lives.

*Live everyday as a Memory Day.

That whole meeting was absolutely amazing. The Spirit that was present and the things that we learned and that I was reminded of are almost too much and too many to describe. 

After Elder Rasband left, the missionaries stayed in the chapel and we went around and people were able to say what they all had learned, both from what was said and from what was not said. It was a really cool way to tie the whole thing up and end it on a really good note and learn from the things that other missionaries were impressed on us. Then, at the end of that, Hermana Westover stood up and told us that she had made us all Chocolate Chunk Cookies for all us. She freaking made them all, homemade and by hand!! Gosh dang, they really are the best. 

After all of that, we had a while to just chat and talk to all of the missionaries all together. It was really cool to talk to everyone from the MTC and other friends that I’ve made while here in Argentina. It was a good time. But, oh yeah. Elder Robinson was telling me about all of the people that we had been teaching when I left. Sadly they all haven’t progressed at all and now Elder Robinson and Elder Thelin have had to drop them. So that sucks, but its the way it is. At least for now they all know where to find the truth and have had good, spiritual experiences with us. Actually, Adrian.... Is actually investigating now!! Apparently he is actually reading and praying because he is super bummed about not having work for the past few months. So that stinks about his work, but hey, now it’s making him be a real investigator!

So yeah, to sum it all up, it was a pretty great week overall.

I want to say thank you to everyone that was able to read my last email and send me a short response. It really does mean a lot and I was able to learn a lot about my talents this week. Now I know exactly which talents I have and will make it a pretty big focus of mine to work on them in the future.

Love you all! 

Chau

Elder Haley

LOVE my new hoodie!

making weights so we can step up our workouts

We take the bucket off the dry cement and then repeat on the other side.

My companion Elder Loveridge

We made fish empanadas

The amazing chocolate chunk cookies

It was so great to see Elder Robinson again

Sleepy companion on the colective

Always learning...

Hola Familia y Amigos!! Como estan_ Espero que todo fue bien esta semana pasada. Bueno, ahora por mi semana. This week has been alright, kinda slow, but we have been working hard to find new people to teach and meet with. Because for right now, we honestly don’t have too many people at all. But, we are finding loads of people and now we just have to get with them and teach them and have fun while spreading the Gospel and trying to bless lives. 

First. I finally received my package.  The word processor is going to be awesome.  I was surprised to see a message waiting for me when I turned it on! I love everything that was sent, thank you!

Tuesday was a pretty good day. In the morning, we made our way out to Barrio Las Vegas to teach our investigator Jonathan. The guy is a total boss. He wasn’t able to come to church on Sunday, but when we showed up, he told us that he had been reading the Book of Mormon and also praying. So that’s awesome! It’s always really nice to see when people totally do the things that make them happy and will bring blessings to their lives. So we were really happy to hear that. He started with the opening prayer and then we read all of the introduction to the Book of Mormon and then we read all of the Witnesses together too. He really liked the information and had a few good questions. Then, after that, we taught and discussed the Plan of Salvation. It was a good time because, like with everything, he had a good questions and understood a lot. He was asking stuff like what happens to babies if they die and where do the people that aren’t baptized go. So we were happy to explain all of that to him. Then we set up another appointment with him for the following Friday. During the siesta, we had our Reunion de Distrito that was pretty good. I am having a lot of fun with this District so far this transfer. During this weeks meeting, we read together in 3 Nephi 19. It was really good. We all learned about how we should strive to have the Spirit with us at all times. We also learned that we can have the spirit with us at all times as we have a prayerful heart and clean minds and intentions. I learned a lot about how we should always be trying our hardest to be worthy of the Spirit, and when we do so, we will be blessed in ways we can’t even imagine or describe. In the afternoon, we walked around quite a bit looking for people to contact on the streets or occasionally knocking on doors and clapping at gates. We found a few people, but didn’t have any lessons. We also passed by a few of Elder Loveridges old investigators and made some other plans to go by and visit them too in the future. We spent part of the night visiting a member family. The family currently has two sons serving missions, so we talked about that for a little bit. Also, the dad just had a pretty big accident not too long ago when we was up on a ladder and fell, breaking his wrist and elbow. So he showed us the xrays he got and also the stitches he has from recent surgery. We ended the little bit of time we had with them by giving the father a blessing. I was able to use my new oil dropper and was happy about that. 

Wednesday was a pretty long day, but I actually learned something from it and had a good time with my companion. In the morning, we went with the other elders and did some service for a member family. We moved bricks and helped them prepare to add onto their house. Then we helped them repair their refrigerator. We had a good time helping them and spending a little time in the service of others. Then we had a really good lunch with them, too. We had a bunch of homemade pizza and for dessert, we ate some really good oranges too. It was a good time and lots of fun. They also had a little baby puppy that I honestly was a little in love with. For the afternoon, I wasn’t feeling the most excited to leave and work. We didn’t have any appointments to visit people, but we made plans to visit lots of people and just look for new people to teach. But I wasn’t too excited to just walk around. But, during the afternoon, Elder Loveridge and I just sat down and talked for a little bit about why we are on a  Mission in the first place and the whole reason we are in Argentina at all. Because really, the Mission is not easy. Obviously there are a lot of good times and spiritual experiences, but those don’t come without having hardships and other times when life really isn’t too fun. But we decided to just go out and try our hardest to talk to everyone we passed by. But more importantly, to be happy about it! So we tried it, and it ended up working. Not only was the afternoon more enjoyable, but we were able to meet new people who are really good and have a bit of potential. I had more fun joking around with Elder Loveridge and also just talking to other people and getting to know them a little bit more and share with them a small part of our message. So yeah, basically it was a reminder that you can turn most situations into something enjoyable if you just decide to enjoy it. It all depends on your attitude. I just needed something to hit me in the back of the head and help me remember that I already knew that. 

Thursday morning I went with Elder Mario into Santa Fe to go to his Physical Therapy stuff. I basically just sat in the place just hanging out and using the time I had to think a little and read some of the General Conference talks. Then we went to the offices because the other Elder’s phone was broken. So we went there and got the new phone, but when we were there, I learned from the other office Elders that work there that one of the missionaries from my group, an Elder from Brazil, just went home. So that’s crazy and stinks a whole lot because he was a total boss. I loved him a lot. But he was having some problems with his health. But after that it gave me something to think about and have a few thoughts, mostly about how crazy the mission is and how much of a blessing it is to be here. I sometimes, often actually, forget just how important this time that I have is. I regularly forget that my short two years I have here in Argentina is very sacred and absolutely critical in my life, but more importantly, critically important to the people that I am meeting with. Obviously I still want to have fun here and make some really fun memories. But, more importantly, I am here to help other people receive happiness and salvation in and through the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am happy to be here, even though it is quite stressful or crazy or hard at times. I love Argentina and am trying my hardest to soak up the most of this experience. So yeah. Then the afternoon was pretty chill and calm. We started by going to visit a member family that has been a little inactive for a while, but then we talked with them for a little bit and made plans to go and walk with them from their house to church on Sunday. Afterwards, we went to do some service with a member and prepare to help him add on to his house and turn it into a garage for a mechanic shop so he can have more room and them get a little bit more work to help support his family. The rest of the night was spent looking for people to teach and tracting and contacting in some of the areas that Elder Loveridge hasn’t worked in as much. We didn’t have too much luck, but we did find a few good people to talk to and hopefully we can look forward to teaching them in the future. It wasn’t the most exciting day, but like always, we tried. 

Friday was a pretty good day over all. We started the morning by running over to our Ward Mission Leader’s house to walk with him to our lesson with Jonathan. Our Ward Mission Leader is super young and super funny. He is 24 and is married with two kids now. So we went with him to Barrio Las Vegas and had a really good time teaching Jonathan. We taught him about the commandments, the Word of Wisdom and also Law of Chastity. For now, Jonathan doesn’t have too many problems with them. He doesn’t really drink, smoke, or do drugs. But, he does live with his girlfriend. But, he commited to live both of the commandments. So we are happy to hear that and are excited to see how well he keeps his commitments. During the lesson, it was great to see just how helpful it is to have a member come to lessons with us. If it’s something small like correcting our Spanish or giving a really good, touching story to help relate to the Investigator, lessons with members are a true blessing. We also committed Jonathan to coming to church this Sunday and made plans to either talk to a different member that lives right in front of Jonathan so they can go to church together, or that we can go look for him before church. But it was a really good lesson and morning over all. Then we had to make the very long trip all the way across all of Santoto to go to a lunch appointment with a member family. We may or may not have shown up an hour late, but it was all because of the lesson with Jonathan, so the family let it slide. During the afternoon, we had a lot of free space for looking for new people to teach, so we went by a few old investigators the Elder Loveridge had taught before and also did quite a bit of contacting. We found a few really cool people and I’m actually really excited to meet with them in the future. One was a really cool guy named Franco who has about 22 years and is super funny. We also taught English Class at the church that a few member kids came to. It was a fun time and even though they didn’t really learn too much, we were able to go over some really basic English and answer a few qustions. After the class, we were walking around and just about all of our plans fell through, but we stopped by a members house and it was actually really good. It was cool because when we showed up, the mom, who is the Relief Society President started asking us all about member families that are less active and if we had visited them or if we needed any members to come to lessons with us and all this stuff. It was actually really cool because that is literally how members are meant to be. We want the members to give us work and to be willing to help us. I love all the members here in Santoto. It really is a blessing to have so many good, faithful members who are ready to help us in just about any moment. 

Saturday was a pretty tough and long day. We made some really good, extensive plans in the morning, so I was feeling pretty optimistic about how much work we were going to get done. We visited a bunch of people, and big surprise, none of them were home. So that was pretty lame. But we got quite a bit of contacting done and made our way around the town looking from people. The only problem is that it was a bit chilly and windy, so not too many people were out, walking on the streets. But, it was still okay. Just a little hard. Then we had a lunch appointment which was pretty good and delicious. It’s kinda funny to see how the members absolutely stuff you full of food until you can’t breathe, and then bring out the dessert. My studies were actually really good and I got a lot out of them. I started to reread and study all of the Conference talks, but this time I’m actually going to highlight stuff. So that has made it a lot more meaningful. Then, in the afternoon, lets just say it was a long night. It was super freaking windy and with the dirt roads here, we were being pretty well sand blasted at times. But, at the same time, Elder Loveridge and I weren’t too mad or dishearted. We weren’t let into any homes and didn’t teach any lessons, but we tried our hardest and found a few people that seem pretty well interested. So that is pretty good to see. Plus, Elder Loveridge is almost always happy and joking around, so it’s a whole lot easier to stay up beat and happy with him. Towards the end of the night, about an hour before we are meant to go home, we got a text from the Zone Leaders telling us that we were meant to go back to the penches because of a really bad storm that was going to hit. So we got back in the Pench and a few minutes after we did, the rain started absolutely dropping sheets outside. It was pretty cool to see. 

Sunday. We woke up pretty dang early and headed out for Barrio Las Vegas to go looking for Jonathan and to take him with us to church. It was pretty dang muddy and sloppy and just nasty in the roads because of the storm the night before. I might start looking for rain boots in this area. But, we showed up at his house and he answered. He wasn’t too aware of what was going on because it was super early and we actually woke him up. But, we were talking to him and asked him if he was ready to go to church, and he was still pretty drowsy, but he was about to get ready and come with us.  But the night before, he had been playing some futbol and he messed up his ankle, so he wouldn’t be able to walk with us. So we made the long trip all the way back to church without any investigadores, which sucks, but hey, we tried. So we made it to the capilla and had a few good classes. In Principios del Evangelio, we learned about service and the importance of it for both the people bing served, and the people who are doing to service. I really loved Sacrament this week too. It’s awesome to participate in the Sacrament here because there are enough people in the ward that it takes a while for everyone to be passed to. So I actually have time to ponder and pray and really give meaning to the Sacrament. In the afternoon, we had a pretty good time. We went to go see some contacts, but they were not home. So we stopped a member family that wasn’t in the church for meetings. So we were stoppoing by to make sure they were all okay. It was the FML Amarilla, the same one that has the dad recently had an accident and we gave a blessing to. So we wanted to make sure nothing happened with him. But, when we showed up, we were happy to find that they were all okay, but that they couldn’t go to church because the dad hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before because of pain in his arm and also one of the daughters was sick. So they all just took the day to recuperate so they could all be healthy and ready for the Stake Conference the next week. We are going to be able to attend a conference at which the Area President and one of the Presidents of the Quorums of the Seventy are going to attend and speak at. Also, we, as missionaries, are going to have a conference with Elder Rasband. It’s going to be really sweet and super spiritual. I can’t wait for it. Then, the rest of the night, we went to HNA Amelias house. She is basically the HNA Palota of Santoto. We had pizza and some really good fried donut almost things. So it was a really good day, even though we weren’t able to get any investigadores into the chruch. But it was a good way to end the week. 

For pday, we didn’t do too much. We had plans to go to Santa Fe and walk around a few of the cool stores and areas, but today is a vacation day so everything was going to be closed. But were still able to do some good, fun things. We went to the Church building and played some ping pong and made some raviolis. It was a pretty good time. But then we helped in an activity for all of the youth and kids because it is a holiday called Dia del Niño. So that was fun. 

One thing that had me thinking this week was about Talents. I heard somewhere this week, I can’t remember where, about how the mission is a really good time to find and develop our personal talents. So this coming week, I am going to try more to focus on my talents and try to discover what mine are. We, actually, it going to be hard to NOT find my talkents. I mean, I just have so many that it’s going to be hard to narrow them all down, but I’m going to try. But really, this is something that I feel I’ve actually been doing wrong. I haven’t really been trying to build and strengthen my talents. So, I actually need all of your help. I’m sure barely any of you actually read this far into my emails and blog posts, but if you are reading this, I am asking you a favor. I need some help finding my talents. So, if you would be willing to write me a small email that basically just says one or two things that might be my talent, that would be nice. Obviously I know I don’t have too many, but if it could be something really small and easy to help me in this goal I have. So, I’m going to work and ponder and study this week to try and determine my talents, and then, next pday, I’ll open my email and find a few emails that say what my talents are and then see if what I have written down as my talents match up with what you guys tell me. So yeah, thanks for the help!

But yeah, that’s basically the week. A few other things...

Elder Loveridge and I made some fish this week. We bought it for super cheap and it ended up tasting pretty good. We used some of my lemon pepper and Johnnys salt. The fish is called Sabalo, and I don’t know what that is in English, but I’m pretty sure it is Carp or something like that because it is kinda a total trash fish, but it didn’t taste too bad. But now, a few members have told of other fish that we can buy that are a whole lot better. Also, apparently fish empanadas are a thing. So we are probably going to try and make those this week. 

Also, I decided to cut my hair pretty short. Elder Loveridge gave me a haircut, but then I just decided to buzz all of it. I did it myself, so it looks a bit sketchy, but it will work. I don’t have to look too pretty to be a missionary. 

Thanks for reading and sharing my mission with me. I love getting emails from you guys. I hope everything works out for you guys this coming week and that you don’t have too much fun.

Love ya all

Chau

Elder Haley

Surprise message on the word processor

Love this puppy!

Homemade pizza with the family we were serving

Our fish...

before my haircut...

Just more eating.

First Week in the New Area. Alright, but it’s going to be so much better.

Well, I still don’t have the keyboard, but we are looking forward to having my package come in sometime really soon. So this weeks email is going to be a little short too, because I don’t have too much time and because, honestly, not too much stuff happened this week. 

This week we were on divisions quite a bit because the other elders have investigators to visit and Elder Mario is still doing his physical therapy stuff in Santa Fe. So I was with Elder Delgado for a lot of the time this week. We were together more than I was with my actual compañero, so that was kinda tough, because I want to get more used to my area and actually figure out where some people live and get myself around the area. But, Elder Delgado and I still had quite a few teaching opportunities, so that was pretty good, even though they weren’t in my area. 

The first morning that Elder Loveridge and I did get to work together, we found a really sweet and super awesome guy named Jonathan. He is a total boss and is super interested in what we have to say. We’ve have only been able to teach him once, but It was a really good lesson and he accepted baptismal date. The only problem is that he lives in probably the sketchiest part of our area and we only go there in the mornings. So, we are hoping to find him again this coming week and keep teaching him more. He has a lot of potential, but the hardest part will probably be finding him in our limited time in his neighborhood and also getting him to the church building on Sundays. 

Oh yeah, speaking of which, I love church here. The members are awesome, not to mention that we have a ton of them. Church yesterday was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had on Sunday in a really long time. The classes were really good and I learned a lot. We have two wards here, like I’ve mentioned before, and both of the Bishops here are really young, really good, and very diligent. I am very glad to have so many good, helpful members ready to come with us to lessons or basically help us in any way they can. We also have a really good, young mission leader that we have plans to meet with today. 

Also, our district of missionaries is super cool and fun too. The sisters are both really awesome and the four Elders have lots of fun as neighbors. I’ve been playing quite a bit of chess with Elder Mario and Delgado in our free time. It has pretty fun and a good way to chill out and have some fun. 

But yeah, Elder Loveridge and I have had a lot of time to walk around and talk and that has been pretty fun. Elder Loveridge is from Cali and is a total Surfer Dude, but he also knows a lot about cars and engines and motos and stuff so he is teaching me a lot about that. But, he doesn’t know too much about hunting or fishing, so as a Nebraska Boy, I am teaching him a little about that. We are having a lot of fun and a lot of cool experiences. We have a lot to learn from each other, so we are trying to make this transfer count. 

My shoes. They are really good so far, but they are a lot heavier with the new soles. Also, I think I’ve basically destroyed these in soles that were mailed. A lot of walking!

Apparently my keyboard and package is in the offices so next weeks email will be a lot better. But I want to say thanks to all of you for the love and support that I have received. It’s always nice to get a small email and a little update on your guys' lives. Love you all and can’t wait for what this week has to offer.

Chao

Elder Haley

birthday party of a girl in the ward

Food.  Of course.

homemade pizzas

new, big, thick soles on my shoes.

Goodbye Rafaela, hello Santo Tome

Well, this past week has been a little crazy and we were all over the place trying to get some lessons taught, go to Santa Fe for tramites, and in the end, say goodbyes to lots of people because after close to 8 months, I left Rafaela. Yeah, that’s right. So, I am now writing from Santo Tome, a smaller city closer to Santa Fe. From the few hours I’ve been here, I can see how much more humble the people of Santo Tome are. So yeah, it has pretty fun here already. 

This past week, we were trying to find a lot of our investigadores, but we weren’t able to keep much contact with them or find them for a lesson or two. So that was pretty frustrating, but it gave us more time to find other people to teach and meet. We didn’t have too many lessons this past week, but we did get to meet with Franco and teach him more about the Restoration and invite him to be baptized. He accepted, and them came to church this last Sunday too. Such a good kid. But other than that, we only had a few times when we were able to talk to other people. Oh wait, we were actually able to go to a lesson with the Familia Palota and taught them about the Word of Wisdom. It was a really good lesson, and in the end they gave us their cigarettes and then we gave them blessings to help them have the strength to stop smoking and drinking. After that blessing of the mom, she told us that she could feel a fire or a tingling on her back during the blessing. So that was really good that she felt the spirit. Then, during the rest of the week, we couldn’t find them at home. Because apparently, they moved without letting us know, but Elder Robinson is going to find them and baptized them with his new comp, Elder Thelin. 

Other than that, we had tramites for Elder Robinson on Thursday, so we went to Santa Fe and had a pretty good time there, I was basically stuck in the offices the entire day, but it was still fun. I got to hang out with Elder Rasmussen. Good stuff. 

Friday night, we had a good activity of a Talent Show with all the members in Rafaela. It ended up being pretty dang fun. We had lots of talents and he laughed a lot and were able to admire the talents of other people. I took loads of videos, but they would take forever to load, so I’m not able to send them this week. But it was a good time and we were able to have Adrian and Liza come too! They seemed to like it and had a good time too. 

Santo Tome is awesome so far. We have two wards and about 80 members attend each ward, each week. So that’s a whole lot different than Rafaela. It is super calm and humble here, so that’s a whole lot nicer. It’s a pretty small town compared to Rafaela, but we still have 6 missionaries here. We actually live in basically the same pench as the other Elders. We are next door neighbors in our departamento. So that’s been pretty fun so far. The other Elders are named Elder Mario from Buenos Aires and Elder Delgado from Peru. Pretty fun so far. My companion is Elder Loveridge and he is from California. 

Saying goodbye to everyone from Rafaela was pretty tough. Really tough. Saying goodbye to Emiliano was the hardest. But that’s how life is. I’m hoping to keep in contact with all the other people, like Hermana Palota, Ariel and Alma, Adrian and Liza, and of course Gabe. I’m going to talk with all of them after the Mish, that’s for sure. Saying goodbye to Adrian and Liza was hard too.  They helped me so much with my teeth and became great friends. They have all taught me so much and I am so thankful for my long stay in Rafaela. I could barely speak Spanish when I arrived and now can understand everything and say anything! Many tears were shed say goodbyes.  I can’t wait to see them all again. I love them all, and I am ready to meet even more amazing people here in Santo Tome.

I don’t have too much to mention from this last week, and still don’t have my typer thing, so this one is going to be a little shorter. But thank you all for reading and I hope that all works out for you guys this week.  

Can’t forget to mention, the shoes are good and thick in the sole. I’ll get a picture for this coming week. They are nice, but I have to re-break them in

Love you all!

Ciao,

Elder Haley

Rodrigo and family

Emiliano

Gabe and Franco

Gabe

Familia Palota

Hermana Palota.  This angel washed my laundry every week and fed us regularly.

Familia Quiroga

Sister missionaries, Zone Leaders and Hermana Soledad

Ariel, Alma and their madre

Liza & Adrian

Goodbye to Elder Robinson.  We will still see each other throughout our mission.

New companion, Elder Loveridge

A few of the texts from Adrian:

                    "Hi guys!! To be honest I am sad, I really love your boy.  And we will miss him.  I hope we have a chance of being in contact in the future. They were here in moments where it was hard for me to find the light.  Today I have been talking with my mom about Morley and the last night we spent, trying to face some tears.  I will keep the memories on my heart, and I wish him all the best in the new area."

                      "Yes, it was hard to say goodbye.  As a foreign friend, I am proud of him and his work.  I am sure he will be working hard and continue spreading light for someone who needs it more than me.  I think some people appear in your life, in the exact moment you need them, and leave us when their mission is complete.  I continue reflecting about that."