August 27, 2012

hola familia,
So this week was a pretty good week I guess. It was pretty crazy too. So we had stake conference this week which was really good and spiritual. An area 70 presided and I really loved his talk he gave on Sunday. Well the parts I heard when me and my companion weren't out in the halls and outside chasing down our baptism that gets bored really easy and then runs out. There was a story he told that I loved and wish I had time to tell you it all but I'll have to write it down and then share when I get home. But yeah so we had a baptism after the meeting in the stake chapel along with a couple other baptisms in our zone that we just did all together. We baptised 10 year old ulises who is a capo (stud) and he asked me to baptise him which was cool. It was funny cause that same day we were in the villa with him and with ismael who we baptised a couple weeks ago and I asked them when we are going to play soccer together after he asked me to baptise him and he said right now and went and got a ball so we played around a bit and played keep away and I thought it was funny when he said "are you like messis trainer or something?" haha it was funny. But anyway the hermanas in our district had a baptism too and apparently they didnt have anyone to baptise their kid so I baptised him too which was cool. Also last wednesday we did divisions and I stayed in my area with elder diaz who is brand new to argentina and was waiting for his visa for like 3 months. Hes from miami and hes cool. We had fun and I taught all day which was fun too. But yeah and on Saturday morning the zone got a van to go to the temple so we got up early and went to the villa and got ulises and his sister johana (who we are gonna baptise soon too) and their inactive dad and we were hurrying to get to the church cause the elders were calling us saying hurry hurry they are gonna leave so we were hurrying and we got almost there and I said to my companion that theres no one there and then in that moment he realized that they were meeting in the stake chapel in belgrano, not at our chapel. And so we called them and said we couldnt come (well ulises and them cause we werent going anyway cause there wasnt enough room for any missionaries except 2, only investigators pretty much) and they said just get in a taxi and hurry and come and so we called a taxi and we were 5 and they only take 4 so we sent our investigators in the taxi and we didnt have money so that was a problem too but the elders in belgrano paid so that was good. But yeah it was just a pretty crazy morning that morning. And then in the afternoon there was problems with some members just kinda being babies but whatever thats okay. But yeah the baptism and everything went good so thats all that matters :) we played some soccer today and ate at a kinda nice buffet and I think I'm going to throw up.. so much argentina meat and dessert and stuff. I freakin love chori though. Its basically argentine sausage but its the greatest thing ever. They sell choripan which is the chori on bread with chimichuri sauce and I'm going to miss it so much when I go home haha. So yeah oh and mom if you still have an invite from an hermana gonzalez from argentina, accept it! Its a member here that we meet with and she wanted to add you. oh and cassidee I found your new best friend! She is the 10 year old daughter of hermana gonzalez but she looks 15 and she just looks like she would be your friend haha shes my best friend here right now ;) I told her your her best friend. And then her sister whos 20 is I guess a ward missionary person? Well basically she always helps us out and she always wants to do things for us and is nice so its kinda nice to have her at times. Also I wrote down another scripture to share with you but I dont remember what it says haha youll just have to read it, proverbs 24:3-4. So yeah I guess thats kinda it for last week.

Yeah we get a weekly letter from president that we read and sometimes talk about in district meetings on tuesdays. hahaha I know its hard to believe but everything is in spanish.haha okay not interviews with presidents and there are a ton of greengos in our mission and a lot of latins know some english and president made it a mission requirement for the latins to all speak in english by the end of their missions so in language study they all study english. haha its so funny to hear the things some of them say and learn and how they say it. English is such a hard language. I'm so glad I already know. I have really come to appreciate knowing english haha. wow lots of questions haha. We work in our area which is one ward which is palermo and juncal work in their area which is the juncal ward. hahaha yeah and about elder majarres being a zone leader before and now a district leader I will have to explain that when I get home haha. A while ago my comp said that we are going to the cultural event in the staduim as a mission? I'm not sure though. I guess we will see. And the thing with the apostles I think might be friday the 7th? not really sure on that stuff for now. I havent gotten any emails from tim or his mom. sounds like things are going pretty good and crazy at home haha. Thats always good I guess. oh good I'm glad foxy is going back out too. Whens he going out again? Well I guess that is it for now. les amo mucho!

Elder Buxton

August 20, 2012

hola familia
okay so this week was freakin nuts! umm hmm where to begin. Okay so we have 2 investigator girls that live right next to the kid we baptised last week. They both had baptismal dates for the 26th cause cecilia whos 9 needed another church attendance but ana whos 13 has all hers. So we put it for them to get baptised together. But then earlier last week we talked to our zone leaders and our leaders here are always about baptising now. Like not waiting. Cause thats what we have been comanded to do and not to procrastinate the day of our repentance. And so we were like okay but then that day ana was having doubts about her baptism cause she doesnt know a ton right now so we were thinking that it would be impossible to get her baptised this weekend without her sister so we called president and asked him for permission to baptise them both yesterday. He is always at the temple open house helping and we told him we were coming that night (thursday) with them to the temple and so he said he wants to meet them and then he will decide based on what the spirit tells him. So we went to the temple which was way way awesome and beautiful! He met them both at the beginning and right after came to us and said yes elders. So then we still had to talk to them about it.So after the temple when we were in a canopy where you finish the tour we talked to ana and she said that after the temple she doesnt have any doubts about being baptised and she accepted the date to be baptised yesterday.We talked with cecilia and their mom and everything was good. It was awesome. Even just the temple open house changes peoples lives. In presidents letters he sometimes includes comments people have made about the temple. I wish I could tell you them all but I remember one of them was from an athiest. No idea how to spell that.. and after the temple he said he now has no doubt that their is a god. So sweet! So yeah we went with people in the ward to the temple in like private buses that some cheto hermano rented which was sweet and we got back at like 10:40 haha and okay I gotta explain this part. Okay so theirs 2 wards that use our building. We are at 9 and the other ward is at 9:30. us=palermo, the other=juncal. And just this last transfer when I got here they split juncals area so now theirs 4 missionaries in that ward which is elder mcnab, elder diaz who is brand new from miami, elder middaugh freakin capo from layton, and elder manjarres who was my first zone leader in argentina and who is dying this transfer. If you dont know what dying in the mission is then ask matt haha. So yeah they were in a meeting that night until we got back at 10:40 cause they had been working out their 4 baptisms they were gonna have yesterday. And then we were gonna have 2 and so we did them together and just planning them all out and getting clothes for everyone was so crazy all week! But its alright cause everything worked out just fine. Theirs a 20 year old girl in our ward that we've been working with alot and is way cool and always makes things for us and gives us things. She got to be really good friends with ana and her little sister luz with cecilia so they slept over with her saturday night which they loved and is helping them have more friends in the ward. So yeah I probably just left out a ton of stuff but oh well thats okay. And it doesnt look like my camera is working for pictures this week sorry. Also we found out a couple weeks ago actually that on september 8th, the day before the rededication, our whole mission and I think buenos aires south and west missions together all the missionaries are having like a conference with elder ballard, elder christoferson, and president eyring when they come down. Its like especially for us or something. so that will be sick and there could be a good chance I get to see shawn!! :) I hope I do! okay yeah um some other random stuff. In the pention we have a baday (buh-day) dont know how to spell that either, but I used that for the first time in my life the other week haha. Look it up if you dont know what it is. Here in capitol there are a lot of jews haha and so I thought that was kinda funny which their hats or little circle patch of carpet on their head haha. Oh and mom also I heard that elder isley went home..... apparently he was having back problems and they said that he has to have something done to it or something and after he recovers if he wants to come back out he can only go state side. I was so sad when I heard that... :( we were gonna be companions one day... also with the baptisms its been sweet that we've been having baptisms cause the last baptism here in palermo before last sunday was back in march. pretty crazy.. It was crazy with 6 baptisms yesterday but it was sweet, almost all of us were in white. oh also this sunday we have stake conference so thatll be cool! umm a couple sweet things I saw this week is here theres a freakin 4 story cinemark! Dont worry, no temptation ;) also I saw a hobo on the street the other day laying on his blankets by a building with his tv hooked up watching it!! haha it was so funny! haha he was watching cinderella story with hilary duff. Also if you get tims email I wanna read them too and see how hes doin in the mtc. And I really loved the article about learning from the war chapters in the book of mormon last week. Its sweet cause lots of people skip the war chapters cause they say they are boring. Theres so many lessons we can learn from them. okay umm I think thats all but its probabaly not haha.


Wait what do you mean with 2 extra hours? We leave the villa always by no later than 7 cause its really dangerous at night but we go back to the city and continue working there. Soccer was so sick last week at the court we play. We are playing again today in an hour so this time Iwill be sure to take pictures. It rained a ton this last week but when it rains here its more humid so its really hot.. Its so weird. Your ears and nose and hands are cold but your body is sweating. weird weird feeling. Also with the temple they are doing a youth cultural event thing at one of the soccer stadiums on september 8th as well. Some huge cultural activity with dances and all kinds of stuff. Not really sure what but its at one of the huge soccer staduims here so its gonna be big. I wish I could write more but ill explain things better and stuff when my head stops spinning. Thats awesome about jacob and austins callings. That will help them a ton! Me and elder dewsnup taught the gospel principles class all the time so I know it will help a ton and they'll be great at it. Thats crazy about jason and cheese too. Theyll be great. haha yes I did get your guys recording a couple weeks ago thank you! okay well I know thats not it but oh well haha les amo mucho!!

Elder Buxton

August 13, 2012

hola familia,
So this week has been really crazy, different, and good all at the same time. so let me just start off by saying that capitol is freakin sick!!! I honestly feel like I'm in like new york city. Its huge and tons of people and stores and everything everywhere! plus like 80% of the people are white! haha but yeah so me and elder martinez are really good friends already so that helps a ton cause we have a lot of fun and work hard. We had a baptism yesterday which was a 9 year old kid from the villa whos a capo! okay I gotta explain the villa. so a villa here in argentina is basically the poorest poorest parts of argentina. They seriously live in like nothing.. but there are a lot of humble and nice people there and we have kids with baptismal dates there so this last week we have gone everyday. We have to take colectivos and walk like 30-60 to get there and then again to walk back but its worth it for the baptisms. And we also walk through places where everyone sets up their little booths/stores and sells a ton a ton of stuff. Lots of things way way cheap. I can probably buy almost any type of soccer jersey or jacket I want for between probably $20-$50. Dont worry I'm gonna stock up :) but yeah the thing about that villa is that its way poor so its a lot more dangerous. we have to take off watches and rings and stuff and hide the phone in our sock before we go in but thats okay. We never stay later than 7 at night so we will be just fine. We went there yesterday morning and brought 7 investigators and some less active members to church. a bunch of kids on the bus oh man it was pretty crazy but so worth it. The members that ive met so far are pretty cool so I'm excited to meet and get to know the rest of them. but yeah I'm stoked to go play soccer today with some people in our zone (including elder mcnabb, and elder milaugh- who is our district leader and hes from layton and way good at spanish and hes freakin funny and way tight) but we are playing in some sick indoor court so thatll be fun. I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of stuff cause theres a lot to tell but thats okay. you can all hear in a year and 4 months ;) also our pention is way better than the one I had in tortuguitas which is so nice! It's not cold at night and not cold during studys either and instead of 30 seconds of semi warm water for a shower we have unlimited hot water which is just great! :) haha and I really love that my companion doesnt know hardly any english cause it helps me so much! okay okay umm also brad and toni and terrys thank you so much for the package!!! I love you guys!! :) and megan happy birthday last week! and kyler happy birthday today! oh yeah and also our mission hasnt recieved very many references from the temple so far so president gave every companionship 1000 more invitations on thursday that we had to pass out by sunday. It was nuts. We passed out like 750 of them. Just giving them to people on the streets and stuff. So many! but yeah so is tim in the mtc yet or what? and also I read a scripture a couple weeks ago that I thought you would like. its D&C 98:23-26. re bueno!` yeah my companion will complete one year in the mish this month. Whoever has more time in the mission is the senior companion. Being senior companion and junior companion are really different cause with being senior you have more responsibilities. I might get made senior companion one of these next transfers so i guess we will see. Like the senior companion leads more of the discussions kinda and has the phone and stuff but yeah. And yes I did get your package with the all the pictures and stuff. Thank you! un montonaso de fotos!! also with the temple open house us as missionaries get to go one time if we bring an investigator so we will get to go pretty soon. It'll be awesome!

haha okay ignore the part about tim. I put that before I read that.thats so crazy hes in the mtc already though! And also mom dont get too nervous about school. Obviously thats easier said than done but just know that heavenly father will never leave you. He is always on your right and your left to help you and bear you up. And also remember that the opposite of faith is fear. You already know all this cause your just the amazing mom that you are but I know heavenly father loves you so much and hes watching over you and protecting you every step of the way. I pray for you and for austin and cassidee and ashlee and matt and dad every single day. hey when does school start again for cass? hmm I think that is about it for now. My mind always races at a million miles per hour on p days. pero les amo muchisimo!!

Elder Buxton


also I still havent had time to write cassidee back yet but tell her that I love her very much and I am very proud of her and she really helps me to want to be better and that I am sorry for everything I ever did to her and cant wait to have an awesome little sister around when i get home! thank you!

August 6, 2012

hola familia,


So we are way late right now so I dont have much time. but I got transfered to capitol! haha pretty crazy and exciting at the same time. I am in the area palermo with elder martinez. he is from chile and I am glad cause I want to get even better at spanish. we played a little bit of soccer today and ate at a buffet today which was kinda fun with the little time we had. but hopefully this is a good transfer. It should be. capitol really is way sick! but yeah so I had a pretty good birthday I guess. familia cruz made a cake for me and sang to me with music and everything which was cool! gabi made tacos for us on wednesday and we ate with juan on saturday. and we had a noche de hogar with familia alegre my birthday night too which went great too. but yeah it was definitely a struggle with not being able to get belen and another lady to baptism last week. hopefully elder dewsnup can do that this transfer with his newbie haha hes training a new missionary so I'm sure that will be fun. elder jorquera left too to some ofther area so we wont see each other any time soon which is kinda sad but thats okay. yeah so I dont really have anymore time and I didnt even get to read all your emails but I will next week and hopefully send pictures too. les amo mucho!!





Elder Buxton