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

10 Months!

Hey Everyone!

We have reached double digits with the months!! Wow time flies by.  I ate a delicious alfahor to celebrate.  One of the glorious treasures of Argentina.  I love Argentina I can`t even tell you.

Yesterday we were contacting and there was absolutely nobody in the streets.  Normally everyone is sitting outside on a Sunday afternoon sipping mate, but it was dead.  We found out that River and Boca where playing so that explains everything. Biggest soccer teams from Buenos Aires.  I don`t know who won, but Vamos BOCA! For all my soccer fanatic cousins out there I have grown to like soccer on the mission.  I want to play a few pickup games when I get back. I am getting a little better, little by little, but I am still terrible.  I will stick with basketball.

We have been in the street contacting all week.  I don`t know if it`s the water here or something but the people are rough.  haha It`s been hard to even get people to listen to us.  But I like a challenge, so we are going to see if we can take Victoria by the horns and put someone in the waters of baptism.  I read about the Army of Helaman this week. I love their example.  That just had total faith in God and went out to battle.  As a missionary you just got to go out there and fight.  It`s a battle of souls.

We had a little success this week. We received a reference and went to visit a lady named Natali.  We talked to her on her doorstep for a long time.  She is a young mother, in her early twenties and she has been smoking for over 10 years.  She wants to stop smoking and join a church to have a better life for her daughter.  Well Natali, there isn`t any other better church than this one.  It was way cool to hear her life story and her desire to change.  She said that she liked talking to us and it helped her feel better.  She says she feels like we have been the only people to listen to her and to understand her.  Little moments like these make the mission all worth it. Just to listen and to help someone out.  The gospel would bless her life so much :) We are going to keep working with her.

Enjoy the week everyone! I love you all!

Un abrazo,

Elder Maynard

 We went a little sight seeing

 Green hills filled with horses.... Argentina baby

 La costanera.  THe shore of the river that looks like a sea

  The river has been really high all year.  There have been huge floods in Santa Fe in the past and people are scared that it will happen again, but I thought it was funny that it says Beach and there is just water 

 Visiting a branch called NOgoya.

 Late night Pizza!!!

 Elder de la Rosa? With Christmas Presents?

Thats right baby, christmas presents of facturas

Ojas Blancas

Hey Everyone!

Out here in the mission, it`s a lot of fun.  You`re dead tired every day, but you still have fun. Does that make sense? I was so tired every day this week, but I found moments were I was laughing.  Why am I laughing? I am too tired to laugh.  The gospel brings joy.  That`s why I laugh and that`s why I still have a good time.  Mosiah 2: 41 If you aren`t happy, you aren`t doing it right, but that`s ok because we can change until we are happy.

Well, we are out here in a new area. We are both new here, we don`t have any investigators, and we don`t know the city very well.  We have been walking the streets knocking doors and talking to people sitting outside. People have run away hiding, they send their kids to the door to lie and say they’re not home. It`s pretty funny haha What else? They act like they can`t hear us.  They crack open the door and yell ``I`m catholic,`` They think by telling us that they are catholic that we will go away, but It doesn`t work haha People are funny.  The mission is an adventure.  With all the contacting we have a few appointments planned for the upcoming week. We will see how it goes.

I have been reading the Book of Mormon.  I guess that I am always reading the Book of Mormon, but it is amazing.  Every day I just want to keep reading.  I just get lost in the pages.  Every time I read it I have a peace within me.  This peace tells me every day that it is true.  Every day it gives me a strength and an excitement.  I know that God speaks to me through its pages.  I know it is true.  I have asked God many times if it is true, and He keeps answering me, and I keep moving forward. The church is true.

Congratulations to my beautiful little sister Jessica and her baptism the past week!  You are awesome crazy baby!  Have a great week everyone!  Press Forward with Faith! Be happy! Love you all!

Con amor,

Elder Maynard

Some pics of my new city

 Early in the morning. 5 am bus ahhhh

 Elder steben was elder fillerups comp before me and hes going home this transfer

 

 Me and the comp swiping some flan sooo good

 Hna Robledo from esperanza is already going home :O  Time flies

 onsejo de lideres!

 My streets!!!

 Sunday morning selfies con mi amigo mexicano

 Victoria Entre Rios Argentina

 Hey Dad! I promised you a pic with my first pancho.  It took me 10 months but I got it!!! And wow it was delicious.  Jam, cheddar, fries, mayonaise, chimmi churri