Monday, June 13, 2011

June 13, 2011 Companero Mayor

Soooo, here´s what´s happened this last week, it´s been a crazy. First a volcano erupted in Chile and all of the flights in Argentina were canceled. So my companion left for Buenos Aires on 36 hour bus ride at 5 AM Friday Morning. Since then I´ve been with the zone leader whose companion also ended his mission spending half the time in my area and half the time in his. He got safely to Buenos Aires and was supposed to go home today, but there are no flights, so he´ll continue his mission until there are flights (parents are probably bummed). That also means that my new companion can´t come either, and they aren´t sure when they will come so it could be anywhere from this Wednesday to next week. Not only that but I´ve been called to be compaƱero mayor! I feel completely unprepared and have no idea what to do, so I´ll just take it slow and keep doing what I´ve been doing rather than be something I´m not. The Lord called me because I´m at that level, not because I now need to make that jump. So I don´t know anything about him other than his from Chile (another chileno, oh no, ha ha ha). My companion that I´m with right now is named Elder Amasio and he´s from Anaheim, California! He´s been on the mission for 1.5 years and is Tongan. He was born in California but his parents came from Tonga and met in California. He´s got 3 brothers and 4 sisters and is the third child. He likes football, volleyball, and basketball. Other than that nothing much is going on, it´s still not really snowing either like everyone told me it would. I bought some more alfajores today and so now I´m up to over 70. I´ve been thinking about books that I want to read when I get home and of them are the miracle of forgiveness, The doctrine of salvation, and the teachings of the prophets. I´m shotgun firing my thoughts because I don´t know what else to say, so I´ll write more next week. Thanks for the pictures, I finally saw them. Say hi to everyone for me and no I didn´t get my birthday package and yes I got gloves from my dad and would you mind friending "Drew Del Ludwig" for me, thanks!
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis

June 6, 2011 Moon River

That´s cool that you are getting to know the missionaries, I know the missionaries came over before but I kinda wish I would have known them better like I know the members here. That´s also great about starting to read PMG! All I was looking for was to here what things called your attention or caused you to think, basically when did the spirit talk to you. That might cause me to think about that and receive revelation in my area. That´s one thing I learned from Presidente, is when it says to ponder and meditate the scriptures, that really means putting our name in them and literally applying them to us. That´s how we receive the spiritual revelation that the scriptures have for us.

Tell Jordan to not worry about the dances, Moon River gets better every time, HAHAHAHA. Tell him to get to know the bartenders and ask if they remember me, like Alicia. Tell him to ask Alicia to make him her special: 1/4 cup sweet and sour mix, 1/4 cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup sprite. It´s awesome. Tell him also that he can play his Ipod on the main lounge speakers, but he needs to get friends with Amanda or the tech guys and have them teach him how. Also tell him I´m a pro at cushion pad throwing (Amanda will understand, I taught her). Oooh, club house 5, how crazy. It´s like the same feeling I get when i talk with a missionary who´s been in the same area as me. I honestly can´t even imagine driving right now, let alone that old company van.

That´s crazy about not being super anxious to get him on a mission. It probably helps that he´s doing the paper work while he´s still 18 and not 20! Everybody here says I look older than I am too, like a lot older. That means I´m going to look 60 when I´m 30! Que macana... I haven´t got my birthday package yet (just barely got the easter package from my Dad), and I have more pictures and I´ll stop writing now to try and send a few.

Love you,
Elder Arrowchis

Thursday, June 2, 2011

May 30, 2011 (to Jordan)

It honestly doesn´t feel like my mission is already half over. I feel like I only have 3 or 4 months in the mission and that I should still be with my trainer. It´s crazy here, because now it´s starting to snow more often and that makes things colder. I thought I was leaving the snow when I left New York! It is crazy here though because there are a ton of dogs still in the street. Don´t tell mommy but one bit me on the back of the leg around the ankle. I was so mad! So now when dogs start to annoy us we just throw rocks or snowballs at them. We´ve also been playing soccer every P-Day this transfer and I´m starting to get pretty alright too! I´m also learning how to make omelets better. Right now I feel fat so I´m making omeletes with boiled broccoli in it. It´s pretty good too! You should definitely learn how to cook before you go out, as in have mommy teach you how to make noodles and rice on the stove. Just some basics, and then maybe cookies too so you can have that memorized for the mission. Also, study preach my gospel, especially the first two chapters before your mission. That will help motivate you and teach you how to study so you don´t waste time in your mission figuring that out. The snow has finally gone, but did you ever slip on ice at BYU? Last week I slipped about 5 times on the ice, two of which were within 30 seconds just after leaving the house. It´s hard when your shoes have absolutely no grip! Don´t tell mommy that either, she´ll probably just get worried. Love ya and remember to read el Libro De Mormon everyday!


Con Amor,
Super Shmif

May 30, 2011 Apple Pie in Argentina

Thanks for the letter, I completely forgot it was Memorial Day this weekend, but the Argentinians had their independence day this past Wednesday and we went to a fiesta at the church and ate popcorn, empanadas, fry bread, and an apple pie (it was the closest apple pie I´ve ever eaten that came close to like in the States).

Our mission president recently told us a story of a missionary who is baptizing more than any other in our mission and how he asked him what his secret is. One of the things he said is that he has not just a desire, but a hunger to baptize. Thus if we desire it, the Lord will bless us according to our desires, which is why many times we don´t receive blessings. i´ve also noticed that I am a lot more likely to find people to teach and find our investigators in their house if I simply think until I feel "I want to teach right now". It almost even turns aggressive sometimes, ha ha. But it works.

I was also studying today for an investigator that has a doubt as to why we don´t have "educated" ministers who give talks in church and random members are called to talk. So I read in D&C 50 about how when we teach and listen with the spirit, we learn by the spirit and both the teacher and the student are edified. Then I read in Luke 12:11-12 about how the spirit will teach us what we need to say in the moment, as long as we have the words of life in our memory (from our daily studies!). Thus, it doesn´t matter if we are listening to a general authority or a CTR 8 giving a talk, we can still learn just as much if we are paying attention to what the spirit tells us and not just the good feeling it gives us. That´s how the spirit gives us revelation in the sacrament meeting, by bringing to our rememberance scriptures and quotes we studied to answer our questions we are thinking about.

I was thinking that I sometimes share what I´m learning with you guys and you like it, so maybe you could do the same. Would you (especially Jordan) be willing to study every week in Preach My Gospel and tell me what you are learning? I think that would help me out too to receive revelation reading your studies and could especially help Jordan start to read Preach My Gospel.

I also have another Moogle request. Next month starts when I can take the PT test thing again, right? Well if I don´t score good the first time I take it I would like to do a diet thing to help loose weight to run faster, etc. I´ve heard of missionaries who don´t eat anything with sugar other than fruit for a month. Would you mind looking up ideas that I could apply in the mission that would still help me build strength and lose weight? Thank you!

Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis