Schedule Changes

¡Hola Todos!

Wow, what a crazy week to be a missionary! So many changes! Most of you have probably heard by now, but there was a Worldwide missionary broadcast this past week with a few cool changes to our schedule and key indicators we report every week. The most excitment part is that we have more time on pdays and more time to sleep at night(9:30) wahoo!! 

Anways other than that not much happened, the work continues slowly but surely. Right now we are still helping Gustavo(the one in the wheelchair) get baptized for Febuary with his main struggle of waking up to go to church. Just come to church! Its frustrating! haha (ifs youve seen The District you might have caught the reference). But even though he didnt come, we have two very unexpected investigators in church. one is the husband of a recent convert and the other is the boyfriend of a member. so that was cool! well see if they progress soon! 

Thats about all for the week, not much more to tell, but hope yall have a great week!

-- 

Elder Trent

this is me shaking hands and saying hi to Elder Stevenson. cool right?

cardinal bird. sketchy spiral staircase of an investigator

pics in the argentine streets. the red box is a shrine of a saint thats called gauchito gil. the other is a homemade tricycle haha.

What a Week!

¡Hola Todos!

What a week! We got the news that Elder Stevenson from Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was coming to Buenos Aires and he just so happened to come to the stake where Im at! So we got to work in helping our investigators make it there and not miss this incredible opportunity to here from an apostle, live. We planned good, invited everyone, and committed many to come. By Saturday, we were happy with our efforts and had about 10 to 12 people commited to coming. I had never done so much in a week to try and help investigators get to church on Sunday. On Sunday, even though no one ended up coming, I was still happy that I was able to do my part. In PMG it talks about what are the attributes of a successful misionary. It doesnt talk about how many baptisms you get or how many investigators you help get to church, but your efforts, your obedience, and if you can feel the Spirit working with you. So it was a great lesson for me this Sunday. Elder Stevenson is a stud by the way, such a cool guy. But, Im really greatful for the things we did, and sometimes the investigators will choose to use their agency against keeping the commandments. We just gotta find those that are prepared to act! its great! the search continues! We invite and teach, they choose to accept or not.

Oh and by the way I got to shake his hand twice and talk to him verry briefly at the end of the Stake Conference, so that was pretty cool.  Buut, then on monday morning the leaders of the four missions in Buenos Aires got to go to a meeting with him. So I was also able to go to that as well. So blessed! He is such a great example and teacher. 

But other than that, we continue working with Gustavo and hope he can make it for his date on the 11th. He didnt come last Sunday because he had not taken a pill or something small like that to sleep right. So when we passed by he didnt answer. But hes still progressing well and is sad he could make it, but still excited to come to church and then get baptized. 

Anyways, love you all and have a great week!

-- 

Elder Trent

Officially old

¡Hola Todos!

So this week ended and I became officially old in the mission, completing one and a half years as a misionary. Craaazy. Its been really fun this time of my mission, ive gone through a lot, learned a lot, and more than ever am ready to apply everything I know as a missionary. its been really great. Im so blessed!

This week was pretty good! We worked hard. My companion Elder Vance only has six weeks left in  his mission so hes trying to go all out. This Sunday we did all we could to help our investigators get to church. And one of them did wahoo! His name is Gustavo. He is a single guy who had three strokes but is recovering pretty well. We were able to take him in a car with a member, as he has a wheelchair. He loved it and is on line for baptism in February. We have been trying to get him to church for awhile now and almost dropped him. But the difference in getting him to chruch this time, is his commitment. We were very frank and direct with him in a lesson when we thought we were going to drop him,(he always had an excuse for not going, fears, sickness, etc.) But in the lesson, we were able to resolve his concerns and committ him to come to church.

Other than that, everything else continues the same. We had a funny experience talking to an old investigator this week, that really showed the importance of teaching investigators so they understand. We found this one guy that had talked to the missionaries before, whose wife is a member. Either he did not understand anything they were saying or the missionaries taught him wrong. Probably the first haha. We asked him if he remembered about the Book of Mormon and he says oh ya of course. Joseph smith found the remains of the tablets of Moses after he had broken them and then made the Book of Mormon from him. Haha probably one of the strangest answer to that question ive recieved. 

Anyways, hope yall have a great week!

-- 

Elder Trent

another great week

¡Hola Todos!

Another great week here is Villa Tesei. Other than the scorching heat and humidity Im moving along great here. We are working with a ton of great people. I like working here in this area, because there´s a different class of people that live here than Im used to, they´re really great! Most of the people we´re working with we have only taught once or twice so we´ll see where their progress goes. But this week, we were really focused on getting our investigators to church as its been a struggle. Everyone says they will go and seem really committed and dont show up. After going to look for one of our investigators in the morning with no success.but we were able to have a nice little miracle. An investigator named Ezequiel that Elder Vance and his other companion had taught once came to church thanks to the Young mens President here in the ward. He is a 13 years old kid whose cousin or something like that is a member. The youngs mens president, named Hernan went and picked him up. It just goes to show how nice it is to have members who help with missionary work! So we´ll see how his progress goes, he´s a little hard to find but he is a great possibility for the end of this month to be baptized. But other than that the work continues! 

I also had kindof a nice experience this week when we were teaching an investigator for the first time after contacting her. I dont think she was really that interested so I just wasnt give much into the lesson. I just thought to myself though during it, that wow Im not a very good teacher right now. Then kindof a "duh" moment came to me, and I thought because your trying to replace the real teacher! And its so true, sometimes, whatever it may be laziness, lack of love for the person, etc. we dont have the Spirit with us in the lessons. So after that I made a consciuos effort to finish the lesson better, and from then on, better teach by the Spirit. 

But anyways, love you all and have a great week!

-- 

Elder Trent

This is my new companion, Elder Vance

This is the bottom floor of the pench. we are sleeping like this, because its too hot to sleep up stairs and their is only one fan and two rooms.

The Spirit teaches!

¡Hola Todos!

Happy 2017! I hope everyone starts out this year good! My year started out the same way it did last year, sleeping. We wanted to set an alarm to wake up before 12 but we were too exhausted to wake up and watch the firework that go off everywhere here for New years. Anyways this week was pretty crazy, Im just getting used to my new area..again after being flashed here on Monday. Ever since then its been nonstop. I thought before I didnt have any time as a missionary, but now I really dont as a zone leader. The first few days were a little stressful, trying to figure out what im doing, but as the week went on I was able to calm down quite a bit. Im here with Elder Vance from Arizona. Hes only has two months left on his mission, so will probably finish with me here in Villa Teseí. My area heres pretty nice, its the closest thing Ive seen here in Argentina that looks like an American neighborhood. The area right now is a little slow,  we dont have much to work with, so we are contacting a lot of people and looking up old investigators. We did have a cool experience though this week with an investigator we found. His name is Kevin and is only 17 yrs old. We were teaching him the Restoration as usual and got to the part were we felt we should invite him to be baptized. He said no, because he was already baptized and it marked him in his life. We struggled trying to explain more about the Apostasy and the authority to baptize and all that, but it wasnt working. Im not really sure how to explain what happened next, but basically the Spirit just took over, as we took a step back and let the Spirit teach. After a few inspired questions and good listening, he surprising changed his mind and accepted a date to be baptized, being able to feel relief of his sins mainly calling his attention. 

The Spirit teaches!

Love you all!

Elder Trent

Birthday, Christmas and a Flash transfer to zone leader

¡Hola Todos!

Feliz Navidad everyone! Hope yall had a good time. Here it was a good time as well. The four missionaries that live in the same apartment all went to a recent converts house to eat asado for dinner Christmas Eve, the famous dish here. And then we had to go back to the apartment as all the partying and fireworks started. But this Christmas my gift came a little late and very unexpected. Im getting flashed out of my area! Fifteen minutes after calling the Fam christmas night, I get a call from my mission President. Elder Trent, how are you? Good President how are you? Very good, how was your christmas, hows the family? all good president all good. Im glad. Well Elder Trent, hate to move you so soon again, but I need you to be a zone leader in Caseros...

So ya after being in my new area with Elder maycock for just 3 weeks, im going to a new area today in the afternoon. Ill be with Elder Vance from Arizona as well. I wasnt expecting it, but Im excited! We´ll see what the new changes bring. But thankfully Elder Maycock and I were able to finish our time together with the baptism of Camila that went all smooth so thats a blessing. 

Well hope you all have a great Christmas vacation and new year!

Elder Trent

birthday pic

We ate that christmas eve, its just a dish for special occasions. at a converts house in the other elders area, she invited us a long time ago so the four of us went.

its asado, with potato salad and salad. also we had pork. here they prepare it all on the grill. its the famous argentine dish.

Hola, so good to see you all too!

I didnt think Id have much to talk about this monday because i just saw you guys, but was I wrong! 15 minutes after I finished skyping you I got a call, guess who..my mission president. A flash, which means I am changing areas in the middle of the transfers. Im going to be a zone leader in Caseros with Elder Vance! huge change but im leaving today at 4pm to go to my new area. (A few elders were going finishing their missions mid transfer so president had to make a few changes, so now Im a zone leader. pretty crazy.

Also my official return date is june 13 by the way.

Im not really that nervous yet, itll probably hit me once I get there, but I was definitely not expecting that. I dont know who Elder Vance is I just know hes from arizone and has like a 2 months left in the mission. the zone is relativly big, its the other zone that has big city in it, more than the area that im in now.

Feliz Navidad!

¡Hola Todos!

Hey everyone! Feliz Navidad! Such a great time a year to be a missionary and share the message of Christ during the time we celebrate his birth. People tend to be a little more sensitive and open to hear about Jesus Christ during this time. Elder Maycock and I will being having a white Christmas with the baptism of Camila the 23 of December! Wahoo! Anyways, this week we all had interviews with our Mission President. He told me he "didnt have any problems with me"... so ya im a happy missionary haha. This week we also found a great investigators called Maria Ester! She is awesome, because she has never been baptized! Which is quite the issue here, the people just dont understand the part about preisthood authority here and the need of the restoration, but with her it was easy. Shes like, ya ive never been baptized, I probably should! haha, shes really great and we hope to see her come to church and progress to be baptized in January to start the new year off right! But thats all the time I have left to write, lost track of time, but hope you all of a very merrrry Christmas!

-- 

Elder Trent

Playing soccer

my new zone, ramos mejia

Aaah 20! Im soo oold, nooo. I was looking in the mirror and I think my hair lines receding. so oold. haha. 

Hope your enjoying the cool christmas weather in st. george, cuz its soo hot and humid here now. But its not as bad as last year, because Im getting used to the humidity sadly. Oh and guess what!? I found out something scary this week! I had interviews with my mission president. and because he is leaving this year as well the transfers are going to be different so instead of me leaving in july, Ill probably come home june 13 a little earlier. so i have even less time than i though in the mission!! ah!

Ya im going to get to it at 8 oclock my time here on sunday night. so you can figure the time it would be there. like 2 or 3 in the afternoon i think.

Sorry to hear about poor Spice! I hoped to see him when I got back:(