Week #79

[It was wonderful to visit with Wesley on Christmas day. He is so happy. My phone ran out of storage right before he ended. I think I only missed 10 seconds of it though]

Hola Familia!

Christmas was great and the greatest part was talking to everyone! I miss you all so much, but there is nowhere else in the entire world where I´d rather be. Today is the last day of the year 2015 and it´s weird to think that I´ve been away from home for an actual year. Thinking of this year, I can honestly say that this year has been the greatest of my entire life. I have grown up more, I have become closer to my Savior, and I have strengthened my life more in the year 2015 than any other year in my life. This year has literally changed my eternities and I´m extremely grateful for it.

We had transfers this past week and I had a big Deja vu. Just so I can explain a little about how President Cifuentes does transfers. He told us that for the past 4 transfers, he has prayed to know with which companion we should be. He wasn´t really worried about the area, just focused on the companionships. I served with Elder Brown in General Cerri, and with Elder Dement and Elder Paleka in General Arias. This transfer, President Cifuentes told us that he prayed to know in which area we should serve in. He wasn´t as focused on the companionships, but more on where we should be serving. It was a surprise to hear the transfer calls this past week. I was called to serve in General Cerri with Elder Dement. That´s why it has been a Deja Vu. I´m so excited because there definitely a reason why Elder Dement and I are together again serving in Cerri.

It has been a great blessing to be with Elder Dement because he knows how to work and he works HARD. I love working with him because we see so many miracles. Just these past two days, we have found some great people that truly need the gospel in their lives. On Tuesday we spoke with a woman named María and her son Agustin. (I spoke with her husband a lot when I was in Cerri before, but never on them). They showed a lot of interest and we visited them yesterday. We sat down in their backyard and we asked María if she had read the pamphlet on the Restoration. She said yes and she said she had a lot of interest in Joseph Smith and she wanted to learn more. haha that´s something that two full time missionaries can help her with. We taught her the restoration. The Spirit gave us the words to say and we already had great unity (Elder Dement and I have already taught together many times). The Spirit was so strong that tears came to her eyes and she told us, "I just want to learn more." She accepted a baptismal date and she said the closing prayer. We could feel the María´s sincere desires to follow Jesus Christ. It was only one of the first days in Cerri, and we´re seeing so many miracles and blessings from our Heavenly Father.

I hope everyone has a great new years! I hope all is well! Thanks for all the love and support.

Love, Elder Bosco II

Bahía Blanca Zone!

 Downtown Bahía with 200 missionaries

Downtown Bahía Christmas Day!

Elder Dement! I found out that he lives in the McAllen, Texas Mission. He lives in a city called Portland, Texas.

Week #78

Hola (Aloha) Familia!

I´m glad I´m on the mission and I don´t have to worry about the stress of BYU losses hahaha. This week was a great week and it´s getting hotter and hotter. The funny thing is, Santa Clause in Argentina still has a suit with a big white beard, I´m not sure how he doesn´t die of heat.

We had a baptism this week. Luciano De Ipola is 9 years old and he made the decision to get baptized. So that you guys understand the situation of his family, His mom served a mission some years ago and became less active afterwards. 6 years ago, the Bishop of the ward got to know them and Sis. De Ipola started to come to Church again with her two kids, Luciano and Leandro. Her husband even accepted the gospel and got baptized, but sadly is less active in this moment. Sis. De Ipola stays strong in the Church and her two kids come every Sunday. They are great little kids and they have strong testimonies of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sis. De Ipola truly wanted Luciano to understand the importance of a covenant with the Lord before baptism. For that reason, he didn´t get baptized until yesterday. We have been teaching him about baptism and the Savior, but the truth is, he already had a strong testimony from the great examples of his parents and what he has learned in Primary. He was extremely excited to get baptized and super prepared. He´ll be a great missionary one day.

We had a great experience with Flor this week. We taught her the Plan of Salvation in a period of 5 lessons. We explained the doctrine and principles with a lot of simpleness and clarity. And the truth is, the Spirit has been able to help her learn and understand everything. On Saturday, we finished teaching the Kingdoms of Glory and Flor started to cry. The room was filled with silence. She began to share stories with us on how she became to know that God exists and how she recognized us as representatives of Jesus Christ. She told us that she truly needs the gospel in her life. She looked at us and asked us if there are commandments that she doesn´t know that she can live. We happily told her yes and we invited her to pray to know that the Plan of Happiness is true. We kneeled down and she sincerely asked Heavenly Father for forgiveness of her sins. I was filled with the Spirit of joy and happiness knowing that the Spirit had truly touched her heart.

What I learned from Flor is a lesson of a lifetime. How often do we ask ourselves if there are MORE commandments that we can live to become closer to our Heavenly Father. There are many ways that we can live a commandment more fully or that we can consecrate ourselves to this great work. This is the work of the Lord and it´s only through the commandments of Him that we can return to live in the Celestial Kingdom and become exalted. I love the Plan of Salvation and I know that it is real.

Thanks for all the love and support. I´ll see you on Christmas Day!! Love you!

Love Elder Bosco II

 Luciano De Ipola´s baptism! A picture of his family

 a picture with me and Elder Paleka

Week #77

Hola Familia!

I hope you have a great time in Hawaii. I´m with an Hawaiian everyday so I guess it´s close to the same haha. This week we had our ward Christmas Party and we took part in the nativity scene. It was a great spiritual experience and we felt like a big family. I seriously love the ward that I´m in. The day I have to leave I will miss them a lot.

The Menendez Family, Axel, and Flor all came to the Ward Party on Saturday. As we sat eating the dinner, I felt a warm feeling from the Spirit. This is what it´s all about- to be with a big family. I gained a big testimony on the importance of unity within a ward. If the prophets tell us that we have the most success being raised up in a home that is based off of principles of the gospel such as love, charity, and faith, the same goes for a ward family. It is a lot easier for investigators, new converts, and members to live the gospel and to love the gospel when they feel love, charity, and unity in a ward. It´s one of the many reasons why Jesus Christ organized the Church the way He did. I have a testimony of the importance of being part of a family.

Now that I think about it, that´s where most of my happiness comes from on the mission. Knowing that I´m pleasing my Father in Heaven, my brother Jesus Christ, and my earthy family. Being part of a family and helping others feel the same why is a priceless feeling. I´ve seen it with so many investigators and converts. When they realize the love that takes place in the Church of Jesus Christ, they open up and start to follow their Savior with more willingness. This Christmas I hope that everyone can feel the love of the Savior by being part of a big family.

This is the message that we share with the world. We were a big family before this life and God´s plan is that we can all return to His presence and be a big family again. That is the reason why we do the things that we do as members. That is why we do temple work, and that is why we preach the gospel all over the world. Our Heavenly Father wants us to return to His presence and to live in peace. I can only imagine that happiness we will be able to feel when we can already feel so much love as part of a family here on this earth.

Thanks for all the love and support. I´m so blessed to have the greatest family in the world! I love you all!

Love Elder Bosco II

We ran to the Olimpo (Soccer Club in Bahía) Stadium in the morning

 Zone P-Day

Our Christmas decorations 

The nativity!

(From left to right) Elder Valle, Rodrigo Angulo, Me, Elder Paleka, Hno. Rossell 

Week #76

Hola Familia!

What a week! MARILU GOT BAPTIZED!! I can´t even tell you how happy I am. It was an incredible experience. It was so powerful. I think it was so great because we have been teaching them for a few months now and we´ve been able to see their progress. We were able to witness their wedding and we´ve been able to see many changes that have taken place from the Spirit of the Lord. She was extremely happy and ready to take this step in her life. The best part is that she made the decision to be an example to her family. Omar, her husband, was telling us during the interview that he has a goal to have an eternal family. He has the goal to baptize his two sons. He´s extremely close to enter into the waters of baptism. We need a lot of prayers for him and his family so that the Spirit can touch their hearts as it has touched the heart of Marilu. If you could, please keep in your prayers Omar, Marilu, Celeste (19), Johanna (17), Lucas (12), and Jonathan (10). It was the prayers of so many that helped Marilu make the decision to be baptized and I know it will be the same for the rest of her family. I have so much faith in prayers. Without a doubt, God answers our prayers. 

The entire Menendez Family came to church and stayed the entire time. It was a big step of progress and I was extremely happy! The ward here in General Arias is awesome. It´s growing so much. Our gospel principles class with new members and investigators is growing in number each week. We had to move to a new room with more space and two fans- because it was getting pretty hot in the other room and a bit claustrophobic haha. The numbers in the ward are growing and we´re seeing so many miracles. I´ve never had so much unity with the members and the other missionaries in our ward. We are having a blast and we´re seeing so many miracles. Without a doubt, Bahía Blanca will have a temple in the near future. 

Another great experience was with the other baptism that took place on Saturday. Elder Valle and Elder Price baptized a man named Favio Rossi. He is a Jewish descendant and because of that, he was kept some of the beliefs and traditions of the Jews. He has spent many years changing from Church to Church and has never felt like he belonged. When he talked with the missionaries, he had interest and he began to read the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon made all of the difference. Just like it says in 2 Nephi 9:1-3 and 2 Nephi 30:7, the descendents of the jews will start to believe in the words of the Book of Mormon. Even though Favio has always believed in Jesus Christ, he had to change his beliefs about the day of the Sabbath Day. He believed and lived it on Saturday, and now on Saturday. I was able to interview him and it was a great testimony to me that the prophecies in the Book of Mormon are true. It was incredible to see the conversion of Favio and the Spirit that I felt as he bore his testimony yesterday was powerful. My testimony grew concerning the power that the Book of Mormon has in converting us to the truth.

Thanks for all the love and support. I´m so blessed to be a missionary of Jesus Christ in the last days. The Lord´s hand is in EVERY part of this great work. Please keep the Menendez Family in your prayers so that they can keep progressing. Thanks for everything.

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

 Marilu´s baptism!!!!

 The Menendez Family after Marilu´s baptism!!

 A little Hawaiian spin the the baptism haha

 It was a great baptismal service!

 Favio Rossi, the baptism of the Elder Valle and Elder Price

Our little celebration

 

 

 

Week #75

Hola Familia!

I´m a little confused about the primary letters you want me to send. When do you want me to send them, and to who? My ponderize scripture this week is 2 Nephi 33:10-11. I only have my scriptures in Spanish with me, so I can´t write it, but I love this testimony by Nephi. He testifies with all of his heart that the Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ and that they are actually the words of Jesus Christ. There are many people who say they believe in Jesus Christ and don´t accept the Book of Mormon. That´s not possible. It´s only possible to have a true and everlasting testimony of our Savior by reading, pondering, and loving the Book of Mormon.

This week was unbelievable and FULL of miracles. I would like to share two with you guys. The first one happened last week. I was studying in Preach My Gospel about Finding People to Teach. It teaches us that we must pray that the Lord will guide us to the people that are looking for the truth and we must also pray that the Lord guide these people to us. I thought about those suggestions and I decided to put it in better practice. As we left the apartment that day, I remember specifically praying for someone to come to us that was looking for the truth. It was a simple pray, but I truly wanted to put my trust more fully in the Lord. We walked a few blocks and we were waiting in a bus stop. We were waiting for the bus for about 3 minutes and a car passed us, turned the corner and stopped. The man got out of his car and walked towards us. He had a catholic necklace on and he asked us if we were Mormons. We said yes and he said, "Perfect, I have a family for you guys that you need to visit and teach." At this point the bus had arrived. The man wrote the direction of the family´s home in our agenda and left. We got on the bus and I was in Aw. Had the Lord actually answered my prayer so quickly? It was a miracle right before my eyes. I thanked the Lord for what He had blessed us with. The direction to the family´s home wasn´t in our area so we passed the referral to other missionaries. I have no idea what happened with this family yet, but I know without a doubt that the Lord knows them and is watching out for them.

The other miracle happened with MariLu Menendez! We have been praying and praying for MariLu because she is so prepared but she wants to get baptized with her family. Her family still needs more preparation. She came by herself this Sunday to Church and it was the Primary Program. The program was incredible. The children talked a lot about baptism and the importance of the baptismal covenant in God´s Plan. Afterwards, in the Gospel Principles class, we talked about Eternal Marriage. The Spirit was incredible as we talked about temples and the blessings of temples. I remembered thinking in that class the thought that came to my mind. It came to my mind about 3 times. I thought, invite MariLu to baptism again after the class for the 5th of December. The thought came to my mind more than once, so I was determined to do it again. The class ended, we exited the room and I walked up to MariLu in the hallway, I asked her how the class was and she answered me by saying. "I´m going to get baptized this Saturday." I couldn´t believe what she had just said to me. I didn´t even have to invite her, the Spirit did it for me. I was filled with happiness, I can´t even explain it! I told some of the members and they were just as happy! I´m so excited for this weekend. Please keep MariLu in your prayers!

Thanks for all the love and support! I appreciate all the prayers in my behalf. I´m truly blessed to have so much love and support in my life!

Love, Elder Bosco II

Week #74

Hola Familia!

I can´t believe basketball season is starting again. I still remember the last year when you told me that and it feels like yesterday. Time goes extremely fast and I can´t believe it. And just so you know, I´m not jealous that you´re going to Hawaii because I´m living with an Hawaiian. We cooked some Hawaiian food and it turned out a lot cheaper than it would in Hawaii haha.Yesterday we had some pretty fun cooking because we had to stay in the apartment all day after Church. Yesterday was the final election for President here in Argentina and they told us that we couldn´t leave. It felt like a Sunday at home. And although it was a great rest, I´m glad that we can start working again.

We´re still working a lot with the Menendez Family. They know that they need to get baptized, but they feel like they´re not ready and they don´t feel ready to take on that kind of commitment. We were going to announce their baptism yesterday but they talked to us in the morning and told us that they didn´t want to get baptized this week. They want to wait a little bit more time. As a missionary, it hurts when people don´t do the things that you know are best for them. But just like the Savior, we can´t obligate nor force anyone. We must invite with the Spirit so that the Spirit can soften and change their hearts. Knowing this, I got off the phone with MariLu in the morning and felt the impression to say a pray. I got on my knees and prayed and asked that the Lord would touch the speakers and the teachers so that they would say the things that Omar and MariLu needed to hear. I prayed that they would recognize the Spirit. I finished the prayer and felt peace that the Lord is working with them and that they will progress on His time and when they are ready. I truly know that God answers prayers, because He answered mine. Omar and MariLu made it to Church before the Sacrament and it was full of the Spirit as always. The Youth that graduated from Seminary bore small testimonies, and then Hermana Gutierrez spoke. She´s the Gospel Principles teacher and she spoke about enduring to the end. I don´t remember exactly what she said, but I remember thinking and feeling that this is exactly what Omar and MariLu needed to hear. It was unbelievable. I prayed and prayed that they would stay for the Gospel Principles class to hear Hermana Gutierrez again. (Omar had knee surgery last week and was hobbling around, that´s why I thought they were going to head home). Heavenly Father answered my prayers again and they stayed! In the class we talked about the Family and responsibilities of each member of the family. The Spirit was incredible, especially when Hermana Gutierrez closed her testimony about how she wants to see each one of us in the temple. She closed with tears in her eyes and I know that the Spirit was felt. MariLu felt the Spirit without a doubt. She was crying and I knew that the Lord had answered my simple but fervent prayer that I offered that morning. I´m still hoping and praying that they will feel prepared, but I know that as we do all we can, the rest is put in the Lord´s hand.

Our Heavenly Father truly answers our prayers. He hears and answers each one of them on His time. I love the mission because I feel so close to my Heavenly Father and I feel that I can talk to Him like a friend.

Thanks for all the love and support. Good luck in basketball this week! Do some work Collin! Love you!

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

We marinated meat with vegetables Saturday night and it was a delicious Sunday dinner in the apartment!

 

Week #73

Hola Familia!

It hurts me to hear all of the sad things that are happening in this world. Just like the scriptures and prophets warn, if we don´t keep the commandments of the Lord, we will be destroyed just like the Jaredites and Nephites were. But if we keep our covenants and listen to the Prophet, we will be okay! And for that, I´m super grateful and happy. I don´t think that there is a better and safer place to be than on the mission serving the Lord. 

We had transfers this week and luckily I get to stay here in Bahía Blanca ( the area is called General Arias) with Elder Paleka. Actually, all of the elders in the apartment stay also. I´m really excited because we´ll be here for Christmas!! The zone didn´t have many changes easier which makes me really happy because we have great Elders here in Bahía Blanca that are progressing a lot.

The reason that I´m most excited to stay here in General Arias is because we are working with a lot of people and seeing a lot of success. First off all, thank you for all of your prayers! Omar and Mari Lu Menendez GOT MARRIED! It was such an awesome experience. They´ve been together for 20 years and they have 4 children and they never got married. The man doing the wedding why they decided to get married and they said, "They are getting married for God and so they can have an eternal family." It was the Spirit of the Lord that softened their hearts and strengthened their faith enough to make this decision. And because they fulfilled the Law of Chastity (which they have been breaking for 20 years) the Lord instantly blessed. There family is more unified and they are filled with happiness. Mari Lu is filled with so much light and she received a relief that can only come from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was a clear difference and she wants to keep progressing! She wants to get baptized a lot, but she wants to be able to do it with Omar. Omar wants to get baptized, but he wants to read more, study more, learn more, and prepare more. He´s awesome and I know the Spirit will testify to him that he IS ready and that it´s just the first step to achieve an eternal family. The kids will start progressing more when school ends here. We´re praying so that each one of them can make the decision to have an eternal family through baptism and confirmation of the Holy Ghost.

We´re also working with a woman called Flor. She has come to church for the last 4 weeks and is very prepared to be baptized, but she´s not married. The issue of marriage is big here just like it is around the world. She´s doing well and progressing but we´re praying so that her husband´s heart is softened so that he decides to get married to her.

Thanks for all the love and support. I love you all so much. Have a great week!

Love Elder Bosco II

 

Omar and Mari Lu´s wedding!!!

 

 Finally! They got married!

Wedding (it kind of looks like the outside of a temple haha)

 Me, Omar, Mari Lu, Elder Paleka, Elder Price, Elder Valle

 The entire Menendez Family!

( from left to right: Lucas, Joana, Omar, Mari Lu, Jonny, Celeste)

Please keep them in your prayers! They are progressing so well and they need all the blessings from the Spirit! Thanks!!

 

 

Week #72

Hola Familia!

It´s getting pretty hot here in Bahía Blanca. Luckily, President Cifuentes changed our schedule, now we study during the "siesta" (nap time) for Argentina. It´s a blessing because we work in the morning when it´s a little bit more cool outside. During the siesta when it´s extremely hot and there aren´t many people, we´re inside studying with fans blowing the whole time. We´re all getting used to the schedule, but I´m extremely grateful for it.

I´m filled with energy and I love being a missionary. Being in the sun all day isn´t easy (and it isn´t fun sometimes haha) but I love feeling like a missionary. Sweating all day long and feeling like I don´t have any energy doesn´t make me that happy, but seeing the Savior lift me up on His shoulders and give me energy and power through His Atonement makes me SO happy. When I don´t feel like I have the energy or the desires to keep moving on, the Atonement simply always carries me and I can´t explain it-- it´s something that you must feel as a missionary. 

I love reading and studying the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Studying it and discussing it with Elder Paleka and the Elders in the apartment gives me so many desires to strive to be more like Nephi. I know that he lived and that his record written upon the golden plates were indeed translated by Joseph Smith. They truly have the words to eternal life and they help me change. I desire to repent and to become better every time I pick up the Book of Mormon and read it.

While studying about the Atonement and the Resurrection today with Elder Paleka, I came across a scripture that has sunk deep into my mind and into my heart. It´s found in DyC 88:32. It´s says that we will be resurrected to the body that our spirits are willing to take. We will literally have the amount of happiness that we are willing to receive. I realized through the Spirit that if I want to be happy, I can be happier! It´s my decision. I also realized that God´s Plan is perfect for all of His children because ALL of His children will receive the happiness that they are willing to receive. In other words, everyone will be as happy as they want to be! I love the mission because we share with others that there is more happiness to what they now live. When we find out that there is more, we are able to find TRUE and LASTING happiness through our Savior Jesus Christ.

We had a great experience with Omar and MariLu Menendez. They are getting married on Wednesday! They´ve been together for over 20 years and they´ve never been legally married. They all  have a great relationship with each other and they are a great example as a family. Since they went and put a date to get married, they have struggled and experienced difficulties. To the point where they even doubted to get married, if it truly were worth it. Satan works hard with them because he knows that this family is getting ready to be sealed one day. We visited them last week and we talked about obedience. During the lesson I asked MariLu how the plans were for the following Wednesday. (I was expecting hesitation in there answer). She answered with with excitement and said that she knows that they are going to be blessed. She said how they had always wanted to get married but never took the initiative to do it. (I´m not going to lie, the answer took me for surprise- a GOOD surprise). The Spirit filled the room and we were able to promise blessings as they showed their obedience to get married on Wednesday. I´m so excited for them! Please keep them in your prayers so that they can keep progressing. The Lord is always ready to bless us when we decide to humble ourselves and obey His commands.

Thanks for the love and support and prayers. Have a great week!

Love, Elder Bosco II

Week #71

Hola Familia,

First off, as an Area (not just a mission) in South America we are starting to read the Book of Mormon and our goal is to read it before the start of the next General Conference. They sent us a schedule of what we need to read everyday to be able to finish it and we started today! I´m already loving it because all of the missionaries are studying the same things and there are a lot of points of view to change from! As a mission, we´re also reading Preach My Gospel together. Each day we are given a topic to study. Now pretty much all of the missionaries have the same personal study. I´m really excited because the spirituality of each missionary is going to increase and definitely we´ll see success.

Something has been on my mind these last few weeks that I´d like to share with everyone today. We know from DyC 130:20-21 that every blessing is based on the Laws of God. Laws that God himself lives and that cannot be changed. I´ve been thinking alot about this topic because President Cifuentes shared with us something that I will share with you today. These laws and blessings (from obedience to the laws) are part of God´s plan and for ALL of God´s children. These blessings are for every one of His children whether they be members of the Church or whether they be atheists. If someone lives a healthy and long life, it´s because they show obedience to the laws that God has set. They have received those kind of blessings. If someone becomes rich from successful business, it´s because this person has been obediente to God´s laws of economy. If that´s the case, what are the great blessings and promises from being a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Other Churches have seen miracles of healings because they have showed their obedience to that commandment of God. When they show faith in Christ as non-members, and we show faith in Christ as members, we´ll receive the same blessing-- because the blessing is based off of the law and it has been that way since the beginning of times. The difference is, is that as members of the Church, more of God´s laws are revealed to us through modern day prophets. Without these prophets, we wouldn´t know God´s laws. Therefore, we wouldn´t be able to live them and receive God´s blessings. The rest of the world can´t receive the blessings from living the laws that we learn in the temple- and the greatest of these, the Sealing Law of God. Imagine the blessings that are promised to us and the blessings that we receive just because of the knowledge and obedience to the laws in the temple. That is why we are a blessed people! Because we know about the power of sealings in God´s temple and we show our obedience to receive these blessings. Yes it is worth it to be a member of God´s Church because it is the Church of ETERNAL FAMILIES! I love this gospel and I love the way God has made His plan so that we can return to His presence with our families FOREVER! 

I hope you were able to follow my train of thoughts about the blessings of the temple and the sealing power. haha. Please keep in your prayers Omar and Mari Lu Menendez in your prayers. We are hoping that they get married on November 11, 2015! Thanks for all the love and support and prayers. I love you all!

Love, Elder Bosco II

This was our celebration of Halloween. I dressed up as Elder Paleka and He dressed up as me. The cowboy hat was just to celebrate a little more

The rest of the day, we were dressed up as missionaries.

And by the way, I think that was the most that I´ve ever dressed up for Halloween haha

 The biggest Mountain that I´ve seen on the mission. We did a baptismal interview in a little town called Pigüé

Elder Price dressing up like Elder Valle (from Chile)

Week #70

Hola Familia!!

You´ll have to tell me if my English sounds weird. I seriously can´t speak in English sometimes because the words come out sounding funny.I´m literally turning into an Argentine haha. Just kidding. When summer hits my hair gets super blonde and my face gets super red. Everyone realizes that I´m not Argentine haha. Thinking about this week, I would like to tell you about some personal experiences and personal progression that I´ve had this week. Looking back on just a week of progression, I realize just how much I love the mission. It´s incredible!

We had interviews with President Cifuentes on Thursday and it was an incredible experience. We talked about a lot of things that filled me with the Spirit. I can feel his love and it brought me closer to the love that the Savior has for me. After I asked him some questions he told me that he had some questions for me. I was ready. Word for word, he asked me the questions of worthiness for a temple recommend. I haven´t heard these questions in quite some time and it filled me with the Spirit of the Lord. I can´t tell you the feelings that I had and that I felt. I confidently answered each one of the questions and halfway through the interview, the Spirit penetrated my heart even deeper. I started to feel like I was in the temple. Tears came to my eyes and I felt for a moment that I was in the Celestial Room. The power of the Holy Ghost is incredible. I left the interview feeling like I had walked out of the temple and I began to realize just how much I miss it! Thinking about the interview, I realized just how important is to have a temple recommend always and to be worthy of it. If we are worthy of a temple recommend now, we will be worthy of a place in the Celestial Kingdom in the future. The Spirit filled me that day and I was filled with desires to do good.

Another experience that I had this week came from counsel from President Cifuentes on how we can elevate the Sabbath Day in our lives. How understanding the sacredness of the Chapel and treating it with more reverence would help us feel the Spirit more during the Sacrament and throughout the day. I put it to the test and I can say that I was filled with the Spirit during the Sacrament. I´m trying to treat sacred things with more reverence. I know that as I do it, the Lord will be more willing to bless me with His sacred gift- His Holy Spirit.

I hope everyone is doing well. For now, the weather is great- we haven´t hit the heat yet. I hope everyone can become closer to Jesus Christ this week and recognize the power of the Spirit in your lives. Thanks for all the love and support!

Love, Elder Bosco II

Week #69

Hola Familia!

First off, the questions about the ward I´m in. We´re in a pretty big ward, about 90 people come every week. We don´t have any assignments and we don´t have to teach a class or anything- it´s great. In our zone, there are 16 missionaries- 10 Elders and 6 Sisters. As well as zone leaders, we´re District leaders to half of them. It´s an incredible experience and I´m learning so much. Each Elder is very different but I´ve grown a love for each and every one of them. Their personal progress and service to the Lord is very important to Jesus Christ. President Cifuentes wants us to help them become better than they are now, whether it´s 1% better, or whether their life is changed. As for their investigadors, the missionaries have it all on their own. We help if they ask for help. We are completely focused on the Spirituality and well-being of each missionary. I´ve grown in so many ways serving under President Cifuentes. He tells us that we have to jobs as leaders- to love and to serve.

This week was great because Mirta was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You might be wondering why she wasn´t confirmed earlier... I´ll tell you why haha. She had to wait until after General Conference to be confirmed. We taught her throughout the week and the Spirit was incredibly strong. Saturday night we taught her about the Spirit and she was excited to come the next day. When we went to her house to pick her up in the morning- she wasn´t there. We had no idea where she was and she wasn´t answering her phone. I just didn´t understand. We had taught her with the Spirit as often as we could and we prayed like crazy for her. I didn´t understand what had happened. Even though I was filled with a little stress, I knew that the situation was in the Lord´s hand. We got a hold of her in the afternoon and she told us that right after we had left, she found out that her aunt had passed away. On Sunday morning she went to the cemetary for a ceremony. We took the opportunity to teach her about temples and baptisms for the dead throughout the week. The Spirit was incredible every time we testified to her and taught her. We taught her every day and prayed like crazy so that she would be able to be confirmed without the doubting power of Satan. She was extremely nervous on Sunday morning, but she was confirmed and she received the gift of the Holy Ghost. I will never forget the look in her eyes after the confirmation. She was filled with light and tears in her eyes. The Spirit of the Lord was powerful.

We visited her on Sunday evening and we gave her a little gift for Mother´s Day. She told us that nobody had every said "Happy Mother´s Day" to her before. She was extremely grateful and she got talking to us. She told us about a dream that she had had over 6 years ago when she was still smoking and drinking. She saw a celestial being in her dream with a white robe and white hair. It was very bright and she couldn´t see the person´s face. She told us that this person said words that have stuck in her mind ever since. The person said, "If you were to see my face right now, you would go blind." These words have stuck in her mind for years now. We had the confidence and peace to testify to her that being baptized and confirmed in the Church of Jesus Christ is the first step to be able to return in the presence of God. Not only in his presence, but with the ability to see His face and to hug Him.

I realized just how much Mirta and her experiences are changing my life and strengthening my own testimony. That´s what the mission does for you. When you go out to serve others, the only thing that happens is tha Lord helps YOU grow. It´s an incredible process.

Thanks for all the love and support. Have a great week!

Love, Elder Bosco II

A recorded message and a song from Elder Bosco- click on the links to listen

Hola from Elder Bosco

Subject: ¡Feliz Día de la Madre!

Elder Paleka and I sang a hymn for you for Mother´s Day to keep the tradition from the last Mother´s Day with Elder White. The song is called "Brillan Rayos de Clemencia"

I sang the first verse, Elder Paleka sang the second verse, and we sang together the third verse. The chorus we always sang together. I hope it turned out well hahah

LOVE YOU MOM!

This years Mother's Day Song from Elder Bosco and Elder Paleka

 

Week #68

Hermano and Hermana Valdez! Hermano Valdez served his mission with Karissa and Andres in Cordoba!

Hola Familia,

Our PDay was changed to today because yesterday was Columbus Day and EVERYTHING was closed. So President Cifuentes changed our PDay. Yesterday we ate lunch with a young married couple- The Valdez Family. They got married a little less than a year ago and he served his mission about 2 years ago. I asked him where he served, and he told me CÓRDOBA, Argentina. And yes, he served with Andres and Karissa. He said, "Hermana Bosco is your sister? I didn´t even think about that" haha He knew Karissa a little, but knows Andres a lot more. Andres was his zone leader and when Andres became AP, Hermano Valdez replaced him as zone leader. It was pretty cool because he showed me a few pictures that he had of Andres and all the missionaries in the zone. HAHA it was really cool. I´ll send you a picture with Brother and Sister Valdez.

This week I learned some awesome things. First off, I came on the mission to find, teach, and help people come unto Christ by making covenants with Him so that they can live with Him forever. But what I realized this week, is that the investigators have taught me more about the lessons that I teach and how I can better live my covenants. I´ll give you an example. During the week, we taught Mirta a few times and we always start and end with a prayer. She´s getting a lot better at praying and talking to her Father in Heaven. EVERY TIME that we end the prayer and say amen, there are tears in her eyes. She literally feels the power of the Spirit every time that we pray and talk to our Father in Heaven. I was always amazed at that, but it wasn´t until a little later on in the day when the Spirit taught me about the example of Mirta. The Spirit whispered to me, "Why don´t we all feel the Spirit strongly in our lives every time we pray? Why don´t we have desires to cry every time we pray because the Spirit has touched our hearts?" I thought about it and it´s true. When I pray with real intent and sincerely, I always am filled with the Spirit. But why don´t I pray like that always? Thanks to Mirta´s example and the whisperings of the Spirit, I am living my covenants in a better way because I am improving my prayers.

Another example of this is when we were teaching Ramona about why we have the commandments and rules from our Heavenly Father. She told us that she always has rules in her home because if her kids go out in the street and do whatever they want and get hurt because if it, who´s going to suffer most? She said, "I am!" During the lesson I began to think... If we choose to disobey the commandments and we go out in the real world and get hurt (physically and/or spiritually speaking), who´s going to suffer most? I think she´s right.. our parents. And even more than our earthly parents, our Heavenly parents. They love us and They don´t want us to get hurt. For this reason, we have received commandments as protections from the wickedness of the world. The lesson that we were supposed to be teaching to Ramona was ironic because SHE was teaching US.

We can always learn- day by day- as we have the Spirit as our companion. He will always find ways to teach us and to show us the way to eternal life.

Thanks for all the love and support! I love you all so much.

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

AND.... MARTÍN GOT BAPTIZED ONE YEAR AGO!!! OH YEAH!

 

Thanks to Elder Paleka's ( green and yellow striped shirt) parents for this picture

 

Week #67

Hola Familia!

I had such a great week. The weekend was the greatest ever. We´ve been working with a little old lady named Mirta. She has talked to missionaries for a long time, but was never prepared to get baptized. She smoked all of her life and she finally stopped 6 years ago because she had to. The doctors took 6 or 7 black balls of nicotene from her lungs. And she´s still living- she always says, "Thanks to God, I´m living free." Then last year, the missionaries talked to her and taught her, but she was living with her husband- but they weren´t married. So the missionaries stopped visiting and teaching her. A few weeks ago, we contacted Mirta in the street and started talking to her. We started teaching her with a member and the lessons were always filled with the Spirit. The mention of the name of Jesus Christ and her eyes were already filled with tears. She´s very sensitive to the whisperings of the Spirit. She understood that it wasn´t obligation and she wanted to get baptized- but she has fear of water. She told us that her faith in Jesus Christ makes it so she´s not scared. Also, she seperated from her spouse a little while back, and she knew that she could get baptized now because she was fulfilling God´s commandments. 

Her baptism was an incredible experience FILLED with the Spirit. On October 2, exactly 6 years from stopping smoking, Mirta got baptized. She entered the waters trembling. Her whole body was shaking. She got in the water, was baptized by Priesthood authority, and came out of the water with a light. What I remember is that her face was light up. She looked up at the heavens soaking wet and said, "Oh Dios mío. Gracias por eso. No puedo creerlo." Then Mirta (65 years old) gave the biggest hug to Elder Dement. I cannot deny the Spirit that was felt in that room. Every member and investigator that came was filled with the same feeling that I was. She was truly forgiven of all of her sins. It was an experience that I will never forget. Please keep her in your prayers so that she can stay on this great path of happiness!

Omar and Mari Lu came to the baptism! They are getting married on November 11 so that they can get baptized. They have 4 children some of them came to a session of General Conference. The Menendez Family is incredible, but the adversary is working hard so that they doubt the importance of marriage and baptism. Please keep them in your prayers as well. Omar, Mari Lu, Celeste, Johana, Lucas, Joni. I can´t even begin to explain to you the changes that have taken place this last week in Omar´s life. He´s starting to pray and read and taking a lot more interest in the lessons. It´s incredible the way that the Spirit works.

One thing that I took away from Conference that I will never forget is that I KNOW that the 12 apostles and the First Presidency is called of God. These truly are the Lord´s chosen servants on the earth today. Their counsel is the Lord´s counsel. Elder Bednar said something that hit my heart. When these men make a decision together, it is much stronger and much intellectually advanced than the human mind can make. These men are truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and by our loving Heavenly Father.

We had transfers yesterday and I´m staying here in General Arias in Bahía Blanca. Elder Dement left to Mar del Plata and my new companion is ELDER PALEKA. We´re really good friends and we served in the same zone in Mar del Plata. He´s from Hawaii and the first thing he pulled out of his suitcase was Hawaiian popcorn- I can´t explain it, but it was Good! haha

Thanks for all the love and support! I love you all!

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

 President Cifuente´s home for a Leadership conference!

President Cifuente´s home for a Leadership conference!

 

Mirta got baptized!

 pictures from her baptism!

Monte Hermoso

 

 World Wide Service Projects- Mormon Hands Help (Something like that). We picked up garbage and took away all of the trash that causes mosquitos to come during the summer.

 Monte Hermoso

 The Menendez Family!

 My new companion, Elder Paleka from Hawaii

 Watching the Priesthood Session in Pres. Cifuente´s home!!

 

 

Week #66

Hola Familia!

First off, I got the package from Mar Del Plata! We had a leadership conference and all of the leaders come to Bahía Blanca to listen to President Cifuentes. I learned a lot from him. He truly stresses the importance of love and service. We even had the opportunity to have him speak in our ward on Sunday and it was incredible. He asked us all why we were here at church. He told us the reasons why he was there. He said two simple things- 1.Eternal Families 2. Service. He talked about how we are all one big family and how God´s plan is that ALL of us return to His presence. That´s where the service comes in. We must serve all of God´s children so that ALL of us can return to God´s presence. That´s what I want- I want to be able to return to God´s presence with ALL of my family and friends.

Unfortunately, Vitelli started smoking again and this time he told us that he doesn´t want to learn more. We left him with our testimony and a good friendship, and then we put him in the area book. Right now he doesn´t want to change, but in the near future he will be more prepared. It´s hard to let go of investigadors, but the gift of agency is real and God has given it to each and every one of us. We´re teaching a few people that are amazing! Mirta is going to get baptized one of these next few weeks. Please pray for her so that she´ll be able to keep progressing. We also found a family (The Cuestas Family) that are listening to us because they feel something special about us. We had a great lesson with them on Saturday, but they couldn´t come to church because of problems with work. Pray for them so that they can make it to General Conference and watch it with us. I´ll keep you updated on the progress of them.

For P-Day, we had a zone P-day and we went to a place called Monte Hermoso. It´s so beautiful. It´s on the cost and it´s a little city that reminds me a lot of downtown Park City. I took a lot of pictures, but I´m not going to send them this week because I don´t have too much confidence in these computers here in Monte Hermoso. I don´t want to get a virus and lose everything hahah. Look Monte Hermoso up on the internet, it´s an hour outside of the city of Bahía Blanca. President Cifuentes encouraged us to have these P-days as zones to help the missionaries feel like part of a family and to relax and have fun. We had a great time playing volleyball on the beach. It was windy so there was literally NOBODY. We had a great time!

Thanks for all the love and support. Have a great week preparing yourselves for General Conference!!!

Love Elder Bosco II

Thanks to Elder Dements family for this picture of Elder Bosco and Elder Dement