Week Thirty-One: 5/2/16 Tucuman

Hey fam,
Ok first things first, we will be calling from our stake president's house. We are planing on going over and calling at 7:30. We aren't too sure if we, my comp and I, can call at the same time or different times. But I think we have planned that my comp will call first, then me, so that means I would be calling around 8:30 Argentina time. The calls are still only 45 minutes though. If there are any changes in plans I'll ask a member or someone to send you a message through whatsapp. So make sure that's still up and running lol but I think everything should go smoothly. Everything was planned pretty last minute because no one in our ward or that we are teaching has a computer that would work. So I was starting to stress but when we went to church we saw the stake president and his family. It worked out perfectly because they just came back from a month long vacation in the states. So everything just worked out nicely. 
This week was pretty normal. We are still working hard and we are having some really good lessons with a lot of people. Everyone loves my new comp. He is really good with people so we are able to see a lot more success in our street contacts and in forming good relationships with the members and people we are teaching. Time is really flying by now and I'm starting to realize there is my too much work to do, and we don't have enough time. 
It has gotten pretty cold here. I'm still able to stay warm though. We just got our shower fixed so now we don't have to use a bucket to wash ourselves lol. I know I didn't say that before but now you know lol. We have actually had some interesting times with our shower here. When I got here we didn't have hot water for a while, then we got that fixed but then the shower broke so we filled a bucket up with hot water from the sink and then used that. But now everything is back to normal lol just a fun little story. 
Oh yeah about my USB drive. It turns out that it's completely broken. We have no idea how it happened but every time you put it in something it heats up super hot to the point it burns to touch the metal. So that's a bummer but I'm going to buy a new one today. I just have to start from scratch again so that's not too fun. But all is good over here. I'm super excited to talk to you guys this week! I hope it all works out nicely! I love you guys! I'll talk to you soon! Kiss the puppies for me!

Oh PS I got grandma's card the other day. I haven't read it yet because we have to wait to p-day to open and read letters. But you can tell her I got it and am super grateful!

Week Thirty: 4/25/16 Tucuman

Hey guys,
So i bet you guys are probably wondering about my comp lol. I'll start off with some details about him. He is from Salt Lake, he loves music and can pretty much play any instrument, he sings a lot, and he is just a couple months older than me. He is pretty much fluent in Spanish. When he talks, people always think he's from a Latin country because he doesn't have that english accent and he can speak really well and fast. So he is helping me a lot with my Spanish, which is nice. He is a really good worker and obedient, which is nice because Elder Hogge had some problems with some things. I am learning a lot from him every day. He has been a zone leader for the last 8 months and usually most elders die as a zone leader, but he said the president called him and said that his name came into his mind and that he needed to be transferred. So he really wants to work hard and find the reason why the Lord needs him here. Our second day together as we were having comp study, he said that he was going to give me a leadership training so at the end of this transfer I will be ready to be called to any leadership position in the mission. So I'm trying to learn as much as possible. We get along great, there are no problems there. But I never had a problem with that with my other comps either. We have been working really hard and trying to visit as many people as possible, but we are in a tough area and its hard to find the fruits from our work. That just means there is something we are supposed to learn from it. So we are going to continue to work hard and do what we are expected to do. 
Man it sounds like everyone has wedding fever! There is no escaping it lol.
My shoes are doing fine, there is no major problem with them yet. I haven't been wearing my boots but I am now. We are able to stay warm during the day and at night. We have a little heater in our apartment and it works great. I want to take a bunch of pictures but I'm a little hesitant to bring my camera with me here. But i will see what i can do. 
The only thing I can think of that I would like is a little booklet of pictures of the fam, friends, pups, and stuff like that to show the people we teach. Oh and some of water polo, nobody here has any idea what that is. 
My USB isn't currently working. I think it may have downloaded a virus. That happens a lot when using these computer cafes. But i gave it to a member that knows a lot about that stuff. He said he could fix it so no problem there. 
That's super crazy what happened to Maddie!! Oh man that has to be so hard for them. I remember what it was like for dad. How is the family doing with everything? Are they dealing with it well or how is it going? I'll be sure to keep them in my prayers. 
Everything here is going great! We are working hard and making the most of every second. I love you guys! Kiss my puppies for me! Oh and that pic of the cupcakes was super funny! I'll talk to you soon! Oh yeah I don't have any info about mothers day yet. They haven't said anything yet but I will have info for you next week! Talk to you soon! Love you!

Week Twenty-Nine: 4/18/16 Tucuman

Hey fam,
So this week not too much happened. But we were still able to see a miracle and the end of the week. We have been teaching this inactive family for a while and the entire time I've been here I've never seen them in church. We've taught them a lot and they always say they are going to go, but they never do. We had a lesson with them on Friday and we were really trying to help them realize that church is the most important thing in your entire week. Something we said must have gotten to them because they finally came to church. The ward was so happy to see them there and we were too. 
About transfers, this is actually the first week of the transfer and my comp just left and I'm now with Elder Siebers. I've heard a lot about him so far. He was a zone leader and sounds like a really good missionary. Everyone has only good things to say about him so I'm pretty happy about that. But this is also his last transfer so I'm going to be killing him off. Which means that I'm going to be in this area for at least 2 more transfers, that means a total of 6 months in one area. God must really want me here lol, but I don't have any problems with it, I like this area. But he is from Utah and is 20 years old. We haven't been together for too long but he keeps on saying that he is super excited to go work so I think this is going to be a good companionship. I'll let you know more next week about him. 
About your questions about my companion: We worked but he only has 3 more transfers so he was starting to get a little trunky. He would sleep in sometimes and then sleep throw his studies, but I still always got up on time and did everything I should be doing. He was a good missionary but he didn't really try to teach too much by the Spirit, more just from his knowledge of the scriptures and the lessons. I always try to teach by the Spirit and really try to help them feel it as strong as possible, so our teaching methods didn't really go well together but he was still and good missionary and we got along pretty well. 
I'm so happy that everything with the wedding went so great!! Don't worry, I wasn't thinking too much about home and I was able to focus. I got a lot of pictures and that's what I love!! Man everything looks so nice!! I bet it was a blast and nuts at the same time lol. It's so weird but also super awesome that Cam and Justin are married now. Just try to keep them from having kids until i get back lol.
I think that's it for my week. This next one should be a little more interesting. I love you guys! I'll talk to you soon! Kiss my puppies for me! Oh and yes I have a fan so I will start doing that, it's just not a very good one but we will see. I also noticed the other day that my shoes are starting to get little holes in the bottom. But nothing to worry about, there are a whole bunch of shoe fixer guys so if the holes get bigger I'll get them fixed. Love you!

Week Twenty-Eight: 4/11/16 Tucuman

Hey fam,
That's awesome that the wedding and everything went so well and also that so many people were able to go! That's what I like to hear! I got Cam and Hailey's wedding invitation this week and also I got the package for my birthday! 
This week was pretty normal but we did have a zone training meeting so I was able to learn a lot about working more with the members, using our time more effectively, and how to help the people we are teaching more. 
This week we had an appointment with a family that we have been teaching for a while, family Mamani. They are really nice and they love talking with us. They always listen to us and we had good conversations about the gospel, but they would never come to church or accept a baptism date. We were begging them but I think that they just like having us around but don't really want to change anything. So we changed our way of teaching a little bit for them our last appointment. We were a lot more direct with them. Not too direct, we still did it with love, but we really tried to get our point across. They were a little thrown back but we really think that they needed it. They like and agree with everything we say and even say it's true, but they are die hard Catholics and are nervous to change. We really tried to assure them that this is the one and only path that Jesus wants us to follow. We felt pretty good after the lesson and we are going to teach them again tonight so we will see how it goes. I think that is something that we need to do more. We need to be a little more direct with some people so they know why we are here. We aren't here to have nice conversations about Jesus; we are here because we know that this message about Jesus can and will change your life for the better in more ways that you can even imagine. I know this gospel can bless these people and I really want them to accept it because I know how much it can help them. 
But on the other side of things, the weather here is starting to get pretty cold. I think it rained everyday this week. It gets pretty cold at night so I'm now starting to wear sweats and a sweatshirt to bed. The only thing I don't really like about it is that my feet are always wet lol. My shoes get wet and they don't really dry out all the way so they are always a little damp. But that's really not too bad lol. All is well over here. 
I think that's about it for my week. I'll talk to you guys soon. Enjoy every second of the wedding and take lots of pictures for me! I love you guys! Kiss my puppies for me!

Week Twenty-seven 4/4/16 Tucuman

Hey Fam,

So this week was pretty good, definitely better than last week number wise. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but we just couldn’t find anyone, and no one was home.  Man did our numbers suffered for it, but this week was a lot better!   We got a lot of good referrals from members which led to new investigators and they seem pretty good!  We are excited for the upcoming week to work with these people.  

Yeah for conference, the times were all normal, not sure how that worked since there is a 5 hour difference, but at least here it was the same.  OK so I was told and was so looking forward to watching and listening to conference in English, but when we got there nothing was set up, we talked with some people to see what they could do for us.  All we needed was a computer, we knew it, but they said it wouldn’t work.  We assured them that it was possible - they still didn’t do anything to help us.  GARSH DARN DARN DARNIT - that was a bummer!  A BIG FAT BUMMER!!  We watched it all in Spanish.  I could understand some of it, but NOTHING compared to if I had watched it in English.  Unfortunately it turns out that I wasn’t the only one that couldn’t understand it.  The translators were from all different places with different accents and some of them were pretty strong, it was hard for most to understand.  I’m going to try to download it on my usb and listen to it in the apartment.  Since Priesthood started at 9 we needed a member to bring us back in their car.  We found one and we were able to watch it, I did feel fortunate to watch Priesthood because I kinda thought that wouldn’t happen.  Again, I didn’t get a lot out of it, but I was grateful to go.  Juan came to the first session on Sunday. He had to leave right after so we didn’t get to talk to him, can’t wait to meet with him on Saturday and see what he thought and felt.   

We had splits twice this week, one with the zone leaders and the other with another companionship in our district.  I learned a lot from them. I was with Elder Zone, our zone leader, and what I learned from him was he is pretty straight forward and direct with everyone.  Elder Guzman was my second split and he’s a really good listener and really really knows how to address and help investigators and members with their problems.  Both these things are areas I want to improve upon.  I will let you know next week how the new and improved Elder Moore is.

So happy that Theo is doing better!!  Thats what I like to hear!!  Mom what the heck!!  How did that happen to your lip?!  Was it just some freaky random thing or did you hit it or something?  Now that you are minus one gland does that really change anything, or what?  I hope it heals fast, and that everything is back to normal very soon!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! It’s tomorrow but you still have to wait to open my card lol!   Its crazy that Cam and Hailey get married this week!  Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago that Justin and Kendall got married?!  Where is the time going?!   I love you guys keep being awesome!  Thank you mom for your one liners from Conference – they’re awesome and have a great bday!!   I’ll talk to you guys soon! kiss the puppies for me!                                    

One of the less active families we are working with just bought this golden.  I was in heaven!! 

Tucaman Zone

Best Pdays in the mist!

Week Twenty-six 3/28/16 Tucuman

Hi Guys,

I’m glad to here that Theo is doing better! I don’t like it when my puppies don’t feel well, but I’m happy everything is going good.  Easter here was pretty chill.  We had these cards that we passed out to a lot of people with the new video about Easter.  That’s a really good video I like it a lot, I’m sure you guys have seen it. We didn’t really do anything special for Easter. That’s so awesome about the baptisms and that the ward was so involved!!  That’s something that we need to work on here, getting the ward more involved in missionary work.  Man that would really help us!

We talked a lot with recent converts that are inactive now, like in Puerto Rico, they got baptized for the missionary and then dropped off.  If we can help the investigators form a bond with the members than that is more of a reason to continue to go to church.  Again, love that Alta Loma is so involved with these new members. 

This week was a little crazy in the beginning because my comp had to go do papers for his Visa so I was with another elder in our zone, his comp had to do the same thing.   We were in his area and we had service in the morning.   We were asked to cut down a couple of old telephone poles because they needed the wood to build something.  All they had was a handsaw and it was super dull, I couldn’t cut a thing with it.  Man do I appreciate your tools Dad.  I tell ya, people would be blown away to have even a quarter of the stuff you have.  What do you think they’d do if you mailed an axe or a hand saw to me?  JK – it would NEVER get here!  Anyway, we asked if they had anything else and all they had was an axe.  You guessed it - it was still pretty dull but it worked.  I started out cutting it, dang these poles are pretty tough and its NOT very easy to cut with a dull axe.  I got tired pretty fast so I gave the axe to my comp to give him a turn and to rest.  It was made clear, relatively fast, that he wasn’t very familiar with an axe so he handed it back to me to finish the pole.  Man I haven’t worked like that in awhile I have some pretty gnarly blisters! Yeah its fun shaking hands lol.   Don’t worry I’m keeping them clean so they don’t get infected.

Sadly this week we couldn’t meet with Juan.  He is only there on the weekends and when we went over there he wasn’t home.  Man was bummed about that!!  Hopefully we can find him this week, I’m anxious to hear all about his prayer.  We taught the word of wisdom with Alijandro and he seemed to understand it and ACCEPTED the invitation to live it! BUT when we went over for our next appointment he was drunk.  I don’t know what happened, but that was a super big fat bummer!!!  I’m gonna be straight up with him next time we meet, couldn’t really do anything since he wasn’t in his mind, but he needs us to be firm and we need to know if we should keep working with him.  

On a good note we met with one of Bruno’s daughters and she said she wants to know if this church is true and said she needed to pray to find out – YES!  She’s been reading in the Book of Mormon, but she works on Sundays and can’t go to church.   She says she’d be able to go to Conference though so I’m super excited for that and for conference in general!  It’s going to be awesome! Get a load of this, they’re going to have a room that plays it in English for all us English speaking missionaries, I’m gonna be able to understand everything!  It’s going to be awesome!

I’m so happy that you guys are getting so involved with the missionaries and enjoying it!  It’s easy to see why missionaries don’t want to leave the field - there is really nothing like missionary work! I love you guys! Keep up the great work!  I’ll talk to you soon!  Kiss my puppies for me!! 

Week Twenty-five 3/21/16 Tucuman

Hello Hello,

So first of all what exactly is going on with Theo? Is it like he’s sick or pulled a muscle or what?  What meds are you giving him and what are they for? How is Daisy?  What a crazy vet week you’ve had!  I’ll be praying for Theo & Daisy. 

Sorry but I can’t load pics today because this computer doesn’t have a usb port. This week was pretty good.  We met with Juan and he’s doing much better. We thought it would be best for him if we taught the 3rd lesson and then come back to the second.  As we taught we emphasized baptism and it went really well. He wants to follow Christ but he doesn’t know which church is true. We asked him a question at the end of the lesson, it truly was an inspired question because if you can believe, we cannot remember what the question was!!  I mean we really cannot remember what we asked him, but we just remember his response.  After we asked IT we just waited and waited, in silence.  I say anything and I hoped my comp wouldn’t’ either so to give him time to think about this question.  He finally answered, “I need to ask God if this is the church for me.”   I thought to myself – I’ll take that!!  We left him with a scripture for homework and to ask God.  I’m really excited to teach him but the bad part is he is only available on weekends now.  That totally stinks!  As a companionship we agreed that we have to make the few lessons we have with him good!

Allijandro - things are going good with him we just have to GET HIM TO CHURCH.  No wonder the apostles are hitting it hard when it comes to keeping the Sabbath day holy.  I’ve seen it draw families at home and here away from making and keeping covenants.  Anyway, I was a little afraid to teach Allijandro the word of wisdom because he has problems, but we briefly touched base on it while teaching the 10 commandments.  He said that he has a problem and he wants to change – PERFECT!  It just goes to show how God can change someone’s heart.  

It’s starting to cool down – YEAH!!.  Not sure if its going to last but I’m welcoming it!  I hope everything is going good. I love you guys, kiss the puppies for me and take extra good care of my Theo!!  I’ll talk to you soon!