Hey everybody!

Well first off I was super sick this week hah. I got some stomach bacteria and let's just say I lost about 10 pounds, but I am not sure, but it sure feels like it. Well there you go mom, I had to get the bad news for you out of the way first right hah.

Well it's been a pretty good week besides the sick part but we had some killer lessons, especially with members later. We are really working a lot more with some of the members here and they are studs. Especially this family from Peru. We are planning to have some baptisms in a couple of weeks so we are working hard with Bianca, Vanessa, Daniela and a bunch more. But we know that usually only a few step in the waters of baptism so we are always looking for more people to teach.

Well this week was pretty normal. Nothing new really happened besides the progress of our investigators. We aheaded to the Salada this morning ( a huge flea market) and I got a pretty nice Manchester United Jersey for 25 pesos.. but its not like American quality hah. During the week we have this crazy dog in the Villa that always looks for us and when we does he seriously jumps all over us. It´s pretty funny because when we see him.. its like oh noo... Chickatine.. and sometimes we start running for fun and of course he gets crazy!  The weather is starting to heat up. Time for the awkward sweating in peoples houses now. I´m not looking foward too it hah.

Besides that, like I said, a normal week here in Villa Celina in Argetina. Still can´t believe it, I´m serving my mission. It´s hard but you experience what only a few people can experience. It´s amazing to see the lives of people change and the worst feeling when something stops them from progressing and they don't want visits anymore.

Love you family!
Take care

Checking out the score at local WalMart

Yummy asada on the BBQ....with a little dirt

Hey Family...how is everything going?!

Well another week in the mission field but what a week! Sounds like everything is full swing back home, tell McKenna her schedule sounds crazy but keep it up!

Well it has been a really nice week, weather wise, around 20ºC average and a great week in the mission. The area is really improving and we are working really hard right now. So we have been working with the Family in the Villa for 2 weeks now and Bianca is super excited to come to church every week.   We already have a baptism date set for her but the only thing that is holding her back is that she wants to finish the Communion that her school offers her; but, she says she wants to be baptized! This week we are going to have some killer lessons with members and really work with her. She is awesome and it is going to be a great week with her and the family. Usually the Grandma, Bianca, and her little sister come to church but the mom of Bianca hasn´t come yet but she is planning to come next week. I have the word next week though... but whatever, we will keep trying!

We have an awesome investigator too named Vanessa. She is from Peru and knows a family here in the ward so she already has great support from them. She showed up to church out of no where so we jumped on that and we are teaching her now! Although last Sunday she dissapeared! We heard that she left Buenos Aires to go find work but she came back this Saturday and we got in contact and she came to church!  We had a great lesson last night too with all her family that lives here.  She had so many questions but we were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation to answer everything! This family is so awesome!

So we are going to work really hard this week! Every week is hard but it's really a blessing at the same time. You really do get lost in the work and all you can focus on is the next cita or the next dia or whatever hah.

Villa Celina has been going great. The weather is perfect, the ward is awesome as usual and I can´t believe it is the end of Septiembre already. Time really does fly but to be real, its slow too haha. I´m not going to lie.. I am ready to have a good P-day of some rest because I´m feeling a little sick but I´ll be fine.

Nothing really more but I love my Area and the Mission. Hope everything is going well at home and I love hearing from you guys and what's happening!

Love,
Elder Shepherd

I am staying one more transfer in Villa Celina!! We got the call Saturday night and the funny thing happened...our zone leader called and played a prank on us and told us the wrong news!  Everyone was freaking out, including me! We eventually got the correct information and I am here for one last transfer!

Well what to talk about this week in the Mission?  It´s all a blur right now.. time is flying but at the same time.. not hah. Well we taught a bunch of lessons and have some great new people but they aren't really ready at the moment.  We had a miracle in the Villa this week!  It all started when we visited a past investigator and her friend was there.   We end up talking with her friend too and get a "date" to pass by. We pass by but no one was there, so we sat down for a little while outside of the house to plan. Then a woman from Bolivia came outside and started talking to us.  She was baptized in Bolivia and we talked and talked and she invited us in.  We started teaching the Grandma, mom and daughter. The mom and daughter (Bianca) aren´t members and they wanted to come to church! So this Sunday we brought the daughter to church because the mom couldn't come...but the daughter came! She even wanted to see the baptismal font. We have a baptism date set for her on the 25 of September! I am excited to see her progress but I know Satan is going to work hard!! Also we have some great new investigators, some in the Villa and in Celina. The hardest part is bringing them to church but we are thinking of new ways to get people to church. We are still working with our old investigators but we are always looking for new people.

So what more? In the Villa there is a part full of Paraguayans and I have learned some Gutanei so I can communicate with them better haha. They are soo awesome because they love to play volleyball and they are soo chill and down to earth! One of our investigators is from Paraguay too! Shows how awesome they are! Elder Kupihea left for a new area and we have Elder Bush in the pench now. He has made a good first impression and knew Crew Naylor in the MTC. Hah we were almost robbed on the way here to the internet cafe. It´s ok mom, getting robbed is normal here.. ;)  But I haven´t been robbed yet so it´s all good. It's been a rainy day today but the week looks good. The temperature is perfect but it's humid and the Summer is going to be suuuppperr hot because of the humidity. Oh and CCR is playing on the radio.. hah!

Well that's about it for today.  Have a great week!

Love you guys!!! - Elder Shepherd

 

Wow!  That is awesome to hear that Kyston got his mission call!! I got a letter from him last week. I was pretty stoked to see a letter from a bro from the states!! I hope everything is going well back home. 95 and sunny, something I really don't miss haha but it is starting to warm up here too. Give a good bye from me to the Lish Family and Katie. I can´t believe she is going all the way to Thailand!

Well another week in the mission and almost at my 6 month mark. Ya Fue mi mission! It 1/4 done already? I can´t believe it but at the same time it seems forever hah. The days are going great this week but it's still a hard time in the area right now. The doors aren't opening up as much as they usually are. We're having the same amounts of lessons but bringing people to church is getting harder and harder. Well the constant rain this week didn´t help that much either because the Argentines are pretty much afraid of rain and don't want to come out but you keep tredging through the mud and something will work out. Yeah my shoes are pretty much destroyed from the mud this week hah.  We have hit the limits of our mission both to the north and to the south. We can cross a street and hit the North Mission and South at the same time. We are trying to find some Paraguyans right now becuase hah they are ballers and are great people but we are looking for everyone! Everyone in the streets or just anyone we come in contact with. You really cannot miss an opportunity to share the gospel with someone. Even if 98% of those you contact you get rejected... that one person that has an effect is the best thing ever.

Even though we had a hard week we had a miracle too. We had the plan for 5 people to be in church but somehow everyone just had something come up or had to work on Sunday. It is so hard to see people that want to come but they seriously have to work on Sundays to provide for their family. It isn´t like the States were you work on Sundays to gain more money to be more comfortable.... these people HAVE to work on Sundays to survive. But at church we had one person show up out of nowhere! She is from Peru and just moved here and knows a family from our ward too. She is loving the church and we already have a lesson with a member planned for this week. She definitely is a chosen one ready for the Gospel. Even though our current investigators are struggling, we are still working hard with them too. Juan Pablo is having no support from his family and they are such a bad example for him because he has to rely on his uncle for everything. If his uncle wants something done, he has to do it.. The uncle is a member too but one of those ¨come for two weeks then be inactive for a couple of months¨. It is so hard to see him want to come but at the same time the example of his uncle and the family are rubbing off because he wants to wait and wait and not really come to church anymore! Ahhh soo lammeee! Lida finally got her job she has been studying for for a long time.  She has the bad schedule because she is new.. So she has to work on Sundays. In time she will be brought into the church... it is just hard because I was there the whole time answering all her questions and teaching her but really it was the Spirit.. In due time she will be a member of the Church. I know it!

Well that's it for the week. Today we had our Zone activity and played futbol, basketball, volleyball and went to Walmart with a couple of the Elders to eat at a McDonalds.   28 Pesos for a double cheeseburger, fries and the puniest 7up drink ever.... hah but it's all good. Time to work hard this week. This might be my last one here in Villa Celina!! I dont know, I´ll get the call this Saturday night. So next pday I will have the news.

Well I have learned so much in the last two weeks about how you just have to keep having confidence in the Lord even if it is a hard time in life. Just keep working through it because like it says in D&C 121, it will be only be for a short moment. I hope everything is going great at home. I love you guys so much and keep being strong in the church, it really is everything! Enjoy the blessings and have fun too!

Disfruta La Vida! Les Amo!

 Love you guys so much, thanks for all the support.

Elder Shepherd