Week 71: Christmas Week

Hey Everyone!

I hope that you all had an awesome Christmas week!  This week was a good one, and it went by SO fast!

First off, on Pday, we got together with a couple of other elders and we played ¨around the world¨ with a frisbee, which was fun!  The rest of the day we spent in the pension, since Elder Plumb had a few blisters on his feet, and it hurt him to walk.

Then, on Tuesday, we got to do intercambios with the other missionaries in the district.  I got to go with Elder Tyler, from Utah, and it was so great, and we got to work so hard!  

This week, we got to keep on teaching Maria and Silvia, and it was another roller coaster.  First off, the members started saying rude things to Maria again.  We got to go to Maria and Silvia's house, with some other members, and they heard what was going on, and they couldn't take it anymore.  The Hermano stopped and said, ¨[Maria´s Ex] is not a good person.,¨ and began to talk about things that he has done that shows he is not in a good place.  I was super afraid she was gonna get offened, but it actually helped, and we got to give her a blessing, and she and Silvia came to church yesterday, and Maria will be baptized this Friday!  Woo!

Funny

We were doing Abrir La Boca with Elder Tyler, and a woman came out, breast feeding.  Well, she started talking to us, and it was super uncomfortable, and then she pulled the baby´s head off, showing everything.  IT WAS TERRIBLE

A woman handed me a baby during a lesson (we can't hold babies) and ran off, and there was literally nothing I could do, it was so lame, and I just looked over at Elder Tyler super defeated haha

Love you guys!

Elder Conover

Cleaning the pila baptismal

The Christmas Eve Asado!

The cake Silvia and Maria made us

SO MUCH MEAT

The Asado…I am basically Argentine

Week 70: The Atonements Ability To Heal Hearts

Hello Everyone!

This week was so hard at moments, but we were able to see the healing power of the atonement this week more than I ever have been able to in my entire life.  

First off, we had an AWESOME pday last week.  A member drove us to the mountains, and we were hanging out with two other missionaries, and it was so incredibly beautiful.  It felt so so so good to do something so fun, since here in Tunuyán, there isn't much to do on Pday, so the Lord blessed us a lot last week.  

This week we also got on another radio, and it went even better than last time!  My companion didn't want to speak on the radio, so I got to have a personal interview with the host about the Christmas Initiative, and our beliefs as members of the church.  He was so respectful and did like a full commercial for the Church, and invited me to give my testimony.  There truly is nothing like testifying as a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

We also got to teach a woman yesterday named Mercedes, and her daughter was there too.  We read Alma 7 with them, since they hadn't done their reading before.  While we were reading, we got to talk about the Atonement.  It was a great lesson, and at the end, we asked the daughter to give the closing prayer.  She seemed like a pretty serious person, but by the end, she was bawling, and after, we asked what had happened.  Come to find out, she just found out that the father of her children does drugs, and they said that the words that we said were perfect.  They told us that they know that God sent us specifically to them.  

Anyways.....the subject.

I said last week that Silvia and Maria had a problem.  Well.....it went really bad.

Maria´s boyfriend is a member.  They broke up.  It destroyed Maria.  

Well, the mom of the boyfriend (active member) started calling them to say really mean things to her.  And, the Father  went to their house to tell her things that made her feel worthless.  

AND, Maria found out that the boyfriend was cheating on her (Can you see how this might be a testimony rocker?)

On Monday, Silvia explained everything, and we read Doctrine and Covenants 121 with her.  The spirit was strong, and she committed to come to church again, even though that family would be there.  

Well, we then went by on Tuesday, and Silvia told us that they are leaving to Neuquen (15 hours away) until March.  That hurt.  But, by a miracle, Maria showed up.    

We sat down, and Maria lost it.  All tears, telling us what happened.  We listened, and then asked if she was reading her scriptures, and she responded, ¨No.¨ We then explained the iron rod analogy.  Then, we read D&C 121 with her.  The spirit was so strong, and it was amazing.  The Lord guided us.  We read the part in the section that says, ¨and if though endure it well, ye shall triumph over all thy foes.¨ We explained that to endure it well, they have to go to church, and not go to Neuquén.  They committed to not leave.  

Then, we got to give blessings to them.  That was so amazing.  After the blessings, they said that they could feel at peace.  The power of the priesthood is real!  

Well, that night, the member called to say mean things......and the miracles started.  Maria, after the call, read her scriptures instead of getting mad, and she has done that every day since, and she takes notes on what she reads, as well as Silvia.  We have taked the Branch President, and the whole  Branch Presidency is working to fight this.  The whole week, Maria and Silvia got kicked in the teeth over and over again, but they have stayed strong, saying, ¨We want to do what the Lord wants, and endure it well, and we know that this is the true church of Christ.¨  

And, they came to church!!!!! Despite the incredible challenges.  They took such a leap of faith.  We made a lot of plans, and there was a mob of members to protect Maria and Silvia from the other family, and Me and Elder Plumb always made sure we were in between them and the family.  

This week was so hard, but we were able to see the restoring and healing power of the atonement.  It is real, if we act with faith, and trust in the Lord.  I will always remember the incredible example of Maria and Silvia.

Funny

We were teaching a lesson, and as we were leaving, the Jehovah´s Witnesses came up to the house.  As soon as they saw us, they turned around and hauled off hahaha

I Love You All!  

Pray for Silvia and Maria!  And Be Like Them!

Elder Conover


Study Sesh!


The radio!!


This is called Manzano


Me and President Goates!


Elder Sorenson!  My Old Comp!  I LOVE this guy


This Was My Comp This Morning.....I call it the
¨Missionary At the End Of the Week¨

Week 69: Día De La Virgen

Hey Everyone!  

This week was hard, good, humbling, blessed, and just about every other adjective applied to it.  It was a crazy week.  

First off, on Pday, we took a nap again.  That isnt something that you get to do very often as a missionary haha.  

Then, we went out so Elder Mulliner could say goodbye to all of the members and investigators here in Tunuyán.  It was a good night.  

Then, on Tuesday, we had transfers, and Elder Mulliner got shipped off to San Luis, and I got Elder Plumb!  

For the first day with Elder Plumb, we were going to the houses of the members so Elder Plumb could meet them.  When we went to the branch President´s house, his daughter´s boyfriend was there too, and he is a member of Colonia Bombal, my old area!  His name is Gabriel Quilpatay  I just love him and it was so cool to see him again, and we asked him where he served his mission.  Come to find out, he was Damon Jarmon´s companion in Peru!  It was so crazy.  

Anyways, this week, it rained a lot, and it rained a lot on my birthday haha.  Dad, I am still 19 if you know what I mean.  

I had a great birthday, and a member took us to his house to do an Asado, and he bought like 5 1/2 pounds of meat.  It was so good.  I love Argentines.  We also got to eat lunch with the Branch President and his family, and they are amazing, I really love the Familia Vera.  

Anyways, this week, we had a problem.  Silvia and Maria´s baptismal date fell.  We dont know why, but we just know that something bad happened in their family.  We will find out tonight what happened, so please keep them in your prayers.  

Funny

The member who did the Asado for my birthday is named José Luis Hernandez.  He is awesome.  He likes to give the missionaries that he likes nick names.  I have inherited the nick name ¨Hitler,¨ since I have blonde hair and blue eyes, and every time he sees me, he salutes me, and yells, ¨Heil Hitler.¨ Kinda bad, but so funny.

Yesterday we were walking, and we playing the classic, ¨kick rocks in between your comp´s legs¨ game, and Elder Plumb cheated, so I said ¨Trampa!¨ (translates to Cheat) right as someone passed.  He was a kinda rough looking dude, and he stopped, looked at me super menacingly like he wanted to fight.  I was like ¨Im sorry I was talking to my companion!¨ 

I love you guys and I hope that you all have a great week!  

Elder Conover


Hermano Hernandez made me an Asado for my birthday!





The Cake that the Familia Moltó made for me


My comp with the cake


We got rained on pretty hard


It rained, so the members gave me crocs haha


Birthday message from the Moltos


Noquis from a member


Saying Goodbye to the Comp, and I got a haircut!


Elder Skonnard!!!


My New Agenda

Week 68: Silvia and Maria Came To Church!

Hey Everyone!  

Thank you all so much for the birthday emails.  I wish that I could respond to every single one of you one by one, but the time just doesn't permit that.  But I love you all and I can feel the support of each and every one of you!  

This week was great, and we definitely saw a lot of miracles and the Power of the Atonement in the lives of the people.  

First off, on Pday, we had a super tranquilo day.  We bought food, did Ciber, and then we went and slept.  It was awesome haha.  

Anyways, this week we had a lot happen, and we got to speak on the Radio again!  The church this year is doing a Christmas Program ¨Ilumina El Mundo,¨ and we got to speak about it to about 30,000 people!  Then a member in our branch told us that someone told him that they heard ¨The Mormons¨ speaking on the radio!  So, we are starting to look for radio stations to speak on!  We should be speaking on a different radio station on Thursday as well!  

This week we saw a lot of miracles with Silvia!  She is still reading the Book of Mormon, and progressing like crazy.  We got to teach her with an amazing couple in our branch this week, and we talked about the Word of Wisdom.  She told us that she smokes (smoked) 20 per day.  However, she committed to stop, and we went over a plan with her to stop smoking, bought her some stuff, and she hasn´t smoked in 5 days!  She is now sharing the Christmas video with her friends, and she and her daughter Maria came to church yesterday, and Silvia was crying in Sacrament Meeting.  It was such an amazing blessing to see!  

This week, we also found more new investigators than I have in any other week in my whole mission!  We found 11 News!  It was amazing!  

Finally, I had a really amazing, uplifting experience this week. 

First off, my first few transfers, I always felt super intimidated by everything in the mission.  The rules, language, the expectations, everything.  I often looked at the older missionaries, just feeling so insignificant, feeling so inadequate.  

 I got to do interchanges with a new missionary, Elder Skonnard.  It went well, and I really enjoyed it.  At the end,  I sat down with him, and we had a little ¨review¨ of the intercambio.  He told me how much he wishes he could be like me, and that he thinks that he never will be able to.  

It was such a blessing to be able to realize that not only do I have the time of the missionary role models when I was new, but that the Lord has molded me and shaped me to be the kind of missinary that can lift and help others.  I am so grateful for the atonement.  

Funny (It was a good week)

We were talking to an investigator, and she asked us if we believe in birth control.  As you can imagine, those words are not usually in the missionary vocabulary, but we managed.  She gave us examples of a few types of birth control, and she mentioned ¨Pastillas,¨ which means ¨Pills.¨ However, Elder Mulliner forgot that, and he thought she was talking about ¨Pastels.¨ He said that he got super confused, and he thought, ¨Why the heck are you talking about crayons?¨ 

This week, we were teaching a family, and the grandpa was kinda awkardly sitting near us, and not really helping the conversation (he was interrupting a lot haha).  He stopped me at one point, and asked me if I was Argentine.  Well, that made me feel great, since that would mean my accent is way good......but then I found out that he is almost deaf.  Dang it.  

I Love You All So Much!

Elder Conover



The District


Silvia and Maria!  She is drinking a TON of grapefruit juice
since it helps people stop smoking. 


A beautiful sunset!


The Mission Curve


Ex-comp selfie


This is a Catholic Santo Shrine.
This one is called ¨Gauchito Gil¨ 

Week 67: Iris Came!

Hey Everyone!

Things are going well here in Tunuyán, and we are still looking for more and more  people to teach, and we are definitely getting the fruits! 

First off, we got to teach Silvia and Joana a couple of times this week, and the lessons could not have gone better.  In the first lesson, we just taught Silvia, and she had read 3 Nephi 11, and had kept on reading, because she loved it so much.  She told us that she prayed to know if the Book of Mormon is true, and she feel a lot of peace and tranquility, and she believes that it is an answer!  

At the end of the lesson, we left the pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation, and Alma 32.  Three days later, we taught both, and Silvia had read everything that we had left, again, and she said that she loved it.  And, Joana also read what we had left before, and told us that she feels like she cant read enough, and that she just wants to keep reading and reading!  They couldnt come to church because of sickness and since they had to go to the city for a few days, but they promised to be there next week!  

On the other hand, we finally found one of our investigators, Gustavo, after like 2 weeks or so.  He told us he read the Restoration folleto, and wanted to talk to us.  Well, the lesson turned into ¨I found Anti-Mormon stuff on the internet and I´m gonna laugh in your face.¨ So that was so much fun.  

We also got to do intercambios with the Zone Leaders, which I just loved, and I learned a lot.  

Finally, we have been teaching a woman, Iris.  My first week in Tunuyán, we were about to knock doors, and we stopped to say a prayer, asking God to guide us to a person´s house that we could help.  First door, we clapped outside, and Iris came out.  She hasnt gone to church in about 10 years or so.  

We have taught her for about a month, and yesterday, while we were in Sacrament meeting, I was about to bless the sacrament, and she walked in with her two daughters, Aymara and Naiara.  And, her two neices, Camila and Celeste!  It was such a joy to see, and brought tears to my eyes.  And, at the end, the little girls didnt even want to leave.  

The mission is so hard, but it is so worth it when you can see the fruits of your labors, and the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  

Funny

We were walking down the street, and a drunk man, on his bike (bad combination, I know)  stopped, and called us over (I don´t know why, but Mormon Missionaries are Drunk Man Magnets).  We asked his what his name was, and he responded ¨Jesus Christ.¨ 

Me.....¨Oh Really?¨

Him.... ¨Ya, and you guys need to go home and relax (as if he thought that I´d believe that he was Jesus Christ)

Me.....¨Oh wow, so, what are you doing right now (talking about his bike)¨

Him.....¨Oh I´m just visitng the earth right now¨ 

I Love You All!

Elder Conover


Cooking Asado with Elder Hakes


This was our Thanksgiving Feast!  Aside and coke!


Camila


Niara


I found a cute group of puppies


I Came Up with this this week.  It was the best food that I have
ever made.


One of dem Walking Down The Street Comp Selfies


Didier.....He is the Son of Javier Ávila

Lautaro Wanted to Make a Funny Face

Week 66: Old Woman Panties Revenge

Hey Everyone!  

This week was a difficult one, but the work is still moving, and the Lord has blessed us with support in our feelings, so we are feeling good!  

On Pday, we got together with a few other missionaries, and we got to play soccer and ultimate frisbee, so that was pretty fun!  

Anyways, on Tuesday, we got to do intercambios, and because I finally have other Elders in my District, I get to do intercambios!  I got to go with Elder Martinez from Chile, and it went well, and I know that I learned a lot.  While I was studying, I had a thought come to my mind, ¨Love The People, Love The Missionaries.¨  We always talk about how much we need to serve the people in our mission, but I know that for the past few weeks, I have felt stressed since there has been a lot of bad disobedience in my district, and I have to filter all that as the District Leader, but I am so grateful for the reminder to love everyone, and it made me feel so much better.  

This week we also got three new investigators with baptismal dates.  Two of them we found this week, and their names are Silvia and Joana.  They are awesome.  Silvia is like 60 and Joana probably 25.  We had the first lesson with them on monday, and we left the Resoration folleto.

When we went back Thursday, they had read all of it, which never happens, and they loved it.  They comitted to read the Book of Mormon, and to pray about it, and they comitted to be baptized as they get the answer to their prayers.  It was awesome and we have another lesson with them today.  

Like I said, this week was challenging, because A LOT of appointments fell.  Lately I have been trying to always get the people´s phone numbers when we talk to them in the street, and it has been going well, but what happens now is that people answer, we talk, and then they hang up in the middle of the conversation because they don't want to talk to us.  That was frustrating this week,especailly Saturday, cause it happened like 10 times, but like I said, the Lord has blessed us with good feelings and the ability to endure to the end.  

We have been going on ¨Inactive Hunts¨ this week, to try to find and reactivate people.  We found a guy, named Vicente Muñpz, who was a member, but then he converted to an Evangelico Church, and he was talking about how through his faith, he has cured people and cast out demons in his new church.  It was really hard to hear, and when we got back to the pension, I read Matthew 7:21-27.  It was a big comfort for me, and I was sitting there thinking about where I stand.....whether I´m the foolish man on sand, or the wise man on the rock.  

I knelt down to ask God to tell me if I was doing well in his eyes, and if I am on the rock.  After my prayer, I felt impressed to grab my journals that I have filled.  Next to my journals, I found a note from a couple of members in my last area, telling me how good of a missionary that I am.  I felt so loved and a feeling of peace came over me.  It was such a tender mercy, and I know that the Lord answers our prayers.  

Funny

We saw the Lady in her underwear again.  But, this time, she came out with her entire family, just chilling in her panties.  The disturbing thing was that they all acted like it was normal to walk around with Grandma with no pants on.  Some things I will never understand.  

I love you all!

Elder Conover






The notes from a couple of members in my last area


Elder Martinez eating haha


Hospital pictures


I wrote this on my hand so I wouldn't forget