Sunday, May 25, 2014

May 19, 2014 Tests came back CLEAR!

Hi! Im doing well! Yes I went to the doctors but everything is fine and all the tests came back clean! And they told me to drink water and take care of myself. It has started going away. So yeah! Everything is going good! They told me if it starts to get worse we can come back and talk to a specialist. But ya

Well this week has been quite the week! On Thursday 2 weeks ago, President Gonzalez the area president, came and spoke with the mission! More than anything it was a Q and A! But it was really great and they gave us a lot of good insight and advice for our areas! So that was cool! Then on Tuesday we had interviews with President. He talked to me about being myself in Lessons and that I need to know the lessons so well that I don’t need to be thinking about the language or the lesson that I should be in there with the investigator and really focus on what they need to hear and what they need to know and then I just be myself. That the lessons and what we teach should really be apart of who we are and what we do! So I have been working on that and I´ve already seen some examples of doing it! So that was pretty cool! Sunday I called home! And that’s always a good energy booster! On Monday we had an emergency zone meeting because the numbers were really low. And so we talked about the Atonement the whole time and we got some cool Videos that talk about that and the missionary work! On Friday the zone Leaders called and we did exchanges with them! It was a very cool day! I didn’t want to because I had to stay and run our area basically alone but it was fine. We didn’t find anyone new but the Zone leader helped me out with some things! Then at night we played with his Laser and took pictures and had milanesa sandwiches! It was good! Haha! We came back and applied what we learned from the zone leaders and found 3 new investigators and 7 lessons in one day! (Well it was like 7 lessons in 2 hours.) Haha! But yeah. We are getting better and we are changing a lot! It’s great to see these changes and the blessing from them!


Love you all and hope that everything is well. We are getting the branch excited and are planning new activities that we can do in these months to get them excited about missionary work! The branch president is getting excited and has some referrals prepared for us! Haha! So we will see what happens. We have one investigator named Nilda! She has been investigating for a while and she has a couple doubts especially about the Book of Mormon and living day prophets. And well she already decided that she will get baptized she just doesn’t know when! So we are pushing with her and hope that it can happen soon! Other than that we have dropped most of our investigators. We got to find the chosen people! There are people that are ready to be baptized now! So we try not to waste our time with people who don’t keep their compromises! Haha! But we are doing well! 2 weeks left for this transfer! Love yall be safe! Share the gospel!

Hablando con la Familia! 
Mi Sobrina! Que hermosa! 
Compañero hablando con su familia
Pizza de estados unidos! y la Chica! (dije a mi hermano que le invitara a salir pero ella esta casada. asi que no. jaja)
La estacion de Grand Bourg
Divisiones con Lider de Zona. Escribimos con un láser que el tiene. 



 

 

Talking with the family!  
 My beautiful Niece 

My companion talking with his family. 
Pizza from Dominios 
While Spencer was talking to Connor on Monday Morning (While Connor's Companion was talking to his family), Spencer ordered and picked up a Dominos pizza for Connor to watch him eat (at Connor's request) 
the train station of Grand Bourg. its right in the middle of our area. We live right in there.
 And we did exchanges and we wrote on the wall with a laser pen he has. haha! 



 Riding in the train! 
en el Tren! 
On his way to the Doctors.  Notice the gloves.  It's getting colder there.




May 11, 2014 MOTHER'S DAY CALL

Mother’s Day with Connor May, 2014

We had made arrangements to talk to Connor through his email the week before.  He wanted to talk on Monday morning because that’s when his companion was talking to his family.  But I told him that wouldn’t work because I had to be to work and his brothers would be at school.  So we decided to talk around 2 p.m. on Sunday.  We would go to Sacrament meeting and come home ready to talk to him.  Allan was asked to give the closing prayer so we waited until Sacrament meeting was over.  Lauren, Dennis and Taymar came to church with us, too.  Allan gave a nice prayer and we rushed home to wait for the call.  We waited for a little while and then we received a facetime call from Spencer and that turkey, Connor, called Spencer first.  They had been talking for a little while before they called.

We have Apple TV so we got the Ipad set up and he called and everyone was here they then.  Allan, Me, Mitchell, Garrett, Grandma Linda, Lauren, Dennis and Taymar.  We also had Spencer on facetime on my phone.  The first thing we did was show Connor Taymar.  He has only seen her in pictures.  It was fun.  The newest trick is to point to people and they point back and touch her finger.  She kept reaching for him.  He even reached back.  He took a couple of pictures of her and then I got my camera out.  I had the tripod so we took a family picture in front of the t.v. with everyone in it.  Thanks to technology, our whole family was together since before Spencer left on his mission almost 3 years ago.

Then the questions began.  He was Skyping from the computer at his church.  We asked how he was feeling and what was going on health wise.  He had been to the doctors to run some tests for a bladder infection or UTI but he didn’t have an infection.  He needed to go back to have more tests run.  The Dr. said they would test for diabetes and prostate, but they didn’t know.  He would be going on Tues or Thurs.  He wasn’t too concerned because he had blood work done before he left on his mission and nothing showed up as far as diabetes was concerned.  He would let us know once he got the results back.  All we could do was pray from him.  And that we did!!

We asked him how the food was going.  As we all know, Connor is a very picky eater and doesn’t like many things, especially pasta.  He says they eat a lot of Chicken Nuggets.  It sounds like chicken you would use for chicken parmesan.  He likes that.   They call it Milanesa.  He also eats a lot of empandas and pasta.  And usually with the pasta he has a second plate.  Boy do these missionaries grow up while they are gone for two years. 

We asked about the apartment he sent pictures home a couple of weeks ago.  He said they didn’t move in there because it was too dangerous of an area.  So they are still in the same shack taking bucket showers.  Bummer.  That looked like a nice place.  They said it was too small of a place, too.  It can’t be any smaller than the place they are already living in.  I’ll go with the excuse that it’s too dangerous of an area.  H said that it’s transfer week in a couple of weeks and one of the two of them will be transferred this time and the other will be transferred the next time.  So he won’t be there too much longer.

They get to go to the Temple on May 26th.  They found out that the other mission that has the temple in there area gets to go whenever so they go like once a week.  I don’t know if that is true, but he is excited to go at the end of the month.  I wonder what that will do for pday emails?  Hummm?

Then we talked about the grocery stores.  He is still trying to find spices.  It’s so weird to me that he can’t find cumin or paprika or red chili flakes to make salsa.  So there are two kinds of places to shop for groceries.  Lots of people will open up a Meat shop or fruits and veggie shop just in a neighborhood out of their home.  If you need something quick, you go to the neighborhood store.  Then there is the regular grocery store that you can buy whatever you need.  He says that things taste different down there especially milk.  They get water delivered to them in 5 gallon drums.

We asked about Florencia.  He told us what happened to her.  She was progressing really well.  Members were helping with her.  Taking her to church and her parents gave permission for her to be baptized.  Then her uncle found out about her going to church.  He is a Christian and he told her family some anti-Mormon information.  He told her that she would be taken away from the family.  Connor’s companion told her they couldn’t teach her anymore until they got permission again from her parents.  So they had to stop teaching her.

Then the two children they were teaching, the parents had to be married.  They were from Uruguay and the dad missed his old life so he packed them up and moved them back home.

I asked him if there were places to go site seeing?  Are there hikes or places to go?  He said that the capital building is the only place he knew of and it was too far away.  He lives in the country.  There are a few paved main roads, but most of the streets are dirt roads.  He doesn’t get out his camera too often because it’s dangerous and he doesn’t want to be robbed. He says it’s like living out in Queen Creek.  There’s the city and then there is the country.

He’s glad that he took his sleeping bag.  The mission gave him a blanket but he doesn’t like it.  He uses the sleeping bag like a blanket.  It’s too small to climb into.  He also likes his shoes he took.  He took 3 pairs of Eccos, one boot, one shoe that is like the boot and one Sunday looking one.  He trades them out and loves them all.

He has people in the branch make lunch for them everyday.  They will have cereal in the morning, then go to a lunch appointment and they usually eat so much that they don’t eat dinner.  They may have a snack when they get home.  He likes eating at member’s houses rather than having lunch ready for them and have them take it home to eat.  They enjoy visiting with the member’s.  I asked if they get fruits and veggies?  Do they have apples and oranges?  What about strawberries?  They do have fruit.  They are not allowed to eat strawberries.  It’s a MTC mission rule in Latin America.  They can’t be cleaned well enough to be bacteria free.  I did not know that.  Usually their dessert is a piece of fruit, an apple or orange.

He really likes his Mission President.  He is a real down to earth man.  He is like a good Bishop or Stake President.  He feels he can talk to him about anything.  Connor told him about his medical problem and his President made him go to the doctors.  Connor is one to maybe not say something like that and just think is will go away.  He must really trust Pres. Ayre.

His Companion, Elder Micanquer, is from Columbia.  He has 8 months left of his mission.  He knows the Bible really well and can answer many investigators questions.

I asked him what his favorite thing to make and he said Chicken Wings.  I have sent him some recipes and he as tried French toast.  He wants to make corn dogs but he hasn’t found baking powder yet.  So we will see what he comes with.

We talked about sending packages.  I am still getting mixed messages about sending packages to Argentina.  I’m afraid to send anything because things aren’t getting to the missionaries or else there is an expensive tax that whoever picks up the package has to pay.  I have several things I want to send to him, I even showed him the bag and told him I’m nervous spending so much and have it stolen by the postal service there.  He wants pictures and music as his Ipod broke. 

We talked about other things, but I didn’t write them down.  We had a nice visit.  It lasted about 2 hours.  It’s always so good to hear from your missionary, and it’s always hard to say goodbye.  I always start crying and he warned me not to.  Can’t help it.  I love and miss him so much.  But like the saying goes, I wouldn’t want him to be any where else.
He has a very strong testimony and loves teaching the gospel to those that are searching.  He is to the point that he knows Spanish better than English and he kept looking at his companion for help to remember English words.  He doesn’t have an accent like Spencer does, but that will probably still come.  Spencer and Connor talked a little while before we talked to him, and Spencer said that his Spanish is different than his.  He had a hard time understanding many of his words.  That’s funny because Spencer is very proud of his Spanish.  It’s just different.


We are so blessed to have Connor on a mission.  We know that what he is doing is sharing the gospel to those in Argentina.  He has a strong testimony of the gospel and he strives everyday to be OBEDIENT.  He studies, prays and listens to the Spirit.  Through his obedience, he has been blessed.

 Mother's Day May 11, 2014

Wishing Dad a Happy Birthday.  Connor was told that he could call his dad and wish him a happy birthday the week after his birthday.  HAHA  Happy Mother's Day Call

We Love our Missionaries!  

 He eats Milanesa a lot.  I googled it and this is what came up

 Enjoying Havana Cookies
I'll have to try making these




Connor always loves the sweets

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

May 5, 2014 Dad's Bday and Asado

Hey how’s it going!

I´d like to make a big shout out to my dad! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! WHOOOOO!!! Hope you have a great day and that Spiderman is everything that you dreamed it’ll be! (They are going to go see Spiderman for my dad’s birthday)

Well I’m doing well. To start off this week I went to the hospital. I’ve been having some problems with my bladder and it’s gotten bad. Where I’m having to go to the bathroom a lot and I have no warning. We´ll be walking in the street and suddenly i have to run to find a bathroom somewhere! It’s really embarrassing when I have to run inside a member’s house to the bathroom. And so the doctor that I called from the mission said I could have bacteria and it could be an infection, so I went there. They ran tests and I don’t have an infection and there isn’t bacteria. So that’s good! But they don’t know what’s wrong with me. So this weekend I am going back and they will run some more tests to find out what it is. Haha!

So the pension that we have now is really small. And there is no water pressure and so we have to bathe by filling up a bucket and dumping it on ourselves. And so the mission gave us permission to look for a new pension. We have been looking and we think we found a good one. We need to call them and set an appointment to go see it tomorrow. So we will see what happens there, I’ll send pics.

Well this week we found a family named the Gomez family, the son (Adrian) works for a member and the member invited him to church. We were in the house of the member and he was there and we started talking to him and stuff and asked him what he was doing on Sunday. He said he was planning on going to church with the member haha! (...he didn’t come) but we invited him to be baptized and he accepted. He said he really needed this in his life now, so we got his address and we went to pass by to see and the area he lives in is kind of dangerous. So we didn’t actually enter in his neighbor. Haha! Because it was night time. We went by the next day earlier and his dad (Oscar) was there. He let us enter and we started talking to Oscar because Adrian wasn’t there. Well after some time Adrian showed up. We asked if there was anyone else in the house, his brother (Mario) and nephew (Alexis). This family is great! Really humble. The mom passed away 2 years ago. They were both fired recently. (The dad and the brother) and there is a sister that has problems and she got mad at the dad and left. And she left 3 of her kids with her dad and didn’t come back. So Oscar is watching his 3 grandkids and raising them with every little money. But they all said they wanted to come to church and change. And accepted the baptism invitation. But none of them went to church. :( And we have passed by a couple times and they aren’t there. So we will see what happens.

Other investigator. She just showed up at church. She has been going to church at a different ward and she lives in our ward. She is dating a member and they haven’t gotten married yet because he has to get divorced. She is really great! She really has desires to find out if this is all true. She has been doing it so that she can be with she boyfriend and she wants to be a wife that supports him and is there with him. So that’s all really cool.

This month we get to go to the temple again! Whoo! 26. Super excited- We heard that the missionaries in Buenos Aires South can go whenever they want. And so they go like every week. Not fair.

On Saturday we had an Asado with the ward mission leader and his parents (who are inactive, and ex branch president, how that works...idk) it was so good. Everyone talks about how it’s like the best and all that stuff but I like my steak better. With asado it has a lot of bones and no seasoning. Haha! But I realized that the meat here is really cheap! For steaks that are like really nice, here they are like 2 dollars a pound! It’s crazy! I just realized it. I might be buying meat more often from now on! Haha!


And last of all, I want to thank you mom and dad for never leaving the church. We all have our hardships but you guys understand how important it is to be in the church and the blessing that come from it! We have been dealing with inactives and their stories are just so tiring. They always tell us, we never stopped believing in the Book of Mormon and the church and everything. I just don’t believe in the members. Okay... when was the last time you touched your Book of Mormon or said a prayer... Oh Elder don’t ask me that! It’s been years...! It makes me so upset to see people like this. Especially when they have kids growing up. I know and I understand that there is nothing that excuses you from not going to church. There is nothing more important in this life than what is in the church and the blessing and teachings there. Thank you for teaching me that and for always encouraging me to go! Love you guys! Have a great week and we will talk the week that’s coming!
 Asado! 



 Im going to steal this dog. its already mine


 I made French toast! 
Hice tostado de francés, es una comida de los estados unidos muy común
Alfajores de Havana! Son riquísimos! 
Havana Alfajores! They are so good! haha!  



 A member here has Dragon balls!!!
un miembro aca tiene pelotas de dragon ball Z

El Asado con la famila Colman
The asado with the colman family  

Look what i bought! They are speakers that i can put a Usb into. 
Miren, es parlante para escuchar de mi pen drive.  



 New apartment! maybe... $250 bucks a month







 Shopping de Tortoguitas!