Quote of the week:

"The Lord doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called"


Monday, April 29, 2013

Week 91, Venado Tuerto, Argentina



                                President Giuliani's wife, Elder May and I!

                  
                                                                                                    
                                                                                    helmets!!

                                   Apple pie that turned out AMAZING!!!!!!!!

 

Cleaning the church...

          Marta in her huge Cruela deVil fur coat. So great.



 






So, weve been riding bikes without helmets and I've been feeling pretty guilty and the Zone Leaders had 2 helmets that were red, white and blue.  So we bought some spray paint and painted them! I feel so much better and really believe that we were blessed this week by being obedient to that rule. We get some funny looks and hear some ugly words but it doesn't bother me. haha Now people have more the reason to think that were aliens because NOBODY wears helmets here. Not even if they ride a motorcycle.
 
Alrighty so MARTA got baptized! She was in the hospital 2 weeks ago and all she wanted to do was go to church and get baptized. She's the sweetest lady ever and she likes to mess with my companion too. haha Shes always making fun of his ties because theyre "old-man ties". So we taught her during the week and she was all excited for her baptism on Saturday. We were praying for Marta all week long and prayed that we would have enough faith so that she would be baptized. Saturday came and of course....It's pouring rain all morning. We told her we'd be at her house at 11:00am but she didnt answer. Dang it. We tried again at 12:00. nothing. We ate lunch and went to the church to fill up the baptismal font. At 5:00pm, an hour and a half before the baptism was supposed to start we went to her house to try again. (we couldn't try earlier because of the sacred siesta or nap that everybody and their dog takes here.) Her daughter was inside with all her loud friends and said that her Mom, Marta, was sick and in bed because she hadn't slept the night before. We asked her to wake her up at 5:45 and we'd call her to see how she's doing. We called and Marta didn't sound too bad. We told her we'd be at her house at 6:10pm to pick her up for the baptism. (Just remember that were praying this whole entire time that this is going go through.) I've never been so nervous in my life. We go back at 6:10pm and this punk friend of Martas daughter comes out and says,"Hey, we already told you, she's sick and in bed." To be honest, I was not in the mood to deal with him, so we asked/just walked in to see Marta. We go into her room and Marta is in bed laying down. She says that she doesn't think she can make it there walking and said, "Im sorry". We said, "well, we already called the taxi. C´mon get changed. You can do it." She looks up and goes,"Alright. I need some pants." hahaha So we waited for her to change and she comes out with this huge Cruela deVil fur coat. So great. We got her into the taxi and made it to the church. When we got in the church building, she was in heaven. She said she could feel a huge difference. We started with the baptism, listened to the talks and then came the real deal!  She got into the water and did great! She plugged her nose and went all the way under. After she got out of the water she gave us both a kiss on the cheek (loved that) and had a huge smile on her face. I think in that very moment I got a glimpse of what Heavenly Father feels when somebody gets baptized. I was so happy. Elder May and I were basically floating, we were so content.
 
I learned so much about Faith from that whole experience. There was nothing more that we could have done besides pray and ask for a miracle. I've never pleaded so much for somebody. Even though we were stressed out we kept singing Bob Marleys song,"Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little thing, is gunna be alright." haha seriously. I remember a quote that I once heard that says,"Having Faith in God means having faith in His timing." There are sometimes when we just can't do anything and we must leave it up to Him. I know that He hears our prayers and I know that He knows what's best for us. May we trust in Him and submit to His will.
 
I love you guys!!!!
Elder H 

Monday, April 22, 2013

Week 90, Venado Tuerto, Argentina


that's the scarf I made! 



 just us hanging out at the park last pday!
 



Family,

Alrighty so we found some cool people this week! Funny story... We were cruising down the street and saw a lady sweeping her leaves (because they dont use rakes here. haha) So we stopped to try and help. I put down my bike and swept a little before my companion wanted to sweep. I started talking to the lady and she invited me to sit down. So we sat down to chat while Elder May worked away. I showed her a picture of my family and then she says, "Poor guy, he's getting all sweating by sweeping my neighbors lawn." hahaha then right when Elder May's about finished the neighbor comes out and looks at him like a freak and asked, "What are you doing?" Elder May had no idea what she said or what he did wrong. sooooo funnny. Our new friend then went over and told her neighbor he just wanted to help and she was like "Do I have to give you something?" and of course we said no. We gave her a little card of Jesus Christ and kept talking to Amalia. Turns out Amalia's husband died a year ago and she feels lonely at times. We testified of the Plan of Salvation and set a date to return. Those are the type of experiences that make me love the mission. :)

Yanina Taulet and her husband Milton are doing great. They invited us to eat last Wed. We talked about baptism and they said they still need a stronger answer from God. We invited them to read and pray with REAL INTENT. We went back a few days later and Yanina had read a ton while Milton hadnt read much. We want to show them the importance of these things. We want to talk about eternal families and set some goals. Yanina went to church on Sunday so that was cool, but her husband stayed at home. 

Marta was in the hospital until Friday so we visited her there a few times and then saw her in her house. She had brought her Book of Mormon and pamphlets to the hospital with her. So cute. I'll take pics this week. :) 

I don't really have much of a spiritual thought this week but at this point in my mission I've realized something that I hope all of us can do. In this life, we are here to become like Christ, little by little. He wants us to practice. As we become more and more like Him, others will follow. 

I love a song called "The Window to His Love"

I want to be a window to His love,
so when you look at me you will see Him.
I want to be so pure and clear that you won't even know I'm here,
'cause His love will shine brightly through me.

I want to be a doorway to the truth,
so when you walk beyond you will find Him.
I want to stand so straight and tall, that you won't notice me at all.
But through my open door He will be seen.

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen And I become a window to His love.

I want to be a window to His love,
so you can look through me and you'll see Him.
And some day shining through my face, you'll see His loving countenance,
'cause I will have become like He is

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen And I become...

A window to His love
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you.
And with each passing year
I want to disappear
'Till He's become ev'rything
and I've become a window to His love.
We have the responsibility to become like Him, and His grace is sufficient enough so that we can one day stand with Him. 

Moroni 7:48
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of the heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have his hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.

LOVE YOU ALL!!
Elder Hjelmstad





Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Week 89, Venado Tuerto, Argentina


So this was a pretty normal week. We taught the Taulet family again, they just returns from Rosario for a week, but they were just as happy as we were to keep visiting them. They're so close. We had a great talk about the gospel. They know the Book of Mormon is true but are still a little nervous about baptism. We're going by tonight. :) We're excited. 

I was thinking this week a lot about being more diligent and more intelligent. I'm trying to master myself. This part of my mission has been so different from the rest of it and I know it is becuase the Lord wants me to learn something special from it. Today I felt impressed to read a talk from Elder Hales called, "Waiting on the Lord: Thy will be done" In his talk he talks about how we as children, of our Heavenly Father, sometimes don't understand everything that God has instore for us. He difines what it means to WAIT upon the Lord. He said, "To wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of Faith and nourishing it with great diligence and patience. It means...praying with our whole souls in the name or our Savior Jesus Christ. As we follow the promptings of the spirit we discover that tribulation worketh patience and we learn to continue in patience until we are perfected. As we wait upon the Lord, we are immovable in keeping the commandments, knowing that we will one day rest from all our afflictions. Let us not give up on the Lord. His blessings are eternal not temporary." About  a month ago my companion and I were late to an appointment, so we were riding our bikes fast as we could and we still had a ways to go. We were both tired, panting heavily and what not, when I heard my comp say, "Descanso eterno." which means eternal rest. I loved that! This life may be challenging at times but we must keep going! Our reward will be at the end! We will be able to rest with our families in the presence of our maker, our Father in heaven. I know these things are true.

I love you all sooooo much! Thanks so everything! Thanks for writing me! It's still my favorite part of the week!

Your missionary,
Elder Hjelmstad

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Week 88, Venado Tuerto, Argentina








 


                                       

 

Helping a family move from one place to another...


 
 
 
We are in the back of this truck.

 

 




Happy Serving....
                

Picking cherry tomatoes






  

Alrighty, so this week was great! So as you might know...We ride bikes here! I love them so much! But on Thursday we left the pinch (apartment) and were on our way to our appointment, on the main road, when all of the sudden my bike just stops and I go flying forward superman style. I land on the ground and the bike lands on top of me. I start busting up laughing because we were on the busiest street in our area, so everybody was looking at me. I look at my hands to see if I got hurt...not a scratch. Nothing happened! My tie got a little dirty but that was it! It was crazy! Elder may said that he couldn’t understand how I didn’t get hurt, but I understood. I know that missionaries are protected. I know that God hears the prayers of my awesome family and especially my Mom. In General Conference an apostle said, "There are very few things more powerful than the prayers of a righteous Mom." I know that is true.

So, I absolutely LOVED conference! I can literally say it was the best general conference of my life. I LOVED Sister Dalton’s talk about women being "daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us." It really hit me when she said that “if men understood that phrase and everything it entails, the way men look at girls, talk to girls, and treat girls would change”.
I also loved Elder Bednar’s talk on the Law of Chastity. He explained it perfectly and makes it so easy to understand and apply in our lives.
I loved Elder Claytons talk about tips on marriage. You’ll all laugh when I say that I am so excited to start a family with my wife. I was taking notes like crazy.
I loved Pres Uctdorf’s talk on light and how we can find light and BE light for others. As we get closer to God, He gets closer to us.
I Ioved Pres Monson’s talk about being obedient. I know that obedience brings blessings.

I know for a fact that this church is true. I love being a missionary. It’s not easy, but it is SO worth it. I know that the gospel is the key to happiness. I’m so grateful for all of you!

LOVE YOU!!!
Elder Hjelmstad

Thanks You to Elder Laguado's brother for posting the following pictures on facebook for us....