March 28, 2011 Updates

Ha ha ha, you ate panqueques with Dulce de Leche!!! Ha ha ha, yeah we made that the other day for breakfast. I told you Dulce de Leche is sooooo much better than caramel! With our other new converts Diego and Tamara we made cannelonis from scratch. That was pretty cool too but I didn´t get the recipe so I´ll have to ask him another moment.  He also taught me how to make salsa rosa for spaghetti noodles.

That´s cool that you are getting more involved with the missionaries, that is really how the missionary work moves forward, if the members are ready to fellowship and look after new members. One of the sweet moments of the mission has been after the baptism of Delia we went to the house of her member friend who told us she has been working with the missionaries and inviting her for 15 years to church and family home evenings and what a blessing it was to finally see her baptized.

People always say that the missionaries are angels, but the missionaries see the members as the angels preparing souls to receive the restored gospel. That´s cool about the general authority. I think I told you, two P-Day´s ago we ate lunch with Pres. Gulbrandsen and his wife and Elder Foster and his wife from the second quorum of the seventy. He was really reverent.

We do teach follow up lessons to the new investigators, we actually teach all of the lessons over again and then some new ones about service, temple work, family history, and getting sealed and things like that however we try to do the retention lessons with their hometeachers or the ward missionaries so that they can get more testimonies and build more friendships with the members. All of our new converts are going through trials right now actually. Diego and Tamara have said that business hasn´t been so good in his realitor business. Delia recently left to visit her dad and won´t be back until 12 of April because her dad had 4 surgeries and is 80 years old, so we don´t know if he´ll make it much longer. The Hurtado family is good but without work again, so they are on a very limited budget that doesn´t always leave them with money to take the bus to church on Sunday. Eduardo is doing great and going to seminary with his sister Evelyn so that is awesome and Julio the oldest is getting ready to bless the sacrament next week.

Thanks por todo and if I´m still here in six weeks I´m going to ask you for a pair of gloves, but not the big puffy gloves, maybe some shooter gloves that still work to keep your hands warm, and obviously without the padded knuckles to not look like a ruffian (Matt should understand). I´m a missionary, but I can still look cool! Love you and you´re in my prayers. Chao chao.

Con amor,
Elder Arrowchis

March 21, 2011 Temporary Companion

Elder Martinez is still in Buenos Aires until tomorrow... wow that was hard, my brain is in Castellano mode right now and the words are coming to my mind in spanish first, bizarre. But yeah, Elder Martinez had his despedida last night and today he waits until tomorrow when he arrives at 11 in the morning, and doesn´t get releaved until 8 at night! He has to spend practically the whole day as a missionary in his house, que feo. I hope that I don´t have to wait too much time to get releaved when I get home, you guys will suffer a lot if I do (no TV, always have to accompany me, no music other than church music, namebadge everywhere...). But yes my new companion came today. Actually, kinda cool, Elder Martinez left on Saturday in the afternoon, and so I needed a companion and have spent the last two days going with my convert Eduardo. He accompanied me everywhere, studied in the morning and slept over for two nights. My new companion is Elder Ludwig and I actually heard about him from my trainer and supposedly he´s really funny. He reminds me a bit of a TravBum type so far. I´m still compañero menor and Elder Ludwig only has 3 months left in his mission, so I could end another missionary! But I´m really excited. He is also from Las Vegas and that´s all I know so far. He played baseball in highschool and college and played the trombone in middle school.

That´s so cool about general conference. Weird, I just had a call from the other missionaries and I can´t remember if it was in Spanish or English... Anyway, I had completely forgotten about General Conference until in Priesthood this past sunday they anounced the schedule. I can´t believe that it´s coming up so soon, it will be my second general conference in the mission, and it feels like just yesterday was the last one. I can´t believe six months have already past in my mission! The other day I was filling out my new agenda for the next six weeks after I finish my current agenda, and I wrote the date for when I complete one year in the mission! I can´t believe that in 9 weeks or so I will complete a year! How weird. But yeah, that´s the life of a missionary, I realized that even the returned missionaries don´t usually have a problem letting us stay for a long time and that it is very easy to do. That´s cool that you are getting involved more with the missionaries as well. How often do you give them food? When I get home I want to start cooking all these Argentinian foods I´m learning and I can share with the missionaries to help pay back for all the lunches I´ve received (yeah, I´m getting a little plump...). Now I´m only eatting salads in the night and the only junk food I buy are new alfajores that I haven´t eatten before, but I gotta start getting fit. I have to write to the President now, but thanks for sending the music and writing me. Chao Chao and send greetings (¿mande saludos en inglés?) to Sister Affleck.

Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis

March 14, 2011 Recognizing Blessings

Ha ha, it starts!!! Que zarpado!!! I´d forgotten how zarpado West Point is, especially for admissions. I have to take the CFA again, I feel so fat!!! And I have no idea how I´m going to take the DoDMERB here, ha ha. No, I won´t let it unfocus me because it is a long way off, but thanks for sending it because it definitely rekindled that fire inside of me, that hooah, that I´ve been missing for awhile. Now lets see if I can convert that into being more bold in sharing the gospel! HOOAH, A BAUTIZAR! Oh wow, I translated the part about him being annoyed for my companion and he just laughed. Very cool. Now I´ve really got to start doing my workouts. Okay, thanks for staying on top of that for me. Also, sorry that I don´t have photos today, we got up early (to avoid paying 30 dollars) and went to the national park with the branch president. It´s cool and it´s El Parque Del Fin Del Mundo. We went to one lagoon called Laguna Negra and since there was nobody around the silence was almost overwhelming. It´s the first time I´ve experienced silence like that. It was almost more pressing than a loud drum in your ear. I´ll send photos of the park and of Delia next week. Also, can you thank the Clawson family for sending the letter and la hermana Clawson for sending the poem about missionary work. It´s very inspiring.

So for something spiritual, because I still have time. This last Sunday we had District Conference and Elder Foster of the Second Quorum of the 70 came. First, we ate lunch with him on Saturday, which was cool, then on Sunday he shared a very inspiring story that might have already been in the Liahona before: A wise Chineseman lived on his farm with his only son and one horse. One day his horse ran away and could not be found. His friends came over and told him that surely this was a bad curse. He only responded "I don´t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing." Then a few days later his horse returned to drink water and brought with it 9 more horses. The friends of the wiseman came and said that surely this was a good blessing. The wiseman only replied "I don´t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing." The next day as the son was trying to tame one of the wild horses it broke the leg of the son and he could no longer work on the farm. The friends of the wiseman came and told him that surely it was a bad curse. The wiseman still only responded "I know not if this is a good thing or a bad thing." A week later China entered a war with a neighboring country and drafted every able bodied male. The wiseman was too old to go and the son could not serve on account of his broken leg. Later in the war, every male who went was eventually killed. The moral of the story, we don´t always recognize the blessings that the lord gives us until after the test of our patience and faith.

I love all of you and I hope things are going well with the house and the pets and G-paw and G-ma. Also, could you please look for the name of that song, it´s driving me crazy! Chao and I´ll write next week.

Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis

March 7, 2011 FHE Leads to Baptism

I can´t tell you how many people we find who aren´t married and living together. I learned from Presidente that the law of chastity was given to us so that God can send his children to structured families where they can grow with more care and love. Presidente used the example with our investigator of how the mom felt leaving her child with someone else to see a movie or something and she said she feels an emptiness. He said that our Heavenly Father loves us even more and that´s why he wants us to comply with the law of chastity so he can send His children to a family that will care for them.

We also had another baptism this weekend of a woman named Delia. We met her in the house of a member who invited her over after we scheduled a family home evening with them. We had no idea that she was coming but when we showed up we simply changed our game plan and started teaching. After that she said she´d listen but not be baptized, but finally last week she had an amazingly spiritual experience and decided she wanted to be baptized. It was really a miracle to hear her say that she finally recognized the spirit and her response to her prayer. I haven´t baptized in my mission up until Elder Martinez (and one baptism with Elder Blanch) and I have no idea how he does it, but he´s also baptized a lot of people in his mission.

Another cool experience before I go, while we were teaching Delia a day before her baptism our recent convert Eduard Hurtado was with us and she asked him what changes he saw after his baptism. Then he shared an incredibly powerful testimony how things weren´t easier but that he changed and was more patient and obedient to his mom, about how he had to repeat a grade in school because he wouldn´t leave the computer but now if his mom asks him to get off and clean the plates it´s easier for him to do so. Love you and hope you are enjoying the weather.

Con Amor,
Elder Arrowchis

February 28, 2011 Wedding & Baptism

So Diego and Tamara go baptized this week! Diego and Tamara were the first investigators we met here, the missionaries before told us we had an appointment the day we were to arrive and a member showed us where they lived. They got married and then baptized and are soo cool. Diego did ninja school for 5 years or so and Tamara´s dad lives in South Africa. Diego is very analytical and very logical. Tamara is very quiet and reserved but also analytical. Diego is also really funny, I wish you could speak Spanish because he is so funny and cool how he talks and what he says. It´s kind of weird having a companion who is finishing his mission because I see the end of it while I haven´t even hit the half way point yet.

I honestly don´t know what else to write right now, sorry. I`m going to start writing in my planner during the week things that happen so I can have more to write about. Are you up to date on things I need to do for West Point? Do I need to do anything yet? I also want to buy you souvenirs that are very fitting for the color code/personality thing. There it is, revelation.  Also, if using my debit card uses up the money required for my mission I´m going to need to ask if you could transfer $150 (U.S.) to my account to buy you your souvenirs.

Okay so your homework for this week is to look up Boca Junior and River Plate (they are soccer teams here in Argentina).Thanks and thanks for sending questions, it helps me know what to write. Do you have any questions about pictures I´ve sent? Love you and have a good time there and remember to pray everyday and to read everyday. When we are obeying the commandments and repenting we open the door to receive the misteries of heaven and learn things that haven´t been reveleaved before. Let Jordan know I miss him and he needs to go to church and read the Book of Mormon everyday! Chao Chao.

Con Amor,

Elder Arrowchis

February 21, 2011 No Time

Alright, so today we went to the glacier with Presidente and his wife and so now I don´t have a lot of time to write, but next time I will tell you about a family home evening we had and an investigator that we encountered.  Also, could you do me a favor and look for Amanda Adams and Kaila Garcia on my facebook and invite them to read my blog.  We did an activity with a family about sharing the gospel and this time I participated and I felt to invite them two to read my blog.  Well, gotta go, sorry.

February 14, 2011 Being a Missionary

My mind is going blank right now also and I have no idea what to write. This past week has been a rough week in that we haven´t found many people to teach. We´re kind of hitting a wall right now and I don´t know how we are going to vencerlo (I´m forgetting how to speak in english). That´s another weird thing, I´m forgetting how to talk completely in English but at the same time I can´t speak fluently in Spanish, it´s very frustrating. I don´t know if I´m tired of Spanish or more tired of English sometimes, ha ha. I can´t believe that Mike Ecklund, Marc Lennox, Rowe Lennon, and Tyler Clendenon have celebrated their 100th night already. I haven´t even hit 1 year yet!

It´s interesting being a missionary. There are times when I feel really lazy and would love to just relax the rules just a bit, sleep a bit longer, relax in the house a few more minutes, or spend some more time in a members house than we should, but then there are times when I have so much spiritual revelation and realize how much improvement I need to make in this life. For example right now I´m just feeling exhausted but maybe tonight I will have a spiritual experience that will boost me back up to wanting to work hard. That´s why the mission is so much harder than West Point, because the results of disobedience manifest itself even more quickly than at West Point and that obedience is mostly dependent on me. There´s not someone telling me everyday what to do. There are also a whole lot more rollercoasters on the mission in one single day than at West Point. Trying to balance my budget and spend only my limited amount every week is difficult as well, because it´s really easy to just say "whatever" and dive into my personal money to pay for more food or an extra alfajore or something like that. It can also be rough living with someone 24 hours a day. That´s another thing that´s crossed my mind on the mission, marriage. I have no idea how two people can get married and stay happy together. That is a modern day miracle that comes directly from the Lord. But I know this work is true and even if I don´t have a lot of success the Lord wants me out here to learn something about life.

One question for my companion, what is the difference between "no" and "not" and when do you use one and not the other? Also can you tell the McPasseys thanks for the card but I have no idea how I´m going to use the money they sent (I´m surprised it made it at all) and also to Amanda for the letter. When we get mail whenever it comes through Fueguino Express, about once every transfer. Like I said, North American treats are acceptable now, because it´s fun to share them with my latino compañeros. Thanks for the letters and for keeping the cat fat, I don´t know what I´d do if I came home and couldn´t get a workout picking up my cat. I still can´t believe that he hasn´t died of obesity yet. Say high to everyone and eat some sushi for me!

Con Amor,
Elder David Arrowchis