Familia:
This week has been so amazing!
I love Paysandú!! So much has happened this past week so I will do my best to
try to remember it all!
To start it off, the front door
(and only door) to our apartment building broke and it was locked shut. The
people in couldn’t come out and the people outside couldn’t get in. So all six
of us elders with two other families were locked out until 11:40
at night because there were no lock smiths in the entire city of Paysandú open. So
finally, the lady from the second floor came home from work and led us all
around half a block from our house, we went through this door on the side of a
random building, up a few flights of stairs, and somehow ended up on her back
porch, and she let us through her apartment to go up to ours. To thank her, we
made banana cake :)
Another cool blessing, we made
friends with the bus driver on the bus we take almost every day when we are way
far from our house and now he lets us on for free! WHOOP WHOOP! Preaching the
gospel is awesome!
Miracle. One Tuesday we were
out working with our bishop in our area and as we were walking back from a
visit, we stopped to talk to this lady and she had a son who was taking the
lessons in salto and moved just before he was going to get baptized. She is a
member less active and her husband isn’t a member. They live way far in this
little pueblo in our area and she told us about her family of 7 of which only a
few are members. Her name is silvana and her sons name is noel. We set up to go
out there today in a little bit and we have another family to teach. Talking to
everyone brings blessings!!
Wednesday we had conferencia de
zona. pte smith came to talk to us and we learned a ton about the doctrine of
Christ. As a mission, we are focusing a whole lot more on teaching doctrine
simply and clearlyso everyone can understand. The results have been incredible.
Elder marìn and I taught about lesson 5. After, pte smith went out with us to
work. We went and taught Estela and Laura. We taught about the importance of
baptism and about a few of their doubts. One of their doubts is about her
granddaughter, morena. She is handicapped and cant walk or speak very well. She
is 4 years old, but she is such an angel. She asked why things like this happen
to children so innocent and pure. We talked in 3 nefi 11 and explained what
Christ meant when he commands us to be like a child and compared it to morena.
It was amazing, the spirit was so strong!! And in the end, they both, Estela
and Laura have committed to baptism for the 20th of September!
Ah it was such an awesome lesson. Then afterwards, we went out to dinner with
president and his daughter. Oh! His daughter got her mission call. She is
heading off to Spain
in December.
This past week we helped elder Mendoza and elder
Dietrich move apartments. There is a picture that I will attach that will
basically explain everything ha-ha.
We had stake conference this
past weekend in all of Uruguay.
My companion spoke in the adult session on Saturday to talk about the charla
fogonera. And then a missionary mom spoke about preaching the gospel. Then the
stake presidency spoke on tithing and offerings and the blessings that come as
you do our part to follow the commandments and after wards about Christ and his
mortal ministry. On Sunday, we had a satellite broadcast from salt lake that
went to all of Uruguay and Paraguay. it
was so great. Elder Arnold, Elder Hallstrom, Hermana Splin, y Elder Bednar!
wwwooowww. Such a great conference. Elder Bednar spoke strongly about
repentance. It was so awesome! It’s going to help Uruguay
and Paraguay
a ton!
Pte Damiano, our stake
president came to our practice this past week for the charla fogonera and gave
us some feedback and he helped us out a ton. He talked about singing from your
heart and with passion. The importance of feeling what you are singing. And
then yelled "HOY ES EL DÍA!!" louder than anyone I have ever heard. I
think it scared some of the missionaries haha. And to be honest, it made me
feel like I was back on the football field from the way he yelled it haha. What
a stud. But it amped us up and helped us out a ton.
The hermana simpson
"died" o sea finished the mission yesterday! She is the first hermana
to finish in our group. Its kind like a little wake up call for us "hey
you only have 6 months left" type of deal hahaha. we went to the bus
station yesterday to see her off and she was late and the bus driver told us
that he wouldn’t wait, we did all we could and stalled him for as long as we
could but in the end, she missed it in the station. So we called the member she
was with and she caught it on the route ha-ha so in the end she got on. What a
way to finish the mission.
And now for the best news of
all! THE FAMILIA MACHADO GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEK!!!! AAAHHHHHH!!!!! I was
so happy when the assistants called and told me! After working with that family
6 months in Artigas, they finally got baptized! Ah I was so happy! On just 4
weeks after I left! ha-ha. But it seriously made my day. Elder Vasquez sent me
a picture that I will attach or send in another email. I cannot stop smiling! I
am sooo happy! One of the best feelings in the world.
Being a missionary is so
awesome. These are the best two years of my life. Words cannot describe these
things. There is just no possible way. I know that the church is true. I know
that this is the work of the Lord and He has His hand in every phase of this
work. The Book of Mormon is true. The doctrine of Christ is so clear and so
perfect. It is the only way to life a happy and full life. It is the only way to
return to live with Him. I feel so blessed to have this chance to serve here in
Uruguay.
I have learned so much from the faith of these members and from the strengths
of the Spirit.
Lets all try a little bit
harder to be a little bit better this week! Give it all you got!
Les quiero muchìsimo!
UN abrazo grande,
Elder Staffieri
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