More investigators at Church, I love these people

We had 5 investigators come to church!

María Rosa and Ariel came again!!!!!!!!  She came earlier this time because she got over her nerves from the last time.  She was a lot more comfortable this time. We gave Ariel the gift of a white long-sleeve shirt which we found stuffed away in our apartment, we washed it first!  They are progressing…….. :D

Omar and María came!  We have been meeting with them for about 3 weeks now.  They are awesome.  Omar is a super prepared man. Super nice, super honest.  An example!  While they are not yet married they have a family of 3 sons.  We came to know Omar and María because one of the sons listened to the missionaries a little bit in the house of his girlfriend.  We passed by his parent’s home (Omar and María) and they invited us in and have been taking the lessons from us ever since!  They weren’t looking for anything in the beginning, solely inviting in these young chaps for a chat. But in the process of the visits, they have grown to understand that what we share is possibly something they want and indeed something they actually have been looking for.  They have explained to us that they have been confused with all the other religions that they have listened to.  They aren’t practicing any religion (they were born Catholic, baptized 2 of their sons as catholic, but not the 3rd because they didn’t understand the need to do so.  The son with the girlfriend are attending an Evangelic Church.)   And now they came to church and on time!

Keep in mind, that Omar and María, and María Rosa and Ariel, really haven’t ever had a connection with the church before, simply prepared people that the Lord lead us to find!

Norma also came to church.  She’s a new goldey.  She has had visits with the missionaries, but stopped receiving them.  A member told us that she wanted the visits again, so we met with her and she really wants to change her life now.  Is filled with the Spirit and very excited.  She came to church, and the whole time had a wonderful smile and brightness about her.  She even has already started paying tithing.  Today we met with her again and with her grandson Fernando of 21 years old who at the moment is under house arrest, but is sincerely very interested in what we share as well and hoping that it will help him change his life for the better.

Whoaw whoaw whoaw, I’ve got to talk about Cesár! 17 years old.  He and his sister Antónia of 23 years, live close to us, and we have seen them some times before, just snippets, going in or out of the house.  We felt the need to introduce ourselves to them as we were passing one day last week.  We knock on the door, we get to know Antónia, we leave her to read “The Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” pamphlet, and set up an appointment for the next day.  At the visit the next day, Antónia hadn’t read the pamphlet, but Cesár, read it all on his own, and looked up the movie “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration” (of 1 hour long) and watched the whole thing, and was very interested in learning more from us.  He really likes the Book of Mormon, and has read from the beginning to Chapter 20 as of Saturday night!  He’s not going to school at the moment and doesn’t work, and therefore has a lot of time to focus specifically on the message.  He almost came to church!

Some stories of the good things here in Francia.

Love you all! Keep the Faith.

Elder Orme

PS  Vicente has been doing better with the shoulder, he has found a job that takes him away during the week, but is home weekends.  Hopefully now with the job and less stress in finding one, he can focus on the Gospel message.

The Lord of Lords

God is a God of miracles.  To get you pumped up for the Easter season, watch “Because of Him” on YouTube or mormonchannel.org and SHARE it.

Marìa Rosa (32 years old) and Ariel (10 year old son) came to church!!!!! HALLELUJAH

She wanted a phone call in the morning at 7:30 to wake her up.  We did so.  We agreed to meet her at an intersection and walk the rest of the way to church.  We go there and wait. At 9:00 when church started, We call, she says they are almost ready and will go directly to the church on their own.  Bueno, we go.  We wait…no show for an hour…Nooooo Marìa Rosa!  The missionary phrase “Just come to church!” from “The District 2” missionary videos is rolling through our heads and is being verbally expressed among my companion and I.  Luckily, sacrament meeting is held at the last hour. (Why don’t we always do it that way? I like it.)  Hopefully she comes during the second hour we pray.  In sacrament meeting the last hour, my companion is passing the sacrament and I’m meditating during the sacrament and praying for all our investigators.  Some discouragement surges, not a new feeling, but it helps when you can say to yourself, “I did all I could, I did all I could.”  The passing of the sacrament ends and my companion sits next to me, nudges me and says, “she came.”  “Who?!”, already having let go of the anticipation for an investigator to come.  I whip around and see Marìa Rosa listening intently ahead, Ariel waving to us with a smile.  Hallelujah!  “Who is she sitting next to?” I think. “Villalba (a great family), okay good.”  At the end of the sacrament meeting, members throng her, begin to introduce themselves to her.  She feels pretty embarrassed but she does well.  María Rosa has a baptismal date for the 11 of April.  She’s progressing pretty well.  She and Ariel are a true find!

In our last visit with María Rosa, we were prepared to teach her more about what commitments we make once we are baptized, because she had this question.  We were going to teach some of the commandments.  We are hanging out with Ariel and in the kitchen María Rosa is fixing up some “rosquitas” (homemade doughnut balls), and Hot Chocolate.  She comes and serves us the rosquitas, Good and tasty. She serves the drinks and goes back to the kitchen.  My companion brings the cup up to his lips and halts and nudges me. “what?” I say. He head motions to the cups. I smell the hot-chocolate-looking drink…COFFEE.  At first my companion and I give wide-eyed looks at each other, Ariel says, “what?”.  But then we naturally agreed that this was the perfect moment to teach the “Word of Wisdom”.  She really liked the lesson!

Vicente and Rosanna are still going.  Vicente has just been having a lot of stress with house debts and getting work (they came from Paraguay and live in a humble but clean abode), so it’s difficult for him to focus on anything else.  In our visit, yesterday, we find him with a weird muscle injury in his shoulder, back and neck, couldn’t sleep last night due to the pain, and sits in a straight, not-moving anything position, and doesn’t stand up either.  They wanted to wait it out for a moment to see if the pain would slip away without the trouble of going to a hospital and them telling him that he needs to wait it out patiently. I tell him that I’ve got some remedies in the pension that we can run and get!  We bring him the Doterra Esencial Oils I have haha!!!  I give him one that’s used specifically for muscle injuries and lavender for stress relief.  We agree to come back in 2 hours to give him a blessing with a stud-member around the corner, not only because he has to get back to work on Wednesday (luckily it was holiday yesterday and today), but so he can have another spiritual experience by being part of a Priesthood blessing.  We go to a members house to have a Family Home Evening, strengthening them. We go back to Vicente after and he is already standing up!  With faith, doterra, and to show respect towards us, he toughed it out to stand up.  Rosanna already rubbed the doterra on him and it really relaxed or numbed the injury area.  The member gives a great blessing of health.  We ended the day with glad hearts.

I’ve almost finished reading Acts from the Bible for the first time.  My testimony has grown through it.  Bonding with the stories of Paul, Peter and others in that we share testimonies of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The one and only true God.  And He promises, His children, if we are faithful to his gospel and commandments, we gain all that he has.  Peace in this life and a fulness of joy in the life to come.  It’s the best promise, and He fulfills!

Love you all.

Elder Orme IV

Balde

This week I helped make ñioquis for a lunch.  Always reminds me of you mom!

This week was fantastic!  We definitely saw the fruits of our labors.  This weeks assistance in the ward was 54.  There was a bucket-load of less-actives that showed including one of our investigators. Almost all less-actives were people we had visited during the week.

One of these less-actives:  Matias and Marina Ariza. About 40s. European descent. We finally found him in the home with all his family Saturday night.  They have six great kids!  Ages 14 down to 2. They have a lot of responsibilities.  Of course as working parents of 6, they are looking for a new home, always thinking about what the kids will eat for the day, a ton on their minds.  They told us something key which is they never feel they have the time to actually enjoy life with their family.  Matias hasn´t been to one church meeting in 12 years. 12 years.  The wife Marina, in 1 year. We felt the Spirit say…”Consider the lilies” talk!!!!  So we shared those scriptures.  “Isn´t life more than the food, and the body more than the clothes.”  Isn´t life more than just searching or worrying about the things of living all the time!? Yes it is.  “First search the kingdom of God and these things will be added unto you.”  A great lesson, we and they felt the fire!  Will you come to church tomorrow.  “We will see.”  After probing that´s still what we ended up with.  We said, “We will pass by in the morning anyway to walk to church with anyone who would.” “Okay but if no one answers…we are non-existent.”  So we  came by Sunday morning, with not too much hope.  After a moment of “dang…” the 14-year old daughter with glasses just walks out all in perfect sunday dress and scriptures in hand.  “Hola!!!! Anyone else coming?” “No.”

All these pics were of one morning when we helped a member build his house.  It´s in the poorer area.  Feels so good to give service!  Funny dogs.  Kids playing games.  Then after they just happened to have a fish asado so we hopped on in!  They just slapped the toasted fish on the table and everybody just dug in.  We shared 3 drinking cups between the whole of us.  Super hard core Argentine i would say! It was tasty too!  A very worthy experience.

 

 

What a stud of a girl!!!! All alone, totally ready.  She´s intelligent. We walked with her to church.  Not too many people were there at the beginning. More people for 2nd hour. and boom! more for 3rd our fast and testimony meeting.  I was up in the front ready to pass the sacrament.  I reach the back and hand the tray to a man and am blown AWAY that it is Matias with 3 of his other kids!  As I continue to pass, investigator José Luis with his wife, child, and nephew walk in!  Big smiles everywhere.

Matias goes up to share something for the meeting!!  And explains basically what I´ve told and how he was thinking about it last night, and now wishes to start living the Gospel again.  After the testimonies, a baby blessing is given to the baby of José Luis.

I hope with all the inerds of my body and spirit that these people continue to progress spiritually.  This week even before church, I´ve been an even happier and content missionary.  I feel the promptings of the Spirit much clearer.  I´m learning a lot from Elder Poulton and from the Spirit of God.

After church, one faithful member said to us, and she´s intelligent so she´s got credit, “Elders.  Once in a while a ward is revolutionized by the missionaries it has.  You two are those revolutionizing elders.”   WOOOOOOW BEST COMPLIMENT IN THE WORLD.  I was completely flattered. I hope we really can keep the Spirit to abide with us and continue to bless the ward.

Richer side of the area which is closest to the river Paraná.

Entrance to the training campus of the soccer team Rosario Central, Ive got a matching tie

This sign says that all other clothing from a different team is prohibited! You´d probably get shot if you break it.

 

Word of the day is Balde. It means bucket. Why? Because we used buckets of warm water to shower ourselves for 2 days! I’m totally willing to have the experience!

We have moved from the pension (apartment) of 2 other elders now to our actual area of Baigorria! We now won’t lose time with the trek from area to area. But a lot of time this week was used with fixing all the problems our new pension has had. It´s pretty small but new, and does the job. A missionary doesn´t need a mansion! But the toilet was always filling with hot water and the shower only had cold water. So we bathed 2 days with buckets until the handymen came to fix things. Just some of the many problems with the pension but I won´t bore you with the rest. The good thing is now we are basically settled in and have a great shower! Not a hanging, heating bucket of water like my last area but a shower…a little gift from the Lord. That´s all we need! So now we can focus more on the work!

Elder Poulton and the food he makes me. Delicious! He´s a fantastic teacher by the way. Always seems to ask the right questions. I´m blessed to learn from him.
    

Fernanda: We have a very good investigator named Fernanda Formaggio. Fernanda lives with a member who has recently shown great focus on returning back to the church. Her “mate” and member, Ariel, used to be a bishop but then fell away. Very sad to hear things like that. But he´s a boss and REALLY is showing a genuine heart of repentance help Fernanda and their 2 little girls enjoy the blessings of the gospel. We had a great lesson with her this week on praying to receive a personal witness of the prophet Joseph Smith. They´ve come all together as a family to church recentely 3 times. They warned us ahead of time that they couldn’t come to church this week. So they are off the hook but just this once! :)

And some hombres working on our pension.

José Luis: We had 2 lessons with our investigator José Luis. Great lessons about the gospel in general and receiving a personal witness as well. He’s together with a less-active woman and they have one small daughter. During the last lesson the toddler stuck a piece of wrapper in her mouth and choked on it for a while until she finally puked it up! A little entertainment break…she’s fine! But they said they would come to church the night before but then didn´t show. We called them but didn´t answer. They sent us a text later telling us that some things happened. Some things will ALWAYS happen! Just come to church! This is the dilemma, right RMs!

I love you all! Read the scriptures everyday! Invite others to do the same! I love you!

-Elder Orme