Life is Good

¿Còmo andamos?

Wow, every week I think ``What a week.``  I also think, ``The week went by fast.``  It is incredible.  This week was probably the hottest week of the year so far.  Living in Utah, no one knows what humidity is.  Santa Fe has taught me what it is very well.  Sometimes it is so hot that it seems like the only people in the street are us.  I love the look on the people`s face when we knock on their door.  People always say ``not even the heat stops you guys.``  or more frequently ``Not even the rain stops you.``  Nothing stops us because we have the truth, and the truth must go forth!

We have several awesome investigators, but the one that progressed the most this week is a man named Miguel.  He has now come to church two weeks in a row!!  We had an awesome lesson teaching him the restoration.  The spirit was really strong.  There is nothing better than teaching the restoration.  He accepted a baptism date for the 25th of March. (Go Dad!)  Miguel understood well that he has to receive an answer for himself.  We are focusing a lot on helping people receive their own answers.  In contacts, lessons, everything.  Nothing happens unless we know for ourselves that these things our true.  We have to be truly converted!  I love the definition of conversion that the church has. Conversion: ``Changing one’s beliefs, heart, and life to accept and conform to the will of God. Conversion includes a conscious decision to give up one’s former ways and change to become a disciple of Christ. Repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ make conversion complete. A natural man will be changed into a new person who is sanctified and pure, born again in Christ Jesus.``  We will continue helping Miguel on his road to conversion.

I love when cool things happen that aren`t planned. 2 of them happened this week.  

1.  We contacted a man, and he told us that a member of the church lives next door.  We didn`t recognize the name so we went to meet the member.  It turns out that it is a member that we know well, the neighbor just had the name wrong.  The member that we visited is actually the secretary of the stake.  But he told us that he was having a hard week.  He lives alone and he was feeling lonely this week.  He has been praying for some comfort from God.  The same day that he prayed for comfort, we showed up.  The spirit was super strong during our visit.  It was just a testimony to me that we really are servants in the Lord`s hands.  He uses us to answer peoples` prayers and most of the time I do not even realize it.  

2.  An elderly lady was using a weed whacker to cut her grass.  She was super friendly, but wouldn`t let us help her.  So we talked for 5 minutes.  She still wouldn`t let us help her.  So we talked for 5 more minutes.  At last we convinced her to let us just try using the weed whacker.  To make a long story short, we used a bit of persuasion and ending up cutting her whole lawn.  It was super awesome.  I think that my favorite thing to do is do service projects.  It is a blast.  Well the woman was beyond grateful.  She ended up calling us ``a blessing from God.``  We now have plans to teach her and her granddaughters this week. 

Life s good!  I hope you all are well and that you have a great week!  

Love, 

Elder Maynard

Misiòn Argentina Santa Fe
 DyC 128: 22 Hermanos, ¿no hemos de seguir adelante en una causa tan grande? Avanzad, en vez de retroceder. ¡Valor, hermanos; e id adelante, adelante a la victoria! ¡Regocíjense vuestros corazones y llenaos de alegría! ¡Prorrumpa la tierra en canto¡

 Alfajors and Coke with the boy Elder Gomez

Watermelon 

We made grape juice

 

There are lotteries like this all around santa fe, it makes me laugh

 

Every time that I eat eggs, I think of Dad and that he is going to be on cloud nine when I am at home whipping up some fried eggs or an omelette.  

La Guerra

HOLA!

I feel like I just finished world war III this past week.  Wow.  Every day this week before we left the pension, my comp and I said, "A la Guerra." (Off to War) We just testified to EVERYONE.  It was seriously so awesome.  We would leave every contact laughing because it has been so fun.  Almost everyone has eventually given us a deer in the headlights face because they do not know how to respond to us.  Sometimes the truth is hard.  We have to be humble to accept the truth.  But EVERYONE has accepted to continue reading the restoration pamphlet and pray to know if it is true.  We have a lot of following up to do this week. 

I have a new companion, his name is Elder Gomez and he is from Buenos Aires.  My first Argentine companion!!  We have had some change ups because Elder Llanos ends his mission soon.  It is crazy how time flies.  Elder Llanos and I did some awesome work together.  The mission is just awesome.  Elder Llanos taught me not to be so stressed out, just to enjoy the ride.  I`ve been enjoying the ride a ton.  I`m going to miss him.

Our main investigators weren`t able to come to church this week.  It was pretty sad, but we are going to help them out this week.  We did however, find a new man this week and he came to church with us.  There is always something great about the mission.

This week during several occasions I have felt the love of God. It`s remarkable.  In these moments, everything makes sense.  In these moments, everything is ok.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  I know that Christ is the Light and the Life of the world.  The greatest joy and comfort that I have received in my life have been through Him.  We have to keep Him with us in every moment.  "O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world."  Let`s all remember Him a little bit more this week and enjoy the love of God.

Love,

Elder Maynard

Misiòn Argentina Santa Fe
 DyC 128: 22 Hermanos, ¿no hemos de seguir adelante en una causa tan grande? Avanzad, en vez de retroceder. ¡Valor, hermanos; e id adelante, adelante a la victoria! ¡Regocíjense vuestros corazones y llenaos de alegría! ¡Prorrumpa la tierra en canto¡

Late 21 month alfajor. 

Sometimes I think my desk is cool 

Alfajor is life

Elder Maynard´s Week

Hey Everyone! 

Here´s my week...

Lunes: I got my haircut for Pday.  Then we went to say goodbye to all of the missionaries that are ending their mission.  We had a testimony meeting and we heard all of the things that these 6 missionaries had learned during their service.  Wow.  The spirit was so strong.  One of the biggest strengths that I find on my mission is standing side by side with other great young men and young women that do their best.  It is just a blessing.  

Martes: I woke up feeling great!  Normally I wake up just exhausted.  Tuesday was just a great day.  We welcomed in the new missionaries and we just had a great time.  I have so many great friends here in the mission and it is just a blast to be around them.  I love seeing the energy and excitement and nervousness that all of the new missionaries bring.  It reminds me of when I got to the mission about 20 months ago :O

Miercoles: We had a meeting with new missionaries and their trainers.  I translated again for President Pérez and my translating has improved tremendously.  It is pretty amazing and humbling when you realize that you have progressed a lot in something.  Sometimes I just sit back in amazement and thank God for the many blessings that He gives to us.  The gift of tongues is a huge one that he gives to all missionaries.

Jueves:  We had a meeting with all of the leaders in the mission.  It is basically just a pump up rally and President Pérez is the main show.  I think that he is Captain Moroni in the flesh.  I wish that you could all meet him.  He is a spiritual beast.  I love the guy so much.  His main focus lately has been Jeremiah 16:16.  We have to go out and find those who are ready to be baptized. 

Viernes:  Elder Llanos and I hit the pavement hard in our area.  We found a family in the morning and the mom accepted a baptism date.  Then we found another family at night and the dad accepted a baptism date.  Did President Perez´s pump up talk work?  I think that it did.

Sábado:  We visited our friend, José Maria, and he sang us another Evangelist song.  We got him excited to read the Book of Mormon and go to church with us.  His songs are actually pretty good.  Elder Llanos and I are going to try to learn them haha.  We also had an awesome lesson with another investigator, Agustina.  She is a college student and misses her family a lot.  We know that the gospel will help her out.  During the lessons she says awesome prayers that bring the spirit strongly.  We talked to her about the Book of Mormon too and how it has been a blessing in our lives.  It made me remember the first time that I read the whole Book of Mormon, I read it with my family.  I told her that and I promised her that the Book of Mormon will change her life and the life of her future family.

Domingo:  Jose Maria and Agustina both made it to church!! It was awesome!!  The mission is a blast when things are going well after lots of hard work.  It is so rewarding.  I also felt lots of peace yesterday during the sacrament.  I hope that you all can feel it too.

Today: I read this scripture and it hit me hard.  John 15: 12 "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you."

I love you all!  The Church is true.  Christ Lives.  Enjoy the week.

Elder Maynard

Misiòn Argentina Santa Fe
 DyC 128: 22 Hermanos, ¿no hemos de seguir adelante en una causa tan grande? Avanzad, en vez de retroceder. ¡Valor, hermanos; e id adelante, adelante a la victoria! ¡Regocíjense vuestros corazones y llenaos de alegría! ¡Prorrumpa la tierra en canto¡

 Mcdonalds at Midnight?  Did we just play poker?

 Do you all really want to just see all of my food pics?

After a lot of work I need a coke.  

 Just some good times

Saying goodbye to the old missionaries with an asado 

Ice cream, anyone? 

We Got It

Hey Hey Hey!

Wow.... It was a good week.  We have been working pretty well.  The best feeling in the world is the satisfaction that comes after working hard.  There is no better feeling.  Sometimes the feeling comes after days, or weeks, or months.  But it is a feeling that often comes and it just makes the mission awesome.  

We have a new friend,  his name is Josè.  We met him as we were walking by his house.  He has already read the entire Book of Mormon and he is really smart.  He is also pretty interesting.  During our chat with him he sang to us 4 evangelist songs.  It was pretty funny.  Josè has a tremendous faith.  He was in a coma for 10 days and he says that he saw the Heavens.  We picked Josè up to come to church with us and the first thing that he did was stand in front of the whole Elders quorum and tell his story about seeing the Heavens.  He also sang another Evangelist song during our Sunday school class.  Needless to say, the whole ward already knows who Josè is. It was a fun Sunday.  Josè has a baptism date for the 18th of March.  We are excited to keep on working with him and surely there will be more fun stories to come. 

I love a quote that I have often thought about in my mission.  It is "Be a creator of the circumstances and not a creation of the circumstances."  We are the captains of our lives.  We have the power and the control to be able to have success.  We just have to go out there and get the job done.  President Pèrez has shared some scriptures with us that have helped me keep on moving forward with this goal, to be a creator, to be a doer. Ezekiel 34: 11 "Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out." and Ezekiel 34: 16 " I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick."  I will do it. I will get the job done.  If I do not do it, then who will?  God has entrusted us with agency in our lives, we have to use it well!  

I love you all!  

Love,

Elder Maynard

 Salmon covered with shrimp sauce,  ribeye covered with peppers and a fried egg.  Am I on a mission or on vacation?  Maybe one of the best plates of my life!

 A selfie because why not

 Elder Llanos got soaking wet in the rain

The boys in action 

My man Elder Gifford