Week 28 Santa Fe, Argentina

"Look Mom"

(We don't know why Josh sends us these silly pictures?

One picture this week and this is it? Beggars can't be choosers, I guess! haha)

FAMILY!!!

Happy Valentines day!!!!

Alright, so it's kinda stressful being the trainer! I’m always worried about the lessons and being on time and stuff so it sure makes things fun and crazy!

This week was pretty good! 5 investigators came to church and we're moving towards some baptisms! Elder Smith is doing great and is a really good companion. He helps me stay focused on our purpose of inviting others to come unto Christ and be baptized! I really hope we can have some baptisms together! He has trouble talking in Spanish but is learning fast! I need to stop speaking English, so he can learn faster; it’s just been nice to not have to think every time I talk. But I like talking in Spanish! We’ve already had a handful of cool and funny experiences together.

On Tuesday, we ate cow stomach soup. Lets just say we ate just as much juice and bread. haha Then on Saturday, we were teaching about how we don’t drink, smoke, etc. Elder Smith didn’t know some words, so he was like acting out how if we don’t drink we can run and not cough. Basically, looked like a monkey doing charades and we all laughed about it. haha then yesterday, after church these 2 dogs followed us EVERYWHERE!!! We walked like two miles to a house, went in, and they waited outside and then followed us to lunch and then back to the pinch, another 2 miles. Then we studied for a few hours and then followed us the whole afternoon! haha seriously it was so crazy! We felt bad so we gave them water. haha

Church was really good yesterday! 5 kids in the ward went to the local EFY (Especially For Youth) or church youth camp and they bore their testimonies and it was super great. It made me think of all the great experiences I had at the EFYs I went to. I LOVE EFY! I know that it helped me go on a mission. Then the Stake President talked about how strong the spirit was in the testimony meeting at EFY and how happy everybody was because they were living the gospel! He bore testimony that the gospel is the key to happiness and that by obeying the commandments of God we can be happy and have JOY! He said something that hit me pretty hard. He said, "We don’t have to wait to have Joy in Heaven, we can have it right now!" All we have to do is keep the commandments! I know this is so true. I KNOW that the commandments are for our benefit. I know that we will be happy if we obey them.

In Mosiah 2:41:

“And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.”

I read that scripture almost every day.

I love being a missionary and bringing this happiness into the lives of others! I love watching them change because they know that this is true. I love families. I want to baptize a family! It’s coming.

I love all of you and thanks for everything!!!

Elder Hjelmstad