July 21, 2014 Zone Conference Egg Races

Hi!

Glad to hear that everything is going well! Best part of the week is to know that everything is still going! Sorry to hear that you had a rough week! It sucks being sick! And I hope you have a great week with Spencer and Dani. Well this week was a rough one for me too. With the transfers I was kind of struck with whiplash. My old comp and my new one are just so different and the way they work is so different. So I had to do a little bit of adapting. We have been working hard and we have been finding a ton of people to teach. (Unfortunately only 1 went to church) but it’s okay because we have a whole other week to invite people to church and to invite them to Christ. Well.

On Wednesday we had Zone meeting that was really fun. We learned a lot and played a couple games. We did one of those races where you carry the egg in a spoon. They talked about how we put all of our attention on the egg and that’s how we need to be about our investigators. We need to take care of them and put all of what we have into them. After that we just went and worked. I got to do divisions with the zone leaders (which are the same) and I learned so much, these guys are awesome! Basically what we are doing is finding the elect.  There are people that God has prepared and that God is preparing. All we need to do is find them. And when we do they will hear us and know who we are and listen to us! Now... the question is. How is God preparing them? The answer is through the members. We can go and talk to random people in the street, and yes we will find people that will accept and be baptized. But I testify that through the members we can help the people have real growth, those that will be baptized and then stay active and help build the Kingdom of God! We are making a couple changes in the ward and we are going to start baptizing like no ones business!! =P but I am doing well and I am having fun! That’s the one thing that no one can take away from me! I just keep going and doing what I know is right! =P Love you all and sorry there aren’t many pics. Not a whole lot happened this week! Oh. And on Saturday there was a baptismal interview for some elders in the district. We went and did the interviews but one of the little girls wasn’t ready and they ended up postponing the other baptism for this weekend.

The other day in the pension I found like cleats for soccer on cement. That fit me. They are a little big, and today we are going to play soccer and volleyball and Uno and all kinds of stuff with the zone. Should be fun!  Love you all! Be safe and good and expect a ton of pix!

Elder Franco. a mexican in my district. He is super awesome. 

 I got an ear piercing. 

July 15, 2014 New Companion Elder Gines, Argentina Independence Day and Argentina World Cup

Hey glad to hear that everything is well and that you got back well from your trip!

Well we had a very exciting week this week! With the Mundial and everything. To start, on Tuesday we had a pretty normal day. Then on Wednesday there was an activity in the church. Because Wednesday was the Independence Day in Argentina and there was a soccer game. So it was a pretty exciting event! We got there nice and early because they went to go start preparing the food and we had investigators coming. So we got there and cleaned up the court and started playing around a little bit! We helped them cook... (Well we took pictures with the big pot!) haha! That’s when they took the picture of me and my comp in our Argentina jerseys! Haha! I made a mistake and played with it and the ball hit my chest and got my shirt dirty. Well the rule is that we aren’t allowed to play. I justified by saying that we weren’t playing a game, we were just messing around. And then when we started to play an actual game is when I got my shirt dirty. Right then I took it off and sat out. God humbles us to help us learn obedience! Well. Our investigator showed up with his Cousins. That was cool but the parents didn’t go. They said they didn’t have time and all that stuff. Blah! So they got out the food which is Locro. They take a giant pot. And throw all kinds of food in there. The ending taste has a taste of Corn. But it has meat and chorizo. And all kinds of veggies. It was good. But they said it wasn’t that good. I didn’t eat that much. After we went and ate a little asado with Dante and it was so good! We kind of stole some because they weren’t expecting us. But I think that now they always expect us haha! After we got permission to watch the game and so we went and watched it with the father of a member, He is the old guy in the photo. He is super cool! And loves the missionaries. But he likes to party and doesn’t want to give it up :(. It was a great game! Lasted forever! But it was super awesome! Afterwards we ran outside and right in front of their house is one of the most dangerous parts, everyone went out and was screaming and singing and drunk and throwing fireworks! It was crazy! Super cool! I took a video but I have to wait to show you after! =P super fun! The brother drove us home and was honking all the way along and so was everyone else! The rest of the week we were just preparing people to go to church and preparing for the finals! And on Saturday we got a text that said that we had already experienced the culture of Argentina and that on Sunday we couldn’t see the finals. We had to be in the pension from 4 to the end of the day! It was boring but its okay. We were calling a family like every 10 mins to ask what was going on! Haha! =P super sad we lost but oh well. So my comp said good bye to everyone and he left! Now I,m here with Elder Gines and we are going to kill it!!! Whooo! =P haha! Love you all and be safe!

pictures with the Zone!

 On Wednesday was the Independence day of Argentina! they have a food called Locro which is like a soup that tastes like corn, and then they throw everything into it! meat, beef pork, chicken, vegetables. Everything! but this one wasn't made very good haha! 

 The hermana that made it is a little crazy! haha! 

 We also played a little soccer and volleyball! It was a huge party! 

 We ate locro with investigators. 

Dylan is on the left. He is going to be baptized on saturday and the other kids are his cousins. 

 the locro wasnt that good so we went and had asado with Dante. haha! and then that same day watch Argentina beat Belgium!!!! Whooo! with him. he isnt a member but is really awesome! 

 This is Elder Gines

July 7, 2014 GO ARGENTINA World Cup

How awesome! that President Peterson is back! Send him my love and that I am happy he got home safely! What are his plans now? General Authority?!?! =P haha! Well on Tuesday we got to see the Game with the whole mission! It was super fun! We had a devotional before and then we watched the game and made hamburgers for us! It was awesome! And we won! Then the next game they made us stay in our pensions till 3. My comp got sick because it was raining and he thinks he ate something bad so it was good we stayed in. and with his Visa we went and tried to do it again. We got a little farther but he was still missing a letter that the church has to send but they haven’t sent it yet. And so he is on the list to leave the country. But they won’t go into another country they will just leave, get the stamp and come back. But we don’t know when or if I will go or anything and if the letter comes before he wont have to go. But that’s fine. We have transfer in a week and he will leave, haha! He has 6 months here. That almost never happens. So it’s like a definitely he will leave. So with our investigators we have the Suarez family and they aren’t progressing because they need to go to church and they didn’t go yesterday so I think we will have to drop them for a while. We will see what happens. But ya. We basically don’t have anything because no one went to church. So we have a week of looking for new investigators so we will see what happens! =P I am doing good! President told us that we can watch the game this Wed so that is exciting! Im not sure if the Members are going to let us or believe that president said that. But we will find something to do! Haha! Hopefully we can go with someone who cooks well! =P but yeah. I’m happy that I have a year but that just means I got a year left to find teach and baptize! Im so excited to meet new people and to improve as a missionary! Because I got a lot to improve! But things are going good! Love you all and I will talk to you on Tuesday!

Go Argentina! eating Asado with the Pres of the Young men! He is awesome! Dante

We watched the Argentina game with the Mission! with 3 hamburgers each!  

  Elder Engebretsen.

 Elder Franco.

and my comp eating a really gross hotdog thing.  

Elder Olsen, Elder Lines, and Elder Ballesteros 

June 30, 2014 Learning from Exchanges

Hey! Well this was a pretty good week!

I didn’t do much to take pictures so sorry about that! Well I’m going to start with the sad part. We were going to have a baptism yesterday! The kid is so prepared! He is a friend of a recent convert that has been introducing us to his friends. And his family is so great and so ready to listen to the Gospel! So we have been preparing him for the baptism yesterday and well on Sunday morning he got up at 3 and played video games and so at 9 he was asleep and didn’t want to go to church. And since he didn’t get to church on time we have to postpone his baptism! Which is fine because we can prepare him a little bit more and work with his family and everything! Their name is Suarez! Haha! But so ya we are working there. Last night they had a Baptism the Zone leaders and so it was a little sad to go and see when we were going to have one too. And if we would have had our baptism we would have broken the zone record. 15, but since our baptism missed we met the record 15. But it’s okay! Just means that God was expecting something extra from us that we didn’t give! Now we got to improve and show our faith in the next month!

This week we did a lot of Exchanges! On Tuesday I went with the zone leaders! They plan everything out perfectly so when they go out it’s literally teaching the whole time and getting to know `people. It was fun! Then on Wednesday I went back to my area. Well an elder in our district doesn’t want to do exchanges and he is having some hard times but we had to get exchanges. So Thursday we did exchanges with them. So what happened is a little weird-. So I stayed in my area. My comp went to be with that elder. The comp of that elder went with a zone leader. They sent another district leader to go with me, and then the extra zone leader did an exchanges with other elders. So there was 5 companionships involved and we were all in different places! Haha! But I learned a lot that day. A lot about what I can already do and that I don’t need to be dependent on anyone else! (except for one part of the day when I got really lost and we had a member that was sick and I made her walk all over my area and we didn’t end up teaching with her, so I owe her ice cream! haha! )

Then on Sat they did an activity for the youth at the church. It was a lot of fun! They plan scripture games and soccer and volleyball and other races and there was a Football there so we taught the kids how to play football. They kept getting it mixed up with Rugby! I got mad haha! But oh well! Well things are going good and I am happy! Love you all! Bye!

This is all I got this week. I did exchanges with a kid from Mountain View