June 14, 2010 World Cup News * New Companion * Shopping in Argentina

New companion: Elder Scoville from El Dorado Hills, California!

















Shopping for World Cup jacket and looking like a tourist!


Hi Family and Friends!

So Wes, Brandon, and Danny are back? How is that going? The gang has returned home already. Lindon will never be the same again. Tell them I say hi and that I`m sorry I didn`t send them e-mails or letters during their missions very much. I think I only did it a time or two. Thank you for everything they did to help me prepare for my mission. I am realizing now how good of friends I had during high school! They were such a blessing to me...

Things are going well here in Mendoza, Argentina. The World Cup is in full swing and the streets are full of flags and Argentine merchandise. I myself bought an Argentina jersey pullover thing and an Argentine scarf. Yes I am prectically native now (I couldn`t look more like a tourist but oh well). Anyway, things are going really well this week!

We have two investigators that are progressing along very nicely. Bernabe and Adriana didn`t come to church this week, but they had a birthday party. It was Bernabe`s birthday this Saturday, so they had visitors come over and stay the night Saturday night, making it diffuicult for them to come to church on Sunday. We did have an investigator come with his family. Alberto Mendez and his wife Marcella with their young son, Enzo. They lack a lot to be able to get baptized because they need to get married, but egual, if they`re coming to church I`m happy because I know they will be happy as well.

This week we got to watch the World Cup in a member`s house. It was fun to watch the world cup and see Argentina win 1-0. A member made the comment how funny it was to see three Americans around the television watching a soccer game. Anyway, I thought it was pretty funny and we had a good time!

This week I got to meet a supreme court justice of Mendoza. Ok ,so we really only met him in passing. I got to hold the door open for him. I`ll tell you about that story later, time is running out.

Things are going well! I love you all! Thanks for all you do! All your support! All your letters! They`re awesome! Thanks to the Blackham family for all the love they show! Take care everyone! Enjoy the heat!

With love,
Elder Hoglund

June 7,2010 Interview with Elder Zivic

Hello Family!

This week was a good week. We saw some miracles happen. We had two investigators in church the other day. This ward hasn`t seen investigators in the chapel for quite a long time so it was good to see the members flock to them and help them feel welcome. They are awesome. They are a husband and wife, a young couple that is excited and searching for the truth. They are very humble and always give us food when we come over to their house. I don`t know what it is about people and giving me food. They seem to give me food a lot. I think it`s a Bolivian tradition and custom to give food to people who come to visit you. I`m in agreeance with this, but yesterday they gave us a whole plate of food and kept giving us more. They are too nice. I love it.

No pictures this week, I`m sorry, I once again left my camera in the pench. THis morning was a little crazy finding out where to pay things and such and we didn`t get to go back to the pench before internet. Anyway, Zone Conference was this week and it was incredible! Elder Zivic taught us a lot of stuff and opened our minds to a lot of things. The thing that stood out the most to me was his powerful testimony he bore at the end of the conference. I know the he knew that what he was saying was true. It was true and still is true. It`s very powerful to hear the testimony of a Seventy. He interviewed me personally before the conference and it was a really interesting experience to be seated so near to a General Authority of the church. He is a man of God.

I did divisions this week in another area and it was beautiful. I looked up at the Andes Mountains on this clear day and they were huge. It was such a clear day and everything was so beautiful. There are a lot of fields in the area I went to do divisions and it was nice to see an different area. Not too many people, and beautiful landscape.

We found a lady that wants to get baptized in that area. Her daughter was an active member, assisting the church in BOlivia for a long time. We just need to get them to the church here to help her get baptized and to get her daughter back to church again.

We had a ward activity on Thursday night that went really well. We played ping pong with the youth and got to know them a little better. It was a fun activity.

The Book of Mormon is true and the prophets are real. They tell us about the things we need to do in our life to be happy. The priesthood is real and is the power of God on the earth. Of this I testify.

Love,
Elder Hoglund

May 31, 2010 600+ inactives OH MY!

Hola mi familia!

How it going up there in the wonderful warm weather of Utah? We are doing well here in Palmira and are starting to see some success. We have been working a lot with Alberto Mendez this week and have seen him quite a few times in the streets. He is progressing quite nice, but we ran into a little snag with his progression. He won`t be able to get baptized for quite a while. But egual we`ll keep working with him and he lp keeping him progressing along the road to baptism and get him started in the road to Eternal Life.

We are going to have something very special happen tomorrow that I want to be prepared for. We are going to have a member of the 70 come and speak to us. We have Zone Conference with Elder Zivic of the 70. It`s going to be a fun experience and I`m excited for what I am going to learn. This week was a week of miracles. Elder Scoville and I keep working hard and keep finding incredible people to teach that want to change their lives.

We`re working hard with the ward to have some activities and bring the less actives back to church. We had a meeting with the ward activites leader last night (he was the bishop before, so he knows a lot about the ward and it`s functions) and we plan on having an activity (as they say here) this Saturday, no, but the next Saturday. It`s always funny how they give addresses here, I love it. “You know the big house with the nice gates, plants and big palm tree out in front? It`s not the house, but the next house.” Very descriptive, it`s quite nice. You definitely know the house when you see it, or at least you know what house it isn`t. It`s funny, I love it!

Anyway, we were going to have the ward activity on the Saturday that I just mentioned, but the problem is that there is a very big game that day...Argentina plays their first game in the world cup I expect the world to stop that day and watch the game so we`ll see what happens. We`re going to do it another day for sure. We went to San Martin (the neighboring city) the other day basically to walk around and find out that we could have the bill for our gas in the bank right next to our house. But we got to talk to a lot of people and found one guy interested in the gospel that lives in our area; that was definitely a blessing!

The blessings are coming and I am working hard and loving every second of it. It`s hard, but I`ve never had so many blessings before in my life. Yesterday in a Stake Conference I got to see a ton of people from my first area. It was so touching and I will write more about that as well.

To share a quick message about what`s going on, the weeks pass really fast. There`s lots to do and I am really happy! I was just about to send photos today when the battery on my camera died. Next week will have to do. Keep working hard everyone! Love you all! Bye!

Love, Elder Hoglund

May 24, 2010 New companion: Elder Scoville ~ 600 inactivies?

Hola Family!
My companion is incredible! I love him already! He is an obedient Elder and excited to work and I love it! We`re going to have a good time in Palmira.
Elder Scoville is from El Dorado Hills, California and attended the same High School as Austin Collie. He said that he was really good. He is a new Elder, in his third transfer of the mission and speaks spanish really well and has an incredible attitude and desire to do right. I love him! We are working hard, being obedient and looking for ways to improve every day.

As you know, every day in an adventure and there are new things to do every day. The ward is great! There are about 20 strong members and the rest are inactives 600+ people. So we have our work cut out for us. I feel that the best thing for this district to do is to focus on the inactive members. That is what we are going to do, and that is what we have to do. I feel we will have a lot of success here. We are being obedient and trying hard

Well, Palmira really isn`t the big city, but it is a big city compared to General Alvear. I`m still getting to know the area, but there is an awesome panaderia right around the corner that I love and have already been to three times. It`s pretty incredible, I need to stop going. Anyway, back to the point.

Today was a pretty incredible day! We went to Mendoza, the big city and played around getting documents done went shopping, I bought a new vest for winter that is coming up. It`s hace frio here in Palmira and I will enjoy my sweater. Anyway, it`s good to tell everyone that things are going well and that I love you all.
Until next week, I love you!

Elder Hoglund

Moving to Palmyra, New York and Palmyra, San Martin.Labron possibly playing for BYU?

Mercedez's Baptism
April 24, 2010






Ariel's Baptism
May 1, 2010




Hi family and friends!

Wow, I can`t believe that it`s already the 10th of May. Time flies by so fast and in 10 days I will have a year on the mission and be halfway done. That is absolutely incredible to think about. It seems like only yesterday that we were saying goodbye at the MTC. This next year will fly by even faster I am sure and I`l be home to play games wih you again and everything. I love playing the dice game and that will be one of the first things we play I`m sure. It was SO good to talk to all of you yesterday. It`s so much easier to express who I am and everything that`s hapening over phone rather than through e-mail. I`m sure it will be even easier in person, then I can throw in hand actions and everything. People are very animated when they talk here in Argentina. There`s been a few times where Antonio has gotten off his seat to start dancing around and acting something out that he is saying. It`s always very entertaining when he does that and I hope to imitate that when I come home from my mission.

Anyway, as for what happened this week, let`s get down to business.
Monday was way fun! We got a lot of things done that we needed to get done and played soccer with the missionaries on the cement soccer court behind the church. They call them canchas de 5 (5 courts, so there can be 5 players at a time on each team). That was pretty fun! I`m getting better at soccer and will probably play for Real Salt Lake when I get home (maybe we`ll make a rec league team called Real Salt Lake or something). Anyway that`s besides the point.

Tuesday we ran into a new kid late at night that we invited to come play soccer with the other youth in the church. We were trying to get a hold of his dad, but they said he always leaves and walks around at night and is never home. I don`t think he goes out and drinks or anything, I just think he enjoys walking around at night and winding down. The dad is an incredible guy and I hope to get to say bye.

Oh yeah, this is just a side note, but just so everyone knows I am finally leaving Alvear this Wednesday. I`ve been here roughly 6 months and absolutely love it here. The members are incredible and the area is beautiful. Lot`s of farms and a small city...kind of like Lindon, but less urbanized (hey that was a good word). Anyway I am moving to an area called San Martin in a city called Palmyra. I know, I love it! Palmyra, New York. Palmyra, San Martin. What`s the difference. I`ll have to tell people that Joseph Smith lived in Palmyra for a time. They might think I`m talking about Palmyra, San Martin. That would be funny; it would definitely grab their attention. I guess afterwards I could tell them was Palmyra, New York.

Anyway this youth`s name is Brian and I hope he comes around, he in an incredible guy! We walked with him to the chapel and talked to him a lot. He is 13 years old and has a pretty sharp mind. His family is naturally intelligent I think.

Wednesday my companion got sick and we stayed in the Pench most the day. But we got a lot of cleaning done and got ready for the big move...stay tuned.
Thursday we went and visited Mercedez for the first time after her baptism. She is just glowing and I know she has the Spirit with her. She feels so calm and confident about life and I see big changes happening in Diego and Mercedez`s life in the future.

Friday we went and visited another 13 year old named Ariel. His mom is an active member now and his sister just got baptized last Saturday (photo inculded as well as the photo of Mercedez`s baptism from last week). He is a stud and will come along. It`s hard for him to listen to us but he has a cousin that is a member of the church that I think will make it more comfortable for him. I hope the new Elders that come (one of which is named Elder Lebron...pretty cool huh? Lebron James did not convert to the church, but this Elder Lebron is from Clevland, OH and does play basketball really well. He wants to walk onto BYU`s basketball team when he gets back from the mission; he`s awesome!) do a good job with him.

Saturday the Hermana`s had a baptism and we got to participate and help out a lot. I got to sing a song during the interlude time when the person who baptized and the baptizee are changing; I had a good time! We also moved Saturday!!! How fun is that! We have a new pench now, and now I am leaving. It will be fun to enjoy the new pench for three days before we leave.

I love you all, I know the church is true. The gospel will bless your life if you let it. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith told the truth. Love you all! Bye!

Love,
Elder Hoglund

May 3, 2010 Time in General Alvear winding down. A truck with a loud speaker selling live chickens out of the back of it. :)

Dear Familia,

Yes, I know in the subject that it looks like mayo...like mayonase (sp?) but it really means May. Anyway, how is everyone doing today! I hope well! This week was incredible yet again! We had the baptism of Mercedez Pichel and it was incredible (hence the reason the week was incredible). There were tons of people there because it was a combined baptism with the other ward and it was really special. Our recent convert Antonio Pichel gave a talk on the Holy Ghost and really grew a lot! It was uncomfortable for him to stand up in front of so many people and give a talk, but he did it. I think it was the first time that he had done it. I feel like my time here in General Alvear is winding down. I have been here for five, almost six months, which is normally about the maximum amount of time that someone stays in one area. So I will find out on Sunday night or Monday afternoon where I will be going, or if I will be going and what the other changes in the mission are. It`s been so much fun to be here!

I love the area, love the members and have so much fun every day! It`s missionary work, so that does mean that it`s work, but when you love the work you don`t work a day in your life right? I hope I can find something like that when I get back home.


This week has been so much fun with Elder Wilson. He asked a question about a little car that had a giant loudspeaker on top. He wanted to know what it was...legitimate question I think. I told him about a time in Colonia Bombal, my first area, where I saw a giant truck like that with chickens in the back and a voice blazing over the loudspeakers. They were selling live chickens out of the back of the truck and the person in the car was selling something I`m sure.

Anyway, my time is running short, I am excited to talk to every one of you this Sunday and we will talk to you soon! Bye Familia!

Love,
Elder Hoglund

April 26, 2010 Prayer lesson on the porch! Wonderful Leonel!

Hey Family!

So we didn`t move penches this week but it is in the works. We should move in the middle of this week. It should be pretty fun! I feel like this pench thing has been going on for quite a while now, but it`s been good, we`re ready to move.

It`s so good to have another chance to write you this week. This week has been quite the amazing week. I know that I say this every week, but I am learning a ton. There are so many experiences that happen every day that if we are open to what there is to learn, the Lord can teach us so much! We learn by experience here in this earth, it`s something that the Lord wants for us. Oftentimes it is painful, but the point is not to wallow (oh that was a good word) in the pain, but to take the experience cheerfully, with faith, looking towards the future, and apply what you learned to future experiences. Anyway, I guess that`s my little sermon to start out, but anyway I had a good week! We had the baptism of Mercedez fall through, but she wants to get baptized this upcoming week. She`ll be ready. Satan sure is doing his best to knock her out though. We`ll need to focus big time on her this week and help her progress towards baptism.

We`ve kind of been in the hunt for new people this week. We found a wonderful lady that let us teach her on her front porch on Saturday morning. When Elder Wilson was teaching her how to pray she was so receptive, just like a little kid. When Elder Wilson said, “We fold our arms when we pray and close our children…I mean eyes (hijos means children, ojos means eyes…I made the same mistake in the MTC, it gave me a good laughJ)” Anyway, when he said that, Estel, this older lady we were teaching, did the exact same. She folded her arms so tightly and closed her eyes so tightly. We hadn`t even finished explaining how to pray and she was already ready to pray. It was a good example to me of humbly following the instructions we are given. We will have to come back later in the week when her husband is not there in order to see how she is doing. She said her husband really would get mad if we were there when he was there. We`ll have to see if we can talk to her and see what happens. We gave her a Restoration pamphlet and told her to have her husband read it and that we would see miracles here. Maybe her husband`s heart will soften and be more receptive to the Holy Ghost. We`ll see what happens this week.

I have learned this week that to be a perfect missionary is impossible. I get discouraged sometimes because I can`t do everything right because I am a human being, but I know that Christ is there to forgive me and erase my sins if I trust in him. I need to be patient with myself and just do my best, always following the promptings of the Holy Ghost and being obedient to the commandments of God. We just have to do our absolute best and the Lord will make up for the rest. The Lord is happy with any effort that we make to become better and be more like Him. The blessings will come with time.

Ok, so this e-mail has been full of lots of my thoughts from this week, but I figure it will help someone. Things are going well here. I am having fun and I love being a missionary. J People yell at us, people reject us, but it`s all part of the fun! We had an experience last night that really helped me to realize that the Lord has immense blessings prepared for us if we are prepared to receive them. We were opening the mouth (talking to people in the street) and we were just about to end for the night but I felt that we needed one Open the Mouth more. So we started to talk to a young man headed the opposite direction and he was probably one of the most level headed, wonderful young men I have met here in Argentina. His name is Leonel and he doesn`t live in our area, but he was so receptive and had tons of questions. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he is genuinely interested and has many questions. He said that he has seen this missionaries a ton but this is the first time that someone has stopped and talked to him. Anyway, we`ll see what happens, but I would love to see what happens to this kid in the future. He`s incredible! I know the Lord blesses us and blesses others when we do what is right. I hope everyone has such an incredible week! Chau!!

Love,
Elder Hoglund