June 22, 2015

Whats goooood?? I'm just living it up here freezing my butt off!! It's just a process for me to but on all my layers but so worth it.  This week has got to be one of the shortest weeks ever.  It just flew by! 

One of the things we decided in a conference with President is that our missionaries need to become better teachers.  We are worried that a lot of missionaries don't know how to teach that well so this past zone conference we spent the whole time trying to help their teaching skills.  I thought I was just going to teach but in reality I learned so much.  It helps my companion and I to really teach the doctrine clearly.  We were able to see the techniques that every missionary in the zone used and as a zone I really think we improved that day.  President taught us that we should be focusing more on the temple.  And that we could teach the temple with many other lessons.  Elder Caceres and I put that to the test when we taught our investigator Carlos about the authority and the priesthood of God along with the temples.  We taught it slow in a way that he could understand and really see the importance of both the priesthood and the temple.  He is about 60 years old and lived in a little house full of cockroaches.  Carlos was able to understand the importance and then accept a baptismal date.

We also taught Teresa.  She is about 65 years old and lives with her daughter and grandkids.  She just broke her hip and had surgery.  She has been a catholic her whole life and does the little chanting "gracias jesus" "si jesus" "haleluya" deal during the prayers.. pretty funny.  We also taught her in a way where she actually asked us... "Well then why are there so many churches in the world day..?"  BOOM!! My comp and I looked at each other and smiled.. What a great question.. and we have the answer!  We explained the apostasy and how important the priesthood is and it just makes sense!! She had already been baptized in the catholic church and in her own words she said.. "I was baptized because I had so much faith in God and in Jesus Christ but I have no idea if the pastor who baptized me had the authority." BOOM we talked about the authority line and she was so impressed our authority went back to the apostles and the Jesus Christ. She, very willingly, accepted a baptismal date, and in the closing prayer asked God if this was the path that she could go..without us even asking her..S/O to Teresa for being prepared and amazing.

Every time I teach my testimony is strengthened. Every time I testify I am cementing my testimony even that much more.  It's so amazing that we are able to help people so much physically with service and a smile but when we get to help people eternally is when we feel happiness that can not be measured.

I am doing great.  The branch here is AMAZING!! Our dueño is 84 i think and RUNS with us to lessons.  It's 2 degrees outside and he is running and laughing and ALWAYS making jokes. I'll send a pic next week with him.  He is my straight IDOL!  He'll just come over to our little house and chill with us at night and chow.  He has a brand new dodge suv sitting in his garage but he likes to walk and run so he doesn't feel the need to drive it.  Literally so funny.

People so nice and willing to help..We've been doing so much service and are seeing miracles.  I am so grateful to be a small part of this great work.  

Lost my camera cable so gonna have to wait till next week for pics:)

They put a subway in Rio Gallegos!!!! There are only two in the whole patagonia! It's not the same and they don't have any jalepeños so that's a joke but it's still so baller for here and it's literally like the only American food I've ever seen here so I'm too pumped:)

Love you all!!

Elder Lamb

June 15, 2015 - What's Good!!

It's soooo cold down here!!! It's back to them "cover every part of my body except my eyes kind of weather!" But I'm liking it a lot.  

The people are super nice and the houses are always burning with the heaters and the ovens are always on so it's awesome.  This week just literally flew by so fast I can't even remember what we did really.  A few of the nights we had to go pick up missionaries at the bus station so I'm running on 2 hours of sleep right now.  

The branch is awesome.  The people are so nice.  We're trying so hard to find service opportunities but nobody wants to work in this cold weather so even finding service has been difficult and I'm going through withdrawals. It's been almost two weeks since we've done a service  project and I'm trip pin! 

All my homies are going home in the next couple weeks so that's so weird! Today I hit 17 months and i can't believe it!! Time is movin!

I hope everything is going great back home! Remember to read and pray!!! Too easy but too important.

Love you all!

Elder Lamb

June 8, 2015 -Rioooo Gallegossss

What is up fam!!?? Literally can't imagine Reegan and flying alone!! Like where's her companion!!  So crazy! Mexico and Jamaica?!?! That's insane! The best part of that deal is definitely the 24 hour food service!! I would POUND!!

This week hasn't been the shortest week.  It was so weird to leave Puerto Madryn.  That was my first area when I left the office and I made so many goals to just serve and give my whole heart to the people in Madryn.  Well I didn't take into account that one day I was going to leave and I part of my heart would be left there forever. 

A ton of families came to say goodbye when I got on the bus to set out for my next journey.  It didn't hit me until I loaded my bags and I was in my seat looking out the window that I literally gave everything to those people.  I truly tried to lose myself in the work as instructed in Matthew 10:39 and it's crazy how blessed I was because of it.  They truly are part of my family and I reflected so much that long 17 bus ride to Rio Gallegos and I found out a lot about myself.  I truly love to serve. I want to ease other burdens.  I want to put a smile and these peoples faces.  I want to make a difference.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve in puerto Madryn.

I have new reponsibilities here in Rio Gallegos and we don't have as much time to work in the area but we have taken advantage of every second.  Elder Caceres is very humble and focused and we are going to do great.  He is from Santiago Chile.  IT'S SO COLD HERE!! the high this week is 40 degrees and it's just bitter to the bones.  But the people are soooo nice!! Almost everyone we talk to in the streets are super nice and want to talk to us.. To get them to go to church is a different story.

I am learning so much about the Plan of God out here.  When asked how we had so much success the only thing I can think is..
     1)You have to love the people and
     2)You have to SHOW them you love them ...by SERVING them!!

God is so merciful and if we trust put our trust in His plan...He will bless our loved ones and us.

I LOVE the mission.  By far the hardest thing I've ever done and I'm not going to miss planning and comp inventories for anything but I will miss being able to SERVE and being a representative of the one who served ALL of us!!

Thank you for everything! I'll try and send a bunch of pics!!

Elder Lamb

photos... 1.my best bud angelito the night before i got transfered.. such a homie!! 

2. we went to the dopest beach to see some whales!!

3. i brought that phannypack swag all the way down here... #letsgo

postin with my boys griffits, erickson, and crowley 

1. familia castillo! dopest family ever! family home evening! 

2. waitin for my bus with some of the families

3. rio gallegos is sooo flooded.. makin it 10 minutes without wet socks is pretty impressive! but still sooo dope!!!

June 1, 2015 - I Hate Saying Goodbye!!

Praying for bishop and his family! So sad!

So this week has been just a week full of goodbyes... and I hate goodbyes!!! Another reason why I have to come back to visit these amazing people here!! My time in Puerto Madryn Argentina has come to an end. I have been called to serve in Rio Gallegos for the winter...I will FREEZE! Literally the coldest place in South America right now... Thank you mom for the clothes and warm stuff.. comin in sooo clutch!!

To be honest I am going exactly where I wanted to go with an Elder I wanted to work with.  Elder Caceres from Chile.  Very humble and focused Elder who wants to work just as much as I do!

It was so hard saying goodbye to all my fam in Rio Grande but this time it's so much harder.. the members and investigator's have adopted me as one of their own and we have worked together to bring so many people closer to Christ.  

I dont have time today!! Ill send an email with a ton of pics next week!! 

Love you all!!

Elder Lamb:):)

May 25, 2015 -BALLENAS!!! Whaleta!!!

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARDING!!! Can't believe she would be 24..that's insane!!

The package got here mom!!!:):) And the footy pajamas came in too clutch! Literally BEST PACKAGE EVER!:):) The sweaters and warm gear are too perfect.. we have transfers in a week going into winter and I'm in the northern most part of my mission so si o si I'm going south to some real cold! Sister Abregu is going to freak when I gift her the scarf and necklaces... mom you're about to hook all the amazing moms that give us lunch up!

Today we went to the beach again for Pday and we saw WHALES!!:) Never thought i'd be seeing whales on my mish but you never know what you're going to find in the Patagonia:)

Guys... Raul and Niko both traveled an hour and a half to go to stake conference in Trelew!!  What studs!  Raul has been listening to the missionaries for over 10 years and this was the first time he came to church! He is amazing! His wife is a member and all his grandkids are members... he had a problem smoking and never felt worthy to be baptized..well he quit smoking and came to stake conference...80 percent of the members didn't even come!  He told me he is going to marry his wife legally and be baptized by the end of this year and will sand me photos.. I'm so happy for him.

So the family of 9 we found is too amazing. We asked our branch president to come with us to visit them and we had an amazing lesson about Ether 12 and how our anchor to our lives should be faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Last night we went over again and the mom said she had something to tell me.. she said Sunday morning at about 2 am her husband woke her up.  He told her that he had prayed and had received and answer to his questions of whether all the things we are teaching them are true or not.  He asked his wife if he could join her this Sunday at church!! He prayed with faith and received an answer! I was tearing up as she was telling me.. then after our lesson the grandma came in and talked about how she was going in for surgery for her knees and how she was in a lot of pain.  We talked about the priesthood and the disciples of Christ and how they were able to bless and heal people.  She accepted a blessing and we gave her a blessing of health.. I love giving blessings.. it's moments when you truly feel like you are an instrument in the hands of God.  After the blessing the mom was crying and told us she didn't know that we had access to this authority from God.  I bore my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ and explained to her that that is what differs us from all the other churches in the world. She was overwhelmed and literally wants us to pass by everyday!! the spirit was sooooooooooo strong. Moments like these are what i make my life!!! There is NOTHING I'd rather be doing than serving my God and these people here:)

Thanks for everything!  I'm having so much fun out here! You just gotta enjoy the little things!

Someone eat a 20 piece mcnugget for me!! Thanks!!

Love yall!

Elder Lamb

May 18, 2015- TEMPLO EN CÓRDOBA

Holy cow I can't believe all that crazy stuff with the cement trucks and the power lines went down after I talked to you guys! I'm so glad everything is alright! That's fine Reegan's room doesn't have power... hopefully her phone dies and she can't charge it.. haha

YOU WENT TO AN ALAN JACKSON CONCERT!! and you say it like it's a small thing! I would do anything to go to one of his concerts..don't tell me he sang Chattahoochee?! or Country Boy? Livin on Love?  any of his old stuff??

 So about 3 months ago my old companion and I were contacting and we talked to this 14 yr old outside his house.. he told us he used to be a member and he knows all the youth in the branch.. my comp and I were stunned.. we started talking to him and asking him why they stopped going to church when his mom came out of the house and started talking to us.. she told us she knows exactly what we're doing and that she herself served a mission and the only reason she came out of the house was to save her son and bring him inside. Our jaws dropped and immediately we questioned what had happened.  She told us her husband as well served a mission but now they were going to an Evangelist church...It felt like I got hit in the gut by one of Willis`s monster swings... 

I couldn't believe that a couple where both the husband and wife served missions..were sealed in the temple...magnified their callings in the church..and then in their 40`s left the church completely.  We tried talking to her and tried to help her realize what she was missing. She didn't want any of it.. 

The couple got offended because the husband was sick and nobody from the branch came to visit them so they starting going to a different church.  I remember leaving the house that day over 3 months ago with tears in my eyes.. I had never seen something like that. It was extremely sad. Well two weeks ago that same lady passed away from cancer. That sadness that hit me when I was talking to her hit me 1000 times harder when I found out she passed away because we never went back to try and change her heart.  To at least offer them the chance of returning. 

Yesterday we went over to the husbands house with some members from the branch and taught him about our Savior. I told him directly that there's not anyone that can have compassion for what him and his family are going through. Then we shared with him Alma 7: 11-12 and about how Jesus Christ was going to come to the world to take upon himself the sins, pains, and sicknesses of the world so that he would know how to succor his people.  He did it all for us.. So that we would NEVER have to be alone.. he knows exactly how we feel and He conquered the death.. He conquered the pains and sufferings and through Him we know that we can too if we put our trust in Him.  He is the only one that can fell compassion! The husband wants to return to the church and he told us he never forgot the truth the he found and shared as a missionary.  Pray for Rogelio Sosa!! 

On a happier note the temple of Córdoba Argentina was dedicated yesterday and we were able to watch it in our church building.  There are now 2 temples in Argentina and it makes me want a temple here in the Patagonis soooooooooooooooooooo bad!!!!!!!!! These people need the blessings of sealing their families together forever!!! President Uchtdorf did the dedications and was accompanied by our boy Elder D Todd Christofferson as well as the area 70. The culture part on Saturday was sooo cool! Argentina really does have an awesome culture!! 

Everything is amazing!! We're thinking that I probably only have 2 more weeks here in Puerto Madryn so we're trying to just go so hard right now finding and teaching! Thank you for the prayers and support! Have a great week and be grateful for Mcds and Taco Bell!!

Elder Lamb

#fannypackgang

Elder Erickson and Elder Crowley jumped on board the fannypack life and recently gave testament that they could never go back..powerful stuff.. #makesmeproud

Family Castillo.. we found them contacting and we had taco night and they want to hear more and the kids want to get baptized! A family of 9!! I don't want to leave.. :(

DIA DE LA MADRE!!:):) May 11, 2015

What's up fam!! So awesome to talk and see ya´ll  yesterday! everyone looks so good! And HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!! literally the most loving and talented person I know!! thank your for all the sacrifices you have made for our family! I love you so much!!!  

This week has been super fast and not too much went on that I can think of.

I'm so grateful for this area and all the members in this branch.. they treat us like angels and it's almost overwhelming!  We have lunches everyday with members and the majority of the days we have family home evenings at night with a ton of investigators and bomb dinner!!  Literally want to stay here in Puerto Madryn the rest of my mission!  

Niko came to church again this past week and is progressing so much.. we  have really become best friends and it'll be hard leaving him..he's 18 and is hopefully going to be baptized this week! he has a desire to serve a mission so we're going to town trying to help him change his life.. he impresses me every time he shares his testimony of the church and is already inviting his cousins and family to come and experience thie blessings of the gospel! So amazing! 

Have a great week and never stop progressing and trying to be more like our Savior!!

Thank you for everything!! LOVE you guys!!! 

Elder Lamb

#backflipsformom!!