with Elder Fullmer

 

Calle la Laja

 

 

largest pizza ever

 

Grido's ice cream

 

Dog bite

 

 

Hey Mom!! So, again, this week has been AWESOME! Just as good as last week. You can send Dad´s email to people as well because I explained pretty in depth about the familia M_____. But they all came to church again!!!! It was so cool. And then A_____ showed up as well, which was really cool too. So we had a lot of investigators, and the best part is that the bishop's son is getting baptized this Saturday, and one of the questions that the flia M_____ has had for us recently is what the baptism service is like, what happens, and the clothes and everything, so then bishop announced that yesterday and invited them personally.  And I just told them, well, looks like we can answer your question very easily now if you come to the service! The thing is, they have their date for the next Saturday, so I think that would be a GREAT way to start off the last week before their baptism, seeing a baptism! So we are going to make sure they make it there :) But yeah, for more details, see Dad´s email. Basically it explains how cool this whole situation has turned out to be, and how she is pretty much already a member missionary, sharing with her family members. And the next best thing, last night a member told us he knows their whole family, and that it's a HUGE family, so obispo´s face just lit up, and mine too! There are a lot of big things going to happen here in Albardon, whether soon or in the future. :) I'm glad to be a part of it!

 

Wow, that whole youth conference sounds pretty good, even with the sort-of-strange temple trip. I'm glad the youth still got to participate though, even if they couldn't do anything for their own names! 

 

Alright, I will be looking for that package! Hopefully I'll get it soon, probably the end of this month though. And I will let you know when I get it!! 

 

So we have some extra changes this week, Elder Smith is going up to Zone Leader in Godoy Cruz, so as far as we know, Elder Pyne, his trainee, is going to get a mini missionary, and so our district is going to change a little bit. But Elder Hone came from one of the other districts in the zone and is our new zone leader. But now Elder Smith doesn't know when he´s leaving, so today we are going to celebrate a little bit, eat some tacos in a bag (AKA: taco filler put into a bag of mashed Doritos. Sounds delicious right? We missionaries eat SOO healthy) and play some games. It will be nice. He´s helped me a lot these last two transfers so I'll miss the guy. 

Wow, that's so cool you have the opportunity to do some missionary work. You just have to be confident! Remember what Elder Holland said in the broadcast, that an invitation born from our love of the Savior and our friends will NEVER be taken as offensive. I know that's true. You just have to do it with love! I'm glad you are all being examples to me still of how to be a missonary, since I am still not the perfect missionary! Keep me updated on that, and I'm glad to know you think outside the box too. Instead of just trying to shove it down the whole family´s throat, so to speak, you need to focus on the needs!!

 

So we did intercambios this week, I was with Elder Smith in Albardon, and it was a really good day. We got a lot done, and then he had to go to Mendoza, so we ended up being in a trio for the next two days, which actually turned out to be SUPER fun and it worked out really well! We just overwhelmed the whole town. I'm already used to getting stares, but us three gringos had EVERYBODY staring, everyone was probably thinking "oh no, now there are THREE of them!!" haha but we talked to a bunch of people, and had some really good visits. We also went to the end of the Calle la Laja, where we found the end of the world, or civilization at least. There was just desert with one road that we could see, I'll send some pictures! It was the siesta, and we had already had three citas drop, so we went up there and talked to the people we found. It was an adventure I guess you could say. But the day turned out to be super good afterwards. But that was the first and probably last time I'll ever be in a trio. So I enjoyed it! We went to Grido´s and bought two kilos of ice cream, it was awsome, and then we all regretted it the next morning, yet we ate french toast as well and that was pretty good too. So that was our very healthy late night snack. But then on Saturday we did the opposite, and we literally ate an entire plate of vegetables. It was two potatoes, a batata (not sure what it is in English, but it is like a sweet potato but not orange. Looks like a normal potato but with green parts), a HUGE carrot (still don't like them...) and like half of a squash. It was actually really good, mostly because I didn't feel fat after eating it, but I was still full! So that motivated me to eat like that more. Haha I don't know if that's the first time I´ve said that...

 

So I'll keep you updated with the new elders and everything! And with the familia M_____.  Another cool thing I forgot to mention in Dad's email is that they have already told their family members that they are getting married, and all their family members are just shocked, but instead of acting weird they are super supportive! Some have already told her that they want to know more about what's going on, so that will help in the future too. :) But they've told all the family already, so it's going to happen! Yeah!!!

Well I need to get going, I love you Mom! I hope the funeral turned out well, and that people can understand the love that Christ has for us, to be able to feel comforted. And I hope that you get back home safely! Enjoy the last week of summer! :) Change is neccesary though, without it we would never have to grow up or adapt or learn. So take the best out of everything that happens! That's what God wants, after all. This is all here for us, and He has given us everything we need. We just have to step up and actually use it, and not sit on the fence or the sideline. I imagine that any fence-sitters will be choosing one side or the other soon, who can be comfortable sitting on top of one?? As for me, I am completely happy and content with the decisions I have made, even in the last few weeks! I actually have never been happier on my mission. :)

Elder Tyson Gibbons

 

p.s. I have to speak next week again, hopefully they give me more time! But I'm going to try and keep it super simple. I´ve realized my mind goes off on tangents too easily sometimes. We all have things to improve, right? 

 

 

Hey Dad! Well I´m happy that the first thing you asked was about the familia M______, because they are getting married!!! But, the other news... yes they came to church again! All of them. So that was a really good sign, and all the members were super welcoming and I know they already feel at home. After church, all the members with cars left just flying, and they were left with us and a few other members, and so they were late to their lunch with their family (they do what we always do, going to Grandma and Grandpa's house) but, even though they were rushed to get over there, I noticed that at the same time, they were in no rush at all. They were just standing outside talking to a few members, and then we went over and talked for 20 minutes or so, and that's when I realized that they are a lot more solid than I would have ever hoped!! They have found that Pearl of Great Price that we are offering, and they want it sooo much.  But then, to add to that already frenzied excitement we have, we visited them this week and she told us that her family members are starting to ask how they have had so many good changes in their family, their house, if they are really going to church on Sundays, and she just tells them well, yes! These visits with the chicos and the church and the members have given us what we have been missing all along. And she told us that she talked to missionaries 25 years ago, twice, and then shut the door on them. And she even told us that she can't believe how things happen so perfectly, that now we found her and she was willing to listen because of the situation with their oldest daughter, and now they´ve found the solution to their problems. Basically, I was just sitting there crying because I had a small, fleeting glimpse of God´s infinite wisdom and planning for even the seemingly insignificant life of ONE of his children, let alone their family. It's those moments that lead you to a stronger testimony, and I told her that they have given me just as much as I have tried to give them, and so then we were both crying, and it was a really good experience. So yeah, that's the familia M_____.

 

Elder Johnson was training, yes, but some of the elders had already received half the training or the whole training in the States (Elder Fullmer didn't because he got put with his MTC comp, weird right?) and also he went up as Zone Leader, that's why he´s already coming here. So hopefully I will get to see him sometime before I head out! If I head out soon. I actually really love it here! Just like my other areas. But, the odds are against me, I've been in all areas three transfers now. It's a trend, I call it! 

 

I'm glad youth conference went well, and the wedding too! It's weird hearing that Becky's married. She´s the first one from our little group that has chosen that path! But if she´s happy, then that's the important thing. And I am sure that her parents are super happy too. 

 

Well I'll send some pictures with this email since it's a little shorter, but just of some fun stuff that we´ve done recently! I love you Dad, and thank you for all your advice and help! Many of the quotes you have sent have stuck in my mind, and they are helping me improve the little details, like the last two weeks. I don't know if it's obvious, but I am just happy. Happier than I have been in this whole time.

 

Elder Tyson Gibbons