One of the great families here in my area! The Familia Pabon! So great. He is an ex missionary so he loves to help us.
Hey Fam!
What a great week it has been. Thanks for the letters and for your words of encouragement! Love to hear that you are all doing well. You guys are just living the life hey.. I'm starting to wonder if you guys ever work up there ;) nah you should come to Argentina.. they seriously have a holiday every week, they have it made! Lot's of time off from work and school. With golf, volleyball, and a little cleaning sounds like you are managing to stay nice and busy though. Glad to hear.
That is so crazy that Elder Gorham.. Zach I guess I can say now, got home! And that Elder Stringam gets home this week! Where has the time gone? He wrote me today and said "this is the last letter I will write to you as a missionary" how sad. His letter was amazing though. He gave me some great advice and tips as a missionary who has seen his time and has a lot of experience. He sounds like he is sad to see it go, but super happy with the work he has done. What a blessing it is to have such great friends.
I am so pumped for you Carter! That is incredible. Amazing that you guys were able to succeed so well! Sounds like a tough loss in the final but I'm sure it was a weekend that you will never forget. The championships are always nice, but the memories and the friends you made will always last a lot longer! So proud of you bro!
Mom last week you asked about the siesta. It's a pretty serious deal here. You don't have to close your store or shop, but if you leave it open you will pretty much have 0 business. They all close at about 1 o'clock, and open back up at 5. So they have about 4 hours to eat, and take a nice afternoon nap haha. I think dad would like it here. It's pretty hard as missionaries as we continue to work all day long. Those hours from 2 to 5 are difficult to find people to teach. So we usually try to set as many appointments as possible so we don't have to use a ton of time clapping at houses when everyone's sleeping haha. The size of my ward is anywhere between 80 to 100 people, so yes a little bit bigger than Lujan. With more members we do have more lunches as well mother haha. We eat with members pretty much every day. There are about 4 or 5 days a month when we don't have anything.. then Monday's. So I'm good :)
This week was tough here in Marcos Paz. We definitely didn't have a lot of time to work with all the reunions, and a few responsibilities we had to take care of.. but the work always goes on! With the time we had we did all we could to make the best of it. Every week we had "numbers" that we need to complete. They help us make the most of our time and help us have something to strive to complete.. which in turn ensures us that we always have people we are teaching and helping. This week we were pushing it till the last minutes to complete our numbers.. what a trial of faith! It's been amazing to see the difference that I have seen through the mission. I know that with the Lord all is possible, and that we can't fail. Sometimes we may not have as much success as we would like, but that doesn't mean we aren't succeeding. Preach My Gospel gives us tips as missionaries in "how to know" we are having success. It's based on our obedience, and our willingness to do all we can while doing the will of the Lord. I think this is a principle we can apply to all parts of our lives. Life is tough. But if we truly trust in the lord, obey his commandments, and be worthy of the blesses we can live with the surety that we are doing all we need to do in this life. The other day I was reading in the Ensign, and it was taking about the importance of the Conference Talks.. and how they are our guides for 6 months. I want to invite you guys to have them at home and read them whenever possible, I know that every word is inspired by our Savior himself and you will be blessed as you follow the counsel our leaders gave us!
Yesterday Sandra Mansilla (aunt of Sebastian) went to church.. they are the ones who went to the temple the other day. They are awesome! They have been having a lot of problems in their lives, and it's been cool to see the changes they have been trying to make. It's awesome being a missionary. To be able to invite the Spirit and the Savior into the lives of others. We are just the instruments, and as they accept what we are bringing they really do all the changing themselves! They all have dates for this month to be baptized (there are 4 of them) it would be so amazing to see them all make this amazing step!
Thank you guys so much for everything! I can't thank you with my words for the support and love I feel. I have been thinking a lot about the same things in life.. and the difference they make. I know sometimes we think they are useless.. but I know they change the lives of others. Saying hello, offering service, and helping others.. especially as members of the church of our Savior.. it is our responsibility. I know that if we try a little harder to be examples and servants of him that we will bless the lives of others. We never know who is passing through a tough moment and needs just a little more. That little things can change their lives. Thank you so much for the "little" things you do for me. They have shaped my life and led me here.. how blessed we are!
Have a great week.. love you all!
Love, Elder Hansen!
No comments:
Post a Comment