El Ganador

P-days in the offices are usually pretty slow. I like that. It gives me a bit of time to sit down and write in my journal, write letters, etc. With just me and Elder Boyer, it isn´t much of a celebration. But such is life in the offices. And we have found small ways to enjoy it.

Today we went bowling. I´ve actually become fairly competent at the sport (is bowling a sport?) during my time here. Elder Boyer is a bowling champion. A veritable legend in my eyes. Out of the three times we´ve been I never was able to win a game. Today, I was hungry.

From the drop of the first pin, I could tell Elder Boyer was off. Instead of the usual explosion at the end of his throws there was a pathetic patter as two or three pins dropped to the ground. I wasn´t exactly hitting home runs either (sports metaphors don´t work so well when talking about sports stories ha-ha) and we stayed about neck and neck the entire time. My heart would sink as the ball would slide to the gutter, but thankfully, I was able to pull off miraculous spares two times. I had Elder Boyer by 10 points, and was smooth cruising to the 9th frame, when suddenly he got another spare. By the last frame, Elder Boyer was still down 4 pins, and I was confident that if I could at least get a spare to finish the game, I would leave Discount Dragon Bowling a champion. Then, it happened.

Boyer greased his shoes and stepped up to the line with a face so saturated with concentration it resembled a bag of dried raisins. One lofty toss of a bowling ball, an explosion of pins, and the dirty deed was done. Elder Boyer bowled a strike, followed by a solid 7 pins which he knocked down with ease. For those of you who understand bowling, I was then forced to get a strike or a spare to get an extra frame and knock down at least 8 pins to win the game. The prospects were unlikely. Slowly, I stepped up. Gripping the bowling ball with three sweaty sausage fingers. I wasn´t one to exactly make big plays in the clutch. I let the first ball go, gazing with anticipation. With a big pop and shatter, I a wrecking ball left one lone pin standing in its wake. It was make or break. I had to knock it down to stay in the game. Another tense throw in the still air, and to my shock, the pin went down.

There I was, throw number three. The game in my hands. 8 or more pins knocked down, and David would slay Goliath. I saw my life before my eyes, everything I had never achieved athletically in my life could be on some small level be restored to me should I knock these pins down. This had become more than just a game of bowling. The little cardboard cutout of a dragon holding the "two games for 1" gazed mortified by the tension of the moment. The symphony of silence blared deafeningly as I stood up to bowl one last time.

A deep breath, a lunge, and the dull thud of hard plastic on slick wood. It moved a little to the left, then to the right, then in a moment comparable to Luke Skywalker shooting torpedoes down the exhaust shaft in the death star, with similar odds and similar results, my own life long yearning to do something athletically spectacular was, in some small misconstrued distorted way satisfied, as the explosion of pins was drowned out by a choir of heavenly hosts shouting hallelujahs with angelic zeal. STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!

The odds were beaten. Elder Boyer, defeated. The Death Star, destroyed. Beyond that, the world may have kept spinning. But if you checked your watch today at roughly 2:37 Buenos Aires time, you might have noticed that time stood still. A timeless victory at the very least.

Well... Anyways

this week has been solid. A lot of ups and downs. Ups in the sense that we really have been able to progress things in the offices. I´ve found new ways to get around my position. To get the letters that we usually send off without the database. I think I´ve finally got a system that is simple and consistent enough to work for Hna Jones. The office has become like a puzzle. I´ve had to rebuild my job, but do it in an incredibly simple way. I´ve realized here it´s not easy to teach people new things. That includes teaching them the gospel. The role of a teacher is a challenging one.

The progress in the offices has come at a price, that price is less time in the area. Even still, I´ve felt the Lord´s blessings upon us as we have been able to maximize the time that is allotted to us. That´s something I´ve learned better in the offices than any other place in the mission. Principles of prioritizing and finding the most important thing, to execute it most efficiently.

News on investigators is more of the same. Damian is still struggling a bit accepting the Priesthood. Gonzalo is still hesitant to accept a baptismal date. We haven´t seen Xavier in more than a week because of complications with getting out to his house and his schooling.

Amidst the investigators though, Luis and Veronica have taken a big step. In our appointment last night they gave us their official marriage date. Veronica was able to take the kids to her mom´s house and drop them off there while she went yesterday morning to take out a date from the Registro Civil. It´s all there. In black and white. Luis and Veronica are getting married the 10th of September. (For those of you wondering, this transfer ends on September 13th) So as of now, the official baptismal date will be Saturday September 11th. We are so grateful to have investigators like them who are doing what is necessary to change their lives. It is impossible to not feel the spirit when we are with them, and we feel very distinctly that they have great things to contribute to the church in Argentina.

So the updates will keep coming as they come. I know I said this last week, but with the offices settling down a bit, we should be able to make more time this week to get out in the area. As of now I´m content with the progress we have seen. Luis and Veronica are some of the best, if not the best I´ve taught on the mission. To them, reading, praying, keeping commitments isn´t a hard thing. It just comes naturally. They love the blessings that they get from being obedient. They love the blessed and happy state that comes from doing the daily things to invite the spirit in our lives. That is our joy. To see people progress, embrace, and make sacrifices for the Gospel. And watch them receive the blessings that always come.

Thank you for all you do for me. For the prayers in my behalf. I love you all.

This week has been another epic series in the battle of the database. Combine that with our usual crazy duties for the first week of the transfer in the offices. We´ve been a bit busy to say the least. Thankfully the worst of it is coming to an end, and we should be able to get out in the area more this week.

I´ve spent my days trying to unify the mission database that we were using in Access, and getting it all that data to the church database. IMOS. The biggest challenge has been getting IMOS to generate a data source in Excel, from which I can then merge letters in Microsoft word. It sounds complicated, but mostly it has been a lot of busy work. A lot of data entry. A lot of trouble-shooting and computer problems. And I´m by no means a computer expert. I can tell that what little knowledge I have has been helping me, and perhaps it´s for the best. The brilliant computer programmers of the mission designed a system that none of us can understand. They have long since gone leaving us helpless to amend the now outdated systems they left behind. So perhaps it´s the best thing that a simple mind is on the job. I have to establish a system for the secretary that will not just work for a few months, but the coming years.

On that note, it wasn´t exactly a surprise to learn that I would be in the mission offices for six more weeks. This will be my fourth transfer here in Adrogué. I had mixed feelings over the weekend. Of course I would rather be outside doing missionary work. But for one reason or another, the Lord wants me here. What´s more, I will more than likely be here now for the baptism of Luis and Veronica, and hopefully Damian´s son, and others that are progressing. It has become very clear to me that there is still a lot of work for me to do here in Adrogué, and as always, it´s where the Lord wants me to go.

Luis and Veronica weren´t able to take out their turno to get married on Tuesday as a result of the intense cold. On Tuesday we´ll go and pick her up with the Jones couple here in the offices and take her where she needs to go. Sometimes we have to take the investigators by the hand and guide them through the steps. I´ve seen that a lot in the mission. Helping people keep commitments takes a bit of extra effort.

Damian is doing great. He was able to come to church last week, but yet again without his son Gonzalo. We have really focused on teaching him. We had a lesson two nights ago about recognizing the voice of the spirit. He was able to really see the importance of it. He says that he doesn´t need to pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true because he already knows it. It says good things and talks about God. We testified that by praying he wouldn´t just know in his head if it was true, but in his heart as well. Tonight we have an appointment to watch a church movie with them.

Last night we were able to visit Xavier, formerly known as Savior. (He wrote his name down and we realized that´s what he has been saying the whole time.) He has been progressing fantastically. Really profound questions about prayer and God, but at the same time, so simple. For his immense study of philosophy, he is very charming, and humble. Willing to learn, accept, and act upon what we´re teaching. Last night we read the parable of the seed in Alma, and he learned a bit about the meaning of faith. I know that we were led to Xavier at the right time and the right place. Because he is able to speak English, the Jones can teach with us as well and participate. Part of me thinks that the Lord put him in our path for that reason.

In other news, that family we found a few weeks ago, Diego and Jessica, both came to church with their two children on Sunday. They caught me completely off guard. We had a pretty skeptical lesson earlier in the week with me and Elder Herrera and Jessica and her sister. She was very anti-Mormon and had everything from Polygamy to the mysterious Mormon gold tax on us. (Apparently she believed that to join the Mormon Church you had to donate a certain amount of pure gold to get baptized. This was how we put the statues of the Angel Moroni on all our temples. It wasn´t the most ridiculous Mormon rumor I´ve heard in Argentina.) To say the least, the lesson was less than edifying, and my hopes for Diego and Jessica to progress were less than optimistic. Then, on Sunday, unexpectedly the whole family showed up to church. The mission is surprising like that sometimes.

We have been having enormous success, and we have managed to keep the area at the very least relatively progressing while we have been in the midst of the office crazy. The Lord has blessed us to be able to magnify the small time that we do have to keep finding and keep teaching. I testify that God knows each of us personally, and is able to guide us by the spirit if we are listening. I miss you all very dearly. It´s strange hearing about the changes at home. New nephews, marriages, dates. Dad switching to apple. (Of all the aforementioned, the last one surprised me most.) But all in all, there isn´t anywhere in the world I would rather be than right here right now in Buenos Aires. I believe sometimes we can see through the windows of life, the moments that we will yearn to return to for the rest of my life. Argentina runs through my blood now. I´ll strive to return to this country for the rest of my life, looking for the feeling that I have right now. I love this work.

Another week at the Office

It´s been another great week in the offices.

And considerably warmer here too.

I´d say it´s a balmy 65 outside right now and not a cloud in the sky. When I think that it would be the equivalent of January in the northern hemisphere, it just makes me happy. Enjoy the furnace of a state you’re living in right now.

I´m at the end of my 3rd transfer in the offices. Which is making my head spin. Time is slipping through my hands faster and faster. The mission never slows down, especially not this week.

The office complications this transfer have been enormous. The presidential change. Missionaries leaving for other missions mid transfer, other missionaries coming from other missions mid transfer. The latest development has definitely been the biggest blow. The office computers allegedly had a virus on them. The workers from the area offices took them out to clean them. The good news is, they got the virus. The bad news is, they erased all traces of the mission database in the process.

The database essentially includes personal information (address, bishop, stake, parents, etc) for more than 200 missionaries. We merge all the letters that we send out based on that information. Fortunately we were able to get a database back up from February, but there are still a lot of bugs. And I´m no computer genius. We´ve been pulling our hair out trying to straighten the problems out, but with little or no success. It´s been an adventure.

Speaking of adventures, on Friday morning we go to President´s house to see the big transfer board. It´s the biggest privilege of being in the offices. It´s like March madness for the office Elders. We all have picks for where everyone is going in the mission, and who is going to make it on the top ten next transfer. This time around I´ve got to guess my own fate. But now it´s hardly a step out into the dark. I´ve gotten to know the mission pretty well after three months in the offices.

Remember my old comp Elder Gibbs? Well he was recently chosen to be the new assistant. It has been fantastic to see him around the offices again.

With the database meltdown, we have been struggling to get out in the area. I hadn´t worked in the sun for the better portion of a week. With transfers coming up my job has been a bit more low key, but come next week things will be pretty loco again as week one is hardest on the Secretary position. I honestly don´t know how long they´ll keep me here. If I´ll go first thing next transfer, or if they´ll send me out to an area first thing next week. The anticipation is something I haven´t felt in a while. For the past two transfers there was no chance of leaving. Uncertainty is the flavor of life. Without it, everything is just a bit more bland.

As far as the area goes, we have been in a bit of a rut. Damian has been progressing in his reading, but unfortunately missed church last week. Keep him in your prayers. Gonzalo is trying to see the point of being baptized. We´ve made a conscious effort to refocus on just reading and praying.

Luis and Veronica also had a bit of a struggle to get to church last week in the rain. We went and watched the testaments with the whole family, which made for a very spiritual experience. Even Luis was a little teary eyed afterward. They had many questions for us, and wanted to know where they could find the story in the book of Mormon. I had to explain that it was fictionalized. One of Luis’ daughters that was visiting from his former marriage asked if we would ever be able to see Jesus like that. I was able to testify to her that we would if we followed the path that he has set for us.

In our appointment last night, Veronica explained about a dream she had had wherein she was wandering through the streets lost and confused. She couldn´t find her way home. She asked everyone she saw on the street, but no one could tell her where her house was. She was just about to the point of hopelessness, when an old man told her that she had to have faith that she would find her house again. A short time after, a light formed around her, and a staircase appeared with a door illuminated at the top. She asked us what it meant and if it was from God. I had her go get the drawing that Elder Boyer had made from a few lessons back of lesson 3. It had the staircase labeled with the principles of the gospel Faith, Repentance, Baptism Etc. We asked her what she thought the dream was telling her to do, and she explained to us that it had to be telling her the need for baptism. They are such elect investigators.

We had a fantastic finding experience. Two weeks ago I shared with you 3 contacts that happened in the street. Diego and Yessica we taught once and had a very powerful cita. We have another appointment with them in 2 hours. Rocky and Monica we have taught twice and we have another appointment tomorrow. The third I told you about was a bit disappointing. We went to his house in the rain and no one was home. It had been over a week and a half since contact when we had our Saturday night planning session. We were feeling down as a result of the current office situation and the day we had had when Elder Boyer told me to try calling Savior one last time. As the phone rang, my mind was running through all the little things I had to do in the offices, all the current frustrations I had at the time. I had tried calling this man at least five times before with no luck. I was so busy thinking negatively that I could hardly believe it when I heard an "hola" on the other side of the line. I couldn´t believe it. We set a cita for Monday night.

Going to that appointment wasn´t easy. Especially considering it was in a dangerous part of our area, and we would have to go relatively far away to get there. After a prayer of guidance we set out to find Savior. Upon arrival, there was no answer at the door, but sure enough, he opened it up after a bit. It was definitely the most interesting finding cita I had had in the mission. The man was high class. A foreign language major speaking anything from Dutch to Portuguese to Russian to French to English to Spanish. He was able to talk to us mostly in English for the night. When we walked in, Elder Boyer immediately noticed the big bongo drums he had against the wall. Savior invited us to a veritable jam session, and we sat around playing the bongos for the first 15 minutes. After we were able to have a brief chat about the importance of L1.

Well I´m out of time. I would like to write some of the other experiences from the week. It really was amazing. I´ll keep you updated on transfers.

I know this church is true, and God guides this work every day. The longer I´m here the longer I realize that this is a marvelous work and a wonder. When I think that there are over 60,000 other missionaries out there all having experiences like these every day, it strengthens my testimony that this is the truth. I love you all. Thank you for the prayers on my behalf.

Hace un Frio Loco

It is cold.

What can I say more?

I guess I have no legitimate room to complain for several reasons.

1. Here in the offices we find ways to keep it warm. Central heat is not an option, but we do have an abundance of gas heaters.
2. This is the first time I´ve legitimately felt cold since I arrived in Buenos Aires last September
3. After this week I probably won´t feel this cold again until November of 2011, after I get home from my mission.

The arctic winds have picked up and are carrying icy gusts all through Buenos Aires. There´s not a cloud in the sky, but a frigid wind chill takes care of what the sun doesn´t do. It should get colder tomorrow and yes, EVEN colder on Saturday. They´re talking about a chance of snow this weekend. Just when I thought I had escaped the blasted white powder curse my dreaded Jack Frost nemesis has found me in the southern Hemisphere. I´m so layered up with sweaters my twig like build now resembles the Pillsbury dough boy. And that´s not just because I´ve been living off of deep fried chicken and beef for the past 11 months of my life.

Congratulations to Zane Rigby for the mission call in Columbia. What day do you leave? I was just talking to a sister in our ward last night who served a mission in Columbia. She said there were many missionaries from Chile and Argentina. You´ll surely get familiar with the Buenos Aires slang. (Vos tenés que ser bien preparado eh? No seas trucho)

Anyways, despite the cold we have managed to have several successes this week. One of those is the progression of Damian who is going to get baptized this Saturday. I´ll send you all the pictures next week. His son Gonzalo decided to wait a little bit on his baptism for various reasons. He´s studying for his elementary school finals and wants to be a bit more prepared. We´ll be teaching him with his dad over the coming weeks. Damian bore a fantastic testimony last night in our appointment testifying of the change that he had in his life. He told us that before we came and visited him, God was like his neighbor. He would say hi occasionally when he saw him. But he wasn´t that important. Now he feels that God is the most important thing in his life. More like, well, a father. He is very well-prepared and will have a wonderful baptism this weekend.

In other news, Luis and Veronica were able to make some big strides. Veronica has started reading in Gospel principles in addition to her regular Book of Mormon assignments. She has already read the first 100 pages, and was able to explain to us the reason we have trials in this life based on her knowledge of the pre-existence. She missed church a few weeks ago, and told us that that week was one of the hardest weeks she has had in a long time. She told us it was a sign that God was telling her that she couldn´t deviate from the path that she was on. That she had finally found the "buen camino." Probably the biggest development is as a result of their vacations, they were able to go to the registro civil to set a date for their marriage. They are getting married August 20th, and if all goes well, they´ll get baptized a week later, August 28th. It´s so rewarding to see the changes that they are making in their lives. I always heard that the gospel had the power to change people, but to see it first hand is just that much more of a testimony of the truthfulness of this work.

I would like to thank you all for the prayers in our behalf this week to find the elect. We have felt miracles with finding. I would like to share three of these experiences with you.

Just the other Saturday we were walking in the street when all of the sudden we saw a couple that looked very happy. We said hi to them and they said hi back to us. Elder Pepito and I looked at each other. "Do you think we should talk to them?" I asked. I wasn´t sure if it was the spirit, or if it was just me. Elder Pepito didn´t hesitate, he turned around and started heading toward them. Elder Boyer wasn´t far behind. I asked them if they knew what street we were on. Just something to break the ice. A bit of a white lie as we were on two very well known streets. They gave us "directions" as we were new in the area and weren´t sure where to go. After a brief introduction we introduced ourselves as missionaries from the church. They both looked at each other and smiled replying "that´s just what we were talking about." We talked a bit, and then asked if it would be all right to pass by their house one day and share a message about Christ. They agreed giving us their direction and number to call. Diego and Jessica were their names. Unfortunately they weren´t there when we passed by on Tuesday, but we know it wasn´t coincidence that we found such cheerful people so willing to listen. I´m sure we´ll be able to find them on Saturday.

More recently, on Tuesday night we were walking back to our apartment after our appointment with Luis and Veronica. It was quite cold. We saw a couple standing on the side of the road with a car pulled over. "How are you" we asked routinely. "Really bad" replied the wife loudly. We stopped and inquired as to the situation. As it turned out the car battery had died and they were stranded in the cold. We asked them if we could call someone for them and they had responded that they had already done so. They assured us they were fine and told us to get to warmth as soon as possible. Being slightly in a hurry, but more lazy from a long day, we began walking away to head back to the pension. We hadn´t walked half a block away when I couldn´t get the couple out of the head. I know the spirit speaks with a still small voice, but this time around it felt more like a blaring voice shouting "There they are! Right there! Stranded in your path! It´s game time lazy! Share a message!" I turned around and returned to them explaining, with the same excuse, that we were new in the area and that we needed to know where the street Serrano was. After, we began to share a message with them, testifying of the blessings they could receive. They responded that they lived a ways away. On the Calle Tupac. That was coincidentally one of the streets we walked on most, and in an area where we had been looking for investigators for the past transfer fruitlessly. We agreed to pass by in the coming days and have an appointment tonight to go by and see them.

And then last but certainly not least, one of my favorite contacts of the mission happened last night. We were walking back to the apartment yet again, when all of the sudden a man on a motorcycle stopped and shouted out to us in English "are you Mormons?" Fearing a prospective robbery we stopped and kept our distance. "I want to know where the church is" he shouted again. This time we approached him, telling him the direction. The man began to explain to us in perfect English that he had seen us walking around his house frequently and wanted to know when he could hear our message. A little dumbfounded we explained that we went to the houses of people in this neighborhood to offer prayers with them and help them as best we could. He introduced himself as Savior, and explained that he lived too far away for us to visit him. We asked him what street he was on and replied "Hernandez" One street down from Tupac, where we had needed to find so badly. We set an appointment and got his phone number. He explained a bit of his circumstance, how he was studying and working right now alone. I asked him why he called out to us, but he still couldn´t quite explain. To tell the truth we were so dumbfounded by the man´s interest that we weren´t able to find out as much information as we would have liked. He promised that if we couldn´t find him at night that he would come to church on Sunday. And then Savior sped off into the night as mysteriously as he had appeared.

These are but a few of the finding opportunities we have had over the past week. I know that there are many more in store for us as we continue working to find the elect. I think of the finding experience from last night, how many days we spent fruitlessly wandering around on those streets, thinking we were being rejected, thinking it was pointless. But as a result of our consistency in getting out and working, even if it was late, we were being watched. I learned a lot about what it means to follow the Spirit this week. I also learned about how God truly does provide a way when we´re doing our best. I know the church is true and we have a loving father in heaven who knows each of His children. I love missionary work and the spirit that guides it.

Making Progress

This has been hands down the best week in a while. Despite the fact that I´m in the crux of the Argentine winter. It rained for the better portion of 3 days. Saturday, Sunday and Monday nonstop. Monday it got so cold that it almost, ALMOST turned to snow. You could feel some of the flakes coming down through the raindrops, but it didn´t quite get cold enough. The Elders out in the coast were unfortunately caught in a blizzard. It´s colder down south.

Regardless of the temperature issues, this week was the baptism of Damian! It was a beautiful service. I can´t really pick favorite converts, but Damian is up there. The change we witnessed him as he progressed toward his baptism was unbelievable.

We arrived early to the Church on Saturday, but upon filling up the font, we realized the water was a bit dirty. So we tried emptying the font again to clean it out. Unfortunately, that wasn´t possible, as the pump system that ejects and filters the water required that the water reach a certain point to build enough pressure. In other words, we had to fill the pump up about halfway, which took about thirty minutes, and then we had to get all the water out. THEN we had to scrub the pool down, and then we proceeded to fill the font with luke-warm water. For some reason the water heater wasn´t heating it like it normally did.

Rewind the night before

we were with Damian and we asked who he would like to baptize him. To my surprise, he didn´t say me, or Elder Boyer. Instead he said "Bishop Castro," or the bishop of the ward. I like to think that we as missionaries can know when we did our job right, if the investigators can trust the members enough to ask them to do something like that. So Bishop Castro was going to perform the ordinance.

Fast-forward back to the slowly filling font.

We were about thirty minutes away from the start of the baptism and the water is barely touching the second step... out of five. The bishop pleasantly strolls into the church with his baptismal clothes and a smile on his face that resembles J-leno. Upon seeing the font his grin turns to a mix between melted Jack-o-lantern and Lavelle Edward´s sideline stone face. Knowing that the only way to get the font filled would be to start jet-firing frigid water into the pool. Should Elder Boyer or I have been the one to baptize, the bishop wouldn´t have cared if we baptized him in a glacier or a font filled with frigid slushees. But seeing as how he was performing the baptism he took special interest in the situation.

In the end everything turned out ok. The water, although a bit on the cold side wasn´t unbearable. And the important thing was and is that at the days finish, it worked out. Damian was baptized.

I am running perilously short on time and have way too much to say. Allow me to give you some other highlights.

-Damian insisted on bearing his testimony Sunday. We were a little nervous that he might say something weird. In the end it was probably the most powerful testimony of a convert I´ve ever heard. He talked about how when we found him we gave his car a push because it wasn´t starting. He compared that to the spiritual push that we gave him in life. He bore powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon, and compared it to the iron rod. How before he might have been on the path, but he was lost, crawling toward the tree of life. Now he felt that he was holding to the rod, and that he was moving, quickly, back to be with God. I can´t tell you the joy that comes from seeing people change their lives and walk in righteousness.

-Those finding experiences that I shared in my last email yielded fruits. When we went to the house of the people that had the broken down car, they let us in with open arms and listened to the message. It was one of the better finding appointments of the mission.

-The people we did a street contact with also were waiting for us when we went back on Saturday. Definitely some of the elect. Many outstanding questions about the BOM.

Ok, I´m out of time.

I love you all and will keep you in my prayers. I know this church is true without a doubt in my mind. The blessings that come into people’s lives when they live the Gospel are real. If we keep the commandments and do the little things, we are blessed and prosper in the land. If we don´t, we´re not happy. That´s really our choice here. Be happy, or be miserable. Missionary work is all about helping others receive blessings, and find true happiness. That´s what I do every day, and there is nothing more rewarding.

One Year as a Missionary

First of all, I would like to thank you all for the birthday wishes on my behalf. Just to let you all know, I had one of the best b-days of my life on Sunday. Among the many blessings I received, Damian was able to come to church with Gonzalo, and both had a fantastic time. Unfortunately Argentina has been doing spectacular in the world cup, so at Damian´s request we have moved the baptism back two weeks so that he can return to more spiritual matters. I was a little frustrated at first, but this week we have started from scratch, reteaching all the lessons to Gonzalo this time around. Moving the date to the 17^th will allow us to baptize father and son together. We have had some incredibly spiritual appointments this week. Damian was able to share his experiences with the Book of Mormon, and teach his son how to pray etc. It is incredibly useful to have him with us teaching.

Anyways, after church, we went out to work. Unfortunately, Argentina was playing Mexico in the World Cup at the same time. It was about the least effective hour for proselyting imaginable. Every time Argentina scored a goal it sounded like we were in the stadium as everyone would run out from their houses shouting and screaming firing weapons in the air and shooting off fireworks. I´ve never seen devotion like that. We managed to find solace in the house of a member while Argentina plastered Mexico 3-1 (I called that score by the way. I´ve found it´s a lot easier to pick soccer scores than football or basketball)

Elder Chapman, I fully expect Argentina to dominate Germany this weekend. Just wanted to let you know. Messi has your number.

I´d like to share with you a powerful finding experience that happened that night on my birthday. Elder Boyer informed us that the night before, he had made a street contact with a man named Pablo. He was very entheusiastic about hearing the gospel, and lived down by central Adrogue, very wealthy, so wealthy we rarely work over there. Nevertheless, we put it down as a plan. AS the game wound down on Sunday afternoon, we headed down to the central district to find the alleged Pablo. It took a great deal of searching, but finally we found the streets. We made a few contacts asking for him, but no one came out, and those who did come out of their house were very uninterested in listening to us. Elder Boyer was about to give him a call, but unfortunately he had forgot the cell phone, leaving us relatively lost. We talked with a few others which yielded nothing, when finally Elder Boyer suggested we drop by the Jones, the new marriage who was working in the offices who lived close by to use their phone. We ran over to their apartment and up the stairs. I was desperate to find a way to get in touch with this Pablo character, and upon entering the Jones´apartment immediately asked to use their phone. It was strangely lonely, dark, and even more curiously the table was set for a dinner of at least 8 persons. I had barely asked who they were having over for dinner when suddenly, from the back room behind me I heard a deafening, “SURPRISE!!!”

Sure enough, it was the first surprise party that had legitimately surprised me. I wanted to say as we began to eat dinner, “But wait, what about Pablo?” Only then did I realize that he was a fake. I was a little disappointed we weren´t going to find a new investigator, but very grateful for the generosity of the Jones´in my behalf. I enjoyed dinner with the whole office staff, and will never forget the best b-day I ever had in Argentina.

That night, I popped my last bag of Orville Redenbackers movie theatre butter popcorn, and washed it down with one of the Dr. Peppers that Hna Fitch had given me. A complete day.

Most of you have already realized that it is not only my Birthday, but today marks a year mark away from home. I went into the mtc July 1^st, 2009. Today is July 1^st 2010. It has been an introspective time of my mission. Thinking about the way that everything changes. Thinking about the things I´ve seen.

I saw the road stretched out before me, two years I thought would never end. I saw my parents car drive away, and how nervous and inadequate and scared we all were. We knew we were there for something special, to be somebody, but more than anything, we just wanted to find something to hold onto in a world of change.

I saw the angels that walked the halls, those summer days in the MTC. When we talked in spanglish, and just wanted to get away from that closet of a room. They locked us in to learn about being a missionary. We didn´t know what that meant. We thought we could memorize the bible and convert someone. Back then, we knew everything. We said we didn´t, but secretly, we thought we did. And we knew that we were destined for great things.

I saw the haze and smog blot out the Buenos Aires sun. I saw the jungle of concrete and pavement. And I felt the cold that filled my lungs when I stepped off that plane. And I realized how big the world is, and how scared I really was. I felt the embrace of President when he told me it would be ok. I didn´t want him to see the fear in my eyes, but he could see through me. He was my father in the new world. He told me I would learn what it really means, to be a missionary. And I did.

That first day, when I saw the face of my trainer he spoke to me in Castellano. Elder Ponce showed me what it meant to love this church. I saw the face of Marta, that first appointment, when I stumbled and trembled to say a word I knew she wouldn´t understand. And through tears I told her how I loved my Savior and that´s why I was there.

I saw the angels, that came to my bedside, that first night in Buenos Aires. When I felt so far away. Lost in a new world. And I sobbed and tried to stay real quiet because I didn´t want Ponce to wake up. But he did. And even though he couldn´t speak a lick of English he said “Elder Jensen, I´m your brother, I love you.” And I knew I would find a way to endure there, somehow.

I saw the way the rain would fall, in Ensenada, where the gust from the river would chill my bones. Where I learned what it meant to love the people. Because that´s all I had. And things got better. I was a good tag along. But I was silent. Because I couldn´t speak Spanish. And I was so lonely.

I saw the way that Elder Bushman came as an answered prayer. And showed me that the mission was fun. He helped me speak Castellano, and taught me to teach. I saw the discouragement in Karen´s eyes when she never thought she could change, but she could, and she did. I saw the tears on her face as she emerged from the water, and gazed heavenward at the face of God Himself. And I knew that´s why I sacrificed everything I had. I learned a little about what it meant to save a child of God.

I saw the area book, in Avellaneda 2, when I had to leave everyone I loved so much in Ensenada. And I realized that no one was there. And we didn´t have investigators. I felt the heat, that burned my bones, that boiled my feet inside my shoes. And we walked, for days and days and didn´t find. I wanted to be a perfect missionary. But I didn´t know how. And we walked and walked and walked. Then one day, we saw a miracle, and a woman named Sylvina changed her life, just because we were there. And suddenly those hours of exhaustion, turned into hours of joy. Because it was all worth it, it was all worth it to find her.

I saw the sun bend down to the western sky bleeding ginger and violet across the veil. Exotic, startling, and beautiful. And I knew I was in God´s country. The things I saw in Buenos Aires. The things that took my breath away. Like the clouds moving as chariots of God, across the firmament, making me dizzy. Making me long to spend all my days right here.

I saw the dirt roads stretching out for miles in Burzaco. And marveled at my militant companion who would run into a burning building, and take a bullet for his country, but wouldn´t take a step for God out in the rain. I felt alone, in that drafty house in Burzaco, like I had never felt alone before. And I pled with God, late at night, when everything was quiet, when I couldn´t put one foot in front of the other. I learned what it meant to endure. Like the Savior endured in Gethsemene. I learned that life is full of bitter cups we have to drink. And suddenly, my burden didn´t seem so heavy.

I saw the work in the offices get real slow. But at the same time fast. Because Elder Gibbs wanted to work, and we found a way. We loved the people, and we “worked like dogs.” We ran and ran and laughed because that´s what the spirit does when we do what is right. That´s how we feel when we devote ourselves to the Lord´s cause.

I saw the sorrow in Gibb´s eyes, when president sent him to Villa Gessel, and I felt the burden of what he did on my shoulders. I knew I would have to take up the load, and be the strong one. Because the time of looking up to people in the mission was coming to an end. We had to become the heroes now. Because we were getting older. And the days of dependence are so limited in life.

I saw the tears in the eyes of 200 missionaries, as we said goodbye to our father and President. And the way he held some of them in his arms while we said goodbye. Some of them broke down, like children. Because we are children. Just a bunch of kids in the army of God. I learned a little bit about what it meant to be like the Savior that day, and I suddenly realize what it means to be a missionary. It means being like the Savior, in everything we do.

I saw the hand of God that year I spent in Buenos Aires. And I wasn´t the best missionary. But I thanked God for these things I saw, and felt. This mosaic of my future that will become who I am. Another year isn´t time enough. It will take eternity to eternity to carry out the work of God. But for now, I´ll focus on the day to day. As I stand here on the edge of the world, and write the story of my life.

Thank you all beyond measure for your support on my behalf.

Happy Birthday

In Argentina, the exotic birthday customs range anywhere from baking cakes and blowing out candles, to giving gifts and eating out. Very strange.

Here in the land of the world cup, Argentina sits at 3-0. I´m pretty proud of my team. Yes I´m already claiming ownership of the Argentine national soccer cup. When I get home I´ll sit around the house in my blue and white drinking mate and eating asado. If you try and pull me from the television prepare to hear something like "che, dejáme! Andáte gil!" As for avoiding the world cup here, it´s next to impossible. Soccer is in the blood of these people. When the game starts, you might as well be walking outside at midnight.

Argentina´s prospects of a championship are especially destructive when considering Damian, the investigator who is supposed to be baptized come next week. He has been progressing fantastically, and has agreed to keep everything but the tithing, which we plan to teach tonight. I actually think his testimony has grown to the point of getting baptized despite the country's Fútbol success.

This past week has marked the progression of several key investigators. Luis and Veronica were taught the law of chastity, and took it very well. They both want to get married, and Luis was already considering doing it for some work benefits, so to ask them to get hitched has proved to be something minor. Veronica is planning on taking a turno out to go and arrange their matrimony, and if all goes well, at the very most, the process should take the better portion of two months. My only fear is that I will get transferred before that day comes. Call me selfish, but I really want to see them baptized. They love having us over to their house. Love the scriptures. Love righteousness. Love the gospel.

On the Daniel front, we´re still up against the wall of baptism. He knows it´s true, but just can´t find a way to feel it. A curious doubt that I hadn´t seen before. I´ve found that trying to force someone to feel the truthfulness of the gospel doesn´t work. It´s a personal quest that we all have to embark on. We taught him about that, having the desires to learn on our own and making sacrifices to gain a testimony. Regardless, he´s coming to church regularly and we´ll be here to help him along for that process.

I´ve continued training with the Hna Jones. She has been most effective at learning the secretary position. Yet again, explaining the things that go on in the offices may bore you to the point of tears. But it has been quite enjoyable the past week and a bit crazy, preparing for the jump of presidents. A week from now President Asay will head out. Also there are a bunch of special circumstances this transfer. Like three Elders and a sister jumping in at various points in the transfer. That means a big headache in my position as I make sure that all of them get to the mission and leave the mission without delays.

Well, I know this email is short, but I don´t have a lot of time. I´m taking a half p-day today to get some things done in the offices and then a half p-day tomorrow to go get all you can eat asado from Nuestra Pampa for my B-day lunch. It is a very feliz cumpleaños.