28th Week Out, Jardin America Week 21, "First Pair of Shoes Already Done"

Hi! WHAT IS UP MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!???

HOW IS THAT CALIFORNIA STUFF GOING ON!? YEA! Alright then!

SO let´s just start with a, I DESTROYED MY SHOES! Well it took 6 months to destroy them, but I have finally accomplished it! I have supposedly been sent a new pair of Mr. Macks (or Amazon online) and they will be here in a long time! ALL of the streets in my city are pretty much dirt and big fat rocks that have been flattened in with absolute precision. I say precision because they made it almost perfect that every step you take you hurt your back because of how unleveled it is.

That is wonderful, just wonderful. I looked up what my name means in HEBREW! And its direct translation is: Malkiel! Which is a different way to say Malki! Malki is a girls name! :)

Thank you Mom and Dad. 

Anyways, it also means some cool stuff! It is used to say, "my king"

I thought about that a lot, and I applied that to a theme! I put everything that the gospel is and made it into a kingly knightly fashion! And it is actually pretty legit! Because really it is going to work like that in the next world. Kings were usually people with lots of land who gave it out to their family, and people who came! The king was the king of all, but there were mini kings called Lords. The Lords were the people who were over the smaller parts of land! The king would have armies set up to protect his giant land and have the people pay him for protection!

I don´t want to try to apply all the things I said there to the Gospel, BUT! I really thought about it! It makes me wonder how much more respect I can give my father in heaven if I treat his things like they are valiant and courageous.

I picture myself as a knight before a king, knelt down to honor him. Showing him that I am loyal and I wish to serve him with all that I am. That he can count on me to do whatsoever he wills.

And I know he is a righteous king, therefore he will stand by me if I obey him.

I thought about another theme, just in general of Fathers. I was reading in the scriptures about how if one doesn't teach his children to walk in the ways of the lord, their sins are on the heads of the parents.

I took that to another perspective, I put that very saying over the greatest Father of all time. Padre Celestial! And I realized that he literally is perfect in his words. He talks to us through the scriptures in many ways. When in the middle of smashing doctrine over mothers and fathers, he demonstrates a SINCERE love that he has.

He is literally saying that, I Heavenly Father say unto you that I will teach you to walk in the ways of righteousness. And if I fail to do that, it is my fault.

And oh how he fails not, to teach us to walk in the ways of righteousness. Even to the point of cutting us down to the dust to be humbled enough.

I LOVE THE GOSPEL! I love reading. I really hope one day I can have a little chat with Heavenly Father and have him just tell me all the things he would want me to hear!

Many of those things are right in front of me, therefore I must look!

I exhort all of you people to read! Its really really fun! Just get into it, and hit the ground running!

Impressions of Jardín América:

When contacting, and the person comes out and says, why are you here? I have my religion, I have salvation already. Go and help someone else who doesn't have Jesus. -What do you say? I would like to say a lot of things! But if someone has an idea that is really really good, I´ll try it!

When They "Know"

I didn't eat this.. Chocolate and hotdog, and mayonaise... Elder Salvatierra! WHY!?

When someone paints really good! I wonder which one is me!?

I'm here if you didn't already find me...

LONG BOAT CLOUD FORMATION GO GO GO!

We like mandarines. We also like to eat them in front of Catholic churches.

LOOK AT THAT SKY!? I MEAN, LOOK AT IT!

LOOK AT IT!

When you find the longest store in the whole world. You can´t see it, because its blocked by people 

(Elder Salvatierra... (:  ), but this actually goes back a very long ways!

THE HEADQUARTERS!

Elder Salvatierra: "HOLA MUNDO! ESTOY LISTO!"

Abstract pants, abstract tiles, abstract box. Artist photographer. <<<What?

27th Week Out, Jardin America Week 20, "I've been reading Jesus the Christ"

Ha! No one is writing to me anymore. That´s ok, I´m sure you´re all busy or something. Love you guys anyways.

How am I? I´m still doing wonderful, I don´t think that will change anytime soon! I´ve been in the same area my whole mission! And I´ve only got 2 more phone calls left, so basically I´ve already completed half of my mission no? Debo escribir en español because no one reads anyways! Haha!

I´ve been very blessed out here! It´s actually kind of fun to me now meeting new people. Like at the start of my mission I DISLIKED contacting with all my heart. But now it´s like HEY! I have a freaking cool message to give you if you want it! If not, that´s ok I´ll try another day! It´s really fun now.

We had an activity in the church this last week! We set up "Maté" cups and had the children paint them! It was so successful I ran out of 15 Maté cups and had to start giving out pages of my note book to paint on! Plus we have like a professional painter here, so that makes the level go up like 5 times.

WELL! Things go really fast out here, I have a calendar and mark off like 5 days every single time. Feels fast to me, I don´t know. I´m changing a lot too! I grow a lot more hair on my face. It´s already grown out by the end of the day! So that´s that!

I´m drawing now, if anyone wanted to know! I actually love drawing! I always get really anxious when I´m studying because I want to picture the things I see better but Its hard! So I´ve been drawing and that works out super! I´m going to have an entire notebook of drawings by the end of this year.

HEY! MUSIC! I am singing a whole heck of a lot better than before! I actually feel prideful singing. IT IS SO FUN! I wish I had done it in high school. HAHA! I remember thinking about choir back in the day, and I was like NEVER IN THIS LIFE! Now I miss it extremely. We will have to see about ward choir when I get back.

I´ve been reading Jesus the Christ! I´m on like page 250 something! It is so fun to read. Do you know that? I hope all of you young people find out the mystery of reading soon in your lives! Because I wish I had. It´s actually the most soothing, calming, inspiring moments of my life. I don´t think I´ve read so much in my life while on my mission. Like they force you to read books in school but on the mission you are not obligated to do anything really. You choose to do it because you want to. I REALLY WANT TO! I only get a hour everyday to read personally... It´s not even enough for me!

It´s like watching a movie in your head. But like beyond the boundaries of seeing it, you feel it and search it. You make it.

Anyways that´s my consejo for the day! Thanks to all who read my emails! I wish you a merry day and a happy week!

Impressions of Jardín América:

The Argentines can´t sing! Hah!! Well at least where I´m at they cannot. Their language makes it so they speak with the very front of their mouth. So It´s very hard to change tones and get high notes. ITS SO FUNNY! It´s like listening to zombies in the chapel when we sing! haha! I try my best to make it sound better. :)

26th Week Out, Jardin America Week 19, "PARTICIPATE, LEARN AND TEACH!"

Last time with President & Sister LaPierre (There going home!)

Hello! How is everyone!? I´m doing great, as always! I had a baptism last week, I´m not sure if I told everyone? But yes that happened, was awesome! Is awesome! I´m still district leader by the way if anyone wanted to know, and 
I´ve been in the same area my whole mission:-)

I don´t have much of a week to share with you all of spectacularness as in physical work. BUT SPIRITUAL! every day is like a mountain that I climb and then climb another the next day. I´ve been pushed and pushed towards a similar subject every time I study or have a spiritual thought. And what it is, is what President Monson said.

Choose the Hard, and not the easy. Everything that I've been studying and getting impressions from leads me to that. So I´m not just saying like LET'S NOT BE ILDE HERE PEOPLE! I´m saying like in every single thing that you do in your life improve it. Choose something higher. Like not just go to church but to PARTICIPATE AND LEARN AND TEACH! To give service not just to give service, but to be absolutely famished of not having the opportunity to serve your fellow men! To have a calling in the church not just because that´s a thing that we do, but to give everything that you have into that calling, by lifting up your counselors or helping your leaders fulfill their purpose and not just yours.

The church is moving closer and closer to the point of which Zion must be established. Zion can only be established when each one of us personally "Magnifies their calling" as they say.

WOW! I sound like a gospel doctrine person or stuff. BUT I DON´T JUST SAY THIS! I feel it when I say this to you! Magnify your calling doesn't just mean magnify, it means search the scriptures and look for the help of God to do whatever you can to improve.

I can promise you that no matter how good you are at fulfilling your calling, no matter what calling it is. You´re never going to reach your best.

Now, don´t get me wrong when I say this. Take this saying for example, "It´s alright, you gave your best"

Anyone can give their best! That has been preached by men who don´t even believe in God! We have such a higher exalted level of best that we can give.

You wanna know what, God thinks we can do better. That´s why no matter what we do, even like Job who gave his best in all that he had with his faith in God. God continued to press upon him.

Like the Brother of Jared, when he already had God-like faith. Jesus of course blessed them, but they still had more to do, they were to journey to a promised land. Till the point came to not even directing him in what to do, because yes or yes the Brother of Jared was going to follow him. Jesus asked the Brother of Jared to come up with a way to continue on their journey to the Promised land by selecting a solution to light their way.

Of course God already knew what could be done in an infinite number of ways. He asked his servant the Brother of Jared to find the way. Because HE wants US to improve!

 So even when we think we´ve done it, GOD IS GOING TO ASK FOR MORE!

(And you wanna know what? The Brother of Jared, saw Jesus Christ because of his "magnifying" he may not have had a calling or did, I don´t know, but he understood the principle of the thing)

Jesus Christ is the infinite example of what I´m trying to get at. HE HAD SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO CHOOSE THE EASIER ROAD! I can´t name each one, but when I read them it only confirms it further for me. But each time, he chose the harder, because he followed the Father perfectly.

He is the only one who "gave his best"

So NEVER EVER think that you just have to give your "best"! That´s terrestrial kingdom stuff! You are so much bigger and better than that. You are a son/daughter of a God who from eternity to eternity! Who creates and continues to create all things.

We cannot comprehend anything of him. Only through his holy spirit may we taste of that SWEET SWEET goodness of knowledge and happiness that he sheds upon all that will come unto his son.

Never think that it just ends with "It´s ok, you gave your best"

"Many are called, but few are chosen."

I´m grateful to have been called to serve the Master of all things. I hope and pray every day that I may improve myself to be acceptable in the sight of God.

WOW! I can´t believe I just wrote that. Sorry If you feel like I´m dropping cane on you. I´m really not, I don´t understand like anything of what it´s like to try and lead a family and have work and all the many things that come from being an adult! And even much much more that comes from deaths of family members and sicknesses and thousands of other things. I´m 110% sure that everyone is trying to improve. 

So KEEP DOING IT is what I was trying to say I guess. :)

I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

God is incredible. I love him so much!

Impressions of Jardín América:

THEY DON´T HAVE PEANUT BUTTER HERE! WHAT THE HECK!

Made Lemon Bars for our last Zone Conference with President LaPierre

25th Week Out, Jardin America Week 18, "New Companion ELDER SALVA TIERR from Tucuman"

OOOOOH YES! WE´RE BACK!

Hello, my goodness how are you all?

My week has just been getting better and better, we´re going to have a baptism this Saturday! Her name is Guadalupe! She is the daughter of Cristina, the person we recently baptized! She is 16 and has a kid! It was something she really struggled with in the beginning because she thought that her baby was a sin, and she had to repent of it. We first changed the fact that her baby is NOT A SIN! I felt so bad when she said that. She is doing wonderful now! After a while of teaching her and her mom. She finally is going to get baptized! SO THAT´S WONDRFUL!

We had to say bye to Elder Irala and Sister Fox! Sister Fox is on the left

I have 6 baptisms right now, this will be my 7th. I have been so blessed to be in an area that the Lord has been preparing for his church! I HOPE I FIND EVERYONE! I´ve got just about 7 in this one little area. I´ve got another 3 families that are looking really really good! In total its like 20 people that are going to be baptized!

OH MY GOSH! I totally had transfers I forgot! My entire district and friends left me. I´m with like all new people. Everyone that was awesome left from this mission, and or went to Paraguay. I am now like the only one in Misiones that is sort of veteran. I have been with all the old missionaries. BUT NOW THEY´RE ALL GONE! I got a bunch of random people now.

It´s weird, I don´t like transfers... I get super de duper attached to the people I´m with! But I´ve been in the same area for like all of my mission, so we will see where that goes. I´m with someone named ELDER SALVA TIERRA! He is from Tucuman, but his family lives in Rosario Santa Fe! HE IS SUPER LEGIT! I LOVE HIM! He can speak English really well! Which is awesome because I have an English class here in Jardín! He is 19 years old, and he has the same amount of time on the mission as I do! Just I have like another month of MTC that he does.

ANYWAYS! I feel like I´m writing super boringly right now! WHAT THE HECK IS UP MY Bros!

I´ve been learning how to cook stuff, I don´t know the name of anything that we´ve been making

but its really good. Like we have been doing stuff like pizza, and stuff that is kind of like pizza but we like roll the thing together! OH MY GOSH BISHOP GULDEN I HAVEN´T TRIED YOUR RECIPE YET! It´s literally right next to all of my cooking stuff. So I´ll try to do it at some point. The chicken here is really weird, so I have to look for a way to do it.

I have actually invented orange bars, and peach bars now. Using the recipe I have found for lemon bars. We´re going to try other weird fruits pretty soon here. ( I actually don´t like anything but lemon... All the Argentinians like it.. So i have to make it for them..)

I am loving Jardín América! Nothing really new to my missionaryness. I´ve been getting into a routine I guess, but when I teach and proselyte it is always different! Well, I guess there are things that don´t change, like getting up in the morning, and all the nececidades.

Wow if you have not started studying the scriptures! Wo ho!!! Let me tell you a little thing about the gospel. If you want ANYTHING... wow I can´t even like... You just need to read. I don´t need to explain anything! 

YOU GOTTA READ THE THING that our whole church stands upon.

I love everyone! 

I hope I get to shake your hand one day and look you in the eyes and exhort you with all my soul to believe in Christ. If I don´t get the opportunity whoever you are, I wish you the best of luck!

Impressions of Jardín América:

I don´t think I´ve ever really been as close to God as I am now, and it just keeps going up. SO my impression is that I began my ministry as a disciple of the Lord in Jardín América! I don´t have to be an Apostle to have a testimony of Jesus Christ!  :)

Bunch of Elder's During T

My Zone Leader Elder Chrstensen

We got a Bunk Bed!