Hello friends and family!!!!!
Sounds like all is well at home..... minus the tons and tons of snow. It´s been so hot this week i wanna die haha. Summer is getting monotinous (can´t spell that one) none the less i guess i´ll take it over the snow. I kinda miss it to tell ya the truth! We´ve had a very productive week, taught a lot a lot of lessons. And looks like in the next 2 weeks Carmen´s best friend is going to get baptised! WOo!! We´re teaching her 16 year old daughter as well. The temperature is going up here, and weirdly.... the clothes are coming off. It´s semi awkward haha. Most of the men here are shirtless.... i´d say 85% of them. In stores, on the streets, in house, ni importa. They are just so european here and relaxed beyond belief!!
This week has been a lot better for me with the spanish, i felt like i got over a little plateu, and it´s been because i´m living it, in all shapes and forms. Living with three latins, it´s spanish or die! I´m not dreamin in spanish yet but i am starting to understand jokes which most say is a breakthrough! Working with our recent converts has really helped lately. It looks like we´ll have a baptism here shortly if all goes well. Ive gotta go because we have no time but i love you all. Read 1 Thes 5: (forgot the verses but it´s about lifing one another, great scripture for the family) Love much, remember what this Christmas season is really all about. The greatest gift one can give is the gift of oneself. Show your love for someone tomorrow in some form! Love you all!รง
Elder Campbell
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
November Photos
eddy- 2 happy missionaries 1 happy member 1 happy convert!(kind of a little side note, we really try to get our investigators in with the members. Pres Hinckley always said that a new convert needs 3 things 1. a friend 2. a calling 3. be nourished by the good word. We really try if we can to have a member baptise our converts to build that relationship so they can make an easy transfer into being an active member forever)
Eddy and his family with us!
our room in the new pench (just a bit nicer right?)
Me and Miguel Funes and his wife. He´s got a date for the 12th.
Happy Thanksgiving
Sounds like you had a very fun thanksgiving weekend! I have to tell you the honest truth... i totally forgot about thanksgiving! No joke, i´ll tell you the reason it was so easy to forget..... I´m living in an apartment with 3 Latinos! Yes, Chesley left to San Juan and i´m still here in Trapiche with my new Columbian companion Elder Gutierrez. He doesn´t speak a lick of english, nor do the other two in our pench. It´s been a bit tough for me, i´ve been feelin a lil lonely but not near as bad as i was fearing when i found out! I´ve learned a lot of spanish this week that is for sure. I´m thinking by the end of this transfer my spanish is going to be pretty good haha. I´ve had a couple nights being sad but i´ve been good the last few! Elder Gutierrez is pretty cool, its so much different with a latin. We´re definately respected a bit more. The pibes (pronounced pee´bays) (basically boys in the range of 17-24) dont make smart comments about the states anymore haha.
Another exciting note. Trapiche welcomed in another member into their barrio this week!!!! Eddie Rivera a peruvian proffessional soccer player. He was unbelievably prepared by the lord. Can´t believe how prepared he was. Truely witnessing miracles out here. We´re working with a few of his friends, and another family, as well as 1 of Carmen´s sons. We´re staying busy, and working hard. I´m having a tough time because i can´t understand everything, but Saturday has put me on a high. There is nothing like witnessing a person get baptised. Seeing them from the first step, and to just see the light start to appear in their eyes. Me and Eddy shared a long tearful hug after his baptism, we´ve become very close. I was sad that Chesley couldn´t share the moment with me, but it was a good way to start off with elder gutierrez. To add on to my happyness from the baptism i got to the office today to see 2 packages waiting for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Wooooooooooooooooooooooo! You did a wonderful job hiding things. I didn´t pay one freaking peso for the box! Not a thing! The other bag i ended up paying 43 peso´s but not bad at all!! Thank you for everything it made my day! Made my christmas! I didn´t open the package, i´m going to wait till Christmas!
Oh also the other miguel that me and chesley were teaching lives in estansuela that has now been taken over by the other elders. He has a date for baptism the 12th! We really changed this area, and the members have been receptive to us. They´ve been feeding us more and wow its funny how just working hard can really earn you respect. I can´t believe that i leave and the vikes are going to win it all... So depressing for me! I´m loving you all, and praying for you every night! I´m going to write a bit more and send some pictures, i don´t have many new ones but i do have the pictures of the baptism! Keep me in your prayers for the next little bit as i struggle through this period of really learning the language! I´ll send another email in just a sec.
Another exciting note. Trapiche welcomed in another member into their barrio this week!!!! Eddie Rivera a peruvian proffessional soccer player. He was unbelievably prepared by the lord. Can´t believe how prepared he was. Truely witnessing miracles out here. We´re working with a few of his friends, and another family, as well as 1 of Carmen´s sons. We´re staying busy, and working hard. I´m having a tough time because i can´t understand everything, but Saturday has put me on a high. There is nothing like witnessing a person get baptised. Seeing them from the first step, and to just see the light start to appear in their eyes. Me and Eddy shared a long tearful hug after his baptism, we´ve become very close. I was sad that Chesley couldn´t share the moment with me, but it was a good way to start off with elder gutierrez. To add on to my happyness from the baptism i got to the office today to see 2 packages waiting for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Wooooooooooooooooooooooo! You did a wonderful job hiding things. I didn´t pay one freaking peso for the box! Not a thing! The other bag i ended up paying 43 peso´s but not bad at all!! Thank you for everything it made my day! Made my christmas! I didn´t open the package, i´m going to wait till Christmas!
Oh also the other miguel that me and chesley were teaching lives in estansuela that has now been taken over by the other elders. He has a date for baptism the 12th! We really changed this area, and the members have been receptive to us. They´ve been feeding us more and wow its funny how just working hard can really earn you respect. I can´t believe that i leave and the vikes are going to win it all... So depressing for me! I´m loving you all, and praying for you every night! I´m going to write a bit more and send some pictures, i don´t have many new ones but i do have the pictures of the baptism! Keep me in your prayers for the next little bit as i struggle through this period of really learning the language! I´ll send another email in just a sec.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
December 7, 2009 Email
Hello hello. It´s been a week of searching and searching. We´ve walked a ton a ton and have had mild success. We have two families we´re working with, and a friend of Carmen (my first convert) who is really interested in the church. We´re hoping to bring all of them closer to Christ and this next week is going to be very important to us. We´re living in the new pench that Chesley and I found. Me, my comp Gutierrez, Rogel (from el salvador), and manqui (from chile). None of them are speaking any english anytime soon. It´s still been really tough for me. I´m frustrated alot but i know its a trial i need. My spanish has probably doubled in these last 3 weeks. Id say im still far from fluent but there really isn´t a choice but to speak spanish all the time haha. If i want to say something i really have to work sometimes to say it, use my study books in some cases to get what i want to say to them accross. For the most part i can speak to them. Rogel speaks so fast its ridiculous, the other two i can understand most of the time. Gutierrez has patience with me which i´m truely grateful for! We have zone conference tomorrow, which i always look forward to. A chance to sit down with president one on one is something i love! Today we took a 3 hour bus through the Andes Mtn´s to a place called Punta de Inca. It´s an old ruin of a prison but what is unique is the river in the canyon. Its got some special mineral that petrofies anything you put in it over 2 months. There were a lot of venders selling petrofied shoes and other things. Totally cool. The rocks and stuff are all covered in the mineral setiment. Up the road 2 kilometers we got to see the coveted Aconcagua. it´s amazing, huge, these mountains in the route from mendoza to chile are UNREAL!!!! Gorgeous, towering mountains. Anyone that doesn´t believe god exsists needs to take that drive we took today. Truely can see his hand. It´s summer and the mountains were snow capped (your going to be very frustrated that i forgot my camera on the hike to see aconcagua. Maybe when i finish we can go see it. Some funny notes. We bought lunch today at our favorite place downtown. I got a hamburgesa and a pancho for 7 pesos (basically 2 bucks) for a huge meal. The exchange rate really works to our advantage here with argentine products. Imports from the states however..... fah so expensive. All in all it´s been a good week, today was a lot of fun going up and seeing those mountains. They´re world famous for a reason, wow. Now it´s back to work for another week.
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