Argentina ~week 78

Hi everybody, it was a great week this week! We were able to have our Church Open House and end the week with transfers today.

On Monday it was pretty much Normal PDay. It rained all-day so at night we just planned for the Church Open House.

On Tuesday we had the last district meeting for the transfer. I bought an alfajor for everyone in my district because the begged me too, haha. Alfajores are like a type of cookie in argentina. Their basically like soft graham cracker cookies dipped in chocolate is the best I can describe them. There are many different brands and types. I've attached a picture of my district and my zone this transfer. We didn't realize that the board in the back said 'repent and return to the Lord' haha. That afternoon it rained like crazy and we had to cancel English Classes because there was no power in the church.

On Wednesday we went to look for some of out investigators in the morning. In the afternoon we went to the farthest part of our area to invite everyone to the open house for saturday. That night we had a Family Night in the church.

On Thursday we did some contacting in the morning, then in the afternoon we kept contacting and inviting people for saturday. We also printed off invitations and taped them to some of the bus stops. That night we had a ward council.

On Friday we did weekly planning in the morning. In the afternoon we finished all the preparations for saturday, printing off maps and lists of people to go visit. That night they called us about our transfers for today.

On Saturday we had the open house. In the morning about 16 missionaries from the stake came, and did divisions to visit less actives and investigators, and contact new people. We got a lot of referrals from that. In the afternoon was the open house. Unfortuntalely not very many people came, but it was still a good experience for the members and the few people that came.

On Sunday we went to church. Several less actives that we invited came. That afternoon we visited a few families so my companion could take pictures and say goodbye.

Today we had transfers. On Friday they surprised us when they said my companion was leaving, we though for sure either I left or we'd stay together because he's new here, but nope. We had to take all his suitcases to the mission home on the buses in the rain, and then come back with my new companion's stuff. His name is Elder Cortes, from Colombia. He has a few months less that I do in the mission. We're excited to work together and we have lots to do after the open house on Saturday with all the referrals we got.

Here are the pictures for this week:

Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Severtson

Argentina ~week 77

This week was another great one!

On Tuesday we had zone conference in the morning. We talked alot about the importance of having a vision in mind to what we want to become. Then we went contacting and taught english classes.

Wednesday we did more contacting. We had the idea of putting up fliers in all the bus stops for English Classes. Hopefully more people will come on Tuesday. We did that and kept contacting then went to the ward family night

Thursday we went to one of our areas to invite people to the talent show for saturday. We ended up doing a service project with a less active helping build a little house of brick and cement. We invited other less actives and kept contacting.

Friday we did weekly planning, went to give invitations to people in another part of our area, then had a ward planning meeting for the talent show.

Saturday we had the ward talent show, it was pretty successful. Several less actives and investigators came. Me and my companion did the go down moses dance, and needless to say it was a great hit! haha, it was funny.

Sunday we had church in the morning. It was one of the coldest days this year so only 31 people were there. After church we went to visit some people. We got a new investigator, a lady from Brazil. She talks in Portuguese to my companion because he's also from Brazil. I can understand most of it because it's pretty similar to spanish which is good haha.

Anyways that's about it this week. We have a church open house next week and hopefully it's a success. Then we have transfers on monday.

Here are some pictures and videos. We made tacos again one night. We sang We Will Rock You in the talent show with the sister missionaries and our ward mission leader. I'll sent you our other Go Down Moses in a separate email.

Argentina ~week 76

So this was another great week! We were able to contact several people and get some new investigators. Then there was a huge storm on Saturday and Sunday.

On Tuesday we had our District meeting and then went to visit some of the people we had contacted before. We got 2 new investigators, Marcela and Hector Moyano. They're about 60 years old and theyre siblings. They don't know how to read, and they're from the evanglical church, but they're less active there. They really liked our message, and they talked alot and wanted to come to church. Then we had English classes that night.

Wednesday morning we went contacting. We had lunch with the Ifrán family, a really cool old couple recent converts. We took a member with us to teach Graciela, a lady we've been trying to contact for more than a month and she finally changed her schedule to be able to talk with us. The lesson was alright. The member that was with us kept trying to confront her and telling her that her church isn't true. It was kinda uncomfortable, but I think we ended it well, she said we could come back. We visited a less active family close by and then went to ward family night in the church.

Thursday morning we went contacting, ate lunch in the pension, then went to find some people we had contacted earlier. We had a ward council that night.

Friday morning we had weekly planning, then lunch, and went to visit more people we had talked to before. We talked with a less active family then kept contacting the rest of the day.

Saturday there was a huge rainstorm. They say every year at the end of August there is a storm like that for the end of the cold. We had mission correlation meeting and planned the activity we are going to have on saturday, a ward talent show. We had a few appointments set, but they ended up getting cancelled.

Sunday It kept raining, just not as much. We had church and there weren't very many people because of the cold and the rain. Unfortunately none of our investigators came. We had lunch and went to look for some people we had contacted earlier.

Anyways, that's about it this week. It was a pretty good week, and hopefully we can visit with some of our investigators this week and invite them to church next week.

Have a great week everybody!

-Elder Severtson

Argentina ~week 75

Hey everyone, this was another great week! And no dog problems!

On Tuesday we had Zone Meeting and talked about how to find new investigators. Then we visited a few less active families, and and investigator but they weren't home, then we went to English Classes.

On Wednesday we talked with a few investigatos in the morning to set up appointments for later. We ate lunch with the Ifrán family. Then we found 2 new investigators from people we had talked to earlier. Its a couple named Ruben and Irina. They are very nice and ask alot of questions about the church. They don't go to a church but believe in God. That night we had to travel to Quilmes to spend the night because Thursday morning I had to do Trámites (not really sure what its called in English, just paperwork for migration stuff.

So Thursday I had that all day, almost. We got back to our area around 6 pm and went to ward council and ended the day.

Friday we did weekly planning in the morning. Then we ate lunch and went to work. We set up a few appointments with investigators and talked with two less active families and had dinner with Ramiro.

Saturday we had a 'Capilla Abierta' or open house at a ward in our stake so we had to help out all day. It was really cool. We have one planned for Sept. 10th

Sunday we went to church in the morning. They came to do a training for the open house we are going to have. In the afternoon we got a new investigator named Juan who doesn't have a specific religion but likes to study with lots of them. He understood the message of the restoration and said he would investigate more.

Today we had our district activity. We went to a place called 'republica de los niños' (kid's republic) which is rumored to have inspired Walt Disney. I don't know if that's true though. It's just like an abandoned theme park and it's free to go in and look at the rides and buildings. Then we went to Walmart.

And that's about it this week. Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Severtson

Argentina ~week 74

So this week was pretty good. We were able to find 3 new investigators, 2 of which seem really good. And a dog bit my hand.

On Tuesday we had district meeting which went pretty well. After that we ate lunch in the pension and went to look for a few people we had contacted earlier. Then we went and taught English classes.

Wednesday we had lunch with the Ifrán family. Then hermano ifrán came with us to teach a new investigator Hilda. She's catholic, which is why we invited him, he was catholic until a few years ago. It was a really good lesson. Then a less active called us for a blessing for his wife who's about to have a baby. They're in the area of the hermanas in our ward, so we won't be able to teach them. Then we had ward family night.

Thursday morning we found a new investigator from a list of contacts. She's very evangelical and didn't want to accept very much of what we taught. We taught a less active lady, and did some contacting in the afternoon.

Friday we did weekly planning in the morning, ate lunch at home, and went contacting all afternoon.

Saturday was also contacting all day, except for mission correlation meeting. We went to the farthest part of our area to work, because we had lunch there. But we showed up and the hermano had forgotten. So we just bought a bag a cookies with the little amount of money we had. We went to contact lots of people we had met before, but hardly anyone was home.

Sunday we had church in the morning. Then went contacting and looked for more people we had talked to previously. We got a new investigator Nancy, who's mom died recently, and before she died she told her daughter to go back to church because they went to an evangelical church together before. Funny story: We went to contact a house and a cat came out and I started rubbing it and it scratched my hand. We were walking to another house, and I wasn't paying attention, I was looking at my hand which was starting to bleed from the cat, and a dog came and bit my other hand. haha I guess it wasn't really a funny story but I'm all right. It just bled alot but didn't hurt too bad. Maybe if I had read in the bible Philippians 3:2 earlier, I would've been alright.

Today we had zone activity and made tacos and played soccer.

Anyways here's pictures of my hands. I'm alright though. Have a great week everyone!

-Elder Severtson

Argentina ~week 73

So this week was pretty busy being the first week of the transfer.

On Tuesday we had a normal day, my companions first day in the area. In the morning we went out looking for less actives and old investigators and contacting. In the afternooon we went to look for the catholic kid investigator that we got last week with a member with us. The kid wasn't there, so we visited a less active family with the member. Then we went to our stake center for training for a capilla abierta (open house) that they do here. We had to help our because another ward in our zone had it on Saturday. We also want to do one this transfer.

Wednesday we had district meeting and met the new district. It's cool but small now. It's me and my companion. The 2 hermanas in our ward and 2 hermanas from another ward. They're both training. Then we had lunch with the Ifran family, and they we went contacting in the farthest away part in our area, then we had a ward family night.

Thursday I had a meeting for all the district leaders in the mission. They talked to us about our responsibilities and about obedience. They are hoping to increase the obedience in our whole mission. My companion was on exchanges the whole time. We got back in the afternoon, did some contacting and finished the day like that.

Friday morning we did weekly planning. We had lunch in the pension and did contacting all afternoon.

Saturday we had the capilla abierta in a ward called Romero in my zone. We were there all day. We had to stand outside and invite people in for a few hours.

Sunday we had church. I got the assignment to play the piano every sunday in sacrament meeting. The bishop did that before, and he knew that I played, but he just barely asked me if I wanted to. It's pretty cool. That night we had a family night with a family that just has the mom and the 19 year old some. They're a little less active and we want to help him go on a mission. We shared 3 Nephi 12 14-16 with them, about how we are the light of the world and how we have to share it. Randomly another less active showed up, and one of their friends, Sandra, so we got a new investigator. She was uninterested at first, and now has a little more interest.

And I guess that's it for this week. We were very busy but it was fun.

Here's a picture of me and my companion in front of the church building.

Anyways have a great week everybody!

-Elder Severtson

Argentina ~week 72

So this was another pretty good week and it ended with transfers.

On Tuesday we had our last District Meeting of the transfer, and we took a district picture. That afternoon we visited a catholic kid that invited us to his house. He likes to listen to lots of religions he says, but he doesn't pay very much attention, and he asks us random questions like 'what do you think about Revelations Chapter 2?' and other weird stuff. So we're gonna go by with a member next time and maybe show him the restoration video. Then we taught English classes.

Wednesday we went out to work with a guy in our ward. Unfortunately the investigators we were gonna visit with him cancelled on us, so we visited less actives. We met an Aguirre family and their really cool, hopefully we can help them come to church. That night we had Family Night at church and they came with us.

Thursday morning we started an exchange with other elders in my district. I was with Elder Sosa in my area. We had lunch with a less active family, and went out contacting and setting appointments with other people.

Friday we finished exchanges then did weekly planning in the morning. Then we had lunch and in the afternoon we did a service project with a member, and we moved and cut some branches.

Saturday we had missionary correlation in the morning. That afternoon we had 3 appointments setup with new investigators, but they all fell through.

Sunday we had church. There we 45 people, which is alot for our ward. We had lunch with a member, visited a less active family, and then my companion had to pack.

Today we went to Quilmes in the morning for transfers. My companion left and I got a new companion Elder Bartoski from Brazil. He has 9 months in the mission and he was in the same first 2 areas as me. I'm still district leader, but my district split and now it's really small, but it's all cool.

Anyways that's about it for this week! Here's a picture of my district, my zone, and homemade tacos we made with a tortilla recipe from a mexican elder.

Anyways, have a great week everyone!

-Elder Severtson