KNEEL

¡Familia!                                                                                                                    

Elder Fernandez and I were sitting in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday and we heard something that caught our attention.  After the sacrament service, the Bishop was announcing the program and out of nowhere we heard, “Then, our ward missionaries will follow with a brief message.” Well, that was news to our ears!  We had 5-10 minutes to get some thoughts prepared and before we knew it, we were at the pulpit speaking to the congregation.  LOL!  It’s a good thing we were paying attention. 

We had a great week in Mendoza and we spent most of our time looking for people to teach.  When we actually get invited into a home, we’ve been focusing on sharing messages that are twenty minutes or less.  This allows us to teach more people in the span of a day.  

The other day, we found Marisa and Mara who are a mom and daughter.  They accepted our message right off the bat! Due to some bad experiences in other churches, Marisa is looking for a new place to take her daughter.  Simply, she’s looking for a place where they’ll feel comfortable. She’s been to a lot of churches and is still looking for the right one.  When we met them, we quickly shared our message of the Restoration and then Marisa said one of the most powerful prayers I’ve heard.  We knelt down together and she asked our Heavenly Father to lead her where she needs to go and asked if our message was true.  It was simple but powerful!  Then, we just stayed on our knees and let her meditate for a second.  A warm feeling of peace came over us and when I looked up, there was a big smile on her face. I will never forget her ear-to-ear smile or the look she gave me. The Lord truly answers the prayer of anyone who asks will real intent and faith in Christ.  I have no doubt about it!

            Our friend, David, is progressing a ton.  He has read a large portion of the Book of Mormon and has faithfully gained a testimony of the truthfulness of our message.  Every time we go to his house, we begin with a prayer and then he just tells us what he’s been learning and gives us a recap of what he’s read in the Book of Mormon. Every time we’re with him, I’m stunned by his comprehension of what he’s read and of what we’ve taught him.  He understands everything so well and he earnestly wants to learn more. He has a goal to finish the Book of Mormon in two weeks and if he keeps up his current reading pace, he’ll reach his goal. There’s a lot of religious contention in his house but he is able to ignore it because, as he’s told us, he’s received his answer and he’s going to follow it. We’re trying to work with the police so David can get permission to go to church with us.  So, keep him in your prayers!!

            Banti and Florencia are doing well also.  Banti is learning a ton and the other day while we were preparing him for his baptismal interview he taught us the message of the Restoration from the perspective of a nine-year old.  It was pretty hilarious to hear his thoughts and rendition of the message.  He’s a really smart kid and he’s getting prepared for his baptism.  Hopefully, he’ll be baptized soon.  We’re just waiting for a little more support from his family.

            On Friday, we had our Zone Conference and it was one of the best conferences I’ve participated in.  Here in Mendoza, the work is progressing steadily. I had to teach about the importance of ministering to the members as well as the investigators and about how to gain their confidence and trust.  We are truly on the Lord’s errand and ministering to our sheep is our outlook. One thing we’ve implemented in the mission is saying every prayer, in every lesson, on our knees.  It’s just so much more powerful that way and we are able to have more spiritual experiences with our investigators.  We’ve learned that it’s these experiences that help them gain a testimony. Every night we return to our pench with dirty pants, but kneeling in prayer truly makes a difference.
            “If you are ever too tired to stand up, KNEEL.” 

                              – Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Elder Roderick 

I'm Feelin' Good!

What’s up, Fam?                                                                                                        

This week was actually pretty good.  At the first of the week we had interviews with President Panzzachi and we talked about a lot of good stuff.  He talked to me about my temple recommend and freak!  It took me by surprise because I haven’t even thought about the fact that it will have expired when I get home. I always seem to have the longest interviews with President.  We just get talking and he tells me stories about his mission and his life and how he has continually become more and more converted to the Church. It’s actually really cool to be able to sit down with him and learn from him.  He’s such a good dude and he’s helped me so much while I’ve been serving. He gave me some really good advice about how to finish my mission strong.

Then, since we were in downtown Mendoza (because that’s where the mission offices are), we took advantage of the situation and went to an American restaurant where on Wednesdays they have “Wing Wednesday.” This place is completely American. In fact, the word “Wednesday” doesn’t even exist in Spanish. I’m going to be totally honest.  It was awesome! On Wednesdays, they have all-you-can-eat-wings and every person ate at least thirty wings each. 

Other than our trip downtown we had a regular work week.  Our girl, Ivanna, is on her way to the States, which stinks for us because we lost contact with her. David, our other strong investigator who is on home arrest, is doing really well.  His family is crazy but he’s doing well.  He loves to learn about God and the Book of Mormon, which is really cool.  The other day we were having the second lesson with him and when we asked, “What did you learn this week?” He told us that he read fifty pages in the Book of Mormon and then he retold the whole story of 1 Nephi.  He said, “Nephi had so much faith and he was so obedient.  Even when his brothers were murmuring against him, he had no problem continuing on their journey because he knew the Lord would provide a way for him.” We just sat there, stunned!  He went on and told us about how Nephi tried to build a boat and how the Lord directed him to do it.  It was so awesome to listen to him.

Florencia and her brother, Batista are doing really well too.  Florencia couldn’t come to church because her daughter had a birthday party, which was frustrating but Batista might get baptized this coming weekend because he’s more than ready.  I know they’ll both get baptized, eventually. We also started teaching Alejandro’s mom. He’s our recent convert and he’s been able to get his mom interested. She is pregnant and she smokes like crazy; like two boxes a day. She’s had this addiction for a very long time so it’s tough for her to break it.  However, we went to their house this week and she told us she stopped smoking.  “Yea, I just quit smoking” she said. “Wow!” we thought and when we asked her what happened to make her stop, she said, “Well, I realized I could save money and it will be better for the baby.” This was such awesome news and it made us excited for her.  Now, she just has to get married.  It’s always something!

The rest of the week was chill.  We’re just trying to find more people to teach. It was great to talk to you guys.  It was so cool to see everyone in so many different places and it made me grateful for the technology we have that makes a four-way Skype possible.  

I’m feelin’ good! Have a great week!

Elder Roderick 

Two Powerful Lessons

¡Yo! What’s up, Fam?                                                                                                  

Well, another week in the mission is in the books! In Mendoza, we’ve been enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The colorful, falling leaves remind me of the beauty we also enjoy in Utah during the changing seasons.

This week I went on two exchanges with two very different missionaries and during each, I learned a powerful lesson. On Tuesday, I was with one of my best friends in the mission, Elder Schelly. We were in the MTC together but haven’t crossed paths very much during our service. So, during our work together we were able to catch up and share with what has happened on our missions. Elder Schelly is currently the Assistant and we had a great day together. Legit! Tuesday was one of the most memorable days of my mission. We spent the entire day trying to find people to teach by knocking doors and we met a lot of awesome people. In the mission, we are focusing on being “master teachers” by teaching condensed 15-minute lessons that simplify the doctrine and we finish each lesson with a prayer on our knees. The purpose of our short and simple lessons is to bring and leave the Spirit in the homes we enter. At one point during the day we were walking along and we saw a picture of Jesus on a door so, of course, we knocked on it. An 80-year old woman answered. During my experiences in the mission, I haven’t had the best of luck with elderly people, but Norma changed my mind. We walked into her home and immediately began to teach her about the Restoration. We quickly realized that Norma was golden! We also taught her about the Apostasy and she clearly understood the concept that Christ’s church slipped away from the earth after His death. We left her with a Book of Mormon and before we left, she humbly prayed and asked God for an answer about the truthfulness of our message. Norma’s was one do the most powerful prayers I’ve heard while serving. With tears in her eyes, she gave each of us a huge hug and we left. All of this happened during a quick yet powerful 15-minute lesson. My experience with Norma taught me that the Lord truly prepares people for us to teach. Norma was able to attend church on Sunday and she is progressing quickly.

The other exchange I had was with Elder Vallincourt. He is from New Hampshire and arrived in Argentina two short months ago. During the lesson we had together, we taught about the Book of Mormon. Prior to it, he provided me with some background information about the investigators we were about to teach and his plan for the lesson. Then, very humbly, he said, “I don’t really know how to teach this lesson very well or invite them to read the Book of Mormon. My Spanish is limited but I do have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, so we should be fine.” We went to the lesson, taught in a very simple way and in very limited Spanish, Elder Vallincourt bore a powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon. Then, we left. While walking away, I was reminded of the scripture in Alma 37:6 which reads, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” During this lesson, I was taught that it doesn’t matter how much Spanish we know or how well we know the doctrine. A simple testimony can be the most powerful teaching tool.

These two exchanges couldn’t have been more different but each provided me with an opportunity to learn a powerful lesson. One was with one of the most experienced missionaries in the mission, the Assistant. Together we confidently used our experience in the mission to teach a powerful lesson but I learned an important lesson from young Elder Vallincourt as well. From him I learned the importance of simplifying things and just teaching through our sincere and simple testimonies.

On Sunday night, it was stormy and dark outside but we were searching for people to teach and we met David. Upon our encounter, we quickly learned that due to some false accusations against him, he is on house-arrest. So, while locked in his home, David started to read the Bible. Prepared with knowledge from his reading, David was able to have a great conversation with us about the prophets of God and their role. We also talked about the love Jesus has for all of his brothers and sisters, which is something we know assuredly because He visited the Americas. When we talked about this principle, David’s mind was blown away because this was such new principle to him. I’m confident David was prepared to receive our message and he’ll progress as time allows. I swear that the best people are often found at 9:00 at night, on our return trip to our pench, when it’s dark outside and no one is outside!

Everything is going well in Mendoza!  Have a great week!

Elder Roderick 

On His Errand

Yo! Fam,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Another week has come to a close here in Mendoza. We are now in the fall season so it gets a bit chilly in the mornings and at night but in the afternoon, it’s nice and warm. It’s perfect weather to wear a nice warm sweater.  The leaves are starting to drop as well, so it’s beautiful outside.  The weather in Mendoza is basically the same as in Utah except the seasons are just mixed up.  LOL! Unfortunately, we didn’t spend any nights on the roof this week.

            Well, on Saturday, we had a sweet little baptism.  Our young homie, Benjamin, who is the son of a recent convert family, was baptized. We’ve been helping him get prepared for this weekend and it was certainly one of the most memorable baptisms I’ve experienced.  Seeing his anxious face, full of excitement and wonder, was a happy sight for everyone. As soon as he arrived at the chapel, Benjamin ran into the chapel, with his cousin in tow, to check out the baptismal font. It was such a spiritual experience because many in his family are not members of the Church so by attending Benjamin’s baptism they were able to get more familiar with the Church. The best part was his confirmation.  The bishop gave the blessing and Elder Fernandez and I assisted.  As soon as the bishop said, “Amen”, Benjamin jumped out of his chair to give his mom a hug. As he hugged her he shouted, “Mama, I felt it!” We looked him, a little confused and then he declared (while pointing at his heart), “The Holy Ghost! I felt it right in here.”  Everyone started to chuckle but it was such a powerful experience because he was able to feel and recognize the gift of the Holy Ghost immediately. Children really are such great examples because they are humble and they’re able to simplify everything.

           
          The rest of the week was pretty normal.  Nothing crazy happened but we received an announcement that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland will be visiting the Argentina Mendoza Mission during the first weekend in June.  So, we are getting excited for that big event! Maybe Elder Holland will mention my boy, Elder Leone, out there in London, who he met during his worldwide tour. LOL! The stake choir coordinator asked us to be in the choir because she knew someone “big” from the Church was coming to the area but she had no idea who. So, when we told her it was going to be Elder Holland, her jaw nearly fell to the floor.  She just stood there, silent, and did not say a word.  I thought we were going to have to start giving her CPR or something because she was so shocked.  Haha!  Elder Holland’s visit certainly gives us a lot to look forward to. 

            Florencia and Banti are getting very close to being baptized. They need a little more preparation and a few more friends in the ward and then, they’ll be good to go! Florencia, especially, has made a ton of small changes in her life and it’s so cool to see her progress. The other day, one of their neighbors stopped us in the street and told us that Florencia has completely changed since we’ve been visiting the family. It was very interesting because we pass by this neighbor every time we are headed to teach Florencia and Banti.  She hasn’t said anything to us before so we were surprised that she approached us.  We shared a sweet little conversation and it made us feel really appreciated.  So, that experience was a blessing.

            Throughout the week, we spent a lot of time looking for more people to teach.  Sometimes it can be really tough to work for hours without hearing the word, “Yes.”  Even so, our work paid off and we were able to find some awesome new people to teach. On Tuesday, we had a long morning of knocking doors and it was kind of tough; not gonna lie. But, during our work the thought came to me that I truly am so fortunate to be a missionary.  It is such a privilege to be a representative of Jesus Christ. People see us in our white shirts and ties and some of them think that we just want to convert them. Of course, we do want everyone to come unto Him, but I just feel so blessed to be a servant of the Lord, even if I don’t convert the people behind every door.  We are truly on His errand and that’s what our message is all about. I just don’t know how I got so lucky to have this opportunity right now in my life. 

I love you!  #GOJAZZ

Elder Roderick III