Hey Friends!

Dear family and friends!
HAPPY FATHER´s DAY!

This has been another phenominal week and I am doing very well! We had our last interviews with President Lindahl which was great but sad. I really do respect and love him so much. He is a man called of God, and was the perfect perfect to have the calling he had. The 1st of July the new Mission President Sergio Avila will be coming. I will miss President Lindahl so much, but I know that President Avila is now called to serve here at this time. Besides, President Lindahl and his family are having mission reunions every april and September so I will get to see them in a little over a year :)

As I went about this week I really have been thinking a lot about faith, and what it means and how we can grow in our faith. There are so many aspects to it, but it is so crucial that we keep the commandments and do everthing we can and our faith will allow the Lord to step in and do his part. This week I had been praying a lot for a investigator named Fabricio. He is 22 and he is a really cool guy. I have been working with him for about three months and have been trying to help him the best I could along with my companions. He has had some strong spiritual witnesses of the truth and knows that the things we are and were sharing are true, he even told us that. He knew that the first ´´leap of faith´´ is baptism. He felt nervous of change, and he didn´t want us to put any pressure or anything on baptism. So a week ago we had an idea. We said we are going to learn how to receive revelation from the scriptures. So we each said a silent prayer about a certain question we had, and then asked him to open the Book of Mormon to anywhere and that he would receive revelation on what the Lord wanted him to do. That was going on a lot of faith, but we know the Book of Mormon is true and that the Lord comes through when we exercise faith. So he flipped open the Book Of Mormon to Mormon chapter 7 which says that, ´´

8Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the agospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles bfrom the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles cunto you...... 10And ye will also know that ye are a aremnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first bwith water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the cexample of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.

What an answer to him huh? Well he said he received an answer that he needed to get baptized and that is what God wanted, but he wanted to pick the day, which is fine and good. Well we were at that for about a week and then I remember praying with my companion, ´´God, please let Fabricio pick a baptisimal date tonight.´´ We did everything we could and I was really trying to pray with faith. That night I was on splits so it was me and a member at his house. After a short lesson on Enos and watching a Elder Holland talk, I asked him how he felt, to which he replied good and that he knew the church and Book of Mormon were true. I said well we need to act on the impressions of the SPirit and you know what you need to do just tell us when. He said well............... I have been praying and I feel like I need to get baptized the 26th of June :) It was a sweet test of faith, and the Lord answered in his own way and in his own time like he always does. It was such a feeling of joy. There is no greater satisfaction in this life than helping others come unto Christ. Nothing can bring greater happiness. I love you all!!!

Sincerely,
Elder Passantino

Thanks for the Package :)

Dear Family and Friends,

First off thanks to my awesome family for the package that I received!!! I needed all that stuff and loved the Messi Jersey!! I wore it today and they really think that I am Argetine now! Also thanks to Aunt Heidi and Grammy for their packages as well :) It was so awesome to get all that stuff and feel all that love. Thanks to all those who have sent me letters, prayed for me, or had me in their thoughts as well, I can´t thank you enough. I have the greatest family and friends in the world!!!

So this week was a pretty good week. I went on divisions (or I went with another Elder in a different area to my area for a day) with an ELder named Elder Hancock!! I learned a lot from him. He is my District Leader and is a great missionary. That is one of the most amazing things about the mission; you can learn profound truths from everyone. It is nice to have friends that are good mature Elders as a guide to what I want to become. We had a fun time together as well. This week I met an Evangelical Pastor and his family was from Palermo, Sicilia. That was way cool because he knew where Santa Flavia was (where some of my ancestors are from) and his daughter is living there in Palermo with her husband who is American. It´s a small world isn´t it???

This week we met some great people named Fabricio and Florencia. They invited Elder Crossa and myself to an Asado this Wednesday!!! Haha. Finally my first one in Argentina! All the other Elders are surprised that I haven´t had one yet. Bascially its a huge BBQ with all parts of the cow so I am way excited about that :) They always brag about having the best meat in the world, so I guess now I will find out!

There are some really awesome people in the ward down here in Rawson so that is great! I am really learning to love and serve the people. Something that I have learned here on the mission is putting into practice the true doctrine and principals we know. Sometime we can know what the scriptures say and know the doctrine by heart, but it doesn´t become a help to us unless we do it. Such as the Savior´s teachings on the Sermon on the Mount. When we try to do what he actually says we will feel a spiritual change in our hearts and will be able to overcome all trials. I am so greatful that I am here serving the Lord :) I love you with all my heart. Sorry these last couple weeks haven´t been too eventful, but I will keep you all posted! Tell Shaun Fogleman he needs to email me the second he finds out where he is going on his mission !!!!

SIncerely,
Elder Passantino