Christmas in Rosario

We. had. a. blast.

 

The fireworks, small presents, and members made my Christmas the best. The sun absolutely baked down on us the whole time, but we enjoyed every minute while celebrating the special time of year. I have tons of info and little time (like always), so I will try to cover the most interesting events. 

 

Christmas Brownies. Alright, while all of you enjoyed the special day, we were asked to hit the streets and try to share the special Christmas spirit with all--members and investigators alike. My companion and I came up with a good way to share it with some families in our area: Christmas caroling and gifts. We bought tons of flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate, butter, and basically all the good fatty stuff. haha. I have never made such a large amount of brownie batter all at once. After a couple hours of cooking with our frustrating oven that barely works, we had enough brownies for about five families. Actually, we probably had enough for six families, but we decided to eat some ourselves to celebrate! They tasted amazing, which is a miracle when you have missionaries in the kitchen. So we went over our Ward roster and selected some of our favorite and then went out to work, absolutely loaded down with plates full of brownies! I used my Santa hat, even though most people don´t use them here. What´s Christmas without a Santa hat? haha.

 

So we walked the streets in church clothes, singing along the way and giving a plate of brownies to these families. Even though I was thousands of miles away from my family, surrounded by severe summer humidity, and wearing a tie, I enjoyed this Christmas in a different way. You really don´t need that much for Christmas:). Honestly, I saw extremely happy families that day with humble circumstances who appreciate the simple blessings of the Lord. 

 

With Mirta Cascardo´s family, we sang two Christmas hymns while they all ate up the brownies. Due to the extended family and obvious festivities planned, we didn´t stay very long. However, we could see smiles on the faces of everyone, and I know we touched the hearts of those there who don´t know of the church. I hope Mirta and her husband can share the gospel with their extended family in the future, but everything has its due time and place. 

 

I know the Christmas goes far beyond the gifts, toys, and foods. I know it, you know it, and the Savior knows it, for whom we have the festivities in the first place! 

 

I have tons more to say, but we will have to wait till next week.

 

Hopefully you all had a great Christmas.

 

Elder Jones

 

P.S. I was just called to serve as a Zone Leader in San Nicolás! My apartment has air conditioning! There are only three or four in the whole mission!!!!!!! Santa treated me well, even though this last gift came a little late. haha.  

Merry Christmas to Everyone

Hello! First off, I CAN´T BELIEVE IT´S CHRISTMAS AGAIN! Wow, I hope you all enjoy the snow and Christmas spirit. As missionaries, we´ve had a white Christmas as well, just with a little twist: no snow. haha. Better yet, we had the baptism of Juan Sarli.

 

Juan Sarli. I didn´t have time to describe his incredible conversion story last week, due to an occupied schedule and crazy week. Plus we ended up playing sports on Pday, which is always a blast. But yeah, we had taught Juan for almost two complete months, passing by his house about two times a week. From the first visit and to this very day, he has always invited us in with a smile on his face, showing his teeth underneath his HUGE mustache. :). With roughly 60 years under his belt, he knows life well and always has many stories to share with everyone. He is a complete cowboy and grew up on a ranch, basically out in the middle of nowhere. For almost 40 years, he worked with tractors and other farm machinery, leaving him with his dark bronze skin and interesting sense of humor. Everyone can see his humility, and I have really enjoyed teaching him.

 

After going over every missionary lesson two times with him, he felt ready for baptism, ready to make the sacred covenants, and ready to "start a new life," as he likes to say it. He really has seen some changes, and after listening to the discussions he realized the church could help him out substantially in his maturing years. He accepted his baptismal date at the beginning of Novermber, and with that goal in mind, we worked diligently with him, little by little, right up until that special Saturday when he entered the water and started his life as an official member of the church! 

 

He is doing great right now, and we pass by his house once a week to teach the lessons over again. Plus it´s just great to see an old friend's face. If I ever have the opportunity to come back to Argentina after my mission, his house would definitely be on my list of houses to visit! We ate dinner with him just the other day, which was also just great.

 

Though tough at times, the mission has really blessed my life. Seeing the change in people´s lives, even though it takes place thousands of miles away from my house, makes me smile. Sometimes I feel like my past life didn´t even exist haha. I have been here for almost 17 months. Man, i am officially Argentine! :)

 

I really appreciate everything you guys do for me. Hopefully Santa makes it to each and every one of your houses!!

 

Merry Christmas,

Elder Jones 

Another Week Down!

Wow, what a crazy transfer here in Pergamino! I feel exhausted and tired, but we have had two baptisms these past couple of weeks. I sent some pictures earlier and will try to describe everything briefly right now.

 

Mirta Cascardo. We have taught her for nearly two months now, going over the basic doctrinal lessons, having family home evenings, and just passing by to see them. Her husband, Miguel Cascardo, has known the church for many years. When he married Mirta, they both made the decision to receive the divine blessings of the temple one day. With that goal in mind, they starting listening to the missionaries and investigating a little bit, in order to understand the basics of the gospel.

 

Since Miguel was the only member in his family, we taught everything from the first vision to the smallest commandments of the gospel, just to make sure everyone understood the gospel principles. Miguel helped regularly with the teachings, and having a member alongside in the lessons always helps us convey the message better. He has a powerful testimony. As a family, they had started listening to the missionaries about five months ago, so Elder Valenzuela and I continued the teaching process after our arrival here to the zone.

 

One night after having worked in the streets all day, we passed by their house to share a quick spiritual thought before heading back to the apartment. In the middle of the lesson, Mirta interrupted and asked for a bit of time to think it all over. A few deep breaths later, she told us she had prayed and read the scriptures regularly over the past couple of weeks and felt ready for baptism. We all felt something special that night, and my companion and I showed our support and excitement as we planned the program out. 

 

The ordinance went well, and we had a reasonably large amount of members attend the sacred service. Like always, a baptism brings blessings into the lives of those we teach as well as helps the local members receive strength to their testimonies. We all enjoyed the service that Saturday night, and the Bishop helped us plan everything out smoothly.

 

We serve as missionaries for this very reason: to invite others to make sacred covenants and receive the blessings of this restored gospel.  

 

It really was a great day.

 

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. It is really hot down here, but it´s all good. I just try to stay positive while we bake in the streets haha.

 

Juan Sarli got baptized as well, but I will have to write about his conversion experience next week, due to litte time.

 

Thanks for everything.

 

Elder Jones :)

Elder Jones Sent Some Pictures for this Week's Blog

                                                 Elder Valenzuela and Elder Jones on P-Day

Elder Jones with four of his previous/current companions

 Elder Jones's Thanksgiving Spread

Mirta's Baptism

Thank you for supporting Elder Jones. We are grateful for both letters and Dearelders that have been sent to him.

Faith

As a missionary, my testimony has come from experiences in my youth and during my first year at BYU. While pondering it over these past few weeks, I have realized that almost every one of my spiritual experiences has come after a trial of faith. For example, at BYU, I was incredibly nervous about accepting my calling as an Elder´s quorum instructor. Everyone is generally really intelligent at BYU, and my Bishopric was composed of mostly BYU professors. Some students were RMs too, which meant they knew and understood the scriptures better than me. I prayed about it a lot--more than ever before. This was one of my first real, legitimate experiences with sincere praying. I decided that if my calling as instructor had come to my Elder's quorum president as revelation, I should have faith and trust in him and the Lord. 

In the end, it turned out to be a great experience for me. I was later called to teach during Spring term as well, which entailed teaching to a quorum of 75! It was like teaching a college lecture, and I had to use PowerPoint and study in depth before each lesson, aside from my weekly load of normal class studies. It was a great experience for me. Throughout the year many people, even some professors, complimented me and said, "Good Job." What more, I even enjoyed preparing the lessons since I learned so much about the gospel, the scriptures, and other people. What would have happened if I had never accepted the calling? All of those blessings would have been withheld from me.

More often than not, we have to show faith before we receive blessings. Unfortunately, we commonly do just the opposite in the world today. For example, we buy the new HD tv and pay the debt off later, taking in the reward before performing the hard work or enduring the trial to pay it off. In the church, however, we often have to work before the blessings come into our lives. Though tough at times, in the end the Lord´s system makes more sense. We really appreciate the divine blessings after having had worked so hard to receive them. They take on a new value. They make us better people. And with time, they make our faith even stronger.

Just like the Bible Dictionary says, "Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true" (Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21).

Though one of the most simple gospel principles, it is one of most applicable in our daily lives.

A little bit further down in the Bible Dictionary, it says this: "Although faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a tiny seed to a great tree."

I know many of you have faith in the church, faith in your families, and faith in yourselves. I admire your example. I am also so grateful for everything you all have done for me. Many of you have served as youth leaders, teachers, scout masters, or just simply as friends. Much of my testimony comes from special experiences that happened before heading off to college and then on to Argentina. Simply put, my youth was just great. Thank you for making it so awesome.

Like always, I really enjoy your letters and support. I hope you all have an incredible December and that Santa Clause treats you well! haha. Happy holidays, and I will write more next week.

Thanks again,

Elder Jones

Progressing Investigators!

I have already talked about Mirta in one of my earlier messages. We went by her house last night to share a message with the entire family, kind of having a family home evening. Towards the end, she looked at us and started to ask some questions about temples. She also talked about her baptism and told us she felt ready, which really made everyone smile in the room. Her husband, who has served in the church for the last couple of years, felt great and shared his testimony with all of us. All of their kids have already been baptized, but Mirta always had her doubts. However, after listening to the missionaries for these past six months, she has studied and really thought it through. In the end, she has come to the conclusion that it all makes sense, and she wants to go with her family to the temple, a great goal that requires her personal baptism. Everyone in the room that night had an indescribable light in their eyes, and we left feeling great as we walked home to the apartment.

I felt extremely grateful and excited for her family, as well. A mix of emotions has hit me, and I realized why I came here to Pergamino. Elder Valenzuela and I have done over 500 contacts and worked incredibly hard these past couple of weeks. After all the strenuous work, the conversion process seen within the life of Mirta makes it all worth it. We plan to go and plan the baptismal program at her house this Wednesday. If all goes as planned, we should have the baptismal service on December 8th. 

We have already talked to some members and plan to have a musical number, refreshments, and basically just a solid program with numerous members. We are excited, and so is our Bishop. :)

I have little time today, but I really appreciate everything you all do for me. The letters, prayers, and encouragement really hit home with me. As we all work together, we will really build the kingdom and see its blessings throughout the world, little by little, day by day. 

We finally made it to the post office!!! After five long weeks, we finally found a post office! I sent a letter to each of you, Kailey and Malia. Thank you for your support and awesome stories. I have a few more written and will try to send them soon, Shantel and Kimbz!!!! It is like a 30 min walk to the post office, so I will have to convince someone to go with me again. I will try to mail those today.

Like always, thanks for everything. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.

Elder Jones

Pergamino's Preparation Days

Editor's Note:  Due to Transfer Week, Elder Jones' P-Day was moved to Tuesday, so the post comes a day late!

Hello from Pergamino, Argentina. My companion had a migraine this past week, which left me with a lot of free time both in the hospital and apartment while he recovered for three days. While he was recovering, i wrote up an ESPN article in Spanish, just to practice my translation skills. It isn´t perfect, but it turned out alright. Then I decided to translate it back from Spanish to English. Every part of it is true, except the quotes, which are obviously made up from scratch, but basically portrays how everyone feels. I hope you enjoy it. Here it is:

ESPN UPDATE

Pergamino´s Preparation Days
Elder Rory Jones

For as long as anyone can remember, the missionaries here in Pergamino, Argentina, have always played soccer on Monday, their famous preparation day when everyone rests from the strenuous work and simply just takes a break.

"I´m not gonna lie, Mondays are totally rad and chill," said Elder Hixon, one of the current district leaders here in the zone. "If only they were a little longer. . ."

With a mere seven hours of free time, these devoted missionaries really have to use their time wisely. Just like Elder Hixon, the majority find themselves wishing for more time as the day comes to a close.

"At least three more hours to relax would be perfect," responded Elder Rodriguez at the last press conference, when asked if he thought Mondays should be extended in the future. "I mean, who doesn´t want more free time to eat, sleep and recharge yourself," he added later while yawning and further debating about the official preparation day schedule.

Whether the typical Monday schedule changes or not, everyone will always enjoy the leisure time, regardless of its length!

"I just go hard all day and never stop," said Elder Sáez, one of the largest missionaries know for his immense stature and limitless strength. "Sometimes people call him the `human tank.´"

And there you have it. From the crack of dawn until the end of each day, Elder Saez keeps plowing forward, always accompanied by his faithful companion, Elder Welsh.

"On Mondays, every second counts, just like in BYU football games," exclaimed Elder Welsh, when asked for his opinion during the last mission council.

Currently serving as a zone leader here in Pergamino, Elder Welsh has chosen to suit up for the Lord these next two years, leaving behind his fame and putting his future career and football scholarships on hold. He does it with good intentions, though.

"We are glad to have him on our team," reported President Hugo Giuliani, the current leader and president of more than 200 missionaries here in southern Argentina. "He was a beast on the field in Provo, and he´s a spiritual beast here in the mission field."

One might say that Elder Welsh´s prayers were answered this past week and his sacrifices recognized. Why? Well, surprisingly enough, the whole zone gathered together and played American Football this past week, breaking traditions and giving some Latin Americans quite the experience. Despite the fact that 95% of them had never touched a football before the mission, two of them managed to score touchdowns!

"I caught the ball and just took off running," said Elder Valenzuela, the newest missionary in Pergamino who arrived with Elder Jones about a month ago. "Everyone kept screaming, so i just kept running like a madman."

The saying "Third time is a charm" really defines this extraordinary play of the game. After bobbling and dropping two previous passes, Valenzuela grabbed ahold of the third one and bulleted into the endzone.

"Yeah, there you go, man!" shouted Elder Jones, the quarterback at the time who threw a perfect, spiral bomb to his companion.

One hour later with the score tied at 14, all 12 missionaries lined up and waited for the hike. As soon as possible, Elder Eliosoff shot off the line at lightning speed, showing no sign of fatigue. Later, before anyone knew what was happening, Eliosoff was launching himself into the air to avoid the last defender and belly-flopping into a bunch of knee-high weeds and untamed grass.

"Everyone went bonkers," he exclaimed during his post-game interview. "Even though I got a bunch of weeds and prickles down my pants, it was worth it in the end," he later commented.

Eliosoff´s team came out with the win, and each missionary celebrated differently. All in all, it was just a chill and eventful day. Everyone enjoyed themselves--Latinos and Americans alike.

When asked about his experience, Elder Salt said the following: "I got pegged a few times like a kid in dodge ball, but that´s just part of the game, ya know?"

In sum, preparation days leave all companionships exhausted and satisfied--a goal quite hard to achieve.

I don´t think anyone could have put it better than Elder Nelson, known as "Nelly" by all missionaries, when he described preparation days like this: "Mondary are just flat-out sweet."