District Leader - Again

Monday, July 27, 2015

Hola Hola!

So this week was pretty interesting with some changes. The Bishopric (Bishop and 2 Counselors) in our ward changed. The Bishop was a good guy but I think he was kind of getting tired. I think it will be a good change. Also the new counselor, Demesio, does visits with us sometimes so I'm hoping with the changes we will be able to work with the ward leaders a little more. Also Jesus did't get the Priesthood, I think with all the changes going on last week, but we talked to the new Bishop and he said next week for sure. Also I don't know if I told you guys but Jesus and Maria are getting married next, Wednesday, August 5th and I think we`ll be able to go.

The interview with President Thurgood was good. The scripture covers! Yeah I knew last week I was forgetting something, but yes they fit and they`re awesome!! Thank you so much. It's nice to have scripture covers finally. I haven't gotten the ID card.

Cynthia is going to the capitol this week so we don't have a lesson with her until next Monday but Saturday in the morning we were able to stop by just for a few minutes and see how she was doing and if she read and prayed. She read a little but still hasn't prayed but she said she knows that what her boyfriend believes is good and she wants to learn more and perhaps in the future get baptized. So, I think when she returns and we can really start teaching her she`ll progress.

We don't have a baptism the 26th. Since our first lesson with that lady, Roxana, we haven't been able to have a lesson since.

But the good news is that we got a reference from a member and contacted him and he's super awesome. His name is Fabian Diaz and he's 19. He works in a Carniceria and lives alone. But he's really spiritual and wants to follow God and do the right. He went to institute with a girl once but with his work schedule it's hard. The good part is that he has Sundays off but just so happens that right now his boss is in Paraguay and left him in charge so for 2 weeks he has to work Sundays but after that he said he would come to church. We did begin teaching with him and read 2 Nephi 31:5, 9-10 and invited him to be baptized the 16th of August and he accepted! The bad news is that he won't be able to because of the attendance,  but we`ll set a new date with him. He's a super cool kid though. I feel like he's super prepared and ready to accept the Gospel. Also when we contacted him at his work, we did a contact with a lady buying meat who is Catholic but her niece and some family are Mormons and tonight we have a lesson with her.

The Hermana that doesn't understand the temple, we haven't been able to pass by much. She's older and so is her mom, and her dad is in bad health so they have to stay home taking care of him so it's almost impossible to come to church but we talked with the new Bishop and he said next week he's going to assign someone to take them the sacrament.

Also that's my blanket. Right before Elder Gonzalez got here, the mission gave us 500 pesos to buy a blanket if we wanted to. I'm not sure how I'll fit it when I leave but if I can I really want to take it, haha.

Also another change is that I'm District Leader (DL) again. One of the District Leaders got emergency transferred to an area to replace an Elder that went home, so my area and another area swapped districts and President Thurgood asked me to be DL. So my district is now Lanus 1A and Lanus 1B and El Faro. I have 4 Elders and 2 Hermanas. Not going to lie, it was a little more tranquilo not being DL and just being able to focus on training and our area but I enjoyed being DL at the same time because I learned a lot and liked the opportunity to serve. So it`ll be good. I hope all is well back home. Thanks for everything. Love you guys!

Love
Elder McFarland

The Package!!!!

Monday, July 20, 2015

Hola!
So this week was pretty interesting. There were lots of things going on. Three times this week we went over to Jesus´ house to help him fix it up and finish up two rooms but there's still a lot of work to be done. The good news is that Jesus and Maria are getting married August 5!! It's out of our area but I'm hopeful and pretty sure we should be able to go. It seems like after they get married, Maria and their baby will be living with Jesus if the house is done or not. Super awesome. I'm not sure what ended up happening yesterday, but Jesus didn't receive the priesthood. I'm not sure if the Bishopric just forgot or if something happened. I didn't have a chance to really ask or talk to Jesus about it but we have a lesson with them tomorrow. I think he should be getting it for sure next Sunday.

This week I think I ate something bad and my stomach was upset for a couple days but now it's fine. The good news is that in our mission we now get reimbursed after 300 pesos for vegetables and fruits. We get 1100 pesos a month so now it should hopefully be a little easier to eat healthier or that's the idea at least, haha.

This week we had to go to Burzaco for my tramites. Not really sure what happened but I renewed some form and now I just wait to receive my identification or something. I have no idea really but it's not a problem, haha.  It was awesome because Elder Durham (Elder McFarland's 1st companion) was there also that day with a companion and so we got to talk for a good while and I was grateful for that because it's probably the last time I see him in the mission since he goes home in 3 weeks. Then Friday my companion had to go to the capital for his visa or something so I spent the morning with another Elder.

So in terms of the work, it was somewhat hard because we had lots going on but we had some good lessons with some less actives. Really we have 0 progressing investigators so we are really focusing on finding new people and yesterday we received an answer to our prayers. We were doing visits with the Young Women's President to invite less active young men to an activity when a man and his mom waved to us. We were really confused but went to go talk to them and it turns out they are members who live in the capital and the man was there visiting his girlfriend. They were leaving the area but they gave us the address of his girlfriend so we went and contacted her and she let us in. Her name is Cynthia and she has an 8 year old son and a 9 month old baby and apparently her and her boyfriend, who waved to us and is a member, are getting married in November and then she`ll move to live with him. But for now she is living in a room with her kids in her parents house. We talked to her and her sister-in-law, Melissa, but she appeared to be a little less interested and left to attend something as we talked, but hopefully we can teach her too. Cynthia was a little more receptive. She has had a little contact with the Church over the years because of her boyfriend. She has gone to church a few times and had gone to some church activities but very little contact with missionaries, if at all. So, we talked to her to get to know her a little bit and talked about the Book of Mormon. We left her with the invitation to read 2 Nephi 31 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/31?lang=eng
and to pray to see if its true. We have another lesson Tuesday but we`re hopeful and excited and have faith that she`ll progress. Also this past week we received two references from members (I haven't received a reference since I've been here) and we are going to contact them this week. So this week we are really hoping to get the work going and work with new people.

This Wednesday we have interviews with President Thurgood, which should be really good. Oh also today, Elder Pribyl called me, haha. It was super, super weird to hear his voice but super awesome. I'm super excited to see him. I appears he is doing really well.

Also, I got your package!!! When we did tramites, we were in the offices and they gave it to me! I took a photo before I opened it. THANK YOU!! It was seriously so great getting a package, haha. I felt like a little kid at Christmas or that is was my birthday again opening something up.

I've already read the book (The Ultimate Missionary Companion by Ed J. Pinegar), but now I'm going to  go back and read it slower and study it in my free time. The socks will be such a nice replacement because I have quite a few with holes, haha. Also, the shoes are so nice, haha. I forgot what they looked like new (we sent the exact same pair that he left with), but I think I'm going to wear out the older pair for a little longer before I break in the new ones. Also, thank you for the tie clips especially the Argentina flag one. That one is sick. (Thanks Scott for the suggestion.)

And the Misison pins!! We got a Mission pin that are a little different from President Thurgood when the Mission split, but I have to find it. I can't remember where I put it, haha. But, it's great to have another one and also Elder Pribyl obviously never got one and my companion too so I gave one to my companion and I`ll give one to Elder Pribyl when I see him. Oh and the Air Heads and other candy!! haah. So good! Thank you! My companion loves the Air Heads. I haven't opened the other candy yet. I want to save it for a special moment, hahaha. And the card. The classic with the words hahah thank you. Needless to say it was awesome getting the package. I'm very grateful for it. Thank you! I'm glad you guys got to send one while I was on my mission and it was definitely needed, so thank you! Oh and the money!! I think I'm going to save it for a little while until I get closer to the end of my mission and then exchange it!!  Thanks for all the updates from home. I'm glad to hear things are going well. Thanks for everything. I love you guys so much! Miss you!

Love
Elder McFarland

P.S. from Elder McFarland's Mom.
We have been asked not to send any packages because it is very expensive to pay the fees to pick them up and it takes a lot of time away from the work for the missionaries and there is a lot of theft.  But, we knew someone that served his mission in Argentina and was going back with his wife to visit and offered to take a package for us.  We were thrilled.  Thanks to the McPhies.

No iPads

Monday, July 13, 2015

Hola, Hola!

So yesterday Jesus and Maria had an interview with one of the members of the bishopric but I don't know yet if Jesus had the chance to be interviewed to receive the priesthood. Tomorrow we are going to help him fix up his house so I`ll find out more tomorrow. Either way, I hope he will be able to receive it next week. Also, they took out the papers to start the process of getting married, but I have no idea how longer until they fill it out and get married, but they are doing well. We haven't been able to talk to his friend yet though. I was disappointed because we were supposed to have a lesson with the old investigator Saturday but then she asked us to come Sunday, but then Sunday she canceled and said she was at a birthday, so now we rescheduled for Wednesday. So, we`ll see if she still has the interest and excitement to continue listening to us and prepare to be baptized. We didn't have a lesson with the less active mother and her father, but Tuesday we have a lesson with them.

This week was somewhat hard. Tuesday, Elder Gonzalez ate something bad and was sick for a day and the last couple days I've had a cold, so we haven't been 100% lately. But this week, I think should be a lot better. We have interviews on the 22nd so if the package gets dropped off before then I'm sure I'll receive it at the interviews. Elder Gonzalez speaks a little English but he isn't fluent or anything. Also, we are not getting iPads (a lot of missionaries in the United States now have iPads to use on their missions) and won't be getting iPads as far as I know. I've heard, although not sure if it is true, that President Thurgood was offered iPads but said no. Probably because in most of the areas, if not all of the areas, there is a huge risk of them getting stolen. It's not like the United States where you can leave it in the car or even if you don't have a car there is not a high chance of getting robbed. Every week there is at least one area that gets robbed. But it would be nice to have one,haha.

Anyways, I love you and thank you for everything! I`ll let you know when i get the package!

Love
Elder McFarland

New Companion - Elder Gonzalez

Monday, July 6, 2015

Hola! So yes, my new companion is from Chile.  His name is Elder Gonzalez and he's from Viña del Mar. He's 18 but straight up looks like hes 15, haha, But he's a stud. He's super, super excited to be out on the mission and in the field and just wants to work, work, work so I'm pretty stoked to be with him.

I know I'm going to learn a lot from him. His family are all members of the church and he has just one sister who is 16. We got to the mission home and there were 4 Americans and 11 Latinos and out of the 4 Americans only 2 were Elders and I was really hoping I wouldn't get one of them, haha so I was pretty happy to get a Latino.

This week was pretty great. I had some of the best lessons of my mission this past week with him. Just feeling and being led by the Spirit in the lessons. We met an inactive mom and her son and tonight we have a FHE (Family Home Evening) with them. Then we had a lesson with an inactive hermana who doesn't understand the endowment. She doesn't feel the desire or need to go to the temple. For her, in the bible Christ was baptized and so she was baptized and so that's all she needs. After saying that, a hermano from the ward that was with us started going off on her and there started to be some contention and both Elder Gonzalez and I started to worry it would get out of hand and end really bad.  Then we stepped in and were able to listen to her and then Elder Gonzalez and I both felt like we were really led by the Spirit to know what to say to her.  We just expressed our love for her and not judge her doubts about the endowment. Instead we talked about how everyone, at one time or another, has or has had doubts or questions and that it was the question of Joseph Smith about which church was true that led to the restoration of the Gospel. We talked to her and told her she has an opportunity to let this doubt or question help her grow spiritually. That she can pray and ask Heavenly Father to see if it's necessary to go to the temple. For her to be true to what she does believe and know to be true while she works out for herself and finds out for herself the answer. We`ll see what happens with the hermana, but in the end, the Spirit was brought back into the room and it ended on a good note, instead of perhaps really bad, with this hermana.

Also, last night we had a lesson with a woman that was an old investigator. We got to know her and talked about the church and Book of Mormon and in the end it was a really, really good lesson and she accepted an invitation to be baptized July 26th. It's going to be a little hard because she can only meet with us on the weekends.

Jesus and Maria are doing well. Sunday they were confirmed (a member of the Church) and received the gift of the Holy Ghost from the Stake President who lives in our ward. When Jesus was confirmed, he invited me to join, which was special. In the afternoon, we had a lesson with them. I'm hoping Jesus can talk to Bishop by next week and then the week after receive the Priesthood. Also earlier in the week, Jesus brought a friend of his and we talked to him and he said he would come to church and the lesson in the afternoon but he didn't come to either. But hopefully we can talk and teach him again this week.

I didn't celebrate the 4th of July at all, but I was okay.  On Saturday during the game (the men's Copa America finals - Argentina vs Chile) we studied and then left thinking it was over but then found out it was in extra time and then went to penalty kicks.  Then a dude from his house started swearing and going off and it became obvious Argentina lost, haha. It was crazy though during the last part of the game, there was literally no one in the streets and then two minutes after they lost it was like life resumed and the streets were full again, haha. That's good that you guys celebrated the 4th of July and got to go out a little bit (Merrill & Kathy went to Sacramento and spent the night on an old riverboat that is docked and a hotel). Also cool to hear the US Women's soccer team won (the World Cup). Anyways, I  miss you guys lots and love you!

Love
Elder McFarland