Vucetich Livin´

Hello, Hi, Aloha!

So this week has been so CRAZY! Haha. Thank you all for the love and support every week. It means the world! This week was so awesome. The beginning of the week was wild. The best I could describe it as is culture shock. haha. Everything is different out here. And on top of that, fulfilling all the Zone Leader responsibilities was just sweet! Haha. So here is a little bit about my new area.

It's called Vucetich 1. It's a lot of open space. I forgot that people actually can own their very own yard. Haha. In the city, nobody has one. Apart from that, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing dirt roads and ducks and everything again. Haha. I am actually working with a branch, not a ward now. But it's growing and has some great members! A big difference here is that we take the bus a ton! Haha. In the villa before, I could walk from one alleyway to the next to get from one cita to the next. Now we have to take a bus for 10 minutes to get from one to another. Way different. And not only that, we live 20 minutes away from our area on the bus. Haha. So that is another fun addition. But there is SOOO much potential, it is not even funny.

My companion is a stud. He is from Lima, Peru and has now completed 20 months. I have a gut feeling that I will be with him till the ËND! haha. He is a really good Elder. I think we even each other out really well. I think he is the first latin Elder I have ever met that knows who the Muppets are and sings the songs (mas o menos) with me. haha! It was a wild transition from zone to zone. This zone has focused a lot in having ¨Real Numbers¨. Having quality lessons and stuff. But with a new transfer, I felt impressed that working with the Wards and Branches and Stake is CRUCIAL! So we have asked the zone to brush up on the Work of Salvation and I really feel like this zone will take off! I´m excited. :)

It was SOOOO hard to say goodbye to the Patiño Family last week. I was just bawling all over the place. Well...we were all crying! haha! The spirit is so strong with that family. I knew the Lord prepared me to help them and am so grateful for the trust He gave me. Anywho, they are the BEST! I know there are more family Patiños here in Vucetich!

This week we are hoping to have a miracle baptism that we found just 2 days ago. Already has church assistance and her whole family are members. So sick. Pray for Allison! The mission is the best!

¨The First and great commandment on earth is for us to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength, because surely the first and great promise in heaven is that he will ALWAYS love us that way¨ -Jeffrey R. Holland

¨Un CAPO mi Salvador, eh?¨ -E l d e r  E s p i n o z a
(My Savior is such a stud!)

Loves!!

The chapel in Parque Patricios

Visited River Plate Stadium!

Family Patiño!!!
THE BEST!  My second Family.  :)

Me and Espinoza.
FIRST ENCOUNTER!

Me And Elder Gines down on the field of River. :)
Seriously my best friend!

New Area!

Hey, so I gotta write this super fast. Probably the shortest email ever.

But I got transferred! I'm in Vucetich in the zone Islas Malvinas!

My new companion is Elder Espinoza from Peru. Haha. He has 19 months in the mission.

I got called to be a Zone Leader, which is super chill.

I'm still livin the dream! Love all y'all!

B Juan Vucetich 

A Parque Patricios

Click picture to Enlarge

Me, Sandra & Brenda

Elder Patey

Sandra & Jose

JOSE and SANDRA

Sandra and Jose are members in Parque Patricios, Argentina.

E l d e r  H a n k i n s  wrote:

"Jose and Sandra accompany us aaaalllll the time."

Their selfless service is valued greatly by the Elders.

Jose has been called to serve as a missionary in the

Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission.

He enters the Buenos Aires MTC on May 8.

Sandra has been called to serve as a missionary in the

Colombia Bogota North Mission.

She enters the MTC on May 7.

Jose wrote:

"I feel so blessed and happy to know  E l d e r  H a n k i n s !

He's amazing and a beautiful person.

We laugh every day and we do jokes every time.

E l d e r   H a n k i n s  is an excellent missionary!"

Sandra wrote:

"I love to accompany the missionaries.

 I learn a lot from them.

E l d e r  H a n k i n s  makes me laugh much.

I'm going to miss him when I go."

Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission Map

Click to watch...

MISSION CALL OPENING

Argentina Bahia Blanca Mission

President Manuel Parreno

and Sister Maria Parreno

Colombia Bogota North Mission 

President Letvin Lozano

and Sister Angela Lozano

Buenos Aires

Missionary Training Center (MTC)

Centro de Capacitación Misional (CCM) 

Bogota Colombia Temple

Livin' the Dream!

This week was really good. The weather has been mas o menos. The wind chill absolutely Kills down here. I really enjoy being a missionary and love this chance I have here... It's incredible!

So during the week we met with this lady that we contacted on the street the day before. She wasn't very receptive because she was having headache problems, but we asked if we could give her a blessing of health. She said yes and I was able to give the blessing part. After, we asked her how she felt. She said that she felt something warm and strong starting at her head and moving down till it hit her toes! WOW! Power of the Priesthood, much? It was a great experience because that feeling happened to me once as well. So it was great to relate... ha.

We also taught a recent convert about the priesthood (go figure) and, as we started talking about the Kingdom of Heaven and how glorious it will be, we ALL started to cry! It was unreal. The Spirit was so strong. I just sat and bawled with them. We were all edified.

I realized this week that there is a place in my heart and soul that would have been empty had I not left on my mission and at this time. So grateful to my Heavenly Father for all the things he has given me.

So Sunday was good too. We had investigators at church. One of them is named Felix and he is a capo. I am basically just living the dream here. Today we are gonna go and visit the River Stadium. So I'll take some pics and send them all y'alls way later.

I love all of ya!  BESOS!

"White Shores" -Gandalf

A-Parque Partricios  to  B-River Plate Stadium

 B-River Plate Stadium

River Plate Stadium Hype

River Plate  vs  Boca Juniors

Everlasting Beginnings

Life is full of everlasting beginnings! Love it! This week has been full of Adventures and Spiritual Enlightenment that has changed my life. I will never forget it! Conference was seriously the best and I am SO SO grateful for the blessing we have to hear a living day prophet’s voice! Love the guy sooooo much! So let’s get goin...

I’m gonna start with my favorite experience of the week first. So it was Saturday and my companion and I were totally just stoked for General Conference. We left to go and grab a bite to eat at a members house before we went to get investigators to go see conference. It was raining a little bit, but no worries, right? WRONG! It turned into a typhoon! Cracks of Thunder and Bolts of lightning everywhere, and the streets began to fiiiillll with water. Haha, at this point in time, all hopes of staying dry went flying out the window. We started walking in knee high water to lunch. Haha. So hilarious. We got there and the mom was like, “Oh my goodness, Get in and warm!” So we walk in and then she says, “Elders, take off your pants and shirts; I’ll leave and my son will grab some shorts and t-shirts while I dry and iron your clothes.” Haha, no argument there! So we sat in the living room enjoying hot mashed potatoes and watching General Conference from the internet in normal clothes. THE BEST!

My companion and I have been perfecting the art of quick, powerful lessons while on the street. Haha. The other day we entered the patio of a referral. The lady who was the referral was drinking a coke, but her friend she invited over was drunk as a fish. We tag teamed it. I shared the message of the restored gospel with her and my companion took on the drunk guy. I loved hearing in the background at times, “Do you understand me!? God is a mighty Spirit!”. Haha, nooo drunk guy...

Conference was the best. Something that I got out of it was having faith. Faith is everything. Faith is all about the future. As Holland says, We learn from the past, but we shouldn’t live in them. Ambers, not ashes. Paul says to the Philippians, “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” That’s the thing I want. The future holds EVERYTHING! I believe in that. And I believe faith is crucial. Just as Bednar said yesterday, the loads we carry helps us improve and perfect our FAITH! Our spiritual traction! There are no ends as Uchtdorf says! I absolutely love it! I love this Gospel and this Church. The Gospel is Pure. The Lord is Perfect.

Anywho, that is my spiritual thought of the day. I love all of y’all and the loves sent my way!

“Heavenly Father... I am glad that you are always here and there.”  (15:33)
-President Monson

Loves!

The Huracan stadium lit up for the game
This is the view of it from our window  :)

He makes me think of Dwight from The Office.  Hahaha!

I like this one because in the left you can see Blanca super happy.
So yeah.

Patiño Family
Guido (my recent convert) baptized an investigator
of the other Elders of the ward  :)

Diana and I!

Flooding in the streets of Buenos Aires