Josh's 12-13-10 e-mail

This week on Friday we performed as a missionary choir in the Carmen. The Carmen is further up in the mountains. We have been practicing every time we have had district meetings. I believe we sounded all right due to only having time to practice one time every week for a month. We went to the Carmen and only five people showed up! But hey, we did have five. During our performance a rain storm came in and cut the power in all of Jujuy!!! We didn´t have a piano either because it is a plug-in piano. So we sand acapella. It was great! The spirit was present and we could feel our testimonies grow about our beloved Savior. The final song brought tears to my eyes. During the entire concert the storm kept getting more intense. Rain, and then hail, and then wind. We couldn´t hear very well, but during the final song the storm stopped. The song was Silent Night. It was so beautiful! I knew without a doubt and I still do right now that Christ our Savior was born to save us. After we left the chapel we discovered the streets were flooded. We were soaked by the time we got home! We had to go through the streets in order to get to the bus station. Like I said before the power had been cut and that included in our little town also! It was dark and scary. The only light we had was when a car passed by. We managed to get back to our apartment in safety and lit candles to help us see in the dark. It reminded me of the importance of putting light in our lives. We absolutely have to use the sword of the spirit and read the scriptures to help us get home. About a hour or two after the blackout, the lights came back on. We were able to walk without fear and not in the darkness.

Testimonies in Argentina

This fast and testimony meeting was wonderful. The bishopric pointed out that this was the last Sunday of 2010. Crazy! Person after person came bore their testimony. What impressed is what one sister does for her Christmas decorations. She said the last week of November she goes on a cleaning frenzy! She cleans the dust, cobwebs, and everything! The first days of Christmas she puts up her decorations to remember Christ her lord. She told us that she wanted the spirit of Christmas to be present and for this reason she cleaned as perfectly as possible. This sister tends to be extremely busy all the time and one day her 80 year mother told her to stop and rest. The sister /daughter looked at her mother and told her she did not have time to rest because she has to work for the Lord. This sister loves to visit less active members and bring them to church.

Josh's 12-6-10 e-mail-Elio's parable

Elio shared his testimony again. He shared the scripture in First Nephi 8 about the filthy river and the dangers of it. When Elio was 13 he was caught in a river current and got pulled in. Before being submerged he was able to grab the bank. With time he pulled himself out. During this time he was playing with friends and he looked for them. He found them further up the stream in calm water. Elio shared the dangers of even getting close to sin because we can be pulled into dangerous waters.

Megan's 12-6-10 e-mail

This week was great. We had 2 successful baptisms and confirmations and we had many investigators come to church. our recent converts are doing really good-except one of them-she hasn't come for 3 weeks and its just a really hard situation. I just keep praying that the spirit will continue to guide me as to what I am to do. How could I ever be happy if I knew that I didn't do everything I could for them to be able to receive the blessings of the gospel. The things that I learn in one day are inumerable. I learn so much about myself, about others, about the gospel. President Malit said that the Lord promises missionaries that he will bless them not only for their mortal lives, but forever.

Ranch dressing and Heaven?

I learned a lesson from Ranch Dressing this week! So Mom and Dad sent me a package and it had a ranch dressing in it. It was so good to eat! I kept thinking ¨I didn´t even realize how much I missed this stuff, until now! and afterwards I learned a lesson. One day we will enter heaven and it will be familiar to us. We lived there before and we will live there again. I am sure we will be thinking I didn´t even realize how much I missed this place until now! Don´t let anything not let you have joy of a lifetime. Life is worth the trials, pains, sorrows, aches, punches and etc to have a eternal life of happiness. When we are tempted to complain, gain a eternal perspective. Look toward your goal. Don´t just go gold, but go celestial.
Josh

Josh's 11-29-10 e-mail

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for you! I learned the importance of counting your blessings. When you are tempted to just give up and be cranky, just begin to count your blessings. I began to do this and it was awesome! I also laughed at some stuff that before I didn´t realize it was a blessing. Like, thank you for garbage bags, thank you for soap, thank you for not allowing me to be bitten today by our neighbour's dog... :) A attitude of gratitude will allow us to ¨see what God has done.¨

Melina is progressing wonderfully! She came to church for the first time yesterday and we had the primary presentation. It reminded me of when I was a little rascal and breathed in the microphone,said a sentence and then ran off the stage. The theme was I know my Savior lives.¨ They demonstrated beautifully that He does live and loves us. The primary sang the song, ¨How could the Father show the world, His love and tenderness? He sent his son a newborn babe to rise with living breath. etc..¨¨ As they were singing I found to my surprise tears in my eyes. The spirit touched my heart and allowed my testimony to grow about my Savior Jesus Christ. I want to ¨Live like his son.¨

Megan's 11-29-10 e-mail

Work is good. We have a baptism this Saturday and it'll be awesome. His name is Rodelyo and he was actually taught by elders a while back but then maybe because it wasn't his time yet, he just kept hiding from them until they eventually stopped coming. He was actually a referral from a ward member and he'll be great. I want him to be the gospel principles teacher so that he can learn the gospel in a really awesome way-by teaching it. This work is amazing; of course it is, because it's the Lord's work!!! Me and Sister Insong are good friends and I hope that we still will be even after our missions.