Testimony Meeting

Hola!                                                                                                                          

We had a grinder of week!  Fortunately, it didn’t rain and that was a real blessing.  I also competed 9 months in the mish, so I’m feeling pretty good! I found an awesome Mexican takeout place, which is pretty rare in Argentina, and I ended up ordering delivery from them three times this week.  So, that added to the blessings of the week.

The highlight of my week was the awesome Fast & Testimony Meeting we had on Sunday. There was almost a race to the pulpit because there were so many anxious people who were waiting to share their testimony.  A few weeks back I shared with you the experience we had blessing the grave of a less active woman’s son and how we were working with her a bit. Well, on Saturday night at about 9:45 we knocked on her door to casually invite her to church.  While standing on her front doorstep, she promised us she was going to attend. THEN… Sunday morning rolled around and she was one of the first people in the chapel AND without hesitating, she jumped up to the stand and shared her testimony.  She talked about the awesome experience we had when we blessed her son’s grave.  What a treat it was to hear her share her testimony with the congregation and to watch the ward family welcome her back to church with open arms.

Also during Sacrament Meeting, we were sitting behind the Sanchez family and I slipped a note to them that said if they wanted to share some of the things they’ve learned, they were more than welcome to do it. To be honest, I was joking with them but the mom took it seriously and after a little bit of encouragement she went up to the pulpit and shared some thoughts about the blessings she has seen in the lives of her family ever since they have been going to church together, praying as a family, and reading the scriptures.  Some of the things that have happened with this family are nothing short of a miracle.

This week we were also able to work with Benjamin and his family a little bit more.  In our lesson, we were able to include another grandchild, who isn’t baptized, and like Benjamin, he is a stud. I swear, each time we go to their house we meet new people and there are new people to teach, which is such a blessing.  We’re trying really hard to reactivate the family but it’s been a bit difficult to get the grandpa excited because he doesn’t have legs and it’s hard for him to get anywhere.  So, we are looking hard to find help for the grandpa.  But, miracles do exist!

We were also able to meet with Luis this week. He just got married during the last week in April, to a member in our ward, so we’re really pushing to get him in the water soon. He has been going to church and listening to the missionaries for a good amount of time and his knowledge of the Church is really strong.  It’s gotten to the point with him that we really don’t have much more to teach him.  So, we are praying that he can take this leap of faith because he is more than ready.  I think he is a little nervous to make this change in his life, but with his wife by his side, I think he’ll be able to make this decision.

During the week we were also able to give a couple of blessings and it made me appreciate the power of the priesthood and realize how fortunate I am to have this wonderful power to bless people.

S/O to Scotty on his dope call!! Have a great week,

Elder Roderick

Food to the Dogs

iFeliz Mayo!                                                                                                                

Today in Argentina is the “Day of the Worker” and they celebrate by taking the day off of work so Villa Mercedes is like a ghost town because everyone is home, having an asada and drinking mate.  I’ve learned that Argentina has far too many holidays.  LOL!
            This week was pretty solid. It started in San Luis with a Zone Conference with President Goates.  As a mission, we have the challenge of “opening the mouth” with ten different people every day.  This doesn’t mean we just knock on doors and talk to people.  It means we have to find ten people who are on the street, in the park, on the bus or any other place where we can meet and talk to them about the gospel. During the conference, we spent a lot time talking about this challenge because it’s a big one.

We also talked a lot about receiving revelation through prayer and we focused on why it’s so important for investigators to pray. We were given the challenge to invite investigators to pray and if they decline, we need to help them and keep insisting, basically until they get offended.  Ha ha!

Also, we had interviews with President Goates and it was my last interview with him before he goes back to the States.  We had an awesome chat and I’m really going to miss President Goates because he’s helped me so much as a young missionary. 

One highlight of the week occurred on a day when we didn’t have a lunch appointment.  We went with our pench mates to their lunch appointment and the family gave us so much food that it was a little bit ridiculous.  The mom kept insisting that we eat more and more. It got to the point that all four of us were completely stuffed and then… she brought out dessert. I looked at my comp and he nearly died. She told us that she had four more portions in the refrigerator that we needed to finish and without hesitating one of the Elders said, “Bring them out here, Hermana.” My poor companion, who was already giving his food to the dogs, ended up “taking a phone call” outside so he could throw out his dessert.  I was literally dying of laughter and I thought I was going to throw up because I was laughing so hard. I’m just grateful we have so many generous people who give us food. LOL!

This week we also had a great lesson with Benjamin and his two less active grandparents. We straight up told them that we want to help them come back to church by helping Benjamin become a member of the church.  This might be a little difficult because the grandpa lost his leg due to a fight with diabetes so it’s hard for him to get around.  But, we had an awesome lesson with them. My plan of activating less active families, with kids who aren’t baptized to help activate the whole family, is slowly working. On Sunday, we were able to pick up Benjamin from his house and walk with him to church. He was a little bit nervous to be with people he doesn’t know but luckily, some of the members made him feel comfortable and he ended up having a good experience.

Another highlight of the week was having a Family Home Evening lesson with a family in our ward who has a boy preparing to serve a mission.  The boy taught the lesson and then we played some fun games.  It felt so good to be surrounded by a loving family again.  It was probably the closest I have felt to 2350 Berkeley Street in a long time. 

Also, on Sunday morning, the town of Villa Mercedes had a “fun run” fundraiser that required them to block off a portion of the main street. This would’ve made it difficult for a lot of people to get to church so we changed our church time to the afternoon.  To be honest, it felt really weird to be in the chapel in the afternoon.  It made me feel like we were a different religion or something. LOL!
            This past week was pretty solid and I’m looking forward to the progress of some of our awesome investigators.

Have a great week!

Elder Roderick

Some Fruits of Our Labor

Familia!                                                                                                                      

I had another solid week here in Villa Meredes.  We didn’t travel and the hermanas didn’t need help getting around the city so we were able to get some good work done.

This week I had a pretty humbling experience that will be difficult to forget. Last week while we were in church, we had a new couple visit the ward.  In order to get to know them better, we started to talk to them and while doing so, we learned they were homeless, have three little kids and literally no belongings.  The wife and two of the children are members of the Church and when we met with them this week it was an extremely humbling experience. We traveled to where they are staying and it was really sad to see how they are living.  Fortunately, as a ward, we were able to get together some blankets, food, and other essentials that they need. I think this is one my favorite aspects of the Church – we are always ready to help those in need and put their needs in front of our own personal needs.  As I talked with the bishop, we decided that the missionaries will give them the spiritual support they need and the ward members will help them with their living situation. Even though they don’t have much, the kids are still smiling and looking for the best!  I pray they can receive some help to get back on their feet and one of the best ways to do that is by living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This week we also had another awesome lesson with the Sanchez family.  The Spirit was so present. In our previous lesson, we left them with Moroni’s promise and as we were asking them whether or not they had read, both of the parents told us about the feelings they felt when they were reading. It was so amazing to hear about the spiritual experiences they had while reading. We explained to them that it was the Holy Ghost testifying that the book was true! Then we had an awesome lesson and we had the whole family participating and there truly was a special spirit there during the lesson.  At the end of the lesson, they cooked us a pizza and while we were eating, the dad took a phone call outside.  He came back into the house and announced that he had found a job!  This was nothing short of a miracle because he has been without work for two years.  Then the mom asked, “Why are things like this happening to us?” The entire Sanchez family is embracing the Church and they are receiving blessings for it.  On Sunday, they were all together at church and it was the coolest sight. While in the chapel they are literally acting like members.  They offer to help, go to activities and participate in class. I love teaching them and I’m looking forward to the progress they will make over next couple of weeks.

We also met up with our homie, Luis.  This Friday he will be getting married to a girl in the ward, so we had a lesson with him and invited him to get baptized.  He says he’s still unsure about this decision but his future wife really gave some awesome advice to him. So, as a goal for him, we set a baptismal date.  He still hasn’t received the answer he wants about what we’ve been teaching him, but it doesn’t hurt to have a goal in mind. I have a plan to rent a tux and crash their wedding on Friday.  Stay tuned!

On Saturday night we held another game night in the chapel.  In order to gather the ward members together, we played soccer, ping pong and a bunch of other games.  We were able to get some nonmembers to attend as well and it was an awesome opportunity to open the chapel to anyone who wanted to play.

I’m feeling really good about the work we are doing here and it’s really nice to see some of the fruits of our labor. Have a killer week!

Besos!

Elder Roderick