Monday, August 25, 2014

August 25, 2014

Hola!!! :) how is everyone doing?? Sounds like you guys had a pretty intense week!! haha :) I hope everyone is liking school and I hope you like your job! :) This has been a really good week! We have alot of progressing investigators!! 

So something I totally forgot to tell you about last week... Me and Elder Cahoon are in the same area!!! isnt that crazy?! So I get to see him every sunday at our big meeting thing, and I see him all day on P-Days! We are going to this huge park that has a big lake later today and our whole zone is going! So I will have to send you some pics with Elder Cahoon from there! :)

I feel like my spanish is getting good! My companion sure does help me alot with the spanish! and we are constantly talking to people, and people are always asking me questions like "where are you from" or "how old are you" haha so I am pretty good at answering basic questions! haha I try to participate in the lessons as much as possible too! I always say the opening prayer at our lessons, so that helps me get better at saying prayers in spanish, which is good!!

So to answer some of your questions...

We do knock doors! usually in the mornings. But we dont knock doors, you just clap really loud infront of the house, and then the people come out!!! haha it is kinda weird but yeah that is just a known thing to do down here!! and people let us in all the time! I love it haha :) and yes we teach the less active people. there isnt to many members in our ward, so I feel like we just teach basically everyone!! haha

Oh and yes there is still a billion dogs here!! haha wayyy more than Alton!! they usually keep there distance, but my companion got bit by a dog about a year into his mission! he has a big scar from that!

we walk EVERYWHERE. haha no joke, we walk 10+ miles a day!!! haha My legs are going to be in really good shape in two years!!! haha our church is about 3 miles from our house and we go there a couple times a week. so yeah everything in our area is pretty spaced out. our house is pretty close to all the stores though! so thats good. :)

Yes it is still freezing here!! I can see my breath usually till about 12:00 and then it starts to get a little warmer... It is spring time here now, so it should start to heat up a little!! :) It has rained a couple times too! that was pretty nice! haha :)

My birthday was good!!! We had a little extra time in the afternoon, so we went to this giant cemetary!! it was crazy! I will send you some pics from that! That night my companion made some like chocolate pudding stuff and brownies from my birthday, so we downed all that! :) haha

Well everything is really good here, We are teaching this mom and daughter, Volaria and Valintina, and I feel like they really want to be baptized!!! they asked us if they could read extra chapters in the book of mormon... and we were like "OF COURSE!!!" haha they really like having us over. and I really love them.

Well I love you guys soooo much!!! I hope you have a great week!!! I am loving the work so you dont have to worry about me to much. :) I will pray for our cars! haha those cars sure are struggling!!! haha well its so good to hear from you all! I love you guys more than anything!!! :)

Love, Elder Lawrence
This is what a lot of our meals look like! Empenadas and coke!! haha :)

Chilling in front of the San Rafael sign that is on the outskirts of the town! 

People are totally buried in the walls here!!! what the heck!! haha oh and there is an open spot too... kinda creepy haha!

We went to this huge cemetery on my birthday!!! Everyone is like buried above ground!!! it was soo awesome to go there! haha :)

I probably shouldn't be smiling in a cemetrry... haha but this cemetery was legit!!

I sent this to Elder Hansen because he is in Cordoba Argentina!! haha. I miss that kid so much! He was like my best bud!!! oh and sorry its kinda hard to get pictures of me and my companion because we don't trust the people here with our cameras haha!

Birthday pudding stuff! haha it looks pretty gross, but it was dang good!!! :)

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

I'm in Argentina!!

Holy cow I´m in Argentina!! I LOVE IT HERE!!! The people are sooo nice! My companion is so awesome!!! I just cant believe how perfect everything has been! My companions name is Elder Connolly! He is such an awesome kid! He is from Chandler, Arizona. Oh something I should tell you, so out of the 26 new missionaries, 20 of us recieved American companions! It has been great to have an American companion! because if I ever dont know what a word is, I just ask him and he tells me! He makes me talk alot to random people on the streets and in our lessons. I really like it though because it is helping me learn the spanish really fast! The first day I got here, I couldnt understand anyone!!! haha! but it has gotten alot better! and I have givin out 2 books of mormons already! the people here are awesome! So my area is in the city of "San Rafael". It is awesome! It is about 3 hours from Mendoza Centro. Our pench is on the main street! it is pretty small, but I love it! Oh and I have loved the food so far!!! We eat ALOT of beef and chicken! it is a dream come true! haha. sometimes thats all the members will give us, meat and some coke haha! I love it. :)

So imagine every dog you have ever seen in your life, and then times it by 10... That is how many dogs I see everyday!!! hahaha Im serious. there is so many dogs its crazy! and they just walk up and down the streets all day. 

So the bishop in our ward is 25 years old!! He is such an awesome dude!! He is basically like a kid but he is a really good bishop. He had me get up and tell everyone where I am from and stuff like that, and then I bore my testimony after! it was really cool/scary to get up infront of everyone! Oh, another thing is, the old ladies and stuff try to kiss our face! haha it is kinda weird, but I will probably get use to it haha :)

So to answer some of your questions...

It is pretty freezing here!! We are 3 hours south of Mendoza Centro, so yeah it is pretty cold. It probably gets to like 65 during the day (which probably isnt cold, Im just use to summer in Utah right now) But yeah the mornings are freezing! haha but I actually really like the cold so its all good. :)

I dont feel overwhelmed.. I would if I didnt have a companion! haha but yeah Elder Connolly always has my back. :) He has been out 18 months and this is his second time training... So his spanish is really good haha!

I hope Im not forgetting to tell you about anything!! I dont think it really has hit me yet that I am in a different country haha. :) 

Well I love you guys soo MUCH! I hope everyone is liking school!! Dont worry about me here, I feel safe. :) Its so good to here from you guys! I cant wait to tell you stories and what not. :) I love you!!!


Love, Elder Lawrence


 Just talking to you guys on the phone! :) haha

Flying into Mendoza! if you cant tell, its freezing, and all those fields are vineyards! so many vineyards here its crazy!!! haha :)

 One last district picture before we go to our different missions. this is the Buenos Aires Temple! it is sooo pretty! We didn't get to do a session, but it was really cool to be able to go there. :)

 This is the view from our mission presidents house! it is pretty sweet! it is just outside of Mendoza Centro.
 There is no toilet paper here! haha everyone just uses these things called bidé and it just sprays your butt with water!!! it is the weirdest thing in the world hahaha but I will probably get use to it.

 This is me and Elder Connolly!!! He is way hard working but he is way funny too! He always sings the beatles when we are walking down the streets haha. :)

 This is our pench!!! it is awesome! :) its just like a small little house/appartment thing haha. :)

This is our pench from the inside. Our beds are in the upstairs and our study room and bathroom are in the back! it is awesome! I love it. haha :)

Friday, August 15, 2014

Email from the Mission Secretary

Dear Lawrence Family,         

We are happy to inform you that your missionary has arrived here in Mendoza alive and well!

 Following a short orientation and dinner with President and Sister Goates, the new missionaries were then brought to the mission home to do a few formalities, recuperate from the flight and have a brief testimony meeting.

Today they will meet their trainers, receive trainings from the assistants to the president, and have their first individual interview with President Goates. After this they will be off to their first assignment area. I am putting with this email a few pictures we took the first day in Argentina and you can even follow the blog of the mission at http://argentinamendozamission.blogspot.com.ar/

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family for all that you do in order to support your missionary.
                                                                                   
Sincerely,


Elder Barton
Secretario
Misión Argentina Mendoza
Celular - 261 216 4141

Thursday, August 14, 2014

He made it to Argentina!!!

Dear Parents of new missionaries,
We wanted you to know that your missionaries arrived safely last night in Mendoza. This group is not only exceptionally large, but from what the president read of their profiles, they are exceptionally able and prepared. Thank you. There is a tremendous need for their faith and efforts here, and we are very grateful the Lord sent His very best to us.
The group traveled from the airport to the mission home where the wonderful Rasteli family had a dinner of Argentine ravioli and salad for them.  Very few turned down the dulce de leche flavored ice cream. We sang a hymn from our sixth floor balcony  “Joseph Smith’s First Prayer”, in four part harmony before having a prayer and sending them to their hotel for the night. They were in amazing spirits, for being so tired from their flights. Oh, to be that young again. Rest assured we will love these young people and help them fulfill their potential as the Lord’s servants.
Sincerely,
Hermana Goates


Saturday, August 9, 2014

Last P-day at the MTC!!!!

Wow, can you believe how fast this week went?? I was really hoping that this week would go slow because it was my last week in America... and its almost gone! Its crazy that today is my last P-Day in the MTC!! I sure will miss all the friendships that I have made here at the MTC. So how are you all doing?? :) I hope everything is good!

So yesterday was "infield orientation" it was pretty cool! We were at main campus all day yesterday and it was really cool because I got to see alot of the people from Hurricane, that would probably be my last time to see them for a couple years. I saw Joe Takau, Andi Behunin, Rhett Gubler, Brock Fenton and Aziel Stevenson! It was good to see them! :)

So yesterday was also our last time with our teacher Hermano Avilia. It was a sad goodbye but he left an individual blessing on all of us and it was sooo amazing!!! I will miss him so much.

Sooo THANK YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH for all the B-Day stuff!!!! :) Wow it was so awesome to get all those presents!! Thank you for getting me the CTR rings to give to little kids! :) and thank you for the ties! everyone was jealous of them! they are awesome. :) Thanks for the picture book! It is awesome to have those pictures to look at whenever!! I really appreciate everything you guys got for me. :) Makaylee sent me an awesome Boston Red-Sox jersey for my birthday!! I love it!

So to answer you questions... I did open all of my birthday presents haha. :) but I did save the letter you guys sent! oh by the way, that was awesome to get all the birthday cards from the cousins and Aunts and Uncles! tell them I say thank you!!!! :)

I am soo excited to leave the MTC!!! :) I am just sad that I have to say bye to all of my friends that I have here! I will definitely keep in contact with Elder Hansen. He is like my best bud.

Someone told us that our flights over all is about 16 hours of flying... but counting the time at the airports in will be like 22 hours!!! haha Its crazy!

I will send you a picture of my flights plans so you will know my plane number and what time I will leave and stuff like that... Oh and Atlanta is an hour or two ahead of us so you will have to put that into accounting. 

Oh and I want to say sorry in advance for the picture overload... haha I took a bunch of pictures this past week that I want to send to you!!!

That is awesome that Katelyn Hirschi got her mission call! I wish I could email her and tell her congrats or something! haha :)

oh hey, so I was going to send a package home of note books and stuff, but they gave us like no time to get stuff ready and send home!!! and the package place closes at 2:00 on Saturdays... so we really had no time! 

It feels like I am forgetting to tell you guys something... If I think of something I will send you another email!

Well I love you guys so much! Have fun in America!!! haha oh and have fun at your new job! I hope you really like it! it sounds pretty awesome! :) Tell Kamrie and Ethan and Bryson good luck at school and tell Kamrie thanks so much for the letter!!! I LOVED IT!! :) oh and I hope and pray E-dog will feel better for the first day of school!

I think about you guys all the time. I love you all so so much! I cant wait to be in Argentina in 2 days. :) you will all be in my prayers always!

Love, Elder Lawrence
 This was last P-Day! We went to this place called Burger Supreme. It was the bomb!!! :)

 It was pouring rain up here the other day... So we went and took a picture in the rain!!! it was awesome. :)

Pretty sure we almost saw heaven here at West Campus!! ;) the clouds were soo awesome on this day!

Me and Elder Cahoon. :)
 Holy presents!!! :) Thank you guys sooo much! I loved it all!!! :)

 Your wrapping paper went to good use! haha We gave Hermano Avilia a present! His wife is due on August 14th and Elder Hansens mom sent him some baby clothes that had an argentina flag on them to give to Hermano Avilia. :) He loved it!!!

 Me and Sister Behunin. :) oh and Elder Hansen being weird in the corner haha!

 We got reassigned!!!!! I am going to New Zealand and Elder Hansen is going to somewhere in Russia!!! haha Just kiddingggg. :)

 Here is the real picture. :) Mendoza and Cordoba. :)

 Me and the companion being thugs. :)

 Me and the District Leader Elder Shields. :)

 Me and Elder Hansen at our pre P-day party! It looks like we are drinking!!! hahaha :) 
Dont worry its just creme soda and apple beer haha :)

Just saying goodbye to the Provo Temple for the last time for 2 years haha. :)


Sunday, August 3, 2014

August 2, 2014

Hola Everyone!! :) How are you all doing?? I bet you guys are having an awesome time in Park City. :) Everything is great here at the MTC!! This was by far the fastest week yet. its crazy how fast time is going by!! but I am absolutely loving it and will never forget my experience here. :)

Sooo guess what... We got our travel plans!!!! We are going to ARGENTINA! :) we don’t have our Visa's yet even but we are going there on travels Visa's. :) that just means that if our visa doesn’t come in the next 90 days, that we will have to go back to America and wait for our real Visa's haha! but yeah it is pretty exciting news though! We leave next Monday! (a week from Monday) We have a 4 1/2 hour lay-over in Atlanta though! so that is when I will be able to talk to you guys! I will get you more information next Saturday about what time I will be calling and stuff like that. I'm so excited to be in Argentina! I can’t wait! :)

So it has just been a really good week. We got our travel plans, we went to the temple, and me and Elder Mangum committed our of our investigators to baptism!!! I know it is fake investigators, but it seems so real! In one of our lessons the lady started to cry because the spirit was so strong! it was so cool to help her feel the spirit. :)

That is really sad about Nana... But isn’t it amazing to know that families can be together forever through heavenly fathers plan!! when I heard the news about Nana, the first thing that came to my head was "Para siempre Dios esté con Vos"  which is "God be with you til we meet again" in english. We sing that song often and it really just comforted me to know that we will be together after this life.

So to answer some of your questions... I am doing great :) Yes I still am liking the food a lot! We rotate through all the food every two weeks... so you kinda eat the same things a lot, but yeah I still like the food haha. :)

I honestly think I have gained some weight!!! We have no way to check here at main campus... but I really think I have gained a few pounds! haha! 

I totally forgot my birthday was coming up! haha wow it is in 20 days!! that is crazy... I don’t really need anything for my birthday, so just surprise me. ;) 

I havent had to speak at church yet... but I have a feeling that my turn is coming up! haha :) yeah we still have to write a talk in Spanish every week even if we don’t give a talk... they are nice to have though because you can use them in lessons!

The only people I see from Hurricane are Elder Cahoon and Elder Whimmer... but hey, every once and a while I see Sister Andi Behunin at Main Campus! it is always awesome to see her and see how she is doing and how the language is coming for her! :) she is going to Rob's mission!

That is really funny you had a dream that you came here and I gave you a tour and you met all my friends!!! haha I wish that was more than just a dream! ;)

Well I love you guys sooo much! I think about you guys all the time and you are all in my prayers always!! I hope everything goes well with E-dog getting his tonsils out and with Bryson going off to college! Tell Bryson he looks like a gangster in that picture with him and Parker haha :) Well I love you guys!! Adios! :)

Love, Elder Lawrence 

 Everyone loved your present for them!!! Everyone calls you our "district mom" now because of it. Thank you SO much for the package!! Im so grateful for all you guys do for me!!! :)

 Me and Elder Hansen got our hair cut this past Monday. I Wish you were here to cut my hair!! :( but hey, they did pretty good I guess... ;)

  This is right before we went to gym yesterday. Thanks for the shirt! It is the best for gym time! :)

 I took this picture this morning at about 5:50am before our service project... you can see how tired we all are in it!!! haha! 

Just posing in front of the Temple. It was pretty early so I probably look really tired haha. :)