Monday, August 28, 2014

This week Elder Mason got sick. It was pretty bad. Then he got worse a few days ago. I told him in the morning that it was probably a sinus infection and that he would have to tell the doctor and he would tell him to take an antibiotic, probably amoxicilin. I was dead on. We weren't able to go out much this week so I rearranged the furniture and cleaned the apartment. It's really clean, and the arrangement opens the space up a lot.

We confirmed Axel, and Judith was baptized. She was going to be baptized by Elder Mason, but because he was sick, she decided that I would baptize her. That was the first time I baptized someone. Ezequiel couldn't come so he will be baptized this week and asked that I do it. Matias showed up and said that he too wants to be baptized.

                                                David, Me, Judith, Gabriela. lower: Leo, Hairo, Ty.

Ty Mason, Sister Ayre, Brian Damitz

Monday, July 21, 2014

This week we had a Zone Meeting, which we usually hold at the beginning of transfers. We live right next to the Zone Leaders, Elder McClain and Elder Molina.

Axel, an investigator, was baptized on Sunday. We also had three confirmations of Gabriela and her two sons, David who's about 20 and his younger brother. That day two investigators who are friends of that family said that they wanted to be baptized the following Sunday.

There's another family who the Dad had been less active since he was twelve, and now his wife and his twelve-year-old son are preparing to be baptized.

We have lots of progressing people in this area. It's really a great area. We always have a ton of work. But we have to do more.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

No one came to Church again. It makes us very sad. The hardest thing of the mission is that people just don't understand the importance no matter how hard we try to explain it to them.

We went on exchanges. Elder Soto came to Pablo Nogués.

Elder López from Rosario got his visa to Ecuador and left at three in the morning Monday. His companion Elder Gobilard came to our apartment and we worked in both areas of Pablo Nogués that day.

We had transfers. I'm now in López Camelo with, of all people, Elder Ty Mason (from Huntington Beach). It was quite a surprise.

A man once asked us in the street, what is the most important thing that Christ did? My companion responded the Atonement. There were moments where we had a good response, but not the right response. I thought about that question for days because I didn't have a sufficient answer. We went on companion exchanges and that morning I came to a conclusion. The most important thing that Chist did was that He was obedient to all that the Father had commanded Him. He obeyed the first and greatest law of Heaven perfectly. No other being was capable. For that reason He is our example in this life where we will be proved "to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord ​[our] God shall command ​[us]."​

The Gospel is true. I cannot stress it enough.

All You can Eat Pizza at Pablo Nogues

Monday, July 7, 2014

Tuesday we had a special activity and devotional. We heard from the Assistants, President, his wife, and a few missionaries and finished it with hamburgers. We then had a "cultural event" and watched the game of Argentina vs. Switzerland. It was great. Everyone jumped up cheering when Argentina made a goal. Some didn't, especially those from Mexico and Chile.

We found the 85-year-old father of a returned missionary who is active in the Escobar Stake. He's receptive and very alert. But he knows a lot. When we asked a few questions about his beliefs, he began by saying that he believes monotheisticaly and that God is singular, not like the Greeks or the Romans who believe in multiple gods springing from multiple religions independent of each other. He told us of his respect for the Church and how he was about to be baptized at one point. His son told us that he has had spiritual experiences with the Church.

We have trouble finding people after contacting them or having short lessons in the street. Because of that we've been working a lot on making the lessons very powerful. The most frustrating part of Missionary Work is that people generally don't understand the importance of what we're saying, so we're getting better at that. The Church of Jesus Christ has been restored. The Priesthood is on the Earth again. The Stick of Joseph has come to the whole world. In this dispensation everything will come to a close. There is so much work left to be done.

President gave us permission to see the game between Argentina and the Netherlands.

Next week is transfers. I'll likely be going seeing that I've been here for 3 transfers now.

Monday, June 30, 2014

This week we've had more lessons, but we're still struggling with making them investigators. It's hard to find them a second time, because hardly anyone seems to be at home. We've been passing by a lot of less actives, and many of them are still very receptive. Sometimes we feel like Home Teachers, but frequently we find new people through them.

The Stake President, Pres. Cuadrado died Friday night after a few weeks of struggling with an illness. They held his services on Saturday. He was only 49 and has children, one of them preparing to go on a mission in a few weeks. The members are sad for the family, but happy that he's moved on.

Natalia, who almost every day goes out with us, finally received her mission call on Sunday. At the end of Church, she couldn't wait to go home to open it with her family so she opened it there. She's going to Chile Concepción the 5th of November. Remember, remember, the fifth of November.

It's sad when people reject the Book of Mormon and the Church. The relationship between Jerusalem in the time of Christ and our time. Many people tell us that they're fine in their religion and don't plan on changing. They may even try to justify the existence of multiple churches and multiple doctrines saying that all churches talk of God and all ways lead to Him. One cannot accept the restored Gospel and accept the false precept of "polydoctrine." That's why it's so important to share the truth as Christ did. There's no other way to do missionary work.