February 13, 2017

So it was a pretty decent week!

Monday- We went to the world famous Lujan Zoo!!!! And oh boy it was truly unforgettable haha. They basically just drug all the animals and the let you touch them. It was super fun but morally it felt pretty wrong...haha

Tuesday-  Today we did some traveling and went to this small town we had never been to before that is at the edge of our area! It is a super great place that has a lot of potential! My companion and I are definitely going to start working there and see if it gives us any good results. The only down part is it is a super pretty place that looks exactly like the pacific northwest so it makes my companion and I pretty homesick if we are there for too long haha. 

Wednesday- So a few weeks back my companion and I started to work with these two sisters that are 18 and 20 years old. They were so awesome! They were seriously progressing and understanding so well we couldn't believe it.... So our last lesson with them they started to ask about what rules we had as missionaries and we mentioned that we weren't allowed to go out with girls and party and stuff like that.... Yeah so today we tried to set up an appointment with them and they totally dropped us... It was a big bummer. Its good they dropped us if they didn't have sincere desires but just so depressing because they were progressing so well and we didn't see it coming. It is so frustrating when stuff like that happens. Pretty rough day.

Thursday- I learned something today- never go to a Chinese buffet in Argentina. never ever.

Friday- Today we had so many problems with our bikes it was ridiculous. At night, because our bikes were both broken and the wheels wouldn't turn, we had to carry them through the city for an hour to get back to our apartment. Story of my life haha

Saturday- We found a great family contacting in the morning! And then in the night we had another cooking lesson from our buddy Jorge in the train cart!

Sunday- Rain. Rain. Rain

Well I hope everyone is doing well and has a great week!

Valentines' Day Love

Only in Argentina...

Yes, that is a real lion...

February 6, 2017

It was a pretty decent week! Things were really dificult this week in terms of finding more people to teach and work with but besides that things went well!!

Monday- Man so mondays keep being pretty weird haha. Emailing has just become such a rollercoaster, getting emails and updates from elder and sister missionaries I have served with that now are all home. Emailing with them back and forth doesnt even feel like real life haha.

Tuesday- Today rained so hard it was crazy!!! There was even a tornado in a town close by so thats pretty cool!

Wednesday- A LOT of rejection in the morning when we were contacting.... Then my companion and I made a mexican salsa for an invesitgator we went to go eat with. Argentines just dont eat anything spicy. So yeah we basically destroyed the mouth of our investigator haha. We used this special bolivian pepper called Locoto.

Thursday-So in the morning we were traveling quite a bit because we all had interviews with our mission president. Then in the afternoon we made several visits. One of the appointments we went to was pretty awkward because right when we got there our investigator broke up with her boyfriend...SO yeah we had to play Dr. Phil for a little bit haha... Sadly that wasn't the first time that that has happened in my mission.

Friday- So I have been teaching my companion and the elders I live with the key to getting more food. I swear if you just treat girl missionaries kindly and make them feel important and respected they will never dissappoint. We had a meeting tonight with all us missionaries and the sister missionaries made me nachos:)

Saturday-So tonight was unforgettable! There is this inactive member that lives in an old abandoned train cart in our area. He is a super great guy and everyone knows him haha. But he has been struggling a lot with smoking and drinking the past few years... but anyway we have been working with him and he has stopped drinking and smoking! And tonight he taught us how to make canalones! which are basically just argentine enchiladas

Sunday- Pretty exhausting day. We were fasting and on top of that it was so windy! Riding our bikes was ridiculously dificult but we had so much traveling to do so we had to use them. I came back to our apartment at night compelety drained.

Well so I hope everyone has a great week!

I will send pictures of our gourment dinner from Friday!;)

Elder Townsend

January 30, 2017

So I don't have much time to email today but I am alive and doing well here in Lujan!

This week has been super crazy. We have done so much traveling and have had a ton of changes going on. I don't know if everyone has heard but huge changes were made for missionaries all over the world in regards with our daily schedules and how we report information. The changes are great and I am excited to see how they help us work more effectively.

So this week we found some great investigators and had several great lessons!

Being a missionary is the best! But life riding a bike not so much haha

I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Townsend

January 23, 2017

Ok so I need to apologize in advance because this email is going to be relatively short! Today had been pretty crazy and I am emailing here at night and the computer place we are using is going to close down soon.... but anyway...

LUJAN!!!!! So this week was my first week in my new area and it was great! Lujan is super pretty. It has a bit of city but also has some calmer parts more in the forest. It is a rest from the city that was very needed haha.

So here is some information about my new area and what is going on:

In our ward there are 3 sets of missionaries. 2 Sets of guy missionaries and 1 set of girl missionaries.

Honestly, right now, we don't have like any investigators. But thats ok! We just have a lot of work to do!.... We spent so many hours in the sun this week I am pretty sure my skin turned about 5 times darker.

My new apartment is so nice! We live with the other set of guy missionaries in our ward and they are awesome. All four of us our from the United States and it is going to be a super fun transfer together haha. And the best part is our shower has a ton of water pressure! God truly does bless us for our sacrifices haha.

Our area is a bike area which I am not too happy about but it is what it is. 

Currently the members don't feed us in our ward so yeah...  haha

Monday- Today I had to say goodbye to a ton of people in my last area, santos lugares. The saddest part of being a missionary is saying so many goodbyes. Its something I will never enjoy or get used to. 

Tuesday-My first day in my new area! We had a pretty decent day and got a lot of work done. On our way home at night a miracle occurred. I was able to ride one-handed, on my bike with no brakes, balancing 24 loose-eggs through a downtown busy street at night. Get on my level.

Wednesday- We did some service in the morning but because things went faster than we planned we ended up having lunch early and we did strait proselyting from noon to 9:00. Pretty long, hot day but we were able to get a lot done.

Thursday- Normal day

Friday- Super great lesson with a Jehovahs witness family we found! Some heated words were thrown around but it turned out great!

Saturday- At night we did service with the other Elders in our ward and we dug a 9 foot hole!

Sunday- We had to travel to Ramos Mejia at night because we had a meeting today. We slept in an apartment with 18 other missionaries packed together. It was super fun. I felt like I was in college again haha.

So the reason I am writing late is that today in the morning we had a special meeting with the Apostle Elder Stevensen! It was a super special opportunity!

Well I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Townsend

January 16, 2017

So we have transfers! 

Sadly I am going to be leaving my companion and my area and I am going to a place called Lujan. It is sad to leave but man I am ready to get out of the city! haha. I will be traveling tomorrow in the morning to get there. My new companion is named Elder Lopez and is from Seattle! He is a super great guy!

Monday- Being a missionary is so cool because you get to meet and make friends with so many people from all over the world, but mainly just a lot of people that go to BYU haha. And while we are missionaries we have fun but we don't communicate very much and we try to always be professional. But my goodness, in the past several months, a HUGE wave of missionaries have finished their missions and gone home. And emailing on Mondays lately has been soooo weird. I seriously can't explain how weird it has been to talk ex- guy and girl missionaries I have come to be friends with and are now already home. It doesn't even feel like real life haha

Tuesday- In the night we had such a powerful lesson with this great lady we found named Claudia! We taught her the restoration and the spirit was so strong in her house I literally thought the windows were going to break. It was such a special night. She is very prepared and was even so eager to learn and know the truth see took notes!!! Like seriously that never happens!! We are visiting her tonight at 7:00 and we are super excited.

Wednesday- A day I will most definitely never forget about haha... But it's a super long story haha

Thursday- Pretty normal day. We found this great family in the afternoon and we are super excited to start working with them. The mom makes edible photos to put on cakes... Its pretty cool because she can decorate her own cake for the party after the baptism of her family ;)

Friday- Normal day. English classes in the night.

Saturday- In the morning we visited a family that has 17 dogs! 17! 

Sunday- One of our investigators that came to church named Delia loved it so much she started to cry after the meetings. Awww it was so sweet. Then in the night we had a very interesting dinner/visit with some of these hilarious guys that had way too much interest in our personal lives haha.

The president of the Buenos Aires temple came to our sacrament meeting and gave a talk and it was so special. I am so grateful to know I can be with my family, and my future family forever. That knowledge and hope drives everything that I do.

Have a great week!

Elder Townsend

January 9, 2017

So this last week to be honest was more of a difficult week in terms of missionary work, but hey, that happens. 

Monday-  So tonight we made this visit with a family we are working with and something absolutely crazy happened. I met my twin.... Like seriously... There was this kid that came over to our investigators house in the middle of our lesson named Franco. The moment he walked in the room my companion and I just looked at each other in disbelief. France was literally like a mirror image of me. The only differences are he is one year older, he has tattoos, and he probably has kids already.... So basically you could say I just met my gangster self from a different dimension haha. But the best news is he is going to move and start to live with the family we are teaching so now I might be able to baptize him! Stay tune for the baptismal photos haha

Tuesday- Today I realized how grateful I am a took a martial arts class at BYU

Wednesday- Pretty great day! We had several great visits in the morning and in the afternoon! In one of our lessons the investigator we were teaching was acting a little like he had been drinking. So in an effort to be a good trainer and help teach my new companion I turned to him and asked him ¨based on what I have taught you so far, what should we do in this situation¨  and I was praying so hard my companion would say we should come back a different day or something like that but instead he looks at me like a deer in the head lights and responds ¨set a baptismal date with him before he sobers-up?¨....dagger to my heart. I am the worst trainer ever haha

Thursday-  So today in the morning we had to travel to the city center of Buenos Aires to do paperwork for my new companion to get his visa. It was pretty stressful because about 10 other new girl and guy missionaries came with us and I was assigned to take care of all of them and make sure everything went ok because none of them can speak the language yet haha.... So yeah that was great.... I also realized today that one thing has definitely not changed about me while I have been on my mission, and that is no matter what, I cant stay awake in a moving car for longer than 10 minutes haha.

Friday- Pretty normal day. We had several great lessons! Also for lunch we had some of the best meat I have ever tasted!

Saturday- Today we did divisions and I went to another area. It was superrrr hot. Every appointment they had set up for the day fell through. So today we basically walked for 7 hours straight from 2 to 9 in the afternoon. And to top it all off we didn't really eat anything all day because our lunch plans fell through too. Days like today I think play a big reason to why I have lost 20 pounds on my mission....

Sunday- People came to church today! And in the afternoon we had several great lessons!

I know this church is true. I know that God loves us. There is never a need to doubt and fear because he is always there beside us. All we have to do is trust in him to mold us.

I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the cold weather!!

Elder Townsend

January 2, 2017

Happy New Year! 

So 2016 seriously passed by so fast it kinda scared me. And don't even get me started on how scared and nervous I am for all the changes that lie ahead for the year 2017. 

Monday- So today we taught a Peruvian missionary how to play basketball haha. It was a very interesting and possibly even too funny of an experience. But just in case anyone is ever wondering, be careful with Peruvians because they naturally have a good hook shot.

Tuesday- So at night today we went to go visit this one family. And sitting on a table in their back yard was a toy gun, but it was the type of toy gun that looks real.... So I looked over at my Australian companion and he has seriously got the weirdest look of horror in his face I had ever seen.... Then I absolutely died laughing because I realized that was literally the first gun-like object he had ever seen in his life haha.

Wednesday- We had a super great lesson with this catholic family we have been teaching the past few weeks! We taught them the plan of salvation and it was probably the best plan of salvation lesson I have seriously ever taught in my life! It was so cool to see them hear about a message of so much hope! 

Thursday- In the morning today we had interviews with our mission president so that was pretty fun and exciting. Then in the afternoon we came back to our area and finished the day with some great lessons.

Friday- Today we went on divisions and I stayed in my area for a change so that was super nice haha. It was definitely a division I will never forget because me and the Elder I was with totally almost died haha..... So in the morning we were visiting this older lady that is super nice and great but just a little slower in the head... if you know what I mean.... And so we were sitting at this table outside with her and she wanted to give us something to drink. And we explained to her how we can only drink water from the tap if we put a drop of bleach in it (thats just a rule for all missionaries in my region). So she went back into her house and she brought back this empty soda bottle full of liquid and two cups. She then sat down and told us that we could serve ourselves when we wanted. Then just when I was about to pour out of the bottle into our cups her kid came out of the house with a different bottle that was water and then we totally realized we almost drank from a bottle of pure bleach.... So that was exciting.

Saturday- Today was so hot!! Like probably one of the hottest days I have had in my missions. My heart literally ached every time I looked to my side and saw my poor new companion baking alive. Its hard because all I can do is smile and suffer with him haha. One thing I have learned though to help his motivation throughout the day is to just constantly remind him how much God is going to bless him with a more loving and pretty wife the more he suffers on his mission... That tactic has been helping a lot haha.

At night today we had to be back in our apartment at 6:00 so we really didn't get that much of a new years celebration. It was pretty fun though because we bought a bunch of non alcoholic drinks and watched the fireworks

Sunday- So we got to church today and no one was there....haha. Argentines here just party too hard and church the next day at 9:00 in the morning is truly a trial of faith. But luckily after a few minutes a handful of members rolled in and it was enough to have the classes and sacrament meeting. 

Well I hope everyone has already had a great start to the new year! Set goal! They help you reach your true potential!

Elder Townsend

December 26, 2016

Merry Christmas!!!

So this week was super great! To be honest, in terms of missionary work, it was a lot harder because sadly during this time of year, everyone is interested in everything but jesus haha. But on the bright sad we still had a pretty succeful week and the work in our area is doing really well.

Monday- Pretty normal day. Story of my life haha

Tuesday- In the morning we had to do some traveling. Then for lunch my poor companion was dieing to eat fish and chips so we had some time and I made him that to eat haha. In the afternoon we made several great visits. We visited a family we have been working with for a while. The father is the only one that isnt a member but now he is super close to being baptized so that is super awesome!

Wednesday- So in the morning today the wife of our mission president called (which doesnt happy very often...like at all). Another missionary in our apartment answered and she said that say was coming to our apartment for some reason and then she asked to make sure that I was going to be in the apartment too.... So yeah that freaked me out. I was almost convinced my Mom had died or something and she was coming to break me the news. But then see got here and apparently all she wanted to do was bring us a few gift bags they are giving to all the missionaries in the mission for christmas.... so that was a relief haha.

Thursday- Today we set a baptismal date for one of our investigators named Mikaela! So thats awesome! Finding her was an absolute miracle. A few weeks ago on a monday, my companion and I were walking back to our apartment after writing our families and shopping in the morning. I wasnt in a super awesome mood but when this older lady walked by us both my companion and I felt like we shoulod go talk with her and so we took the time to to go track her down. She turned out to be a member of the church that was baptized in Paraguay but had moved a few years back and hadnt gone to church here... So mikaela is her granddaughter and is super great and so ready to be baptized!

Friday- So on Fridays we teach english classes in our chapel. It is always so intersesting to see who comes and what happens haha

Saturday- So in the night of christmas eve is when they celebrate here! We had a big dinner with a great family in our ward and it was super great!

Sunday- So 14 members came to church today haha.... Then at night I got to talk to my family on skype!!!!! It was great!

Well I hope everyone has a great week!

Elder Townsend