November 7, 2011   Tartagal   Argentina

Hola!

This coming Saturday we all go to the city Salta to hear D. Todd Christofferson and a couple members of the 70! We have to leave Saturday morning in a bus at 1:30 and we get there about 8 am, then we will get home at about 11:30 at night... going to be a long day but I am excited! The whole mission will be there for it. I have to go now to eat lunch but I wanted to get these pictures off to you!

I love you all very much!

Alex



A good friend of ours (Argentine with Irish background) We aren't the only blondes!


Saturday Chapel cleaning in La Loma



Bishop Moya and his family in La Loma



 

I call this the daffodil tree


Familia Reales (he served in Hollywood!)



A really cool family we had been teaching forever





Elder Beukers and I right before I left La Loma(Salta)

 

My companion and our truck (not really)


Zone conference in my new area



Service project at a school. Reminded me of taking paint off boat bottoms!



Lulu



Elder Puello, Patricia, Elder Galvez and I

 

More of the crew

 

The bathroom when I arrived in Tartagal




I might have to find a bidet for my own house. They are great!

 

What a lot of families use to wash clothes here - count your blessings!








Elder Beukers eating tacos



Normal Oczkewicz tacos



Hamburguesa



The perfect burger



Oczkewicz style (yes, the meat is in it - inside joke)



Soccer in La Loma

 

FHE at the church in La Loma



My district right before I left La Loma



Dia de Ninios right before a baptism at the church



October 31, 2011   Tartagal   Argentina

Well here I am late again in the internet place... We are visiting this family (except the mom who has no interest yet)  who has been listening  and going to church almost the whole time. Anyways, The man can't get married because he has no papers here in Argentina and nothing in Bolivia where he used to live. It's an expensive process for him to get papers for him and his wife and he barely is putting food on the table for his 5 kids. He shared his testimony last time we were there and how the church has helped him in so many ways. It is so hard to see someone with such a strong desire to be baptized and not be able to yet. We have a baptism date for two of his kids in 2 weeks. They are the only ones over 8.

Isaac mentioned he went to the temple the other day. I would love to go to the temple again but I know that when someone else is feeling the spirit for the first time in a lesson and tells you how they feel, it's pretty close to being there. Then you picture them in the temple and it feels pretty amazing!

This Friday a less active (now active) and his girlfriend are getting married! They split up and are living in different homes so that she could be baptized sooner and it has really strengthened both of them! We visited with Adrian, the soon-to-be husband, yesterday and he was sharing with us some of his scripture study experiences and fasting experiences. It was so cool!  He also mentioned how the talks at church (district conference with our mission president, his counselor, and wife) helped him put a goal to go to the temple in one year after the marriage date! The people have to sacrifice alot to go to the temple here! I feel so blessed to have one so close to home.

We went to 3 different houses an hour before the meeting on Sunday to get them (people we are teaching) up and bring them for the first time but they didn't make it. When we got to church we were blessed to have other investigators sitting with members! It was really nice!

  

So I bought a sealed bag of oatmeal today and got home and noticed there were bugs crawling around in it. Not many just a couple little ones... Part of the Argentine experience! Ha ha

It was so hot the other day and then the wind started blowing really hard and we could barely see because of all the dirt and sand in the air! It was nice to shower after that. I was cleaning my eyes out for awhile! Still isn't raining much but it should start here soon.

I love you all very much.

Alex!