I'M STAYING HERE!!

Hey Everybody!! 

We got the transfer calls and both Elder Cannon and I are staying here for this transfer!! I got my wish!! I get to be here for my birthday (on Friday ;)) and I will have 6 months here in Sáenz Peña at the end of this transfer!! Crazy! It was funny because most of the people we passed by last monday (specifically Raul, Eduardo, Mauricio and his family, and la familia Pereyra) prayed for me to stay here another transfer and their prayers came true haha. Crazy that I´m going to be 19 and next week I will have 6 months in the mission!! 1/4 of the Mission!!!! Crazy! 

But, this week one of the friends of Raul and Eduardo started listening to us, his name is Wilson, and he came to church and wants to be baptized;we just have to get his parents to be okay with it. Also, after we found out we were staying and passed by Mauricio, his dad, Jorge, prayed and thanked God that I was able to stay and teach his family and they are all reading the Book of Mormon and progressing well and the rest of the family has a baptismal date for the 5th of April. Also, la familia Pereyra is still doing good and we have dinner with them tonight where we will eat......mondongo, or, for the gringos, cow stomach!!! So, I´m excited for that haha. 

And, this last week we found music on some file at the church so we have been loving that since we haven´t really had music because elder Cannon doesn´t have any and my package still hasn´t gotten here so that should hold us over until then. 

Also, this last week some college students started having early morning classes at the basketball arena but they don´t start til 8 so we can still play there. But, it´s cool because they are all inside and they are all watching us and it´s like we have a crowd for just the two of us playing. And, since the pictures didn´t work last week I will have pictures today for the last 2 weeks and I have some pictures of the arena!! But, that was pretty much it this week. Elder Cannon and I are excited to work together this transfer and we are having fun and we are having a lot of success and I´m excited to see the development in the people here this transfer!

The quote I wanted to include this week comes from President Gordon B. Hinckley again and it reads, "The Lord did not send you here to fail. He did not give you life to waste it. He bestowed upon you the gift of mortality that you might gain experience-positive, wonderful, purposeful experience-that will lead to life eternal." I like this quote a lot and the perspective it gives us on life. Our time in life isn´t a lot and we have to appreciate what we have and do as much as we can with what we have. I hope we can all live our lives and not have to look back and say that we wasted part or all of our lives!! 

Oh, and the last thing, I´m also pretty excited that I´m going to be 19 years old this friday!!! *cough cough* haha Thanks to everyone for your support and emails and letters!! Talk to everyone next week!
 

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine

 

 The Basketball Arena we get to play in.

 Last District meeting with our district

 All of the Gomez family except for Celeste who is 11.

 A cool jaguar painting in Centro.

 A 3 day old kitten that la familia Pereyra had.

Transfers Tomorrow!

Hey everyone!! 

Crazy that transfers are tomorrow!! I´m excited to see if I stay or if I go. I was thinking this week and decided that I would really like to stay here one more transfer but I feel like I am going to leave. But, I will find out tomorrow. 

 

The carnival was a nice break since we had to be inside early, but nothing really happened. There was just some big parade in centro. Also, this week we got our hands on a bible from the Jehovah´s Witness and it was interesting to see the things that they have changed, and they have just completely removed 14 verses. But, in order to keep the references in tact, the verse still appears and just has a giant dash like nothing ever existed there...weird. And, Elder Cannon was sick this week but we had a ton of work to do and he still wanted to leave and do work and we still did, except for one morning that we took off in order for him to rest some and take some medicine. But, he feels fine now. 

 

And, this week we had a family home evening with la familia Mercado and la familia Gomez (The family of Mauricio and Raul and Eduardo came) and that went really well and we had a nice night and a good lesson together. And, Celeste, the sister of Mauricio, and Manuel have been reading the Book of Mormon a ton. They each read like 20 chapters this week so that was really good. And, we did service this week by cutting the hair of Mauricio and then of his Dad (Sorry I don´t have pictures) and then we spent 3 hours digging a 7 foot hole that was 6 feet wide for Raul and Eduardo´s Dad since they are making a bathroom, and I guess that´s how they do it here haha. So, that was really tiring but still fun! (And we got to be in normal clothes :D haha) But, that´s pretty much all the exciting stuff that happened this week and now we just wait until transfers to see what happens. 

 

But, the last thing I wanted to share is another quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley that reads, "Keep faith with the best that is in you. Your own constant self-improvement will become as a polar star to those with whom you associate. They will remember longer what they saw in you than what they heard from you. Your attitude, your point of view can make such a tremendous difference." I love this! If we can just go through life and try to be better and show that to others and be the most that our potential allows, then people will always remember us as good people. So, we should always strive for this type of excellence and impact in our lifes. 

 

Thank you for the emails and I hope to hear from you all soon!!

 

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine

1 Week til Transfers

Hey everyone! 

This week was really awesome and it was super busy!! But, the good thing is that this week it has really cooled down here. It kind of sprinkled here a couple and has been pretty cool outside for the most part, so I´m hoping that it stays this way and that we are making our way towards fall. 

So, this week had a lot of fun and cool things. We have still been teaching Manuel and he read over 30 chapters in the Book of Mormon this week and knows that this is the path that he needs to follow. But, he can´t walk more than one or two streets and the church is about an hour away to walk for him. And, the only person in the ward that has a car or a bike that could take him refuses to go over there because it is too far away (even though it is only 5 minutes out of the way). So, we really want to help him and are going to try to think of a way to get him to church this week. Then, we did service this week and we spent almost 2 hours one morning hoeing the front yard of one of our investigators and that seemed to really help them since there isn´t a man of the house. Then, on Friday, Elder Warth and Elder Gates had to come to our area to do the baptismal interview for Raul, Eduardo, and Mauricio since Elder Gates is the District leader. So, that day was really fun and that night Mauricio´s family wanted us to stay and show them how to make American Pancakes so we made pancakes with them and they loved them (especially the maple syrup that we made with a maple extract from the States). But, Elder Warth and Elder Gates missed their bus back to their area so they had to spend the night with us and we don´t really have any extra things in the apartment so Elder Warth and I offered to sleep on the floor that night, which was really uncomfortable since carpet doesn´t exist here. But, it was nice to see Elder Warth again and to get to talk to him for awhile. And, the next day, Mauricio´s family invited us over for lunch because his parents really like us and that we are trying to better their lives and help their children be better people so they straight up told us that they want us in their house as much as possible and they are always sad when we have to leave. But, that day was a little stressful because the Dad of Raul and Eduardo changed his mind like an hour before their baptism and he wasn´t going to let them be baptized. But, we went over there and talked to him and the spirit touched his heart, so we ended up having all three of their baptisms and it was awesome (even though our President left town and only trusts himself with the key to the baptismal clothes so Raul and Mauricio were baptized in our shirts haha.) But, it went well and I got to baptize Eduardo! And, I got to do all three of their confirmations the next day, Sunday, and those went well. But, the confirmation of Raul was especially cool and he had some really cool blessings and a really strong spirit in his confirmation. 

So, that´s pretty much it for the week and this is the last week before transfers. So, I am getting excited to see if I will leave or if I will stay again, and this time I would really be happy with both for different reasons. I would like to go, because if I stay then I will be here for 6 months and that´s kind of a long time and I would like to get to know some other areas, but I would like to stay because I really get along with Elder Cannon and we are having some good success this transfer. But, we will see. And, today and tomorrow we have to be in the apartment at 7 at night because there is a giant carnival festival/holiday thing that is going down and the Mission President doesn´t want us outside at night. So, I´m kind of excited to get a little bit of a rest because Elder Cannon and I have been going at 100 mph this last week and we are really hurting for some rest. But, I think that´s pretty much it. 

The only other thing I wanted to add in was a quote from James E. Faust (An Old Apostle) about honesty. It reads, "Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving...Do not rationalize that dishonesty is ever right." It´s pretty clear. I feel like I don´t have to expound on it too much. We should be honest in all that we do and be the type of person that others can trust. I hope that we can all think about that a little more and be a little more focused on being an upstanding and just citizen. I love hearing from everyone in the emails and am grateful for all the support. I hope to hear from everyone soon!!
 

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine

 

 A funny torta frita (like fried cake or fried bread/dough) that I made this week >:)

 

 Raul(Right) and Eduardo(Left) With our badges and backpacks, because they 

want to be missionaries some day and like to be like us haha

 

 Mauricio, Raul, and Eduardo right before their baptisms!! :)

Eduardo and I right after his baptism! I think it´s an awesome picture! :D

5 months in the Mission!

Tues, February 25, 2014

Hey Everyone!

I officially have 5 months in the mission today!!!! The time has been flying like crazy and the rest of the time is going to go crazy fast if this part has already gone this fast.

 

This week was pretty good! We talked to the Dad´s of Raul, Eduardo, and Mauricio and they said that they could be baptized as long as they behave well and show that they have actually changed and want to follow Christ. So, we are super excited for that and if everything goes as planned then we will have their baptisms this Saturday!! So, I´m really excited for that! Crazy that this saturday is already March! Also, this last week we went over to la familia Pereyra to do service, and this week it just so happened to be with giving haircuts! So, we cut the hair of Manuel, Gaston, and Cristian!(Sorry but I don´t have pictures). That was pretty fun and they actually turned out really well. 

 

And, the only nice thing we have in our area is a really big basketball stadium where the professionals play. Anyways, Elder Cannon and I decided that we really wanted to play basketball and, because there aren´t basketball courts here, we decided to take a shot in the dark and ask the boss of the stadium if we could play there. And, he said yes!!! So, we have permission to play in this stadium every morning for half an hour and I have been loving that and it has been way more fun playing basketball every morning. 

 

Then, one day we were walking and then this girl in front of us just randomly like freaked out and started crying and we went over to talk to her and she never really said what was wrong but she just said that she didn´t want to live anymore. So, we talked to her and comforted her and brought her back to her friends house where she was living(Her name is Maira and she has 2 kids and was basically living house to house). Then, when we went to pass by a couple days later, her friends husband let us in and told us that she had left to go live with the dad of her children again. But, he then continued to tell us that he is a member of the church and hasn´t been in about 6 years but liked when he went. So now we are talking to him more and teaching his girlfriend the discussions.So I´m excited to see where that goes. 

 

The only other thing I wanted to add in is another quote. This one is from Gordon B. Hinckley again; I´ve been getting a lot of quotes from him lately! But, he said, "I don´t worry too much about the future, and I don´t worry very much about the past. The past is gone, and you can´t change, you can´t correct it. The future, you can anticipate, but you can´t necessarily do very much about it. It is the present you have to deal with. Reach out for every good opportunity to do what you ought to do." I really like this quote. Everyone always talks about the past and how you have to move on and all that jazz, but I especially like his point about the future. Even though we can try to anticipate it, there isn´t a whole lot we can do about it. What we do right now, in the present, is what is truly important and is what is going to shape what we do tomorrow and who we are and what we have accomplished when we reach "the future". If we can focus on becoming better, happier, and more successful today, then we are going to see the fruits of our labors in the future. I hope everyone has an awesome week and I would love to hear from everyone. I love getting emails and letters. Thank you to everyone for your constant support. I hope to hear from everyone soon!

 

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine

 

 The pancakes we made for lunch one day with ice cream on top.

 Multi-zone conference with Elder Diaz (He's an elder from Peru that I met that is pretty cool.)

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.

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.

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