New Year

Hey mamma! haha ya I dont have a whole lot to tell you guys either... I kind of said it all on Christmas. But this Monday we had like a capacitation for all of the new district leaders and all of the zone leaders, and so I got to see a whole bunch of my good friends here so that was way cool! hahaha and I have to tell you guys a story that you have to pass on to the rest of the fam.

So it was like the day after we talked, and my comp when to the house of a less active that we had never met before. We knocked and he answered and started telling us about how long he was a member and why he stopped going and all of that stuff. But the whole time I was just thinking of things that I could say to him and stuff and I just kept thinking about everything that you guys said to me on Christmas about how I need to be direct with people and persistant and all of that stuff. And so I just kind of let him have it, but with love hahaha. I told him like what he needed to do and like that God wasnt able to bless him and his family because he wasnt keeping his covenants and stuff. haha That sounds harsh but the Spirit really helped me and it actually came out pretty good! haha So now he is going on vacation but he said he wants us to come back and we are going to activate him and baptize the rest of his family!! He doesnt really know that yet... but thats the plan. 

Well I will try and send you guys pictures of Christmas! Other than that, Conner and Parker and all of my friends are talking about rooming together. I think one of my friends is organizing it and stuff but Conner said to talk to Michelle about it or something.. I dont really know but just for a heads up. Love you! Have an awesome new years!

George & Eva's 50th

Tree of Life

Christmas Conference

hey mamma!! sorry i didnt email you guys yesterday. We had our big christmas conference with the whole mission! it was way sweet! i got to see all of my old comps and everything. 

Also, our president gave the sickest talk ever! he basically like proved that the  Book of Mormon was true. It was nuts. It is way cool though cause there is a possibility that you guys will be able to meet him! Cause the family that we are going to to skype, he is going to be with them on Christmas. So that would be way cool if you could me my president! 

So sorry change of plans... my comps parents cant do it until like 7 our time... is that ok? Hopefully that doesnt change your plans too much. Let me know if there are any problems! haha but ya that would be cool if Whitney was there too! I will call on dads account and everything!

Well this week was good! It doesnt feel like christmas at all. Like not even a little bit. I feel like there is no way in the world that a year has already past.... It is so crazy how fast time is flying. I had to say goodbye to a whole bunch of Elders yesterday because they are all going home soon! The next time I will see them will be my homecoming haha that is so crazy... 

This is going to be a super weird week so I will tell you guys all about it on Christmas! I am way excited to talk to you guys! haha be ready to talk about college and stuff..... ugh.... love you guys!

New grandpuppy

Ty got a new yorkie puppy for his girlfriend. They named him Murphy.

Elf on the shelf

This year Eric was the only kid living at home and I was needing a little Christmas spirit. A big craze was getting a little elf that would visit the young children in the home and report back to Santa about their good behavior. I thought it would be fun to do for Eric. So, we sat down and read the book (included with the Elf) gave our Elf a name, and went to bed. Each morning Winky the Elf would have a treat and note ready for Eric. It was fun giving him little trinkets and things he needed in a fun way.

District Leader

hahahaha we all know how Eric loves to speak. How is he doing? And so me and Eric will go to UVU together haha sweet! When does the semester start? ugh.. I hate that I already am old and have to start thinking about school. I decided to just leave everything in your hands and just not worry about it. :) 

That is so cool about the power week thing! I felt the spirit way strong when you said that and I think there will be miracles that come from that! I will be sure to keep praying and fasting! Tell them that I love them! 

So does Ty only work in the summers then? Is he going to school as well? Do you think that they will get married? You have to help me out here mom and stall them as long as you possibly can... if someone else gets married while I am gone I am gonna lose it. You probably know but Melody is getting married this week I think, so that is like the sixth! That is crazy......

This week was a good week! We had transfers this week and me and my comp stayed the same but they just called me as district leader here so that will be interesting. I am pretty sure me and a couple other Elders from my MTC district that came with me just got made district leaders together so that is cool! I am pretty excited though haha because I cant seem to baptize, so I am excited to at least be able to help other missionaries out. We will see if I know what I am doing... other than that we are still fighting for baptisms! We have found some really cool people, but a lot of them arent married and struggle getting to church.. So we will see what we can do this week! 

I cant believe it is already Christmas!!! I am way excited to skype you guys! I think I will just do it the same as last time. Through skype and on Dads one. What time do you want me to call. My comp is talking to his parents as well so that we can plan a time but is there a specific time that you want me to call you guys? I am thinking some time in the afternoon like 4 or five or something like that. (I dont know what time that would be for you guys...)

Well I love you all! Have an awesome week! 

Ugly sweater day

Another Argentine Holiday

Hey mamma! Sorry Ididnt write yesterday. It was a holiday again and so the cyber cafe things were all closed. and we also had a zone activity that was way sweet! We went to this place called Carlos Paz, and it is like really touristy and way nice and stuff. It looked just like California but just a little bit more iniquity, and a little bit more spanish. It was way sweet though cause we did this hike up to a big cross the overlooked the whole city! The hike looked EXACTLY like utah. It literally felt like I was taking a hike in the mountains back home! I have pictures that I will try and send to you guys. 

haha I fasted as well for Lauren and Devin so now we just have to wait for the miracles! I hope they are doing alright. Congrats on your new calling! Youre gonna do awesome! haha and tell Dad that he is just too good of a Young Mens president that they cant take him out. And then tell him that I met a District President here that has been president for 16 years... so things could be worse. 

What the crap?? Eric broke his nose? Did you guys tell me that already? What happened?! hahahaha karma from that one time that he broke Camille's nose. 

Sorry I dont have that much to say. This week went awesome until Sunday. We found a ton of new awesome people and stuff but then none of them went on Sunday... so this week we have to go and see what happened with all of them... haha that is probably one of the most frusterating things on my mission... 

Well I love you guys a ton and hope that you have a good week! Did you get my recording for grandma and grandpa? Did it work good? and when will I know if I got a scholarship and stuff to UVU? or will I know? haha  I dont really know how all this stuff works...

Good Thanksgiving

Hey mamma! Iam glad you guys had a good thanksgiving! It was so weird cause it doesnt even exist here and so me and my comp cooked a feast in the pension. haha My comp cant cook and in the area that I am in a lot of times we dont have lunch and so I have to cook a lot. So I am learning how to make all of the Argentine things so that I can make them for you guys when I get home! Holy cow.... yesterday I completed 16 months... that is so crazy! It literally like doesnt sound possible that I am so old... haha like I am excited to see you guys and everything but I am not even close to ready to come home yet! I have so much more to do! I just have to take advantage of the time I have left. 

Ya I think that I am good with going to UVU. but I just wanted to know if like it costs anything or like if it is super hard to apply. But I think UVU is probably the best option. Ugh... I cant believe that I am already applying to college.

I sent you the recording for Grandma and Grandpa. I dont know if it is already too late but... if it is you can just share it with them anyway! When is their aniversary? 

This week was good! haha but still tough... I am so determined to find people it is nuts. I want to baptize here so bad! We have a couple possibilities but the thing is, here in the city everyone is always busy and so it is like impossible to find people here. We like find someone awesome and have an awesome first lesson, and then their idea of the soonest possible time to come back is "Ya chicos I would love you guys to come back but I dont have time until the end of next month!" or "Ya I am super busy now, but could you come back next year?" You think I am joking but it happens... 

Other than that sorry I dont have a whole lot to say! haha Nothing too big happened this week. 

Love you mamma! have an awesome week! 

Elbow to the nose

Eric, who has played basketball competitively his entire life, was playing a rec. league game and took an elbow to the nose. Ouch. Broken nose. Better get that fixed.

Thanksgiving 2014

Back to the Start

Hhey mamma! 

Sorry I don't have a ton of time because it was kind of a crazy p day haha so I will have to make this one quick! 

But this week was way good! We had a zone conference and I saw a whole bunch of people that I haven't seen in forever and I got to catch up with a lot of my old comps and everything. It was way cool!

But I got to do something way cool this week! So this other elder in my district also served in the very first area that I was in, and he got invited to go to a baptism of this guy that he was also teaching. So I went with him to see all of the members and stuff in my first area! So we went and I got to talk to all of them for a while and it was way cool cause I was actually able to understand all of the things they were saying! But the coolest thing of all.. the girl that I baptized in that area, I was able to talk to her mom and they are all going to the temple next month to be sealed!!! I was way pumped and it was way cool to see how strong they all are in the church and stuff!

Other than that this week was normal... this area is super hard and we are having a hard time finding people who progress! But we are hanging in there! haha also we ate at this members house yesterday and I have no idea what it was, but it destroyed me... haha I have been sick ever since. But other than that I am doing good!

But ya sorry Iemailed Dad back this week! I dont have my drivers license with me but I will send it next week. also.. what the crap am I supposed to do about college?? I heard that now is the time that you have to start applying?? Holy crap I didnt know it would come so fast... 

I love you guys! haha Don't worry about the christmas package! haha its all good! I think I am going to spend christmas with Devins comp that I was able to meet! haha That was way sweet! 

Have an awesome week!

Cordoba Temple

Hey mamma! Sorry I am writing earlier today because we have a zone activity and so we had to go to the cyber in the morning...

But anyway this week was good! it was way better than last week! We have seen a bunch of progress and have found a couple new people. We recieved a bunch of really good referrals lately and so I am pretty excited!

Also this week in our ward Elder Viñas came! He is a seventy and he came here with a couple people in charge of Temples in South America and they came to our ward and gave talks and stuff!

So the temple here was supposed to be done like the end of this year, but they had a bunch of problems and so now we don't know when it is going to be done. They are saying some time in May. I am hoping way bad that it gets done before I go home! They are planning the open house and also thet cultural event (I don't know how to say that in English... but it is like the giant celebration that they have where people dance and sing and stuff.) So I am way pumped about that!

Sorry this email is way boring but I have no good stories or anything... hopefully this week we can put some baptismal dates with our investigators and I will let you guys know!

Love you and hope you guys are doing good! 

NYC with Nic

Had to work in New York this week. Nicole flew in to spend the weekend with me after work. We had a great time seeing the sites and even won the Wicked lottery! Front row seats baby!

Prayer for a wife

Hey mamma! 

This week was good! Things are way different here in this new area! It was a way good week cause Elder Fuentes is a way hard worker so I was way happy about that and we have worked way hard this week. The bad part is that this is a pretty rough area haha so we walked a ton..... and hardly got into any houses. It's probably a good thing that I am in a two man pension because all we do when we get back to the apartment is plan for the next day, and then I am way too tired to do anything else so I just go to sleep. I got here and they basically didn't have any good investigators and stuff but we are starting to pick things up and we have a couple really good possibilities! I am way excited because like you said about the whole sophmore junior senior thing, I am at the point where I am just in the hang of things and I am learning how to just love the mission for the work! I love talking to people now and I have noticed a huge change about how I talk to people just in this area. My comp doesnt talk that much and so  I have to do most of the talking, but I am completely ok with that haha.I love teaching and stuff so I am doing awesome! Hopefully now we can just have some success! 

So the first two days in this new area were pretty crazy... So my second day here, we were just walking along the street and out of nowhere this taxi driver starts running this guy on a bike off the street. I don't know what the biker must have done that we didn't see but that taxi driver was pretty mad... so anyway the biker gets mad and picks up his bike and hits the hood of the taxi with it! (all of this is happening like 15 or 20 feet in front of us so we heard and saw the whole thing) so getting hit with the bike didn't really help the situation at all and the taxi man gets out of his car and starts running at the biker guy! The next twenty seconds me and my comp basically had to dodge these two men and then run as far away as we could while they went at it! It was so crazy! One of the guys like picked up a rock and the other one was like choking him and they were rolling on the ground and my and my comp just got out of there... thank goodness a bunch of other guys came over and broke them up and then the police came.... 

So then the next day, on the brighter side of things, we go to visit this less active that went to church this last week! So he is a super awkward guy and he may have some problems but I don't know... but we get talking and he asks me to say the prayer. so I ask if there is anything that I can ask for him in the prayer, and he goes on to explain that he wants a marriage. he then starts to tell us about two sister missionaries that used to visit him a lot and that almost were able to get him married but then they had some problems. Of course me with my missionary mind thought that he was saying he wanted to get married with some girl and the missionaries were helping him so that he could get baptized. but no...... as he continued explaining I realized that he was talking about he had wanted to get married to the sister missionary!!! But then he said that it would never work out because she lived in the US and he wanted someone there in Cordoba. he then went on to say that "love has no age" and stuff like that. So he basically asked me to ask God to send him another sister missionary so that he could get married. hahah Cordoba is an interesting place. 

But ya so that was about my week! I will try to send you pictures and I will do the recording this week for grandma and grandpa! Love you guys!  

Big City Baby

Hey mamma! 

So this week was transfers!!! No more of these tiny little towns... I am now going big city baby!!! I am in the capital of Cordoba! Its called Alto Alberdi. My new comp is Elder Fuentes! He has been out for 11 months. He is like a half greengo cause his parents are Mexicans and he knew Spanish before the mission but he grew up in Utah. So I am way pumped! he seems like an awesome kid! This area is crazy! We just went to a new shopping mall that they built here and it is legit! It looked like a straight up United States mall so it was kind of crazy. I havent been able to take any pictures yet cause I just got here this morning but I will try to take pictures this week! They say it is a lot more dangerous here so I am thinking about buying a new piece of crap watch and maybe not carrying around my camera and stuff but we will see!

I was pretty bummed to leave my last area! I made so many way good friends there and there were some awesome members that I will for sure contact when I get back! I also am now in a pension with only me and my comp so that is going to be pretty boring... but it is going to help me focus so that is good! I am way pumped to start to work here! I will let you guys know how it goes next week!

So it was halloween this week! I was pretty bummed because halloween is basically nothing here... a lot of people didnt even remember that it was halloween... but I didn't let that stop me! Hahaha me and my comp went to a halloween store that we found and we tried on some masks and looked around and stuff. I will send you guys some pictures! 

Well that is all that I can think of! But I have a question. Can i just send a recording for grandma and grandpas party thing? Cause I have tried sending videos before but I dont think you can send them through email.. 

Love you guys! Have an awesome week!

Halloween 2014

We can't be together for Halloween this year so I sent this pic and video to everyone.

Wasatch Mountain State Park

We had a fun day riding 4 wheelers with Eric.

FLOOD

So this is the last week of the transfer! I am relieved but sad at the same time cause there is a big chance that I am leaving this area, But I love all of the members a ton and everyone is way awesome here! The only thing is that it has just been a rough transfer and so it would be nice to just be able to start over fresh in a new area with all new people and stuff. So I guess we will see what the Lord has in store!

So this week was kind of crazy! I have to tell you guys a story.... so this week the two other elders in my district had a baptism. We all share the same branch and so we always go to the baptisms and we always help each other and help out and stuff. So we were at the church, and one of the other elders put me in charge of filling up the baptismal font (terrible idea...) because they had to go change and get ready for the baptism. So they left and I filled it up and everything was good! While we were filling it up, we were helping out with a relief society activity that was going on at the same time. The font got filled and all seemed good. However, it was a really hot day and me and my comp thought that the water would be two hot, so we turned on the cold water to make it better. So we kept going with the activity and everything was good, and so then we also left to go help out the sisters with something. While we were in the street, I remembered that we had forgotten to turn the water off.... I think you are starting to tell where this story is going... so we were in the street and I get our cell phone and call one of the members that is at the church for the activity and ask them to check the font to see if it is alright. This was about how our conversation went... "Hey sister I need a huge favor! I need you to go and check to see if the font is alright cause we left it on!" "Ya for sure! (ten second pause as she walks to the font) OOOOHHHHH Elder what did you do!!! Everything is wet!!! It is flooding the whole hall!!! HEEELLLP SOMEONE GET THE KEY!!! (you couldn't get into the font without the key.... which only we had.....)" So me and my comp booked it back to the church to find all of the members, the other elders (who had a baptism in about 45 minutes) and a couple investigators all trying to dry halls. By the time we finally got everything dry and everything good and calm again I was a red sweaty mess and everyone was making fun of me and stuff. Then..... about ten minutes later, we find that the font had flooded again!!! The other elders that got to the church before us turned on the drain but forgot to turn off the water.... so we spent the last fifteen minutes before the baptism drying off the same halls that we just spend thirty minutes drying off before. So all good the day goes by... then today, me and my comp go to the church for p day to have lunch and hang out with the other missionaries in our district. We get there, and the pipe to the drinking fountain had broken and was spraying water all over the church! If we had gotten there like an hour later, the whole church would have been flooded.  3 floods in three days!! So it was a pretty stressful week. I think it might be better for me to leave so that the bishop doesn't kill me for destroying the church. 

Here is a pic of us visiting a member who had surgery.

Alright so that took a way long time to write so I don't have a whole lot of more time! I love you guys!  

Cesar's baptism

Hey mamma! 

It's weird...  hearing about all of the stuff that is changing and all of the stuff you guys are doing is like making me trunky and stuff, but at the same time it makes me never want to go home hahah. Hearing about how Eric now has to get a job and start thinking about going to school and start being an adult makes me want to be a missionary forever! I mean no offense I still love you guys and everything...

But ya I got Eric's talk! I will print it off so that I can read it later cause I don't have a lot of time to read it on the computer. 

So basically it was a week like any other hahah i know you guys are all worried about me and stuff but I am fine! I promise I am still happy and doing good! It is just one of those types of transfers. But I am actually excited because I know that if I am good now, imagine how I will be when things actually start going good! 

So a good thing that happened! This week, Cesar got baptized. it was an investigator that the sisters in our district had that we also got to know pretty well and he asked me to baptize him! So I was able to baptize him this Saturday! I will send you guys pictures! 

Don't worry about the family history thing! I know you guys have had a crazy couple weeks! Just get it to me when you guys can! Also I would love like just pictures of our family and just other pictures to print out and show people. everyone always gets mad cause I don't have a lot of pictures. Thanks! 

Love you guys! Have an awesome week!

Family Bowling

Lauren and Devin came into town for Eric's homecoming talk Sunday. We went bowling!

Holidays and Hard Core Choir

Hey mamma! 

Sorry I couldn't write yesterday because it was a holiday. So just to explain a little bit, apparently Argentina has the most holidays in all of Latin America, and in my opinion the world, cause it feels like every single week there is some sort of holiday. Yesterday was "races day". as in like the celebration of different races... they also have like friends day, teacher day, pets day, children day (that one I actually like and am a little bit sad that I never had it growing up). Just about every single thing you can think of has it's own day here. So when there are holidays, it is like a siesta that lasts all day long. Here the siesta lasts from about 1 to 5, and during that time, all of the stores are closed and everyone just sleeps and stuff. The only things that are open are just like random pharmacies, and the library that I always email you guys at, but yesterday even the library was closed. So we just decided we would write today!

But holy cow this is one of the trunkiest emailing sessions I have ever had! So I get on and just have fifty pictures of you guys in California!!!! That just about killed me. and then I have like fifty more pictures of Melody's engagement... I don't know if you guys know about that or if it is like an awkward subject with Eric or whatever but ya she got engaged this last week and this week I got pictures to prove it. So ya this has been a pretty crazy emailing session... 

This week was.... just about the same as the past couple weeks! haha this transfer has been pretty rough but hey. There is nothing you can do about it but keep working... so that is what I will do! This month is just a month of conferences. We had general conference, a branch conference, then now we have our district conference. This past week for the first half of district conference we sang. (I don't know if I told you guys this, but I got recruited kind of forcefully in our branch choir. but this isn't any normal choir, this is like hard core if you sing bad they kick you out choir. My old comp already got kicked out so I was feeling pretty privileged to be in it.) and then this next week we have to go to a different area to sing again. 

Other than that I can't really think of anything else to tell you guys.... but if you could just keep working on getting me those pictures for the family history thing that would be awesome! I know you're in California so don't worry about it this week but I just wanted to remind you! love you guys!

Disney

You are never too old to go to Disneyland!

Cali Baby

We wanted to take a family trip with Eric. So we headed to the coast. It was fun to relax and catch up. We spent time at the beach the first day. Lauren and Devin drove over from AZ to hang with us too!