The Work Continues

Not much new going on. It started getting hotter again. So that is fun. But the work is going well. In my interview with the mission president, he told me that this area that I am in is probably the most difficult area to work in and stay motivated in because of it´s history with trucho missionaries here and the lack of member confidence. But we seem to be doing well and it has been difficult, but if it was not it would not be a mission right? But I’m good. The work moves on no matter what people say or do and whether they want to listen or not. I always keep the hope, always keep the faith and always keep smiling. That last one helps a lot.

We never actually went to Salta to do divisions (exchanges) because we were stuck in another cut in the route for 9 hours. (A cut in the route is when the Argentines get upset so they cut trees down and block the road. Usually, it only lasts for 30 or so minutes. This is their way of protesting.)

We got part way down there and then there was a cut in the route. So anyway, we were on the bus waiting for 9 hours before we decided it wasn't worth it. We were able to get our money back though which was good. So we are going down there this weekend instead.

So the work just keeps going on same old same old. We find so many really great investigators, but like I said, they just don´t go to church. And we can only do so much in going to look for them on Sundays because of the size of the area and having to walk. But it´s still going, yeah, it is frustrating sometimes, but you just have to remember that even though you can always be doing more, you can´t do everything. And if you are being righteous and doing what you should, you´ll be blessed sometime down the road for it.

I´m excited for the last week of this transfer because it is general conference. We will get to go down to Tartagal, a bigger city, and watch it down there with all the missionaries from the zone. And then we have transfers the next day, so if one of us leaves, we will just bring everything with us down there. It´ll be fun to see a conference in the mission and get the chance to see it (some of it at least) in Spanish. They set it up in English for the elders who would like to listen in English.

Pictures from Pocitos

Elder Rose in Pocitos tracting from the district president´s home to a barrio (neighborhood) called Lujan


A view from the front window of our pension (apartment), you can see the aduana (customs) and into Bolivia


A big snail we found on the way home one night, this is small compared to the usual size


view of Pocitos from the Cristo at the top of barrio Lujan and Los Cerritos in our area


Elder Rose after a visit to Hermano Ovando, the first counselor in our branch

A Day in the Life of Elder Rose

So a day in the life of a missionary . . . we get up at 7, the rules are different for our mission. Get up at seven and shower to be able to stay awake while studying. Do an hour of personal study then companion study, a little exercise on the pull-up bar or something, then read while studying some Spanish. We usually get breakfast on the street cause if we don't keep food in our pension (apartment) because the ants get to it. So out the door by 10:00 a.m. after companion prayer. On the street depending when we have appointments we will find some people to talk to in centro (middle of town or business district) or knock some doors. Then comes the game of walking and walking to get to our citas (appointments) and see if people are there. We figured out in our area we walk about 6 miles a day. So citas all day long and then in the middle of the day we have lunch with a member. That is the big meal because it is during the siesta. Then back out to work until 9:30 or 10 p.m. if we are in a lesson. Sometimes we have noche de hogars (Family Home Evening) to go to or things we are asked to do like chopping the juju (vines) down behind the church with machetes :) but it is all fun. Back to the pension by the time we have to be there then we usually grab something to eat off the street again and get all of our companionship planning for the next day under way. Then we get ready for bed, figure out what we need for tomorrow, call the zone for their numbers and by that time it is 11 p.m. and time to go to sleep for the next run-around. I love it. It is so busy but so good. I would not have it any other way.

Speaking of all this, we are finding more success lately; we have been able to get some new investigators, revive some old ones and bring some less actives back to church. It has been great. The success is back! I love it.

It´s still raining a bunch here, but it´s cool. I love the rain. We had a cool p-day today. We went down to Aguaray and did an American style barbecue with the zone and then went out and played soccer in the rain. It was a blast.

The Work is Going Well

February 11, 2009

We have a bunch of investigators, some better than others of course, but there are a few that are just amazing. Last week we had 4 people in church and the week before we had one that was not there this last week, so we have five baptismal dates for the 28th so long as we keep them animated (excited) about coming to church and progressing. I would say the family I want to tell you about is the Familia DeVilla. They are amazing. They are a family made up of two grandparents, Francisco and Angelica, two daughters--Justina (and the other we have not met--and three grand kids, Daniel, Jorge, and Erica. The grandfather came to church with Daniel and Erica on Sunday. The kids are great. The grandpa has a bit of a drinking problem and a very common thing down here is chewing cocaine leaves, which he has a problem with as well. The great thing though is that in one of our lessons with them he stopped us and was like "I want help to stop drinking and to stop coceando" (they make verbs for everything here) so we were like of course and they came to church. Sitting in church, little Daniel was sitting next to a member´s son. This kid, Carlitos, came up to us after the meeting and he was like "¿Daniel told me he wants to get baptized, what do I do?" So we just told him to keep being his friend. This family is amazing we have to teach very simple so they can all understand, but if you could just feel the spirit that I have felt while teaching them the lessons you would know the church was true in that instant.

Another experience we had yesterday, was we went down to a city called Tartagal, where another set of missionaries lives and helped them out. Remember the cats and large dogs? Well apparently things got a little out of hand and they started pushing mud down the mountains and the city was inundated with water, mud, debris, houses were washed away, businesses destroyed, it was bad. So we spent yesterday helping out as much as we could down there. The missionaries´pension down there was flooded with mud and water and walls were knocked down and some of there stuff was ruined or lost (white shirts + mud = brown shirts) so we helped them move up to another pension up in Mosconi and cleaned that place up too. The others helped out in Villa Savedra, a barrio part of Tartagal and helped a member get all of the waist deep mud out of their home. It was bad and it was sad to see, but all in all it was a humbling experience to see all of that. It made me realize a lot of the things that I take for granted in my life in the states.

The work is going well; I’m trying hard, getting better and relying on the Lord for all the help I can get, and I can´t help but smile all the while.

We reopened the area here so there are members here, but the place is relatively untouched in the outskirts. We walked about 5k to an investigator´s home the other day, and the road keeps on going, so there is still a lot to do. I never thought that I would be the one who introduced someone to the gospel for the first time, but it´s happened, it´s a weird feeling to know that there are those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, even in this country. But like I said, the work is still going and it´s going well at that.

Happy Valentines Day!

Elder Rose

February 3, 2009

This week was good. None of our investigators came to church because it was raining cats and rather large dogs but they are progressing well. When it rains here, it really rains. All of our investigators had there baptismal dates moved back a week because of that but we are teaching a ton and completing with all of our numbers. Pocitos is amazing; I love it. I am doing fantastically and could not ask for anything more than what I have here. I’m getting better in every way or at least I am trying.

January 25, 2009

This week was fantastic. We went on divisions on Friday and it was way cool. I went with one of the Latin’s in a city called Tartagal to the south and we had some great experiences. The member that we ate lunch with had a question before we shared our spiritual thought and she pulled out a scripture she did not understand. I thought about it for a minute and a scripture that I had received in a letter popped into my head, it was Alma 26:12. I shared that with her and she said that was exactly what she needed to understand her question. So thank you to all of you for sending me inspirational scriptures and such because in doing so, you truly are being tools in the hands of the Lord.

We have a couple dozen investigators right now, and one of the most promising is a lady name Maria Quinteros. She actually asked the previous missionaries for a Book of Mormon but they never went to teach her! So we found her and we have been teaching her about the gospel. She seems to understand it and really have a desire. We are going to try to extend an invitation to be baptized next time we visit.
We are teaching a family that we actually stumbled upon because we ran into a drunken man in the street and he took us to their house... weird I know. But we have taught them the first lesson and are going back in a couple days. There are two children one of 11 years and the other 12 years. They are really excited about it and we believe that the parents will be baptized and if not they will allow the children to be, along with their adoptive mother/aunt.

So that is going very well. We keep running into members, less actives and people that are not even on any of the church lists and we just find them in the streets, it´s odd but very cool to see how the spirit guides you to bring people back to the truth.

I had a very cool opportunity to give my first blessing in Spanish; a lady in the ward ate some bad food and has been sick for a week or so. Moral of the story is don´t eat horse empanadas :).

Elder Jeff Rose

So I am here in Argentina and it is amazing!

I found that my Spanish actually isn´t that horrible. I can´t understand everything, but they can at least understand me. I met my companion. His name is Elder Jordan Nichols, from Ogden Utah -- the coolest guy ever. We hit it off right away.

My area ... borders a city in Bolivia called Yacuiba. My city is called Pocitos. It is so cool. We´re kind of in the jungle and it gets to be about 120 during the day :) I love it. It´s a dust bowl but the church is strong. Our branch president is hilarious.Bolivia is literally 20 yards away.

We have a few investigators and the members are strong. Last night we taught two lessons back to back that were seriously probably two of the most spiritually experiences I have had. It was way cool.



Our zone took a hike today) Tuesday is P-day still. We went to a water fall in Aguaray which was soooooo cool. We saw a monkey today, IN OUR AREA. So cool. It was in one of the barrios.

Oh by the way, elder Nicholls is the coolest guy ever. Our area is the best ever, Argentina is the coolest (not temp wise) and I can feel all of the prayers that you have been praying for me. Thank you for all that you do. The people here are amazing. They are always in a hurry and always working hard, but the ones who take a minute to be humble are so teachable and I love it. Can I say that again? I love my mission.

There´s so much to tell I have to have you narrow it down a bit. Needless to say I love you all and I am doing fantastic. I hope you are all well.