Let`s Start the New Year with a Splash

Hola Todos!!!

Happy New Year!  I can´t believe that it is already 2016 and that I have 8 months in the mission.  Time flies!  I hope you all had a great New Year´s Eve and that 2016 will be full of adventures and happiness :)

Wow I had a good week.  We have good news, Jonathan is going to be baptized Saturday!!! Vamos!!!  He is such a good guy.  I am so excited.  The gospel is going to bless his life so much.  We met this man just one month ago and have worked diligently with him so that he can draw closer to the Savior.  It has been amazing to see the quick progress that he has had and the changes in his life.  The Lord is working miracles. It`s amazing.  The Lord`s hand is in ALL THINGS, and HE LIVES.  This week I read Mosiah 2.  I love this chapter.  It talks about how we are forever in debt to our Almighty God. He gave us life, He shows us mercy, and He is always with us.  Something I have learned in my mission is that I am nothing.  I feel like God has humbled me a lot and I still have a long way to go.  I know that God did everything to prepare Jonathan for baptism.  I am just so happy and excited.  I will let you all know how it goes next week! Whooooo!!!  God is a God of miracles!

It isn´t certain, but we have another investigator who may be baptized this week.  Her name is Eva.  She is a single, hardworking mother.  A great, great lady.  She has been talking with missionaries for a while but hasn`t been baptized because she smokes.  But this past week, she committed to quit.  We threw away her package of cigarettes and she hasn´t smoked since.  The church is true people.  I am just seeing miracles left and right.  God lives and this is His true church. 

I am so grateful for the mission.  It isn`t easy and never will be easy, but the blessings and joy are eternal.  I am grateful that I still have a lot of time left to give my all to my Savior Jesus Christ.  I will never be able to repay my debt to him, but I will try to give Him my whole soul.  This is going to be a great year. I love you all tons!  Have a great week.

Un Abrazo Fuerte,

Elder Maynard

 

 I didnt know that the twix was actually shaped like a santa head!!! Awesome!!

In honor of you guys seeing new rocky movie, my 2nd jump rope went to shreads...

 And this is argentina happiness, carne dulce tarta, pepas, and alfahor

 

 

My new years eve... milking an alfahor... its amazing

 And celebrating Elder De la Rosa´s birthday!!!

 I liked these trees.  The leaves on some trees here remind me of jurassic park, i havent seen any dinosaurs yet though... lamentablemente

El Año Nuevo

Hola!!!

Wow, the weeks go by quicker and quicker.  I can´t believe Christmas has already come and gone.  I had an awesome Christmas!!! It was awesome to talk to you guys!! I love you tons!!  I hope it was a great Christmas for everyone!

This week was a blast.  We had a lot of success out here in the mission.  God is working miracles continually.  Christmas morning we were strolling in a bunch of vacant streets. No one was outside, except a homeless man we found.  He doesn’t appear like the stereotype homeless man.  He came to Santa Fe for a job, but got laid off.  On this fine Christmas day we talked to him in a park.  He was really thankful and accepted invitation to read a pamphlet on the Restoration.  The next day we met him in the Church, and went over the message of the Restoration with him.  The spirit just fills the soul with peace.  I have just felt so much peace in my mission as I have been teaching.  It`s awesome.  This man is named Marcelo, and he accepted the invitation to be baptized.  We will see if he turns into the Christmas Miracle.  I have faith that he will.

Our investigator Jonathan is progressing quickly.  This guy is awesome.  If you just saw him in the street you would think that he belongs in a gang.  But don´t judge a book by its cover! He has the sweetest three little girls and he is trying hard to be a good dad.  Awesome guy.  This week he came to church, and even came to a baptism service of another ward.  He has been really nervous to attend these meetings, but when we leave he always says that he just feels peace and that he is calm.  I am blessed to hear his humble prayers.  Probably my favorite thing in the mission is hearing people pray.  He prays for the most simple and humble things.  A great example for me.

Well I had a great week.  We are teaching people who are progressing.  It has been a blast and I am excited for the near future.  We are going to have a great new year!! Happy New Year everyone!!! Stay safe. Love you all.

Un abrazo,

Elder Maynard

 Christmas service in the hospital!!!

 only in Argentina... a dog would be dead asleep in the middle of a hospital

 Christmas conference dinner!!!!

 Pizza party to celebrate Brittney's birthday hahaha

 I ate chicken milanesa next day like Brittney asked

 MY STREETS!!!

 Christmas eve dinner!!!

 Got jerseys for Christmas VAMOS COLON!!

and we on the rooof!!! 

 ITS CHRISTMAS!!! up on the house tops elders paws?

 CHRISTMAS MORNING WHOOOOO

 i had to make Christmas pancakes

and empty Christmas streets hahaha 

 More streets!! wheres all the people?

Strollin through an empty Christmas plaza

Mele kalikimaka???

 strolling like the Beatles in Santa Fe

 My view on Christmas

 last Christmas pics.  Full moon and my tree:)

 Sunday strollin hahaha

last email!!! love you all tons!!!! Happy new year

HA NACIDO UN SALVADOR!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!

HOLA AMADOS!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!  I can´t believe it is already Christmas time! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my older little sister Brittney!!  Hey Britt Whitt.... You`re Awesome.  Just so everyone knows... She has a wedding date for May 2017.  hahah Love you sis!

Well I had Quite the week.  We have seen lots of progress here in Parque del Sur.  There is so much potential in lots of investigators and I am so excited.  The Lord is working miracles and preparing people to come into His fold.  With our investigator, Mariela, we had an awesome experience reading the Book of Mormon with her.  I love reading 3 Nephi 11 with investigators.  She said that she felt lots of peace and joy as we read.  She said she didn´t understand very well but we told her to just focus on her feelings to start.  We are the preachers and the Spirit is the teacher, and the feelings are what counts.  She is so humble and willing to learn more about the gospel. 

We had an awesome time with our investigator Johnathan this week.  We taught him about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.  At the end of the lesson we invited him to kneel down and ask God if these things are true.  He said maybe the best prayer I have ever heard in my mission- ``Heavenly Father, Please tell me if these things and the Book of Mormon are true. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen``  We then stayed kneeling in silence for about 5 min. as Johnathan just stayed still, looking at the ground.  I know he got his answer. IT WAS AWESOME!!  We then went and picked him up for church Sunday morning, and after church he told us he either felt really cold or really hot during Church.  Spirit works in marvelous ways.  For me it sends chills down my spine.  The gospel is awesome. 

Well everyone! Have a very merry Christmas!!! I am so thankful for my Savior and that He came down to Earth to take upon my sins and the sins of the world.  He is Generous, Life, Light, Prince of Peace, Redeemer, and Savior.  He is the Christ!  I love you tons family! Talk to Friday!!!!

Con amor,

Elder Maynard

 manger cut out for the ward activity.  I cut out the sheep :)

We were the roman soldiers for the Christmas party hahaha

4 investigators came!!!!

One elder that was living with us is going home with knee problems. vamos brasil.

and share a coke with elder Maynard 

 

 

 

 

I like trees and early sunday morning walks in ARGENTINA

 

 

and probably the ugliest dog I've ever seen

 

 

 

VAMOS COLÒN!!  The team of THE CITY  Santa Fe. VAMOS

.

and I bought the kid facturas

11 Days til Christmas:O

Hola mis amados!

This week was awesome! We have been talking to a ton of people in the street and finding lots of new people to teach!  Like I said last week you just have to open your mouth and it will be filled!  Last week we contacted a man named Jonathon.  I saw him sitting on a street corner under a tree, and thought came to my mind to spark some conversation with him. He showed us where he lives and we set an appointment with him.  Since then we have had 3 lessons with him.  This guy is humble.  He is raising three little girls all by himself.  He is going through some hard times.  The gospel will help him so much.  We invited him to read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and he kept reading til page 7.  Doesn't sound like much but it is the best I have seen in an investigator yet!  He accepted a baptism date for January so we are excited for him.  His challenge will be going to church.  He feels really nervous when he leaves his neighborhood and the church is on the other side of town.  But we will overcome!  God always helps us and prepares a way for us.  His daughters are a big help.  They all want to come to church! haha Ellas son capitas.  The oldest daughter reminds me a ton of Jessica.  She sits there and copies me while we are teaching haha. She copies my hand motions and everything.  I love how Christ tells us to be like Little children.  They are just fun loving and enjoy life.  And all the kids of investigators always want to come to church!  Coincidence? I think not! 

Cool story for the week: It was raining and the rain is like the plague here in Argentina haha No one leaves their house and everyone seeks shelter.  And then there are the missionaries swimming in the street haha. We were passing by a hospital, and being a public place, there were a lot of people.  But how the rain is like the plague, they were all huddled up in the doorway seeking shelter.  Directly in front of doorway, there was a man having trouble with his car.  His battery was dead and he was trying to push his car by himself to start it up.  All of these people were just watching him.  I couldn`t believe it.  Normally when we offer help to people we receive a quick response of ``No.``  But this guy said ``La verdad que sì.``  We pushed the car and it started up in 5 seconds and the man drove away with a thumbs up.  We then walked past the group of people standing in doorway and there were a few glowing smiles from the people who saw.  I smiled back and we kept walking. 

I don`t want any sort of praise or bragging for this story but I thought it was cool, and it came to my mind to share with you all.  Main thing that I like the most is that all the people watching now know that those strange kids in ties are here to help.  Maybe one day they will answer a knock on their door and accept the missionaries.  Then they can learn about and accept the eternal help of our Savior Jesus Christ.  I don`t know, that`s what I like to think.  Got to believe and hope for the best, because the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Have a great week! Love you all tons!  Happy holidays!!!

Un abrazo,

Elder Maynard

We had a pizza party one night!! and then the next night... guess what? we ordered pizza again hahaha

Only pics for the week.  I didnt realize I haven't taken any at all of my area or nada.  I`ll get some pics for you and send them next week.