¡Hola Todos!

This email will be really short, because this week flew by with not very many new things happening. But this week we had the satellite broadcast for all missionaries around the world. A few Apostles spoke and they talked a lot about just the basics. It helped remind me the importance of that as a missionary to always revert back to the esentials things we need to do as missionaries. 

Also, this week Marina and Anaquin wont be able to be baptized for different reasons, but we will be having the baptism of Roman! We are really excited for him. We continue to progress has a companionship in this area and hope to end this transfer with a lot of success!

This week I have realized that I need to develop more the Christ attributes charity and love so I can really have the desires to help everyone here in Argentina and also to have better relationships with my companions. I have been studying this a lot and have really started to see a change with the way I look and think of the people.

Anyways, sorry for the short email this week, but just know that Im doing really well and love you all!

--

Elder Trent

Some inactive member that we found works for the argentine soccer team. Hes pretty well off i guess, because he gave us each one of THE soccer jerseys that the players wore for the 2014 World cup! Cool huh?

They fit pretty good, no?

Selfie and bad tan line. Im always red faced haha its super hot

I did divisions with my district leader and he had a rugby jerseys for the argentine rugby team, the pumas.

so we took a photo with my new zealand one.

¡Hola Todos!

This week we continue to improve. This transfer as been a slow process of improvement, but we are grateful that we are getting better every week! As of now we have two investigators that are progressing to be baptized in a couple weeks, Roman who is the son of a recent convert and Marina, an older lady. We are hopeful this week to find a lot more new investigators to teach!

Spiritual Experience of the Week: My spiritual experience I would like to share this week was from church. We have been very worried about one investigator Marina that is going through health problems and its difficult for her to come to church. She has a baptismal date for the 30th of January and needed to come si o si(no matter what) this week to be baptized. With a few difficulties, she made it! The joy you feel when an investigator comes to church is one of the best.

Scripture of the Week: The scripture I would like to share this week is Ether 12:4. I have been studying a little bit about hope this week. how when we have hope, we have confidence, we are more positive in every situation, and we have patience for difficulties and trials. I have learned that ope is just as important in our lives as other attributes of Christ such as faith. In reality, they are all connected and we should strife to develop them.

Funny of the Week: So one day this week, we were doing a few contacting of houses and we come across one. We didnt realize it was a house of a member when we contacted it because they had been gone for awhile out of town. We began to contact them like a normal contact. Apparently, she decided to play a joke on us and began to act like a pastor from another church and started saying all different kinds of crazy things about our church and trying to argue. We were so confused and began talking with her, but we were failing pretty bad. Eventually, she told us she was a member and all. Haha we felt pretty embarrassed with our bad fake contact.

Fact of the Week: A lot of meals they have here, they eat it with mayonnaise! They dont have a whole lot of sauces other than tomato sauce or ketchup that is common here. I wasnt a big fan of mayo before my mission, but the mayonnaise here is way better! Probably because its way more fatty and unhealthy haha, but i enjoy it anyways.

I hope all is well back home, love you all!

--

Elder Trent

There was a frog in our pench last night. Iii dont know why haha. I picked it up and it started vibrating it was so scared haha.

¡Hola Todos!

¡Hola Todos!

This week was a really great experience for me. We were able to have a lot of success, but not in the usually success. Last week, our President gave us an email that has really helped us improve. He talked about not looking back and being more grateful for what is happening good in our area, personally, the mission, etc. With the start of this new year, he counseled us to not looked back. Whether its back at home, past struggles in the missionaries, our weakness, whatever that doesnt help us to move forward and progress. This really helped us this week, to start this new year good and be able to continually improve, focusing on the going and not getting down on all the failure that impedes us to progress. We have been progressed a lot as a companionship this week, being more happy and excited than ever to continue this work.

This past week we had the baptism of Marciano and he is doing very well and happy. As of other investigators, we dont have any with baptismal dates, but we are working with Graciela, who is fighting to quit smoking so she can get baptized and also with Marina who is dealing with health problems, But both of them are possibilities for the end of this month. This week we saw a lot of progression in our area from last week as it was very slow. It is slowing picking up and we are seeing more success and having more lessons.

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This week we went to lunch of an active family whose daughter had returned from the mission about 6 months ago. They have a son who lives right next to them who is inactive and living with his family who are not members. His girlfriend was also their with us for the lunch. She hadnt never been interested before about the missionaries. The mother in law had always prayed for his son and his family that they could accept the Gospel. Laura, the daughter in law was earlier talking to the mother in law about how she wanted to listen to them because she wanted to raise her kids good, recognizing the examples we were. We could see in this moment of her life the Spirit working through her as we were able to teach her after lunch. It is an amazing experience, teaching someone who is humbled and prepared to hear and act on the message that we bring. We didnt have a lot of time as it was unplanned but we were grateful to be apart of the start of growing an eternal family even more.

Scripture of the Week: Omni 1:26. Our President gave us all a talk from a past MTC Devotional about being a consecrated missionary. There are good missionaries, great missionaries, but only a few consecrated missionaries. They are those who put every thing on the altar of sacrifice for the Lord and their mission. Putting everything they have into the work. Pushing out pride, fear, negativism, etc. so that they can do the Lords will. This scripture explains that, how we should put our whole soul into the Gospel.

Love you and thanks for your support! Until next week,

--

Elder Trent

Reunion de zona

Marciano's baptism

Marciano's baptism

A New Year and yet another new companion

¡Hola Todos!

Another week has passed and I already have a new companion! His name is Elder Smith and he is from Utah as well, Cedar City. This is his last transfer on his mission and already has 22 months. He is more reserved with a goofy sense of humor I would say. He liked to play the trumpet in high school and play video games. While we are a lot different, we are getting a long pretty well.

This week in our area was pretty tough honestly. When my past companion was transferred and I started to guide this area, I realized that I did not learn this area well. I was more of a follower to Elder Blosfeld so this week was hard, trying to get around, but I managed to do it. This week was filled with a few other trials as well, we had to drop a lot of our investigators and are having a hard time finding people to teach, causing me to be a little down this week. But we are still hopeful and determined to do everything we can this week to have more success. On the bright side, this week we will have the baptism of Marciano. I think I spelled his named wrong when I mentioned him earlier, but he is the one who came to church on his own three weeks ago. We have been teaching him a lot and he will be baptized this Saturday!

Spiritual Experience of the Week: This week for my spiritual experience, I would like to share my brief testimony with you all. This week has caused me to reflect a lot of my personal testimony and how I am improving as a missionary because of the trials we have been having this week. But I needed it, being able to grow my testimony a lot this week. I know the Lord gives us trials to help grow our faith in him and increase our patience. Honestly, a mission is really hard, but I know that this Gospel is true that Jesus Christ lives. That by turning to him, we recieve our strength. The Book of Mormon is true people! Read it! I know that when we actually put all of our effort into keeping the commandments, then we are blessed and happy.

Scripture of the Week: Alma 37:34. This short scripture talks about how we shouldnt tire from doing the things we need to, keeping the commandments. That the Gospel is what gives us the rest in our lives. 

Funny of the Week: For news years we had to come back to the apartment early at 8 for the parties and safety reasons. After planning, we bought some ice cream and went to bed. I sleep like a rock on the mission but when it hit midnight, it sounded like there were bombs going off there were so many fireworks and partying. My companion woke up to this sound at midnight as well and managed a weak hearted happy new year. I think I remember mumbling something back and then we fell right back asleep with the party continuing outside. Haha happy new year everyone.

I hope you all have a great new year! Love you all!
-- 

Elder Trent

This is my new companion! Elder.......Smith. Haha from Utah.

We bought ice cream for new years and thats about it