Week #22

 Hola Familia!

So crazy how basketball is already starting up again and how Dallin is playing again. I thought he was on a mission hahaha.

 

[Wesley is referring to the PHS basketball preview in the Daily Herald- it said to watch for Jr. guard Dallin Bosco. hmmm...and I really thought that Collin wouldn't have this problem because he is the only Bosco left at Provo High. oh well...]

 

And Thanksgiving doesn´t exist here and so it´s just going to be a normal day in Argentina haha. And by the way mom, I am keeping warm. It´s getting hot here and really humid. But because we´re by the ocean, the weather changes often.

 

I had a few great experiences this week that I´d like to share. The ones that I´d like to share both happened on Sunday. I haven´t been in Argentina too long and so I´m still working on the language. It´s coming along for sure, but I really had to stretch myself Sunday. The teacher for Gospel Principles wasn´t at church and Hermana Rodriguez whispered this in my ear so I got up and taught the class. hahah I wasn´t prepared at all. But I taught a 30 minute class in Spanish. I still can´t believe I did it. But I´ll tell you how I did it. I taught about the Holy Ghost. And as I taught about His mission in our lives, he bore testimony to me of his mission because I was living it. Words in spanish came out of my mouth clearly and even though the spanish wasn´t perfect, the Spirit was present. I felt the power of the Holy Ghost so strong during those 30 mins and the power that the Holy Ghost has in our lives. I testify that the Holy Ghost is always there for us to sustain us in our calling and to help us magnify our callings. He´s there to testify of Jesus Christ and of our Heavenly Father. I bear witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that I have this knowledge only through the voice of the Spirit. What an experience and a boost of confidence for me on the mission. I´m extremely grateful.

 

Also, we had the Primary Program on Sunday and the theme was Eternal Families in the Plan of Salvation. I´m going to admit, I cried a little in some of the songs that were sung because the Spirit testified to me of the truthfulness of this statement: Families Are Eternal. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of Eternal Families. What a blessing for me to be able to represent Jesus Christ and tell the world of this great news!! Especially during this Christmas season. My encouragement for whoever is reading this letter is to live worthily to have an eternal family. Your family on earth is the closest thing to Heavenly Father when the walls of your home are based on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Love your family and remember that Heavenly Father gave us families to be happy!

 

I love my family with all of my heart and I´m grateful for the examples that they´ve been in my life. I wouldn´t be where I am today without my parents guiding and directing my life in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It´s something that I´ll forever be in debt. Thanks for the love, support, and prayers.

Love,

Elder Bosco II

 

SIERRA DE LOS PADRES. 

It reminds me a lot of Lake Tahoe. I even saw a golf course. 

It´s about 30 mins out of our area and we got permission to go for P-Day.

 

 

Week # 21

Hola familia,

 

Christmas must be getting closer because I´m turning into Santa Clause. Haha. It´s getting pretty warm and my hair is turning blonde... almost white. hahaha. The tan lines of the missionaries are hilarious because it looks like we´ve been wearing turtlenecks all day. Oh and I don´t know if I´m going to send a package home for Christmas because I´m not really sure if it will get home or what might happen. I´m pretty sure the packages are pretty safe, but know that I still love you all if I don´t send something home for Christmas. haha

 

The pictures of Ella and the family are so great. Ella is getting so big! I can´t believe how much she´s grown in such a small amount of time.

 

This week was great with Elder Jones. A lot of our baptismal dates fell through, but we were able to find a lot of people and teach them the gospel this week. Even though the baptisms aren´t coming like crazy, I feel like we´ve been successful because we´re teaching a lot of people about Jesus Christ. Good news though, Daniela, the investigator from last week.. stopped smoking! It took a week and a half of calling her every three hours, but it was worth it. She´s that much closer to baptism, but still has to make pretty big decisions to enter the waters of baptism. The important thing is that she is progressing. But unfortunately, she didn´t come to church. That was pretty sad. But everyone has their own agency.

 

Martin was on a vacation this weekend for the stake conference and they forget to sustain him as an Elder. So hopefully he can receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in a week or so. Cejas received the Melchizedek Priesthood yesterday and he is really happy right now. I gave him the biggest hug and he squoze me super tight, paused, squoze me super tight again, then told me that the second one was for Elder White. It´s truly been a miracle. He has changed so much and he truly understands the gospel more every day. The Spirit has the power to enlighten the minds of people... no matter the age.

 

We had Stake Conference yesterday and Prestident Parreño was there. He spoke about love and charity. He said something that I´ve been thinking a lot about lately and I want to share it with you. He said, ¨Love can change things that we can´t change.¨Think about that. If there is something that you want to change about someone else, first change the amount of love that you have for them. The love that you show for them can change them. This was the way Jesus Christ lived his life and it is the way that I´m trying to live mine. I love you all so much and I love my Savior with all of my heart. I owe Him every ounce of ability and talent that I´ve been given. And when all is said and down, that is the reason why I´m on the mission. I can´t say it better than a song by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They sing these 6 words-Oh How I Love My Savior. It´s true, oh how I love my Savior and oh how much I love serving Him. He has given me everything and all is possible because of Him.

 

Thank you for all the prayers and love. I can feel it every day on the mission. I know that this is the work of the Lord.

 

Love, Elder Bosco II

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Week #20

Hola Familia!!

Sorry I´m writing so late, but we had a zone conference today and so that´s why we´re writing right now! The zone Conferences with President Parreño are incredible. I have a testimony of leaders in the church of Jesus Christ. No matter who is called, these men and women are called of God and they receive revelation in our behalf. Part of being a disciple of Jesus Christ is being able to humbly follow the leaders that he calls. Sometimes it takes humility to follow our leaders, but know that they are inspired by God in our behalf. The same goes with parents. Be obedient to your parents. I´m so grateful for Mom and Dad who have received revelation in my behalf and have lead our family so that one day we can reach our goal of having an eternal family. Teaching and sharing about eternal families every day has helped me realized just how lucky and blessed I am to have a family that follows Jesus Christ. I truly love you all so much and all of your examples. The joy I have knowing that Dallin is serving and that Collin is going to serve is incredible. It´s a blessing extremely great in my life. Memories of looking and Dallin and Collin every night before bed as they read the scriptures and talked with Heavenly Father are memories that I can´t express. Their examples to me have affected my life now on the mission and will affect my life forever.

I have learned a lot from Elder Jones. He´s very humble and we get along well. I´ve had to learn the streets better, better my spanish, and know the ward members a little better because he doesn´t know the area. Because of that, I´ve grown SO MUCH this week. My spanish improved and is improving so much right now. It´s been a great blessing to me.

We have an investigator, Daniela. She has a child and lives with her boyfriend but doesn´t want to get married. She knows the church is true. She´s read almost all of the Book of Mormon. She even takes notes in a notebook (better than my notes haha). The thing that´s holding her back is Fear. She doesn´t want to leave him in fear for her child and also in fear of him. We´ve prayed a lot for her and there´s nothing else that I want to see right now but to see her start a new life starting with Baptism. She´s lived a difficult life. She has 4 sisters that I think will follow her example if she takes the leap of faith.

A great thing happened this week in church. Martin picked up Cejas and they walked to church and arrived in time! They´re both faithful and come to all the meetings and love church. The joy is so great right now because they´re both receiving the Melcezidek (spelling?) Priesthood next week!

I hope this week is great for everyone!! It´s starting to get hot here!! haha I love you all and I thank you for the love and support. It means a lot. Love you!!

Elder Bosco II

P.S. I forgot to put this in my letter, but Martin has been leaving with us some nights for a few hours and he knocks doors with us. He bears his testimony and he says he loves it. It´s been such a miracle to see his progress and his ability to overcome challenges in his life because of his love for Jesus Christ.

Elder Jones and I with Daniela

Cejas!! One days he´s going to come to Utah

Elder Jones and I in the Zone Conference

 Zone Conference

On the street DON BOSCO (I´m famous in this area)

Week #19

Hola Familia,

Well, my dad in the mission, Elder White, left. It was really tough for me because I only know the mission through him. Now I´m in Pompeya still with Elder Jones! Elder Jones is from Minnesota and he´s been out on the mission for a year. I´m really nervous because he doesn´t know the area at all and I do. Well at least I think I do. These moments of stress are always the worst, but always the best because they are ways that we can grow as children of God. We can grow closer to Christ because we have to rely on him more. I´ve noticed that in my life and especially on the mission. The hard times always serve for a better purpose. Especially when we humble ourselves and turn to Christ. There is always a way to overcome trials. Always. And if it doesn´t seem like there is, turn yourself to Christ even more. Kneel down and ask Him what He wants you to do. If you follow the promptings that you have and you are living righteously and the hard times still aren´t passing. Don´t worry because you´re growing. You may not be able to see it now, but the Lord is molding you into something that He wants you to be. We don´t understand everything, but He does. And what great comfort it is to know that he will bless our lives more than we can imagine.

We have an investigator. Her name is Daniela and she is living with a man right now but she doesn´t want to get married to him. We´ve taught her the law of chastity and she´s extremely scared, but she wants to be baptized. But every time she gets closer, something happens in her family. Her dad is going crazy and wants revenge on her mom (a recent divorce). And then just the other day, her mom was burned while showering. All of her body. But at least now, she´s been turning to pray when these things happen. That´s exactly what the Lord wants her to do. I´ve grown to really love Daniela and I want her to be baptized because I know it will bless her. She doesn´t think she can change, but I know she can. The Spirit has told me that she can change. I hope this week that she changes a little more than the last.

Last, Martín blessed the sacrament in church!!! What a tender mercy to see him worthily bless the sacrament. Also, he contacted with me and Elder White in the streets for a few hours one day and he loved it!! He´s going to be a great missionary. I´m so excited for him!

Thanks for all the love, support, and prayers. The mission is tough, but it is so worth it. I love you all!!

Love, Elder Bosco II

with Elder Bradford (zone leader)

with Elder Jiminez- "These missionaries mean so  much to me"

New Companion- Elder Jones

My District in Mar del Plata

The Zone (2 Districts)

we sang in the concert with the members. This is the theater. It was fun!

Week #18

Hola Familia!

 

This week in church was great for several reasons. First, Martín passed the Sacrament. It was a sweet moment to see him worthily and happily pass the Sacrament. It was a sweet spiritual moment for me when he passed it to me. The Spirit was incredibly strong and I´ll never forget it. 

 

Also, Cejas received the Priesthood. What a miracle. He´s had two brain attacks, but he´s really starting to understand the spiritual things in life. That´s the most important. He told Elder White and I that he wants to come to Utah when we both return home and he wants to take a picture with us at every temple in Utah. He told us that he wants to do this and then die after. The way he said it was pretty funny. Cejas has turned into our grandpa haha. My Argentino Grandpa. We learned that he was a captain for a boat and so he travelled to the New York and New Orleans several times. After church, he went and ate at a restaurant. hahaha. We had to reteach him the Sabbath Day. I think (hope) that he gets it now. Thank goodness for the Atonement right? But the Truth is that he´s changing and becoming better everyday. He even invited his friend, Gladys, to his house and we taught her and she wants to be baptized in a few weeks. He´s a missionary too!! Martín and Cejas are preparing to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood in 3 weeks. What a blessing it´s been to watch them! The changes that have happened in our ward have been tremendous and the Lord´s hand is right in the middle of it... like ALWAYS. Seeing the miracles is one of the tender mercies of being a missionary!

 

And for something I noticed the other day in the wind of Mar del Plata was an ant on the sidewalk. The Lord teaches us things in crazy ways sometimes. But the ant was walking and then the wind would blow it back, then it would walk a little, then it would blow it back. The ant would walk some more (but this time in a different direction because it didn´t know which way it was facing). The ant was getting nowhere. Then I saw a rock. A little rock, but still a rock. It was solid and immovable. Helaman 5:12 came to my mind. I thought about how much we need to build our foundation and our lives upon Our Rock, even Jesus Christ. We are promised that we won´t be guided astray. We won´t be tossed by the winds of Satan and confused about where we´re going in life. 

 

We know where we´re going. We´re going back to live with our Father in Heaven, who misses us and loves us so much. I´m blessed as a missionary to represent our Savior Jesus Christ and I challenge each of you to help someone build their life even more on the rock of Christ. He IS the way back to Heavenly Father. I know it with all my heart.

 

I love you all and Happy Halloween! (I don´t think they celebrate it here haha)

 

Love, Elder Bosco II

Week #17

Happy Mother´s Day!!

I know that sounds a little weird, but Argentina celebrates El Día de la Madre in October. So Elder White and I sang I Need Thee Every Hour and we recorded it so we could send it home. I really hope it sends home. I´ll try after I write this letter. But what a great week on the mission. We had interviews this week with President Parreño and Hermana Parreño talked to us. It was a great experience and I´ll tell you more about what I learned later in this letter.

It´s starting to get warmer, but the temperature changes every other day to really hot to windy and a little chilly. It´s because we´re by the Ocean. But to be honest, most of the time the temperature is fresh. But yes, it´s getting warmer and it´s very humid haha.

But great news! Martín received the gift of the Holy Ghost (there were 5 confirmations in our ward this week. It was incredible) and Elder White and I had the opportunity to stand in the circle during Sacrament Meeting to confirm him a member of the church! Also, Martín received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained to the office of Priest. The blessings that he received were incredible and I felt how powerful of a missionary that Martín is going to be. In November, the goal is that he´ll become an Elder and receive the Melcezedek Priesthood. If his schedule works out, he´s going to do baptisms for the dead in a month or so in the Buenos Aires Temple. And he is planning on leaving on a mission in a year and a half or so. He says he wants to prepare as much as he can before he leaves. But the truth is, he´s already ready. Martín is incredible and he has the faith that one day his family will join. He´s incredible.

President Parreño taught me a lot during the interview. He asked me if I had any questions and I asked him how I could focus myself even more on the mission. I´m focused on the mission, but I know and understand now that the more focused I am on the mission, the happier I´ll be. And with other things in life, with focus comes success. It´s the same with a calling in the church, with a family, with sports. Focus is key. He turned to the mission manual and shared with me a part about our covenants. He told me that if I always have my covenants in the front of my mind, I´m going to be focused. So I began to think about that. It´s so true. We are a covenant people of the Lord. 

I began to think of the things that I´ve promised to Heavenly Father and the things that He´s promised in return. And I couldn´t help but smile because the blessings are incredible with the foremost blessing being that I can live with HIm, Jesus Christ, and my family forever. So it´s something that I´m doing on the mission right now. Focus on the covenants. And I challenge everyone else to do the same. Always remember your covenants and make decisions that are in accordance with your covenants. The covenants as a baptized member of the church, as a Priesthood Holder, as an endowed member of the church in the Lord´s House. These covenants give us power and protect us from the destructive ways of the Devil. I have a testimony of this more than every on the mission. It gives me great peace knowing that the power of God can always be with us as we are obedient to our covenants.

I love you all so much and I´m so grateful for your love and support. And Happy Mother´s Day! It was nice to reflect on my mom. Who, like the stripling warriors of Helaman, gave everything they had to their mothers. I can honestly say that I am the person I am today only because of my mom. She has shown me how to be more Christ-like than any other person in the world. I thank you mom for everything and I hope to be half the disciple of Christ that you are. I love you so much!

Love Elder Bosco


Elder Bosco and Elder White singing "I Need Thee Every Hour" in Spanish. Elder Bosco is singing the second verse and Elder White is the harmony on the Chorus.

Week #16

Hola familia!

This week was incredible. MARTIN WAS BAPTIZED!!! What a miracle. He loves the gospel and he knows with all his heart that it´s true. He is so grateful that he received it even though his family is against it. He wants to serve a mission and he finishes high school in December. So next October he could leave! I´m so excited for him and to see the people that he touches. He goes to seminary now and he loves every minute of it. Especially because they´re studying the Book of Mormon and he doesn´t get to read it at home because it´s uncomfortable in front of his family. He truly is incredible. 

 

I´m SO happy for him. During the Sacrament Meeting, they announced that he was getting baptized and that he will be a priesthood holder and a missionary in the future. He put his arm around me, smiled, and said ¨Gracias a Bosco¨. I was humbled by that statement. During the Sacrament, I thought about that. In all reality. I realized that I did absolutely nothing with Martin. He was the one who came to the church everyday by himself to be taught. He´s the one that keeps his commitments. He´s the one that has had to go through a lot of trials and overcome them. He´s the one that recognized the Spirit. He´s the one that has embraced the gospel. And the Lord was the one who blessed him with his Spirit. The Lord blessed him with comfort, with an answer, with a change of heart. The Lord was the reason that we found each other. The Lord was the reason that we miraculously found each other again after his family rejecting us. It was completely the Lord. And I realized once again that this is the Lord´s work. The only thing I hope for is that I can be worthy to be one of his instruments in this work because it blesses my life so much. The last few weeks with Martin has changed my life forever and I´m forever grateful for the Lord giving Elder White and I an opportunity to see this miracle in our lives.

Another great thing that happened was that Cejas received the gift of the Holy Ghost!! He is so happy now and he is filled with life! We went over to teach him and he took us to lunch. He took us to a very expensive restaurant on the coast. I never thought that I would eat in a restaurant like that as a missionary. The name of it is Hotel Antártida (Look it up on the internet) The facebook page is Hotel Antártida Oficial. Let´s just say that each meal was 100-200 pesos and each drink cost extra I think. The water came in glass bottles. Elder White and I were shocked the entire time. Especially because the view of the coast was incredible. Miguel (the blind member) also came with us. And we found out that his nephew worked at that restaurant. So his nephew paid for it all. We didn´t pay for anything. So Cejas is taking us out to eat in an hour for PDay today haha. So sweet. We´re pumped.

But for real, the miracles on the mission are incredible and I´m not talking about eating at nice restaurants. The feelings at church yesterday were a million times better. The Spirit was incredible at Martín´s baptism. He even fasted with us. He has been prepared to receive the gospel for a long time. Truly incredible.

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

Love Elder Bosco II

Elder White, Martin, Elder Bosco

Elder Bosco, Martin, Elder White

Martin is so happy!

Elder White, Ariel(a priest in the ward), Nawhel (Carolina´s son), Martin, Elder Bosco