Monday, August 10, 2009

Hola from Olavarría! I got transfered to San Carlos de Bolivar or just Bolivar for short. It's about two hours from Olivarria which is the center of the zone. Which is another small zone too. Both Tandil and Olivarria have 10 missionaries each.

This week was interesting. We decided that we weren't going to fall into the end of the transfer slump like almost all of the rest of the mission does so we set a really high goal and we were able to teach more lessons than any other week we've had this transfer. It just goes to show you when you set your goals high, you can do a lot more. Don't ever limit yourself by goals that are lower than your potential. How do we find out our potential, well set goals until you can't reach them then we leave it there and work until we can reach it, then continue the cycle.

I'm really going to miss Elder Kenney and even though he is getting a bit trunky (thoughts back home) we worked and worked and worked. Rauch is probably going to have five or more baptisms this first half of the next transfer.

I have a story about a real missionaries dream. We were agrigating which is just teaching the first lesson more or less and we weren't going to make our goal by the end of the week and this was Friday. We also had tons of return lessons Saturday so we decided to do 6 agrigations so we could reach our goal and we didn't have any more books of Mormon either. So we started working on the goal and got 5 and then transfer calls came and I find out that I have to pack. We were talking about that 5 agrigations is good and is probably more than anyone in the mission right now because apparently no one works the day of transfer calls, but we decided to agrigate one more to reach the goal. We finally find this one lady that listens and it is Elder Kenney's turn to start the teaching and he actually accidently trips her daughter as she is trying to get out the door and he was tripping over his words a lot too. About halfway through the lesson the radio comes on and Elder Kenney says (I still don't know why) that's kind of sounds like the voice of God. I'm thinking what are you thinking! Then he goes on and says no not really and trying to recover. Well the lesson goes on and I finished by giving her a Book of Mormon and we walk away laughing thinking that Elder Kenney was a little off his rocker and all of that. Well she wanted us to pass by the next day so we do and the first thing she says is I read the lectura (assignment if you will) you gave me and I also read a lot of the Book of Alma (I love the book of Alma!) We're thinking, wow, this is too good to be true. So then the both of us were thinking that maybe we ran into a less-active member, so we ask if she has been baptized and she says no. So we had huge smiles on our faces for the rest of the lesson. It was amazing! So now however I won't really be able to teach her being in Bolivar but it was an amazing experience and I'm glad I got to be a part of it. Her story is even more incredible, but I don't have any more time.

Thank you for all of your prayers, I know that they are helping! This is the true and living church of God. I know that, and I'm so blessed to have that knowledge and this opportunity!

Chou

Elder Sands