First Birthday and Christmas in the mission field

¡Hola Todos!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and holidays! Thank you to those that wrote to me wishing me a happy birthday or merry christmas. My week was really great, talking to the family and being able to spend christmas sharing the message of Christ to others.

Anyways, yesterday I got the news that my companion is leaving and I will be receiving a new companion here in Arco Iris tomorrow! I have realized that they change everything a lot in this mission haha. Im always a little bit nervous when there are changes, new companion and me leading the area, but Im looking forward to the new experience. 

Spiritual Experience of the Week. We had yet another crazy miracle happen this week. I believe last week I shared the story of Marciano that came to church on his own out of nowhere. By the way, he is doing very well and came back to church, yesterday. But also, this week, we had the exact same thing happen! A 17 year kid came in after church had already ended. He met the bishop, who called us to come over quick to meet him. We were pressed on time, but were able to get to know him briefly and talk to him about the Book of Mormon. We dont know much about him still, other than he lives alone and wants to change his life for the better, being closer to God. We are being hugely blessed here right now and are excited to visit him again.

Scripture of the Week: Jacob 2:18-19. This talks about how we need to look for God first in our lives and then we will have what we need in life, if what we need or want will help us to serve others. I love this scripture, because in life we worry a lot about work and things we want and need, but if we put God first in our lives those thing will come if we have the right intentions.

Funny of the Week: So last week on Tuesday was my birthday, and my companion likes to eat so he didnt fail telling everyone we were with that it was my birthday. So almost every appointment we went to, we ate. I think I had four cakes that day. Uuh I was soo full that day haha. 

Love you all, have a great week!

-- 

Elder Trent

My birthday

Another cake

My birthday that night. 

A chilean, A german, and a Brazilian attended my party haha

...Another Cake

Christmas Eve dinner with a great family

Watching the Christmas eve fireworks on the roof.

we slepted on mattresses.

We had a great view

on the roof

At the temple

Where's Waldo...I mean Elder Trent

   The Buenos Aires West Mission at the Buenos Aires Temple December 23 2015

Best Christmas Present Ever!

We got to Skype with Elder Trent!! You cant see Elder Trent very well in the picture but he is there.

Feliz Navidad!

¡Hola Todos!

Feliz Navidad to you all! I hope your christmas and new year will be as great as it will be here also. As a mission, we get to go to the temple on the 23rd so we are all excited for that. The temple is not in our mission so we dont ever get to go, but we get a special christmas gift this year! In this season of Christs birth, I hope you can all remember the importance of Christmas. I know every once says that, but really this year put an effort to help someone else or share the knowledge of the great gift of Christ to others. This year more than ever, I am grateful for this time of year to recognize the birth of the Savior and also share it with others. Christmas here isnt much. Usually its just a week of partying and barbacueing(asado), but we have been able to share the real meaning of Christmas to the souls ready to here it. The Lord is definitely blessing us and the work here this time of year. We are seeing miracles after miracles. We were able to have many investigators in church this past sunday with some of our investigators progressing well to be baptized soon in January. Unfortunately, Cintia, her son Kevin, and Graciela wont be baptized this saturday, but pushed back to January. We were down a little, but it just means that we will have a great start to the new year! 

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This past sunday, we had a christmas miracle when a random man came into church. His name is Marcial and he is Bolivian. He came here for medical reasons, but also has family that lives here. He is very religious and wanted to attend any church, so he saw ours and came in. Also, because is aunt in a member as well. We were able to stay with him during the meetings and he really enjoyed it. He didnt know his address so we could come by to talk to him again so we invited him to come back to the chapel later that day. He came back and we were able to teach him the first lesson. It was very spiritual and he accepted a date to be baptized him January!

Scripture of the Week: I wanted to share a scripture of Christmas and Christ this week but I decided to share this one instead. This is a very known scripture, but I was able to think a lot more deeply and study this scripture more, which really helped me. Ether 12.27. As humans, we are not perfect, but our weaknesses are not sins, we shouldnt get down on ourselves becuase of our weaknesses, but should have faith and trust in the Lord that he will help us turn them into strengths. I have experienced this first hand already on my mission. I have been able to do things and develop atributes that I have never before been good at. But through the Lord, I am developing more talents and atributes to better help others. If you look to better yourself to help others, you will succeed witht the Lord help. I know this to be true.

Funny of the Week: We are always having fun here and laughing as well. Its always good to stay happy and laugh often. I have learned this on my mission. However, its hard to come up with things to write haha. Anyways, we decided to make a little christmas tree and nativity in our apartment. After a little arts and craft. We made a pretty sad looking christmas tree and nativity out of paper and pictures from ensigns and liahonas. We had to take a picture of our masterpiece of course after, so I set a timer and we hurriedly got into place. But I accidently knocked everything over trying to get there fast. We hurriedly tried to put everything back into place put the picture took too soon. Haha the picture turned out pretty funny though. Doesnt sound as funny is writing and without the picture. Its one of those you had to be there stories, but oh well haha.

Fact of the Week: Here, people put there trash right in the middle of the dirt streets to burn it. So there is trash burning alot...and it doesnt smell that great but what are ya gonna do.

Love you all and Merry Christmas!

-- 

Elder Trent

Our Christmas tree and decorations haha! (There is a nativity and an Argentina flag)

Close up of decorations

Funny picture; We tried to put a timer but I accidently pushed over all of the decorations trying to be fast, and so we tried to put them all back up and this is the photo that it took. Haha

We went and played soccer with a few other elders in our zone last pday. It was fun! and my first time playing soccer in Argentina ha!

We had a very successful ward christmas party here and had an asado! We were only able to stay for a little bit until we had to return back home, but it turned out very well with a huge turnout.

Cooking the asado. (So many people here look american. just everyone has dark hair)

The one that is facing the camera is the bishop. He reminds me a lot of bishop graf, with the same personality, knows how to do a lot of things and has been raised in this area his whole life.

-- 

Maycol's baptism and pop rocks!

¡Hola Todos!

Just an update of little things that are happening.

So this week is was sooo hoot. haha. and with humidity its almost unbearable walking in the streets all day, but the good news, is that it lasts like this until the middle of february! haha.

Plus this past week I forgot to mention, we didnt have water in our house for almost a week! It was difficult, we had to bathe with buckets of water and wash our dishes outside. So it was kindof like camping! haha, but now we have water again, just the water pressure is not very strong.

It doesnt really feel like christmas here, one becuase its summer and the other is because they dont celebrate christmas like they do in the states. Its more of just a big party of the week of christmas with asados(barbacues), and drunk people. But we plan to celebrate it with a really nice member family here so it will be fun.

Oh and I get a special birthday and christmas gift this year, on the 23 of December all of the mission is going to the temple!!! wahooo!!! I have really missed going to the temple and cant wait! We are going to spend the whole day together as a mission so it will be fun!

But this week was good, I am a little more happy this week and grew from this experience, this transfer has been a little harder than the others but its so I can grow and learn with my faith I know.

Love Youuuu

Mass email

This week we were able to have the baptism of Maycol! Maycol is a 21 year old young man from Bolivia who came here for better work. When I arrived here in Arco Iris the Elders had already been teaching him for about a week. In this moment, he was struggling with his faith and wasnt progressing or doing the commitments. And then one day we called him and he said that he had read and prayed and knew that it was true! From then on, we saw the change in him and he started to progress more and more until his baptism! My companion was able to baptize him and I was able to confirm him the next sunday!

Spritual Experience of the Week: So this week, we knocked on a door thinking it was the house of a reference and it turned out to be the house of a less active member with her nonmember husband. The wife is a member but works on Sunday and is inactive and the Husband, Anaquin, has never accepted the missionaries before. The husband was the only one there at the time and didnt want much to do with us, but after a bit, he let us in to give him a blessing of health. We ended up teaching him the first full lesson. From the time we entered and from the time we left, we were able to see a big change in him. The spirit was very strong in the lesson and he accepted a baptismal date for January. The next lesson, he had read and prayed and knew it was true! He came to church with us as well this past sunday.

Scripture of the Week: Mosiah 23:21-22 i think. I love this scritpure that talks about how The Lord gives us trials in our lives to test our faith and patience, so we can turn to him for help. This scripture has helped me a lot and it really is true. At times we have trails and challenges, but in these times we need to turn more to the Lord and we will grow from the experience!

Fact of the Week: Its really hot here right now.

Until next week!

Elder Trent

Maycol's baptism

We had a family home evening(nining haha) with an awesome family and I shared some of my american candy

They went crazy with the pop rocks, and had never seen something like it before, haha it was funny.

This is there Pitbull dog

This was our baptism this past saturday. And I did the confirmation for my first time this past sunday!

I bought a soccer jersey for 15 dollars haha.These are the two big rivals teams I talked about last week.

Go River!

¡Hola Todos!

Wow, can´t believe thats its already December! Here we are doing great still and teaching many lessons! We are working for our investigator, Maycol, to be baptized this next Saturday. We are also working with a woman named Cintia and her eight year old son to be baptized at the end of the month as well. 

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This past week, we were with a traveling asistant to President that is visiting every single companionship to train them. We are now teaching the Restauration in a different way that was inspired by our mission president. We are seeing lots of success with this. When we were with the assistant to president, we found two twenty year old friends sitting outside their house and we talked to them and ended up teaching a lesson to them outside right there the first lesson. This was one of our first times doing it the new way, but it went very well! They were able to understand very well the importance of a prophet today and accepted baptisms dates for the end of the month.

Scripture of the Week  Mosiah 4: 6-12, A big scripture this week, but I loved this whole chapter when I read it, talking about what type of man(or woman) we need to be.

Fact of the Week: Argentina as many of you already known is crazy for soccer. Here there are two main rival club teams that people always talk about. One is called Boca and the other is called River Plate. They are very passionate about one or the other of these two teams and always ask us what team we root for. I chose River Plate to say, so...Go River!

Not much to say this week, not much has changed, but Im doing great!

-- 

Elder Trent

Hey!

Im emailing late today because the power went out in the internet place we are at and we had to return later. But here I am.

Answers to your questions: How are things going here? The work is very well, we had our stake conference and a 70 from Chile came and spoke. We are accomplishing a lot of lessons and are going to have a baptism this next saturday for Maycol who is 21 and is Bolivian. and also hopefully a few more at the end of the month if they progress in time. But personally this week was hard for me too, I dont know why, but I just havent been feeling as happy lately and motivated. But Im working on it nothing to worry about. My Spanish is ok, isnt not where I would like it to be right now though. I struggle understanding, my companion and the people. But hopefully Im just at a bump in my spanish for a little bit. Our tracking is mostly in the streets but we also knock doors, but never door to door, just when we feel it we knock a door. In my last area we knocked more. But we are still finding a lof of new people to teach, just a lot of them struggle to progress. The food that members feed is good and convenient, except the food here is very fatting and greasy, with breads and fried foods and pastas. (which i think is affecting my acne as well).

But I have some good news for you! I carry around a picture of the family and a lot of people say that you look like an actress, I cant remember the name but she is from the United States. Haha so the people think you are very beuatiful and look like an actress!

Oh and also for Christmas when we talk we can do skype or facetime. But I dont remember my skype account. We are going to do in a members home that has a computer and also an ipad with facetime...so if you can create a facetime or skype account for me and let me know what it is so i can log in from here on Christmas. and it will be around 5 in the afternoon when we do it here so like 1 oclock there.

Great Week and a baptism!

¡Hola Todos!

This week was great! We are teaching a lot of people that we are helping to be baptized in December and are hoping for a Christmas Miracle with 4 baptisms. This area is awesome for me, because there is so many people and so many possiblities here. And we are working hard to do all we can to find, teach, and reactivate. This past Saturday, we were able to have the baptism of a women called Rosa. She was an old investigator, but because of health problems she couldnt get herself to church. But now she was able to go and get baptized. I was able to baptize her, my first in the mission! It was a great experience! Now, we are hoping and praying that she can continue strong in the her health and in the Gospel. We are doing very well in our area now and are seeing many miracles from our hard work and diligence.

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This week, we had a huge miracle! We have been working with an old investigator that other missionaries had dropped. His name is Maycol(Michael). He is a Bolivian who came here to find work. He has been living with his aunt and cousin, who are less active members. He is very believing in God and was going to a church in Bolivia that can only be found there. The missionaries dropped him because, he wasnt doing the commitments like reading and praying. And the same with us was happening. He just wasnt having faith and we were trying to help him recognize that to have it, he needed to read and pray. We had come to the decision that we were going to drop him. So we called him to set up a time to come by one night to give him the talk. And he told us that he had read what we had left him about faith in the Book of Mormon and that sincerly he felt a great happiness while reading and knew that it was true. The next visit with him, we had a very spiritual lesson with him and invited him to be baptized on the 12 of December! Now he is progressing very well, came to the baptism of Rosa, and to Church! Everyone has their time to accept the Gospel like Maycol and we were so glad that he is doing so well.

Scripture of the Week: Jacob 7-9. I love these scriptures that talk about repentance, faith, and sharing the gospel. That through faith, we can use the Atonement and be forgiven. And when we have a better understandment of the Atonement in our lives, and actually use it, we will have more desires to share it.

Funny of the Week: So this week, we found a man that was living in poor conditions and doesnt have much. But he had his Bibile and a little instrument thing that he blew into. He wasnt very enthusiastic and wanted to sing a song to us. Haha he was so animated and excited the whole time dancing a little and singing a song about Jesus. The sight was so funny and we enjoyed his little preformance. Then we sang a hymn to him after. And as soon as we finished he had already memorized the words and tune and did another dance and song to the hymn! haha he was a funny character.

Fact of the Week: Here the stores are all separated. If you want to buy meat, you could to a meat store individually run, or bread, or fruits and vegatables. So its quite the process to buy food here. Also, there are mini convenient shops called kioscos that are found on every street that people put up to sell whatever.

Love you all, thanks for your support

-- 

Elder Trent

We had a baptism! Guess what I did the baptism too! my first! It was different though, because she is a biig lady, but three people and two chairs later she was baptized.

Happy Thanksgiving! Missionary-Gangsta Style

Yes, we eat a looot now, a lot of times there is juice or some sort of small things that people give us in the lessons as well. We just make our own breakfast and have member meals everyday except on pdays.

Still dont have dinner but im used to it now, but sometimes at like 8 we have empanadas or pizzas at a less active lesson or something. But yes we are always eating. Im trying not to gain weight and so far im doing alright haha.

Greetings from my new area of Arco Iris!

¡Hola Todos!

Greetings from my new area of Arco Iris! I am in the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires in a zone called Marcos Paz! Its a big change from the countryside. There are people here everywhere from all over the world. In the ward, there are about 150 members which is awesome! There are people from Peru, Bolovia, France, Chile, Paraguay, Germany, and a few other I cant remember. But it is awesome here! This area before was split into two areas and now it is one, so its huge! We have a lot of good work to do here. 

My new companion is from Salvador, Brazil! He speaks Portuguese obviously, but we talk only in Spanish with each other, so thats an adjustment. But he is really great and a hard worker! He has nine months on the mission and only has three weeks in this area as well, so we are learning it together.

My mind is a little jumbled right now with the new area and companion so I will talk about my investigators next week and what is happening here.

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This week, I just wanted to share my short testimony with you all that I know that this church is true. That really it is such a blessing in our lives if we do all we can to apply it. The Book of Mormon is so true! It helps me in everything, during the good and the bad, and has a great power to it. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and all of you. He wants to bless us so much, we just need to have faith and do our part. I encourage you all to recommit yourselves to the Gospel to our Heavenly Father and do your part. I promise that you will find a great joy in the gospel by doing this and recieve so many blessings.

Scripture of the Week: Alma 37:37, I found this scripture this week and loved it! Its so true, we need to consult the Lord in everything. When we are having hard times, we can turn to the Lord, when we are not, we can thank him. Doesnt matter the time or situation, we should always pray.

Funny of the Week: So I have been used to having an American companion. And Elder Blosfeld knows almost nothing in English. One night when we were finishing planning I wanted to ask something really quickly to Elder Blosfeld, and with out even thinking or realizing, I start going off in English to him. After a while, I realized his blank, confused face and I stop talking. He starts to say a few things back of what he thought I said to him. But he was so confused! I then realized that whole time, I was talking to him in english haha! I was pretty embarrased haha.

Fact of the Week: I cant think of a good fact right now, but this week, we ate with a Peruvian family and ate an ethentic peruvian dish. So good! The members here are very strong and so willling to help the work and us missionaries.

Love you all!

-- 

Elder Trent

Packages? How is that possible?

You've got mail!

New com;panion

Elder Blosfeld from Brazil

bathroom

Pench

Getting Transferred!

¡Hola Todos!

So I recieved the call that I will be leaving 25 de Mayo and am going to be transfered! I cant believe that I have been here for three months already. Time goes by fast when you are working hard and having fun. They are doing transfers different now, so we will see what happens, but I got the call last night and I will be leaving today in the afternoon, so short time. But Im so grateful for this time I have had here, for the few, but strong members that are here and for all I have learned here. I havent progressed and grown more in my life than in this three months. The mission for me has made me love the gospel so much and I know that it is true.

Spiritual Experience of the Week: So this week, I finished what is called the first twelve weeks or the training part of my mission. Almost every morning, we have an extra hour of studies to study about it. This last week, we studied and focused on our purpose as missionaries, which talk a lot about baptism. We realized we needed to invite more people to be baptized to see more success and have more baptismal dates, and guess what, it works. This week we found a family with eight kids! We taught them really quick one day this week the Book of Mormon because they didnt have a lot of time, and returned on Sunday. We were able to teach almost all of their family and invited them to be baptized, which they said yes. This helped me strengthen my testimony a lot on our part. Sometimes it is as simple as that in our lives, if we just do. Do what Heavenly Father asks of us, Do what our leaders and prophet say, Do what our parents say. Application is so important.

The Gospel doesnt do anything for us unless we apply it!

Scripture of the week: ! Nephi 15:24-25. I love this scripture that gives us great promise. That if we read, we study, we cherish, the scriptures, we will be strengthened and never be lead astray. I have gained a huge love for the Book of Mormon on my mission and really know this to be true.

Fact of the Week: There are a lot of supermarkets or stores here called Chinos. Which literally means Chinese people. They have a deal or something and they come here to open stores. So ya.

Funny of the Week: This week we had a branch activity at the church. A lunch and some karaoke haha. Some of them were very passionate or expressive when it came to singing and it was hilarious! Karoake is always funny and fun wherever you go haha. They wanted us missioniores to go up and sing some songs as well and we kind of killed the party, but hey what are you going to do. (Que va a hacer)

Until next week!

All is Well

--

Elder Trent

This is Guillermo. Pronounced liked Geesh air mo.

He was so funny to watch him sing.

Classic Argentine "gangster" pose

We were able to have a dinner last friday with Roman. and played some guitar before of course.

pig

These are the cinnamon rolls we made. Turned out really good!

But ive decided to take it easy on the sweets now haha.

Didnt mean to have this turn out so creepy but. Elder Buchholz from our district bought us all ice cream because he is finished with his mission. We were very happy.

November 9 - Cowboy Week!

¡Hola Todos!

This week was very miraculous! We were able to see a lot of success with soo many lessons and new investigators this week! We have been blessed. I a lot of fun and spiritual new experiences this week. We are coming up on the last week of this transfer where I will see if I am staying in 25 de Mayo or getting transfered.

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This week, we found a single mom named Aldana, who is a friend of the daughter of a recent convert Roman. Her boyfriend left her and her 1 and a half year old kid with nothing, just a little shack. We were able to go in with Roman and teach her about how the Gospel and the Book of Mormon blesses lives. Also, we were able to, through the branch president, give her supplies that she needed like food and other essentials. She was able to come to church that next sunday! It was so cool to be able to help her and her kid. The Gospel definitely blesses lives.

Scripture of the Week: This week, since it was conference, I wanted to share one of my favorite talks by Elder Uchtdorf titled, "It Works Wonderfully", This talks about how the Gospel is so we can be happy and if we are not, then we need to take a step back and go back to the basics. The Gospel is meant to be simple and I just love that. We need to remember to not complicate the Gospel and just do the things we know to be true: Pray, Read, Attend. I love this simple scripture that goes along with this. about how if we follow the commandments we will prosper. Mosiah 2:22,41.

Is the Gospel working for you? If not, take a step back and change.

Fact of the Week: They say "permiso" here alll the time which means permision. They say it to do a lot of things. Like if they see some food on someone elses table, or go into someones house, all they say is permiso and its all good with everyone, haha.

Funny of the Week: As I have said, Elder Connell is a big fan of horses and roping and things like that. One day, we were riding our bikes on a dirt road and some teenagers had a rope tied on a tree across the road. When we got closer we realized that it was a lasso, for lassoing cows, etc. To gain a little confidence, Elder Connell hops off his bike and asks them if he can try it. They said yes but looked like they didnt think he could handle it. He grabs that rope and ropes a post three times in a row. They were stunned! haha and going crazy while he was doing it. Haha, I had to keep his pride in check as we rode away. haha he was definitely meant to be out here in the countryside.

-- 

Love you all!

All is Well

Elder Trent

Voice mail from Elder Trent

Strong man. 

Elder Connell is a goof

Elder Connell touching the bull

We found this Austrian farmer guy and he wanted to show us his farm so we toured it and then taught him a lesson haha. I got to touch this bull by they way.

He had a ton of sheep too! and a baby lamb born three days earlier!

Me trying to feed the sheep, they ran away haha

The farmer, Francisco Cramar, gave us these weird fruit things, that I have never heard of. They are called quinotos, they are like oranges but very small. You just pop them in your mouth and they juice is very sour but them you chew it and it turns very sweet, its cool and tastes goood.

Heres a cool car

I dont know if you can see but I am looking at a rugby field. It was crazy to find it here because they are all soccer here! it was awesome and brought back fun memories. While I was looking at this, Elder Connell was looking at horses running haha. Short memory lane break for us.

The rugby pitch in the background

The rugby post

Elder Connell and a horse