Feliz Día de Gracias

Hola Familia!!!!

This week was awesome!!! Just like every week haha.  Some news before I forget, I won`t be writing until next Tuesday because we have transfers this week.  We will see if I am still in Esperanza or not! haha So that will be exciting!

This week we had quite a bit of success.  We have visited a lot of new people!  We will see if they turn into investigators.  This week Elder Clayton and I have really pushed to encourage people to pray.  Lots of people don`t like to pray.  I have been thinking and I have come up with some reasons why people don´t. 1. The adversary is constantly attacking people so that they don`t want to pray, obviously.  2. People think it´s weird.  If they don´t have faith in God, I can see why praying would be weird.  But big news for all the unbelievers out there. GOD LIVES!  3.  People are afraid of the answer they will receive.  And that is why the prophets in the Scriptures constantly say that we have to pray with real intent.  With real intent, faith, and humility to pray, we can receive personal revelation!  So we just have to overcome all of these obstacles and pray!  We talked with a ton of people this week and persisted until they prayed.  I cannot explain how humbling it is to hear people pray for the first time.  It is probably my favorite thing in the mission.  The thanks they give to God for the simplest things is a great example for me. I try to give thanks every night for the little things from the day.  And HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!  May we all take a little time to personally pray to Heavenly Father on Thanksgiving, offering nothing but our gratitude! This is my challenge for all of you this week!  I know that prayer changes lives, because it has changed my life.  Through prayer I have come to know that this church is true.  Through prayer I have been moved to serve a mission.  Through Prayer I have been moved to repent, and receive forgiveness from my almighty God.  Though prayer I feel my Heavenly Father´s comfort and love.  Have a great week everyone!! Love you all! Happy Thanksgiving.

Un abrazo,

Elder Maynard

 

We made pancakes as a district!!!

 

 

 

 

 I make it rain BUCKETS!

Took a trip to Rosario this week to do tramites!!!

 and me solving big rubicks cube! haha

 

 

 Dudes in Rosario mission home.  Me from Herriman, state champs baby!!!! and then kid from Bingham and Kid from Riverton

 mission home in rosario! i have been to this mission home twice and have never been to mission home in santa fe hahahaha

 

 

 

 This is where we ate lunch in rosario hahahaha Little peruvian hole in wall. Awesome

First watermelon in argentina was delish!

 Sunday morning esperanza streets! amazing

 

 

 

 Plaza with Elder maynard... the dog whispereer hahaha

 lunch with some members!!! pizza and milaneza

 

 

 

 

 

 Un grande y abominable iglesia, but it reminds me of clock tower from peter pan so I snapped a pic hahaha

11/16/15

HOLA!!!

How`s everyone doing?!  I feel like this past week flew by, just like they normally do.  Well the work continues here in the mission field.  I walk these streets constantly asking myself ´´Where are the chosen people?´´ We have to find those chosen people who are ready to hear the good news, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And I`ll tell you what, it ain´t easy. hahaha And if it was easy then the mission would be no fun.  It`s fun to overcome challenges and try to find new ways to meet people and to teach them.  The mission is an adventure, that`s for sure.  And like most adventures, it´s a blast.  I often think that it is a little crazy what we do.  We talk to complete strangers and sometimes we convince them to let us enter their house.  It´s awesome.  I can`t describe it.  Serve a mission and you will know what I am talking about.  It`s such a good feeling to share gospel with people.  We are all children of God and He loves us.  My love grows for my fellow brothers and sisters as I share my testimony, so I invite you all to share your testimony this week! 

Well, this week we have one new investigator!!! Whoooo!!  We have been searching for less active members a lot lately that have incomplete families, and that`s what we have found!  Probably the most Humble guy in the world, Hermano Martinez and his non member Señora Hna Palomeque.  We had two lessons with them this week.  We reintroduced the Book of Mormon to them and read 3 Nephi 11 together.  Wow, they were two great lessons.  Both of them just smile the whole time and it makes me happy! haha They both told us that they feel really good when we visit them, and I told them ´´I feel good too!´´´haha It is amazing how the spirit of the Lord testifies of the Book of Mormon.  I know without a doubt that it is true.  In the last few weeks I have begun to read from the beginning once again.  I absolutely love the story of Nephi.  This guy is a man of faith!  Great example for me. 

Well I love you all! Thanks for all your letters and prayers for me.  I have felt your love for me today!!  Thanks for lifting me up, everyone!! And thank you grandparents, I continue to get all of your letters!! They are great!  And happy birthday to Grandpa Maynard this week!

Love you all!!!

Elder Maynard

 

Gettin pics in with some murals haha

 and no one does the david face, like david does the david face hahahahahaa

 

 

roasted chicken with chimmichurri..... mouthwatering

 

 and elder maynard with the esperanza city hall 

 

 

Lunch with ward mision leader? I aint even mad

 

 

Elder Maynard in the plaza? we have ourselves a happy camper hahaha

 

 

6 meses ya fue :O

Hola amados mìos!

Wow, would you look at that.  It`s November and I have 6 months in the mission!!  I can`t believe it.  Time flies, verdad?  I still feel like a baby in the mission. haha The mission is just one of the most humbling experiences in the world.  You have to rely completely on the Lord Jesus Christ.  I arrived in a foreign land and couldn´t understand a word, and after 6 months I only understand every other word. haha But the mission opens your eyes to the eternal perspective.  Nothing else matters in the world but the Gospel, and that is why Missionary Work is the greatest.  We help others open their eyes too.  People are lost in the dark, and we help them open their eyes and see our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the light and life of the world, who overcomes all darkness.  The good news is that we are all missionaries!  We are missionaries for our whole lives!  So do I have 18 months left or 60 years?:O  But I love my mission.  I can´t wait for the many more good things to come.

This week was a week to show our faith.  We basically dropped all of our investigators.  None of them are progressing.  David, who had a baptism date, he investigated the church for the wrong reasons.  We prayed about it and decided it would be best to let him go to.  It´s hard to let go of people that you prayed for, fasted for, and that you love.  But we had to trust in the Lord that it`s not their time yet.  Besides the fact that we have dropped many investigators we had one of the best weeks of my mission numbers wise.  Lots of lessons taught and we received lots of references too!  I feel like the Lord blessed us a lot this week for relying on him to find new people to teach.  We have lots of appointments set this week for new people, so I am excited! We will see how it goes! 

Because it is 6 month mark, here is a little testimony in Spanish!

Yo sè que Jesucristo vive.  Me encanta la mision y que yo tenga la oportunidad a servir mi padre celestial.  Yo sè que el libro de mormon es verdadero. Es el libro màs poderoso en todo el mundo y podemos acercarnos a Dios mediante el mensaje que contiene.  yo quiero mi familia y yo sè que vamos a vivir juntos para toda la eternidad.  Yo agradezco mi Padre Celestial cada dia por mi mision y la vida que yo tengo.   I LOVE YOU ALL!! Have a great week.

Con amor,

Elder Maynard

 

 empenadas y torta para celebrar el cumpleaños de elder clayton!!!!

 

 

 After 5 hours straight in the pouring rain of argentina, elder clayton y I made it out alive.  Soaking wet.  Everything just like we jumped into a pool.  Good memories hahaha

 

 

 Yes.  Yes, missionaries are Jedis

 

 

Just a nice bright and sunshiney day:)

and thats right folks, i put my skirt on...  we just have a sister missionary`s mission left to go.  18 months left. Lets do it.

 

 

selfie in the street, por què no?

 Is that Elder Maynard? In a restaurant?  Yes.... Yes it is hahaha

 

 

 BURGER!!! YEAH! hahaha 

 

 

 Enjoying a nice PDay lunch

 

 

Elder Maynard with cool basketball pic

 

11/02/15

Mis Amados,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I hope it was great for yáll. Here in Argentina nobody did anything.  Pobrecitos they don´t know the glory of free candy. haha But Elder Clayton and I made some Coke Floats with Vanilla Ice cream so yes I celebrated.  My mother raised me to celebrate Halloween so it had to be done.  I also carved a ´´pumpkin´´ out of an orange haha so there´s that. Happy Halloween!

We keep on working here in Esperanza!!  Our investigator David is slowly stopping to smoke. Only had 3 cigarettes this week.  He is not quite ready for baptism yet so we moved his baptism back to the 27 of November. But the highlight of the week was testimony meeting yesterday in church.  Our branch here in Esperanza all went to the Buenos Aires Temple on Friday.  It was so amazing to hear their testimonies of the temple.  The Spirit of God like a fire was burning in my soul!  I know that the Temple is the house of the Lord.  I miss the temple so much.  All of you Utahans take advantage and go to the temple this week! 

Missionary work is awesome.  It has changed my life and I still have tons of work and time to go.  It has made my love for my family grow, it has turned some of my weaknesses into strengths, it has shown me who I am and who I want to become, and it has drawn me closer to my savior.  I am so grateful for my calling and the opportunity to serve in Argentina.

Well I love you all and hope that you all have a great week. Un abrazo fuerte.

Con amor,

Elder Maynard

 I call the first pic bike man plaza warrior.

 and ice cream is a recent reoccurring theme. :O

 

 

 

Late night full moon buckets.... mi Corazon

 I went to Santa Fe for tramites this week. that's where I played ball and the office elders ordered us pizza.  Yeah it was a good time

 

 

 I had divisions this week with zone leader Elder Miller.  He is Californian.  Man Californians are cool missionaries. 

 

 CHocolate banana peanut butter shakes

 

 yeah we ordered three tubs of ice cream during the week.

 

 

 and guess what? then we did it again for Halloween hahahaha

 

 

ok I HAD to dress up for Halloween. haha or else my mother would be mad at me hahaah

we present.... Elder Maynard.... The crocodile hunter.... and Elder Clayton..... The crocodile

 the croc hunter has his prey.....

 and yesterday was elder claytons birthday!! so i made him chocolate pancakes with peanut butter and coconut pancakes with dulce de leche... CELESTIAL

 Kids from the branch haha they always steal our helmets and think its hilarious haha

 

 

 BIRTHDAY CAKE AND PARTY!!!

 

 

we have our missionary coordination meetings at hno jordans house and I pet his dog to sleep every time hahaha my fav dog in esperanza-.

 and tell Luke that I was iron man for Halloween too. but for real hahaah

And I got more pics of the haunted mansion of Esperanza the day after Halloween so it was safe haha

 I tried to snatch some nighttime pics in the plaza.  the plaza might be one of my favorite places on earth