WEEK #36

Wow, I cant believe that McKay is home... that would be such a weird feeling. But really, at the rate that time is going by right now I'll be home tomorrow. I really already have almost 9 months in the mission!

I'm not sure how well I'm really taking it with my comp. but I am really trying to do my best. It's hard to see somebody so new not come with the fire for the work, or with the willingness to be obedient. One day he was just complaining about everything..." why do we have to kneel down to pray... why do I walk so fast.... why do we have so many rules to follow.... just about everything." And it finally got to the point that I stopped walking and I got after him for it. I asked "why he was here in the mission? if he misses his family? and if he loves Jesus Christ?" and he answered yes to all of those questions I told him "That is why we are here. We aren't here just on vacation or to focus on ourselves and only what we want... but because of what we want and for the love for other people." I felt a little bad for being so hard on him after... but really, it's the truth. It's a promise if we lose ourselves in his name (of the savior) that we will find it. I know that their are blessings waiting for everybody but sometimes we need to work for them through diligence and obedience. But other than that experience it has been a good week with my comp. we have been contacting a ton of people and finally starting to find some gold. I just wish that the people had the desire to get married here, haha. I have found so many people that seem so prepared for baptism but in the end nobody wants to get married. That's one of the challenges of Buenos Aires, especially in my area, haha. It would probably help if the president of the country wasn't paying all of the kids for having babies young..haha but it's fine I guess. 

Oh, and I got sick again this week... I don't know what happened but one morning I was just having some super sharp pains in my stomach then eventually I made it to the bathroom and again had problems from both ends of my body for the day. It was the worst.. I just wonder when my body will get used to things here so I will stop getting so sick all the time.

Oh, and also it rained super hard this week... so bad that all of the streets were rivers about a foot deep all of the streets... and some even worse. A lot of houses ruined. We saw a car just completely submerged. It was bad. But I didn't even think it was raining so bad, it's just that they don't have a very good drainage system here I think. Oh, and it's sad that a couple kids died in my area because they got lost in the water. One of them was 11 yrs old and the other only a baby like 2 years old. And it happened like a few blocks from where I was working that day. It made me feel sick when the ambulance finally got there and they couldn't even find the kids in the water. 

I was a little mad that I didn't bring my camera cause we had to take off our shoes and socks to walk down the street for awhile. That was the first time that I had to do that as a missionary. 

Well, that's about it from my part.. a lot of hard work. In Elders quorum they were talking about the things that parents need to teach their kids, and the teacher asked me a few things about things before the mission. And really it made me think about how blessed I am to have the parents that I have. I have been able to see examples of patience, humility, and hard work in my life. I have also used the example of your marriage a lot in my teaching... it has given me a goal to have something similar one day.

Jake

WEEK #35

My new greenie companion, Elder Villa, is an Argentine but he's from a part called Tierra de Fuego, which is really really south, like where the penguins are. Things are going well with him and all of it, but it's really difficult, haha. I think I'm starting to understand what you and dad felt like when none of us kids ever listened. But he has already taught me something really important.. Yesterday he had a little bit of a mental break down with the stress that he was feeling and homesick. And in that moment I realized that as a trainer I was only teaching him the basics of the mission and how to put your head down and go to work.. haha we were working really hard this last week. But one thing that I wasnt doing really well was putting my arm around him and showing him the love that he needs to feel right now which is probably just as important. It's something really really.. really hard for me to do sometimes but it's a personal goal that I set to point out the positives that he has and just love him the best that I can. But that about sums it all up until now. Hard hard work this last week haha.  I know I have only been gone a little more than 8 months but it seems like everything is changing so much. I feel like I was a Sophmore last year... 

 

Elder Hansen

WEEK #34

Things are going awesome here... a little crazy but awesome. I received the call this last week that I'm going to train a new missionary, so right now I'm writing from the offices waiting for my kid to get here. Haha, sometimes I don't feel all that ready to be a trainer, but I don't think anybody ever feels ready for it. With Milton.... it was tough. Last week we set the date again for the 2nd of August and he accepted. Then yesterday we passed by and he told us that he isn't sure if the whole church thing is something he wants to do his whole life. So, I talked to him about it for awhile and told him we are still going to be checking up on him every once in awhile, and he said that he was still going to come to church when he can, which is good. But, it was just tough cause he is such a stud and showed so much desire, then one day the truth came out that he isn't ready. But it's fine because one day he will come around in the future.
I have talked to a lot of people lately that need help with a lot of  things like substance abuse and alcohol... and it's sad when they think that's impossible to change. Really, you just need the desire to change and the humility to accept the help that our heavenly father WANTS to give to us. Well, I don't have a ton of time to write today, sorry, but I need to eat still then go pick up my greenie hahah It's still so weird to me that I'm going to train a newby. I'll send you photos and all of that next week.

WEEK #33

Things are going great! I was able to sit down and talk about things my comp. and what we can do to help things run smooth and ever since things have been great. When I talked about it with another missionary he told me that its good practice because I'm going to have to do the same with my wife probably which just sounded weird to me but probably true, haha. And yeah, we have been working really hard this last week and have found a few people.. the only hard part is finding people that are really going to progress until baptism. However, we have found one kid that is the friend of one of the youth in the ward, and he has already accepted a baptismal date for Aug. 2. Yeah, he's a stud named Milton who is 15 years old, and he has been going to everything lately including church, mutual, and a fireside last night.. and he is already asking about seminary. Yeah, sometimes I feel like I'm in the same "rut" with the same schedule everyday as a missionary; and what helps me is going to new places that I have never been to, and just doing something really weird. I don't know like one night I slept on the floor just because it was different or I tried to cook something new for breakfast. Wow, its crazy to think that Justin is already in 10th grade....make sure you are watching him close because that seems to be one of the hardest years with everything. I cant believe he is already to that point that I feel like I was in last year. High school was awesome though I'm sure he'll love it. Well, that's about it for this week .. I miss and love everyone of you. Elder Hansen

WEEK #32

Hey! The mish is going well! I still have the same companion for 2 weeks but after that my comp goes home and I'll be here in the same area but with a different comp. Haha, I hope he's enjoying it, but I'm not sure with how much I've been buggin him about finishing strong. And yeah recently the weather here hasn't been all that bad, I think it has been in the 60's all this week.. kind of like a nice winter day in San Diego(: Really, this last week there hasn't been much change which I'm a little sad to be able to say that at any point during the mission, but we have just been keeping ourselves busy trying to find some new people to teach more than anything. We have had a little bit of luck in finding some new investigators but I'm afraid they aren't all prepared for baptism yet, so we will just have to keep working hard! Well mom Ill talk to you next week

WEEK #31

Things are going good! On Wednesday we made it to the temple, it was cool to be able and do the session in Spanish and understand everything, haha. Right now in the mission we are doing a mission activity of reading the Book of Mormon in 24 days.. we started on the first of July and we will end on the 24th of July to remember the pioneers then we are going to have a little party or something like that after. We received permission to watch a soccer game on the 4th of July because Argentina made it to the finals of the cope America which is a huge tournament between all of South America, but they lost to Chile in penalties, haha. I dont know why Argentina can never finish a tournament strong, they are always losing in the finals just like in the world cup. But it was fun to be able and watch it. It was a little sad to not be able and celebrate the 4th of July here, but I guess I will see what their independence day is on July 9th. It's funny that everybody here knew the American Independence day too. A couple people talked to me about it when they realized I was a gringo. Time is passing incredibly fast here.. I already have almost 8 months in the mission. Nutz!

WEEK #30

Things are definitely staying busy. It has been a little bit of a challenging week for me as well.. really just because I feel like I have been doing it all around here but its alright I'm sure becoming a better missionary from it. It's just a bit frustrating, however even with working alone we did have a little bit of success which is great. But also I just received word that we won't have a complete p-day today because we are going to the temple this Wednesday! That will be my first time here in Argentina so I'm pretty excited. This last weekend it rained so much here that most of the roads were just flooded with mud which was crazy, haha, but Argentines act like the rain is the end of the world like all the parents wouldn't even let their kids leave the house which I thought was pretty funny, Haha, and the bishop in the town right next to us cancelled church after sacrament which I don't even think is allowed but whatever. Really it was just busy work without too many climaxes. I guess seeing as I don't really have much to say about the week.. oh, and I'm learning to speak Portuguese a little as well. So, I just made that another life goal to speak 3 languages, cause Portuguese is so similar to Spanish it's crazy and I did divisions with a Brazilian kid who taught me a ton already but yeah, that's about it, haha. Well, like I said, we have a short p-day this week because we are going to the temple so I can't write much more.