So after all the complaining about the heat here in Argentina, Im finally going to be relieved from it. Yesterday was transfer calls, and I am once again being transfered. This time, to the most southern point of Argentina. My plane leaves on wednesday to take me down to Ushuaia Argentina. I will be serving in an area called monte olivia. So today and tomorrow Im staying with some elders then the wednesday im saying goodbye to all this heat. :) I may even get to spend my christmas with some penguins. This week was really really insane. Probably one of the most memorables of my entire mission.
So thursday, was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. We have weekly planning on thursdays, and we are in our apartment until 3 o clock planning out our entire week. So the whole time we´re inside its raining. a good 8 hours of straight rain. Solid rain too, like in AZ when it rains super hard for 30 minutes and afterwards the sun comes out, but this time the sun didnt come out. Just very heavy rain all day. So in provincia argentina they have these things called Sangja´s. Its like little 5 inch deep canals on the side of the roads and they all flow to a giant river and its basically their sewage system. So we leave at 3... still raining, and we go down a little ways into our area, and the water is easily at our knees. then we crossed the train tracks and entered into a lake haha. The water was up to our waists. So we cross the tracks and we´re walking toward the street, and forget that there are sangjas. So we both fall into a sangja and the water is now about up to the middle of our stomachs its was incredible. Then we went and taught a lesson, and afterwards had to make our way back to the other side of our area. We get there by crossing a bridge over this giant river thing. We get to the street and make our way in that direction. Get to where the bride is (or used to be) to see kids in refrigerators rowing and pushing them like boats, and people swimming. As we start to wade through (cuz we have to cross to get there) The water easily made it up to our chests. Our scripture bags were just floating at our sides we didnt even have to carry them any more. It was really insane. I was really grateful that fred bought me the rain jacket at pomeroys that day, because with out it, I would have probably been pruned all over and definitely gotten sick. It was really a life saver haha. also it was great because it has a water proof pocket on the inside so I took my camera with us and got a few pictures of it. The bad news is, the place im at right now doesn´t have a SD slot so I wont be able to send them til next week.
So I can´t remember if i told you guys this last week or if it was this week, but im going to tell you anyway. So we had a lesson with a reference named elsa. she told us that she didnt want to talk to us anymore cuz she just wasnt sure, but in all the lessons we have had with her she was always telling us that she wanted to know which church was the true church. I dont know if it was peer pressure or what, but for some reason she didnt want to talk with us anymore. So my companion and I obviously werent giving up that easily, so we told her that we weren´t going to stop coming by until she actually read the Book of Mormon and asked God if it was true. So she then said, "I just don´t understand why you guys are always so happy. You guys are so far away from home, your families, you have to walk in this extremely hot weather. How do you guys do it?" thenw e told her that we only do it, cuz we know that these things are true and that they can change her life. So she said that should would do it, and we set up a time to come back the next day and talk with her. We came the next day anbd she said that she had read, but she didnt´pray. so we asked her if we could just talk for about 5 minutes. She let us in and we told her the importance of asking God, cuz if we dont ask, he cant give. So we shared some scriptures about how to ask, and how the Holy Ghost speaks to us, and she told us she would do it at night time. Then we asked her to do it right there with us. She was a little hesitant, but did so anyway. She asked in her pray if the things she had read and if what we were sharing were true. Then we just waited in silence for about 1 minute after the prayer, and we asked her how she felt. She told us, "I don´t know why but I feel like crying." Then I said to her, "You remember how we told you it would be something you feel, but not explainable?" Then she started to cry, and my companion said, "So Elsa, do you know that the Book of Mormon is true?" Then she said yes, and we committed her to be baptized in 3 weeks :). It was a super cool experience. It was incredible to see the Holy Ghost touch the heart of an investigator right there with us. I know that God really does answer prayers, and all we have to do is just ask. "ASK and ye shall receive..." We must act if we want the blessings we need, and I know if we do so God will really help us according to His will.
I love you all so much. Don´t forget to read and pray every night, alone and as a family. It´s important that we do so to strengthen our relationship with the Lord as a family, and strengthen our personal testimonies as well.
Sé que Cristo vive, y que el es el Salvador de cada uno de nosotros. Sé que la oracion es el mejor manera que podemos recibir la ayuda necesaría día por día. Sé que este es el evangelio restaurada y que por medio de Jose Smith, hoy en día tenemos toda la verdad para que podamos saber lo que necesitamos hacer para vivir con nuestras familias y Padre Celestial para siempre. Sé que Thomas S. Monson es llamado por Dios y que el nos guíara hacer las cosas buenas acá para prepararnos por la vida que viene. Solo necesitamos escuchar, y actuar. Les amo mucho. Hasta la proxima semana, les escribo del sur!
Attentamente,
Elder Johnson
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