Sept 22, 2014 Fruits of His Labors

Hello!

Well things are going good here! I can definitely feel a change! Especially with our Ward. We are strengthen our relationship with the members. There is a family called the Ibarra family! They are really cool! We have been stopping by their house helping their son with his homework...A little strange I know. Haha! But I always love an opportunity to serve. It’s also fun to see how much I remember of schooling. Haha! But we told them that on Saturday we didn’t have lunch with anyone yet and the Hermana tells us it’s my birthday but come anyway. We are going to do an asado and its going to be fun. So we went and it was a great time we got to meet the whole family. Unfortunately none of them want to hear more about the gospel... but we keep working. We hung out with the Hermano and he told us about all of the adjustments he is doing with their house it was fun! And then on Sunday when I went to greet him he got all excited and gave me a big hug and invited us over for more cake! And now he wants to come out and help us look for new investigators and the Hermana has a couple friends that she wants us to talk to! It’s amazing what the members can do when they feel the spirit of Missionary Work!

Also we found a Family that is inactive. The Grandpa and the mom are members. But got baptized like 15 years ago and went inactive. We found them and they want to return. Also 2 of the uncles and the 2 children are interested in getting baptized! And one of the uncles...´´uncle´´ he’s 18. Went to church and really liked it! And we were there talking to him and he is getting excited. He said he wasn’t going to go to church. And then when he got there he was only going to stay 1 hour. And ended up staying the whole 3 hours! So we have had some fun teaching this family!

We are still looking for new people. We have changed a lot and have been working really hard and we have seen the fruits of our labors. Now we just have to help this family get to baptism and then find new families! But things are going good! Im happy and working hard and staying strong! I think I’m getting a little fatter again. But it’s now getting hotter so I’ll be losing some more weight. Haha! Anything else....? I don’t think so. Haha! Love you all! Be good! Getting pumped for Conference!!! Oh yeah! On Friday the 3rd we are going to the TEMPLE! Whoo!

 Asado with the Ibarra family! 

Sept 15, 2014 Service at Del Viso

This week was kind of a hard week for me! It made me think of the trials that we have in our life. In the beginning of the week we had an investigator tell us that she doesn’t get anything from God! She doesn’t get good things she doesn’t get trials. That basically God just sits up there and does nothing. That he doesn’t come down to pay the hospital bills nothing. That is when I asked her what Faith was....and she couldn’t come back at me with an answer.

That’s what started me thinking about the trials that we have, why we have them, and who they are from. This has been a hard week from me with a lot of trials. From Family problems (deciding to move). To money problems, to health problems. To companion problems. To investigator problems, to lack of investigator problems haha! I felt like I was just passing through it all. And I had to think why. Not in a sense of Why me! But why do we have trials. Then I thought about the purpose of this life. Ever since I was a kid I always said, To gain a body and be tried. But then I also thought about what our trials do for us here in this life. I thought about how the trials we have make us grow if we accept them to. God gives us these trials so that we learn. In the movie the Legacy Joseph Smith says that God tries us to teach us obedience and faith. I really thought about this that we don’t just grow but we grow into what he wants. If we pass our trials in the way that we should. Obviously if we don’t than we don’t receive blessings. We need to be patient. And endure to the end and the Lord will bless us and change us into who we need to be to be happy in this life. We create our own happiness but God creates us. Who we are and what we can become! The bad things that happen to us in our lives are not always bad things. We need to see through Gods eyes and accept Gods will! He will transform us and help us learn obedience and faith. I love you so much! Thank you for all the wonderful examples I’ve had in my life!

Right now we don’t really have many investigators. I have been sick but im feeling better! On Saturday we got to offer service to a Children’s Hospital in Del Viso! It was a fun Activity! Not a lot happened this week! We are still looking for new investigators and trying to be better! Love you bye!

Sept 8, 2014 Divisions with Nunez

Hi! Well this was a pretty interesting week! We are working really hard! And changing a couple things up here in Tortuguitas! Best part of the week was on Wednesday I went and did Divisions with Elder Nuñez in Pilar! It was so fun! This guy is a Stud! We went out to his area which was really far! And out there is like the middle of nowhere! I’m mad I didn’t take my camera! We got to a point that there just stopped being houses and it was just fields, fields, and fields! Haha! Super cool! They found a family of 9 that all wants to get baptized. The parents have to get married but they were ready to go do it that day! And the next day the mom was telling us that she read and prayed and she knows it’s all true and she just wanted to introduce us to all her friends! It was really cool to meet them! Such a blessing! But that was in the Area of the District leader. Here in our area we basically had to drop everyone because they aren’t progressing. So we are on the hunt! Looking for new people to teach and looking for the people that are willing to be baptized in 3 weeks! They are out there! We just got to find them! I’m really excited to be here because the Ward is very good! The Bishop is so excited to work with us and is always asking when he can come out with us!

I have been struggling a little physically. I’ve been sick for a while and it doesn’t seem to want to go away. And my ankle has been hurting and now my toes... haha! And just to wrap it all up my comp walks really fast and doesn’t care if he leaves me behind. Basically last night I walked home alone because I couldn’t see my comp anymore. Luckily I knew how to get home. Haha! But these are just the challenges of the mission! To test my faith! I just got to keep going forward and not let them get the best of me!!

Um... I don’t think there is anything else! This was a pretty boring week also! But Love you guys Thanks for everything!

We went to a cool shopping center place.

 Divisiones with Elder Nuñez. We made French Fries and drank Coke! haha! 

Sept 1, 2014 Elder Gabriaguez and Tortuguitas

That sucks about the virus. Yeah the computers in this area suck. It’s a very poor area... well it’s a really rich area and so the majority of the people either have their own stuff or there have cars to go some where else. So like the stores and stuff here is like suck. And it’s been hard to send my stuff in this area. But yeah.

My comp is Elder Gabriaguez from Paraguay. He’s been in the mission 10 months. He actually got here in Argentina like 2 days before me! He was baptized 2 years ago. And he is really cool! He wears glasses. And yeah. Haha!

Well I’ve been here in Tortuguitas for a week now and it’s been interesting. Things work very different here than in other areas! Here is very rich and so the houses are big. The area is big. And a lot of people have cars so there isn’t a lot of buses, so we walk a lot. And the people work a lot so there isn’t a lot of people in the streets to talk to. And the members are the same. A lot of them don’t have time to come out with us or help us out which stinks but we are going to work with them and baptize people that can help us, haha! =P but things are going good! I feel weird being senior comp. I can definitely feel the responsibility. It’s different. I used my study time this morning to put some good goals down and to think of different ways that we can work!

Right now we are working with a family. 2 brothers that have go that need to get married! They are so ready they just need a little push to get them there! We are trying to get them married this month and baptized, On Friday they went to the Temple with the Ward and they showed them around and they really liked it and they like the fact that the family can be together forever! I like helping them! And then we almost had a baptism yesterday. An Old Investigator sent us a message and we stopped by. They had stopped working with her because she didn’t want to give up smoking. Well, she thought about it and has started giving up smoking on her own. She now reads everyday and really has a desire to change her life! But she had a legal problem and had to meet with one of the leaders of the mission. A married couple. And he interviewed her. Mission President has to think about it and talk with his leaders and then she will be able to get baptized. And she hasn’t fully given up smoking. So we are helping her with that! Haha! She told us that she fasted to help her stop smoking to be able to be baptized! So AWESOME! We have some other people we are working on but basically we need to find new families to bring to the church!

Now with my old investigators. Gustavo (the dad of Aryton) got baptized and now the brother and the mom and the cousin and other parts of the family are getting ready to be baptized! I told my comp that I wanted a picture so when it comes ill send that!

Love you all and well be talking next week!

 Elder Gabriaguez

Gustavo (the dad of Aryton)