August 3, 2015

Thanks Dad.  I’m doing my best to fulfill my calling worthily!  It is a blessing to be here in La Paz.  I plan on giving it my all, leaving everything!

It’s a fun zone, everything really close together.  we have a pair of sister missionaries in our branch, and another branch that meets in our building with 2 other pairs of missionaries.  so we have 2 elder companionships, and 2 sister companionships.  We all see each other a lot. Very different from my other areas where it was only 1 a week when we saw other companionships. Today we organized soccer to play at the church with the youth.

During last week when I arrived to La Paz, I met and we taught investigators Mario and Tamara. Yesterday, this young couple of ours came to church!  Mario (22 years old) and Tamara (19 years old) and their little boy Gerónimo (2 years old).  It was an achievement because Mario had started listening to the missionaries 3 years ago, but had never gone to church.  They came, and so far they have planned to come again next week!  Let’s pray they obtain a deep testimony and a deeper yearning to continue on their spiritual journey.

Last night we had a Family Home Evening here at the church.  A good get together. Tonight we have another family home evening planned with a less-active family.  The theme will be Family Unity, using paper cut out links, each with every family member’s name on each, linking all together to make a great family chain.  And how every member of the family unifies and makes the family stronger.

Our family is SUPER unified and amazing.  I know it’s only through the restored Gospel and how each us individually lives it.

3 mission presidents it is, for once I one-upped Dad in something! :D

Love you a ton,

Elder Orme

Hole digging and met the President

Below you see us walking in the morning to go meet the President.  It was great meeting them!  We had a very formal meeting.  We all individually presented ourselves, then the President and his wife spoke.  President Perez seems to be a simple and great man. He is a convert at the age of 20.  He had hair down to his waist (I want to see a picture of that).  He met his wife in institute, who is also a convert, at the age of 15.  They have 3 kids in total, all married and faithful in the church. The President’s job has been social work.  I didn’t take a picture with them yet!  But I did take a picture of the new mission offices set up in the Santa Fe stake center.

The night before we went to meet the President and Sister Perez we performed service by digging a huge hole!  Probably the best service I’ve ever done.  It reminded me of my big brothers when they were kids and dug a huge hole for the fun of it.  After the service we were treated to some hot chocolate and the daughter of the family played and sang North American music.  We took a picture with the family  It’s a pity we don’t have them in our branch here in Galvez!

We also had another Family Home Evening as a branch this week.  It went well because an investigator with her family showed up.  The old lady in front that you see is Electra.  She is a member, a very sweet woman.  She loves to learn english, loves visits, and used to be a professor, loves to learn from the Book of Mormon.  When we visit her it’s always a joy.  The lady behind Electra is Sister Mariel, she is the most faithful member of the branch.  A part from us missionaries, the branch president, his wife, and the counselor, Mariel is what keeps Galvez going.  She serves us lunch every week, the only member of her family, has a deep testimony and is amazing.  Blessings for Mariel!  We love her.  And behind is the investigator (at the back left in purple and glasses eating) and her family.  She reads the Book of Mormon and has come to church a couple of times, but she’s holding off baptism for now.

And the other pic is of us cooking lunch.  In this lunch we have milanesas (meat covered in flour, oregano, and grained bread…fried), and papas fritas (french fries).  “A nutritious choice for your every day meal.”

Today, a couple sent us a text message deciding not to receive us anymore.  We are trying hard to find new and more investigators!  “Aaaaall part of the shoooooow!” :D

Love you all! Have a great week!

Elder Orme

Mission Split

Hey there fam and friends!

This last week on Wednesday, the mission split.  The Great Santa Fe Mission has begun!  President Perez and his wife arrived wednesday.  In a couple days we will have a “get-to-know the President” meeting.  I’m excited to meet the man called of God to start out the new mission.  Their “home ward” is in my district.  We heard a rumor that they were coming to Galvez, our place, but they haven’t stopped by yet!  We made sure to clean the apartment, I need to get a haircut too so that we can be ready for a visit.  They are both from Chile.  Argentina isn’t all too happy with the Chileans right now (or ever!) because Chile just beat them in the American Cup.

Did I show you a view from our apartment yet?  Here’s a cool shot and then the rest of the apartment.

 

This last week we started the tradition of a Family Home Evening for every week in our branch.  We think this is a great plan to get the branch (with the tiny amount of members it has) to bond and be strengthened and to have fun!  We had success last week with the first one, one crazy little boy did knock over a bowl full of cereal snacks which was pretty hilarious, the cats were happy to eat them, and a family that hasn’t attended church for a while came as well, so all in all, a good first!

Then there was a gorgeous ball of a baby I needed to take a picture of while we were doing service for a family, helping them set the foundation for a room they are attaching to the house.

Love,

Elder Orme

there is this awesome set of kids in our branch. They are super fun to teach!  The Acevedo family.  We are specifically working on the young girl for baptism, Milagros, she is 15, and progressing.  2 of the other over 8 years old kids and the father are already baptized.  this is the same family that fed us the otter!  The parrot of course is entertaining.