Week #83

Hola Familia!

We had a great week of work this week and I learned a lot of great lessons. I´d like to share one with you. Just so you know, every day during the week was warm and many people were outside- I love days like that on the mission because it´s a lot easier to find people. But unfortunately, It poured rain Sunday morning. That usually is a big excuse for many people to sleep in and not come to Church. Knowing that that was going to be the case, we looked for each investigator in the rain and the mud. A few didn´t answer the door, and a few told us to our dripping wet face that they might come next week. It was rough. But we got to the Church soaking wet and smile on our faces because a good attitude is key to happiness. Obviously we weren´t too happy, but you´ve got to fake it til you make it right?

During Sacrament meeting, a member showed me a scripture. It was pretty random but the scripture really touched my heart. He shared with me D&C 123:17. It tells us to be of good cheer and to do all that is in our reach. If we do so, we will remain at peace and see the salvation of God. The Spirit came over me and helped me understand that there are always decisions that we can control. We can control our attitude and we can do what we can. I know that if we do, we will feel that same peace that I felt Sunday morning in the pouring rain. It´s not a great feeling being soaking wet and disappointed, but inner peace is priceless.

Do everything you can with a good attitude and ALL will turn out well. The Lord has already promised us. 

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

Homemade Burrito

Splits with Elder Staples

 

Week #82

Hola Familia!

Thank you so much for you letter and love. It´s interesting to feel the love and prayers and family and friends even though we´re many miles apart. I had a great week with some great experiences. These experiences strengthened me and I hope that they can strengthen you. I know that God directs this work through His Son Jesus Christ. I wish that the whole world knew who the Savior was because I´m starting to really get to know and love Him.

First off, I had an incredible experience with the world-wide conference that we heard. It was the first time in over a decade where they have had a conference with all of the missionaries around the world. We heard talks from Elder Andersen, Elder Bednar, Elder Oaks, President Clayton, and other leaders in the Church. I was truly uplifted and there were many things that I realized that I needed to do better to be able to help people come unto Jesus Christ. Something that Elder Oaks said really penetrated my heart. He said that just being clean in the presence of God isn´t enough. We must become STRONG and be able to fight against sin and have the strength to be able to be in the presence of our Father in Heaven. Pondering in the statement that he said, I realized that I need to use the Atonement more in my life. Not just to repent and become clean from sin, but to truly become STRONGER. The Atonement is infinite and it must make us strong and powerful to resist all type of sin and temptation. We must be so strong that the very thought of sin makes us disgusted. One of my goals is to use the Atonement even more in my life daily.

Another great experience was a letter that I received from Ruben Cardenau- a convert from Necochea. He got baptized December 27, 2015. In his letter, he told me how happy he was to be in "the true faith of our Savior Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father." He shared with me his experiences from doing baptisms for the dead for many of his ancestors. He´s gone to the Buenos Aires temple 2 times and the Cordoba temple 3 times. He told me that he received the Melquesic (spel? I can only think of the spelling in Spanish haha) Priesthood and became an Elder. He told me about his excitement and his preparation to enter in the temple to receive his endowments. It made me think about when I received my endowments. There hasn´t been a happier day in my entire life. I was filled with so much joy and satisfaction. Not because I did a lot to help Ruben, but because the Lord let me see a man change and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and start to feel the happiness that I feel.Missionary work is satisfying, but until you feel it, you can´t explain it. It was a great tender mercy from the Lord to hear from Ruben.

I hope that everyone preparing to serve the mission knows that there is great joy in store waiting for you. This same joy will come to all of us as we magnify our callings and live worthily. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love Elder Bosco II

Week #81

Hola familia!

This week was incredible and I want to share a special experience that we had this week. We´re teaching Alexis and Belén Sabatini and I had told you that last week. We´re teaching them the commandments. We got there one day and they showed us the date that they chose. They´re getting married on Feb. 5, 2016! We taught them the Word of Wisdom because both of them smoke and they accepted with so much faith. We visited them the next day, and the feeling was different. Satan was definitely throwing his temptations at them. They had just recently gotten in a big fight and Belén was in the bathroom and didn´t even want to come out. Alexis was pretty upset and angry. We sat there listening to what was growing on, and we started teaching Alexis about the Anti Nephi Lehites. We talked about throwing this bad day into a hole and burrying it. We talked about the power of prayer and the Spirit that it brings into our lives. We invited him to say the closing pray. He said a pray that FILLED the room with the Spirit of the Lord. I guarantee that Belén heard it. He prayed for Belén and her well being. I was filled with the Spirit to the point that I almost cried. Anyways, we left their house with a better Spirit.

At night, we called Alexis to ask him something and he answered the phone and said that he wanted to tell us something. He said right when he left, he went to check on Belén because she wasn´t answering him. He looked through a crack and saw Belén kneeling down praying. He said that it filled him with strength. She came out of the bathroom and she asked for forgiveness and asked for help to say a prayer. She truly wanted to know that this was true. She likes hearing the lessons, but she said that there was something holding her back. They said a prayer together and asked for a sign through the scriptures to know that it was true. They finished their prayer and grabbed a Book of Mormon and randomly opened to Mosiah 5. They didn´t even read in order, they read random verses. And Belén told us that it filled her with a burning desire in her heart with the EXACT words that she needed to hear. She knew it was true. She knew that everything we had taught her was true. She doesn´t even know that much about the Book of Mormon, but one thing she does know is how to listen to the Spirit. She received her answer and she wants to follow it now.

That is why she received an answer because she wanted to FOLLOW it. What a testimony builder to me to know that if someone wants to know that the Book of Mormon is true, all you have to do is ask.

Thanks for all the love and support. I love you all and hope you all have a great week!

Love Elder Bosco II

Week #80

Hola Familia!

It was another awesome week in the mission. Elder Dement and I moved in to the house and area white washed. Well I had already been there, so it hasn´t been too difficult working here. The last two missionaries that lived here had finished the mission together, so the house was a mess. We deep cleaned the house and we´re enjoying our home made lunches everyday. I´ll have to send you some pictures of what we have made. He´s from Texas so we go BIG haha.

It´s incredible to see the the Lord´s time in this work. When I was here before, these people weren´t quite ready. But just 5 months later, I can plainly see that the Lord´s Spirit had worked and is working in them. I´ll give you some examples. There´s a member named Marita Sabatini. She got baptized 5 years ago and she is a strong and faithful member of the Church, but she is the only member in her family. Her husband and children (17-30 years old) aren´t members. I had the chance to speak to a few of them when I was here before. They´re super nice, but never had interest in the Church. When I returned, Marita´s brother, Matias, got baptized and now is preparing for the mission. (That was a miracle because when I talked to him 5 months ago, he didn´t want anything) Another miracle is Marita´s 23 year old son, Alexis,

I spoke to Alexis about 5 times the last time I was here and he always talked to us, but never about the Church- he was always very busy with work. He´s not married and he lives with his girlfriend Belén. They have a 2 year old kid and they are the cutest family. When we got here to Cerri, we saw that he had gone to Church a few times and that he was improving a little. We went to a members house and asked him where Alexis lived. We went to his house and we taught him and Belén and invited them to come to Church. Alexis came to Church and during the Gospel Principles class, he told us with tears in his eyes that we showed up just in time to his home. He told us that only the missionaries would know where he lived (guided by the Lord), because he hadn´t told many people and he moved in just 3 days earlier. He told us this crying and said that it was his time to follow the example of his mother. 

The Spirit hit me strong in that class and I realized that even though Alexis wasn´t prepared before, he´s ready now! And that is MOST important. We taught Alexis and Belén the importance of marriage and they accepted happily. They are getting married in about 3 weeks and they´re excited. Only the Spirit has the power to change someone´s heart like that. 

The Spirit does ALL of the work in the mission and I´m grateful to be an instrument in bringing this Spirit to the people in Argentina.

Love, Elder Bosco II

 

New Year´s Eve Dinner and last meal with members!

 

 

BURRITOS!