Week 33: Living the super market dream

Hey hey!! Hola from down here!!

It's been another incredible week here in Argentina, full of learning and fun experiences! I hope all is well where you are all!! 

This week in the life of Elder Slack: Last Pday we went out on an adventure, there's this huge market here that's called Super Mercado Central, it is less like a market and more like a small city. We went there and didn't even explore 10% of it I don't think. It was just about 20 minutes away in bus, so that wasn't to bad, we went in and we realized that we were a little bit over our heads, I was thinking it would be about the size of a Costco or something like that, but really I actually have no clue what the actual size is. It's pretty crazy. There are so many people and cars and everything. We just went to the first big building we could find that looked like it sells stuff it's called Diarco, it's essentially the Costco Argentino, it was pretty cool, we bought a huge bag of cereal and then we found this place that sells eggs pretty cheap so we bought about 60 and yeah, that's what it's all about right! It was pretty legit if I do say so myself, we're going to try and find this museum they've got there next transfer if I'm still here. 

Miracle of the week: This week was amazing, the president and everyone have really been on us to contact the references that we receive within 24 hours. Well, this week, we were walking down the street when we received a text message on our cell phone. It was a referencia. Before the end of the day we passed by, we didn't find the person we were looking for, but they told us we could return on the weekend. So Saturday comes, we pass by and BAM! She's home, we invite all of her family to participate in the lesson BAM! 4 New investigators! Whooo!! We were so happy to be able to follow the Lord's plan and rules and really find the people who need the Gospel in their lives! It was such a huge miracle for me to see how the Lord blesses us for being obedient.

Fun fact from the life of Elder Slack: I had a mini victory over the cold the other day. The pensioneros, who manage our living conditions and everything, brought us a new heater the other day, it looked all shiny and new, but they left, we hooked it up and all it did was... well almost nothing. haha! But we were able to open it up and fix the problem, now we're living it up with our happy electric heater!!

This week we've got the wards capilla abierta!! we're super excited to be able to help out and work with the members, and the whole entire MTC of missionaries from down the road will be coming to invite all of the people to know more about the church and the gospel!! I'll let you know more next week!

Thanks for everything! I'm super happy to serve the Lord everyday! Chau from Argentina!

-Elder Slack

P.S. no photos this week, the computer doesn't work with USB. Love you all! Chausito!

Week 31: The week of everything!

Hello! Still here in Argentina!

I've been having a great time in my new area with my new companion Elder Cordeiro, he's a stud! We've been working really hard and we're really dedicated to the work, so we're hoping to see success by the end of this transfer. 

This week has been full of so many different things. Really though. so full. It's been so exciting to serve here in villegas. The members here are amazing, so loving and caring for the missionaries, It's such a blessing to have a ward where everyone wants to preach the gospel!

Well, what did we do this week, well, first off. THE MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: Yesterday, well, for the whole week me and my companion we were really really focused on our goal to find new investigators, we put the goal to find 15 new investigators during the whole week, it was a really good week, all was going well, but when yesterday came, we had only found 5 new investigators for the week. So, what do we do?? We decided, we have to find 10 investigators, we just have to! It was incredible, we were able to work the whole day, we had like 10 extra minutes before lunch, so we're like "Let's go!" And we bopped around really quick and we stumbled upon this family that were all sitting outside their house cooking up their asado for the sunday, and BAM! We slid right in their and taught them, BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM 6 new investigators in 1 lesson!! That's what I'm talking about! Then later that day, we're bopping around some more looking for some gold references we received from one of our other investigators and we pass by this group of guys playing futbol on the street. BAM! We slide right on over and talk them up a bit, BAM BAM! 2 more new investigators!! We're on a good run! We now have surpassed the amount we had the week before. And then, we pass on by the house of a member to use the bathroom real quick, they give us some diamond references of their neighbors who heard the missionaries before. Then as we are leaving, the hermana comments that this kid who is posted up on a car about 20 feet away needs a little help as well. Well, one can't simply resist that no? We slide right on over, we teach him standing in the sidewalk, BAM! We only need 1 more investigator!!! We're soooooo close, and we still have 2 and a half hours!! We go on a hunt, looking high and low! There has to be someone else who is in need of missionaries at this hour! We searched without success for 2 hours, we've got 30 minutes left! We're looking and looking! And then.... Who comes to mind?? None other than willey! Who's willey you might ask? Well, we had talked with him the other day, he's an old investigator, his wife is member but less-active. Well, we pass by his house... and.... BAM, actually he's super drunk, we enter in his house and teach something, but we didn't count it as a new investigator because, I don't think this morning he remembers any of the things that we taught him. Haha! But yeah. That's the miracle of the week! As we search in faith we can find!

As well, just a quick fun fact, here in my area of Villegas A, there are a ton of paraguayos, or people from paraguay, they are super great, and make some delicious food. I tried this soy coffee this week, from a member.  It's not coffee, it's just called that, it doesn't have caffeine or anything, super duper delicious. 

Anyways. I hope you are all great! I love you guys!!

-Elder Slack

Week 30: Miracle!

Hey! Wowie oh WOW! What a grand week! Villegas has been treating me pretty well! I love the area here! It's actually not to far from my old are, just a few miles, but it's in a completely different zone/stake. So I've been meeting a lot of different people and it's been so great to meet a bunch of new members and get to know my companion a little bit better. This week has been great! Full of miracles and just so incredible! I'm super excited to be able to work here in Villegas/Aldo Bonzi, my companion Elder Cordeiro is a stud and we'll be looking all over the place to find those people who are ready to accept the gospel!

First things first, I figured I'm going to try to be a little bit more consistent with my letters here, so I'll give you guys first, THE MIRACLE OF THE WEEK: Wow, this one is really hard, because this week has been so full of miracles I don't know which one I should choose. But, here it goes.. We were on our way to the house of an investigator the other day, moving right along and we're walking down the street. We're cruzing along nice and smooth, we approach this young man sitting on the side of the sidewalk on some stairs, everythings normal, no big deal. He says hola, we say hola, pass him bye and we take about 3 steps... BOOM Elder Cordeiro and I, we stop in our tracks, we look at the other and we just know, we've got to turn back. We flip around and we start talking with this young man. His name is Gabriel, he's 18, and for a long period of his life he's had troubles with drugs and a lot of things. We talk to him and everything and he really has a huge desire to change, he wants the help of God in his life. Now we've taught him twice and he's really so great, we'll be working with him so he can progress and we are so excited for him and we are looking forward and helping him prepare for baptism. 

It was such a MIRACLE! We were able to stop in just the right moment, the Spirit just hit us, and we knew, we talked and now we know that we can help him receive the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! So great!

Outside of that, this week has been amazing, we started out the week with only 2 or 3 investigators and now we're working well with about 7 or 8. We're hoping to be able to find a lot more during this coming week, this ward has such a huge potential to grow and spread I'm so excited to be able to work with Elder Corderio and really help all of these people receive the blessings of God in their lives!

Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, we kind of had a baptism this week! It was amazing! She used to be an eternal investigator, like she's been going to the church for a few years now and really has a strong testimony and everything, but the only thing that was preventing her from being baptized was that she isn't married and is living with this other member of the church. My companion and his other companion sat down and talked with them and worked really well so that now, this past Friday. They got married! And then Saturday Sonia got baptized! It was so great!! I'm so happy for them they are such a great family. Now Elder Cordeiro and I, we are even more excited to be able to go and find more people, more families so that they can be baptized and in a year they can go to the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity! It's so great to see people progress and receive the blessings that God just has waiting for them.

But anyways! It's been a great week! We also did 2 service projects this week, it's been incredible until now, and I'm sure the rest of the transfer is going to be really great and I'm super excited to be able to work with Elder Cordeiro, he's awesome! 

I love you all! Until next week!

-Elder Slack