Tucuman - October 23rd

It rained a lot this week.

We had a zone training where we talked a lot about the Book of Mormon and played foosball to show the importance of working together with members.

Futbol!

The part that hit me the most is when a sister - a convert - shared her testimony of the Book of Mormon. The missionaries showed up when she had a brain disease. She couldn't comprehend what she read or what people said to her, but she tried reading the Book of Mormon anyway. She said that she couldn't remember anything she read, nor did she know what it was talking about, but every time she read she felt peace, joy, and the love of God with such intensity that it was undeniable. I realized that really the only thing that matters is the spiritual witness of the Book of Mormon. Even Alma only got his testimony after fasting and praying, despite the fact that he'd repented after seeing an angel some time before (Alma 5:40ish). If your testimony isn't based on the Holy Ghost, it will not endure. If you feel like you haven't received that answer, you don't have the real intent. If you feel like you have the intent and you still don't receive an answer, be patient, and step up your game. The answers come. I know it. Because they've come for me time and time again, especially when I have doubts.

Miguel Tula is a guy we found months ago that didn't believe in God. He's the 19-year-old brother of a member. He's been going to church a lot. The first few times he didn't stick around because he "Had stuff to do" and when we pried for information, he admitted that he just didn't like it in the church. Even so, he kept going. And he reads like a madman. He says he believes in God now. We're having a lot of one eighties lately!

Celebration of a year!

Another of the year mark.

Secco Traditional. It's a hard-to-find soda.

We celebrated with candles and muffins the one year marker for me and Elder Espinosa! Thanks for the candles!
Lucas is just really cool. He admitted that the first time he went to church, he thought that he'd never come back. Now, when he had to miss church for a family party his parents forced him to, he said he really just felt bad and wanted so much to just be in church. Plus he's been going out to visit people with us. When we came out of a lesson with a really distressed, lonely lady, he told us to ask her when he could come by again, if only to keep her company. I just love the change that's happened with him. It's incredible.

I had an interview for baptism with a lady this week for my first time. She's read the Bible in Hebrew and said that when she found the church, it was like finding the fulfilling of the prophecies of everything she read. What threw me for a loop is when I asked if she had any questions and she started rattling off some questions about the different tribes and the Lord's covenant with the Israelites.

We talked to a drunk bible scholar. The guy lives in the street, but yet he has a huge store of scripture references memorized and at his command. It inspired me! Not to be a drunk, but to memorize more scriptures.

We went to Villa Carmela! It's a part of our area two buses away that I've only heard legends about for the past five months.

Waiting at the bus stop.

The bus seemed to take forever to get there, but it finally came! We talked to members that hadn't had contact with the church for from 13 to 20 years. It was nuts! We also had a lesson with someone that hadn't found the truth only because she knew not where to find it. We gave her a card about the Book of Mormon and figured we'd come back another time when we weren't in the street to teach a little bit more, but she just started asking question after question that we just taught her the restoration in the street! The look in her eyes was so cool! I'm excited to go back.

Well, that was my really cool week. I hope yours was equally as awesome. And that your scripture study is going well!

Love you all!

Landon