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Things here are going fine, today we went and saw the casa rosada, which is argentina´s white house, and then went down a street which is like 10 blocks long of just shopping stores. It was cool. By the way, it sounds like the missionaries there are rockin, especially if they are getting the wards help to achieve 21 lessons a week with member. We struggle here but we are managing. This last week we actually broke a record for our area and managed 14! And that was after a Sunday where all of our set appointments fodged us.
By the way, I have eaten a ton of pan dulce, or fruit cake. Apparently it´s different here than in the states as in it´s popular and supposedly it´s softer and fluffier. One of our members cooked us a whole chicken too! She´s awesome and is going to teach me how to do it because the thing was that it was de bone-ified and filled with ham and cheese and vegie goodness. She knows how to take all the bones out of the chicken so when you cook it it still has it´s main form, just no bones. Yeah, she was a professional cook for 50 years.
Other than that there´s nothing much new, just my companion is realizing that his 12 week training program is just about at and end as we start week 11 this week and it said that the "new missionary takes the initiative in all teaching and planning opportunities." He´s getting a bit nervous about if he gets transfered to a new area or changes companions. Oh the joys of growing up and getting shoved out of the nest. There are so many "padded" learning opportunities in the mission. I think the worst would be if they actually thought of calling me to be zone leader, because that would be a challenge. But I really don´t think the ywould, if anything they´d make me regular senior companion which is just fine because I´ve stopped desiring to become some great missionary leader because I realized no one really cares or asks after the mission if you were zone leader or assitant to the president and I´m still struggling with the position I´ve been given. Love you and write more next week.
Con amor,
Elder Arrowchis
Monday, December 26, 2011
December 19, 2011 Christmas Plans
okay, so we´re planning on being on at 6:00 my time, and for you at 6:30 because I´m going to talk to my dad first. So I guess that would come out to 1:00 your time. I also don´t really feel like talking right now either because I took the test today and I scored below the averages in all the events and didn´t even finish the mile because I started dry heaving after the second lap, so I´m not too excited right now.
But this week we did have success in that last Saturday we baptized Carla and her daughter Erika, and this Saturday we baprtized her other daughter Paola. They were all confirmed on Sunday which was a very special experience. We also had quite a few investigators in church, which is a miracle. But other than that just the normal mission life. This week we have a special christmas devotional and I heard rumors that Elder Foster of the 70 is going to be speaking, so we´ll see. I did get your christmas package but I´ve been so busy that I haven´t ewven opened it yet. You can´t honestly expect me to wait until christmas, but being so busy I might not actually get around to opening it until then! That is so great that Jordan received his endowment! Now he needs to go a couple of extra times to really understand it. Also tell him to be ready, because this Saturday I have a couple of things i want to share with him to help him get ready for his mission. I guess I´ll just have my companion do it again in 2 weeks then. That´s all for now and so just expect me to be on at 6:30 my time to talk with you. Love ya, chau chau!
December 12, 2011 No Time for PT Test
ALright, so I´m kinda bummed out right now because the zone leaders haven´t been able to administer my PT test [for West Point readmission] these past couple of weeks, they´re busy doing zone leader stuff like paying the rent for other missionaries and stuff and they live an hour away so could you please ask the Major if my companion could administer the test or another missionary who lives closer? Thank you, this is getting really stressful and frustrating, which Preach My Gospel says is not the patience so I´m having my opportunity to develope patience from the Lord as well, so please ask and get back to me next week if at all possible. On top of that I really don´t feel like writing so here´s some pictures I promised... unless there´s a problem with the computer. Love you and I was thinking to do the call on the 24, because it´s a saturday, and so could you please check the time difference and then tell me in what schedule you´ll be available and next week I´ll tell you what time to expect me on. thanks for everything you do!
Con amor,
Elder Arrowchis
Con amor,
Elder Arrowchis
December 5, 2011 Baptisms
Wow, they are on fire over there baptizing (in Aliso Viejo)! Congradulations on the baptisms and the vacations. Man, so you still need to keep a look out for Elder Gibbons or ask around. I honestly don't know what to write now. We have two baptisms planned for this Sunday too, a single mom and her daughter. It's really cool because it will be the first for my companion. Other than that, yeah it can get really hard being a trainer, but I have learned a lot and am trying to humble myself even more. So that's cool that there are spanish speaking missionaries, that means maybe I'll still be able to do something with these castellano skills when I get back. I'll send pictures next week after the baptism and some extra pictures. So I'm also going to take my physical fitness test next week too, and I was wondering what's up with the medical test, because I don't have a sheet or form to do it...? What do I have to do for that? Love you and say hi to everybody.
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
November 28, 2011 NOT Trunky
Wow, so I can´t say that seeing those pictures [church missionary board at home] makes me trunky, which is when you are sad or distracted by thinking about home, but then what´s it called when seeing those pictures makes me sad because I DON´T want to go home? All I´m saying is that I can feel it coming now, when I walk out of that office and stroll next to that board I going to be balling. I´m having so much fun working hard down here. It is so hot and stuffy and humid now, and summer´s not even here, and it´s so hard trying to be diligent in doing everything president asks me to everyday day after day, and it can be hard when my companion is having a hard time and I have to deal with everything and help him, but this past week I have really tried sacrificing my desires completely to the Lord and it has been such a special feeling that I have had.
I have finally grown to have a love for my branch just as strong as in my last area Monte Olivia. This last Sunday was a day of miracles. We had to get up at 5:00 to get ready for and leave for a meeting with all the missionaries and bishops in our stake at 7:00, and then a lot of plans that we had for bringing investigators to church fell through, but we passed by the house of one of our new investigators and he came to the church with us. Then another investigator came, but she´s not progressing so it wasn´t as exciting, and then during the last hour when we were in sacrament meeting a family of our investigators came in, a mom we are teaching and her two daughters. Then before sacrament meeting the branch presidnet asked me to give a talk so I spent 10 minutes trying to prepare a 15 minute talk in gospel princples, and thanks to the mercy of the Lord it came out awesome and spiritual. That´s when you know the Lord is guiding you, because I can´t do something like that on my own. Then after sacrament meeting we talked to someone in the room who we didn´t recognize and it turns out it´s a couple that just got here from Bolivia and that husband is a melchezidek priesthood holder and his wife is a non member. Can I get a BAP-TIS-MMM! Then we had to do a 4th sunday missionary family home evening in the church and even though we didn´t prepare for it at all we managed to pull something together and it came out great and everybody felt the missonary spirit even more. Another pure miracle and manifestation of the Lord´s love and mercy for us. I know these miracles come from my desires to become a missionary of faith like a principle of power and the change in my prayers that I have made to more fully submit my pride and will to the Lord´s.
It´s interesting to see how the mission life is affecting my companion and I can only think of Jordan. Tell him the mission will be completely different than anything he´s ever done and he needs ot understand now that he needs to go in humble prayer to the Lord and trust with all his heart in His mercy and love, otherwise it could be a little rough, ha ha. Love you and write more next week.
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
I have finally grown to have a love for my branch just as strong as in my last area Monte Olivia. This last Sunday was a day of miracles. We had to get up at 5:00 to get ready for and leave for a meeting with all the missionaries and bishops in our stake at 7:00, and then a lot of plans that we had for bringing investigators to church fell through, but we passed by the house of one of our new investigators and he came to the church with us. Then another investigator came, but she´s not progressing so it wasn´t as exciting, and then during the last hour when we were in sacrament meeting a family of our investigators came in, a mom we are teaching and her two daughters. Then before sacrament meeting the branch presidnet asked me to give a talk so I spent 10 minutes trying to prepare a 15 minute talk in gospel princples, and thanks to the mercy of the Lord it came out awesome and spiritual. That´s when you know the Lord is guiding you, because I can´t do something like that on my own. Then after sacrament meeting we talked to someone in the room who we didn´t recognize and it turns out it´s a couple that just got here from Bolivia and that husband is a melchezidek priesthood holder and his wife is a non member. Can I get a BAP-TIS-MMM! Then we had to do a 4th sunday missionary family home evening in the church and even though we didn´t prepare for it at all we managed to pull something together and it came out great and everybody felt the missonary spirit even more. Another pure miracle and manifestation of the Lord´s love and mercy for us. I know these miracles come from my desires to become a missionary of faith like a principle of power and the change in my prayers that I have made to more fully submit my pride and will to the Lord´s.
It´s interesting to see how the mission life is affecting my companion and I can only think of Jordan. Tell him the mission will be completely different than anything he´s ever done and he needs ot understand now that he needs to go in humble prayer to the Lord and trust with all his heart in His mercy and love, otherwise it could be a little rough, ha ha. Love you and write more next week.
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
November 21, 2011 Progress
This is the last week of the transfer and I can´t believe how fast it´s gone. I´ve realized that when speaking English, I speakwith a slight red neck accent, like saying fer instead of for and such... anyway, training is going good, we´re working on helping my companion get more involved and even though he gets frustrated sometimes, we take it slow and then build him back up. I just realized that after this week I only have 4 transfers left... that is way too short. I don´t wanna go home!
But other than that we had some good success with our investigator who is progressing. We weren´t able to get her to church but on friday we had a lesson with her and she prayed and said that she wants to be and feel ready for her baptismal date, so that´s exciting. We also passed by another family who we already dropped and started talking with the son, who is 24 years old and he actually came to church this weekend, which was also really cool. We also got him talking to the YSA leader about activities and supposedly he was going to go to a fireside Sunday night.
We just moved this week too, actually today, and so we went to check out our new part of our area and my companion bought his first Argentina Jersey and I´m actually kinda jealous because it looks cool, but I´ve already got two and his is the latest and most expensive, so I´ll pass! I am looking to buy some sweet addidas pants though, cool b-boying status.
I also feel like my relationship with God is improving and becoming more personal as I¨ve been humbling myself a lot these past couple of weeks as I´ve come to realize that over 3/4 of my mission is over and I haven´t been having very many baptisms compared to a lot of the other missionaries. I´ve been trying really hard and having success but it seems like I just can´t baptize like many other missionaries, especially in this mission which baptizes a lot. Other than that I also have gotten darker as the dread of summer comes on with the 40*C weather and 100% humidity kick in. But luckily i can still eat icecream and not get fat so that´s cool. Well I´m glad that you have helped me out so much with my West Point application and stuff. I feel more confident about being able to complete this CFA test thing. I actually have been going out to run and I think I did the mile in 6:17??? I´ve never done it that fast. I´m also getting better at pushups and sit ups, so hopefully the other events won´t kill me either...
Love you and write more next week.
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
But other than that we had some good success with our investigator who is progressing. We weren´t able to get her to church but on friday we had a lesson with her and she prayed and said that she wants to be and feel ready for her baptismal date, so that´s exciting. We also passed by another family who we already dropped and started talking with the son, who is 24 years old and he actually came to church this weekend, which was also really cool. We also got him talking to the YSA leader about activities and supposedly he was going to go to a fireside Sunday night.
We just moved this week too, actually today, and so we went to check out our new part of our area and my companion bought his first Argentina Jersey and I´m actually kinda jealous because it looks cool, but I´ve already got two and his is the latest and most expensive, so I´ll pass! I am looking to buy some sweet addidas pants though, cool b-boying status.
I also feel like my relationship with God is improving and becoming more personal as I¨ve been humbling myself a lot these past couple of weeks as I´ve come to realize that over 3/4 of my mission is over and I haven´t been having very many baptisms compared to a lot of the other missionaries. I´ve been trying really hard and having success but it seems like I just can´t baptize like many other missionaries, especially in this mission which baptizes a lot. Other than that I also have gotten darker as the dread of summer comes on with the 40*C weather and 100% humidity kick in. But luckily i can still eat icecream and not get fat so that´s cool. Well I´m glad that you have helped me out so much with my West Point application and stuff. I feel more confident about being able to complete this CFA test thing. I actually have been going out to run and I think I did the mile in 6:17??? I´ve never done it that fast. I´m also getting better at pushups and sit ups, so hopefully the other events won´t kill me either...
Love you and write more next week.
Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis
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