Week 22 Santa Fe Rural C Oficina

Queridos amigos y familia! Como están todos?

It's the week of transfers, and this transfer, we are having a lot of changes, including a lot of new missionaries. It's just crazy, but it's been a great week. A couple of highlights:

Last Sunday, we had an AMAZING stake conference with Elder Teixeira, a general authority and president of the South America South Area (Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay). He is from Portugal, but raised his family in Germany, and speaks six different languages. One thing I loved that he talked about was obedience. He told an experience of when he was the president of the Europe Area, and he was with President Monson on a 10-day tour of the area. He said that President Monson absolutely loves the movie Sound of Music, so during one of the days that they were passing through Salzburg (the city in Austria where the movie was filmed), they went to the small cathedral where the wedding of Maria is filmed. They sat, and were pondering for a while, and then, all of a sudden, President Monson put his hand on Elder Teixeira's knee and said with a lot of firmness and intensity,"Elder Teixeira, wherever you go, whenever you visit the saints in any part of the world, always exhort them to keep the commandments." And then President Monson got quiet again, and then said, "Ok, shall we go?" It just kind of came out of nowhere, but Elder Teixeira said it changed him, and he testified to us of the great importance of keeping the commandments, and the happiness and joy that can ONLY come from living the commandments of our Heavenly Father. I loved the conference. And we had a stake choir, and I got to play the piano, so that was fun, too. :)

On Thursday we had an insane rainstorm. It only lasted about 10 minutes the very worst part of it, but it was literally like buckets of water falling from the sky. We couldn't even open the door of the office because there was so much water coming down. In about 3 minutes all of the streets flooded completely, with water up to the rims of the car tires. Our basketball court had at least 2 inches of water covering it within 5 minutes. It was insane. And what was crazier, Elder Carrion and Elder Henriquez went to Hernandarias to close a contract for the new apartment for the elders that are going there, and over there, the storm was even worse. For about 10 minutes, it hailed hailstones almost the size of golfballs. They pulled into a service station, but all of the tail lights and mirrors on the truck were shattered, and the entire body of the truck was dented in hundreds of places. It looked like somebody had taken a machine gun to it or something. It was unbelievable. Crazy weather stories.

On Saturday, we had a capilla abierta in San Martin (that's in the Santa Fe North Stake). I had a pretty embarrassing moment. So, to explain a little, to begin the tour, the sister missionaries start by welcoming everone, and then, like in the Visitor's Center at Temple Square, they invite everyone to listen to a recording of the words of Christ as they look at the Christus statue (Of course we just have a big stand, but it still works great). So my job this time was to hide behind the pulpit and press the play button for the recording when they finished talking. Everything was going great, just fine (we've done this a bunch of times already). And then, I don't know how, but I was super exhausted that day, and during one tour, I pushed play, and then during the recording, I somehow fell asleep, and fell over so that I was laid out on the ground. I just konked out! And the sisters finished the tour, and then another group came in, and the Sister Training leaders from Santa Fe (Hna Garcia and Hna Guevara) started the next tour, not realizing that I was completely out (because I was behind the pulpit). So they start the tour, and say "Now we're going to listen to the recording" And nothing happens. The say it again, and nothing happens. So Sister Garcia looks back and sees me laid out on the floor, and says in a whisper, "Hey! Elder Meyers!" Nothing. Again. Nothing. Then Hna Garcia went up on the stand, while Hna Guevara told the tour group that we were just having technical difficulties, and Hna Garcia came up to me and whispered my name "Elder Meyers, Elder Meyers!" Then she started shaking my wrist, and then my arm, and then my shoulders, and finally I woke up! I was so out of it! I was completely confused about what was happening, and Hna Garcia turned on the recording and then went down. About a minute later I realized what was happening, and I was so embarrassed! I have no idea why how I was so out of it. Afterwards, Hna Garcia told me she was just like "Is he dead?" jajaja Oh man.... the mission. It's great.

Anyways, I love you all! I hope you have a great week, and always remember to keep the commandments!

Elder Meyers

All the ice cream for transfer week

Look at all that Grido ice cream!

Elder Maynard, me, and Grido

Asado for the farewell lunch yesterday in the mission home (3 Elders and 4 Hermanas finished their missions:  Elder Blackmon, Elder Pearson, Elder Chartrand, Hna Guevara, Hna Craig, Hna Tomala, and Hna Castillo

Farewell lunch

Farewell lunch

A picture of me with all of the assistants:  Elder Maynard, Elder Blackmon, Elder Pearson and Elder Robles (Elder Blackmon and Elder Pearson's last week)

Pictures from the crazy rainstorm!

Soaked Elder Blackmon

Crazy rainstorm

Selfie from the capilla abierta in San Martin during lunch

Elder Tello and me

Pictures of Elder Carrion and Elder Henriquez with the crazy hailstorm

Elder Carrion with the hail stones

Look at all the hail

The tail lights in the mission truck were shattered in the storm

Look at all the dents from the storm

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Week 21 Santa Fe Rural C Oficina

Hola amigos y familia!

This has been a trying week. They come every once in a while. But my favorite thing about these kinds of weeks is that they really cause you to go back to the basics, to re focus on your foundation, and to rely on your Savior. And what could be better than that? I know that our strength comes from God, and that He is the reason we can do what we do. I am ever more grateful to Him for his pacience, long suffering, kindness, and above all, love, for me. I know that He loves us, no matter what we do, where we go. That is the thing. We cannot go beyond God's love. As Elder Holland has said,

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines."

I want to add my testimony to his, that the Atonement is there for ALL of us, in EVERY circumstance, no matter what we've done. Trust in your Savior, in His teachings, and in His love, and you will be free and happy.

Other than all of that, normal week of working in the office. And lots of great lessons! We are slowly but surely finding more investigators, and Mxxx and Dxxx are progressing. We hope they can have a special experience this weekend with stake conference.

I love you all!

Elder Meyers

Week 20 Santa Fe Rural C Oficina

Hola a todos, saludos de la Argentina!

This was a great week, and we had a lot of great things happen. We had some great lessons with Mxxx and Dxxx, and they both went to church today! I wasn't there, but Elder Llanos told me that they absolutely loved church today! It was our first Sunday back in our own building after six months of renovations, and everybody was pretty excited. Elder Llanos also told me that Presidente and Hermana Perez attended our ward today, and that they met Mxxx and Dxxx, and were able to bear their testimonies to them. I bet it was awesome. :) I wasn't in our ward today, because I was in Nogoyá!! We left yesterday at about 6:30 (me, Elder Robles, who also served in Nogoyá about a year ago, and my new companion Elder Carrion, the new bibiliotecario), went and picked up the Francos, the senior couple in charge of capilla abierta, and we drove to Nogoyá. We stayed in my old apartment with the elders who are there right now, and then this morning we went to church in Nogoyá and gave the capilla abierta training during Sunday School. It was so great to see all the members! I was so excited, and it made me so happy to see all of them, especially the Arruas. They're like my second parents in the mission, after Presidente and Hermana Perez. It was awesome. We came back today, did some things in the office, and then I went to stake choir practice. I'm playing piano for the stake choir, and we have stake conference next week. I'm a little nervous, because there will be two area seventies accompanying Elder Teixeira, who is a member of the first quorum of the Seventy and the president of the South America South Area. Hopefully I don't mess up jaja. But the choir sounds great. It will be awesome. We also got an awesome reference from Elder Levrino this week (the area seventy who lives in our ward). It's a little girl who's about 9 years old, and her mom is inactive, and has been for a long time, but her daughter (Gxxx) wants to get baptized, and is looking for a church to join! She's pretty quiet, and doesn't talk a lot, but is very mature. She actually reminds me a lot of Natalie Burger. Sometimes it seems like they're twins. She also has an older sister, Lxxx, who's 16, who was listening to the missionaries, and had a baptismal date, but never ended up getting baptized, so we're hoping to teach her as well. Overall, things are going great, and the mission is great, and I'm loving life! Just a little tired from lots of work and travel.

I've been thinking more and more about love and charity lately, of the importance of divine love. Love is the substance of everything. It makes so much sense. I heard a story about Elder Rasband, that when he was a mission president, they had noticed a problem with obedience in their mission, so they started to teach about obedience, but noticed a minimal difference. On a suggestion from his wife, they decided to change their focus to talking about Jesus Christ, and things started to change much more rapidly. It reminds me of a quote from Preach My Gospel where it says "True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior" Love is what motivates to change. When we feel the love of God, we want to change because we love Him and want to do His will. And we can help others to make that change by reaching out to them and helping them to feel of His love, helping them to recognize it. As in the tree of life, when we truly seek for the truth, we come to the tree and partake of the fruit, the true love of God, and when we feel that, it envelops us, and we cannot help but want to share it with everyone. Charity is everything.

I love you all! I hope that you have a wonderful week, full of charity of love for everyone. :)

Elder Meyers

PS Thanks to all the Meyers! I finally got the package with the notes, and I loved them all! You guys are great!

Thanks for the candy!  Since it was close to Halloween, whenever missionaries came into my office, I told them they had to say trick or treat and gave them candy.  The yanqui (yankee) missionaries especially appreciated it jaja :)

Notes from Meyers cousins!

We had emergency transfers and we had to get a quick lunch, so where better than the McDonald's drive thru? (that was actually the first time I went)

Me with Elder Blackmon and a mini missionary

Me, Elder Carrion, and Elder Robles when we got to Nogoya

Us with Elder Garaza and Elder Chandler who are in Nogoya right now in my old apartment!

Sleepover! Woot jaja

Me with the fold out of General Authorities that I put up in my apartment in Nogoya (pretty sure I took a selfie with it in March to get ready for conference, a couple of months and pounds ago....jaja oh well)

Selfie in my old study room!

In the truck with Elder Carrion (didn't quite get in the picture), Elder Robles, and los Franco

Me, Elder Carrion, Elder Robles, and Elder Franco in front of the capilla in Nogoya

Me in front of Nogoya!

Selfie with all the Nogoya missionaries and Presidente Romero! (Branch President in Nogoya)

Me and Hermano Arrua in Nogoya!

Me with Arrua's in Nogoya!

Me with Hermana and Hermano Arrua!

Week 19 Santa Fe Rural C Oficina

Hello everybody! (tricked you all out there with that English, right?) jaja

I ran out of time today, so for anybody who wrote me, I'm sorry! I love you and will get to you when I can!

We had a fantastic week, seeing lots of miracles. First of all, we were super excited when Mxxx came to church! There have been several weeks when they haven't been able to come, because they had family gatherings on Sunday, and they had another gathering yesterday, and I began to lose hope, knowing that they normally didn't come. But I said to myself, "Don't lose faith, with God all things are possible!" So I changed my attitude, and put my faith in God, and tried to listen to the Spirit. As church started, Mxxx and Dxxx told us that there were still a ton of people and that they weren't sure if they would make it. (by the way, we have sacrament last) We sent him text messages, encouraging him that they could do it, and that God would be happy. Between priesthood and Sunday school, we sent more messages, encouraging them to come. After Sunday school, I went into the chapel. We hadn't heard from Mxxx, so I decided to go start playing prelude music. It seemed like they wouldn't come. Then right before the meeting started, someone taps me on my shoulder, and lo and behold, Mxxx had come!! He told me that he had just really felt that he needed to come, and that Dxxx had to stay in the house with the family that was there, but that he was there to represent them. I was so happy, I couldn't believe it! Just a tip to any of you out there who might become investigators at some point, if you want to make the missionaries happy, go to church. :D It was awesome.

On another note, I have been driving a ton! It seems I officially drive a stick now, as I drove the truck to Hernandarias once, and another time to Paraná, and several times in downtown (which is way harder than the freeway jaja). Vamos oficinas!

I know this church is true! This gospel is so wonderful, it fills me with awe and joy. We are so blessed, and our Heavenly Father has a love so real for each of us. I know it.

Have a great week!

Elder Meyers

Went to the airport with Elder Dillon to receive Presidente and Hermana Perez after they returned from the Mission President Seminar

Capilla Abierta in San Agustin (Parana)

Capilla Abierta in San Agustin

Capilla Abierta

Me in my office with Elder Berg (ZL in Parana)

Elder Henriquez, the new historiador!  Elder Tello left today for a new area.  Also, Elder Carrion gets here today, he will be Elder Llanos' replacement and my new companion.  Pretty soon, I will be the oldest office elder (in terms of time in the office).  That is super weird!

Me and Elder Giacoboni.  He was ZL in Parana and finished his mission today.  He was our zone leader here in Santa Fe for a transfer.  An awesome missionary from Uruguay, he was a zone leader for 19 months!  That's crazy!

Week 18 Santa Fe Rural C Oficina

Buenos días!

A pretty great week. Always busy, always working, always something to do. We were able to visit quite a few people this week. We visited two of our investigators, Cxxx and Mxxx, who are relatives of a member named Gxxx (Cxxx is her son). Cxxx is a Jehovah's Witness, and Mxxx doesn't belong to a particular church. We had taught them the Restoration a couple of weeks back, but we weren't able to get back and visit them for a while because of transfers. We finally made it back this week, reviewed the Restoration, and talked about the Book of Mormon and how it helps us to receive an answer. They received it really well! Cxxx was very interested, and he told us even before we committed them to read,"This is interesting. I'm going to read this book, don't you worry." We hope that they can come to receive an answer that what we are sharing is true. We also had a great lesson with Mxxx and Dxxx on families this week. They are so wonderful! It's a little hard for us, because they know and understand so much, but they still don't feel ready to get baptized. Elder Llanos and I aren't exactly sure what to do, because we have taught them pretty much everything, and they know that what we are teaching them is true, but they are still a little nervous about taking the step. We are praying that they will somehow come to know that what they have heard is true. I also went on divisions with Elder Maynard this week in Costanera. It was quite different, because the Costanera is probably the wealthiest place in Santa Fe. The houses are huge, lots of super nice cars, and people with lots of money and little time to listen. We went to a lesson with some university students, and it was definitely a different atmosphere, with lots of very intellectual questions, questions about atheism, different religions, and things like that. It made me realize that the gospel is the same for everybody, rich or poor, black or white, male or female. It works the same. We are His children, and He has the same plan for each one of us. It is beautifully simple. We taught the Restoration and the Book of Mormon, and testified to them of the importance of looking for answers and praying in faith. They seemed to really want some kind of physical or logical proof that what we were telling them was true. It made me think of the scripture,

"When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not... But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God." (2 Nephi9:28)

It really does all come down to faith. We have to have faith, and believe in the things we can't see, and "trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good." (D&C 11:12)

This week, I've felt and thought about time and time again the great importance of charity. The greatest commandment of all is to love the Lord your God, and the second is to love thy neighbor as thyself. President Monson has instructed us: "Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." Oftentimes we focus too much on the problems that people have, or the things that they may be doing wrong, and forget that the greatest commandment we have is to love them. We may be righteous, we may be talented, we may be smart, we may be obedient, we might be right, but none of that matters if we do not love them. None of it. As Paul taught us,

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels... And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains...And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."

As wonderful as all of these things are, as great as sacrifice and obedience is, if it is not done out of love, it is worthless. It does us no good. That is why love is the greatest commandment of all, and that is why charity is the greatest of all things.

I love my Savior. I am forever grateful for what He has given me, and I know that without Him, I could go nowhere. I would be lost and broken. But with Him, I am found and healed each and every day. He lives and loves us, setting the perfect example for us. I know it.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Elder Meyers

Me, Elder Maynard, Elder Blackmon, and Elder Llanos.  Happy Birthday President Perez.

More pictures Cumpleanos de Presidente

Elder Llanos with his scriptures

Elders serving in the office.  Elder Tello, Me, Elder Llanos, and Elder Dillon

jajaja we found out that the new iphone came out, so Elder Llanos and I put little apple stickers on the back of our phones a couple pdays back.  We tell missionaries we have the new iphone in the office now. :)