March Letter

Here it is almost the end of March.  Time is going by so quickly and we keep going to write and something comes up.  Our resolution is to be better.

We have had a great month.  It has been busy and we are enjoying ourselves.  We keep busy with our Mission and activities with the senior couples. We enjoyed having 4 missionaries over for Sunday dinner.  Brought back many memories of seeing how much teenage boys could eat.  It is so fun to visit with them and have them give us a message.  2 English speakers and 2 Spanish.  So I am getting to practice my Spanish.

The weather is starting to feel like fall.  And when we get rain it really comes hard.  Friday night had hail that made dents in about 75% of the mission cars.  We were lucky ours was parked in a garage. 

 We even got to see our first horse race. It was a food truck fair at the Hippodrone.  Which is a racetrack. It was fun to watch and memories of going to a horse race in Panguitch.  We love to watch and be with the people.

The open chapels are keeping us busy.  We now have 425 scheduled for the year and had 78 just in March.  We had the opportunity of traveling to Chile and also Mendoza to meet with our Mission Coordinators and to attend Capillas Abiertas and training.  It is so great to see the gospel in action.  It was fun flying over the Andes and seeing even a little snow after a hot summer. Also seeing how big Buenos Aires really is   It goes for miles and miles, about 16+ million people. 

Also small world.  Our driver in Santiago Chile was on the same mission as Lainie and remembers Sister Chapo and also Spencer Clark. He is a driver for the transfers and missionaries.

Mark Lowrance’s son Caden is in Santa Fe on a mission and one of our senior Missionaries ran into him. 

We had a Pascua (Easter) campaign with a picture of Christ and the family search logo.  They put these on the back windows of 50 buses throughout the city for 2 weeks.  So many people are seeing them.  It is amazing the strong family ties and how everyone wants to know about their ancestors.  It seems that each missionary has their story of how things worked so that they could serve.  It shows our Heavenly Father knows each one of us and has a plan for us.

As we approach Easter and Conference we would like to express our love and appreciation for our Savior.  That he died for us and through His atonement we all will be saved.  It is true and so important for us to share and live our lifes as He would want us to.  We are looking forward to listening to Conference and participating in sustaining our new prophet Pres. Nelson

Thank you for all your love and prayers.   We love and miss you but know we are where we are suppose to be in this chapter of our lives. 

Abrazos,

The story of Allen

   Allen stood confidently at the front of the room.  The walls were covered with pictures of gospel prophets, scenes from the Book of Mormon, the Plan of Salvation, the three degrees of glory and other gospel themes.  The pictures and posters he had cut out and created himself. 

   His hair was combed, he wore a white shirt and tie and dark slacks, his shoes were shined, and he smiled at the group before him.  He began speaking and the Spirit filled the room, touching the hearts of everyone there.  He talked about the scriptures, holding each book up reverently, and flipped open pamphlets, briefly explaining what each contained and how it contributed to the gospel.  He pointed out prophets on the walls, speaking like they were lifelong acquaintances, briefly touched on the plan of salvation and what it meant to all.

    He paused for a moment, then quietly and powerfully bore his testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel.  Not a person doubted his belief in the words he spoke.  Some wondered how long it would be until he would be outside his home town, preaching the gospel.   

    Answer:  6 years.  Allen just turned 12.   His father, inactive, his mother a nonmember.  Allen lives in a tiny town called Tunuyan, about an hour outside Mendoza, Argentina.  The Tunuyan branch has about 50 members.  Allen showed up at the door of the chapel a couple of years ago and told the bishop “I felt like I was supposed to be here.”

He has been a force for good ever since.  A sister in the ward took him to the temple in Chile last month where he did 24 baptisms for the dead.  “It was the greatest thing ever,” he smiled, his eyes shining. 

     With youth like that, the Church is in very good hands.