Week 39, Villa Diego, Rosario Argentina

Saying Goodbye to families in Sante Fe....

Now in Villa Diego Rosario, Argentina:

                                   

This is my shower....

And... it has a bucket shower! yippie! It’s basically a bucket and you plug it into the wall to heat up the water and the water pressure is just gravity. ha it’s great. 

Well not really, but whatcha gunna do. 

                                   

FAMILY!

I loved your emails this week! Thank you so much for letting me in on everything! Jenee, you looked super pretty and Dans tux was legittt! Sounds like you had a great Bday and prom! 

Alright so this weekend I was super homesick. haha I knew you guys were all hanging out and Jen had prom and stuff. So I basically was super "trunky."(that’s what we say for homesick) 

So I got to my new area, Villa Diego, in the city Villa Gobernador Galvez, around noon on Wednesday. It's a suburb outside of Rosario. I met my new companion, Elder A. he's from Durazno, Uraguay, he´s way cool. He’s way quiet, but a really good guy. He's been out 7.5 months. So my whole mission I have wanted to have a comp that likes country music but NEVER thought it was going be a Latin! Elder A. knows every single Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum song! It’s great! We’re always singing while walking. He knows so much American music it’s crazy. Anyways, we ate at McDonalds and then took a taxi to the pinch. The pinch is horrible. It's known for being bad... Smells wet, had rats and cockroaches but they said they’re all gone. And... it has a bucket shower! yippie! (I sent a pic) It’s basically a bucket and you plug it into the wall to heat up the water and the water pressure is just gravity. ha it’s great. Well not really, but whatcha gunna do. "This is my TEMPORARY HOME" as Carrie Underwood would say. (Villa means ghetto in spanish. haha). The BRANCH is really great though! It’s funny though because there’s more people that are active in the branch, than my old ward in Liceo. We met the Branch President and the Mission Leader and I really believe this ward has a lot of potential! We just need people to teach! I think were going to do a lots of finding this transfer and I hope to learn how to do it effectively!

Yesterday we had Stake Conference and it was super great! They talked a ton about the family. First a Sister talked about the divine role of a Mom. She talked about how essential it is to have a healthy relationship between the husband and wife and how it’s their role to TEACH their children, worldly things as well as spiritual. Then they talked about temples and the amazing blessing that it is to be able to be sealed for time and all eternity together.  I know that God, though his love for us, has restored that priesthood power through a modern day prophet.  I am so grateful for my family, all that you guys do for me and help me.

The Buenos Aires temple is opening in September, so that’s really exciting. I know that families can be together forever. I know that God wants the best for our families. I know he gives us commandments to guide us. I love you guys so much and thank you for the strength that you are to me. Sorry it was short this week! 

I love you so much! 

Elder Hjelmstad 

Gramma Mary- Thanks for the email! Times flyin by!

Grandpa- sounds like the nba playoffs should be interesting!

Family- LOVE YOU!

P.S. Learn more about the new city Elder Hjelmstad is serving in: 

Villa Gobernador Gálvez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Villa Gobernador Gálvez is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, located on the western ravine of the Paraná River, within the metropolitan area of Greater Rosario. It has 74,509 inhabitants per the 2001 census [INDEC]. It is separated from Rosario, to the north, by the Saladillo Stream. It is the fourth most populated city in the province and the second in the metropolitan area.

The city was founded by an Italian immigrant, engineer Enrico Mosconi, on 25 February 1888 (he was the father of military engineer General Enrique Mosconi, first director of the YPF state oilcompany). Dr. José Gálvez, governor of Santa Fe since 1886, hired Mosconi to trace the railway system that would link this province to Mendoza. For this purpose Mosconi acquired land, and upon authorization by the governor, set up a village, populated mostly by other immigrants from Italy and Spain.

The town was declared a city by Governor Carlos Sylvestre Begnis on 12 April 1962. At the time it had about 18,000 inhabitants. What today is called "Villa Gobernador Gálvez" is in fact an aggregate of three towns: V. G. Gálvez proper, Villa Diego and Pueblo Nuevo. The history of the city is preserved in a public museum (Dr. Raúl Malatesta Municipal Museum), established in 1986 and managed by an association of citizens.

Villa Gobernador Gálvez is divided in about 20 barrios (neighborhoods). It has a public hospital(Anselmo Gamen Hospital) and several minor public healthcare centers, a number of sports clubs, five banks, and two FM radio stations. Telephone and Internet services are provided by a cooperative

Week 38 Santa Fe, Argentina

This is Ezekiel, he is waiting to get married. He's with his "wife" (she washes our clothes! haha) the others are members.

EVA and her grandkids. I'm gunna miss her!

  

Happy 18th Birthday Jen!!!

This week was pretty good. We had a ton of lessons, but nobody came to church that has a baptismal date! But were teaching a good amount of new people, which is great! There’s a family that we call the "Miracle

Family" because the girls are like little angels and came on their own one day and this week the mom came and she loved it! So cool! There is always hope!

Just like the scriptures say, And it came to PASS...

stuff happens but we just have to have the faith to get through it! I know that God has a perfect plan for us because He loves us! We just need to trust in him and move forward, even if we don’t know the WHY. We

obey out of faith, and that faith brings blessings!

So...MIRACLE! haha so we neverrrrrr bring the cell phone out of the pinch because it's just not safe.  But on Thursday morning I thought...why not? So I put it in my pocket, but it was kind of obvious, so I put it in my back pocket, but then thought that it was obvious again, so I put it behind my agenda in my other front pocket and put it below my agenda so it looked flush and unnoticeable. Like 30 min later we were walking when we heard a guy from behind us say, "Amigos!" so we waved and kept walking. Then he yelled again and signaled that he wanted to talk. He looked sketchy, but we waited. He came up and then said he needed two pesos. We said we didn’t have any. Then he said, "give me your phone." haha we of course said we didn’t have anything and s he started to search us and felt my agenda but didn't pull it out so he thought we didn’t have it and moved on. Luck? Don’t think so. Thanks for all your prayers! Haha Sorry mom. I’m fine, I promise. :)

Overall it’s been a pretty good week. I’m kind of bummed that I have to leave behind all the people I’ve met here and have taught. I’m really excited to get to a new area and get to know a new city and a new ward. I’m so grateful for the experiences and time I’ve had here. I’ve learned a whole language and grown a lot personally! We shall see where I'm going! Ahhhhh I'm still waiting! I love you guys so much! Thank you so much for all your prayers and emails! You’re awesome! I haven’t gotten mail in a month, so I hopefully I'll get some letters.... hahaha but I don’t really have anything else to say. 


I love you!

Your Son in another country,

Elder Hjelmstad 

P.S. I just found out I'm going to Villa Deigo ward in Rosario!!!!  

Week 37 Santa Fe, Argentina

At the ZOO

Monkey trying to take the camera????

(I love that he looks so happy and is having fun!!!)

Monkey shaking my hand!!!

SO sounds like things really got switched up in the Temecula stake! How cool! Dad you will be a GREAT First counselor! Just take it one step at a time!

And it sounds like you guys had a blast with the Foleys! Thanks for sending me all those pics and sharing your experiences with me!

This week went way good! We met a lot of great people and have some baptismal dates! Only bummer.... almost nobody came to church!!! I really believe that going to church is one of the most important parts in receiving an answer that these things are true! I’m so grateful for the Pauba Ward and the amazing leaders that helped me progress to where I’m at now! Seriously, going to church is so important and so essential in the maintaining of our testimonies. For me, going to church is like charging batteries, filling up the gas tank, or adding sticks to the fire. In the church is where we receive the personal revelation and comfort we need to be able to handle the stuff during the week! I hope we never lose the desire to go to church. I’m so excited for you guys and the new Morgan Hill ward!

So just about 15 min ago I got a call from Bro. Z, he told me that Antonella, the Hairdresser, just uploaded a picture of the baptismal invitation that we gave her when she accepted to get baptized on May 6th. She’s so awesome! She really has a desire to get baptized and I know that that is all that God asks of us. Claudia, the widow, is doing really great and we had a great lesson about her husband because she wanted to know where he was and how he’s doing. I’m so grateful for the knowledge we have that we can see and live with our loved ones forever! We have 2 couples that are still doing the things to get married so they can get baptized so the work is moving forward!

Today we went and played soccer and then played handball...basically like water polo out of water! SO FUN!!! I loved it! Then we went to the ZOO!!! We finally went because it’s my last pday here in Santa Fe! We had tons of fun checking out all the animals but the monkeys were by far the best. I shook its hand. It was awesome. Then it started grabbing the other Elders stuff and almost got an Elders camera! haha so funny. It was a little zoo, but good enough! haha

Pday is on Tuesday next week!

But I’m doing good! Need to lose weight but Elder Larson gave me a whole thing of peanut butter, so I ate that the whole week. Actually ate the whole thing in 5 days. :)

I’m excited for transfers because I’m finally leaving!! Almost 7 months in Santa Fe! We had interviews with President this past week and it was really great. I love that guy. He’s really changing around the mission so we can have more success. I love being a missionary! Thank you for all of your support!!

LOVE,

Elder Hjelmstad

Shout outs:

Grandma Cassie- haha thanks for the email! I forgive you for sending them to the wrong address!

Jade- Dont fall down anymore stairs! haha

Jenee- Stop having fun!

Mom and Dad- keep up the good work. I LOVE you guys so much. THANK YOU!




Week 36 Santa Fe, Argentina

Happy Easter!!!!

Family!!!!

Thanks for writing me everybody! I love reading your email’s. Every week I get super excited to see what you guys did and how everything’s going in t-mec!

This week was pretty good! Tons of failed appointments, but we did our best! We have a bunch of prospective investigators and just need to capitalize on them!

Easter was great though! They don’t look for eggs or anything like that but one thing that they do is make chocolate eggs! I bought one and somebody gave us a little chicken one. Another thing that they do is on Good Friday they don’t eat red meat. Everybody eats fish!

I LOVED THE EASTER PACKAGE! We waited until Easter morning to open our bags. Elder Smith was really grateful. Thanks for sending that to him.

Sooooo BIG NEWS...Elder Hjelmstad has gained 10 pounds! hahaha shoooooot. I started my diet today. :) And since I started my diet today, I pretty much ate all my candy yesterday. I felt like crudd. haha but it was great!!

We had a bunch of people that promised they were going to come to church but in the end, only one person came! :/ We were really bummed. We hope to really turn it around this week and extend baptismal dates. I really want to baptize before I leave Liceo, but we’ll see!

So another fun thing that happened this week was that the lights went out Wednesday night because there was a storm. We thought they’d come on in the morning but...nope. Never came back on. We realized we didn’t pay the electricity bill. The office was closed until today, so we’ve been living without lights for 4 days. haha fun stuff.

Oh and on Thursday it was Elder S.’s b-day. So he opened his package from his family at night and when he pulled everything out 2 little candy looking things fell out, so I naturally thought it was candy and ate them. Quickly realized it wasn’t candy. They were 2 dye tablets for coloring eggs. I was rinsing my mouth out for about 15 min straight. Hahahahaha!!! So moral of the story.... remember to pay the electric bill so you don’t accidently eat dye. hahaha :)

I was thinking a lot this week about the importance of Easter. I never understood the true WHY of the resurrection of Christ. I knew it was important, sure, but never really thought what significance it has for me. I thought and I have learned that Christ was resurrected so we can live with our families forever and not just "til death do us part." I’m so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that created a perfect plan for us. We came to learn and to receive a body like He has. Thanks to Him we CAN be eternal families but it’s conditional. We must learn to walk by faith and obey all the commandments. Christ suffered and died for our sins and rose again so we can live with God and our families again. I’m so grateful for this understanding because I know that there is hope in this world and that this life isn’t just time passed by but every day is another chance that God gives us to repent and come unto Him.

Ether 12:4

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I love you guys so much and think about you constantly!

Love,

Elder Hjelmstad

Jenee- Utah, youth conference, and senior year stuff. I’m so jealous!

Dad- Keep goin to the gym! I miss it!

Mom- Give Natalie and the girls a hug from me!

Grandpa- Thanks for the support and updates!

Tyler- Miss ya bud! and you can't get married until I get back. hahah jk

Week 35 Santa Fe, Argentina

"This is Martin and Isabel.

They're waiting for papers to get married. Great people."

"us choppin down 3 little trees with Bro T. LOVE THAT GUY!!!"

Hey Family!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKIE!!!! You’re 22!! You’re old!!! haha

So this week was really good! We taught a lot of people and getting close to some baptisms!

There’s a lady named Claudia that’s listening to us and she’s way cool! She has 4 kids and is a widow.

We are also starting to teach a girl that’s way cool! Pretty much a miracle too! So one day (6 weeks ago) I had to get a hair cut, so we went to a place and he said that he closed at 12:30. So we told him we’d be there right before he closed. We went back and he had already closed. So there was another place to get a hair cut around the corner, so we went and the girl (23 years old) just has her own place. So we went in and I sat down and we started talking, as she was cutting my hair. I told her that my sister cuts hair and my mom did nails and stuff and then we got talking about the states and stuff and then we left. I talked a ton because I felt like I was talking to Jackie! Haha!! Then we went by a members house nearby and they asked me if I’d gotten my hair cut around the corner. I said, ”yeah” and she said that they’re friends and that she listened to the missionaries when she was little! COOL! This past week I got my hair cut again and I asked her if she’d every talked to missionaries before and stuff and she said ya and that she didn’t know why they stopped coming. She then said that she’s never been baptized and I told her we could help with that and she said, “okay”! We’re going by tomorrow and I hope everything goes great! MIRACLES!!

General Conference was amazing wasn’t it!? We got to go to Saturday morning and then the two on Sunday. I was SOOO excited for conference this year because it’s so great to receive counsel from living prophets and apostles! We’re sooooo lucky to have prophets and apostles that speak to us! I know that Christ has restored His church through a prophet like He has always done. I know they are inspired of God! Oh and this time I understood everything! We watched it in English! haha but really I’ve had some questions and stuff that I want to get better at and many of the talks were perfect. I’m so grateful for conference and it was so cool to think you guys were doing the same thing as I was! And how cool is that that you guys got 4 tickets from a guy that spoke Spanish! Miracles! I can’t wait to get back and talk to those people! Please send me the magazine of the talks when you get it!

So a cool thing and funny thing from this week:

COOL...We were walking home at night really fast because we didn’t want to be late and we were far from the apt when a horse cart stops and 3 guys asks us if we wanted a ride so I said YEAH!!! So we got in and I had just bought a bananas so I gave the guy a banana and he took us pretty much all the way to the pinch! Way cool guys! haha so cool.

FUNNY...So you know that you’re in Argentina when the precious peanut butter that your Mom sent you from the states falls and squirts out onto the ground and you stare, think about how dirty the floor is, and then take your finger and eat it all. Yup. I’m becoming Argentine. :)

Alrighty, I don’t have anything else! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Your Missionary in Argentina that eats off the ground at times,

Elder Hjelmstad

SHOUT OUTS!

Jenee- Way cool you picked out a hair school!

Addison- I got your mini package! Thanks so much!

Dad- Thanks for your notes!

Grandpa- Thanks for the updates!

Mom, Jen and Jade- Drive safe!

Brother and Sister Zambrano- Thank you for the Reeses pieces and mac and cheese!