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Well, I have not gotten my birthday package and I have not gotten my new companion yet. I still don{t know when he{s coming and it{s been a week. I{m still switching off being in my area and then going over to my zone leader{s area, but this week I think we are going to spend a lot more time in his area because he has a baptism this weekend. It{s been crazy down here because I don{t have my phone and my companion already ran out of credit so we can{t make any more calls until about the 23 of the month when we should get more credit. I am tired and I have no idea what to write. This past week was also a bust, it seemed like the little time I had in my area I wasn{t doing anything good because we just couldn{t find our investigators in their house or with time to talk to us. Other than that I had a couple of spiritual experiences. One was that the Presidente counciled us to say a quick prayer before knocking on a house asking the Lord to bless us with His spirit and to find new investigators. We did it in Elder Amasio{s area and even though the member said he was leaving he gave us a reference and we went over and there was a family that let us in. We taught a lady and another guy and that guy ended up going to church the next day. He{s also married (which is rare) and has interest so that was a blessing too. In another appointment we had we started teaching and I felt impressed to share what I had learned in my daily study that day about how if we aren{t going to church, reading and praying everyday, having family home evening, doing all the small stuff we aren{t inviting the spirit into our life and he doesn{t have power to bless us with desires to stay worthy because satan will have power over our hearts and that{s when we start feeling more jealous, offended, angry, or whatever negative feeling or thought. It seemed to help the investigator with his doubt and we felt the spirit a lot. Love you and hope everything is going good there. I{ll let you know next week if I am still without a companion, ha ha.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
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 compañero 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
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
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
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
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
Monday, May 16, 2011
May 16, 2011 Random Thoughts
Right now I am listening to some song in English because I´m in the ciber. My companion is writing to his family and it looks like I´ll finish before him. We played soccer and volleyball today with the Hermanas and other Elderes. I´m kinda hungry. I´m gonna buy a Riccota cheese cake from a family to celebrate my 1 year mark in the mission. I drank a really good 150cc glass bottle of 7-up. I bought a coconut today and it took forever to open it and the milk was really bitter water and I don´t even like coconut so I threw it away but it was cool to do. Now a spanish person is talking on the radio. Uh, what else is going on here... Anyway that´s cool that Jordan is finding something useful to do. I think if he´s getting paid $85 a day he´s doing pretty good as long as he doesn´t start spending it. That´s a bummer that he can´t go to institute though, just mission prep and the Tuesday night one.
I´ve been getting really tired lately and I don´t know why. This week we had a ton of success too. One thing I tried to do is write all of our references and new investigators for the week on sticky notes and then pin them right in front of where I plan every night to try and help me. It worked because I find I can focus a bit more during planning and we´ve had more success with several of our investigators. A family we found went and so far the mom said she wants to go back to church next week and her oldest kid of 12 years old said he wants to get baptized. Another investigator also went with her oldest daughter so that was also cool. We have really improved in our desires to baptize and that has been the key in doing better and being blessed with more miracles.
I read in Alma 41 today and it said the word desire 5 times within two verses. It was teaching that we will gain salvation or condemnation based on our desires to that end. If we desire eternal life, do missionary work, achieve a goal, the Lord will bless us to get there. That´s why we will be judged in the end based on our works and desires. Interesting. I also read in 3 Nephi 27:26 that we will be judged for the scriptures that have been givin to us and our knowledge of them and how we´ve applied them, which our mission president said applies to preach my gospel since it was written to convert missionaries and not investigators. So not to be preachy or anything, but you might want to start reading that, ha ha. Hope your day is still going good.
Love you and let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Tell Jordan time to prepare for his mission is TODAY. Chao Chao.
Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis
I´ve been getting really tired lately and I don´t know why. This week we had a ton of success too. One thing I tried to do is write all of our references and new investigators for the week on sticky notes and then pin them right in front of where I plan every night to try and help me. It worked because I find I can focus a bit more during planning and we´ve had more success with several of our investigators. A family we found went and so far the mom said she wants to go back to church next week and her oldest kid of 12 years old said he wants to get baptized. Another investigator also went with her oldest daughter so that was also cool. We have really improved in our desires to baptize and that has been the key in doing better and being blessed with more miracles.
I read in Alma 41 today and it said the word desire 5 times within two verses. It was teaching that we will gain salvation or condemnation based on our desires to that end. If we desire eternal life, do missionary work, achieve a goal, the Lord will bless us to get there. That´s why we will be judged in the end based on our works and desires. Interesting. I also read in 3 Nephi 27:26 that we will be judged for the scriptures that have been givin to us and our knowledge of them and how we´ve applied them, which our mission president said applies to preach my gospel since it was written to convert missionaries and not investigators. So not to be preachy or anything, but you might want to start reading that, ha ha. Hope your day is still going good.
Love you and let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Tell Jordan time to prepare for his mission is TODAY. Chao Chao.
Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis
Monday, May 2, 2011
No Transfer - Mother's Day Plan
Aahh, I don´t know if I want to use skype still... I´m still thinking. Anyway, I will be here still, HA, I did not get transfered which means I will be ending Elder Ludwig´s mission and have to stay another transfer after with the new missionary (Most probably). So I´m here for the next 3 months, at least! I´m actually really excited about that because I absolutely love it here in Ushuaia. It´s getting colder but I love being in a mountainous area, the members are amazing and I love them all, now I´m going to be here for when the branch president gets back and another family, and I´ll still be able to carry the work that I started, and most importantly I didn´t have to pack last night and go on a plane today, whew. But, that gets me thinking where I can get that PT test done, because there is a member who is a gym teacher (or was recently) but I have no idea where I could run the mile. Plus, the members are so ready to help us. They are waiting for us to call them to go out on visits, and they are getting pretty organized about going and doing visits and visiting less actives, and there are like 5 returned missionaries and the other are awesome as well. It´s just awesome in Ushuaia, if you want to come to Argentina for vacations we definitely need to come here! Plus, this transfer I think I´m going to get my address changed from Buenos Aires to where I´m living here so that everything is cheaper, ha ha. Maybe the President would let us go to Puerto Williams again if it´s only 100 dollars a ticket instead of 250 a ticket.
So, about the skype. Here´s the back up plan for a landline:
-The phone number is 011-054-02901-423635
-Dad calls at 7:40 pm (3:40 pm CA time)
-Mom calls at 8:10 pm (4:10 pm CA time)
So thinking about it, we can try to use skype. Here´s the plan for skype:
-I´ll sign on at 6ish my time
-Dad calls at 6:00 pm (2:00 pm CA time)
-Mom calls at 6:30 pm (2:30 pm CA time)
My companion is going to do skype, so lets do skype too. If that doesn´t work for me we´ll go to a members house for the back up plan and times. Please check the time difference between Ushuaia and California, because I based it off of a 4 hour difference and i don´t know if that´s correct. Love you and I´m done writing since we´ll be talking next week (Sunday)! Please send a confirmation email telling me if you can and/or you understand so that I can ask if I can check on Thursday or something if everything´s alright!
Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis
So, about the skype. Here´s the back up plan for a landline:
-The phone number is 011-054-02901-423635
-Dad calls at 7:40 pm (3:40 pm CA time)
-Mom calls at 8:10 pm (4:10 pm CA time)
So thinking about it, we can try to use skype. Here´s the plan for skype:
-I´ll sign on at 6ish my time
-Dad calls at 6:00 pm (2:00 pm CA time)
-Mom calls at 6:30 pm (2:30 pm CA time)
My companion is going to do skype, so lets do skype too. If that doesn´t work for me we´ll go to a members house for the back up plan and times. Please check the time difference between Ushuaia and California, because I based it off of a 4 hour difference and i don´t know if that´s correct. Love you and I´m done writing since we´ll be talking next week (Sunday)! Please send a confirmation email telling me if you can and/or you understand so that I can ask if I can check on Thursday or something if everything´s alright!
Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis
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