Monday, December 10, 2012

Se ve como la Navidad (It looks like Christmas)

Good Day,
Another super hot week here in San Juan, Argentina. We are in the middle of a zonda(huge and hot wind storm). It doesn`t do my eyes so good. Good thing I don`t wear contacts anymore...ha. The bigger zondas are known to come in Enero(January). We had some fun this week doing more interviews for Los Pinos(an area that is having tons of success and will probably baptize every week this transfer), learning in the conference with Elder Resec(I don`t think that is how he spells his name), an area seventy, walking aful(a ton) trying to find some investigators(families) to teach and not having way too much luck until the end of the week, etc.

Yep, we are having some big success here in the district. One of the areas(Los Pinos) just found a huge family(13 kids) that is making lots of progress. I love having lots of work to do so that it keeps us busy. The first part of our week was really hard, but towards the end we had some more miracles happen to us and now we are going to have a lot of work to do this coming week. For example, bishop Manrique called us last night after he got back from the stake priesthood meeting and told us that a guy came up to him and told him that he wanted to receive the missionary lessons and be baptized. His name is Javier Flores. He is 19 years old and married. He comes from a member family it sounds like he is really stoked to become a member... ha. Wow. I called him last night and set up an appointment for tonight with bishop. He said he was very impressed by the projection for the next year for the priesthood organization(ha. I don`t know, I wasn`t in the meeting). It should be an awesome lesson. We have had limited contact with some of our other progressing investigators. Right now Mabel Garcìa is progressing the most. She came to church again(the second time in the time that the elders have been teaching her and her family(5 or 6 months)) and liked it so we just have to work toward a baptismal date. Romina Mesa is still keeping herself very busy. She went to Mendoza for the weekend to care for her grandma so she couldn"t make it to church, but at least she brought her book of Mormon so she can finally have some normal time to herself to read more of the book and pray about it to gain the answer to whether or not it is true. We have a couple other families that are somewhat progressing. We will have to see what happens this week. Our ward mission leader, Hermano Quiroga, is getting frustrated because we haven`t seen much success lately. But I can see us finishing off this transfer with a bang!

We had another day-long conference this past week. Elder Resec came with his wife(I think he just lives in Mendoza, but he is an area seventy or something and taught us lots of new insights from Preach My Gospel with the help of Presidente and Hermana Àvila. It was really good. We are starting to see an improvement in the mission in a lot of aspects. It was together with the two zones in San Juan so I got to see E` Johnson and a couple other old friends. That was pretty fun.

Wow, we are just walking a ton in this area. Everything is just so spread so far apart so we are not getting as many lessons taught as we were in Lìbano. We are still searching for a more effective way of working in this area. My feet kill. I have gotten some of the biggest blisters. Ha ha. I was hoping we would be able to rest and go beg someone for a foot massage for P-day, but I guess we are going bowling as a zone. Should be fun anyways.

I knew something was missing from this new area. I don`t really have any dog friends. Just a couple strays that I have given names to and the ones that are possessed and want to kill us in the streets.

The 8th of December here is called Day of the Virgen. It is the day when everyone puts up lights and decorates the tree for Christmas. I tell everyone that we usually do it in November and they look at me weird. They think that South American/Argentine holidays rule the world. "It`s beginning to look(a little bit) like Christmas" here in Argentina. Let`s hope that people here will feel the true meaning of Christmas and recognize us as representatives of Jesus Christ and let us seek refuge in their houses and quench our thirst with their fresh water in order to be able to share a very important Christmas message.

I can`t believe it is snowing over there. I am very jealous because it is starting to reach very high degrees here. The offices of the mission sent us an email that says that we can do Skype on the 24th or the 25th. What would be better for you guys? I have opened one more Christmas present(just because I knew what it was and I was in definite need(socks) because we dropped off our clothes on Tuesday to an hermana and we got it back on Sunday after church). Hopefully the others can wait a couple more weeks...

I will keep Mallory in the prayers. She needs to get better so that she can enjoy the Christmas season. That is AWESOME that Cade finally got his mission call! Missouri will be awesome for him. It is exactly where the Lord needs him for these next two years. There are people there now that are just awaiting his arrival. It is gonna be cool to be able to write him while he is on his mission but a bummer because we won`t see each other in a while. Is Dillon starting at all with his mish papes?

Well, thanks again like usual for all the prayers in my part. I know that they reach all the way over here to Argentina. I always pray for all my loved ones especially for my family. I hope that you can count all of the blessings. I wish everyone a general FELIZ NAVIDAD(that is Spanish for MERRY CHRISTMAS for those who don`t know).
Un abrazo,
Elder Dev Larisch
La iglesia es verdadera
 New comp E. Egbert
Happy the Dog
Flia Solar
 The district
Comp Ties(E Larisch and E Johnson)
Visit from Elder Resec... San Juan and Chimbas zones together
Me and the Familia Vega