Monday, November 3, 2014

Nov 3

hola-

the exclamation point and the shift keys are broken on this keyboard that im using and they only sometimes work, so its going to sound im depressed and have really bad gramar. haha. But thats not true, im just depressed. haha. just kidding.

 this week was pretty alright! We moved apartments, we are now in the apartment right below our old one. We moved because now we will be able to install air conditioning in this one, im not sure why our last one couldnt have air conditioning, but were going to have it now! So last P day we spent all the day moving the furniture and everything, it took a really long time. I was greatful for my Red Door days though, because of my furniture moving experience, we managed to only break one bed frame. the new apartment is basically the same quality, some things worse, some things better.

I actually didnt do transfers this week with Elder Miles, but with Elder Coates, his companion, in my área. It was stressful to run our área without Elder Nava, but I managed to get through that day. my training is over in 2 weeks, which is when the next transfer is. Its not certain that I will get a new companion or move out from this área though, you never know. I might stay here another transfer with Elder Nava, or he will leave and another will fill his place, or vice versa, or we both might leave. I guess we will see when it comes! I would really love any kind of change. haha.

I also went on a Little mini división with Elder Anderson this week for like 4 hours one day, and while we were out he told me something that was really interesting. First of all, Elder Anderson is a stud missionary, and he is just over Little then a year. he told me that my ability to speak spanish right now is better than his ability when he had 9 months. Which is great, but thats not the point, im not trying to brag. he told my where im lacking right now isnt my ability to speak the language... its just that I dont have enough confidence in myself right now to talk to people. which is totally true!! I realized this week the reason why im not talking to people very much is just because I dont have confidence in myself.. Self confidence has always always been something really hard for me, and its even harder to have self confidence in foreign language, but ive been trying really hard this week just to oblígate myself to talk more, and the misión has been getting a Little better. im starting to see more progress. So my focus this week is just to be bold, have courage, ask people questions, and just talk more to people.

this week my relationship with Elder Nava got a lot better. ive been trying really hard to just talk and joke with him all the time, and our companionship has been getting better. We had a talk on thursday for about an hour in our free time that night, and he told me all about his family in mexico and how its really sad how poor they are and how they want to find Jobs and money but there really is just nothing there for them to do and they cant do anything about their situaion. Its was really sad, he started to cry. So that was better this week, we are starting to have more unity.

Other than that, nothing much else has changed. We are just trying to focus ourselves in finding new investigators this week by tracting all day, and when we arent tracting we are visiting our recent converts in this área. all is good here, im learning a lot everyday. Im really excited for transfers. Im just taking it day by day, hanging in there !

Im really happy for the time that I have here to serve the savior.. I know the Savior lives, and im so glad that I get the chance to sacrifice my time to serve him. I hope you guys are all doing great and you have a good week! Chau!

Love, Elder Miles

Oct 27

Hola Family!

This past week was better for me, I hope everyone is doing good too. It was basically just the same old as the other weeks, I just feel like we knock houses all day everyday and we arent really finding any lasting investigators. A lot of people will let us in for the first time and let us share something, but after that they dont want to let us come back and we dont really ever see them again! So we dont really have any real solid investigators right now, we only have the Aquino family, a big family which we have about consistenly 4 people listening to us, but nobody in the famly can read really and they want keep any commitments we leave them. Enrique, the person that we were going to baptise, has problems with the Word of Wisdom and he thinks that God is telling him that he should keep smoking marijuana. Haha. So we have to stop having lessons with him because he takes up a lot of our time and he doesnt want to quit smoking. So other than that, I just feel like we contact all day everyday and we arent having much success. Ive heard from a lot of people that this is one of the hardest missions in South America. The church isnt very established here, we dont get very much help from the members, and nobody really wants to talk to listen to us. The dont call it Resistencia for no reason! It means resistence in english, and its true, the people here are very resistent. 

I dont really have anything new to say, its super hard right now but im sure it will get better soon. A lot of the time I just feel super lost, walking around in Argentina all day with someone that doesnt speak english, and a lot of the time I dont feel like im progressing in the language, spiritually, or in any way or form. Its super discouraging and tough right now, but I know if I stick it out and keep trying my hardest everyday, the Lord will bless me. I know trials are for a reason. We need discomfort to be able to progress, its just the way of life, part of the Lords plan. Right now im super uncomfortable, so I sure hope that means that a lot of progress is on the way! Its like working out a muscle.. Yes, during the work out, you hate it, but in the end, it really is worth it and its the only way to have progress in strength building. Its the same way spiritually! Trails are good, im trusting so much in the Lord that he knows what he is doing and he is in control. Im still pretty homesick, but its getting better. 

Last night was Elder Navas one year mark, so I bought us hamburgers and our neighbors made us pizza and smoothies, and we partyed. Within missionary standards. It was very fun, our relationship is improving, im learning how to make him happy and how I can serve him, even if sometimes it is the last thing I want to do. Haha. We have more unity and its getting better!

Tomorrow im going to have transfers with Elder Miles, im so excited!!! We are really good friends and its going to be super nice to spend a day with him. The only hard thing will be that neither of us can speak spanish yet, so were going to be lost, all day. Its getting to be really hard, but really fun. Its really going to force me to take inciative and talk for a day, so im excited for it, I think it will help me a lot.

I hope everyone is doing good, im sorry my emails arent very happy and missionary like right now, I probably should give myself more credit for the progress I do make and the things that I am able to say and do, but its hard to focus on the positive sometimes when its all so hard! But I really am doing good, im pretty happy here! I hope you all have a good week, thank you for your emails, they help me a lot every week.

Love, 

Elder Miles