Don´t worry, about a thing!

Hallo familia y amigos. This week was pretty awesome! Since I bought that stereo, we have been listening to lots of music and most of it has been church music. Haha Elder Salvioli has like 1500 songs on his thumbdrive so we came across a few that are less churchy. Haha one was Three Little Birds by Bob Marley! After a long day, we heard the song and could not change it. But it´s okay because I have repented and have not listened to anything like it since! Then, on Thursday, I headed to Salta to do some immigration paperwork and all that fun stuff. What´s funny is that Elder Erickson was my companion on the way there and on the way back because he was doing it too. So our companions stayed in Tucumán and we went to Salta together. Sooo awesome! Elder Erickson is definitely a life-long pal. In Salta, we went to the main square for a little because we had to go pay at the international bank there, and it was so awesome. It´s so European style and very cool, with little cafes and shops that are super interesting. When we got back, we were back with our companions for the last day of my first traslado in Tucumán, or my first six week period of transfers. Crazy! Anyways, as always, I´ve been focusing a lot on trying to really come to know the scriptures. The scriptures are one of the most powerful tools in, not only conversion, but progression in life. As we study the scriptures every day and really search how our lives can be blessed from them, we will never lack the knowledge that our Father in Heaven really loves us. The scriptures have the power to change lives for the best. I know it, I live it, I love it! Un abrazo. Ciao

Elder Philpot

PS If you have sent a DearElder, then I don´t know where to send a letter back! Haha my email is available if you just email or talk with the fam.

Persho!

Hallooo, family! We got to clean the pension today. It looks way better but still we´re in South America so it´s about as good as it gets. Today I bought a stereo and a thumbdrive to listen to music. I´ll copy all the music from other missionaries and then I can listen to music the rest of my mission. A good purchase! Not too expensive, but an early birthday present. Its starting to get warm in these parts and I`m starting to wish I had brought more short sleeve shirts. But I will learn to survive because there are hotter parts of the mission, oh wait, there`s only one... It`s really humid here during the summer but I will hopefully be elsewhere when summer full on hits. So the title is something that is absolutely ridiculous about the language here in Argentina, Tucumán. ¨Perro¨ means dog in spanish but since the people can´t roll their r´s, the say it with an sh. What´s funny is that absolutely no dog has an actual name... Hahaha so the dogs will be barking and all the people will scream,¨Persho¨! It´s the funniest thing! The funny thing is the dogs will stop after that. Such an awesome part of the culture that we laugh about all the time. Anyways, I´ve been reading from Jesus the Christ a bit lately and am starting to realize that the more one learns about Christ, the more absolutely amazed and grateful for his sacrifice one becomes. I don´t have much time because I get quite a few emails and my family is big but I want to stress the importance of Christ in our lives. Every week we get to remember Christ through the Sacrament and be completely clean once again. What a blessing. Remember that Christ endured immensely for each and every one of us. Use His gift. Christ died that we may all live again and more importantly, as families. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

PS Still no baptism. It´s been tough but we are planning to have many in the next month.

Awww.... Perdió!

Argentina lost... What a bummer. But also a blessing! Haha what´s good is now the people won´t be partying and I´ll be able to talk to them but also they have humbled themselves a little and will be more receptive to the gospel. Haha the bad thing is that now, I´m from Germany. I have light hair and fair skin so I´m automatically a German in the eyes of the people. not to mention I´m 1/4 Dutch. Haha already, this crazy lady came into the cyber shop and kissed me and my companion on the cheek (which we cannot do) and said to congratulate our people for the World Cup! Haha what a crazy bunch of people I have to work with here in Tucumán. But before the Final yesterday in church the bishopric came up to me and asked me to a give a talk. Of course, my freaking third Sacrament meeting and they ask me to give a talk. Luckily, I´m actually pretty good at the language now so I shared some scriptures, told the people to repent and change, and went back to my seat. Definitely had the help of the Gift of Tongues. I´m really growing here and I honestly have never felt so much learning in my life than I do now. I´ve been reading tons, in fact, I already finished Our Heritage. I feel so grateful for the sacrifice of all the prophets and early Latter-day Saints. We enjoy so much thanks to them. I gotta go but just know that we will always know the "truth by its fruits". This is the most delicious fruit, figuratively, and I can´t help but enjoy every second of it as a missionary. The church brings infinite good. I know it, I live it, I love it.

Elder Philpot

Vamos, Vamos Argentina!

The streets are soooo wild here after the Argentina games that every time they play, we have to head to the pension and study because nobody will even consider letting us in. After they win, the city sounds like it´s in a war zone. Haha super loud explosions, screaming women and children, engines roaring, and flags soaring. Kinda reminds me of the 4th of July that I didn´t have. I still celebrated in my heart though! I´m so grateful for the freedoms that we enjoy in the U.S.A. and especially the luxuries that everyone takes for granted. Anyways, Argentina still beats the U.S. in a few things. The donuts and pastries are beyond celestial, and also really cheap. We have a hard time resisting the temptation to head to the small donut stand and buying huge donuts for only 4 pesos. The foods here are very homestyle and never spicy (Que Lastima), but still super rico.

My area is actually really small. Maybe 2-3 square miles and it´s like the suburbs of the city. The weather is a lot like California and there are orange trees everywhere! Still a little cold but it´s getting hotter every day. The people are super nice and the kids always come up to us and scream, Hallo! Then they ask us how to say their name in English. Haha they still don´t understand that every name in Spanish is basically the same in English. Haha I´m in the stake Tucumán Oeste and the ward that we´re in is pretty small-maybe 50 people in the chapel on a good sunday. But we´re working hard to increase that number every week! I´m beginning to understand almost everything and really starting to participate more in the lessons. Give me a couple more weeks and I´ll be a key player in every lesson. Everyone tells me that my accent is great... Todavia falto the vocabulary. But that will come with time!

Anyways, I´ve been reading a lot from the Missionary Reference Library and even finished Our Search for Happiness. I´m just really bummed that when I finish the books in the collection I´m not going to have deeper doctrine to read... But that´s what the scriptures are for! Haha the deeper books will be waiting for me when I get home from my 2 years. I´ve also been reading from the Liahona´s a lot. One story that I read yesterday has not only really hit me, it´s something that drives me to choose the right continually for the rest of my life. The story starts with a Cherokee telling a story to his son. There are two wolves inside of me, fighting to overcome the other. One is everything evil. Pain, regret, hate, sorrow, suspicion, lying. The other is everything good. Love, charity, kindness, rejoicing, honest, virtue. The father told the boy that the same battle was being fought inside of him, and every other person on the earth. The son then asked his father,¨Which one will win?¨ To which the father answered... Whichever one you feed.

I think that this story cuts life down to two decisions, feeding the evil inside of oneself, or feeding the good. We must feed the good! As a result of choosing the good we are promised an infinite amount of joy. No person deserves to succumb to the evil one inside of him. Thanks to my little brother Elijah, I know that every person (including me) has that great potential as a missionary to choose to feed, not only the good wolf inside of me, but the good wolf in every person that I pass by in Argentina. As we all feed the good in our lives, the quality thereof will increase as well. I know it, I live it, I love it!

P.S. Still can´t find a spot with wi-fi and I will lose all my pictures if I format the camera here so be patient with me. 
Much love,

Elder Philpot