I love this work!

¡Hola!

Thank you for all of your prayers and all that you do to participate in missionary work. I really felt God supporting my companion and me in this large area we have.

 We have three families in Avellaneda now that are really progressing. I believe I already talked about Lilia and Julio, who have been waiting for about a year to get a divorce so they can get married. They are getting super close, and we will probably know tomorrow how much longer it will take. Milagro, who I already mentioned, is part of the Gomez family. She has four younger siblings, all of whom have names that start with "m." She is still excited to get baptized! This week we went to teach them about tithing. We normally can only visit them once a week, so we expected progress to be slow. However, as we began to teach how God only requires us to give Him back only one tenth of what we receive, María, Milagro´s mom said something that surprised me. She said, "I would give all that I receive to God because He has blessed me so much." She told us "ever since you started coming to teach us, the family is closer, work is better, and the children don´t fight as much as they used to." It made me so happy to hear her share her strong testimony with us and it made me realize what a small part I have as a missionary in teaching God´s children. He does nearly all of the teaching, and it is our responsibility as missionaries and members to help them focus on Him and what He has to say. We invited her to be baptized with her children and they said yes.

Lentil flour... interesting. We found a health food store here. There was garbanzo bean flour as well and a bunch of other things we didn´t understand.

A similar experience happened with another family we are teaching in Avellaneda. We found Valeria a little over three months as we were traveling to Las Toscas on the bus. She seemed really interested in what we do and we wrote down her address to go and visit her just before we got of the bus. Now, several months later, they have a regular habit of praying as a family every day. She and Luciano have a young four year old daughter, Lourdes. This week, we were teaching Luciano the ten commandments. We were trying to finish teaching the lesson because we had to catch the bus back and we had already spent several times visiting them teaching them some of the commandments. But then, he started to tell us of some of the great blessing he had received in his life. We listened as he shared his testimony of God and of the church. He has come to church once before, and he told us he knows it is true and wants all of his family to come and see. We weren´t teaching about that, but the Spirit testified to him that the church is true. He knows because he is trying what we are teaching and knows it is good. That makes me so happy!

Eating torta frita (fried tortilla) with Agustin.

I know that this is God´s work. Our part in his work is hard, but rewarding. It is marvelous and miraculous. God loves us. He wants us to be happy. As we seek Him, we find joy. Our trials and difficulties remain, but they are made easier and they don´t matter as much. I love this work!

¡Hasta luego!

Elder Cloward

La Cortada

What an incredible week this has been. I feel like I am growing fast and that God is using me and my abilities to help the people here.

 

Elder Curtis and me in front of the chapel.

 We have been focusing on a small neighborhood here called La Cortada. It is by far the most poor and dirty of the neighborhoods in the city. It always has mud and floods easy, and there is trash everywhere. However, the people there are also very humble in heart. We are finding many people who love Jesus ans are willing to listen to us. God is preparing people and we are finding them. We pray especially this week that we can visit each of them again and help them begin to live more fully Christ`s teachings.

One lady we met, Estela, works with the young children in the Catholic church. She told us how she loves to teach them about Jesus and Mary. I told her that my mom also teaches the children and that it`s a happy job. We shared the Book of Mormon with her in Alma 7:10-13 where it talks about Mary, but focuses on Jesus and His Atonement. She loved it and understood us perfectly when we told her that we believe in Mary and what she did, but that we don`t adore or worship her. We made a wonderful connection with her that we hope to continue.

An Argentine sunrise from our apartment window.

There was another day when we were walking down the street and passed a bunch of children. One of them called out, "what do you sell?" I told them, "we don`t sell anything. We share a message of Jesus Christ. Do you want to learn more about him? Come here, I want to show you something!"  A group of six or seven children crowded around me as I shared pictures of Jesus and shared my testimony of Him and of the Restoration of His church. It really reminded me of how I used to teach my younger siblings and again, or how my parents have always been good at teaching young children and keeping their attention. I know God is preparing me for short moments like these to share my testimony. It makes me happy!

Some members, my companion and me.

Today we celebrated the forth of July with hamburgers and hot dogs! Being away, I am even more grateful for the United States and the blessings my family and I have had there. We have been given much, so much will be required of us.

4th of July Celebration!

Keep inviting your friends to learn more about Jesus. He is the center of God`s plan and the only one who can save us. I love Him. He loves us. I want to do all that I can to serve Him and help others go to Him. When I make mistakes, I can change and try again, because He helps me and wants me to be better. When I do my very best and trust in Jesus, He makes everything turn out okay.

¡Que tenga una semana feliz!

Elder Cloward

First Week With Elder Curtis

¡Hola!

First weeks in new areas feel really long. Elder Curtis and I are learning how to work together and we are making good progress. There is a lot of work to do now that we have two areas in two different cities to work with.

The roads get really muddy here when it rains and we walk all over in our boots.

We have been visiting recently with a really big inactive member family in Avellaneda, the Machuca family. Some of the family members have been members of the church for longer than I have been alive. On Friday and Saturday, it rained pretty hard and all of the roads near their home turned to mud. We tried to go and visit this family with the branch president in his car. We got stuck in the mud. Elder Curtis and I had to get out and push until he got unstuck. That was an adventure! He ended up turning back because of the mud, but Elder Curtis and I made it to their house. We invited this family back to church and they said they would come. Even though there was mud everywhere, they came to church for the first time in a long time. I was so happy to see them when they arrived!

We are working really hard to find new people to teach. It´s hard work, but it has been fun to talk to so many people.

I love working hard here and sometimes I forget to take pictures. I am happy and well!

There was one man that the other Elders had been teaching for a few weeks that told us he doesn't want us to teach him any more. He told us he was convinced that all of the churches are the same, just with different view points and opinions. He said that it is the responsibility of each person to find their way back to God. It made me very sad, though I had only just met him. We shared our testimonies with him, that there is one true church, the church Christ established and restored in our day. We don´t need to look for our own way alone. God has provided a way for us to return to Him. It is not an easy way, but it is a happy one, a way of hope. That way is Jesus Christ. Learn all you can of Him and keep His commandments. Christ has established a church with His teachings so that we can work together to return to live with God after this live. Our message is not always easy to follow, but it is a message of gladness and joy. 

God lives! He is our father in heaven. Christ paid the price so that when we make mistakes, we can repent and be forgiven. I love Him and love to serve Him! As I remember Him, he supports me and helps me to do His work.

Thank you for all of your prayers for missionary work. Continue to pray and show your faith by teaching and inviting others to learn about and follow the teachings of Christ. You will find great happiness as they find joy in God´s plan of happiness.

Have a happy week!

Elder Cloward

Transfers

¡Hola!

Me at sun down.

We found some great people this week, I got sick, and we had transfers. Whew!

Wednesday, I was sick and we didn´t go out. I´m doing a lot better, but I still have a cough that makes it hard to speak sometimes. Elder Felkins also got sick Sunday night, his last day in the mission. That was a little sad, and I sure hope he´s doing better now.

We found another really great family in Las Toscas. At first, it didn´t seem like they were going to let us teach them, but then the mother let us pass. She told us that her youngest child started doing rebelious things and she didn´t know what to do to help him. We taught them the restoration and how we can pray and God will answer us through the Holy Ghost. I taught that the Holy Ghost talks to us through our thoughts and feelings and how happy it makes us feel. The mother felt it. She told us, "I feel something good. I don´t know how to describe it, but I know that what you are teaching me is true." I know that Jesus Christ restored His true church on the earth. He called Joseph Smith to be His new prophet on the earth. We can know that this message is true if we ask God in prayer. He will answer us, because he loves us.

We shared the Restoration video with Samuel and Agustin´s family and Lilia and Julio. Julio is the brother of Samuel´s mom who is waiting to get married to Lilia so they can be baptized.

We had transfers. I´m not training yet, and I´m not leaving my area, or staying. My area got combined with the area of the new district leader, Elder Curtis. We now have his area, all of Avellaneda, and Las Toscas. It´s going to be a bit overwhelming and full of traveling. The Zone we are in now got small enough that Elder Curtis is the district leader for the whole zone. Normally there are just two. We will be busy!

My new companion, Elder Curtis.

Our old District.

Please keep praying for missionary work. There are people that are waiting for the invitation to change. Do all you can to invite your friends to learn more about Jesus Christ and his teachings. You will find greater joy and peace. You will begin to see more and more the great things God has done for you in your lives.

¡Hasta luego!

Elder Cloward

Me in Avellaneda.

Another short-long week. So much is happening and it is going by so fast!

¡Hola!

Another short-long week. So much is happening and it is going by so fast!

I had an appointment with the dermatologist (skin doctor) in Resistencia because I had really bad exzima. She prescribed me some creams and now I am all better. Whew! However, now I have a pretty bad cough :). I´m hoping to be in better condition in the next few days.

We made empanadas! They were sooo good! We had 12 each and I was very full afterward.

We found quite a few great people to teach this week. We went to teach the man I talked about in my last email. He turned out to be a builder. He´s been constructing an incredible house, with all kinds of unique designs very different from the box-like structure of most houses here. He invited us in and we sat down. He had a huge cup of wine and was watching TV. He was full of questions during our discusion with him. We did our best to answer them and teach him about Christ´s restored church and how he and his family can find more happiness in all of the confusion in the world. We shared with him Christ´s parable of the wise man who built his house on a rock (3 Nephi 14:24-27). Near the end, his wife walked up angrily and told the man to kick us out because she didn´t want people from other religions in her house. It´s going to be really hard to help this man overcome all of these obstacles, but he wants us to come back and he loves learning from us.

Last Monday, we had a family home evening with this great family. We taught them about temples and invited them to prepare to go to the temple. Afterwards, we played pictionary on my whiteboard.

Please pray for Milagro this week. She is 11, the oldest child in her family. She came to church this past Sunday and wants to be baptized. However, her parents aren´t very supportive and don´t see how important this step is in her life. We hope to help all of them progress together, because there are way to many young children in this city who got baptized and haven´t come to church since.

We ate icecream with Branco and his parents, Lilia and Julio, who have been waiting over a year so they can get married and be baptized.

This is the last week of the transfer and Elder Felkins is finishing his mission. That means I am definatly getting a new companion. I´m fairly sure I will stay in Avellaneda, but who my companion will be, I have no idea. I will write next Tuesday or if I end up training a new missionary, I will probably miss writing next week. That will be exciting!

God lives. He is real! He loves us. We have challenges in this world so that we can progress and become like Him. I love Him and His Plan of Happiness. Christ is our savior. I invite you each to do at least one thing to get to know Jesus and His teachings a little more personaly. If you do, you will find greater peace in your lives.

¡Hasta luego!

Elder Cloward

¡Hola!

¡Hola!

So much good work is happening here, but sometimes it seems so slow. I wish we could teach everything we need to in just a week or two, but in reality, the fastest an investigator can go from meeting the missionaries to being baptized is a month, and that doesn´t happen very often here. Change and repentance take a lot of time. We can´t change all at once.

I got to see my trainer, Elder Takapu, at our last multi-zone meeting. He´s really great!

Luciano came to church yesterday! We met his girl friend, Valeria, on the bus to Las Toscas about a month and a half ago, and since then, they have been very curious about what we teach. Luciano loved it!  I am so glad it was fast and testimony meeting, (anyone in the congregation can go up front and share what they believe) because the Holy Ghost was really strong. The second class talked about the Holy Ghost and its role. It was a perfect class because Luciano had had a question about the Holy Ghost before. We have a lesson with him and Valeria tonight and hope to help them progress closer to baptism.

We had several experiences where we knew we were in the right place at the right time. On Saturday, a man riding a bike stopped and asked us where we were from. He knew we were missionaries, and aparantly had stopped us because he needed help. He told us one of his neighbors every so often would roam the neighborhood with a gun and just rob people and break their stuff. This had happened several times to the man we were talking to and he was worried about his children and his wife. At the time he passed us, he had reached the conclusion that the only think he could do was kill his neighbor. His anger showed all over his face. Everything that we said to calm him, he ignored. Finally, Elder Felkins, my companion, asked if we could say a prayer with this man. Elder Felkins gave a beautiful prayer, asking God that He would protect this man and his family and help the man make good disisions. After the prayer, the man was visibly humbled. He was still angry, but he had hope. That´s what Christ´s teachings bring us: hope and peace. Jesus doesn´t take away our problems, but he makes them easier to carry. I gained a greater testimony of that with this man. We also won´t be going into that neighborhood after dark :).

God lives! He loves us. He wants us to return to live with him. He sent Jesus to teach us His plan of happiness. When we obey Christ, we are happy. I invite you to share the joy Christ has given to you with others. This will bring you even greater happiness and joy.

Be happy and make choices that with bring you the greatest eternal happiness!

Elder Cloward

McDonalds! It was good, but the Big Mac was really small. Normal hamburgers here, with eggs and other incredients, are way bigger.

A weekend of miracles!

¡Buen dia!

This week was really full! On Monday, we Skyped Alejandra and invited her to come to church. Because of her difficult situation being super far from the church and getting really sick, President Franco, the Mission president told us he would pay for the bus tickets. Alejandra was so excited. Right after the call, we talked to President Franco about our plan, and he told us that if it was possible, we should baptize her this Saturday, even though she hadn't gone to church. We couldn't wait to tell her!

 

On Tuesday, I went to Corrientes to get my DNE, my Argentine ID card that will make me legal for the next two years. It´s going to arrive in about a month.

Wednesday, the 25th, is Argentine Independence day. Traditionally, everyone makes big pots of locro, a type of soup with a corn and meat base. The branch had a huge activity and cooked a bunch for everyone.  I got to try a little bit and I really like it. Most people don´t because it contains mondongo, or cow stomach. It has a weird chewy taste to it. We only received permission to eat a little, because it makes some people sick.

 

My district at the locro.

The cooks at the locro activity.

Locro!

That same day, we Skyped Alejandra again and introduced her to everyone that was still at the activity. We invited them to be baptized this Saturday, and they said yes! Milagros was really nervous, especially because she is really shy and doesn't like to talk very much.

Saturday was a huge day. Five people had their baptisms scheduled and we were all really exited! It felt like three days put in one. As almost always happens with baptisms, there were a lot of problems to solve. Alejandra planned to stay with her sister who lives close to the church, but then her sister told her she´d be busy that day. Alejandra told us she would sleep in the terminal if she had to, she was that excited to be baptized. After scrambling to find a place for her to stay, and finding none, President Franco told us we could rent out a Hotel room.

On the baptism day.

We ended up having three baptismal services. Antonio, who asked me to baptize him, couldn't come when everyone else had their baptisms, so his service was at 2:30. Then Luz, the young girl that would be baptized told us that she was sick and she would have to come sooner so she wouldn´t be out in the cold. She was baptized at 4:00. Finally, Juan, Alegandra, and Milagros were baptized at 6:00. We were so happy for them! Not very many people came, but the services were each very special. My companion, two other Elders, and I sang a special musical number "Savior may I learn to Love Thee" and I directed the music.

Antonio, who asked me to baptize him.

Antonio after his baptism.

Alejandra and Milagros right after their baptisms. They were so happy!

All five of them were confirmed members of the church on Sunday and received the Holy Ghost. I am so happy for all of them and that I could be a part of their decisions to be baptized!

All of the five new converts and missionaries.

Elder Cloward