Jesús Vive!

Feliz Pascua!,                                                                                                              

Farewell to Elder Prestes

This week was pretty interesting. On Tuesday morning I said, “Bye” to my man, Elder Prestes and later that day, I received Elder Parker.  To be honest, it’s kind of nice to have a gringo companion again but my English had gotten pretty bad so we end up speaking in Spanish most of the time.  Elder Parker is a great guy and he has only eight weeks left in his mission so hopefully, I can learn a couple of things from his experience.

In all reality, this week was stressful because in addition to receiving a new companion, our ward received a pair of sister missionaries.  That meant that this week I had to show the area to three people.  We also had to split the area in half and that was kind of stressful for me because I have the most experience in the area so I did a lot of the directing and deciding. We had to make sure that the area where the sister will serve is the safest and all that jazz. Everyone wanted to give their input and there were a lot of factors to consider when we made the final split. Now that we have the area split, I did lose a good number of investigators because we gave them to the Hermanas but nonetheless, it’s fun to have them in our ward. The work here in 25 de Mayo is going pretty well so, it’s nice to have double the missionary force.

The Elders of 25 de Mayo

Overall, the work was a little slower this week because it was the first week of the transfer and we had a lot of other stuff to deal with but we were able to teach the Familia Sanchez again (Pedro’s family). We got them all together and again, we had an awesome lesson with the whole family.  They are really showing some major interest as a family and they’re just trying to take in everything at once.  The whole family was able to attend the “Open Chapel” we had last week and they had tons of questions about what they learned while they attended it.  Because they have practiced Catholicism for years, things like a living prophet are really new to them.  So, we were able to answer a lot of good questions as well as teach them about the Restoration of the Gospel.  We left them with Moroni’s promise and asked them to read the Book of Mormon as a family.  Then, when I was talking with the mom on Sunday, at church, she told me that she felt something in her chest like, “une sensación reconfortante” (a comforting feeling) that told her the things she read were true.  As I was listening to her and explaining to that what she was feeling was the Holy Ghost, I recognized that her feelings came from the power of sincere prayer.  God does answer our prayers! One of the best parts of teaching the Familia Sanchez is having Pedro right there to testify and help his family understand what we are teaching is true.  It’s basically like having another companion in the lesson with us and it’s amazing to see how much he has progressed in the last few month.

A chocolate egg purchased from a girl on the street

On Sunday, we had a pretty cool experience because we were able to give Victor the Aaronic Priesthood.  It was awesome to be in the circle and participate in his ordination.  Also, he told me that he set a goal to read the Book of Mormon, cover to cover. Now, we just need to get him to the temple!

Both Pedro and Victor are still making such great progress in the Church and they are both studs. As I was sitting on the stand, watching Pedro pass the sacrament in his fresh new suit and tie, it brought the biggest smile to my face.  They both have a lot to learn but it’s been amazing to see the changes they have made and the people they are becoming because of their membership in the Church.

Holy Friday street sign

It was pretty cool to be in Argentina this weekend to see how they celebrate Easter. Obviously, Argentina is predominantly Catholic and they have some pretty cool traditions.  The Friday before Easter is called, “Viernes Santo” of “Holy Friday” and most people don’t work and the whole town is quite because they don’t play music or have any loud noises.  It felt really strange to be out on the streets on Friday night without any noise.  On Sunday, we hit the streets and tried to find people with whom we could share the Easter initiative.  It was fun to just talk with people about how and why they celebrate Easter. It provided us with a perfect opportunity to share some of our beliefs and of course, to find more people to teach!

It was a solid week and  now it'a back to the grind!

Elder Roderick

                                                         Jesús Vive! John 3:16

Starting to Hit My Game

Querida Familia,       

                                                                                 

             To be honest, this week was an unforgettable one.  We had transfers again and I’m staying in 25 de Mayo but Elder Prestes is leaving and I’m receiving Elder Parker from Las Vegas. Also, we are receiving a pair of Hermanas in 25 de Mayo so our area is going to be cut in half but I’m excited to have Hermanas in the ward. This means we’re going to have four Elders living in our pench because the Hermanas are going to live in the pench where the other set of Elders lived here in Villa Mercedes.  So, this set up is going to be a little interesting.  I’m pumped to stay here in 25 de Mayo for another transfer.

            During this week we traveled a bit, celebrated my birthday and got some decent work done.  It rained a lot and this slowed us down, but we managed to get in some solid work. The highlight of the week was definitely my birthday.  The members literally treated me like a king and the video that my family made for me was so awesome! Thanks to all of my homies for participating in it. On my birthday, we ate two asadas and I received a ton of love from the members.  We ate so much! In the evening, we celebrated with the Familia Gallardo. They sang to me in three different languages and made me feel like I was at home with my own family. I really am so fortunate to be in an area where the members treat me so well!  19 years-old? I’m not a kid anymore.  That’s for sure.

            

              This week we were able to have a cita with Augustin and his brother, Alberto. One day we were on our way to teach and we heard Augustin call our names from his car.  Of course, I would never enter into a stranger’s car, but anyone who calls, “Elders” from their car and offers a ride is an automatic homie. It was actually a miracle that we found Augustin because when he drove by us, Elder Prestes and I were on a route that we usually don’t take. When we started out, we were on our usual route but we felt an impression to take a different route, and we were led to Augustin. He is so awesome and he’s really receptive to us. Right now, he’s mad at the Catholic church because he had to pay a ridiculous amount of money for his dad’s funeral. On Friday night, we went to his house for our appointment with him and when we got there his entire family was there for the lesson. This included his brother’s family and some of his friends. There were approximately 15 people in the lesson and they served us hamburgers. Literally, they are the kindest people.  They opened their home to us and basically said, “Our home is your home.” The entire family is interested in our message.  The experience of finding Augustin was an unforgettable spiritual moment and I’m excited to keep working with him and his family.

            This week we also had an awesome lesson with Lali, who is the daughter of the woman who cuts our hair. She has received the missionaries before, but not much happened. She was able to attend one session of General Conference and after it was over, she had a ton of questions about the Church.  We went to her house this week with the goal of answering her questions.  After meeting with her, I think we were able to spark her interest again. We left her with the commitment of praying about her questions and I’m excited to see the progress she can make.

            Another highlight of the week was seeing our boy, Jorge, in the chapel this weekend. We were really excited that he showed some action by attending church this week because his attendance shows that he is actually interested and wants to change his life, like he told us.

              This weekend we were able to participate in two “Capillia Abiertas” (Open Chapels) where we showed the town what we do in our chapel and what the Mormons are all about. On Saturday, we went to Justo Damet, which is a little town that has a branch.  It was kind of fun showing a small chapel to the townspeople.  We were able to welcome in a lot of people from the street and show them the chapel. On Sunday, we did the same thing in our ward in 25 de Mayo and we had an awesome turnout of members, a couple menos actitvos (less actives) and of course, investigators.  Each organization had a little stand where they explained a little bit about what they do.  It was an awesome experience and we had a lot of fun. I’m excited to reap the benefits of these Capilla Abiertas because undoubtedly, they will help our missionary efforts.

            This week I reflected about how grateful I am to be here, especially during this exciting time. Every day gets better and better and I feel like I’m starting to hit my game as a missionary!  As I was watching my birthday video I was really humbled by all of the support I have, especially from my beautiful family, who are all growing so much!

           I love all of you so much!  

           Elder Roderick 

       

A Rewarding Week

Hola Familia,                                                                                                             

This week was a pretty rewarding week in the mission field!

On Tuesday night, we held a Family Home Evening with Pedro and his family. This was actually the first time I've been to their house because they live a bit outside of Villa Mercedes and it’s a little too far for our tired legs. Of course, we watched a little bit of soccer because they are fanatics! I consider my family to be sports and Utah football junkies but they put “junkie” to a whole new level! They have trophies and sports pictures everywhere in the house. It is truly a sight to see. We ended up teaching them the Plan of Salvation and then playing a little game with the lesson. To be honest, it was one of the coolest lessons I have taught in my short time as a missionary. We had the whole family involved and Pedro was helping his family. We spent the night laughing and having a good time.  In addition, it was probably one of the most spiritual lessons I have had and the presence of the Spirit was definitely there with us.

On Sunday, they were able to attend General Conference and it was a cool site see them all together!

Another good part of the week occurred when we arrived at our lesson with Jorge and he asked me for a favor. As missionaries, we always ask people if we can do some service for them or basically anything else they need. So, when I asked him what I could do for him he told me that he wanted me to cut his hair. Jorge is a barber so I was feeling the pressure a little bit. I grabbed his clippers and scissors and cut him up real good! So, if medical school doesn't work out, Jorge promised I could find a job as a barber. LOL!

Obviously, the highlight of the week was General Conference. General Conference is basically a holiday for the missionaries because we can just relax in the chapel, watch our beloved leaders of the Church give us some awesome talks and then of course feast on all of the member’s food. During the first session on Saturday I decided to test out my Spanish skills and watch the session in Spanish. It was actually a really cool experience and I understood the majority of what the speakers were saying. The only problem was, I kept trying to read the lips of the speaker instead of listening to the Spanish translator and it screwed me up. I don't think I got as much as I could've from the talks, but it was still a great experience.

Between the afternoon session and the Priesthood session we baptized Victor (Nano) and it was an incredible experience. Especially during the last two weeks he has made a ton of progress with his knowledge of and commitment to the Church. We have also watched the ward family welcome him with open arms and this is so great because now he has more friends at church, not just his girlfriend.

I was able to perform the ordinance again and like at Pedro's baptism, the feeling I had in the font was incredible. The smile on Victor’s face when he left the water was a sight I will never forget. We shared a big hug in the font and it truly was a special moment. Before the ordinance, I suggested to him that when he was baptized, the big tattoo on his neck might wash away with the rest of his sins, but it didn't. LOL! I'm really excited to see how Victor can progress in the Church, especially with his personal testimony. The support of all the ward members will certainly help.

This week was full of rewards, great feelings and spiritual moments. Victor's baptism and General Conference were especially rewarding. I loved General Conference and at times I felt like the speaker was talking directly to me.  I especially thought the talks by Uchtdorf and Eyring were something special. We had a couple of investigators in attendance at Conference and I don't think there's a better way to help their progress than to hear from a couple of apostles. I know every week won't be filled with baptisms and awesome Conference talks but it made the week very enjoyable!

The fall weather is finally here and it is such a refreshing feeling after living through almost a full year of summer and spring!

I love you so much!

Elder Roderick 

Another Solid Week

Hola!                                                                                                                          

We had another solid week in villa de Mercedes. However, the rain slowed us down a little. When it rains down here the streets turn into rivers because there are no sewers. Literally it's impossible to go anywhere because the water is six inches deep on the ground. On Saturday, we were trapped inside the house of an investigator for about four hours!

In Argentina, there is a siesta which is basically 3 to 4 hours in the middle of the day to eat lunch and take a nap. LOL!  We don’t usually work during the siesta because no one is available but now we have a couple of investigators who are only available during that time so we work the whole day, only stopping for lunch. That has been nice because the hours we spend in the pench during the siesta are the longest hours of the day because we just have to study more. LOL! Basically, we get a lot more done in a day because we never stop, which makes the day better.

This week was productive because we went around to the members’ houses and asked for referrals of less actives who have children who aren’t baptized. Obviously, we did this with hopes of finding more people to teach and to get more families to attend church. There are about 500 less active people in our ward! With this in mind, we met with the Gila family this week. They are a little on the older side and have 20+ grandkids. They are going through a difficult time because Hermano Gilla lost his leg due to diabetes and so it's hard for them to leave the house. We met with them a few weeks ago, but now with our new focus, we also met with Benjamin who is their grandchild and lives with them. We are trying to reactivate the family through the baptism of a grandchild!

 One of the cool things we did this week was help our convert, Pedro, with his family history! He is the first member of the Church in his family and with our help, he currently has his whole family tree completed for temple work! The best part about it is that the ward is going to the temple in Cordova in a few weeks so he's preparing himself to go with them. He is also preparing to go with his grandmother who got baptized 10 years-ago but went inactive shortly after her baptism. She and her 21-year-old daughter, who is also a member, haven’t been to the temple so I'm praying hard that everything can work out for them! Pedro has changed so much and it's amazing to witness his continual progression after his baptism. He's been guiding his family to become more familiar with the Church and they are slowly joining the bandwagon LOL! Baptism is just the front door to many other amazing blessings!

We also spent a good amount of time with Victor this week. Like Pedro, it's amazing to see the minor changes he has made. We have really grown close to him these past few weeks and he's really opened up to us so it been cool to get to know him better. He has so many stories about all he’s had to do in order to help his family put food on table. I'm so pumped for the progress he has made and he's getting close to entering in the waters of baptism. We also spent a lot of time with Jorge this week. He has really opened up to us as well. He told us how he knows the “street life” and he doesn't want that anymore. He is looking to change his life for the better so he can be an example for his kids. We are reviewing all of the lessons with him. He understands everything well, loves reading and says awesome prayers. However, he is having a hard time coming to church. I called him on Sunday morning to wake him up and after he hung up he went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 6:30 in the night LOL!

During the week, I realized that I share my testimony every day with the people I come in contact with but I just don't share it enough with my family. I'm still a young missionary but in my short time as a missionary I have learned with all my heart that this is the work of the Lord and there is no other place I'd rather be at this point in my life. Being in the Lord’s vineyard has taught me so many things. One thing I know is that God has a plan for every single one of us. He loves us and gives us trials in our lives so we can learn and become better people. I know Jesus Christ lives and is directing His church through a living prophet. We’re so lucky to live on the earth during these last days with a living prophet as well as the fullness of the gospel with the Book of Mormon. It's truly the truest book that we have on the earth and it has the power to change lives like it has changed mine.

Enjoy conference weekend!

Elder Roderick

Friday Night Lights

This week was another quick one because we spent time traveling to San Luis.

          We started the week having a zone conference with President and Hermana Goates, as well as the assistants. During the conference I had one of the most spiritual experiences I've had on my mission; one I'll never forget.  President Goates talked about "self control" with the mission rules.  He reemphasized a couple of the rules we have and then he talked about finding more people to teach. Years ago, South American, and especially Argentina, was booming with investigators and baptisms.  It used to be much "easier" to find people who were interested in learning about the Church. He made the comparison that missionaries in the past were like fishermen whereas today, missionaries are much more like hunters. He encouraged us to hunt everywhere for people who need our message. President Goates really pumped us up and he brought back memories for me of Coach Benson's pregame speeches.  LOL! Hermana Goates talked about listening to the promptings of the Spirit in every situation. Of course, we should listen to the Spirit while teaching lessons, but we should also listen to it during planning sessions and while knocking on doors. I don't know exactly what it was but, the conference was a real spiritual high for me and it was a great way to start the week.

          Along with the Elders Quorum and the Young Men we held an unusual activity at the ward building this week.  We played soccer! We were able to get a decent sized crowd to the field and it was a great for our missionary work because some investigators and people who aren't very familiar with the Church came to play. On the outside of the ward building there are some awesome lights that illuminate the field so we were able to have our own "Friday Night Lights!" and it was way fun. We cooked up some chorizos, which are basically like brautworst, and had a great time.  Some of the older guys in the Elders Quorum came out to play and a couple of the 40-50 year-olds put me on ice skates.  I managed to score a couple of goals so I feel pretty good about the night, but my goal is to become a Latin with my soccer skills, so it's still a work in progress.

          Our investigators are making great progress and we were able to set some baptism dates for a couple of them. Our friend Jorge introduced us to his daughter so we are teaching them together, which makes our lessons much more spiritual and easier to teach because it allows us to focus on the family aspects of the Church. This week when we met with Jorge we had planned to set a baptism date with him at the end of the lesson. But, in the middle of the lesson he said, "I have a question.  What do I need to do to get baptized?" It was one of those moments that I will never forget! Jorge went on to explain that he wanted a change in his life and he was looking for something more.  Missionaries are always looking for people like Jorge and what a blessing it is for us to have an investigator ask us if he can be baptized instead of us asking the investigator.  

          This week we also learned that we are going to host another "Open Chapel" here in 25 de Mayo. We were able to schedule a couple of baptisms with our investigators for the same day so I'm really excited for that.

          A cool experience we had this week was giving a blessing to one of the young men in our ward.  It was a blessing of comfort because he is starting school this week and preparing to serve a mission so his mom

thought it would be a good idea for the missionaries to give him a blessing.  It reminded me of the blessings my dad would give me before the school year started and the power of the Priesthood. Each time I have had the opportunity to use the power of the priesthood, I have truly felt the Spirit working. How fortunate are we to have this wonderful power on the earth today? As my good friend, Talo Latu, says, "I don't need to be Superman or have any super powers because I got the Priesthood power." LOL!

          The weather is slowing growing colder and it has been so wonderful to be in the streets all day without sweating like crazy. Soon it will be sweater weather!

          "Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." Jeremiah 16:16

          Have a killer week!

          Elder Roderick