Josh's new area-Alberdi Jujuy

Well, like I said last week I am with my brother in the mission field Elder Hall. Elder Lugo went to zone leader and afterwards went to the father role again. Elder Hall speaks great. I guess all the time Elder Lugo spoke with him in English, we made goals and for this first week we talked in Spanish for four hours every day and we will continue to move up as the transfer moves on. The weather is about the same as Tucuman and it feels like Elder Hall and me are holding the companionship together. He knows the area and where our investigators live, but lacks confidence in the language. So we are working together. If you have a Preach my Gospel I can show you the activity I did for District meeting. It is in chapter 8 and at the very end. At the end it talks about how we want to return as a missionary and stuff like that. Ahh! It is so crazy for me that I am senior companion and District Leader. I have 4 areas including my own in my district. It is not small, but not huge. We have four hermanas and four elders. Well I guess it isn´t like I am senior comp it seems like I said before equal with Elder Hall. He also is my favorite companion.

Josh's 3rd Area

I am in Jujuy and my companion is Elder Hall, he is not from Bolivia, but from Bosie! Hahahahha. He is a stud. He is so awesome and I feel so blessed to be his companion. He´s ready to work and so am I. Alberdi is extremly small compared to my other area´s in Tucucman and San Pedro. I am the district leader over four elders and two hermanas. I am still nervous, I am excited to grow though. The members are nice here. We eat lunch with them every day and the members I love working with. It sounds like I am being babied in my areas. Hahaha. Awesome members and lunch every day. We share a pension of four elders and we live in an apartment. We have chango mas in my area. Which is like an Argentine walmart.

Melanie's comment: (Anyone notice the English getting progressively worse? Great sign though!)

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Nieve's baptism

The Lord blessed us with a baptism. Her name is Nieve and the baptism was very sweet and simple. In our trials all we really can do is two things, depend on our strength or depend on the Lord´s strength. I know that everything will be wonderful! It always is! Thank you so much family for your wonderful love of Jesus Christ. I know he lives without any doubt. He wants us to come unto him and we need to come unto him.

Josh's 5-31-10 E-mail

I´m leaving again. My emoitions are mixed at this time. I am excited to go to Alberdi, Jujuy, but I love Manatial. I am going to miss it so very much. Oh yeah! I am going to be senior companion and district leader and my companion is my little brother, Elder Lugo trained another missionary. I am very nervous, but I keep telling myself just to have faith and everything will be great. Saying good-bye to all the members was very difficult, I even received a couple of going away gifts. The most difficult was Carla and Miguel. I didn´t expect it, but Miguel started to cry and afterwards Carla and afterwards I started to cry. Crazy huh? That you can get so close to some people in only 4 months. I know that everything will be great. This next transfer I am going to grow, and growth is essential for this life. Growth is a blessing.

Leonardo, the clown

We had a neat experience with Leonardo this past week. He hasn´t been to church for a while, but is now planning to become fully active again. His job is a clown for parties. He had a neat experience that I would like to share with you. He was coming home from work and got robbed! He was lying on the ground when two missionaries came and put him a taxi and brought him home. He thought it was us. When he got robbed it was about 4:00 in the morning. Missionaries aren´t out at this time. I don´t know who it was. Maybe one of the three Nephites were doing splits with John.

Josh's 5-24-10 e-mail

Today we went to the zoo! Yep, the zoo! I saw tigers, lions, bears, oh my! A hippo, llama, tucan, anteater, donkey, deer, jaguar, porcupine, and many other animals! It was really fun!

Enzo, Mimi and Norma get baptized

This week (e-mail dated 5-24-10) the Lord blessed us with three people who entered the waters of baptism. The three baptisms are Enzo and Mimi (cousins) and Norma. Enzo and Mimi were baptized by their grandpa. It took their grandpa a couple times to baptize Enzo and Mimi, but in the end they were baptized.

This upcoming week we are planning for two more baptisms, Nieve and Rode. Nieve is the daughter of an less-active family and Rode is the daughter of Norma. They are both wonderful and I am really excited for them.