So! Feliciano!
Totally farmland. Sheep, grass, trees, dirt roads, beautiful rain and thunder storms, and really a beautiful place when it’s overcast….when it’s not….it’s HOT. Real dressed up Gauchos are very often to meet! Most of the houses don’t have house numbers. “Go down that way and once you hit the shoe-shop, take a right and the house is between calle this and calle that in front of the kioskito. There you’ll find that family.” It’s an adventure getting around. Well actually an adventure with a lot of things here!
Our little chapel is a house. We don’t live there though. 16 people attended church yesterday. Wohooo, small. Basically, 2 families showed up. One family is the “Abuela” (who everybody refers to her by, which means Grandma) and Matías, who has 17 years, they are both pictured below. They are basically the one very strong family (of 2) that are STRONG in testimony and truth. Matías and Abuela have been the only ones helping us out with anything. We weren’t received well, by the other (12) members who attended church. They were quite cold. Luckily there is an elderly married missionary that attends our branch but they live out of the mission! But my companion who is the Branch President and I led a good first sunday church meeting. My companion has been pretty nervous with all the new responsibility but he is getting by well so far. My companion is awesome by the way! We get along SUPER well. An amazing blessing. I´m doing all I can to do all I can. I taught the young men class of 2 and it went well. I´m basically the “secretary” of the branch…it’s weird handling the tithing and fast offerings (putting records in the computer and what not). My eyes are REALLY being opened to how a ward or branch runs just like Dad recently said to me that they would.
Only the true church of God can put 2 young men, strangers of the country, 20 years of age, in positions to lead a group of members in worship services without any prior experience or training, and have it run successful anyhow. No other church can do it! Because this is God´s church.
My companion, Elder Lopez is from Utah. His parents were born and raised in Guatemala but moved to the States in their younger years. Elder Lopez is as yankee (shankee as they call us here) as you can be. We’re doing it together!
Our goal here is to bring ENERGY to this place because there is a lack of it. And it is our prayer that we can do so! (We have to travel 2 hours by bus to make it to the nearest district meeting…wow!)
Many adventures and stories to come. Onward and upward! Love you all!
Elder Orme of Gaucholand
I’ll explain the last bits of pics below from my last area Baigorria.
1 Elder Bluth! A stud of a man and a bud of mine. He’s new and has spanish just like I had when I started.
2 Agenor is this real Lamanite descendant’s name. He’s a returned missionary.
3 And here we have the Martinez family!! Finally eh? This is the woman that was set for baptism yesterday (I haven’t heard back from anyone yet on how it went). Cristina Martinez! From stone cold heart against the church to lovable, ball-of-joy, spiritual and totally ready to live the commandments. Ramón Martinez who was a member, went inactive, now is active with his wife, and has stopped drinking and smoking. (2 of their daughters are in the pic too.) My last lesson with Cristina was tender.
4 Here is Cristian and Antonella!
5 And here are the 2 Peyrano brothers we helped reactivate. They were super bummed to have me go.
Elder Creed Orme 