Dear Family,
...Oh no! I´ve been naughty and opened up my Christmas package ahead of time! A lump of coal for me! :-o I assumed it was a pre-Christmas package because I thought the Christmas lights were to decorate for December. Ah well! I was told recently that the package from Becca arrived, so... that will be my open-on-Christmas box! (Reminds me of the time Mom caught Jacob and I under the bed in the very act of opening up my Christmas present - a brown Bionicle! Remember that, Mom?)
(It's hard to send any 'surprises,' as we have to declare all the contents of the box on the customs form. Thus the confusion ...)
But I did indeed feel your love as I opened it, and I send you my love and thanks in return. :-) And I love the music! All the music you sent is fantastic - and Elder Wing and I are enjoying it. I am particularly liking the Fernando Ortega CDs. There´s a great feel of honest worship to his songs - it´s not fake or over-the-top. The Hallelujah Chorus (Handel's Messiah) is a big hit here as well. Also a big hit is the fudge and the other snacks, which Elder Wing and I have been treating ourselves to the whole week long. I also finally opened up one of those peanut butter packs yesterday. Mmmmm! I was missing it.
Well, we had an awesome week this week. I´m happier than I´ve ever been on my mission! I feel more capable than ever, and like I´m doing more to help people than ever before. I love to see the change in the lives of the people that we´re teaching. They´re really beginning to get a small taste of what God has in store for them if they continue in the Gospel. And that makes me happy. I used to wish to find people who were all ready to be baptized, and just needed to be taught. But now my desire is to find people whose lives I can help change. The Gospel is a marvelous thing that really makes happy those who follow it.
One of our investigators is doing great. She is developing the habit of reading the Book of Mormon with her kids. She told us that she´s found that when the kids are sad or bored or misbehaving, that she can say ´Let´s go grab the scriptures and read together!´ and all the kids come surround her on the bed and she reads to them out of the Book of Mormon. (The real Book of Mormon, which it turns out they like better than the picture book.) Hurrah! Please, if you would remember her in your prayers, pray that she may withstand the opposition that she´s experiencing and have the courage to do the right thing.
This past week we went to do some service for some investigators -- painting the outside of the building where they work. It turned out that the paint was really thin and hard to apply. I think I ended up painting more of myself than I did the wall. We´re going back to finish painting this Wednesday.
Another investigator is really educated about the Bible! He started telling us about the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, and about callings that should exist in the church, and other things similar to that. I think the more he finds out that the Restored Church fits with what he reads in the Bible, the more he is convinced that it really is the same true church. (Although he was a little surprised to find out that we were Anciants - or, Elders - in the church.) But we don´t think he´s praying to ask God whether these things are true yet, which is vital. He needs to have that spiritual conviction.
We found some fantastic new investigators this week -- a (married!!) couple from Paraguay. They moved here to Argentina a few months back and are building a house to live in. Their 3 kids are in Paraguay still, and it´s hard for the parents to be here without them. When they finish the house, the kids will move here with them. They grew up in another congregation, but as adults they became disillusioned with it. Now they are going around to various churches, looking for a good church to raise their children in. We told them we can give them even better - the true church of Jesus Christ. They are going to start reading in the Book of Mormon, praying, and attending church to know whether it really is.
Another investigator is a woman from Perú. Her sister and cousin were baptized in Perú years back. She was introduced to the church, but never got very far along the conversion process because of how much she had to work. Now she is looking for some way to bring more unity and happiness to her family. We told her we can help her with that!
The Gospel is just great. It makes people happy. We are so lucky (blessed) to be members of the church.
I´m learning a few phrases in Guaraní! That´s kind of fun. ´Yah yo toe pahtah´ (say it like it reads) means ´See you later!´ If you want to gain a Paraguayan´s confidence/interest, speak Guaraní to them.
Elder Decker and Elder Sampson baptized a family of 3 on Saturday. That was nice to see!
A Family Home Evening with some investigators went great. We played the guitar and sang ´Noche de Luz´ and we felt the Spirit. And, we had panchos, which are like hot dogs but twice as long.
I will call home probably about 4:40 Argentine time, which would be 12:40 your time. Sorry, that´s right around lunchtime, I know! We´re allowed 40 minutes to talk, so we´ll have enough time for a good chat.
I love you so much! Take care, have a great week... pet the kitty for me. Merry Christmas. :-)
Love,
Elder Andrew Stockton
But I did indeed feel your love as I opened it, and I send you my love and thanks in return. :-) And I love the music! All the music you sent is fantastic - and Elder Wing and I are enjoying it. I am particularly liking the Fernando Ortega CDs. There´s a great feel of honest worship to his songs - it´s not fake or over-the-top. The Hallelujah Chorus (Handel's Messiah) is a big hit here as well. Also a big hit is the fudge and the other snacks, which Elder Wing and I have been treating ourselves to the whole week long. I also finally opened up one of those peanut butter packs yesterday. Mmmmm! I was missing it.
Well, we had an awesome week this week. I´m happier than I´ve ever been on my mission! I feel more capable than ever, and like I´m doing more to help people than ever before. I love to see the change in the lives of the people that we´re teaching. They´re really beginning to get a small taste of what God has in store for them if they continue in the Gospel. And that makes me happy. I used to wish to find people who were all ready to be baptized, and just needed to be taught. But now my desire is to find people whose lives I can help change. The Gospel is a marvelous thing that really makes happy those who follow it.
One of our investigators is doing great. She is developing the habit of reading the Book of Mormon with her kids. She told us that she´s found that when the kids are sad or bored or misbehaving, that she can say ´Let´s go grab the scriptures and read together!´ and all the kids come surround her on the bed and she reads to them out of the Book of Mormon. (The real Book of Mormon, which it turns out they like better than the picture book.) Hurrah! Please, if you would remember her in your prayers, pray that she may withstand the opposition that she´s experiencing and have the courage to do the right thing.
This past week we went to do some service for some investigators -- painting the outside of the building where they work. It turned out that the paint was really thin and hard to apply. I think I ended up painting more of myself than I did the wall. We´re going back to finish painting this Wednesday.
Another investigator is really educated about the Bible! He started telling us about the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods, and about callings that should exist in the church, and other things similar to that. I think the more he finds out that the Restored Church fits with what he reads in the Bible, the more he is convinced that it really is the same true church. (Although he was a little surprised to find out that we were Anciants - or, Elders - in the church.) But we don´t think he´s praying to ask God whether these things are true yet, which is vital. He needs to have that spiritual conviction.
We found some fantastic new investigators this week -- a (married!!) couple from Paraguay. They moved here to Argentina a few months back and are building a house to live in. Their 3 kids are in Paraguay still, and it´s hard for the parents to be here without them. When they finish the house, the kids will move here with them. They grew up in another congregation, but as adults they became disillusioned with it. Now they are going around to various churches, looking for a good church to raise their children in. We told them we can give them even better - the true church of Jesus Christ. They are going to start reading in the Book of Mormon, praying, and attending church to know whether it really is.
Another investigator is a woman from Perú. Her sister and cousin were baptized in Perú years back. She was introduced to the church, but never got very far along the conversion process because of how much she had to work. Now she is looking for some way to bring more unity and happiness to her family. We told her we can help her with that!
The Gospel is just great. It makes people happy. We are so lucky (blessed) to be members of the church.
I´m learning a few phrases in Guaraní! That´s kind of fun. ´Yah yo toe pahtah´ (say it like it reads) means ´See you later!´ If you want to gain a Paraguayan´s confidence/interest, speak Guaraní to them.
Elder Decker and Elder Sampson baptized a family of 3 on Saturday. That was nice to see!
A Family Home Evening with some investigators went great. We played the guitar and sang ´Noche de Luz´ and we felt the Spirit. And, we had panchos, which are like hot dogs but twice as long.
I will call home probably about 4:40 Argentine time, which would be 12:40 your time. Sorry, that´s right around lunchtime, I know! We´re allowed 40 minutes to talk, so we´ll have enough time for a good chat.
I love you so much! Take care, have a great week... pet the kitty for me. Merry Christmas. :-)
Love,
Elder Andrew Stockton
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