Wow I feel like we just talked. Yes, that was really fun and I'm really glad that everything worked out in the end! Yeah we first got there and Elder Giannini went straight to calling and I got on the computer. The first one said that the camera wasn't working and so I switched over and I could see you all but couldn't hear a thing. Then I turned up the volume on the speakers and I could hear you but the mic wasn't working, so dang it. Then I told you that I was going to call. I tried the phone and the guy said that I could call the states but as soon as I started putting in the numbers it said that I couldn't and this number wasn't good, so I knew of another one close by and so we ran over there and I thought that I would try skype again. I was worried that you guys had put it all away and were just sitting there for my call, so I got on and tried calling the phone, but then I realized that you guys were still on and so we got connected but the camera was bad and then finally after the 4th computer I was able to talk to you all. That was so nice and I had fun just seeing your faces and hearing your voices again. You all looked great and I'm glad that everyone could participate. Sorry about not talking more in Spanish for you all but I do know it and I'll talk to you all in Spanish for Christmas. Wow, that's still 7 months away. Oh well the time will fly. So yeah Elder Giannini talked for like 20 minutes, it was a little expensive, like 20 pesos. I only spent 5 so a steal, haha. So yeah he was nice enough to let me sit there and talk, but I wished that we could've talked longer, but he was sitting there with his watch and all, but oh well we got what we got and all good there.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Well, goodbye NYC ;) haha
Dang it, no pics again. haha Oh, and the space bar sticks too, haha. What's wrong with public computers in Argentina?
Wow I feel like we just talked. Yes, that was really fun and I'm really glad that everything worked out in the end! Yeah we first got there and Elder Giannini went straight to calling and I got on the computer. The first one said that the camera wasn't working and so I switched over and I could see you all but couldn't hear a thing. Then I turned up the volume on the speakers and I could hear you but the mic wasn't working, so dang it. Then I told you that I was going to call. I tried the phone and the guy said that I could call the states but as soon as I started putting in the numbers it said that I couldn't and this number wasn't good, so I knew of another one close by and so we ran over there and I thought that I would try skype again. I was worried that you guys had put it all away and were just sitting there for my call, so I got on and tried calling the phone, but then I realized that you guys were still on and so we got connected but the camera was bad and then finally after the 4th computer I was able to talk to you all. That was so nice and I had fun just seeing your faces and hearing your voices again. You all looked great and I'm glad that everyone could participate. Sorry about not talking more in Spanish for you all but I do know it and I'll talk to you all in Spanish for Christmas. Wow, that's still 7 months away. Oh well the time will fly. So yeah Elder Giannini talked for like 20 minutes, it was a little expensive, like 20 pesos. I only spent 5 so a steal, haha. So yeah he was nice enough to let me sit there and talk, but I wished that we could've talked longer, but he was sitting there with his watch and all, but oh well we got what we got and all good there.
Wow I feel like we just talked. Yes, that was really fun and I'm really glad that everything worked out in the end! Yeah we first got there and Elder Giannini went straight to calling and I got on the computer. The first one said that the camera wasn't working and so I switched over and I could see you all but couldn't hear a thing. Then I turned up the volume on the speakers and I could hear you but the mic wasn't working, so dang it. Then I told you that I was going to call. I tried the phone and the guy said that I could call the states but as soon as I started putting in the numbers it said that I couldn't and this number wasn't good, so I knew of another one close by and so we ran over there and I thought that I would try skype again. I was worried that you guys had put it all away and were just sitting there for my call, so I got on and tried calling the phone, but then I realized that you guys were still on and so we got connected but the camera was bad and then finally after the 4th computer I was able to talk to you all. That was so nice and I had fun just seeing your faces and hearing your voices again. You all looked great and I'm glad that everyone could participate. Sorry about not talking more in Spanish for you all but I do know it and I'll talk to you all in Spanish for Christmas. Wow, that's still 7 months away. Oh well the time will fly. So yeah Elder Giannini talked for like 20 minutes, it was a little expensive, like 20 pesos. I only spent 5 so a steal, haha. So yeah he was nice enough to let me sit there and talk, but I wished that we could've talked longer, but he was sitting there with his watch and all, but oh well we got what we got and all good there.
Well, as you probably know by now I left and I'm in my new area right now. :) I'm in the area Villa Lugano in the zone Liniers. Don't worry, it's just called the villa, but it's still a part of the Capital but there aren't tall buildings anywhere so it's a smaller suburb. My new companion is from Bowler, Wisconsin. See if Grandpa knows where that is. His name is Elder Rickert and he's been on the mission for about a year and a half, he already has 3 transfers in this area and we already have a baptism set up for this next Sunday, haha. So I'm super excited to be here and it's nice to have a scenery change. So we received a call last night from the assistants around 9:30 and they told us that Elder Giannini was going to be training this next transfer, so that automatically means that I'm going. I was basically already packed from the move just a week ago, so I started getting together all my things. Then about 9:45 we got a call from the ZL´s, and they told me that I was going to Villa Lugano and I was going to be with Elder Rickert. I have seen him before like in mission conferences. So in about an hour I was able to get everything in and ready for the move. So it was just a regular morning and we got ready. I had an apple and orange for breakfast, haha. Yes, fruit, and then the hired driver that we called last night came around 8 and we took everything down and headed off. We had to be there earlier because Elder Giannini was training and so he got some special training. I was left to pick up the mail and yes, I received everything, the Easter package and all the letters. I don't know if it's all of them but just know that one day I will get them. haha :) Thanks again. I also had some time to reminisce with some MTC buddies. Me and Elder Garcia, roommates, really get along and we went and bought some facturas, or Argentine donuts while we were waiting for our new companions to arrive. Then when they got there we got all my stuff and we headed off. No, we don't know anything about the area ahead of time, well officially about the area…we hear stuff from other elders from what they know, until we meet the companions and ask them. Elder Stocking is staying, so he's going to be in his first area for 6 months. But I'm just glad to be out and on the move again. It's like a clean start with a whole new area and elders. So it took like 45 minutes to drive there. We dropped off my stuff and went and did some grocery shopping and now we are emailing. :) So that's a transfer experience. Haha Last night the Flia Vallejos wanted me to call them if I was going so I did and I'm going to miss them. I will try and stay in contact with them. (They are the sweat shop family.)
Rachel and Camryn, thanks so much for your cute letters and those dresses were so pretty. I'm glad that you are learning so many things and especially Camryn with reading and you were talking really well. :) I loved the pictures that you drew for me and thanks for the candy, it was really needed. ;)
Jason, hey you're still alive. :) haha Thanks for working on that project of mine and I'm going to put the due date the first Monday after summer break starts, seeing that you'll have a lot more time to figure it out. Also, thanks for thinking of Mom on Mother's Day. Speaking of that, I made a piece of paper that says Happy Birthday and Happy Mother's Day and took pictures, but you'll just have to see that later. haha :) Oh, and I want you to serve a mission too, and Spanish speaking!! Wouldn't that be cool if we were all Spanish speaking? Haha
Braden "well my week was boring so I'm just going to say that and nothing else" because I love you too. ;) haha jk but serious now. ;)
Alex, working is good. First of all you learn to work and also there is some money involved, save it, spend some to have fun but save the majority. Don't do what I did and wait for the last summer before you leave, haha, unless you never want to be home. I regret not spending more time with my family before I left because once you leave they are gone for 2 years. But anyways fun to see you all.
Tanner, así que, dude that's a bummer with the AP test thingy, and yeah, I never really liked the library ladies very much. Oh well, it's a gift to study some more ;) and it will keep you focused until the end. You cant dive bomb in your Jr year, that's only the Sr year. haha Keep up the good work. :)
Hey Dad and Mom, love you so much. :) Everything sounds great back in Lehi and the family is great. Work is going strong for both of you and again Happy Birthday Mom, (I know how old you are but I'm not going to tell anyone ;) haha) and Happy Mother's Day! Wow! South Korea for Dallin, that's awesome and I'm sure that Brother Melling is going crazy. haha Thanks again for all the love that I'm receiving from everyone!! The letters, the packages, the emails every week, I love you all!!
Alright, the week that just passed by:
Friday night I helped cook pancakes with the Flia Vallejos and I brought some peanut butter and they enjoyed that. Then we had the youth event where they were to prepare a timed talk on a subject from the new For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, and then we had to judge them on different points. Great kids. :) Saturday, we had our correlation meeting with our ward mission leader and then we had lunch with some Peruvians, and we had the sevich and chicken and rice. It was really good. And then I got to talk with you all. :) I loved every precious second. Then yesterday we got going early and went to the villa to look for people, but no one wanted to or could, so that was frustrating. Then we did a run around basically of all the recent converts, and Jeffer and Natalia told us that they only have a problem with the bishop and for that they aren't coming to church. But they still want to, so it's sad, but it's still good to know that he has the testimony. Then transfers. So yeah, I love you all so so much and I can't wait to show you pictures! I'll take a ton. Say hi to people in the ward for me. haha How's everybody from my age group doing and what's going on there? Alright, talk to you later. Love you!
Love,
Elder Ryan Pittard
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Video skyping for Mother's Day!
Ryan was able to video skype for Mother's Day! We did it on Saturday afternoon because he had to pay to use a computer in an internet cafe in Buenos Aires. It was so great to see him again!! What a treat! For me the best part was seeing his smile and hearing his laugh! What a cutie!
We had some technical difficulties, but eventually it all worked. The first time we connected there wasn't any audio on either end! He tried calling again, and then he could hear us, but we couldn't hear him. :/ We were waving, giving the "I love you" symbol with our hands, :) and writing little notes to each other. Haha
After 15 minutes of trying to get it to work, he decided he'd try another internet place. So he and his companion hurried to another place and called again. And this time we could hear him and he could hear us, but the picture was all black and green...all we could see of him was a black silouette. Creepy! So then he tried another computer and called again...this time calling on Cary's account on his iphone, but we could hear and see him and he could hear and see us!! So we just left it alone. haha Cary's phone was low on battery...so he had to plug it into the wall and we all knelt and crouched around the iphone! But it was so great to get to talk to him. He looked good. He was glowing. We could feel his spirit and his love of being a missionary in Buenos Aires. We are so happy for him!
So here are a few pictures...
Why isn't the dang mic working!! haha
Love his smile!
Yay, it's working now!
Monday, May 7, 2012
I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon
No pictures this week, ghetto computer, missing the u,p,a,g,j,b
letters that are printed on top, then for e,r,t,y,i,o,s,d,f, h,l,c,v,n,m there
are little papers taped on. haha I took a picture to send to you, but once
again there isn't a usb hook up. :) Oh well.
How's it going? I love you all so dearly. :) Wow, I complete 6 months this week and it is the last week of the transfer so I find out next Sunday night and I will definitely let everyone know. :)
Tanner, thanks for writing to me every week and I love hearing the insights from you and thinking back to when I was in your shoes. Take advantage of the end of this school, year keep learning and don't slack off. Good luck on the AP tests, those are hard and well, just good luck. Oh and pray, don't forget your prayers. :) Also, good luck at Trafalga. I'm sure that it is way way different than before and has changed a lot. Just have fun. :) How's the team for Lehi basketball looking for the year to come? :) Sounds like you guys are dominating and having fun. Take full advantage of your senior year and have fun being on top of everybody. You only have this one year to enjoy that. :) Oh, and how are the first round of the playoffs going and I'm excited for the Jazz to be a lot better. While we were walking past a video/tv store on Santa Fe this last week the Knicks and the Heat were playing. Oh I miss that so bad, haha, but this work is way more important. :) Suerte esta semana y portáte bien. ;) (Good luck with week and carry on well.)
Braden, wow, Avengers!!! You are the luckiest guy in the world!! ;) Yeah I have seen the posters down here and I want to see it when I get back, don't tell me anything. ;) Also remember to behave for your mother, alright? ;)
I just want to say that I love you Alex. How fun to eat weird food with friends. The weirdest food down here yet is the bread substance like vegetables, I don't know, but honestly they are good. :) Oh and sometimes I wonder what they put in sausages down here, but it tastes good all the same. :) Oh, but I did drink this tea like drink that you boil these seeds from Bolivia and the seeds leak out some flavor into the water and then you drink that. It's like sugar water. :)
Rachel and Camryn, oh how I love you so so much. :) I can't wait to give you all the hugs and kisses in the world. :) Baptisms, hmm not enough, food, see above, and temptations, well yeah, but I'm always asking my Heavenly Father to protect me especially as a missionary and help me to have clean thoughts and focus all on the mission. :) Make sure to have big smiles for when I get to see your happy faces this next Saturday.
Jason, I guess you're still figuring out the problem of the distances, keep up the good work and be nice to your sisters! ;)
Mom and Dad, thanks for always having such wonderful letters and I love you both so much. :) First, to answer questions…missionary budget, I'm learning, I have an excuse because the capital area is really expensive for traveling and the groceries, but I'm getting better. :) Yes, I know, it's something that I have to learn on my own and one of the things that I'm learning on the mission. How it's managed, the first of every month, money is put into our accounts and we go and take it out. We are living on 750 pesos every month and that's less than 200 dollars. So we take it out and keep it in our pension to use throughout the month, biggest money spenders are the groceries every Monday, travel, I have a subte card that I can charge money to and then when I take the subte (subway) and collectivos (buses) I only have to scan my card, and then the washing our clothes, we have a nice deal with this antiguo (former) investigator lady that washes whatever amount for 12 peso per bag, so like 24 pesos every time. One time we had to use another service, there's 100 around this area, and it was 30 peso per bag, so a rip off. :) My clothes are doing great, my shoes are holding up fine but the inserts are being eaten alive, so if you could send some more of those that would be great. :) Thanks. Right now I wish that I had a car, we walk everywhere but I'm getting used to it and that was kind of a joke, haha. And the money for the call I will use personal money, and I will just pay by the 15 minute mark for the computer. It won't be very much because skype is free. And thanks for the update on the tax return. How are the other missionaries from the ward doing? How are my friends doing? How are Dustin and Matt doing? Oh, and yes I received a letter from the primary last time that I received mail, and yes, I need to respond. Um, thanks for the packages that you have sent and all that I will receive haha. I still haven't received the chocolate yet but if I get transferred, or my companion, I will pick it up in San Fernando. :)
Alright, a shout out to the related family. :) Thanks for your love and support and all the letters from you all. I'm thinking about you all and wish you all the best, especially to Courtney, suerte (good luck) with the graduation and all, and then to all the cousins that can read this letter, suerte (good luck) and have fun this summer! :)
Alright now the week report:
Monday, it was a holiday so nothing was open. We went on an adventure in search of the Holy Land, haha. There is a tourist attraction far away in our zone that is a mini replica of the Holy Land. We walked a ton, took subte and the buses and walked through this huge cool park and finally got there to find out that it was closed for one of the two days of the year, haha. So it was a fun adventure. We went with Juncal.
Tuesday, a good day. First we traveled out to villa Urqiza to have district meeting and after the meeting, one of the sisters had been sick for most of the last week and for some reason she asked me to give the blessing. So all four of us elders circled around her and I gave my first blessing in English. It was so hard because I have always done it in Spanish and I'm thinking in Spanish, but I stumbled through it, said a prayer in my heart to help me and guide me and I was able to give the blessing. Ii felt really good after that and it was definitely the spirit and the joy of using the priesthood. Then we had a lesson with a hermana and we brought a less active brother and it just so happened that her friend showed up and decided to stay to hear what the missionaries would have to say. So mini miracle. Franscisca is rejecting us again and again I don't know what happened with her. We were able to find 2 new investigators that night, we were looking for a reference we had received and we asked a hobby shop owner guy if he knew where the house was. As you can imagine, finding houses in the villa is difficult and you have to know the area to get around. It's divided into manzanas as big groups of houses and each manzana has a house number for each individual house. I don't know if they were supposed to paint the number on or anything but they all look the same and so we have to ask, but it's an excuse to talk with somebody and find news. So we found Oscar and Jorge and taught them the restoration.
Wednesday, we did our weekly planning that day because of something else that was going to happen the next day. We didn't have a place to do our planning so we ended up doing it in this huge park underneath this huge tree, the park of the heras. So that was a first but we got it done. Then that night we received a call from the offices that we were going to sign a contract and move out this week. :) More on that though. :)
Thursday, we had a special conference with 4 zones with President and Hermana Gulbrandsen. We talked about obedience first but then they focused on the Book of Mormon and how special it is. They gave each of us our own personal hard back Book of Mormon to read in two months. We have to mark all the references to Jesus, His doctrine and anything else that interests us or strengthens our testimony. So I started the Book of Mormon again, I was already in Alma 46 or something, so once again… :) but I'm excited to really focus on what it is going to teach me this time. Oh, and they want all the missionaries to work as hard as they can for their mothers this week to honor them as a present for you all. :) Then we met the owners of our new apartment and they photocopied our documents. Then we found out that they still haven't signed the contract so we are still waiting to move out. It should be tomorrow or Wednesday so I'll let you know. haha But we did pack everything up in the Palermo pension and organized things in the Juncal pension, so all good there. Oh I also drank milk with rice and that was good, something new, arroz con leche.
Friday we were able to talk with an antiguo (former investigator) named Jesus this last week and I want to share what he told us. He knows that the church is true and he knows all the history of the church and has read the Book of Mormon, but what I found interesting was that he lacked the faith to follow and join the church. His wife and daughter are both of another religion, and so she doesn't want anything with the church so he joined her church because he doesn't want to break the family up, but if he had real faith he would do everything to join. Oh, and during lunch at the church, we received some new keys and all is good there. I was trying to remember a song on the piano that I had memorized back in Tennessee and played here and there from then on, after 20 minutes I finally got it down and was able to play everything. It's cool how we can dig in our minds to find old things inscribed in there.
We took an elder of the church from our ward, who is a little shy, with us to the villa. It was nice for him to get out and help us. We had a lesson with this one family, but in the end they didn't want anything to do with it. They have their religion. They are open to listen to others' but not to be baptized. Then we passed by Oscar again. He said something interesting, we had gotten into a discussion about the Sabbath Day and what day it is, he has a really evangelical Bible and it is messed up. It says in the 10 Commandments that we should honor Saturday as the day of rest. I know that back then it was but the thing is that it doesn't say that in our bible, it just says the day of rest or the Sabbath Day. So we were showing him scriptures and trying to help him out, but he was stubborn. He finally said that when we were done that every time that he read the Bible he gets more confused. That is so true. I was reading in 1 Nephi 13 and it's interesting to actually see the results of all the plain and precious parts of the Bible, so we reaffirmed him that the Book of Mormon is true and that he has to read and ponder and pray to know of the truth, and that it won't confuse him but help him answer questions and make things clearer. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon.
Sunday, the busiest and longest days of the mission, we got up early and went to the villa. No one could or would go with us so that was a downer. And then we had a million things to do in the church. As the missionaries everyone has everything to say to us, comments or suggestions haha. Then we had lunch with the flia Dominguez and they said that they have family that live in the Logan area and that his mom and dad work in the Logan Temple Thursday and Saturday, and that they had visited last October, so that was cool to talk about the US with them, and everything that they loved. The only thing that America doesn't have that is down here is the alfajores. Oh they are delicious, and the really cheap kind are only a peso. :) Then last night we had an osado, or a barbecue, with the flia Arcos and a non active family turned Jehovah's Witnesses, the flia Saucedo. But the meat was good and we had a nice talk about the church. Again another testimony to me that the apostasy really happened and it's sad how many of the children of God are walking down forbidden paths and are extremely confused. :) Then we had to run home after that. Stupid us, and I got a little sick, luckily it all stayed down…but just so you know. :)
Now I'm going to give you all a Mother's Day gift, my testimony:
Mom, I have a testimony of this church. I know that it is the true church of God and the guide to return back to Him. I know that Jesucristo is our redeemer and savior. He loves everyone so much and we can't serve him enough to pay him back. :) I know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book there is and I have gotten closer to my Heavenly Father by reading it. I know that I have been raised by goodly parents and that they love me so much. I know that what I'm doing right now as a missionary is the most important work and calling for me right now.
I love all of you so much and be ready at 3:00 PM to receive my call. I will call you. :) If not, wait for me, I will contact you somehow and someway. :) I can't wait for you to know what I'm doing on the mission, haha. I still feel so young and new and inexperienced. :)
Love you all, and good luck this week and know that I'm praying for you all and your safety and health.
Love,
Elder Ryan Pittard
How's it going? I love you all so dearly. :) Wow, I complete 6 months this week and it is the last week of the transfer so I find out next Sunday night and I will definitely let everyone know. :)
Tanner, thanks for writing to me every week and I love hearing the insights from you and thinking back to when I was in your shoes. Take advantage of the end of this school, year keep learning and don't slack off. Good luck on the AP tests, those are hard and well, just good luck. Oh and pray, don't forget your prayers. :) Also, good luck at Trafalga. I'm sure that it is way way different than before and has changed a lot. Just have fun. :) How's the team for Lehi basketball looking for the year to come? :) Sounds like you guys are dominating and having fun. Take full advantage of your senior year and have fun being on top of everybody. You only have this one year to enjoy that. :) Oh, and how are the first round of the playoffs going and I'm excited for the Jazz to be a lot better. While we were walking past a video/tv store on Santa Fe this last week the Knicks and the Heat were playing. Oh I miss that so bad, haha, but this work is way more important. :) Suerte esta semana y portáte bien. ;) (Good luck with week and carry on well.)
Braden, wow, Avengers!!! You are the luckiest guy in the world!! ;) Yeah I have seen the posters down here and I want to see it when I get back, don't tell me anything. ;) Also remember to behave for your mother, alright? ;)
I just want to say that I love you Alex. How fun to eat weird food with friends. The weirdest food down here yet is the bread substance like vegetables, I don't know, but honestly they are good. :) Oh and sometimes I wonder what they put in sausages down here, but it tastes good all the same. :) Oh, but I did drink this tea like drink that you boil these seeds from Bolivia and the seeds leak out some flavor into the water and then you drink that. It's like sugar water. :)
Rachel and Camryn, oh how I love you so so much. :) I can't wait to give you all the hugs and kisses in the world. :) Baptisms, hmm not enough, food, see above, and temptations, well yeah, but I'm always asking my Heavenly Father to protect me especially as a missionary and help me to have clean thoughts and focus all on the mission. :) Make sure to have big smiles for when I get to see your happy faces this next Saturday.
Jason, I guess you're still figuring out the problem of the distances, keep up the good work and be nice to your sisters! ;)
Mom and Dad, thanks for always having such wonderful letters and I love you both so much. :) First, to answer questions…missionary budget, I'm learning, I have an excuse because the capital area is really expensive for traveling and the groceries, but I'm getting better. :) Yes, I know, it's something that I have to learn on my own and one of the things that I'm learning on the mission. How it's managed, the first of every month, money is put into our accounts and we go and take it out. We are living on 750 pesos every month and that's less than 200 dollars. So we take it out and keep it in our pension to use throughout the month, biggest money spenders are the groceries every Monday, travel, I have a subte card that I can charge money to and then when I take the subte (subway) and collectivos (buses) I only have to scan my card, and then the washing our clothes, we have a nice deal with this antiguo (former) investigator lady that washes whatever amount for 12 peso per bag, so like 24 pesos every time. One time we had to use another service, there's 100 around this area, and it was 30 peso per bag, so a rip off. :) My clothes are doing great, my shoes are holding up fine but the inserts are being eaten alive, so if you could send some more of those that would be great. :) Thanks. Right now I wish that I had a car, we walk everywhere but I'm getting used to it and that was kind of a joke, haha. And the money for the call I will use personal money, and I will just pay by the 15 minute mark for the computer. It won't be very much because skype is free. And thanks for the update on the tax return. How are the other missionaries from the ward doing? How are my friends doing? How are Dustin and Matt doing? Oh, and yes I received a letter from the primary last time that I received mail, and yes, I need to respond. Um, thanks for the packages that you have sent and all that I will receive haha. I still haven't received the chocolate yet but if I get transferred, or my companion, I will pick it up in San Fernando. :)
Alright, a shout out to the related family. :) Thanks for your love and support and all the letters from you all. I'm thinking about you all and wish you all the best, especially to Courtney, suerte (good luck) with the graduation and all, and then to all the cousins that can read this letter, suerte (good luck) and have fun this summer! :)
Alright now the week report:
Monday, it was a holiday so nothing was open. We went on an adventure in search of the Holy Land, haha. There is a tourist attraction far away in our zone that is a mini replica of the Holy Land. We walked a ton, took subte and the buses and walked through this huge cool park and finally got there to find out that it was closed for one of the two days of the year, haha. So it was a fun adventure. We went with Juncal.
Tuesday, a good day. First we traveled out to villa Urqiza to have district meeting and after the meeting, one of the sisters had been sick for most of the last week and for some reason she asked me to give the blessing. So all four of us elders circled around her and I gave my first blessing in English. It was so hard because I have always done it in Spanish and I'm thinking in Spanish, but I stumbled through it, said a prayer in my heart to help me and guide me and I was able to give the blessing. Ii felt really good after that and it was definitely the spirit and the joy of using the priesthood. Then we had a lesson with a hermana and we brought a less active brother and it just so happened that her friend showed up and decided to stay to hear what the missionaries would have to say. So mini miracle. Franscisca is rejecting us again and again I don't know what happened with her. We were able to find 2 new investigators that night, we were looking for a reference we had received and we asked a hobby shop owner guy if he knew where the house was. As you can imagine, finding houses in the villa is difficult and you have to know the area to get around. It's divided into manzanas as big groups of houses and each manzana has a house number for each individual house. I don't know if they were supposed to paint the number on or anything but they all look the same and so we have to ask, but it's an excuse to talk with somebody and find news. So we found Oscar and Jorge and taught them the restoration.
Wednesday, we did our weekly planning that day because of something else that was going to happen the next day. We didn't have a place to do our planning so we ended up doing it in this huge park underneath this huge tree, the park of the heras. So that was a first but we got it done. Then that night we received a call from the offices that we were going to sign a contract and move out this week. :) More on that though. :)
Thursday, we had a special conference with 4 zones with President and Hermana Gulbrandsen. We talked about obedience first but then they focused on the Book of Mormon and how special it is. They gave each of us our own personal hard back Book of Mormon to read in two months. We have to mark all the references to Jesus, His doctrine and anything else that interests us or strengthens our testimony. So I started the Book of Mormon again, I was already in Alma 46 or something, so once again… :) but I'm excited to really focus on what it is going to teach me this time. Oh, and they want all the missionaries to work as hard as they can for their mothers this week to honor them as a present for you all. :) Then we met the owners of our new apartment and they photocopied our documents. Then we found out that they still haven't signed the contract so we are still waiting to move out. It should be tomorrow or Wednesday so I'll let you know. haha But we did pack everything up in the Palermo pension and organized things in the Juncal pension, so all good there. Oh I also drank milk with rice and that was good, something new, arroz con leche.
Friday we were able to talk with an antiguo (former investigator) named Jesus this last week and I want to share what he told us. He knows that the church is true and he knows all the history of the church and has read the Book of Mormon, but what I found interesting was that he lacked the faith to follow and join the church. His wife and daughter are both of another religion, and so she doesn't want anything with the church so he joined her church because he doesn't want to break the family up, but if he had real faith he would do everything to join. Oh, and during lunch at the church, we received some new keys and all is good there. I was trying to remember a song on the piano that I had memorized back in Tennessee and played here and there from then on, after 20 minutes I finally got it down and was able to play everything. It's cool how we can dig in our minds to find old things inscribed in there.
We took an elder of the church from our ward, who is a little shy, with us to the villa. It was nice for him to get out and help us. We had a lesson with this one family, but in the end they didn't want anything to do with it. They have their religion. They are open to listen to others' but not to be baptized. Then we passed by Oscar again. He said something interesting, we had gotten into a discussion about the Sabbath Day and what day it is, he has a really evangelical Bible and it is messed up. It says in the 10 Commandments that we should honor Saturday as the day of rest. I know that back then it was but the thing is that it doesn't say that in our bible, it just says the day of rest or the Sabbath Day. So we were showing him scriptures and trying to help him out, but he was stubborn. He finally said that when we were done that every time that he read the Bible he gets more confused. That is so true. I was reading in 1 Nephi 13 and it's interesting to actually see the results of all the plain and precious parts of the Bible, so we reaffirmed him that the Book of Mormon is true and that he has to read and ponder and pray to know of the truth, and that it won't confuse him but help him answer questions and make things clearer. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon.
Sunday, the busiest and longest days of the mission, we got up early and went to the villa. No one could or would go with us so that was a downer. And then we had a million things to do in the church. As the missionaries everyone has everything to say to us, comments or suggestions haha. Then we had lunch with the flia Dominguez and they said that they have family that live in the Logan area and that his mom and dad work in the Logan Temple Thursday and Saturday, and that they had visited last October, so that was cool to talk about the US with them, and everything that they loved. The only thing that America doesn't have that is down here is the alfajores. Oh they are delicious, and the really cheap kind are only a peso. :) Then last night we had an osado, or a barbecue, with the flia Arcos and a non active family turned Jehovah's Witnesses, the flia Saucedo. But the meat was good and we had a nice talk about the church. Again another testimony to me that the apostasy really happened and it's sad how many of the children of God are walking down forbidden paths and are extremely confused. :) Then we had to run home after that. Stupid us, and I got a little sick, luckily it all stayed down…but just so you know. :)
Now I'm going to give you all a Mother's Day gift, my testimony:
Mom, I have a testimony of this church. I know that it is the true church of God and the guide to return back to Him. I know that Jesucristo is our redeemer and savior. He loves everyone so much and we can't serve him enough to pay him back. :) I know that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book there is and I have gotten closer to my Heavenly Father by reading it. I know that I have been raised by goodly parents and that they love me so much. I know that what I'm doing right now as a missionary is the most important work and calling for me right now.
I love all of you so much and be ready at 3:00 PM to receive my call. I will call you. :) If not, wait for me, I will contact you somehow and someway. :) I can't wait for you to know what I'm doing on the mission, haha. I still feel so young and new and inexperienced. :)
Love you all, and good luck this week and know that I'm praying for you all and your safety and health.
Love,
Elder Ryan Pittard
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