Keep On Pushing

Hola!

Wow, what a week.  Lots of things have happened.  Lots of good times.  

First and foremost,  Mariana and Alejo got baptized on November 12th!!! WOOHOO!!!!  It was a pretty special day.  Elder Pearson and I have put so much work into this area.  We have seen a lot of growth.  We arrived with absolutely nothing but now the whole place is on a role.  All of the members were very impressed with Mariana and Alejo.  Several members came up to us and thanked us and they said that Mariana and Alejo are good people.  To close off the baptism service, Mariana and Alejo shared their testimonies.  Mariana said, ´´I feel awesome.´´ and Alejo said, ´´When I went under water, I felt like I started another life.  I am very proud that I got baptized.´´  Hearing their testimonies was the best part of the day.  Small things like this makes missionary work all worth it.  I am so thankful to my Father in Heaven for the small special moments that He gives me every day. 

For the past 4 weeks, we have had atleast 3 investigators in church everyweek.  Miracles are happening here in Costanera.  We have had a few months without any investigators at all in church.  But we have just kept on going.  I have been disappointed a few times but I have never given up trying.  I love 1 Corinthians Chapter 3: 6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7) So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.     I know that God has been working in our area more than we have been.  I am just so thankful to be able to serve God here in Costanera.  We just work a little bit and He gives the increase.  

My dear friend Elder Pearson is on his way home right now, but I have a new companion, Elder Llanos from Lima, Peru.  Elder Llanos is just an absolute stud and I am excited to keep on working and pushing with him here in Argentina.  Our Mission President once told us ´´It doesn´t matter where we are,  we just have to keep on pushing.´´  And the Great Prophet Joseph Smith said, ´´Shall we not go on in so great a cause?´´  I am so thankful for my mission.  I have learned so much here. I am so thankful for the time that I have left to keep on pushing in this great cause.  I know without a doubt in my mind that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the kingdom of God here on earth.  I feel extremely blessed right now, and we are going to keep on going!

I love you all!!

Un Abrazo,

Elder Maynard

 Elder Maynard´s Halloween

 Lunch with Familia Chiapello

 Service project, moving houses

 Some Divisions

 Stake Conference

 ASADO

 18 months

 Los Asistentes

 GO CUBS GOOO

 MARIANA Y ALEJO!!

 36 kilos of ice cream... party week here we come!

 ASADO!!! YESSIR!

 The asistents

 Elders Gifford and Llanos replacing Elders Blackmon and Pearson

 Elder Blackmon!!!

 Last night and morning with Elder Pearson!

 Sweet Goodbyes...  Lots of special friends

 And that is a wrap folks, the last picture with Elder Pearson. 

 elder pearson and i doing work on a city bus

The future

 It is a real stuffed penguin in the house of our ward mission leader

 Lunch

 Pepas for the Cubs

 Baptism Preparation

 Baptism!!!!

 With some friends!

The Fourth Quarter

Hey Everyone!

I just have two words to say.  GO CUBS! YES!  That is what I am talking about!  Wow, I am super excited.  We have one investigator that knows that I am a Cubs fan so I will be speaking with him this week! haha  Let’s go!!!

This week we had an awesome service project.  Some neighbors of the Familia Chiapello (Awesome family who gives us lunch everyweek) needed some help moving furniture.  We basically cleaned out their house in less than a few hours and we loaded it all into a big moving truck.  The big moving truck was the wobbliest thing that I have ever seen, we thought that all of the furniture was going to fall out.  Some things in Argentina are just too funny, Argentina is awesome.  Good news is that the furniture got to its destination safely :)  Well the neighbors,  Liliana and Elena, were so grateful that they gave us an asado yesterday for lunch.  It was awesome.  There was morcilla (Blood Sausage) and chincholin. (Cow intestine)  It was the third time that I have eaten Morcilla and it was actually pretty good, but chincholin is like gum hahaha I got through it though.  Liliana began to tell us how she is going through a pretty hard time in her life right now, she expressed herself to a point that she shedded tears.  The only thought that came to my mind was this scripture.  ``Alma 7: (11) And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.  (12) And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.``  These are just the greatest words of comfort to me.  That the Savior is there for every single one of us and He knows how to help us.  I know that my Redeemer lives.

We had an appointment with our Investigators, Mariana and Alejo, on Wednesday, but.... They weren`t home.  We passed by again on Thursday, and they weren`t home.  We passed by again on Friday, and they weren`t home.  It had been 5 days since we had seen them and they weren`t answering their phone.  We were supposed to be preparing them for their baptism interview this week.  Elder Pearson and I were just about dying.  Our poor little heads just imagine the worst things possible.  ``They are avoiding us.``  We were just feeling sick. haha  But late Friday night, we got a text from Mariana inviting us over for Saturday to eat pizza!!!  I wish I could have the celebration on video that Elder Pearson and I had when we received that message.  It was like a boulder was taken off of my shoulders, and I jumped around as if the Chicago Cubs had won the World Series!  We ate pizza with Mariana and Alejo and we got them ready for their interview.  They came to the stake conference with us yesterday and then passed their baptism interview right after.  So they will be getting baptized this week!  It is going to be Awesome!!!

I now have 18 months in the mission.  It is amazing how fast the time goes by.  I am grateful for the time that I have had and the time that I have left.  If I have learned anything in my mission, it is that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the kingdom of God on earth.  It is directed by Christ Himself and it is the only road that leads to eternal happiness.  I am so grateful for my mission.  The best time to play is in the fourth quarter, and the fourth quarter of my mission has just begun.  I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Un Abrazo,

Elder Maynard