Crazy things happen with Elder Zapata

Miracles continue to occur here in Virreyes, Buenos Aires, so buckle up everybody because you´re about to hear some cool stories. 

Primero, our bishop told us to go visit three less active families and reactivate them, so we went and two of the families really don´t want much more with the Church, well they´re fine with letting the missionaries in their house and listening but not really willing to act. We went to the third house and one of the son in laws of the family was planning to get baptized but when my buddy Elder Young left, something went wrong and Sergio didn´t get baptized. So we went to see him, told him he could get baptized, he came to church yesterday and will be getting baptized this Sunday.

That same family came to church with the grandma, who had come to church before and also talked to the missionaries many times. We went to their house in the afternoon and taught her for the first time, she will also be getting baptized next Sunday.

We also had two baptisms yesterday, Tomy and Kevin, who are grandchildren of Luisa, a super convert who wants to baptize her whole family if only they´d let her. The kids are studs and we are still working with more of their family, it was a really great baptismal service. Tomy´s little brother who is 5 said a really really bad word to his cousin in front of everyone so his mom took him out and they had a little chat which Elder Zapata and I were privileged to hear since we were drying out the floor with squeegee (ni idea how to spell that) so that was fun too. 

Not sure if I told you guys last week but we got to church last week about 10 minutes early and there was a very drunk man on the first floor and he was grabbing everybody´s hand and kissing it as if he were from the 1600s, so yeah I kind of knew what to expect when I shook his hand but instead of kissing my hand he stuck out his tongue as far as he possibly could and licked my hand! Super gross, so as I was escaping to the bathroom to wash it my companion follows me laughing his head off. They later escorted the man out. 

So yeah, we´re doing awesome. Hope everyone is doing great at home! Love you guys!

Elder Wardle

Really, really, really!

Hello everybody!!

We had a great week and we are finding a ton of new people. We have two set baptisms for this weekend, Tomás and Kevin, who are two grandchildren of a recent convert and they are pretty stoked to get baptized this weekend, they are Alan and Tobias´ cousins. 

Elder Zapata is hilarious, and a baptizer. We had a really great zone meeting and we have another one this week so it should turn out well. We get along really well, stayed awake in our beds last night until 2 am talking about who knows what, really random stuff about the mission.

So grateful that I didn´t get a lazy missionary as my last companion, so we´re just going to work a ton to build up the zone. We didn´t have such a hot month but we´ll do better this September. 

So yeah :) just regular missionary work, doing lots of splits with the other Elders to help them out, really really, really busy, and really, really, really happy. Love you guys a ton! Hope everything keeps going great. 

Love

Elder Wardle

The Beginning of the End!

Hey everybody!

Elder Arce had his last week in the mission field and it went pretty well, he´s happy and tomorrow he goes home. We started finding some new people that should start progressing now so that should be sweet. Today I start my last transfer and it kind of scares me but I´m ready to go to work :) On Sunday we had Tobias´ confirmation and he is a stud. He and his brother are super awesome.

My new companion is from Mexico! Elder Zapata and he will be the one finishing me off, and then he goes home the next transfer. Really weird to be telling everyone I´m finishing this transfer but I´m just really excited to work like crazy. A lot of really good things are happening in the zone, so yeah, I´m squeezing every drop out of this puppy :) Love you guys, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Wardle

Tobias al agua

So, sometimes with these letters I feel like I write the same thing over and over, but I´m just enjoying the mission and doing the same things makes me happy :)

So yesterday, Alan baptized his little brother Tobias and we´re working on more of that family now. Tobias was pretty excited to get baptized and after he came up out of the water he gave his brother a big bear hug, well as much of a bear hug that an 11 year old can give his 18 year old big brother.

We had interviews with President this week also and he told me not to run a marathon and slow down on mile 25, but rather sprint to the finish line, fall on my face and throw up, be that guy haha, so that´s some nice imagery for those of you back at home.

So yeah, Elder Arce leaves next week, and he´s feeling good I think, he´s a pretty quiet guy, but we´re just focused on helping out the zone, they´re doing good. Hope you guys keep doing great, have a great week!

Love,

Elder Wardle

FORGET YOURSELF!

Hey everybody!

Alan got confirmed, he´s a stud, just a real great example for me and we are teaching more of his family now too, his little brother Tobias gets baptized this weekend. 

We don´t have a ton of time so I´ll make it short :) I´m finding some real peace by focusing on the needs of others instead my own personal needs. My companion and I are trying to constantly talk either about our investigators or members in our area, or about the missionaries in our zone and what they need and then what we are going to do to help them. As I forget myself, Heavenly Father blesses me with joy. So forget yourself, now! Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Wardle

Alan = Awesome

ALAN = AWESOME!

Well everybody, pretty great week.

So we had leadership council, and President´s friend, Dan Clark, who is a motivational speaker, spoke to us for an hour over Skype, so that was pretty cool. The next day we had zone meeting and it was incredible because we invited Hermana Luisa, who is a convert of 5 months, and her grandson, Alan, who all of you know a little bit from my emails, who got baptized yesterday. 

We did practices with them and with all the missionaries and it was inspiring to hear their stories from their point of view and know that they were just waiting to be baptized. 

Yesterday we had Alan´s baptism and it came out wonderfully, his uncle, Mariano, baptized him and he was super stoked. In the baptismal service, the bishop gave him Preach My Gospel and gave him the challenge to go on a mission, even before he is an actual member!! 

We´re incredibly blessed to be a part of this work. I think if I had the chance to create a perfect investigator'convert it would be Alan, he always reads and prays and goes to church, and wants to share the gospel with others. 

So yeah :) happy down here in Argentina :) Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Wardle