Listen, just Listen

I don´t know exactly why but this week the noises of Argentina have been really fascinating me. Especially here in Salta, Pichanal there are a lot of weird sounding animals and creepy crawlers with funny names. There´s this funny type of frog here the literally sounds like a crying baby! Honestly, if a baby were to get lost and start crying, I wouldn´t know the difference at all. So whenever we´re walking to New Jerusalem (a neighborhood in my area) we hear a ton of them and I start to cry along with them. Haha there´s also this bird that makes this whooping whistling sound as if it were trying to get your attention. I´m always scared that there are drunkards in the bushes trying to get my attention so that they can grab me. Haha there´s also a lot of eagles and hawks here that make sounds very majestic and inspiring. The little creatures all make distinct sounds and crawl in different creepy ways but the most interesting of all has to be the ¨Juanita¨ or ¨little johnny¨ (feminine). It has a acidic pee that will burn the flesh if it gets on you, and what´s worse is the smell that it lets off when it pees. It´s aweful!
As for me and my companion, we´re having a blast together! I´m already really familiar with the area and I feel like I´m able to help out a lot more so we´re starting to get work done. This week was a little tough for us and we don´t know exactly why but we definitely saw the blessings for sticking to it through the week. This week, almost all of our progressing investigators went to church and thanks to the members, they are having good experiences. Unluckily, I taught the Gospel Principles class yesterday in church and I think I taught doctrine that was a little bit too hard for the class of investigators. Haha oh well, hopefully the Spirit deafened their ears and they were able to hear the language of the Spirit.

Well, the moral of all the week seems to be how we listen... But to things of the world, we must not listen. There´s no time to listen to the distracting and misleading sounds like the crying baby frog and the attention calling bird. We have the solemn call to listen to the voice of He who speaking for the Father. We cannot reach the Father unless we go through His Son and we will not be able to know the Son if we know not the Father. Therefore, listen to the words of Christ. Read his words and follow His example. Listen to the Spirit who testifies of the truth. Try to apply the majestic and inspiring words of Jesus Christ to your life. I know that He still speaks. All we have to do is listen, Just like the scripture in the Bible,¨Speak Father, for thy servant heareth.¨ If we listen to our Father in Heaven, He will listen to us. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Pichanal

My first week in Pichanal, Argentina has been one of the best weeks that I´ve had in my mission until now. My first full day, Tuesday, we had a lesson planned with the nephew of a member that lives in the apartment in front of ours. The nephew is about 30 or so with his girlfriend and three children. The lesson was one of the best lessons I´ve had and they understood perfectly! We taught about the Plan of Salvation and a about the blessings that we´ve seen in our lives thanks to the Gospel. After the lesson, we invited them to be baptized and they said that they would start taking the steps toward baptism. On Wednesday, Brother Del Zotto, the member that lives in front of us, knocked on our door and showed us a picture of his nephew, Raul, with his wife, Mirian, with a big sign that said ¨Casamiento¨ and the date 23 of January 2015... What´s more is that they were holding the Book of Mormon in their hands and the pamphlet of the Plan of Salvation! One day! One day and they had already been taking the necessary steps toward baptism. They went to church, even under the rain, this week. 

In our ward, there´s this member named Miguel that leaves with us every day to go teach our investigators. At first, I thought he was just a little strange because he lives in a small town, but he actually has a mental problem that makes him seem like an 8 year old in a 40 year old´s body. It´s always a blast walking around town with him because he has this excitement for the Gospel that can only be explained with the word ¨giddy¨. Haha what I learned this week is that everyone needs to be like Miguel! I gave a talk in church about Missionary Work and I spoke a little bit about our covanent to be a witness of Jesus Christ at all times. If everyone were like Miguel, the Lord would be pleased that every child is fulfilling his covenant to be a witness of Jesus Christ. What´s more is that Miguel practically knows everybody and has a new person for us to teach every day. Haha BE LIKE MIGUEL. The missionaries need you. This is the Lord´s work. He needs all of us in every moment. I know it, I live it, I love it.

Elder Philpot

I still need to find a way to send pics because I think that they will get deleted if I try from these computers. :(

Cambio

I finally got transfered from my first area. I will always remember Parque Guillermina as my home away from home and I definitely will return one day to visit all the people that impacted my life. Yolanda was really sad that I had to leave and gave me a few more gifts, just like every other time that I thought I would be leaving but didn´t end up leaving. She gave me a really cool belt with a cool design and a big old dictionary in Spanish so that I wouldn´t have to always ask what the word actually means (because I understand the word but I need a definition). Haha I was a little tired of always walking the same streets but I know that it´s my time to be in a new area with a new companion. They actually pulled a prank on me last night when they were telling me where we were going. The zone leaders told me that my companion was leaving the area and that I had to train a new elder which would mean 3 more months in Parque Guillermina. Haha but turns out, my companion is staying and I´m headed for la provincia de Salta, to a tiny pueblito called Pichanal, close to the border with Bolivia. I´m actually already here with my new companion, Elder Sandberg, who has been on the mission for about 3 months less than me. He´s a really great dude who wants to work hard so I´m excited to be here! We´re the only elders here in this town so we have to walk a lot but I´m really pumped! I think what I learned most this week is that the Lord always seems to bless me with the things that I ask and it always reminds me of the promise in both the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants. ¨Ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be openned unto you¨. There are so many things in this world that God wants us to enjoy, we just have to ask and show that we actually are willing to work toward those things. The Lord has blessed me so much until now that I wouldn´t be able to write down the blessings in one day, and He blesses each one of you in the same way every day. Look for the gratitude for the things that God gives us. Be grateful for your blessings. Be grateful for your trials because it´s the only way that you can progress. Be grateful to know the Jesus Christ is your Savior... and mine... and all of ours. Be grateful for the mercy of God and for the opportunity that we have every day to become more like Christ. If we are willing to be grateful, work hard, and just ask, God will bless us with the things that we ask of Him. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

I think that the computer will erase my pictures if I try to download them so be patient with me.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Another year of childhood gone and another year closer to old age. Speaking of old age, I have a really great story. We were out visiting the other day and we decided to stop by an old woman´s house and share a short message with her because she can´t go to church because she has to take care of her husband who has Alzheimer´s and can´t leave the house. Well, when we got there, they were both sitting out back and, since we were in a poorer area, the neighbor had his music blasting really loud. As we were trying to teach the lesson, the old grandpa out of nowhere would start smiling at me and then dance and move his shoulders to the music. Haha I was laughing so hard because he´s like a 3 year old in a old man´s body. Then he started to play with his adult diaper and then looked at me with a surprised look on his face. Definitely the most interesting lesson that I´ve ever had. After the lesson, he shook my hand and told me that we´re not friends or girlfriends or anything like that, then laughed in my face. I hope that everyone is able to see the message hidden within the funny story. Well, all of us are here on earth trying to return to our Heavenly Father and the only way to get there is by following the example of Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments. And yet, the only people on earth that can be perfect like Christ are the ¨little ones¨, or ¨los niñitos¨, the children who know no wrong. For that reason, God has commanded us to be like little children, meek, submissive, and humble of heart which sometimes can be really hard because of our natural, selfish, prideful selves, I want everyone to think of a baby or a young child. Now..... Be the baby. If you do as I command, I can promise you that you will return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. But this really isn´t what I command, it´s what God requires of us, and if we don´t do so then we aren´t keeping His commandments. So I hope to receive multiple videos of you guys who read my blog, dancing like that old man who really is a little child. Be humble, be submissive, and be meek. Blessed are the humble in spirit. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot 

Don´t Forget Where You´re From

This week has been pretty interesting. First of all, we had Christmas here. Christmas... It´s actually really sad here, because only about 30 percent of the people here actually understand the true meaning of Christmas. Since nobody really understands how holy it really is and how important the significance of the holiday, at 12 oclock on the 24th, everyone sends off a ton of fireworks. Even though it looks really cool and normally I would really enjoy it, it made me sad to know that so many people don´t have the background that we have as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So many people have a limited knowledge of their Lord and Savior´s birth, let alone the knowledge of His atonement and eternal sacrifice. Which brings me to the story of the week. We ate lunch with a less active family from our ward on Saturday and they were telling us about how a family member invited them to another church one Friday night. Well, they were standing in the meeting and the loud, evangelist, rock music was playing. The dad (who lacks a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Restoration) started dancing right along with everyone and the wife told me the he looked as though he was possessed. Haha well, she felt in that moment what we should all feel in every moment. She said, Stop, stop, Don´t forget where we are from! We´re from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! Even though the family is less active and doesn´t go to church, the mom had the courage to remind everyone in the family where they came from. I know where come from. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God and that it has been restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. I hope that everyone can always remember where they come from in every moment. It´s like the primary song that goes,¨I´m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I know who I am, I know God´s plan, I´ll follow Him in faith.¨ Don´t forget where you come from. Don´t forget that God has a plan for you. If you don´t know God´s plan for you, I know two guys with white shirts and a nametag that can stop by your house to tell you :) I´m a Mormon. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

Feliz Navidad

Well this week has been pretty awesome and it´s even starting to look almost like Christmas here! It´s been raining a lot lately so at least it isn´t blazing hot for Christmas. But this week hasn´t been super eventful actually. I was hoping to have a fun story but I can´t really think of one that I had this week. Ooooh, now I remember! I do have a funny story! Haha this week we had our Christmas Conference with the Mission President on Wednesday and we all had to bring a gift for the gift exchange that was about 50 pesos or so. I decided to bring a key chain thingy that said Tucumán on it and I was hoping to get a pretty good gift. Well when the gift exchange started, everyone was getting either good gifts or funny gifts and the majority were just funny. When they called my name, I went up and grabbed a gift, unwrapped it, and found.... dirty pajamas that fold up into a pillow/envelope thing. I´m going to be honest, I was pretty pissed! Hahaha my actual thoughts were,¨Who in the world would bring dirty, old, pajamas to a gift exchange?¨ But it actually has a good ending. I know, how could there be a good ending to that? Well, Elder Salvioli, my first companion, my trainer, my papi (as it is called in the mission), came up to me and said,¨Now you´ll never forget about your papi!¨ Haha the gift was from him! Then asked me to please wash the pajamas before I wear them. I was actually pretty entertained afterwards and now I think that I´ll wash them two times and wear them from now on. But, what message can we receive from a story like this? Well, I want to start off by reminding everyone of the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, whose birth is celebrated here in a few days. It is said that the tradition of gift giving comes from the 3 wise men who brought gifts to the boy Jesus. But I want to be more specific and say that for the most part we give gifts because we honestly enjoy the look on the kids/parents/friends faces when they receive them. I want everyone to think about the story again. When we look at Christmas for the gifts the we receive, we are always going to say,¨Who in the world would bring me these old pajamas?¨ There will always be someone with a gift a little bit bigger or more expensive or newer or more advanced.... Forget about the gifts that you get from friends, from your parents, or from Santa Claus. Remember that what matters is the love that follows the gift. My gift was aweful... But I will never forget the love that I have for an old companion because of those ugly pajamas. Christ gave us all the gift of His love. Why can´t we all just give a little bit more love to the family and to our friends? Well, I have a quote for an answer that is simple and prophetic (literally): Do it! In this Christmas, Discover the Gift, Accept the Gift, Share the Gift. The gift of love. I love all you guys! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Our Father in Heaven loves you. I know it, I live it, I love it!

Elder Philpot

I´m really sorry that I don´t have pics this week! I brought my camera but the stupid computer won´t let me download the pictures.

Paciencia y Peleas

Familia, amigos, conocidos. I hope that everyone knows how much I love them. I know that if you´re reading this, it means that you probably love me too, or at least care enough to read my awesome blogs. Haha this has been one of the greatest adventures and I owe it all to those who have helped me along the way on my journey. This week has been better and I I´m glad to say that I´m also still learning and improving every day. The only thing that isn´t improving is the weather... One day it´s burning hot and then it starts to rain for days! Yesterday was the really test of faith for all the members and all the investigators to see who would show up even with the rain and the flooding. Well, I think now is when the Lord would say,¨Oh ye of little faith.¨ Haha Because of that, I´ve been a little down because we were hoping to see a few investigators in church. After church, we studied personally and as companions and I felt that God immediately gave me a hand to lift me up. Turns out that the both of us read about Patience, an attribute of Christ, and shared about the need to, first show patience in oneself, then show that patience with your companion and with the decisions of others. In one of his emails, mi papá told me that many times life is filled with boring routines mixed with a few bursts of excitement. I´ve kind of been expecting those short bursts more often and when I don´t see them... Well, I´m not showing patience well enough. Haha but when we stop to smell the roses, we are able to see the daily miracles that are often passed unnoticed by those who are expecting the things that are a little bigger. Sounds a lot like our Christmas experience in the U.S., we wait the big gifts on Christmas day and forget the miracle of the Atonement daily in our lives. We wait to see all the family on Christmas day and forget to enjoy being with Mom and Dad on a Sunday night before starting the week again. I hope that everyone can show that kind of patience, great enough to recognize the thousands of miracles that go right under our noses. Be grateful for a mom and dad. Be grateful for brothers and sisters. Be patient with them, love them, give them a hand. Be more like Christ. It´s the least we can do for the life and eternal life that He gave us freely. Be kind. Be submissive. Be patient.

Often times when these things are lacking, the family gets fighting. Here in Tucumán the whole neighborhood was fighting because a Division 2 soccer team lost against another one. Haha it was so sad to see people getting reading to throw fists and bricks because of something so wordly and stupid. Even more, this Saturday there´s supposed to be ¨saqueos¨, or days where the people just go super crazy and rob all the grocery stores and all the shopping centers. We have to stay inside those days so don´t worry. I only wish that the people could remember this holiday in a way so much different than the way that Satan has grabbed and twisted it. 

All in all, the Spirit of Christmas is in the great Gift that God gave us. His Son. Christ is pleased when we show patience and love as He shows with us. I know it, I live it, I love it. 

Elder Philpot

I dont know if my pics are getting to the blog but I´ve been trying to send some every week! I miss a few times because the computors don´t always work.