I'm grateful for all that I have learned from these experiences, it's helping me to be able to live on my own and depend on me. :)

Hey there family!!! How's it going? Thanks for all writing me something and thinking of me this last week. :) I loved hearing all about your weeks and I'm glad that the first week of school went well.

 

So we had a great week here in Argentina, it was super hot the first part of the week and then it turned to bitter wind which made it colder for the weekend. I actually got a headache from the quick change of climate on Friday haha, but I survived. The days were starting off really hot, the sun shining and then by 3 or 4pm the clouds cover up the sun and it's super windy, so crazy weather.

 

So this last week we were able to find B-- and he was confirmed yesterday, also C-- and S-- were also confirmed, so it was a good Sunday.

 

We had a big miscommunication this last week with the father of A-- who is a less-active member, somehow we were understanding that he was wanting one of us to baptize his daughter but then we get to Saturday and he changed his mind or something so we had to postpone the baptism, maybe if A-- makes a ton of effort he can baptize her in a month, so it was kind of a downer to not baptize but at least she will be baptized soon. But we have to respect the rights and wishes of the father.  But we are expecting the aunt of A-- to be baptized this Sunday. She is coming up with doubts but we just need to help her receive the answer from God, she's really timid and doesn't really express her feelings that easily but we showed her the font yesterday and that animated her to go ahead with it next Sunday, so we are praying for her.

 

Talking about the guy that has the blood disease and if he doesn't receive a transplant he will die, he said that he´s not afraid to die, he doesn't think that he's done nothing wrong in his life and that all good people go to heaven. Our message would be perfect for him, but the only problem is that he doesn't want to listen. haha That's the toughest part of this work, teaching people that don't want to commit or listen to anything that you say.

 

Yesterday I did divisions with a member of the elders quorum presidency and that was a good experience, we met with a less active man that's sick and says that he can't come to church for that reason, but we were able to help him build his faith to come this next week. Then we were trying to visit the less active sons of this one member and she's super faithful but we found her in a bad state. She just needed somebody to listen to her and to give her a word of comfort, so that was nice to help in that sense. This member was a convert of just over 3 yrs and I thought the first time that I saw him that he was part of the high council. haha, so it's good to see some converts actually take it and run with it. haha.

 

Also last night we got back to the church waiting for everyone else to arrive and we heard rocks being thrown against the side of the church, so I climbed up into the tree that's right next to the wall that surrounds the church and I was trying to see who was throwing, but I couldn't see anybody, but luckily nothing was broken. The nerve of some kids, or even teenagers, you never know down here.

 

So that was basically my week, haha, just the normal.

Good luck this next week of school and don't forget to send me lots of pics of the BYU football game haha. The computer is threating to shut off so I'll send this part first and continue the other part.

 

Alright, hopefully it doesn't shut down on me...anyways to continue,

...yeah I never really had a problem about extreme anxiety, yeah I had rough days and moments, a couple of times I was thinking what am I doing here? It was more of the stress more than thinking about home, but the Lord has helped me and I have adjusted. I'm grateful for all that I have learned from these experiences, it's helping me to be able to live on my own and depend on me. :)

 

Well, just know that I love you all so, so much and I pray for you everyday, I hope that school goes well this week and that you say your prayers and read everyday. Have fun waking up early with me and Tanner. :)

 

I love you all so, so much. :)  Have a great week!!!

 

Love,

Elder Ryan Pittard

 

 

We did divisions with the assitasts and Elder DeFriez came and spent the day with me. We had a fun time together and we were remembering old times.

 

We first had our interviews on Tuesday and from there he came back with me and we had a great day. We had a wonderful talk on the 2 hr bus ride home, then we had a great lunch of a cold chicken salad, the first that I've had here in Argentina, then we ate fillet, or oven cooked fish, delicious and then we ate that with noodles.

 

Then we took a member with us as we took a bus over to the back part of our area. There we met J--, a less active that I talked to on the bus. We were able to meet his family and then find his neice that isn't baptized, she's a tough one to help accept a baptismal date, her mom is Mormon but doesn't like the idea of baptizing her so young. I haven't met the mom, but it would be a different story if I did. :) haha

 

Then we stopped to buy a donut on the side of the road close to the church and we got talking to the kid selling them and turns out that he's a cousin of a recent convert and so we were able to see him later on in the week. Then we took the bikes, it was starting to drizzle, and we met a member's husband that is suffering from a blood disease, and he's a nonmember, but he was also super tough to break through. It was raining while we were in the house and as we were leaving it stopped raining.

 

Then we went and said hi to C-- and S-- and made sure that everything was good for this Sunday for their confirmations. They are doing wonderful. Then it was starting to thunder and lightning and so we quickly made it over to the church, and as we were entering it started to pour. We had our PEC and then we got a ride home with a member.

 

So this is an example of a journal entry that I write each day, so I'll have lots of info to draw off of from the last two years.

 

 

 

Here I am walking in the street like 4:00pm in the afternoon in the cold, it was sunny but windy, so it was cold. But we were in the back part of the area on the dirt road. I thought that it was a cool angle and a different look on my mission. Those shoes have seen a lot of dirt roads. haha Those pants as well, I need to wash them, maybe next month... haha

 

 

 

So this is a cool pic, it's a three generation of Pittards...well, sons of Elder Pittard. Elder Stewart who is in Jose C Paz 1 is training a Peruvian and so that makes him my grandson in the mission haha. So it was cool to take that pic. His name is Elder Sandoval and has less then a month in the mission. But I was able to go with Elder Stewart this last week in his area and we had a good fun day together remembering good ole days.

 

I actually was a grandfather like 2 transfers ago but I hardly get to see them. Elder Barragan trained an American and now Elder Johnson is training, so I have 3 grandsons, and Elder Kern was sent to the south right before the change so I've lost contact with him, so he's the lost son. haha

 

I'm hoping that everyone comes to my farewell talk at the despedida and so I can take a picture with all the fruit of my loins. :)