Mission President, Juan, and Invitations

¡Hola amigos y familia!

I am happy to write to you this week. It has been another week of progress, miracles, and happiness.

I continue to learn every day. There was one day when I shared my testimony of the Book of Mormon, how we can know that it is true if we read it and pray, asking God to know if it is true. After I shared this, the person we were teaching said, "What? I don´t understand. You used some complicated words." That made me think. The best way to teach is not to talk more, or to use complicated words. It is to share sincere powerful truths. If there isn´t more to say, I don´t need to keep talking. The Holy Ghost teaches through short sincere messages.

 

My companion has begun to teach me how to lead a companionship, plan what we are going to do the next day, and lead discussions too. It´s really hard sometimes. It is important to be bold, to look at the options, make a decision, and stick with it. As I continue to make more choices, it becomes easier to see which choices are best. I know that God helps us when we trust in Him and are willing to do what he asks. Be bold! It is better to be bold, be wrong, and then change than to be unsure and not make anything.

 

We had interviews with the mission president, President Franco, this week! He taught us some new ways to find new people to teach and we are put them in practice. We visited a big member family and encouraged each of them to think of someone they could share a Book of Mormon with. We then gave them a Book of Mormon. We are excited to hear about their experience. I invite each of you to share a Book of Mormon with a friend. This book is the greatest gift we have because it teaches us everything we need to do to be happy in this life and the next. When we come to know it is true, as it says in the introducion, we come to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God´s church on the earth.

 

 

 

As missionaries, we have a meeting with the other missionaries in our area every Tuesday. However, now we have to travel to another city to have them because the other Elders in our area have moved out. This coming Wednesday, my companion and I have to travel to Resistencia to fill out some papers for me. This means this coming week, we will be out and about. We have plans to teach with the young men of the branch here which is really exciting! There are about six young men that will be going on their missions this year or next, which is incredible since there are only about 30-40 members here at church every Sunday. They have strong testimonies.

 

These youth have a friend, Juan (17), who has been coming to church for about six months and even went to EFY (a spiritual week for the youth). He has shared his testimony and is preparing to be baptized. He is praying this week to know when he should get baptized and we are excited for him!

Until next week...

Elder Cloward

 

My companion and I. It´s actually really hot here, but we know it´s winter in the states. Preparation day is silly sometimes.

Drinking mint leaves with lemonade. It was really good with the bombilla (Argentine straw for yerba mate), but I decided to make a funny face.