Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of JULY!!!

Well I am really limited on time today but I want to wish you all well!!Thanks for all the Birthdays wishes I am so greatful for all my family and friends you are the best!! Today for the 4th we wanted to do something to celebrate,so Elder Hopkin and I went to Wal Mart and bought a bunch of american things to have a BBQ! We made hamburgers, bought some really good american hot dogs, brought and american flag and everything! It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed ourselves a lot! Almost all of our zone is from the United States except for some from Peru and from Chile. They had a lot of fun too:)

I also found out that I am getting transfered this transfer to Godoy Cruz, which is where the mission offices are(in Mendoza), and which is the biggest zone in the mission! The new Mission President called me and assigned me to be a zone leader there with ELder Allen who is from Idaho! The funny thing was that Elder Allen was in my district last transfer and we became reallly good friends and so I am so excited!!! It will be a great responsibility but an amazing opportunity! The mission President sounds great too I am very excited to have him. He only speaks Spanish but I believe is learning ENglish. I am so happy and ready for more miracles :) I miss and love you all so very much!! Thanks for all your support and prayers!!!

Love
Elder Passantino

We stopped a robbery this week...

Hola from San Juan Family and Friends,

It's been another week full of happiness here in San Juan. I have been seeing a lot of miracles here with Elder Hopkin and I am learning and growing so much! This week we had a pretty crazy experience... We planned for the morning and then executed the plan so things were going well. As we were walking down a street I saw off in the Distance two people struggling, or sort of fighting. I said, "what the hec," and we ran over there. It was an older lady and a man about 30 years old. The man was trying to get away on his motocycle and the lady said she was robbing him. My companion grabbed the guy and threw him around a little as the man threw the money on the ground acting like there was nothing wrong. You should have seen his eyes when Elder Hopkin grabbed him, haha oh man he looked pretty scared. Anyways the lady told us to let him go and then he sped off on his bike. Apparently, this man was going around selling containers of honey, and asked the lady if she wanted to buy some. SHe, being nice, said she would, but only had a hundred peso bill to give him. He told her he had change, and so she gave it to him and he started heading off fast. She had the instinct to grab him and hold on to him without letting him get on his bike. That is when we came running along, as he was hitting her off of him so he could get away. She was so happy that we came. She said I felt as I saw you two as if God had sent two of his angels to come and protect me. It was a little scary but we felt protected and felt blessed that we could help protect one of God's daughters from harm. She was pretty shaken up, but couldn't thank us enough. It is interesting how God uses us to bring to pass good things :)

Elder Hopkin and I have been working very hard and diligently to try to bring to pass the work here in Rawson. We have had so much success especially as we have worked with the members and especially the Bishop. The Bishop in the ward here is a lot of fun, but is an incredible worker and can really bring the spirit in the lessons. We are seeing lives change here and I couldn't be happier. We are working with a young couple living together and helping them prepare and get married soon. It is incredible the change you can see in someone in such a small amount of time. Their names are Ariel and Carolina and they are great. I really love the people here and have a strong spiritual conviction of the truthfulness of the work in which I am engaged. My spanish continues to improve and I feel more and more confident. I love you all and wish you all the best :)

SIncerely,
Elder Brian Passantino

Miracle Baptism!

Dear Family and Friends,

How is everyone doing? I am just doing fabulous! My new companion is really awesome and I am just learning so much from him and we are having a lot of fun! He is from Boston so he can get that accent going and everything its way awesome. Anyways I am just way happy with everything and how our area is doing. Our Bishop and Elder Hopkin were friends in a old area that they both were in and so the Bishop is working like crazy with us right now it helps so much! I love this work :)

SO let me tell everyone about an amazing baptism this week. Her name is Vicenta Castro and she is an older lady that I found with Elder Austin. We found her by following the Spirit, to make a long story short. When we arrived to her house she said she had just been praying and asking God what church she should be baptized in. She said in her prayer that she felt like now in her life she was ready to get baptized and that she wanted God to show her how to do it and in what manner. It was truly a miracle that we arrived right after that and a true answser from God. Anyways after a while it was hard for her to arrive at her baptism because of some family and health problems. Elder Austin and I didn´t see her for about a week, but when Elder Hopkin and I got put together I felt like we needed to go back there. We did and she told us she wanted to get baptized on Sunday!! It was a challenge, but we did everything we could to prepare her and she was baptized :) I was privleged to do the baptism and she was so happy. After she came up out of the water she said how beautiful the ordinance was! It was truly a miracle that we baptzed her this weekend and it strengthened my testimony of the truthfulness of the work in which I am engaged :) The ward was extatic to receive her and she had many more friends in the ward than we imagined. It was an amazing day :) This weekend we should be baptizing two others that have made the decision to follow Christ. Estela and Fabricio. I am filled with joy :) I love you all and thank you for everything!

SIncerely,
Elder Passantino