August 2016

August 1, 2016 14 months

Been studying the bible alot recently, mostly the teachings of Christ and His parables.

Starting to get warmer, lots more sun and clear days. And at night it kind of gets chilly.

At first it was really weird because you usaully contect different types of weather and seasons with months, but now I don't notice at all and isn't something weird.

The time is flying, got to take advantage of every moment. The most important thing that I have learned is everything is possible with God and faith. There are small miracles every day that we tend to miss or discount. 

We had transfers, I'm now a districto leader and my new comp is a Chileno Elder Pacuay

August 8, 2016

What a great quote!! I usually pray and read the scriptures to clear my mind. Also one of the best thing for me is to keep the mind busy, such as doing something and working hard. One thing that has been hard for me is leaving the people I know and change of comps after a long time together.

Been a crazy but good week! I know this week will be better and we have lots to do here :) I miss you and are in my prayers

August 15, 2016

Hola Madre,

Hope everything is going well back home! It has been getting really hot here. We had the baptism of B. this past Sabado, it was very special for me and also for her! She is a amazing women. Been working hard in the heat with my comp and we had a week with much success. A little stressful being District Leader but it is a time to learn new things.

we are in ´spring´ but it feels like summer. We figured out the living situatuion, we will be moving soon.

Love you 

August 22, 2016

My week was busy but amazing! We had 9 investigadores in Catamarca Ward! And we should have a ton of baptisms next sunday!!! That sounds like a amzing trip, didn't Uchtdorf talk about Dresden cathedral in his conference talk?

And we are moving to our new place tomorrow!!

-Finally found the picture when the streets flooded in Córdoba a long long time ago.

-Spanish Scrabble

August 29, 2016

Hahaha oh my gosh those qoutes made me bust out laughing. Especailly the first one. 

We had 3 baptisms! M. and A. are amazing family that we found this month. and C. is someone incredibly special to me, is a very loving and awesome man. Will have to tell you his amazing story when I get home. We still haven't moved...... we had a problem with the contract it was for three years and the mission wants one for 2. The new contract was sent today, so we will see what happens.

palo santo- smells really good when you burn it, pension smells really good now.

July 2016

July 4,  2016  13 months

¡FELIZ 4 DE JULIO!

The indepedence day here is 9th of July, not to far away. It's been cold but I've been staying nice and warm. Yes we are still covering 2 churches. We have our new mission president, i think we are going to cordoba again for another conference.

Its crazy to think that half a year has passed by already, time is flying for me. But me and my comp are working our butts off here and really seeing the blessings and miracles. Love missionary work! We had a very succesful week and a had great sunday. We recieved a referral the other day from a hermana in Valle Viejo, the mom and the daughter game to the church by themselves. They came early to the church so we taught them a bit and invited them to be baptized, we have their baptism planned for the 23rd. They loved the church and are very interested in our message. Also we have a member that works in a little village a hour way that hasnt been touched by missionaries or has heard much or nothing of our church. She has some referrals for us there and we are going to try to get permission to go there and share the gospel with everyone possible.

July 11, 2016

I'm definitley enjoying and soaking in the mission. I don't know if they will have these things becasue each spanish country has its typical plates and foods but... empanada, matahambre, alfajores, 

facturas are the pastry thing I like, but they are only in Argentina. If you ask for a factura in spain people are goin to thing you are asking for a recipt becasue that is the meaning outside of talking  about the food or a bakery.

We dont have tapas here, tapas here means the dough to make empanadas, the cap of something, or cover a book. Spanish is a tricky language because one thing can have other meaning and it is based on context and in other countries words have different meanings. 

La siesta is right after lunch for about 2-4 hours(depends on the people and where you are) Dinner you would usually eat late but im sure if your in the city or touristic area stuff will be open. I would thing things would start to open around 6 after the siesta.

Cala means cove or inlet but a beach or the seaside is also playa 

We should have some baptisms very soon we got some people who are almost there. Hopefully this weekend or the next.

July 18, 2016

It took my stomach a while at first to get use to some of the food here.

Ooo that sounds super good, haven't eaten bacon here in Argetina. Miss good old bacon, haha.

I drank alot of fresh grapefruit juice here. Lots of orange, mandarin oranges, and grapefruit tress here in peoples back yard and in the streets. Eat atleast one madarin every day, super sweet and delcious! Also the other day we had a avacado shake really good actually. milk, avacado, and a little bit of sugar.

There is a huge festival going on here in called Poncho, it one of the biggest festivales that happens in Argetina. Tons of cool thing to see and buy. If you want some cool Aregtine stuff this is the place. Very talented people who make all kinds of thing from clothes to knifes.

(Mom had just read this talk given by Sister Oscarson Do I Believe? https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/do-i-believe?lang=eng )

That is a great talk! I remember it, ill try to reread it during studies this week. The investagadores are coming along very well. B and M brought there grandma to church and she has intrest in the church now. I'm now teaching english to several people which has been great. I hope that we will have there baptisms very soon. Best part of this week was interview with the new president. Was great to meet President and hermana Correa and talk with them and hear what they had to say.

Mom: Cup and spoon/straw thing? Andrew: It is MATE

Mom: do you like Mate? Andrew: I LOVE it. I didnt like it at first it was very bitter but after my first month i liked it.

Mom: Are the stars different? Andrew: The stars are different here,  you have go north of latitude 25 degrees South to see the big dipper it in its entirety. THe most north point in Argentina is 21 degrees

July 25, 2016

My favorite part of the temple is the environment. A place to think about the future and past. A place to feel peace and refuge from the world and your life.

My week was very crazy but we closed on a wonderful sunday thouhg. Friday the chapel water was shut off for some dumb reason and no matter what we tried to do we couldnt get a hold of some who had the key to open a door out back. Because they were in cordoba, or you have to talk to this person, blah blah, etc.. etc..We even tried everythin up to calling the fire derpartment to fill the baptism fount, but they said it wasnt important enough to do so in that moment. Then friday night my comp had to go to cordoba and i stayed with the zone leaders the whole day saturady. And saturday morning we did contacts in a park with all the youth of the stake during their youth conference. was a intresting experierence teaching with 6 others teenagers. Some have very strong testimonies. Finally we baptized sunday and had our ward conferences with the stake and their talks. Was a really good sunday.

Photos

-all the argintine stuff that I have slowly collected 

-Bautismo 

-Juan

June 2016

June 6, 2016

http://www.donquijote.org/culture/argentina/society/food/locro

​ 

This website explains what is locro better than i can, but it literally mix of all kinds of vegatables and meats, I like mine with beef and cow stomach. 

I had great week, it is slowly getting colder here but it hasnt been too bad. Some snow on the peaks of the mountains. 

​Saturday and ​y

estarday it rained all day and was pretty cold however we had some 

​more ​

delcious and hot Locro for dinner!

​ We hopefully should have another baptsim this weekend and another one next week. We are in the process of finding new people to teach but we got some good refferals to work with.

 

Love you!​

June 14, 2016

Finally get to email! Yestarday we had the farwell conference of President Alliaud, Sister Alliaud, and the Alliaud kids. Was a very spiritual, great, and sad conference. I've learned so much from them and felt their strong love for me and the other missionaries. 12 hours of travel, so we slept a little bit today.

Dont have much time but I miss and love you all very much!

Tell dad that i left my piece of paper with the scriptures in the pension but ill send it when i can, have some really good scriptures.

June 20, 2016

The weather was gorgeous this week, was the perfect temp. with sun, a bit chilly in the morning but thats about it. wow crazy to think that school is close to being done for owen and noah.

Gave a talk this past sunday about studing the scriptures and I used this quote, I think it help.

"...Sounds too hard for me. Don't be dterred. Hard can be good. Christ invites us to do many hard things because He knows we will be blessed as a result of our efforts."

-Devin G. Durrant

In the valle viejo branch I taught primary this past sunday while my companion was giving the lesson on the book of mormom class.

We had transfers. Staying my comp another transfer,very happy that! Really good friends and we got of work to do here and we just began to see some of the blessings.

We had una noche blanca (a white night) last saturday, look at all the white the foto, we baptized P.

Pollo al disco is the food pic

Love you!!

June 27, 2016

We got snow in the valley this Saturday and Sunday. Today we went up into the mountains to play with the snow that stayed. Wow 90 degrees, I'm sure you all enjoyed that change of weather. I've become weak to the cold, it's freezing. But the days when its cool weather with the sun shinning I really enjoy. Send some sweets/choclates from germany.

The best part of this week was thursday when we went to Valle viejo and went around everywhere with a hermano in his car and he introduced us to inactives and people to teach. We had lots of success with him that day, and now we have lots more people that we are teaching and possibly be baptized very soon. Also sunday there was a really great talk about why we do the things we do and how we should do things for ourselves not for fear, society, etc. and also to come more closer christ through the things we do. We had the baptism of V this past Saturday.

lots of people go up to the mountains to make small snowman that the put on the hood of their car and the drive around with it in the city, pretty funny site. The rarity of snow has its silly funny traditions here.

Fotos:

SNOW!

Drinking mate from a grapefruit(super good)

Baptism

Señor SUN

May 2016

May 2, 2016

They havent had a game at the stadium near us for a while, they are in the process of building a new belgrano stadium. But always buses full of soccer fans going to the games, and been lots of games lately. Havent seen any parrots, there are some very different birds here though.

G got baptized but in a different ward close by due to living situation, but he invited us to his baptisim that was this last saturday. It was great, really went through alot of trails up to his baptism. really stayed strong and faithful. We are teaching another H who is amazing. read the whole joseph smith pamphlet and last friday he was in 2 nefi. Hopefully he'll come to church this coming sunday. meeting with him wednesday.

May 9, 2016 TRANSFER TO CATAMARCA

It was GREAT to talk to you all yestarday!Transfer went pretty well long bus ride with on and off sleep but i slept a little bit this morning and feel great now. Elder Lopez is going to be a great companion. Sometimes its hard/sad to leave but i havent had really big problem with transfers. Its sad to leave the members and people your teaching then a comp in my opinion. I traveled with one elder and a hermana

Valle viejo Catamarca! i'll try to take alot more pictures 

I feel like trying to find people that honestly have the desire to listen and some of the very humbling thing seen or experienced are the hardest things of the mission.  

Best part of the mission is seeing the change and happiness the gospel brings to peoples lives.

Love you and miss you

May 16, 2016

First week here was great!! Lots of success and plenty of work to do here in catamarca. Adjusting very well. The people here are very tranquilo and very receptivo. We are very close to the mountians! Ate some more locro sunday, was so good. Probably one of my favorite foods here in Argentina now. The apartment is a lot better from day one here, we´ve been cleaning little by little and it is making a huge difference.

Got a mom who is getting married and then she is going to get baptized with two of her daughters. Also we are teaching this amazing kid who wants to get baptized, has a very sad story. 

May 23, 2016

Loving the area more and more each day! Always ending the week and days very tired, lots of work :) It's more green now because its winter, but usually its a green brown. The mountains had snow on the peaks this morning. 

We baptized last night, L is a a amazing and very smart kid. We have been working with him a ton the last past 2 weeks. He was so excited for his baptism. Very sad that his mom didnt come, but it still was a great night for him. And we have another one planned for this saturday or sunday. In two weeks the our zone of 10 missionaries has 11 baptisms and achieved zone sion (each companship has baptized)

                                                        I dont know why but the computer is reading my camera, i have a ton of amazing pictures to send.... :( 

I'll try to send the soon as possible if not next week for sure.    

May 30, 2016  1 YEAR!!  

Finally got to send those pictures. 

Lots of missionary work going on here. We had the baptism of S this past saturday! We traveled to La Rioja wednesdy morning at 5 to have a conference with President Alliud. Was a great conference even with only 28 of us there, so different from the conferences that i have had in cordoba. I loved it though lots more one on one and i learned alot. 13 of june we travel to cordoba to have the departing of President Alliud... going to be a bitter sweet moment. 

Covering a ward and a branch is very draining sundays but i love it at the same time. We refferals here and there but mainly we work with part memeber families and people we talk to. But we love refferals!!

We went to a lost old village that was found last monday and wednesday 25 de mayo was a huge holiday in Argentina and we ate lots of locro.