In the Land of Grapes

Hola y como están familia, y mis amigos!!!

Well, this week has been a really great and fun week. We baptized a 13 yr old girl named Denise this weekend which was wonderful!!!! She asked me to baptize her and I was of course glad to do it. She is really awesome and I´m so excited for her and her future! :) Her mom, Sofia, and her younger brother Joel are both getting baptized this weekend!!! It´s just so amazing to see the Gospel change people. When we first ran into them, they were having lots of problems with their family, like for instance they were getting in a lot of fights. The longer we met with them the greater change you could see, and they told us since we have been coming they have been a thousand times more patient with each other and they aren´t yelling or fighting anymore so that was a huge blessing. Sofia also has two other children that are 18 and 16 and they both are already members of the church and they have started attending again and feeling of the sweetness of the Spirit. It is so amazing to help families out, because that is a central point of the Gospel.

Another huge milestone this week is that we reactivated this lady named Monica Hidalgo. I have been working with her since I got to Argentina and she always said she knew she had to come back to church but she would never commit. She has nine kids and the oldest four are members and the youngest 5 are not. The Father is also not a member of the church. We have been working a lot with two girls (her daughters) Fiorella, and Giuliana and they have been coming to church for the last month and so and are just so ready to be baptized. Fiorella told us of how she received her answer that the church was true when she prayed and read the scriptures. It was so awesome! But the problem was the Father said he didn't want any of his kids getting baptized if the Mom didn´t start coming back. SO SHE FINALLY DID! After many years, she was welcomed back with open arms here by the awesome members :) She had previously been praying if she really should go back to church, and she opened the Book Of MOrmon and had the answer come to her through what she read in 3 Nephi. It is such a testimony that our Father in Heaven knows His children, and will help them when they seek Him. So this weekend we will baptize Sofia and Joel, and then next weekend we will baptize Fiorella, and Barbara!! Im so excited and happy!!!

This week I was asked on to give a surprise talk which are always fun huh? :) I spoke about listening to the Voice to the Good Shepherd. I started with reading parts in John 10(one of my favorite chapters ever) and how we need to know and be familiar with Him and His voice when he calls. I turned to Heleman 5:30 to explain how the voice is and then to some parts in the Doctrine of Covenants to show that when his servants speak with the Holy Ghost they are in a way hearing His. Then I stressed the importance of not becoming so distracted that we aren´t able to hear it anymore. Then I read the promises from the Lord in D and C 93:1 and Revelation 3:20-21! I felt like it was the best talk I have given yet in Spanish and I felt very happy and content about it, it was great!

So this week we were walking down the street and this guy was trying to insult of so he just started yelling ´´Bush´´ at us! Hahaha, we laughed way hard because it was probably one of the dumbest things I have seen and heard in a while. My companion pointed at a Bush and said ´´Bush´´ in spanish and it confused the guy it was a funny moment. Some people are just weird like that, and I have learned to really laugh at things like that because most the people have no idea what they are talking about. Also some crazy people, when you say that you are American they bring up the Falkan Islands war or something and say we helped out. They tell it so dang far fatched it's so ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the U.S. stayed out of it, but they say we helped and that we sent mercaneries and killed all their like 16yr old soldiers... It's so not true. I guess that's what happens when you have government controlled news stations.

The mission is receiving 15 more latino missionaries this next transfer so that should be cool. It will help all of us gringos get down the language a lot better. Spanish is going better and better for me. That is what the gift of tongues is, when we use it for the edifying and teaching of the Gospel, not in random blabbers and unknown tongues. I am very happy and blessed to be where I am and doing what I am doing. I am meeting amazing people and gaining amazing friendships, but more importantly I am doing the Lords work. I love you all so much :)

Love,
ELder Passantino