Hey family,

Another week flew by, but it was pretty good.  We had some pretty hard times though.  We had to drop 2 families this week.  We dropped Maxi and his family, also Dario and his family.  Its seriously the worst.  It ruins your day, and yeah... it just is awful.  You develope all this love for these people and you want the best for them and I know that this can help them in every aspect of their lives, but they just choose not to accept it and there is nothing you can do about it.  I´m trying not to get too down, but sometimes it just happens, sometimes you wonder why, but i think its just how the Lord brings us higher.  I try to stay positive and stuff.  But the Lord has also blessed us with some new people to teach.  we found a lady who is from neuquen and was taking the lessons fromt the missionaries down there, and she now lives right next the the church.  I hope that she progresses.  unfortunately Fabian, Julian and the family didnt come to church this week, and we are just in an overall fight with everyone to get them to church.  We are trying to work more with the members, but they are always "too busy".  There are 2 or 3 that do almost everything for us and im so grateful for them! 

Anyways i gotta feeling that this is going to be my last week here in Ituzaingo 3.  We have changes next wednesday so next monday isnt a pday. fyi.  so yeah i´m really anxious to see what happens. 

I love you all, I´ll talk to you next wednesday. 

 

Love elder skousen

Goin Strong

Hey family,

This was a really hard week, but satisfying.  We had zone conference and interviews both on Tuesday.  It was great, I always learn so much in zone conferences.  I loved it.  Then I had an interview with president Carter.  I love interviews.  President is so inspired and just such a good man.  Its great to have a few minutes alone with him.  He also made me feel really good about myself, i kinda felt bad cuz we aren't really having baptisms.  He gave me some good suggestions, some reassurance, and told me that i need to be ready for some responsibility.  He also said he wishes he had more missionaries like me.  That was just the best pat on the back i´ve ever had.  He made me feel that the Lord is happy with my work, even if I don't see all the results right now.  It was great.

Anyways, this week a missionary from the ward I'm in returned.  He was super excited to go baptize all his friends.  He gave us some good references, then he went with us to one of his best friends house.  It was great because its one of those houses we never would have gotten in if he hadn´t been with us.  They were great people though, we had a lesson with his friend julian, Julian's girlfriend and his dad Fabian.  We explained what we do as missionaries and then we shared a message, at first they didn't really care, but the spirit was really strong there, and they accepted a baptismal date on the first lesson.  It was one of the better lessons i´ve had on my mission.  I feel so blessed to have been able to testify and bring the spirit into their house.  I hope that they progress, because it seriously was the best. 

That was the highlight of the week, it was a hard week but rewarding.  I don't think i´ve ever been so tired in my life. but other than that stuff is good. i'm getting along better with my companion, the language is pretty good, there's just a few words here and there that i don't recognize, but i want to better my accent.  So that is the next step for me i guess.

Sounds like stuff at home is going well, I hope everyone knows how much i love them.  Keep being good, its always worth it.  The church is true. 

Love

Elder Skousen

Alright, so yesterday was pretty great, I loved getting to talk to you all!  I´m just glad it worked out as well as it did, unfortunately the time goes flying by as usual... but such is life.  I feel blessed to have such a great family, I mean seriously, look at us!  I love you all soo much.  Unfortunately I don't have too much to talk about because we talked last night.  Today we traveled about a mile to buy some fish, but the store was closed... so turns out we aren't going to cook today... We are starting a new program for our comp study, which is similar to what we did in the MTC, but it should be good, today was the first day and we studied the doctrine of Christ.  We see how important baptism really is, and how Christ was without sin but he was baptized to complete total righteousness, how much more necessity we have to be baptized.  Idk if that made sense, for more info read 2 Nefi 31... 

In other news, we are trying to find good new investigators, which is the hardest part.  It is kinda hard when your comp doesn't thing that the way you want to do it is the right way.  I think members are a more effective way to work opposed to knocking doors all day... but thats a topic for another time.  Right now we also have kinda stopped getting baptismal dates, so we have to work on that a little bit.  that is the focus of this week. 

Anyways, I hope all is well, I hope you aren´t too trunky, I hope the avengers movie is as good as everyone says it is here.  Tell Nate Lamb good luck and that I love him.  I have lots of advice but i'm sure he´s heard it all.  

I love you all, make good decisions, Pray, Read, go to church.  Live the gospel.  The little things make the difference.  Also go to the temple. 

 

Until next week

 

Elder Skousen

May 7, 2012

so this week went flying by once again, but we did have the baptism on saturday and there weren´t too many problems.  it went relatively smooth.  My comp and I were the witnesses, and it was a beautful service.  super awesome to see Amiel get baptized by is Dad. 

I am excited to get to talk to you on sunday.  but I dont know what time you have church!!!! you need to answer me right now... i hope you get around to it.  I think we are going to do it around 4 or 6 Buenos Aires time.   im talking with jared and it seems like you are 3 hours behind us?  but i dont know. 

anyways, Maxi has been hard to find this week, he wants to get baptised but still has lots of doubts.  he feels pressured.  he didnt come this week to church.  so we will just have to see what happens there. 

Nicole is joining me in the field this week.  Thats pretty awesome.  we´ll be harvesting double the souls!  Its really exciting!  let me know if you have any questions, and write back asap, thats why this is so short!

love you

                        

Amiel and the family Suazo                                               Playing some futbol

                       

Con los elderes                                                                    for Cuz

April 30, 2012

hi family, 

time keeps flying by, i´m trying to remember the good things that are happening.  first things first, this weekend we have a baptism planned for Amiel.  his dad is going to do the service.  Maxi is progressing, he came to church again this sunday, but for some reason felt offended because of the way he was dressed.  im not sure if i told you but he is a BIG boy.  he doesnt have dress clothes and nobody is his size to lend him some.  so we are still working on that.  Also Dario and Victoria really like listening to us and more importantly, the way the feel when we are there.  It is still hard to get them to church though.  Dario, idk i if i told you already but he has just had loads of health problems and he pretty much lost faith in God.  but he is improving and is a lot happier it seems.  I am really hoping that they realize the change in their lives the gospel can bring, and is bringing already.  they are kinda at the point where they will either start getting close to baptism or go the other way.  soo we are working and praying hard for them.  

we are also starting to work with a member girl named Belén, she is 15 and the only active member of her family.  she wakes up early and walks to seminary at 5 30 every morning.  this last week we clapped the house of her cousin and she came to church this sunday!  so there is lots of potential there.  at least we are staying busy and i am trying not to get too comfortable.  thats why i was kinda hoping for transfers cuz its a weird feeling, every day is like dejá vu.  not in a bad way, i just gotta find a new way to spice things up... any ideas?  

Also they finally announced the opening of the Buenos Aires temple!  the 9th of september!  everone is super excited!  again we take soo much for granted our temples.  but yeah we have no idea what we are going to be doing as missionaries but hopefully we can go to the dedication and stuff.  I miss the temple!!! 

I still dont have an hour and stuff for when we are going to talk on mothers day.  but we have a member that is going to let us do it at their house.  

another beautiful experience that made my week happened last night in the pench, we heard someone clapping outside, it was Angel, an 18 year old kid from the ward that was pretty inactive when i got here and didnt have plans to go on the mission.  we became good friends and eventually he agreed to leave with us and do visits and now he is going on a mini mission.  he decided really suddenly and now is just so much happier, it really is crazy how big a difference it makes.  I dont know why but i always come back to the same conclusion, this is where true happiness is, men are that they might have joy, and the work and glory of God is to bring to pass the inmortality of man, and if thats what makes God happy, obviously it makes me happy! 

 I'm happy to hear everyone is doing well I love you all and i´ll talk to some of you on skype in 2 weeks.  

anyways love you all more than you know!

Elder Skousen

hey everyone

this week just flew by and i feel like not a ton happened.  first of all, I didn´t get transfered so i´m staying with my comp for at least another transfer.  which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  but none of the missionaries that are supposed to be arriving are getting their visas, so we are short about 50 missionaries.  that is a LOT.  the mission is suffering a little because of that.  its a problem.  so i think that thats why i stayed.  but i´m kinda happy that i get to stay and see the fruits of our labors.  (hopefully)  the other day in divisions we had an awesome lesson with 3 ladies about 40 years old.  they're all friends and we talked about the restoration and the next time showed them the movie on the restoration.  they liked it and are really excited to read the book of mormon.  we have another cita with them tomorrow, so i´ll let you know how that goes. 

Also we totally taught a lesson while this guys brother was just SO HIGH on cocain or something intense haha it was funny but weird. 

To answer dad´s question, pday here kinda stinks... we literally have nothing to do.  we cant leave the zone, and even if we could, the buenos aires west mission has NOTHING to do... the most interesting thing i´ve done is played pool. and that was with a bunch of latins that don't know how to play it.  haha but yeah it kinda stinks that im this close to buenos aires but cant get to know the city at all.  we just have all the suburbs and villas.  haha so yeah, its kindof a bummer.  cuz i like to do fun stuff, but no hay...

The weather is a lot cooler now, it feels like winter finally haha but yeah it kinda stinks now cuz its always cold.  but what are you gonna do.  my comp is suffering a lot cuz he´s literally never been cold in his life.  he lives right next to the equator.  soo yeah he doesn't like it much.  but humid cold kinda stinks. 

My shoes are holdin up ok.  they dont look that nice but luckily i´m in a rich area with 75% paved roads.  so they arent dying as fast.  my pants are kinda gettin there though. Also tell drill sergeant Paull hi and that i´m fat and need his help in a year and a half. 

Anyways this week is another boring one, next week wont be though.  i want everyone to know that i know the church is true, because i have tried it, i´ve tested the promises that the Lord has given us and seen them personally happen.  I know what i´ve felt and I can´t deny it.  its hard for some to believe in what they cant see but just like the wind, it is something very real.  I know that the spirit testifies of truth and that always is there when we live worthy and invite it in.  I love this church, I know that it is Christ's Church and that he wants all of us to be members of His church.  He died for us and now He lives.  because of him we can really be happy.  And thats why i´m here. 

I love you all

Elder Skousen

so this was a super good week, we are starting to have lots of success.  I dont really think that its because of the storm but maybe... we have been working a lot on being better at testifying and inviting everyone to be baptized.  its going really well.  I´m just testifying like its my job... (it is...)  anyways we have 6 people with baptismal dates, but only 3 of them made it to church, so we will see.  i´d say only 1 of them is 100% sure, he is the kid of an inactive family, both his parents are ex missionaries and they are reactivating and now the kid Amiel is going to be baptized the 5th of may, so hopefully i´ll still be here.  transfers are a week from wednesday, so i wont be on next monday i dont think.  probably wednesday.  I think that either me or my companion are going to be transfered because we have a million new missionaries and so we are kinda like the ´´experienced´´ guys... Ha...

i kinda hope i stay so we can enjoy the fruits of our labors but whatever, i´ll go where he wants me to go.

so we´ve been working with this 24 year old kid named Maxi.  he has listened to us a few times, and was pretty interested but had a problem with joseph smith, he couldn't really accept that.  we wanted to watch the movie of the restoration with him but something weird happened, i´m still not sure but i lended him the movie of the restoration for him to watch, that was saturday.  the next day he came to church and was pretty excited.  it all made sense for him now.  we talked about temples and the priesthood a BUNCH on sunday.  I think that must have been what he needed because literally everything was focused on the priesthood.  both classes, then a member named Renatto received the melchesidec (i forgot how to spell it in engrish) priesthood.  Then we had a baby blessing, and yeah.  everything went really well, we also had fast and testimony meeting. 

Renatto is Italian and pretty much got disowned by his family when he got baptized, recieved the priesthood.  its kinda sad though, his family rejected him and kicked him out of his own house, he lives in a shack out back, and his wife is crazy and always yells at us in Italian, its funny cuz i can kinda understand it... but yeah we fixed his roof which flew away in the storm.  we take him lunch 2 times a week cuz he has nothing.  but he is sooo happy that he now has the priesthood.  its crazy to see people sacrifice everything they have for something they know to be true.  would you give up everything for your testimony? think about it...

In other news, everybody here is basically sure the world is ending, because they´ve never seen a storm like the one we just had, the end is coming and everyone is freaking out about it... I also got invited to play some club soccer.  one of the guys we played with thinks i´m good i guess... so thats interesting.  he was surprised when i said no... 

anyways, its really awesome that nicole went through the temple, i hope it was a spiritual experience for all of you.  you also never really realize how great it is to have the temple so accessible until you dont have one in the your country... people sacrifice a LOT to go to the temple just one time!  I miss the temple, it gives us such a better perspective on what is really important in this life. 

anyways, thats all for this week, i´m sure this next week is gonna be awesome.  we´ll see if i stay or if i go this next transfer! 

I love you all,

Elder Skousen