Jesus & Marie Get Baptized (P.S. - I'm Staying in Buenos Aires South - And Training)

June 29, 2015

So, I'm staying in Parque Baron! Elder Ventura got transferred to La Plata Este (East) and will be in the other mission (the new Buenos Aires East Mission) so that kind of sucks. And I'm going to be training! I am no longer a District Leader, just training. I'm pretty excited but also nervous to train. For my Spanish, I hope he's Latino haha. Also right after I found out I was going to be training, I had the feeling or impression that I was going to have a difficult time with him. Not sure if we won't get along, or if he`ll have a hard time adjusting and missing home or what, but I had the feeling that it`ll be hard but we`ll see what happens. I'm excited though because one of the reasons I enjoyed being District Leader was the opportunity to serve the other missionaries and help them. Especially two Elders that I wanted to help. Being the District Leader of those Elders gave me a grand desire to help them reach their potential as missionaries. So now I'm excited to be able to do that but perhaps more fully with my hijo (son - a term used for the one you are training). I'll have a chance to kind of set the stage for the rest of his mission.  I can help him from the start to be obedient and develop good habits. As I'm training him, I really want to be able to search and find the gifts and talents that he has and to help him recognize them so he can develop and use them to be the missionary God wants him to be.  I want to help him realize the potential he has as a missionary and put him on the path to achieve that and be the best missionary he can be. I know Elder Durham helped me a lot when he was training me so I hope I can be of help to the Elder I'm  going to be training. Today I'm with another Elder that is going to train.  He served in Parque Baron a couple months ago. Then tomorrow at 3:30 we have to be in the stake center and then from there we go to the mission home to receive our new companions.

Yes, all went well with Jesus, so Maria and him were baptized yesterday!!

It was raining almost all day but it was really great. Leandro, the friend of Jesus baptized both of them. Maria's Mom came to the baptism so we`ll see if we can start teaching her. But they are great and are going to be great members.

Yeah, officially Elder Pribyl is in Buenos Aires Sur (South) with me so I'm sure one day I`ll see him and maybe even the same zone or district! Pretty Nuts!

We haven't been able to work with the ward much.  We need to start visiting the leaders. We made a goal of perhaps having a FHE (Family Home Evening) with the members once a week, starting with the leaders and having them invite a non-member. Yesterday we did divisiones (splits)with the Bishop and Stake President, who lives in our ward and visited some less actives and it was good. We received a reference from the mission office so we`ll see what happens.

Thank you for everything. I love you lots!!

Love
Elder McFarland

Happy Father's Day

June 22, 2015

Hola!

This week was pretty good. Wednesday we had the pre-interview with Jesus and Maria and to be honest we were pleasantly surprised with Maria.  As we did the pre-interview, we realized that she was ready and that she understands - perhaps not a perfect knowledge, but she has a strong desire and faith and we could see her sincerity. Thursday the zone leaders came and did the interviews. Maria was fine but they told us that Jesus would have to talk to President Thurgood or one of his counselors, so today at 6 he has an interview with President Pittito, one of Presidents counselors. We are hopeful that all will go well today and he will be able to get baptized this next week.  Either way though, Maria wants to get baptized, so she`ll get baptized for sure this Sunday.  Other than Jesus and Maria, we still don’t have too much. We were talking this morning and realized we need to start finding new investigators and working with new people because after 5 weeks it’s really been the same people. So, we talked about what we could do and so this week I think we are going to try to start finding new people and focusing on those that are going to progress.

I don’t really know the details about my Visa, I just know that if I don’t get my identification card by June 2th I will have to go do tramites again.  I really don’t know what that means but I don’t really think it’s a big deal.  I have heard of others that have a year or year and a half or more and still haven’t gotten theirs.

Thanks for everything and for your support and love.  Sorry I didn’t get a Father’s Day email to you Dad, but Happy Father’s Day!!  I hope you had a great day. It was the same here.  This Sunday was Father’s Day so we actually had a hard time having lessons.  I miss you both lots. I love you!

Love
Elder McFarland

The Familia Esquivel

Monday, June 8, 2015

Hola Hola!

This week was alright. So yeah we went back to the capital to the Bolivia consulate Tuesday morning and finished the paperwork (for his companion) there but I think we`ll have to go back to Burzaco one day this week to finish the tramites. Also apparently I haven't gotten my visa or I don't really know exactly but apparently if I don't get something by June 29th I'll have to go do my tramites again.

Jesus and Maria are doing well. They both came to church yesterday.  Jesus fasted and is paying tithing even though he isn't a member yet and yesterday he bore his testimony. Today we had a lesson with them so that we can finish teaching them before June 20th. I think he`ll be ready but Maria may take a little longer. She doesn't say much and she's not really one that is good at expressing her emotions or thoughts and so it's hard to tell if she's having a hard time understanding or if she just can't express it very well. So I'm a little worried about that. We had a couple other baptismal dates but we passed by like three times this week and their family says that they aren't there but we are pretty sure they`re lying.

Pretty cool, we had an intercambio this last week from the Elders from Banfield 4th ward and my companion and another Elder were here in Parque Baron.and they had a lesson with an inactive family.  The parents of a recent convert that just left on his mission before I arrived in the area and was actually the Ward Mission Leader before he left - the familia Esquivel. So my companion and the other Elder went and had a really good lesson with Hermano and Hermana Esquivel and they said they`d come to church and they did! So that was super awesome. Hopefully they can keep coming. Other than that, we have quite a few investigators but none that are progressing. I think we need to work hard on finding new people.

This Friday we have our Zone Conference so I'm pretty stoked for that. Also that's kind of funny that you`re teaching priesthood next week Dad on flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon because this week in the district reunion I'm going to teach about chapter 5 from PMG (Preach My Gospel) that's about the Book of Mormon. A few months ago President gave us 15 minutes extra in personal and companionship study to study a chapter from PMG every month so this month it's chapter 5. So I gave out some assignments to all the Elders to teach parts of the chapter. I'm still not exactly sure what I'm going to do.  I want to do an activity or practice but I'm not sure what yet.

And Mom, the mission used to sell scripture cases but they stopped and apparently there's a hermana that makes them but I haven't been able to get a hold of her and I heard she's really slow. So before I leave my mission I still want to  buy the scripture covers like the photo you sent but I was looking for something I could just use now, but if you can't find any that's okay. Also I was thinking of a couple other things you guys could send if you want :) I lost my tie clip that Scott gave me as a gift so I don't have a tie clip so if you could send me one; the color or details don't matter - black or silver and that's fine with me. Also a book called The  Ultimate Missionary Companion. And finally, if you could find something that would help me study Spanish it would help if it wasn't that big.  I'm not looking for a huge book or textbook but I'm not sure, perhaps something on the smaller side that could help. I know its not very specific but if you found something that could be of help that wouldn't add to much to what I already have. If not don't worry about it. Thank you for everything! I miss and love you!

Love 

Elder McFarland

A Trip to Burzaco & The Capital

Monday, June 1, 2015

Hola!
Sorry I'm emailing so late. It's been a kind of crazy day. So Friday, we went to Burzaco to do tramites for Elder Ventura's visa but then found out we`d have to go to the capital sometime to finish it. On Sunday we found out that today we`d be going to the capital. So in the morning we went to the offices and with two other Hermanas took a remis (a hired driver with his car) to the capital, which was like an hour. When we get to the Bolivian consulate, they tell us that they give out numbers from 8-8:30. So tomorrow we will have to leave from the mission offices at 5 in the morning to get to the consulate at like 6 to get a good ticket. So tonight we are staying with the Elders that are in charge of doing the visas, so that's why we are emailing so late. Today we didn't even have a p-day and actually missed our zone activity because of it. We were pretty bummed and a little annoyed because now we are going to miss the zone meeting tomorrow too... but it’s okay.

This week was pretty good. We got three new investigators and from those 3 we set two baptismal dates. But with all three we still aren't really sure how much they understood and how much they`ll progress. One is a woman that used and sold drugs and was in prison for a couple years and when we were talking with her she kept repeating herself like she has a really bad memory and she can’t sleep either. The other two are a middle aged man and his mom that live together and they are good people but not sure if they understood anything. So we`ll find out more this week.

Jesus and Maria told us that getting married is a goal but that they aren't prepared. When we asked why their main concerns were having a place to live, because right now they live separately, and also they feel young, which they are. So we talked with them about it for a while and it appears like their decision is to keep the law of chastity for now and get baptized June 20th, at least Jesus, Maria might be a little longer and when they are ready, get married.

We passed by Daisy's but she was ¨sleeping¨ so we haven't been able to talk with her. The ward council seems to meet irregularly here and they don't invite us anyways. Also right now we don't have a Ward Mission Leader because the last one left on his mission a few weeks ago.

Mom, yeah the ones (shoes) we bought are fine. They are size 10. Also, I was thinking if you guys could send me scripture cases but not like the one I have for my English scriptures with a handle to carry around. I want scripture cases that are for the triple combination and the Bible separately that I can then put in my bag. Not sure if that made sense. Also if you buy some make sure it's the size for Spanish because the Spanish scriptures are bigger. Also maybe if there's a mini Spanish Book of Mormon like the military size Book of Mormon in English. (We have a friend that is going to Argentina & have offered to take a package to Elder McFarland for us, so we asked what he wanted.)

That's cool you got a new job Mom. It sounds pretty good so you`ll have to update me on how you like it. Love you guys and talk to you next week.

Love
Elder McFarland