Transfers Tomorrow

Hola once again!

Crazy that transfers are tomorrow!! We still have no idea what´s going to happen, but if I had to guess I would say that I am staying here and I am getting a new companion since Elder Burnham has been here FOREVER. I really don´t even want to leave. I love the people here and am really excited for February in Sáenz Peña. We normally only have like 50 people in church and this last week there were 16 investigators in church from the 3 companionships in Ensanche Sur. It was crazy! We set a record in the church, in or district, and helped set the zone record of 29 people in church in one week. It was super awesome! So, I would love to stay here another transfer but I will gladly go wherever the Lord needs me next transfer.

This last week I got to do divisions in Quitilipi again, but Elder Warth wasn´t there. This time I did them with Elder Valverde. He is super cool and it was really fun working with him for a day. This week was awesome!! We ended up having 6 people at church with us. 5 from the Pereyra´s, Mauro, Luciano, Camila, Manuel, and Cristian, and then Elena. We had some incredible lessons with Elena where she would tell us the doctrine or principal before we even explained it. She is super prepared, but she isn´t married so we have to wait for her to do that and down here that usually takes a month. But, I think we will baptize her the same night she gets married, she is awesome. The gypsie girl, Maira, broke up with her boyfriend because he doesn´t like her family or her beliefs and the straw that broke the camels back was that he said that the Book of Mormon is from Satan. She said that she prayed and knew that it was true so she left him to follow God. So, that is an awesome story and I feel like she will progress. But, she is going to Buenos Aires for a month so her baptism won´t be til March.

Also, we found another lady, Yanina, and her son, Emilio, and they had taken lessons from the missionaries before but her husband didn´t want her to get baptized, but her and her husband broke up a year ago and now she wants to listen again. So I have faith for her and we will see where that goes. Lastly, I want to talk about Mauro from la familia Pereyra. 2 weeks ago he was smoking 3 packs of cigarrettes a day and now we are going to baptize him this saturday and he completely stopped smoking yesterday!! It´s incredible what the Lord can do when people are willing to follow him. Mauro is the coolest person I have ever met on my mission and he asked me to baptize him and I´m super excited to do that!!! He wants to get the priesthood so that he can baptize Luciano when Luciano gets back from his trip to Sante Fe, and Luciano wants to get the priesthood in order to baptize his son in 6 years when his son is 8. Luciano even asked me to be his kids Godfather but I told him that we can´t as missionaries haha I really love their family and am super happy that they like me too.

This week was awesome and I just wanted to leave everyone with a quote from Elder M. Russell Ballard that says, "I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don´t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life." I hope we can all strive to do our best in life and to push ourselves a little further than we think we can go. Also, this last saturday I hit my 4 month mark in the mission!!!! Crazy how fast the time is flying! 1/6 of my mission is already gone!! I am always greatful for the support I get and I love getting emails and cards from you guys. Talk to you all soon.

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine