August 18, 2014

What is up!!  This week has been great of course!! I realized that no matter what happens it truly always is a good week:)

Well I'm blinking like crazy right now because this wind is doing some serious work on them ojos.

I honestly can't remember all that happened this week.  Elder Chavarria and I are working so great together and President loves it.  We're just always happy and just try to pump up all the other missionaries.  I don't have like any time..sorry!!

That's awesome you saw the pictures mom.  That is the family we live behind so every night coming back to the pension we stop by to say hi or ask for something and we always end up sitting around the kitchen table and they tell stories about their childhood and their kids and stuff!  I love hearing from them and just being around a strong family here.

We've been doing a lot of service and I told the ward that I expect to be able to do service for every family before I leave and they´re on board.

Soccer just got 10000 times more competitive and I am obsessed. I'll definitely be playing in some sort of way when i return competitively.  

Wowowow wait a sec..Reegan is going into 9th grade? and Gunner into his Junior year? Nooooooooooo....well if 9th  grade was in the high school I'd tell her to take 8th again.  That's crazy!!

We had interviews with President and Hermana yesterday and they just keep getting better.  It's amazing to here from them.  Such real people who truly care about everyone!!

Oh and my cameras broke so.......no mas fotos por un rato:(

Thanks for everything!!!!!! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY AND I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!!

Elder Lamb

August 11, 2014- There is no education like adversity

(i was given a quote book and i like that one by Benjamin Disraeli)
FAMILY!! Long time no see huh? Wow this week has flown by!!  On Monday we played soccer on a turf field which was too much fun. Literally gonna come back and head straight to Russia for the next world cup reppin USA. It's so much fun!! We always play Americans vs. Latinos and we spank them every time and we sure let them know it!  Guess what?  Remember Elder Chavarria?  He was Tres's old comp in Rio Grande.  He's from Atlanta, Georgia.  He was on the team of the first championship the gringos had over the Latinos.  Well he's my new comp!!  I was BEYOND happy!  He gets here today!  Craziest thing too.. He had a dream 3 days before we found out about transfers that him and I were going to be comps! Crazy! Well we have already set some very high goals this transfer so we're gonna go to work!!

 We found this amazing kid Alexis through contacting.  We found him a couple weeks ago but this week we were able to really get to know him and his family.  We invited him to ward family home evening and he came!  And his parents even drove us because it's pretty way sketchy where they live.  Then we invited him to a baptism in our zone on Saturday and he came to that as well with full support from his parents.  And again his parents drove us!  It was far too.... Literally they have helped us more than any of the members except Castros and course who live in front of us.

So miracle of the week.. Elder Garcia and I were contacting and we've contacted the majority of our area so far but we were walking and we came upon a street that we'd already contacted but I said "well let's contact it again because there's usually always someone new or they just didn't answer the door the last time".  These two women were walking out of a house to enter their car.  I was tired of clapping to houses and not receiving a response so I walked over to these older women and said I know they were leaving but we'd love to present ourselves and tell you about a plan that God has for us.  They were in a hurry but one of the ladies stopped for a second.. Took a deep breath.. Then with a sad look said she is a member and she wants us to come back an teach the lessons to her son who is 10 because she wants to return back to church and she wants her son to receive the lessons and be baptized.

My testimony grew so much more of just talking to everyone and contacting.  I have been studying a lot about virtue and wow it's a hard attribute to have but I'm striving to be more virtuous and already I have so much more peace and happiness.  It's also helping me so much to look at people not as they are but what they can become. I love being a missionary.  We were giving a blessing and I couldn't help smiling because I was thinking about how AMAZING it is that we have the privilege to have the authority of God to be able to help and administer at any time or place. 

So happy Zig is out here!!!

oh ya we lost power this week...that was fun waking up and trying to shower and get ready when it was pitch dark.. but it's back on.. all good:) 

LOVE YOU GUYS!! have a great week!!!

Elder LeBaron paying me 10 pesos because he wanted a certain card while playing phase 10 but it was my turn but he just really wanted the card.. haha he offered and I took it!!

Poundin some hot dogs and a burger. A member canceled lunch and since that's very rare I went all out! Great break from all the pasta and fat.

Susana!  She was just baptized 2 weeks ago and invited all the missionaries in our zone over to her house.  She rents out a turf field and that's the one we played on.  We brought a cake to share with everyone.  A member in our ward made it.  The beanie I'm reppin was made by the nicest sweetest tightest grandma ever.  She's the one we live behind and they always hook us up with food and stuff she knits!! 

August 4, 2014- These people sleep too much!

These people sleep too much!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. You want to fix this government in one day.. Take away the 4 hour nap in the middle of the day!!  I love Argentina but to support and acknowledge from 1 in the afternoon till 5 as a time when everyone's sleeping and the stores are all closed is a joke.

Mom, you need to come down here and teach people how to decorate!  Haha when I read about you having to plan that dinner it made me realize just how amazing you are with all that!!  Tell Brother Wheeler that I am doin some serious work in all these gardens down here all thanks to him.  Words gotten out that I know how to work well in gardens and with the shovel so we've been goin around to different houses to do service.

Well this week has been a testimony builder for sure.  We had multiple lessons cancel on us and it was very frustrating at times.  But I did what I said I was going to do and talked to everyone.  We were so blessed to have some AMAZING contacts that we have already set dates to go back and teach.

I had a miracle this week.  We were teaching this 12 year old boy who looks and acts like he's 16 but that's just typical here.  I swear there's something in the water. This boy loves to study the bible and talk religion and would rather study the bible than play outside. Crazy right? Truly amazing kid.  Well as we were teaching we set the restoration up so well.  We taught the apostasy great and the spirit was so strong and as I was about to introduce Joseph Smith and the first vision I was overcome with the spirit and started fighting back tears as I was telling this boy that we have the Church of Jesus Christ once again on the earth and that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father appeared this a boy around the same age as him. We put a date for his baptism and we have a lesson with him today so we're very excited. 

My testimony is growing so much. I have so much more confidence to talk to anybody and I myself am surprised by how much I love to do service. Thank you for everything!!  Sometimes I lose perspective when times are hard so i'm going to try and remember more that it's not a sacrifice; it's a blessing and the greatest opportunity to serve the Lord. Everything is great. I want to see some pictures of Florida Mckinley!

July 28, 2104- WHAT UP!!:)

What up!!:)

Whaddup fam?:)  how's everything going??:) let me know!!!

So this past week has been unreal!! The Torres family were married Friday morning and baptized that same afternoon just like we planned! I'm still stunned it all worked out.. Usually there's always something the government here does to prolong the process even more. Or the family backs out or just something happens but nope it all went perfectly! It was so spiritual to hear brother Torres share his testimony with everyone after the baptism and say that this was only the first step and they are already counting the days till they can go to the temple next year!!:)

So I'm super illegal here so they have to send me on a 15 hour bus ride to Rio Gallegos tomorrow to do paperwork then I'm coming right back. Not to excited about that. 

Feeling great now.  Also cut my hair yesterday.. I don't know why I just always will hate cutting my hair.  Oh and I've been asked multiple times if I paint my hair or dye it and I'm just like ummm neck yourself and then think about it. The kids here are insane.  Imagine sacrament meeting with all the kids ages 6 and younger screaming and running and nobody does anything. Super tempting to trip one of them to teach them a lesson haha. Naw the wards great! Everyone is super nice and they truly try to welcome new people to make them feel comfortable. 

I've been studying a lot about our Savior recently and I came across section 138 of the doctrine and covenants. It is a vision given to Joseph F. Smith in 1918 the day before general conference and it is about the 3 days after the Crucifixion of Jesus before he was resurrected. He was ministering among the dead in the spirit world. He was teaching and sharing the complete gospel with them and he sent messengers to help him teach such as Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Isaiah an many others. Then it talks about how there were spirits "reserved" to come down in the last dispensation such as Joseph Smith an Brigham Young. It made me think about the worth of souls and how great this work is.  Missionary work will not stop at death. It is going to grow and grow and keep growing till everyone has the opportunity to hear and to choose. I am so grateful for our savior Jesus Christ.  Because of Him we can live with our families forever. Because of Him we can overcome death.

I hope everyone has a great week:):) S/o to Ziggy for entering the MTC this week! Don't get fat! haha dang i miss that food so much!

I kinda fixed my camera.  Here are a few pictures.

                                                               Cutest puppies

                                                            Comodro Rivadavia

Pictures of the Torres family

 Taking a picture of a bunch of missionaries and little kids is basically impossible.  A lady in our ward made the cake and said she is going to make one for all the missionaries in our zone next P day so that's dope!! 

July 21, 2014- WEDDINGS!

So family Torres are getting married and baptized on the same day this Friday!!  Everyone is so excited!  We are throwing a big party with the ward after the baptism and President said we can stay out a little bit later.. So that's awesome!  This week has been awesome. The youth traveled to the temple last Sunday.. A 26 hour bus ride one way.. Crazy!

I gave a talk yesterday in church and it's a lot different from speaking in a house to a legit Chapel but it went great:)  We had zone conference with president and Hermana Rogers and the Assistants.  It was so amazing! The whole conference was about how to use the Book of Mormon more and using it as evidence of the restoration. I am loving the Book of Mormon more and more as I apply it to my life and the lives of our investigators.

We still have the two puppies in the pension and the ward gives us dog food and supports it haha we are gonna drop them off at the vet today though because they destroy everything and cry all night!

So we had some bad fish a few days ago and I've been pretty sick but it hasn't effected the work or anything until our lunch yesterday.  We had lunch with family Zukhurukov...they moved to Argentina from Ukraine in 2001 and they eat SOOOOO MUCH!!!  We had this tomato chicken soup that could fill you up then we had a ton of steak that was only the fat and a ton of chicken.. After that we had fish then these weird pancake things then "salad" which is just tomatoes and a bunch of juice and vinegar then we had bread, fruit and after that cookies after cookies and a ton of candy....... I literally thought I was going to die after... Demasiada comida. It was cool talking to the family about the differences in cultures and stuff. They always talk in Ukrainian in the house and it's so cool.

Well 6 months is gone!! Crazy!!  And Eli has a year!!  Oh my goodness!! It's hard to believe! 

These past 6 months I've met some of the most amazing people on this planet!! 

I can't wait to see what the next year and a half have in store:):) 

Keep praying for a temple in the Patagonia:):) 

Love you all:) 

July 14, 2014- Casi ganamos...casi..pero no

What is up!! So this week has been great other than the fact that Argntina lost:( The country goes on straight shutdown during the game.  Not a person even thinking about being outside.  Well, we made it to the final and lost to Alemania again!!! Legit the first time in the mission I've been scared... haha people were sooo mad!! President said we couldn't leave our pensions all day Sunday except for church which I being a big white red head was definitely a supporter. 

Our pension is in the backyard of the coolest old couple in the world so they invited us over to watch the game.  Other missionaries in our area found out we were watching the game and a couple minutes later 6 missionaries were outside the door. It was a good time.

Saturday we did the coolest thing.  We had a Capilla Abierta!!  It's just like open house for the temple but for our church.  I definitely had my doubts about doing it thinking nobody was going to come and if they did come inside what they were going to do and see but it turned out so much better than we planned.  The ward was amazing and all the organizations in the church had their rooms set up with their leaders.  We had the baptismal font open and missionaries there to explain to people about baptism.  de diez enserio. We had the help of 10 missionaries and all the youth of the ward.  We did the open house from 3 in the afternoon till 7:30 at night.  We went on divisions with the youth and I was so impressed.  We talked to everyone and we had over 60 people come into the church to check it out.  I learned something amazing by doing this as well.  The spirit of the sacrament room is unreal.  We would lead people on a tour of all the classes and all the different things we do and then we'd go to the sacrament room and talk about the sacrament.  The spirit was so incredibly strong every time and we were able to see that these people wanted to be a part of this church!!

Torres family.  The family that is going to be baptized that told us last week that they wanted to be baptized the day after they get married because the original plan was a week after they got married but they said themselves that they knew Satan was going to work hard on them that week after they are married.  We went over to their house today and they just keep becoming more amazing.  Now they want to get married in the morning and be baptized later that same day!! Then the dad bore his testimony of the temple and said no matter what it takes even if they have to sell everything he's traveling to the temple.
 

Oh ya, all the youth here started their travel to the temple yesterday and arrived recently.  They are going to be doing baptisms for all their family members that have passed and of those in the ward for 5 days.  Brother Casper, that we live behind, told us tonight that he had to sell his car to be able to take his family to the temple for the first time as well as this man in our ward who had been married 22 years but had yet to be sealed to his wife and children until last year.  Sooo yesss i do hope you feel guilty we have it so easy back in the states and GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!! no but seriously I'm being humbled down here and I'm loving it:)

I love this gospel so much.

We found two puppies last week that need a home so if you know anyone in Patagonia give us a call. Thanks:)

Elder Lamb

July 7, 2014- COMODORO!!!

USA USA USA!! I love America so much it's insane!!! There's a WalMart here!!! No doubt we celebrated the 4th in WalMart!! :)

Yes i am now in Comodoro Rivadavia!  My comp is Elder Garcia from Colombia.  Way sick guy!  Loves to work!  I am as far south as you can go in this city so it's nice but super ghetto in areas. 

The people here have more money than my last area and it's weird getting used to that. On the boat ride here we saw dolphins and sea lions and I had to travel by myself because I am so illegal right now.  I had to wait an extra day in Rio Grande so i left Tuesday.  While traveling I met a guy that was born in Argentina but moved to Florida when he was 15.  He still lives there and he is 30 now but he wanted to backpack all of Argentina.  It was so weird to share with him the gospel in english!!! I haven't done that yet!! 

So the member's here are unreal!!  We always get someone in the ward to come and help us teach!  A big chapel and everything...it's the real deal!!!  We did family home evening last night at a member's house and we had about 15 youth and kids.  I was so stunned!!!

Oh ya last night we got robbed at knife point... naw jk.  Well he tried to rob us but there's no way I'm giving up my camera and stuff.  My companion had been robbed already before I got here and the other missionaries in our ward were robbed of everything last week walking in the street in the middle of the day.  I saw it coming though and my first thought was that i thought it was a joke.  It was a skinny 16 or 17 year old who had this big old knife and told us to give us our stuff.  My comp just took off running and he started walking to me so I started walking to him then he tried to scare me off pointing the knife at me then picked up a rock - so I did the same and just chucked it as hard as I could.  After that he ran away. It was honestly hilarious!

We live in the nicest pension!! It's a little house behind a member's home and it is super nice!! The member's are about 60 and are the most amazing people ever!! Their name is Brother and Sister Castro.  Brother Castro was so glad I didn't give the kid that tried to rob us anything.  They always give us food and the ward has assigned days throughout the month!

Well I have to buy a new memory card because mine has a stupid virus so no pictures this week.

Con amor,

Elder Lamb