Hola familia. Como anda?
Lesenviaria fotos a ustedes hoy por email, pero voy a mandar una tarjetita lleno de fotos por correo tortuga hoy. Disfrutenlos!
Hey, it has been a very good week. Thank you for the personal money card. Just thanks for everything. Thanks for life.
El granizado did not reach us, but we got a ton of rain, and yes, it has not been happy for the grapes. It is really a bummer. It is everyones fear, and this week it came true.
Dad, I loved the personal supervision comment. And Mom, that's sweet - young at heart, roller coasters. What a fantasy.
Let's start with something called The Bautismo de Celina. She is the most prepared person I have ever baptized. She actually hungers and thirsts after righteousness. The baptism was well planned, and well executed. The mother of Celina, who we’d never met before, showed up at the church an hour before the baptism and dropped off coke and a torta de chocolate!!! We had a good attendance at the service and it was really spiritual. My companion performed the saving ordinance of baptism for Celina. Then after, we partied with torta and facturas (and we got to take home all of the leftover!) Yesterday she received the Holy Ghost. She has changed her life, and the Gospel has made her so happy. Last night we visited her. She has a brilla in her eyes. They shine. It is so cool the cambio that she has experimentado. Celina is an exceptional daughter of God.
Let’s now go to Leah. She is the daughter of the reactivated and amazing family Maure. She noticed a Huge change in her house after we blessed it and the parents started living the Gospel. She came to church with her parents last week. The only previous contact I’d had with her was an Argentine kiss on the cheek greeting (I didn’t kiss her, she kissed me and I just stood there in their house feeling violated. Sometimes they attack with their saludos and they are unavoidable deadly). Well, she LOVED church last week. After church, we had a super spiritual lesson with her and put a fecha. Throughout the week, we passed by twice and wow, she is ready. One of the lessons, I did most of the talking and it was sumamente amazing. As I wrapped things up, I bore a testimony and God sent down fire from the heavens. WOW is all I can say. It is amazing what the Spirit of the Lord can accomplish The way it can make us feel. The change it can root in us. The evil it can cast out, literally, and the paz and gozo it can bring. But we are the duenos and must constantly strive to live worthy of it. WOW.
Leah, accompanied by her wonderful parents, came to church yesterday, in a dress and with most of her piercings sacado. She wants to change her life so bad and told us, Like King Lamoni, that she will do anything and live any commandment to receive the promised blessings. Basically, I will give away all my sins to know thee. We are finding amazing prepared people that want this and that will stay active and receive their propi exaltation.
Then there’s Jorge and Rita!! They have received their fecha de casamiento, the 11th. And have accepted their fecha de bautismo, the 12th! The plan is to marry them on Friday with a huge party at the church, with an asado, funded by the missionaries. Then, have the greatest baptism of all time, Saturday the 12th of marzo.
Those are the amazing people we have. Now, the job is to get out in the vineyard (and in all aspects of the word, Rivadavia is a vineyard) (las uvas son ESPECTACULAR!!!!!) (eaten fresh off the vine without even wiping the dirt off) and find some more ready prepared children of God. Sometimes that is hard and discouraging, but the paydays are huge. So, “why not.” That’s somewhere in the Book of Mormon. Why not talk and rejoice in the atonement of Christ. WE CAN DO IT - you can too Amanda.
Speaking of which, I would enjoy a foto or dos of Amanda as a missionary so I can ooz with even more pride when I tell them mi hermana es misionera! in Chicago. (I think it was the fourth of July).
We had a great long almuerzo Tuesday, where we ate with some new investigators we had. And then, with my extensive altura, I picked some purple grapes off their parral and we enjoyed those. Just a side note. Ate some more morsilla this week. It was cold, and eaten plain. Jorge said it was good, so I thought “why not?” “Why not rejoice in the eating of o so tasty cold blood sausage with Jorge?”
This week we took the colectivo to Junin twice and had some great experiences. We found an amazing lady way out in the campo. We will see what happens this week with her. She got goose bumps as we gave the first lesson and especially as I recited the First Vision. WOW. It was really cool.
Also, we visited Hermano Krachu out in Junin. Just a fine member of the church who, every Sunday (well at least the last 3) puts a sandia and a melon (honeydew) (rush) on the back of his bici and gives the sweet dulce loot to us at church. He’s got a great set-up in Junin. We always feast on huge portions of watermelon at his house. And last night I was consuming handfuls of grapes as we walked through his chacra and vina.
Trying to find a less active family, we stumbled upon a way campo string of houses. For the first time that I can remember, I heard complete silence. It was really neat.
Castallano tip. When speaking, just randomly throw in a que se yo. They do it all the time here.
Another side note. I learned about masonry this week.
Okay, just a bunch of side notes. We had branch conference this week and a TON OF PEOPLE came to church. And I was way nervous playing the piano because there were 7 big men in suits up on the stand. Not just 2 or 3. Everyone came from over an hour away for it. I opened up the great meeting with Come Come Ye Saints. I love that hymn. It’s Hinojosa’s favorite.
We got an enfermito in the pench. Hyer has strep and pink eye. We are all trying to survive and stay sano. So that’s fun. Bytheway, “somewhereonlyweknow” by Keane is on. I love it.
TRANSLADOS!!! Last night my companion and I about pulled our hair out expecting a phone call from President Lindahl telling Arrua he’s training. And even though Hyer received a call, calling him to zone leader and the other elders faked us out about 5 times, it didn’t come. So, I now have a great deal of hope of staying another cambio here with my awesome companion. We find out officially tonight!!!! We are super anxious and excited. This is going to be huge.
Well, that is all I got. Enjoy life, choose the right, and don’t get pink eye. It kinda makes you look funny.
The grapes here are better than you could ever imagine them. The watermelon is equal to Grandpas. Hermano Krachu is like an Argentine form of Grandpa Skinner. And the honeydew . . . wow.
Have a happy week with lots of smiling. And the best way to do that is to stay close to the Lord. When you don’t feel like praying, stay on your knees until you do feel like praying. I followed that counsel this week and guess what? It really works.
I hope I’m still in Rivadavia next week.
Bye
Chaucito!
Elder Ostler
Send all my love to Amanda Panda Bear, Wednesday.
