La Pascua

HOLA!

Happy Easter!!  Argentines don´t do much for Easter... They just sleep.  Pretty much every holiday they just sleep and they get mad when Mormon Missionaries knock on their door in the morning. haha But last week an inactive member gave us chocolate Easter eggs, so that´s how I celebrated Easter.  I also celebrated by testifying of Christ.  When people did answer the door they were really receptive.  It is amazing to see how the minds of people change during special times of the year.  Everyone recognizes the Light of Christ easier.  Christ Lives!

We had a special surprise on Sunday, Fransisco went to church by himself.  We went to pick him up and he wasn´t in his house, he was already waiting for us in the chapel.  What a champ.  This week we taught him the word of wisdom and by the end he could repeat the 5 things that we should avoid.  Also after the lesson on the law of chastity he said ´´Muy Bien.´´ (Very good)  It seems to us that he is progressing!  He has had a hard time understanding that a prayer isn´t something recited, it is an open conversation with God.  His prayers this week were much better.  I love hearing humble and simple prayers.  They are good examples for me.  Fransisco is in the fast lane towards his baptism on April 9th.

This week I am almost 100% sure that I had a sinus infection.  My head felt like it had been hit by a 95 mph fastball, and there were extra-terrestrial things coming out of my nose.  It was pretty amazing.  I prayed and I said, ´´God, if I need to go to the hospital, please make my head hurt worse.  If I am going to be ok, please take my pain away.´´ Since then I have been absolutely fine. How awesome is that?  God answers prayers, even short and simple ones.  Thank you all for your prayers for me and your love and support.  They really work, they really do.

This past week we invited 2 other investigators to be baptized, and they said yes! They are named Ariel and Felix.  We haven´t taught them much, but anyone who says yes to baptism is an awesome person.  They accepted for the 23 of April.  We are going to visit them tonight and I will let you know more about their progress next week.  The Lord is preparing the way.  We just have to follow along.

I am really excited for general conference.  I know that we have a living prophet of God who holds the Priesthood authority.  Authority that is only found en la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días.  I know that Christ lives.  That He left the tomb, that He broke the bands of Death that He has a glorified body of flesh and bones, that He has all power over all things, and that He directs His church today.  Enjoy conference everyone! I love you all!

Un abrazo,

Elder Maynard

 Big facturas

Members ask me to do jobs that are high, like changing a light bulb 

Empenadas made of Cheese.  I eat everything now

 

 I'm on a roof:)

 VICTORIA

 A nice malta and a newspaper haha

Is this thing on? haha

We did service at an old guys house cleaning up and it was like a museum.  Amazing house with a great view 

 More of the cool house.

 Morning of zone conference!!!

 Too many facturas and Chocolate milk!!!

 COKE WITH PRESIDENTE PEREZ HAHAHA

 Empenadas are the best

 DADS BIRTHDAY CAKE HAHA

 Zona Paraná Sur

 Celebrating Dad´s birthday with a good ole dulce de leche alfahor

 Argentina is amazing

 Slide on through here to get to Fransisco's house

Sunday Argentine street pic

Ojala que Fuera Primavera

Cómo Estamos?

Autumn has fallen here in Argentina and I am already cold. I feel like there are only extremes here.  You are uncontrollably sweating or packing on layers to fight the bone chilling wind.  Argentina is awesome.

The work will begin and the Lord will prepare the way.  Well, the work continues.  Our good friend Fransisco is still on the right track.  I love teaching him.  He is capable of talking the ear off of a psychologist. The first 15 minutes is always just trying to reel him into focus. haha But during the lesson, there are moments when he freezes.  He sits there speechless in deep deep thought.  That is when I know that he is feeling the Spirit.  The Spirit is the teacher and can calm anything. D&C 88:122 Appoint unto yourselves a teacher.  That teacher better be the Spirit.  If things keep going like they are now Fransisco should go the distance.

I have been reading 3 Nephi lately.  Awesome right?  This week 3 Nephi 20:8-9 really hit me.  Whenever I take the sacrament am I filled with the Spirit? If I am not, then why? Every time that we take the sacrament we should be filled with the Spirit.  Yesterday, I pulled out my scriptures during sacrament meeting and just kept reading these 2 verses over and over.  When I took the Sacrament, I was filled.  It was so amazing.  I sat there in the most comforting, soft, quiet, sweet peace that I have ever felt in my life.  I could’ve stayed in that moment forever.  My mind was clear, and my body was motionless.  I have learned so much on my mission.  I am glad that it has brought me to have awesome experiences like this.

We have been working hard and the Lord has been blessing us.  We have been blessed with lots of work and some people are beginning to open up to us and the message of the gospel.  I am excited for the near future.

I love you all:) the church is true! And Happy Birthday to my Dad this Friday! The 2nd best looking man on the planet;)  Everyone give him a big hug for me! I love him tons.

Con cariño,

Elder Maynard

 We back at it with the ice cream and the good views

 Trying to get those sweets in and gain some poundage

 Dulce de leche cake and the streets with the Comp!

 A less active family gave us a bunch of goodies

 

Sunday morning banana PB pancakes 

 The boys are back teaching the class and we here with the boy Fransisco!

 The streets are awesome

 Elder Maynard´s omelette, we build men out here in the mission

 Doing some tourism here in victoria, hill of the killing its called.  Cerro de la matanza

 Man from snowy river...... Horse tamer

Its my horse now 

 View of Victoria from a distance

 Entre Rios Argentina

3-14-16

Hola!

This week was awesome.  Just awesome.  

We were contacting, and my companion needed to use the restroom.  Great way to start a story, right?  We talked to an 80 year old man, sipping mate, and he gave us directions to find the neighborhood bathroom.  We follow his directions and there are two houses right next to each other, separated by only a foot and a half of space.  You have to squeeze in between the houses and the bathroom is in the back.  We slip back there and while my comp is in the bathroom, an old guy comes out of his hut.  He just lives in a really weird situated place.  We would have never found him if we hadn`t asked to use the bathroom haha The man is named Fransisco, 60 years old, and lives alone in his little hut.  We pulled out chairs and started to teach him.  We have taught him every single day this past week.  After two lessons on prayer, he finally said his first personal, simple prayer, and after teaching him the Restoration, he accepted a baptism date for April 9th.  We picked him up and he walked to church with us this past Sunday.  The man is awesome.  He has the most pure heart. He loves telling stories and laughing and he calls us ´´Amigos.´´ God works miracles.

We have been visiting the many inactive members that are here in Victoria.  Lots of them have bad feelings for other members or people, and that`s why a lot of people are inactive.  I remember two occasions talking with these inactives.  1. Pray to know what God wants you to do.  Don`t go to church for anyone else but God.  I love the example of Christ. He always does the will of the Father.  2. Apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ to your life.  I can testify that Christ takes away any bad feeling or pain, and he replaces it with joy, and hope, and peace.  

On the mission, I have been just trying to do God`s will and apply the Atonement to my life. It has been the greatest experience.  May we always continue to seek God`s will and repent, we are all doing it together. 

I love you all!
Elder Maynard

 Splits with Elder Marques from colombia, I bought the dude his first facturas, living in argentina for a month without a factura... what a shame

And I have a fanaticism for pepas 

 I made peanut butter toast and thought of mom

Us walking with our new investigator fransisco to church! 

Facturas en Santa Fe 

 Santa Fe bridge

 We got caught in the rain and i was soaking wet

 On our way to a service project 

 We cleaned up a backyard for a member and I took a selfie of our garbage pile

 A view of Victoria

 The crew with the service project

 CHORRIZOS

 Blinding selfie in the street

 The chapel of Victoria

 We taught an awesome Sunday school class

 La iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias

 The streets

 Celebrating 10 months

 We baught facturas

Then we bought ice cream

Argentina is the best 

Ice cream

I ripped my pants on a car bumper and sewed them back up. I was proud of myself

I love Argentina