BACK IN THE STATES... Kind Of...

That’s right fam... I took a trip back to the United States this past week!! But without actually leaving Argentina...

So this past week I got a call saying I needed to come down to Resistencia to do some paper work for my legality stuff... So Wednesday morning I was on a bus at 5 in the morning and got to Resi at like 7… from there we got in the mission truck and drove off to Corrientes capital to sit in a chair for 5 minutes telling me that I’m LEGAL! So like 6 hours of travels... 600 pesos later... all to lead up to the 5-minute wait just to receive some papers.... so that was fun! 

But Corrientes is AWESOME! I have been in Formosa for so long I forgot what the real world looks like! But there’s parts of Corrientes that look like the United States, especially the mall, where we went for lunch and enjoyed the only McDonalds in our entire mission! So it was nice to live the Lindo life for a day (aka The States life...) But after that I was on the first bus back to Formosa.... so now I’m back to the pobre life.....

So I don’t know if I already told y’all this but apparently the Indians (my homies out in Nonqom) have like super awesome dreams just every night! Well one of the members (Luis) told us he had a dream that He had to cross this super strong river that was washing away and killing a lot of people, but luckily, Elder Daniels and I were there, walking on the water, and helped him cross and get to safety! Like yeah missionaries are pretty cool and all, but I do still fault the walking on water part!

But other than that were just doing fine! Elder Daniels and I are bros! We are just goofing around up here and dancing around the pension every day to church music... its super fun and we are just making the most out of our time here in Formosa!!

But that’s all for this week! Love you all

Have a great week!

Elder Peters

Sup Elder Fam!

So this past week was really tranquilo again... it’s getting to the point where nothing new is going on hahaha Elder Daniels and I are just chuggin’ along everyday just chillin’ with the investigators! But I did make a trip back to Resistencia this week and I’m finally LEGAL! So that was probably the highlight of the week but not much else!!

So that was dope but right now we are having problems finding our progressing investigators so right now we have like 0.... we have some dope plans to get to work in this next week so we will see!!

But everything is good and mom luckily Elder Daniels likes to cook so I am getting fed well even though the trip to Resistencia left me with 0 money the rest of the month... so hopefully we survive.............

But not much else happened... When are Kirstin and Ron getting married?? Did Will and Astrid get back to Oregon?? When is the graduation??

But all is well! I’m alive and well!

Until next week!

Jon

Foto with George the cat!

Formosa Cruz at 5 in the morning

Back in the States! (AKA Corrientes shopping mall)

Varas de Fuego

¡Sup fam!

So not a lot went down this past week... Elder Daniels is still getting adjusted to the area and so we went out to walk the calle and taught some lessons along the way!  It’s his first time in Formosa and he is super excited to be here where people actually want to talk to us!  We have hit it off really well and we have even started writing some wraps together (some "fire bars" digamos) So be expecting the hottest mixtape of 2016 to be dropping from Formosa Argentina here in the near future!

But I don’t have a lot to talk about this week! It was just a week of getting to know the new comp and hit the ground running with a new face and style here in Formosa! But we are just having a great time together have been laughing since the time he stepped off the bus!

But this next week I’m doing a bit of traveling to go do paperwork to finally get my Argentine ID! So I’ll be going to Corrientes this week to finalize all my stuff and sitting in Argentine government office is always super fun right??

But all is going well!! I’m still healthy and chugging along speaking Spanish which is still kind of weird to think about....

Hope all is well back home with all of you guys!

With love,

Elder Pedros

Jon and Jon: Me and my comp just chillin'

Hola fam

So everything is super good down here!! me and my comp are doing awesome and he’s in shock, it’s his first time in Formosa and he’s just shocked about how many lesson we teach in a day... we only teach like 2 or 3 in a day... apparently in Corrientes a 0 lesson day is normal hahaha But we are super excited! The work has kind of slowed down here after we had all those baptisms but we are finding new people every day!

But not much else has gone on since last week! Elder Daniels is still getting adjusted to the area so were just out teaching charlas and still getting to know each other! We have hit it off really well and have had a great time together even though we don’t even have a full week together!

But like in terms of things I would want like sí o sí some peanut butter... it’s hard to find here and when you do its super expensive... Like I don’t really have a favorite candy... anything that is American is perfectly fine with me!!! 

It’s nice to see that dad was able to pull off the whole breakfast thing... Its sounded like it was a really stressor and obstacle he had to overcome in life.......

Mom I’m getting enough food I’m fine...

And Elder Sears doesn’t need anything more mom his mom already send him enough as is....

But that’s about it!! I’m still alive!

Have a great week!                                                                                                             

Love you all,

Hijito

Paraguay

UNA ABRAZO PARA PETERS

Sup everyone!!

So this past week was tranquilo no mas.... We had a leader from our church come and give capcitations and all that fun stuff so we didn’t see a lot of time to work in our area this past week... But all is well! We capped the week talking with our families over skype for Mother’s Day! So that was dope and all.

At the Mulizona...reunited and it feels so 

good with Elder Carrizales

But yesterday we saw transfers and the news is I’m staying!! 6 more weeks in Formosa in Barrio Nomqom!! but my comp, Elder Sears, got the ax... He left yesterday morning for Pasos de Los Libres in Corrientes... So my new comp is Elder Daniels from Pennsylvania! I love this guy already he is so funny!! We’re going to have a great time together these next 6 weeks!! He has never been in the city before so for him being in Formosa Capital will be a big change for him thankfully he’s got me as a comp, someone who has never left the big city yet for campo...

But Not much else went down or is worthy of telling... I’m just stoked to stay here in Formosa especially in Nonqom where the people are just so awesome and you can’t walk down the road without a group of 15 little kids running up and tackling you yelling "ABRAZO ABRAZO!!!" which just means hug... So it should be fun! They’re like a family to us missionaries out there!!

But have a great week! Hope all is well with you all back home!!

Love

Elder Peters

Aguante Boca

Sup dad

So we didn’t really work at all this past week... with multizonas, stake conference, skype and all that stuff we didn’t see a lot of time to work in our area... so nothing new really....

But it was nice talking to you guys! literally like 10 minutes after I hung up we got a call saying that Elder Sears is leaving for Pasos de los Libros... so I’m still here in Formosa with my new comp Elder Daniels from Pennsylvania!! He’s super dope and like a foot taller than me so it will be fun!! He’s a really good guy!!

Not going to lie I saw the Blazers last night after Steph dropped 40... we went to a restaurant for the birthday of our zl and it was all over Sportscenter down here... but it was weird to see the Rose Garden in all its glory down here in Argentina!  It’s a shame they’re down 3-1 in the series....

But all is well!! going to be putting in some work this week!!

Have a great one!

Elder Peters

From 100 to 0 REAL Quick!

Hello everyone!!

So this past week we had a blizzard in Formosa!! Not really, but it did get cold REAL fast!! The week before we enjoyed sunny skies and 90 degrees but then Tuesday morning we woke up and it was 35 degrees... so we practically were dying this whole week, not of heat exhaustion, but of hypothermia... That’s a new one... But it was fun!  No one wanted to talk to us! And we also didn’t have a heater and we don’t have hot water, so that big water tank on top of our house was nice and ice cold for us waking up and showering every morning :) We have turned to showering out of buckets just so we could have warm water that we heated up on the stove top.... But we managed and we are still alive and frost bite free! Luckily when we went out to Nomqom they all had campfires going so we got to get all nice and warm!!

We didn’t see much else this week!  Like I said no one wanted to leave their beds so everyone told us to just go away and leave them alone... so it was an alright week! Luckily we always had milk and chocolate in the pension waiting for us every time we got back! And the people we did talk to have been making some amazing progress!! So hopefully we will be seeing a lot of success these next couple of weeks!!

Not much else has gone on this week!  Only just the cold and more cold... but we still manage to have the time of our lives down here!  Even if it means almost pushing your comp in the zanja (ditch) every know and them ;) 

But have a good week! Miss you all! I won’t be writing until next Tuesday as next week are transfers! So I’ll be writing you all then! and Mom and Dad I’ll be skyping you Sunday for mother’s day:)

 

Curled up next to the campfire with puppies

The District before transfers

Hello fam,

Just to get skype out of the way...

We have stake conference and transfers this next week, so it’s going to be a little hectic and the only time we see fit is around like 5-7 which I understand is right when church starts, it’s like 12-2 your time or something like that... 1-3... I know its inconvenient but we are having a crazy week this week with the area 70 coming, stake conference, and transfers, so I’m sorry if its inconvenient for you guys!! Its crazy cause I called you guys yesterday and now it’s already that time again... so time is flying I guess.

Glad to see things are going really well for you guys back home!!  Staying busy I assume?  Just tell Kirstin to stop flirting with the missionaries in the ward.... But will the house be completely different when I get home or will you guys even still be living there???

This week was alright...

It dropped down to like 35 degrees so we died of hypothermia.... especially since we didn’t have a heater until Friday and we still don’t have warm water… so all the water in the water tank above our house is almost frozen just in time for our shower time in the morning:) But I also didn’t have any cold weather gear so I did have to be disobedient and wear my Oregon sweatshirt out working, luckily I just threw on the black rain coat to cover up my disobedience....

It was also hard to get lessons since no one wanted to leave their beds, but luckily out in Nomqom we got to have all our charlas (lessons) next to campfires to keep us warm!  But we don’t have any baptisms scheduled for the near future... so we will see!!   But we are super excited that one of our investigators who is an evegelico pastor told us that he prayed and knew that the book of Mormon was true! so after 2 months, now his progress is shooting through the roof!

But all is well right now!! Things are tranquilo and Elder Sears and I are starting to get scared it might be our last week together... I’m still only eating rice and noodles and sometimes meat... we have been splurging to get some peppers and onions thrown in there!!

But besides the cold I’m fine!  All is well and I look forward to calling you Sunday! I know mom will be waiting by the computer all day so if there’s a change in plans she will already be there ready to talk!

Have a great week!

Elder Peters

You Want Us to Get the Drunk Guy Out of the Chapel?

Hey all!!

So everything continues to go super well here in Formosa! Still super-hot though... It’s been hovering 100 degrees this past week... so that has been super fun!

But this past week was just a normal week when it comes to being a missionary... we walked a lot... talked a lot... and that’s about it! We didn’t have a baptism this past week so that was something out of the ordinary for us now.  We did start teaching English classes this past week and had a pretty good showing of 2 people this past week so that pretty dope... hahaha

But I also had another round of interviews with my mission president... he basically just asks if we are doing good, if we’re enjoying the mission, and how we are doing with our health… It super simple and chill plus he buys us lunch so that’s super chill!! just a low-key meeting!

This last Sunday was a little crazy at church... we had about 120 people show up so that just opens up the door for craziness... but more than anything after all the meetings we had the bishop come up to us and ask us "Elders, there’s a drunk man sleeping in the chapel, can you go escort him out?" like what?! Why us?!  But we did anyways and we go and shake him and this dude is just plastered drunk... I don’t think a mega phone to the ear would have woken this guy up... but luckily after about 5 minutes he wakes up and leaves so that’s the first time I’ve had a low key encounter with a drunk man.

But all continues to go super well for us!  We still love going to the Indian colony because they’re our only friends that we have here in Formosa... But one of them got Dengue so we have been spending some time with her while she tries to get better... luckily she is slowly and surely getting better but I have never seen anyone in such bad shape in my life.

But all is well! I’m still healthy and walking! 

Hope all is well with you all back home!!

Have a good week!

Elder Peters

Yeah the temperature is horrible...it’s still hot and people just tell us to buckle down because it doesn’t get much colder.  But this past week was good! we didn’t have a baptism... (I know weird... it’s almost become a regular thing for us...) but we are planning on one this next week!!

This past week one of our recent converts (kind of... he got baptized but not confirmed 2 weeks ago... I sent a pic of him in last week’s email) actually shared a lesson with us! He has been having lots of problems with his family and then earlier that day he had fallen off his roof cutting his palm trees... so he could barely walk just around his house... but he shared with us 2 Ne 31:13.

 13 Por tanto, amados hermanos míos, sé que si seguís al Hijo con íntegro propósito de corazón, sin acción hipócrita y sin engaño ante Dios, sino con verdadera intención, arrepintiéndoos de vuestros pecados, testificando al Padre que estáis dispuestos a tomar sobre vosotros el nombre de Cristo por medio del bautismo, sí, siguiendo a vuestro Señor y Salvador y descendiendo al agua, según su palabra, he aquí, entonces recibiréis el Espíritu Santo; sí, entonces viene el bautismo de fuego y del Espíritu Santo; y entonces podéis hablar con lengua de ángeles y prorrumpir en alabanzas al Santo de Israel.  (13 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.)

And he’s like "When I left the water I felt like a could start with a blank white page in my life... I know this is the path I need to take I know that tomorrow when I get confirmed will be the biggest day of my life because I know the Holy Ghost will be there for me always helping me be a better man then I used to be... I want to thank you guys for always being there for me and helping me get to where I am so that I walk on the pathway that will be bring me to the temple and to God." So that was a pretty dope experience to have and then the next day he comes to church (barely walking) and gets confirmed!! so that was super dope.

But other than that we walk fine down here. I had another interview with President Franco this past week and I’m not home so I guess I’m being a righteous missionary!  But he did tell me Elder Sheehan (from the MTC) went to Buenos Aires to get surgery! like thanks for telling me now bro! everything is ok with him he just has to keep it cool for the time being and can’t walk a lot... but it was super tranquilo and we got free lunch after so that was fun!!

But not much else happened this week... anything else I think of will go in the group email!

But it sounds like you’re keeping busy back home! Hope all continues to go well!!

Love

Elder Peters

I’m out of catchy titles

Hey all!!

So this week was pretty crazy not going to lie... We spent all week working with a 22-year-old guy named Fidel and getting him ready for his baptism! He was wanting to be baptized so bad so we literally taught him EVERYTHING this week to get him ready... literally everything, like all of it… it was crazy but we fit everything in this week and we had his baptism this past week! So it was super awesome until none of the members showed up so it was literally just a few of his extended family present... It was small but super exciting and fun! And he is just so happy. It’s awesome to see the changes we have seen in these people’s lives! Most of the people in this Indian colony used to just drink and smoke all the time but now we call them up and they’re like "yeah were just having family scripture study!" and it’s like wow you guys are more righteous then I ever was!

But all has just been going so well! It was back in the 100s this week so it was nice and toasty for us this week until it rained Friday.  Like I love the rain and all and it gets me kind of trunky for Oregon but what’s worse is when the sun comes out and it heats back up to about 100 again and the humidity is just unbearable! But we are lucky I think the risk of getting flooded out of our pension has passed so hopefully we won’t have to move back in with our zone leaders!

But all is just so well!! I still get compliments from the members about how skinny I’ve gotten so before you know I will be coming home twig thin... that’s what eating rice and noodles every day and walking around in the 100-degree weather does to the missionaries here in Formosa....

But have a great week! Miss you all!

Keep me updated!

Love

Elder Peters

Sup fam

Sounds like all is well and a bit crazy back home... Rachel did tell me about prom and how she was a drama queen about it... I don’t know Hermana Wright... never even heard of the name but I’ll keep my eye out! I have never met Sister Ballard before did she say her mission is as humble as this one is? I bet she didn’t have very many crazy stories like I’m going to have....

We spent all week preparing for the baptism! We had only taught him the Pan of salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ so we basically had to teach him everything this week... Then he didn’t come to church Sunday, because of a family emergency, so he didn’t get confirmed.  So we might be getting a nice call from the assistants here pretty soon.... and no one came to conference because it was far… and yeah dad.... they just watched it from their tvs... because people have that stuff here.

In terms of weather it was a fresh 104 out this week so we got a little break from the heat!

Sounds like I’ve been missing a lot... Ashley wasn’t even pregnant before I left and now all the sudden she’s a mom.... like alright.... and why am I missing so many sports stuff!! Like Golden State is going hard and making history its fine.

But all is fine right now we don’t have any baptisms lined up this week for the next. So, I think, we have a little break to go out and find new people (if we are not too busy teaching the new convert lessons) but all is well!

But all is good! I’m staying healthy but all the members are still commenting on how skinny I’m getting! I don’t know what I’m at now but I assume I’ve lost another 10 pounds since being here in Formosa... so that’s about 30 since being on the mission...

But have a good week!

Love

Your hijito

[No Subject]

4 April 2016

So not too much happened this week!  We didn’t have a baptism so it was pretty uneventful haha but really though it was the most tranquilo week we’ve had in a while with the start of a new transfer!

I was a little bit sick this past week but luckily I had my Indian friends to do some weird remedy on me! Now before you ask questions it was not anything too weird... I woke up feeling like I had been hit by a truck with a headache and fever and back pain and all... My comp was freaking out because some of these are the symptoms of the dengue virus which is becoming really common here in Formosa right now... Well I took my temp and it was only at 99.4, so we left the pension in the morning after I took some meds... But by the afternoon my temp had raised to 100 something so I called the mission doctor and he basically told me I was fine and that it wasn’t dengue so that’s all good!  So we left and when we visited the Indian colony they’re like "we have this remedy for you just sit in this chair!" and after some nervous hesitation I sat down and he brings out a towel and a glass of water... and all they did was put the towel on my head and flipped the cup of water upside down on my head without letting any water loose… And apparently it worked I got home and my temp was down to normal! and the next morning I woke up and everything was fine!

So fun facts: An upside down glass of water on the head can cure what was thought to be dengue!

The Gringo Room

But also we saw General Conference this past weekend! It was super dope obviously and if you missed a session/don’t know what general conference is... you should go check it out and listen to some of the dope words spoken by the leaders of our church! So we spent all weekend here in Centro in what was called the "gringo room" so we could watch the broadcast in English! So that was a good time just being able to kick back and speak in English for a while!

But this next week should be a pretty dope one! We look forward to having another baptism here this Saturday so we will be pretty much preparing for that all this next week!

But all is well! I’m in good health right now! Everything is just fine here!

Hope you all have a good week!

Elder Peters

Hey all...

All is well here!

Yes general conference was dope but no I didn’t watch it in Spanish.  They had a special room for us foreigners... so since we didn’t have any investigators show up we watched it in the gringo room instead! Obviously Holland and Uchtdorf were bomb as always... it was kind of sad to see President Monson only talk for like 10 minutes the whole conference...

But all is well with us! were still chugging along down here (even though I got a little sick, but I’m all better now thanks to that glass of water on the head) so no need to worry about me!

We are preparing for another baptism in the Caraì family out in Nonqom this week so that will be pretty awesome.  We’ve only taught him L2 and L3 and about the book of Mormon... but he has been to church 3 times, has a testimony, and wants to get baptized before he leaves for Paraguay so that he can have the blessings and the holy ghost with him before he leaves! So that’s dope!!

Thank you for feeding the elders, I know it means a lot to them... and sure we care about baptisms but that’s because we love them so much we want them to achieve their salvation!!

Glad to see all is well back home... ya hate to see Mormon prom... and it sounds like Kirstin finally found someone for her! And when are Will and Astrid getting engaged??

I don’t have much else to say or any encouraging words... get back to the temple like the apostles said...don’t go inactive... put in work.

With love

Your favorite son

Elder Peters