May 6, 2013

Hola Familia,

We had a good week here in Resistencia. Nothing to out of the ordinary happened but we still had a good week!

This last Tuesday we had some really, really bad rain. Some of the streets looked like rivers. We had a district meeting and a couple elders arrived late because they had to help push an ambulance out of a flooded street. They were most then waste deep in water, just to give you guys a good idea of how bad it was. I took some videos but I think they are to large of files to send over.

This last Thursday and Friday I did divisions with our zone leaders, so I was in the area Alberdi for a couple days. It´s a really rich area and supposedly one of the harder areas in the mission. but it was still cool to see something a little different. It was pretty cool because Elder McGarray (my trainer) was in this area for a few months a year or so ago and I got to meet some families that he re-activated. Was pretty cool to hear them talk about how he helped them back to the church.

Other then that I´m kind of drawing blanks on what happened this week! We just worked a ton and taught a lot of lessons. This next week should be a lot more exciting because we are planning another baptism for Saturday! So I am sure I will have some exciting news for you guys next week.

We are having a Mormon Helping Hands service project this coming Saturday morning with the stake and we might get to go help out. I´m looking forward to that because service projects are always a good time. I´ve yet to do Helping Hands project either because the last time they had one I was in Ituzaingó and they had it in Posadas and we didn´t want to make the travel. So that should be a cool experience. I´ll make sure to snap some photos.

Elder McMurray is in a want-to-go-home/don't-want-to-go-home mood haha. He is happy though because we´ve been working really hard lately and have baptisms planned for his last two weeks here, so that is pretty exciting. We have Javier that will be getting baptized this Saturday and also a women named Neli that will be getting baptized the following Saturday. We´re excited for both of them but especially for Neli. She has been going to church for the last two years and all of the elders have tried to baptize her but she was never able to get married for one reason or another. But, recently she has completed all of her paper work and what not and has a date schedule to get married. The following Wednesday I believe it is. The Relief Society here are planning a little celebration for her and the Saturdy after she will be getting baptized! So we´ve been working with her lately making sure she knows everything and is prepared. So that is exciting news.

I´ve slowly been buying thing to complete my Gaucho outfit which I am pretty dang excited for! When I have everything I want I will make sure to send a photo over. So far it´s turning out really good but I still need a few things. I started purchasing all the things back in Ituzaingó, so it´s been a project in the making.

Yesterday afternoon Boca and River played. It´s basically the Super Bowl here in Argentina. For a god two hours we tried to visit some people and try to find some new investigators but had absolutely zero success haha. Wasn´t to good of a time. We did know when one of them teams scored because everyone comes outside and launches off bottle-rockets to celebrate a goal. It´s pretty crazy.

Next Sunday I get to call home for Mother´s Day! I am going to call at 6:00 P.M. my time, so that would be 2:00 P.M. California time. I am going to call Mom´s cell phone and if for some reason that doesn´t work I will call the house phone. BE READY! I can talk for 45 minutes.

That´s pretty much all of the exciting things I can think of for now! I am excited to talk next Sunday. Looking forward to it!

I don´t have much time left so I wont be able to get some photos over this week but I will make sure to send a lot next week. Please save all of the photos I send in a file on the computer. I hope you guys have already been doing that!

Alright, have to wrap this one up. Love you all and will talk to you soon!

Chau! :)

Elder Deniston.

April 29, 2013

¿Como andamos? Espero que bien! Super loco que Otto tiene 1 ano! Feliz Cumpleanos Otto! Espero que disfrutaran la fiesta y que estén disfrutando el clima en California! Está lloviendo mucho acá.

 

We had a really good week because we had a baptism! Woohooo! That's really the only exciting thing that happened this week. Saturday we had the baptismal service of Cornelio Gomez and it was a really good baptism service. It`s been cool to see his progression. When he started listening to the lessons he was kind of hesitant about listening to us but after a few charlas, a Sunday or two at church, getting to know the awesome members here in Guiraldes, and feeling the Spirit, baptism was the only thing he wanted to do! He is now preparing to get the priesthood and to go to the temple to do baptisms. The ward here in Guiraldes is taking a temple trip the end of May to Asuncion, Paraguay (the closest temple, about 5 hours from Resistencia) and we are in the process of teaching him and Elder McMurrays other converts here about the temple so they will get excited to go. Each person that wants to go has to pay 150 pesos to go. They all throw some money in to make the trip. So were preparing them now! I heard a statistic that about 90% of recent-converts stay active if they go to the temple within the first six months after their baptism. Not sure how correct it is, but we`re still doing everything we can to help them go.

 

Other then that nothing to exciting happened! Just working a ton. Found some new people that we are teaching that have some good potential to progress. So I will keep you guys updated on them. We should be having some more baptisms within the next couple weeks. So that is exciting!

 

Elder McMurray and I have been running each morning! He ran cross-country in high school and wants to get back into shape before he heads home. He only has a few weeks and is still working really good, so I am pretty grateful about that. We will see how the next few weeks ago. He is really excited because his dad, mom, and one of his brothers are coming to visit in the mission before he heads home. He`s excited because they are going to visit his old area`s and converts and visit some of the tourist sites in the mission and in Misiones. He`s getting excited for everything but is still working hard. So all is good here in Guiraldes!

 

It`s raining like crazy here. Last night there was a huge storm. Lightening, thunder, rain...everything. Woke me up a few times!

 

When we finishing writing today we are going to go to Wal-Mart! Ahh yeah! There is 2 Wal-Mart in the entire mission and one of them is here in Resistencia and we got permission to leave are area to go. May sound like something normal to do, but things like this are exciting for a missionary. I`ll make sure to take some photos!

 

Alright, going to wrap this one up and get some pictures over to you guys! Glad to hear all is well at home. Love you all and everyone is always in my prayers! Will write more next week. :)

 

Chau!

 

Elder Deniston.

Pictures April 29, 2013

 

 ...sticking to our North-American roots. Pancho's!

 

 

Snapped this today. I like the architecture of the churches here, especially in artsy Resistencia. I took this walking so it didn`t turn out to good. But thought I would send it over.

 

 

 Coco with relatives!

 

 

 Crazy sunset the other night!

 

Snapped this in an apartment complex here in Resistencia. Thought it was a cool photo. Kind of gives you guys a feel of how the apartments here are.

 



Our chapel. :)

 

Coco`s baptism!

April 22, 2013

Craziness about Chelsea and Ricky moving and Nathan getting relocated! That’s pretty cool news. Where do Chelsea and Ricky think they are going to move too? Any ideas? I`m sure you guys are excited for that because I know how much you like to go around and look at model houses. Keep me updated on what happens!

...I´m glad Chelsea and Ricky are moving because now Otto won’t grow up to be a Rock.

Pretty exciting news about dad too! I hope all works out with that and he can get the route. If so I think that would be a re-location to the San Marcos/San Diego area!

Pretty exciting that Jonathan is going to Hawaii. Makes sense to me! I´m sure that will be a cool mission. How is his brother doing? I think he is in The Philippians? If I remember correctly. Correct me if I’m wrong and let me know when he finishes.

Guiraldes is part of Resistencia. The city is divided up into sections and where we are is called Guiraldes. Technically it`s Resistencia. That`s why you weren`t able to find it on Google Map.

Yesterday we have probably the best Asado that I have ever had since I`ve been here in Argentina. There is a family that lives really close to our apartment and each Sunday they spend hundreds of pesos on meat and have a gigantic asado. And we are always invited. They make their own homemade sauce, mmmmm. So good!

Things are super good with Elder McMurray and I. There are a lot of things that we have strangely have in common, even to the exact same cowlick with our hair. We were laughing about that the other day. But we are working really well and have a good number of progressing investigators, so we are pretty excited about that. We have been teaching a man the past couple weeks, everyone calls him Coco, and he is preparing for his baptism this Saturday. As of now everything is looking good and he is excited for his baptism! He has a pretty cool story. He had cancer a few years back and was on a lot of medication and what not and after a pretty long fight he was cancer free. Thought that was something cool I would share. So next week I should have some new baptism photos for you guys. We are also teaching his nephew and he also is preparing for baptism and will hopefully be baptized in the next few weeks. I will keep you guys updated on that!

This Sunday we had 90-100 members at church! I´m not going to lie it´s still really strange being in a strong ward after being in branches for a year ha-ha. It`s really nice. I´ve decided I like the hymns in Spanish a lot more than English, I think they sound really cool. Something cool that happened this week was that we found a lady Saturday night and taught her, and she came to church Sunday! First time that that has ever happened to me or to Elder McMurray. So that was pretty cool and now we are teaching her too, so we will see if she progresses. Oh, we also had interviews with president this week! First time in forever since we have had interviews so I was pretty happy to have them. The interview went really well and our zone also ate lunch with him and sister Haymen. Was pretty cool because he shared a lot of stories from his mission and some of the cool things he did. He shared a really cool story about how he opened up a city that at the time was the most highly-populated Catholic city in Argentina; I believe it was, if I remember correctly. But it`s cool because now there is really large chapel with a good amount of members. So he was pretty happy to open the area. Thought that was cool. Chau. :) Elder Deniston

Pictures - April 22, 2013

Elder McMurray and I. We snapped this right before writing today. Elder McMurray thought it was a serious face photo. Thats why he isn´t smiling

 

 This is really cool. Elder Stout (my mission brother) did this when he was here in the area last year.

 

There is a group in Resistencia that goes around the city and writes huge poems on the walls. Some of them are pretty cool. The actual translation for this is "Your Time Is Today." which would be more in English like "Your time is now

Presidente Sandoval y hermano Ruiz-Diaz jugando ping-pong

 

Main plaza in Resistenica

More of our apartment. This like the outside areas. Dont worry, I cleaned up all the dirt that was there when I arrived!

Stairs to the upper-chamber! :O

The loft/old jail where we sleep. Elder McMurray has an American flag, so we put it up haha.

 

Marriage of Graciela and Luis! Small, with a few members from the branch. But, they are married! and now she is baptized.

Enzo and his family! I really am going to miss this kid. I hope the elders in San Martin will baptize him soon

 

Presidente Sandoval in San Martin. Fresh off the mission!

April 15, 2013

Sounds like all is normal at home!

A lot of unexpected and crazy things happened this week so I am going to spend my time telling you all the new news!

I was transfered to Guiraldes, Resistenica! It's part of the city of Resistenica and is a really cool area. I had a feeling before I started the mission that I would end up sometime in this city, so I'm really excited to be here. The interesting thing is that my "mission family" has a lot of history here. Elder McGarry, my trainer, first trained Elder Stout here more then a year ago. So my "dad" and my "brother" in the mission have both served here before me haha. That's pretty cool and thought I would share that.

 

I was first kind of upset to leave San Martin because we had just finished the marriage of Luis and Graciela and were preparing for the baptism Saturday, but had to leave Wednesday morning! I heard from the other zone leaders though that all went well with her baptism Saturday! So that's good news.

 

When I arrived here and got to know the area a little bit more and meet all of our investigators I got pretty happy and excited to be here. I'm finally in a ward! That's really a big blessing after being in branches for almost a year. The ward here is really strong and there a lot of faithful members and we have a really good bishop, so I am also excited about that. This area has also been knowing to have a lot of baptism's and we have a good number of people that are preparing for baptism in April and May! So that also is good news.

 

Our apartment is an old police station. I always remember Dad saying he had some cool apartments above records stores and what not, so I thought I'd tell you guys about this one. It still has a "Policia de Chaco" logo on the wall outside. It has two stories and the second story is a loft with really small windows and wooden panels as the floor. I personally think the upstairs was an old jail, because it kind of has that feel. I'll ask the owner if he knows an history about the place and let you guys know.

 

My new companion is Elder McMurray! Another "Mc" Elder haha. He's a really cool elder and I've already gotten along really well with him. This is his last transfer in the mission which means I will only be with him for a short period of time until he finishes. Good news is he's still working really hard and I can tell he's not going to be one of the elders that die's out his last month or so of the mission. He still has a desire to work hard and I am pretty sure we will be having success this transfer. He's from Virginia, wrestled in high school, and he studied at BYUI the same time I was there. So there's plenty of things we have in common. In my opinion we have the same teaching style and work well together. So I'm pretty happy to have him as a companion.

 

That's pretty much the big news for now! New area, new companion, new ward, new investigators, new everything. I was pretty bummed when I left San Martin because we were teaching a good amount of people that were close to baptism and I had grown to have a really good relationship with all the members, but when I arrived here I was really happy because there is a lot of potential here and the Church is a lot stronger.

 

I am going to wrap this up and try to get some photos over to you guys! Hope all is well at home. Love you all and have a wonderful week! :)

 

Chau!

 

Elder Deniston.

 

Pictures - April 15, 2013

La conferencia! Viernes en la noche.

I asked some guy to take a picture of us, I wanted him to get all of the

horse too, but he couldn´t manage to get his head haha.

...just in case you guys didn´t hear haha.

They use these as taxi´s! The poor people that don´t have enough money to pay for a regular taxi can use them. They are all over the place here in San Martin.

 

...me on a Muddy street after the rain, pero con botas!

 

This is the main plaza in San Martin. Nothing to crazy, just a normal small argentine town.