How's Life?

Dear Family and friends,

Im sorry I have very little time today to talk. We have spent our day traveling to Mendoza and then doing some fun activites with the zone leaders. I have the amazing opportunity to go back to my first area in Rodeo de la cruz to visit some converts and pump them up! Im way excited. Miracles have been on my mind a lot lately and we are seeing a ton of them. The Lord works miracles through small and simple ways and gives us the opportunity to be part of his great work. He really could do it without us, but he knows that as we serve our heavenly Fathers children we become more like him.

I want you all to know that I know the work in which I am engaged is true. God prepares the hearts of the people to receive the message of the gospel. He loves us so much and I am testimony of that love. The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the climax and basis of the love of God. We have to look for the tender mercies of the Lord everyday and be grateful for God doing the things for us and our loved ones that we ourselves can´t do. I know He lives. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I love you all have a phenominal week!!!

Love,
Elder Passantino

ZONA CHIMBAS ES LO MEJOR

Dear Family and Friends,

It's been a tiring week but very satisfying. We saw some incredible things this week as we have been working harder and harder. I have really gotten close to Elder Sierra who is an Elder from Columbia. He was baptized about two years before his mission and he had become a really close friend of mine. He gave a talk this week about living the Gospel and how it shapes us and should fill of with joy. Sometimes we get into the routine of things and forget of the joy and happiness that it brings us. Sometimes we need to break out of routines and old lifestyles and ask ourselves what we can change to make our life more interesting and to always be on a progressing path. It has been interesting being on a mission because your priorites are changed, you see society in a different light. It's easier to understand people and see the challenges that they face. The mission gives you a better feel about where the people turn when they are faced with difficulties It helps you recognize the Lord's hand in all things. There is a lot of oppostion in the work as well. I often take that as one of the testimonies that the work is true. If there was little to no opposition there would be no point to doing the work and that would mean the adversary didn't think it was that important.

Let me share with you all one miracle that happened to me this week. As I do so I do so with caution to those who may not be familiar with how missionary work is and why it is so important. My companion and I went to an area to help some other Elders talk with some investigators. Before people are baptized they are interviewed as to their knowledge on what they are doing and so they understand the gravity of the decision they are taking. It is to help them be sure of what they are doing and to bear their testimony of the truthfulness of the work and what they have felt. I did an interview with a young women of 18 years who was completly ready for her baptism but was a little hesitant for such a change to occur in her life. Her main doubt was that she would fall back into her old ways after she was baptized. Other than that she was completely ready and repentent. Her baptismal date was in two days and she was feeling a little anxious about it. I told her that we should kneel down and pray together so that she could receive her answer and receive the help from God. She prayed a sincere prayer where the Spirit was felt but where she said she hadn磘 received her answer as to if she needed to be baptized this day. As we sat down and began to talk again, a thought came to my head, "Indiana Jones." Although I thought it was a bit strange to talk about in a baptismal interview I said," have you ever seen Indiana Jones." She responded that she had and was a fan of the series which is a bit strange for South America. I then related the part in the third one where Indiana Jones has to take a "leap of faith" or a "salto de fe" when he is not sure of the consequences because he cannot see the bridge. She remembered that scene and applied it to herself. I felt inspired to return to our knees and pray again. I told her to pray as if God were in front of her. Many times we pray too generally and forget that we are speaking to God our Heavenly Father and that he is a specific God. As she kneeled she began to pray and basically bore her testimony in the prayer. As she began to talk about faith she paused. She didnt speak for about two minutes as we continued kneeling in reverance. The Spirit was felt very powerfully such as one having a still small voice. As she finished, I asked her(already knowing the answer), "did you receive your answer?" She responeded yes. She said during those moments of silence she saw herself trying to cross a ditch but she couldnt. As she took a leap of faith a man in a white robe caught her and brought her carefully to the other side. I then asked her, " Will you be baptized on the 14th.创 She humbly responded, "yes!.
That is just one of the many miracles we see daily in the work of the Lord. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sincerely,
Elder Passantino

Happy Easter! Week of Miracles!

Well Happy Easter Everyone!!!

This week has probably been one of the most amazing weeks of my mission :) Elder Austin and I just worked as hard as we could and prayed a lot for guidance on what we needed to do. We were truly blessed with some miracles this week. Let me tell you of just a few.

Tuesday morning we woke up early and were really feeling the Spirit. We really prayed hard to know the will of the Lord so that we could know what to do. We had a day planned and started executing it. We prayed for people who would be ready to hear the Gospel. As we started the day it was really great we were happy and in good spirits! We stopped by the house of a member just to see how he was doing. We felt prompted to ask him if he knew any people that might be willing to hear the Gospel. He told us of a family that he had been friends with for a long time who was going through a hard time. We had another apointment after that but felt prompted again to just go directly to the house. We went and found the mother of the family, an older lady and began talking to her. We talked about Jesus Christ and about other important things pertaining to the Gospel. She then told us this, "I had just recently started praying because I feel this time in my life I am ready to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I didn't really know how to do it so I told God that he would lead me and show me the way that I could be baptized. Then you two came.! :) It was a testimony builder to me that the Lord knows each and every one of his children and that the gospel in which we are engaged is true. She also said I told God I didn't want to get baptized in just any church, but I wanted to get baptized in the true church. I was humbly touched by the power of following the still and small voice of the Spirit. She will be getting baptized the 7th or 14th of march.

Later on we had intended to go by a family that we had on our list but lived a ways away. We decided to still go and see how they were doing. When we arrived a man ushered us in as if he had been waiting for us. We didn't know him at all but something felt different. He said, "I had had missionaries come over before, but I had never really prayed before. Yesterday I started praying and this morning I prayed by myself for the first time. I am going through a hard time in my life and the life of my family and I prayed that the Lord would give me guidance for my children and for my life. I would like my children to go to church and I would like to start going myself." Can you believe that?? God knows his children and God also knows the only thing that can cure all pain, guilt, and strengthen during trial is the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We later shared our testimony on the cleansing power of the atonement and how accepting Jesus Christ in his life through the medium of baptism (John 3:5) can bring that free grace and mercy which only the Savior can provide. This gospel is a gospel of hope and of peace. It brings lasting satisfaction, not just the immediate gratification of ones own lust. It brings a cleanliness and holiness in your lives that can only be found by living the precepts found in Christ's true Gospel.

Oh what a week it was!! We worked as hard as we possibly could and relied on the Lord to do the rest. "Trust in the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and lean not on thine own understanding." That is true and as missionaries we do that everyday. It is a miracle to me that two americans who have lived in Argentina for 6 months and have the capability to help others come unto Christ. We never obligate anyone to do anything, we only invite and have them pray to know if it is what God wants not just the "Mormom missionaries." I can testify that it is what God wants but you have to pray about it to know if what I am saying has any truth to it. (James 1:5), (Moroni 10:3-5) I am so happy and enjoying the true happiness that comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The more I rely on him and His merits the more I want to take on his attributes and help all those in need of his everlasting hope!!

On some other news we will be having a Zone meeting this Wednesday in Mendoza, so we will take the 2 and a half hour bus ride down there so I am way excited for that!! I am learning so much from my district and zone it is so awesome!! Also i don't know if I have ever said this but like all the girls down here play Field Hockey, which is cool because a bunch of people in my family have played that lol. Argentina girls field Hockey is "supposedly" the best in the world or something... I don't know about that :) Well happy Easter(a little late)!! I love you all!! Take Care!

Sincerely
Elder Passantino