Standing Left to Right:
1. Elder Taylor from Utah (going to Peru)
2. Elder Taylor from Idaho (Bahia Blanca Mission)
3. Elder Christiansen comp of Idaho Taylor (Bahia Blanca Mission)
4. Elder Mickelson (roommate) (Bahia Blanca Mission)
5. Me - Elder Vincent
6. Elder Sneddon (my roommates) (Bahia Blanca Mission)
7. Elder Davis (my comp) (Bahia Blanca Mission)
8. Elder Van Tassel (going to Peru)
9. Elder Wilcox (going to Peru)
10. Elder Salway (going to Peru)
Kneeling
11. Hermana Litchfield (going to Bolivia)
12. Hermana Curtis (going to Bolivia)
7/26/18
Thursday
We had a normal day. We went through classes and
learned Spanish. The other Latinos in our district are super cool and fun to
talk to! I can talk with them but sometimes I trip up and say the wrong
sentence jaja! We did Technology Assisted Language Learning (TALL). It is an
interactive computer program used to learn foreign language and help you work
on your vocabulary and grammar. It is helping me learn Spanish and I know
the spirit will help me learn it easier.
Today is the last day teaching Sebastián. Me and my
companion are having a supposed transfer so we can not teach him anymore. We
taught him about enduring to the end and how he needs to keep repenting,
praying, going to church and doing all the things he needs to do. We also told
him he should continue to take lessons from the missionaries that will be
coming in place of us. I was so sad to leave him and I know it wasn’t real but
when we bore our testimony and told him we loved him, I teared up! I know it
will be harder in the mission field. Man if only he were a real investigator
that would have been so cool! His persona was the ideal investigator and I know
it may never be like that in the field but it was a good way to start and get
my confidence up. I am really excited to get out on the field, I already love
the people of Argentina and I do not even know them yet! jaja, I can feel the
love Heavenly Father has for them and I just cannot wait!
7/27/18 Friday
We met a new "investigator" and it was our teacher
from the first half of our class days. The situation was to use a membership
record sheet to find and contact less active members. We got to her house and
asked for a 108 year old man named Juan Perez but she said no one by that name
lived there except her. We went along with the situation and taught her
instead, we talked and got to know her and then set up an appointment for
tomorrow. The scenario is that she has 3 kids, 2 passed away and 1 lives in
another state. She had 3 husbands but 2 passed away and divorced one. We are
going to teach her about the Plan of Salvation tomorrow and teach her how
familia puede junto para siempre or "families can be together
forever" She is catholico pero she should be receptive to what we need to
say about living with her children forever. She seemed really worried about
them and I know that if we have the spirit with us, we can teach her and help
her to know of the truth and feel of the spirit also.
A whole bunch of people are getting letters and
packages. Me and a couple others are not getting any letters pero I can
see it taking a toll on them and they seem sad at times but I do not mind. I am
focused and know why I am here. I hope none of them in my distrito gets
homesick or goes home, it’s sad to see someone miserable or sad and the last
thing I want is someone from the Lord’s army going home.
John 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me.” It is a great scripture and it reminds
me that I should not get distracted and continue to work hard.
When I accepted the call along with the other 600 or 700 missionaries
here, we promised that while we are here, we leave behind all personal affairs
and go to work. I promised to devote todo tiempo a el Señor and that is what I
will do. I am doing his will and not mine own. I am here to do the Lords work
porque I am his hands and an instrument for his work.
7/28/18 Saturday
Today we had normal classes and not much to write
about. We had class and just studied a lot of the language. In class we
play a game called “Who is the Latino” and it’s super fun. You are out if
you speak English!
Now there's a good looking missionary, just a few finishing touches.
7/29/18 Sunday
Every Sunday we have choir practice which is very good and
the song we practice we get to sing it at our Tuesday devotionals. At church we
sit there and we wait to be called up to give a talk. Every week, we are given
a topic and we randomly get called up to give the talk in Español. I have not
been called up yet but I feel like it will happen soon jaja! After sagrado de
cena, we have priesthood and usually it is a lesson from Preach My Gospel. This
past week, it was on using members to further and make the work easier. It
makes sense and it also takes good missionaries as well as willing members. The
missionary has to first provide the proof that the members can trust them. They
need to show they are willing to help the Lord as well as the ward in all their
efforts.
We had cake as well because there were a couple birthdays
this past week in our branch.
The homes on the hill are so colorful.
We later had the weekly Sunday devotional and it was Pres.
& Sis. Bennett who were conducting. They talked about building up of Zion.
It was very good and there was a quote that they shared. It was "The
building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age;
it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar
delight; they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which
we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and
written and prophesied of this our day; but they died without the sight; we are
the favored people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day
glory"
This just shows how much Heavenly father loves us and it is
all thanks to those that came before us that we are able to enjoy and love the
gospel we have today. It is true that many people have died waiting and
rejoicing for the day in which we live in so do not waste a second of it. We
need to live our lives so that every second is used to the full extent. We
should use our time to establish Zion and not worry about petty things like
social media or other things of this world.
In the youth broadcast that President Russell M. Nelson
gave, he said that establishing of Zion is the greatest work of all, nothing is
more important than this work. He has invited all of us both young and old,
bond and free so that we may enlist in the army of the Lord and take our ranks.
We are in war with Lucifer and we are dealing with the salvation of
souls. The most important work of all is to bring all our our lost
brothers and sisters back into the fold.
On the way to the Temple
The Bennetts also talked about using the members
and being the kind of missionary no one wants them leaving the area. I found it
interesting how in some areas had missionaries when they get transferred out,
the bishop or whoever calls the mission office and ask why they are being
transferred.
7/30/18 Monday
Today was a normal day, went through class as usual. We had
a great day but a couple thoughts came to me while I was listening in class.
The teacher talked about how the Lord has invested so much in all of us so when
we learn the language, we should not only learn it for the mission but for the
rest of our lives. It was made apparent to me that he has invested so much in
us as missionaries. The books, the teachers, the food and everything has been
provided for us, all we need to do is study all we can and to take in as much
as we can. The Lord is so merciful and loving and he knows us and what we need.
I love this quote from President Gordon B Hinkley and it
says " I invite every one of you, wherever you may be as members of this
church, to stand on your feet and with a song in your heart, move forward,
living the gospel, loving the Lord, and building the Kingdom. Together we shall
stay the course and keep to the faith, the almighty being our
strength" This quote really motivates me and gets me through the day when it gets
long, boring and hard in class. I also sing a lot of hymns out loud or in
my head and it really help to calm me down.
7/31/18 Tuesday
First off, dad thank you for the advice on studying the New
Testament, it has really helped and I have studied it everyday. I find that
when we are role playing and the investigator is Catholic, it seems easier when
I need to turn to a scripture or find a verse that is familiar to the
investigator and help in our lesson.
We usually have devotionals on Sundays and Tuesdays.
The devotional today was about how we as missionaries need to step it up
especially for the Elders. They called up 5 hermanas to talk to everyone about
how the elders should be worthy of the priesthood they use. It was very
good and humbling because it really helped us to do a self check and see if we
are doing what we need to do and if we are not, we need to step it
up.
There were a few quotes some of them said. (1)"If you
knew who you were in the pre-mortal life, you would try harder" and (2)
"No empty chairs.” The first one hit me especially because it is
true! If we knew who we were, we would do so much better. We are on the earth
at this very moment for a reason and we are among the Lord´s chosen and the
strongest so we need to act like it. The second quote was that we all want to
live with our family together forever both with out families now and our future
families, the people on the mission you meet, the investigators you touch, and
your future wife or husband and your kids along with it. We all want to have
them there with us in eternal life so we should not want or have empty chairs.
There is a chair there for everyone in your family!
08/01/18 Wednesday
We went to the temple again because the rest of our zone is leaving this
week. It was cool. There is a little tienda on the temple grounds. It’s called
the Zarahemla store. I bought a ring and a sock tie. All in total was 440
pesos so about 20 dollars for everything!
Elder Mendoza from Bolivia
Elder Galasa from Exuador
Elder Martinez from Mexico
MTC Schedule
Wake up and get ready
8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast
8:30 – 1:00 Class
1:00 – 3:15 Lunch & gym time
3:15 – 9:00 Class
Mahalo Bro. Vance and Hunter. They really hit the spot.
No one is starving in the MTC. The Mexican food is the best.
