Companion Guidance

Hey,

Sounds like a way interesting week this week. Bishop Nokelby will definitely be missed. Thats nice that you got to spend some time at Temple Square, with Bart and Nan, and in Las Vegas. My companion from the offices lives in Las Vegas and just got home in December, that would have been way cool if you could have met him. Haha but thats cool that you got to meet Elder Miller's mom! (the one from Idaho). He finished his mission training a new missionary, and that missionary is in my zone now! Small world.

This week was pretty good. We're trying to find things we can do to work more effectively. The mission is putting a big emphasis on working with less active members that have the priesthood (males) or have gone to the temple (females). We were way excited to start focusing on that, but we finally got the list of people that fit those requirements in our ward, and basically 99% of them in our ward live on the sister's side....So looks like we might have to find a different way to work with the ward.

But we did have some way cool experiences this week. We had a talk with our friends Agustin and Facundo about the word of wisdom, and they both accepted to live it! So we're way excited to get to help them with that. We also had a meeting with an Area 70 this week. One thing he said was a comment about using the Book of Mormon to find new investigators. He didn't actually talk about that topic, it was just a comment he made, but the day after, I found myself knocking at a door, and that comment popped into my head, so I decided to try it. A lady answered the door and I told her about how we were sharing a free book that talked about Heavenly Father's communication with the ancient americas, about Jesus Christ, and about the importance of the family. I asked if we could bring her a copy of that book sometime. She asked if we had a copy with us, because she didn't want to wait for us to come back to be able to start reading it! We have plans to go by and visit her tonight, so hopefully everything works out well. Also today, I get to write a "report" for the Historian of the mission. I guess he's supposed to do a year-end report of things that happened in the mission in 2014, and he wants me to write a summary about what it was like to be there in Rodeo del Medio when they dedicated the new chapel there last year, and how it impacted the ward and the work there. So I'm pretty excited to write that (haha...we'll see how my "report-writing" skills are in spanish)

So, verse of the week is something Elder Gonzalez shared with us (the Area 70). D&C 6:18-19. He shared that with us and talked about how it was guidance to the one of the first "companionships" in the restored church, Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith, and how it has good advice for both missionary companionships and "marriage companionships". I liked it. It talks about helping each other to get better, and also using a lot of christlike attributes. Things we could all improve on.

Well, thanks for everything! I hope you all have another great week! Don't go on too many vacations without me!!

Elder Webster

Silly Laman and Lemuel

Hey!

Sounds like everyone is doing way well! Sorry, I don't have a ton of time, so I'll try to make this quick.

This week was pretty good. We didn't get to work in Dorrego very much because of some things that happened with transfers, but I'm with my new companion, Elder Cook, fresh from Ogden, Utah. Haha looks like I might never get a native comp. I could end up setting mission history if I keep this up :)

 Anyway, the people we've been teaching are doing pretty well. Agustin came to church again! And we also got have a lesson with his older brother. He's way cool too. They have a way fun family.

We also got to have a lesson with Yamila D. She finally got back in town. We had a really great lesson with her about the first half of the plan of salvation, which we did at the bishops house, and tonight we have another appointment, so that should be great!

Verse of the week is 1 Nephi 17:21. I read it and it kind of made me think of the mission and the kind of attitude that you SHOULDN'T have. Haha...silly Laman and Lemuel.

Sorry, I have like no time, but I'm doing great and I hope you all have a great week!

Elder Webster

Transfer Calls

Hey!

Happy Monday everyone! Haha I can't believe you guys got a new dog...but at least its a cute dog, so I guess its ok.

We got transfer calls yesterday! Well, actually, my friends in the office called me a day early to tell me what was happening with transfers...so I feel a little bad that I knew about transfers before I was supposed to, but to be fair, I didn't ask them what was going on...they called me. Anyway, Elder Olsen is leaving to go train someone. He'll be staying in the same zone as we're in right now, which is basically unheard of here, but its pretty cool. He's going to one of the few areas with bikes in the mission. I'm staying here in Dorrego B. I'm not sure who my companion is yet. I'll be finding out on Thursday when we have transfer day. Should be exciting!

This week was pretty good. It was nothing at all like what we had planned, but things turned out pretty good overall. The way our ward is divided (we share the ward with sister missionaries), we don't really have a lot of members that we can visit to work with. So we've kind of been in pure "finding mode" all transfer, since essentially nothing was going on in this area when I got here, and we're still really trying to get things going. There's definitely been progress, but when we dedicate so much time trying to find new people, its a little upsetting if we don't find anyone. But Agustin is still doing great! Turns out his parents got baptized when he was a little kid and he never knew until this past week! He told them that if they can see a change in his life because of him coming to church, then they have to come back to church with him, and they agreed. He was way emotional during our lesson this week when he talked about the changes he's planning on so that his whole family will come to church someday! He's such a great example! Great kid. Haha and did I ever tell you about Margarita? She lives across the street from the church and basically invited herself to church a few weeks ago. We've met with her a couple times. Turns out the house she lives in is a home for older people that have mental conditions...which explains a lot... Anyway, her ability to progress with the lessons is questionable. But her friend that lives in the same house came to church with her this past week and turns out she's a member! She seemed a lot more...capable. Anyway, I taught the gospel principles class and invited everyone to think of something that they could do this week to show Heavenly Father that they would use their agency the way He wants us to, and Margarita's friend told us that she's going to invite everyone from that house they live in to come. Haha we're really hoping to see like 12 people from the special needs home at church next week. We've met a few and they all seem way awesome. haha so we'll see what happens.

So verse of the week comes from Abraham 1:2. It caught my attention and made me think about what it means to endure to the end. A lot of times, the word "endure" means that something can last a long time without changing or getting worse...but that isn't what we mean when we say that we want to "endure to the end". Enduring to the end as disciples of Jesus Christ implies a never ending path of progression. I liked the way it was described in this verse, when Abraham states that, although he was already in the path, he wanted to progress, and attain greater knowledge, and become a more faithful disciple. From what I can tell, that attitude worked out pretty well for him!

Anyway, hope you all have a great week! Sorry for how long this letter is....

Elder Webster

Yamila's

Hey again!

Sounds like a pretty crazy week back home! I can't believe Jaxon talked you guys into getting another dog. But I guess it makes sense, since you replaced me with a dog when I went to BYU, and now you're replacing Jordan with a dog, now that he's been gone for a little bit :) Haha but I'm glad that you're all doing well!

This week was pretty good. I went on 2 exchanges this week, and the way the timing worked out and with appointments falling through, I didn't get to teach any of our investigators this week, so that was kind of weird. But the exchanges went well and I learned a lot. So that was good. Yamila D and Yamila Q seem like they are both doing well, but all of our appointments with them fell through this past week, so we have plans to pass by both of them today to hopefully get to meet with them. Agustin came to church yesterday again! We called him on saturday night to ask if he'd be at church and he told us that he would be, and told us that he had decided that he wants to get baptized! He came to church and told everyone in our class about his decision, and we set a baptismal date with him as we waited for sacrament meeting to start (we have it during the last hour of church). So he has a date for February 14th. Haha he was pretty excited when we told him he could get baptized on Valentines Day. Hopefully it all works out well. Yamila D also has a baptismal date, but it'll have to get postponed for a bit. But all in all, Elder Olsen and I are very excited for the work in this area for next transfer. Its crazy to think that like 5 weeks ago when I first got here, we had basically nothing. Its been way cool to see the work progress so much here. But we have transfers next week, so we'll see what happens.

So, verse of the week comes from something that a member that I met during exchanges talked about during our visit. 1 Nephi 16:18-23. Nephi's bow was essentially his means for providing for his family, and the member related that to how his truck was how he provided for his family, and that his truck had broken down recently. He then started listing off 6 or 7 blessings he had received that related to him fixing his truck. I have never met someone so happy about getting free screws or getting random discounts on things. It was really a great lesson to me about doing our best, leaving the rest to the Lord, giving thanks for whatever might happen, and always being humble and grateful enough to recognize the things that we are blessed with.

Well, I hope you all are doing great! I hope you have an awesome week!

Elder Webster