Monday, February 17, 2014

Baptisms!

Hey everyone,

This week went really fast and it was super busy for us. We had the baptism of Carla, Manuel, and Cristian on thursday but it was really hectic. Carla was an hour late, Cristian refused to be baptized and a lady in our ward took all our baptismal clothing out of our room!! But, Manuel was two hours late and when he went to get baptized, Cristian wanted me to baptize him too!!! So we had all 3 and it was really cool. And, Gaston was out of town but he still wanted to do it so we did it the next day, Friday. So all four happened and went well and I´m super happy for them. And, Mauricio, Raul, and Eduardo are still coming to church and they really want to be baptized and they have all the lessons and are ready to be baptized, but their dads won´t let them :( So we are going to try to work really hard this week to change their dads hearts so that they can have this experience. And, Elena still wants to be baptized but we still have no idea when she can get married. So, we will just keep waiting and praying. Antonia this week was kind of annoying. We explained where the church was like 500 times, and wrote on every pamphlet the directions and she didn´t show up and then when we passed by her house yesterday after church she called us liars. She said we didn´t tell her where the church was, so I asked her to bring any of the pamphlets or cards we had given her, she brought ALL of them, and EVERY SINGLE ONE had the address. So she is mad at us because she couldn´t find it. And, Carmelo, an old guy with a bad memory, is really good to teach but he forgets things alot and tells us the same story like 5 or 6 times every time we are with him. It´s kind of sad, but he remembers who we are and that we teach him about Jesus so we´ll see where he goes. And, 
 
Mauro, my first baptism from a couple weeks ago, the brother of Carla, Manuel, and Cristian, invited us over for asado(barbeque). That was last night and it was really good. We had cow.....the heart, large intestine, and kidney. The kidney was weird but pretty good, the intestine was pretty gross, even though I ate a lot (the stuff in the intestine would gush out when you cut into it and it had a mushy and gushy texture), but the heart was awesome! It was really soft and it actually tasted really good. So, up to this point, I can mark off the stomach, heart, kidney, and large intestine of the cow that I have eaten (and so far I´m not sick). 
 
One other thing, next week, we have a multi zone conference on our P-Day, which is really convenient since we only have one of those a week haha, so I may have to write on Tuesday next week. We´ll see.


The last thing I wanted to leave with everyone was another quote from Gordon B. Hinckley that reads, "Be happy in that which you do. Cultivate a spirit of gladness in your homes. Sundue and overcome all elements of anger, impatience, and unbecoming talk one to another." I like this one a lot and how it reemphazises the fact that we choose to be happy or not to be. If we force out the negative emotions then we will automatically have more of the good ones fill our life. Thank you to everyone who writes me and keeps in touch and I hope to hear from everyone soon!
I forgot to tell everyone that I went to the zoo today. It was pretty cool, it was pretty ghetto but kind of impresice compared to a lot of the other things here! I´ll send pictures
 
Les Quiero,
Elder Joshua Clarine
 
 
 Carla before her baptism.
 Gaston after his baptism.
 Manuel before his baptism.
Tucan at the Zoo.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Week 15 in Sáenz Peña‏

Hola Everybody,

First off, Happy Valentine´s day to everyone!!! This week didn´t have that much happen other than the news on the investigators. Elena, talked to her lawyer and is still trying to get baptized but they are just waiting for a date to actually do it. Carla, Manuel, and Cristian didn´t have their baptism because their Aunt died one hour before their baptism but they still want to so we are going to have it this saturday. Also, their little cousin, Gaston, has been to church a couple times and now he really wants to be baptized with them so we will do his as well. Also, these three boys, Raul, Eduardo, and Mauricio came to church and loved it and told us they all want to come every week and dress just like us, the missionaries, andthey want to be baptized on the 22nd. So I can´t wait to see them progress! But, the only problem they could have is their parents not allowing them to do so, but I have met their parents and they seem really nice and we´ve talked about it before so I don´t really see a problem. That´s pretty much all that happened this week. Sorry it wasn´t more exciting or longer or something this week. 
 
Elder Cannon is awesome and I am super excited for this transfer and for working with him. The only other thing I wanted to share is another quote from Gordon B. Hickley that reads, "Today will never come again. Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?" I really like this quote and I love how we can apply it, whether in a mission or in real life, that we need to constantly be looking for opportunities to help others. If we just go through our lives and take care of ourselves then we have not really done any good in the world. Thanks to everyone for always giving me support, writing me, and keeping me updated on the things happening in the real world. I hope to hear from everyone soon!
 
Les Quiero,
Elder Joshua Clarine
 
 Next to the coke sign while on divisions with Elder Warth(I forgot to mention that I went to Quitilipì with Elder Warth again for another day. It was really fun) The sign says, "Do you have your Coke for today?"
 Elder Cannon and I with Gaston, the cousin of the Carla and Manuel.

Monday, February 3, 2014

Staying in Ensanche!

Hola everybody!!

Soooo, transfers happened this week and I got my wish! I am staying in Sáenz Peña in Ensanche Sur for another transfer and Elder Burnham left. My new companion is Elder Cannon. He seems really cool and we get along really well so far and I am excited to work with him til, at least, the middle of March. Also, this week we finally got a new table. The old one was plastic and about to break in half, so it is nice to have a real wooden table now. 
 
So, this week we talked to Elena about getting married before her baptism and she said that she was going to do whatever it took to be baptized and she went to the marriage office to do it. So, we should find out how long it will take to get married within the next couple of days. And, we found and taught this pastor of an Evangelical church and he is actually really receptive to the message and told us that he is going to study our book, The Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, and if he feels like it is all correct then he is going to change and tell his congregation to change! So, I´m interested in seeing where that will go. 
 
And, we had the baptism and confirmation of Mauro!!! It was super awesome! He asked me to do both the baptism and the confirmation so it was awesome to do that and to see how much he has changed. A ton of his family was there and they want to learn more about it, along with his girlfriend, and we have planned to baptize Manuel, Carla, and Cristian this saturday (They are all his younger siblings). So I am super stoked for that and it has been awesome to develop this relationship with their family and I love seeing them and seeing how much happier and unified they are now!! 
 
The last thing I wanted to share is a quote from an ex prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, and it reads, "The course of our lives is seldom determined by great, life-altering decisions. Our direction is often set by the small, day-to-day choices that chart the track on which we run. This is the substance of our lives--making choices." I love this quote. Not everyone can or should leave their homes for 2 years to go teach about the gospel. But, everyone can make the small day-to-day decisions to live a better life, be a better example, help others, and point your life in the right direction. The huge decisions aren´t as huge as they seem, it´s all the small ones that lead up to that decision. 
 
I am super thankful for the support everyone gives me and for the opportunity I have to be here in Argentina. Thanks again and I hope to talk to and hear from everyone soon!!
 
Les Quiero,
Elder Joshua Clarine 
 
Elder Cannon and I with Mauro before his baptism (Argentine people don´t believe in smiling in pictures)
 
Mauro and I after his baptism.
 
The old district at our last district meeting