PALERMO, WEEK 16: MAAAAIL!

Hola familia otra vez!

How is everybody doing? I hope that this letter finds everyone well. To start off, I have a question that you all need to think about and ponder (whoever may be reading this) and then respond. The question is of great importance and has made me think a lot on this subject since I preach and say this sentence almost every day. How has the gospel blessed your family? Don´t give me the surface answers. Think about specifics and about possible blessings (if it's good, it's a blessing, if it's bad and you learned a lesson, probably a consequence of a choice that the Lord helped you turn it into a blessing. So basically everything is a blessing.) 

This week went by REALLY fast! The work is going. We have 2 investigators that are progressing and both have a set baptismal date and are ready and prepared to get baptized. Please pray for them. We are really excited to have them. We set the goal (Elder N* and I) To have 2 baptisms in 2 weeks. We can definitely do it if we are working hand in hand with the Lord. 

We had some interesting experiences this past week but nothing worth writing about. Just meeting interesting people! 

Definitely hearing a lot about the World Cup coming up soon! I don´t know exactly when it starts but I am sure I will know. Sometimes we will be laying in bed and then we just hear the apartment near ours just ERRUPT in cheers and stuff. It frightened me on more than one occasion. Haha.

It was just a good week, nothing bad. Maybe I will have more for you all in the future! 

I love hearing about all the changes in everybody's lives. It sounds great. We are blessed! 

Love, 
Elder Moore

PALERMO, WEEK 15: WELL, THAT WENT BY FAST

Hello Family and friends once again from Argentina! 

It was a good week that went by pretty darn fast! Nothing much happened. We found two more menos activos that we have been trying to meet and we got them! One of them is a return missionary; we talked a lot, he is really friendly, fed us too, and we shared a scripture which brought tears to his eyes so that was pretty cool. He wants to come back. 

We also have almost reactivated 2 other less active familes too. Its really cool to see them come on their own to church and the members all welcome them and everything. 

We had two investigators attend the church this past Sunday. It is really cool to see them progress. They both really liked it and we have a lesson with them today and tomorrow. We found R* one day when we were out with a priest. We knocked on a door where he was and we were talking to him and then the priest just laid it on him. It was awesome. We only had to confirm what he said, he invited him to church, talked about the Book of Mormon and everything. It was awesome. I love members. 

We went on divisions this past week. That was pretty cool. If I could get the computer to read my camera that would be awesome, but I can't. So you will have to wait.  Anyways. I went on divisions with a new Elder from Oregon, from Grants Pass! He has 2 weeks in the mission. It went pretty well. He didn´t really talk. Only bore his testimony a coulple of times. But I imagine that is what I was like too. 

It is amazing the progress I have made in just three months speaking Spanish. Sometimes I don´t understand but usually it's a vocabulary issue not a hearing correctly issue. Don´t get me wrong. I am nowhere NEAR a native speaker but I can definitely see a difference every day. I love it. 

I have been receiving compliments on my Spanish from my district leader and zone leaders. It's making me suspicious. The other day we recieved a text message during study time. Asking ´Hey Elders, just a question, how is the Spanish of Elder Moore?´ I made my companion respond because I didn´t want to say anything. But when we asked why they just gave us "ustedes son capos." Which means you are... Uh.. I don´t know what the translation is, just like, awesome I guess. But I remain suspicious. The president told me that there maybe changes in the future... Yikes! 

Oh. Something funny happened last night. My companion and I were talking and all of a sudden a bird (some sort of dove I think) flew in the window and I freaked out and so did Elder N*. It just caught us by surprise. I laughed so hard. But we took about 10 minutes trying to get it out of our bedroom and then we were late for bed. It was quite the rush. I still laugh and smile. I think it may have been a form of the Holy Ghost. Hahaha. Oh man. Still makes me laugh. 

Anyway. That is all I have for this week. 

Thank you for your support! 

Love, 

Elder Moore

PALERMO, WEEK 14: TEMPLE DAY

I just got back to the temple. And we don´t have much time left over for P-day so I will have to be fast! The temple was AWESOME. As soon as I figure out what's wrong with these stupid computers I will send some pictures your way. I hope the problem isn´t my camera...Or worse, me... Anyway, the temple is absolutely beautiful here. A bit smaller than the Portland Temple, that's for sure but still picture perfect. I don´t know what it is, it just seems clean-cut and perfect placement of everything with regards to landscaping. I definitely could feel the Spirit really strong. It was awesome; a pain in the neck to get to and from there but nonetheless, alwaysthemore, it was good.

Ooo. Snow. That sounds heavenly. And 12 inches! The members here asked us if church was canceled during the winter. I said I didn´t know and I was going to ask you guys but looks like I already recieved my answer! 

A little fact of the week. The Argentine Peso devalued 40% in the month of January alone. That's all I can say. Because that's all I know.

I had interviews with the President on February 5. Which was the 3 month mark for me in Argentina. Sometimes it seems fast, other times it seems really slow. I miss you all a lot!

The Lord is definitely blessing us in Palermo right now. We are finding on average 8 new investigators every week. However, after the 2nd or 3rd lesson we stop teaching for some reason. It seems pretty harsh but the President and Presidents in the past have made it clear that we are not looking for 3 month, non-progressing investigators. Within 3 lessons we usually know how its going to be in the future, and we prayerfully make the decision to stop. But we are finding some good people. Here´s a little story.

One day, my trainer and I were walking. And I found a pair of keys on the ground next to a front door. Someone must have have dropped them entering or something. So we picked them up and rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. So we knocked. Nobody answered. So we went to the neighbors. Nobody answered. So after 5 minutes of knocking and ringing we finally hid it in this window flower bed next to the door. And we left. 3 weeks later, I was walking by with Elder N* and a member and two appointments had fallen through. Then, I stopped and  remembered that we had hid the keys! So I reached in the flower bed and they were still there! (Elder N* and the member were REALLY confused that I knew there were keys there). Without saying anything (but the words ¨"no puede ser" (it can´t be). I knocked on the door and a lady answered. I presented the keys (saying I found them on the ground, which is true, I just found them 3 weeks ago on the ground and then hid them so nobody would break in the house (I am a good guy okay?!)) Anyways, she was very grateful and then my companion and I decided to seize the opportunity and present her with a pamphlet about the family. She then asked questions, and with about 6 minutes, accepted a baptismal date and to get baptized ON that day too. She also told us that she is impressed that young men like us are out preaching the Gospel instead of doing other things with our lives right now. So that was pretty cool. 

I learned something valuable right there. Elder G* and I didn´t have an impression or a voice to tell us ¨Hide the Keys or Save the Keys till I tell you to¨ rather we were just trying to do what was right, and 3 weeks down the road, the Lord turned our effort to do what was right into a miracle. So I learned the lesson that if I do what I need to do by being obedient, and striving to do what's right then inspiration will come and happen. I connected it to the talk by David A Bednar when he gave it in the MTC years ago. It's called Recognizing the Spirit. He talks about the 20 mark note story. You should all listen to it when you can, and if you can find it. 

I am also learning the importance about obedience. Obedience brings necessary blessings. The other night, we sprinted 5 or 6 blocks to arrive on time to our apartment at night. My companion yelled while running "I am going to die!" and then I yelled back "Then you are going to die obedient!" and we kept running at a dead sprint. (We arrived at 9:29PM, 9:30 is the deadline.) That's how important it is to us. Haha.

Speaking of conference talks (well, the paragraph before). Elder N* and I listen to a conference every morning while exercising and eating. It's pretty nice. I love conference. There are a LOT of things that I missed before that apply to me right NOW. I love it. Prophets are so cool.

That's really all I have. Thanks for your support! Love the emails. Keep the letters coming!

Love,
Elder Moore

PALERMO, WEEK 13: HOLA!

Hi family!

I hope everything is going well. First, I am going to open this email with this bit of news: WE ARE GOING TO THE TEMPLE!!!! WOOHOOO. 10th of February. It is our P-day so I don´t know if I will be able to write that day or not but I am so excited! I can´t wait. I definitely miss the temple. I loved being there and I love the experience to see a new temple! It's going to be great.

My new companion, Elder N* is a WORKER! I love it. We are constantly talking and finding more people. We talk to anyone and everyone. We are looking for less actives right now and when we can't find them we talk to others that live near them! It is really cool. I also realized that my Spanish is actually not bad. I can definitely get by. Sometimes I don´t understand but most of the time I can converse with relative ease. I also received some compliments from other missionaries (gringo and non gringo) that for 3 months in Argentina my Spanish is pretty good. SO that is definitely a blessing beyond description. I feel satisfied every night because I am literally exhausted. The nights go by a lot faster now. Boom, it's morning...time to get up. I don´t mind though!

We had a family that is less active come to church this past Sunday. Two days before we brought a member with us that is a return missionary of 3 years and is married and has one kid. He was amazing! He befriended them in an instant and was very very firm with them and also loving. It was exactly what we needed. Two missionaries to teach the doctrine and as Authorized Representatives of Jesus Christ to promise the blessings (as if we were Him) and a member to bring them in and feel desired. The family is pretty big. Consists of a Grandma, two daughters and a son (all three are married so plus their spouses) and a handful of children. Two of which aren´t baptized and have the age of 8 and 9! We are definitely looking to complete the family and to give them the blessings of salvation forever together! I hope this second week they come. They have a lot of trials but they can do it.

I am gaining a stronger testimony of the power a member is. Members are literally the KEY to open up hearts and to bring people in the gospel. They are extremely helpful. When I told our Quorum President that the Less Actives were going to come, he asked me if they were going to walk (it was raining a little bit). I said they were going to take a colectivo (bus) and he said "nonsense (he speaks English)! I have a car. Let's organize a division with your companion and let's go pick them up." That is exactly what we did. He had to take 2 trips but we got them there, and they liked church. So that's a blessing. DO what you can to help the missionaries! In reality the missionaries are limited in what they can do without members. It is so much more POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE with a member in the lesson, to offer help, to give them the commitment or invitation. Help them!

Anyways, that's my email for this week. I love you all!

Love, 

Elder Moore