Training for life. February 1, 2010

Hola Mi Familia!

This week has been absolutely incredible! I loved this week! It was a little on the short side because of the Zone Conference last week but it was still awesome! Let`s start out by saying that the district got a little bit mixed up this week. Elder Mendoza who was our district leader received a mid- transfer transfer. He`s going to the offices to be a traveling assistant and train other district leaders. That means that Elder Ramirez is the new district leader here and we got another Elder to come live with us. His name is Elder Williams and he is in his first transfer here in Argentina. So we`re all pretty young in the pench. Elder Williams who has about 4 months in the mission (He served in Chicago for a while while he was waiting for his VISA), Elder Campell who has about 7 months in the mission, me who has 8 months in the mission, and Elder Ramirez who has 8 months and a little bit in the mission. We`re having a great time!

This week in church we had two surprises arrive. Two investigators that we had been teaching off and on for a while decided they wanted to come to church. I was so happy to see how happy they were. They are living together, have had a pretty rough life, and want to start a new life. We went to visit them later last night and I love to see how they are so happy. I know the gospel changes lives.

Lately I have been writing in my journal every night and have been writing down one spiritual experience or prompting I had that day. It`s been way fun to look back and see what the Spirit has told me to do. It has helped me to recognize spiritual promptings more. I have also lately been practicing a new teaching technique called Open the Mind. It involves letting the investigators teach themselves by asking the right questions and letting the Spirit guide the couse of the conversation. President Lindahl said that Elder Bednar spent four days teaching this to the mission Presidents, so it`s kind of trial and error, but I like it. I think this teaching method, has a lot to do with having an open mind. A lot of times when we are teaching we get so closed off as to the direction we want to take the lesson that we shut off the guidance we get from the Spirit. However, if when we teach we have an Open Mind and let the spirit take us where the spirit wants to take us, the conversation will be guided exactly to the needs of the investigator and will be so enlightening. I`m really excited and am going to try in all aspects to have a more open mind.

Oh yeah, I just got through reading mom`s e-mail and she asked about Maria and Sebastian. A little sad story there, they moved away for a week or two right? We tried to visit them Sunday morning and Maria ran away from us. We clapped at the door and her husband came out and told us that her friend has invited her to an Evangelist church that day and was not probably not going to come. She has read the Book of Mormon, she`s prayed, she knows! I hope she comes around.

This week we`ve had some appointments fall through, some pretty incredible storms, and some random stories. Story number one. We were walking around in the Finkas one day ( I love how directly translated that means we were walking around in the farms one day) and a huge storm decided to show up. Gigantic gusts of wind, a little bit of rain, it was pretty fun. I saw during the storm a HUGE bolt of lighting that was like a Spider-Web in the sky. My jaw fell to the ground when I saw it, it really blew my mind!

Story number two. There is a cat with one eye that we`re seen a few times just outside our pench door. I don`t know where it`s from, it must belong to someone here, but I feel pretty sad for it.

A pretty cool thought I have been having a lot that I want to share. The mission is the best preparation for life. There are so many things I experience here, so many things I see that I can apply to my real life that I could never place a value on this. I see a lot of things. I see the lives of so many people with so many different styles of living and being. It helps me know how to interact with people, face the problems of life, and most importantly, know how to live happily. It makes me so happy that I am here and every day I need to thank the Lord to the chance I have to be missionary!!

Ok, I love you all! Bye!

Love,
Elder Hoglund