I Survived Week No. 1

I survived week number one in Argentina, and my companion Elder Petersen completed his first year in the mission on the same day. That kind of put things into perspective how fast this shenanigan goes. Apparently I forgot to mention the name of my wonderful area that is really starting to take off. Arenales is to the East and a little north of Córdoba and is completely flat, which makes it nice to get around. The skies here are incredible. Next week I will include some pictures I took the other morning of the sunrise from our pension. De diez. It´s really dusty here, which means that I have to do a good job of keeping my shoes clean every day or they will detract from my snazzily selected white shirt, tie, pants and belt that I wear on a daily basis. By far the best tie that I have was given to me by none other than my little brother. It ties nice and big at the top and is long enough that I don´t have to put the small end into my shirt. Thanks, little buddy.
The area of Arenales really is wonderful. We have some people that I am really rearing to teach, and there was a day this past week where we placed seven baptismal dates in the same day, with one the day before and a few more in the following days. Sadly, because not everyone came to church on Sunday we have to reassign a date and work towards that, but we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. The Lord really does help us out in many ways. One night, this man that just happened to be riding by on his bike saw us knocking on a door and told us that they weren´t home. We thanked him and asked him a little about himself, including his address so that we might pop in to share a message that really would change his life. He gave us the address, which was a good forty minute walk down a sketchy road to another city. We went to the house, and he definitely had lied to us. A younger mother opened the door and when we asked about Ruben, she was rather confused and we explained the situation and that regardless of what had happened we preach of Christ to all who are willing to hear. She allowed us to enter, and after a thirty minute lesson we asked her to be baptized, which surprisingly to us both she accepted. A flat out malicious seeming lie turned into a fecha! Then, she had mentioned that she knew the Torres family down the street, so we popped by and talked with Sister Torres for a little bit and she gave us yet another reference two houses down. We taught there and helped a lady feel more hope in her life and brightened her day, and ours in turn. How merciful is the Lord to His children who obey His word and ask in faith to be directed to those willing to hear the word!
I finally can understand Castellano much better and even catch snippets of what the children say. Hallelujah. This goes in accordance with what Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. He says that though a man may speak in divers tongues it profitteth him nothing if he cannot understand. And furthermore, he says that it is better that a man should prophecy for the edification of all than to speak in divers tongues for his own spiritual betterment. I agree completely with his statement that he would rather say five words that edified everyone than a thousand in another language. And then, we must remember that previously in chapter 13 he extols charity above almost all else, saying that though he prophesies and speaks in tongues, giving to the poor and working miracles with faith to move mountains, without charity he is nothing. People who prophesy write scripture, people who heal can save lives, but through it all, simply loving someone and showing that Christlike love proves a mightier deed than to cease the very rotation of the earth. (Here the building´s power went out and luckily autosave had my back, showing yet again the Lord´s tender mercies to His children)
I apparently didn´t use very much of my money before now and still have a ton to use at my discretion, and I received a ton more in reimbursements just two days ago. This will be a great blessing with Grido´s ice cream tonight before we finish off the days work. Plus we have a coupon that gives us ten pesos off for a whole kilo. Ice cream really isn´t a very great way to end my message home, but I have yet to write The President and P-Day is almost over, so in this sweet finish, as Isaiah says, make their hearts fat, and as I say, "May the grace of Christ fill your soul as often as the day is long and as well as he selects his prophets".

From Arenales Argentina,
Elder Clark Lindsey

Enjoy the Sun!!!!!

My trainer is the best there ever was. Never have I witnessed a more genuine and loving person in a time of need than Elder Petersen. We get along super well, which basically means that he ignores my quirks and loves the heck out of me. My respect for him skyrocketed when we went to a lady´s house to introduce her to the gospel, and she immediately broke into tears for a personal reason that I won´t share and said that she didn´t know if God existed anymore. Immediately, he testified that God is there and he loves us, and that the message that we bring as servants of Christ can help her to be happy and have peace in her life. She wants to hear more, and I have been able to think of nothing more than what we are going to say and do beforehand, so that the spirit may be present to touch her soul and give her comfort. Please, pray for María whenever possible, for she is in a dire time of spiritual need and growth.
Córdoba is wonderful. The food is delicious, and even the sodas beat those in America. I cannot even begin to describe how humbled I am to be here and to receive food from these destitute people free of charge. They give all that they have, and you really have to be obstinate in telling them to keep some of it for themselves. To be honest, I had some food that I really didn´t like the other day, but I pounded it like there was no tomorrow. The family insisted, and kept throwing stuff on our plate, and I ate as much as I could as fast as I could and thanked them profusely, though not after unknowingly insulting the food due to the use of a new word that my compañero gave me and told me to use. Luckily, the family knew in advance that it was a joke, and they play it on all of the new missionaries. Really, of all jokes that could be played, that one is one that I approve of and is all in good spirit and jest. No hard feelings. I actually got him back a little bit right after by using the same word that he gave me to describe the food in order to describe his joke, and he turned a little red. Again, there are no hard feelings here, and we are one as a companionship.
I am getting a little sick, but they say that it goes away in a few months so I should be fine.
The journey here was epic beyond belief. We went from SLC to Chicago to Atlanta to Buenos Aires to another Airport in Buenos Aires by bus and to Córdoba. Overall, more than 8000 miles. The sketchiness began after leaving the Chicago airport and having to take a round about route due to weather. Our layover was supposed to be an hour, but turned into ten minutes-- to sprint through a gigantic airport only to get there with the plane´s gate already shut. Rejected from entry, we walked all the way back to the ticket counter and were called back to the plane, so we ran as fast as we could for the second time to the plane and came on looking like we had recently showered in our "pristine" suits. Then, after thanking the captain profusely and flying for ten hours, we went through customs and met up with a man named Romano. He photocopied our passports and told us to ride with this lady to the next airport. I still don´t know her name, and she didn´t say a word the whole ride. When we arrived, we unloaded our stuff and were instructed to wait for Javier briefly as she departed for another appointment. Javier came and helped us get our tickets and whatnot, so we got here okay. We saw Boca in the airport, which is the equivalent of seeing the Lakers, and were actually filmed walking with them for a bit just out of sheer circumstance, and it was cool being around celebrities, even though we had no idea who they were.
The spirit is extraordinarily strong here when we are obedient, and we can shape up a little bit, as every missionary can. We will continue to preach the word, and we invite all to come unto Christ
Godspeed,
Elder Lindsey

They have arrived!!!

Dear Missionary Parents,

I am very pleased to inform you that your missionaries have arrived!
They landed here in Córdoba Friday (yesterday), at about 4 PM, and were personally
received by President Salas, the mission president. Yesterday they met
their new companions and left for their areas. You may communicate
with them through me. I will promptly pass along any information.

Please feel free to email or telephone us if you have any questions or
concerns, etc. Have a great day!!
--
Élder Rowse
Secretario del Presidente

Misión Argentina Córdoba
Gay Lussac 5270, Villa Belgrano
Apartado Postal 49-X509ZAA
C.C. 17 Suc. 9
Córdoba - Argentina

OLO!

Well, I officially have scars on top of my scars now. I cut a nice inch long slash on my right arm, and I am using silver water to heal it, and the results amaze me still. Service is wonderful, even if sometimes you do get scratches. I helped a senior missionary couple by pushing the Brother's wheelchair, though I only got there in time to push him all of five or six feet before dropping him off. However, the feeling I received surpasses any earthly thrill or personal satisfaction that I have ever experienced, and I definitely plan on helping others more often. When you are in the service of your fellow man you are only in the service of your God. Go out and do good well.

I leave on Monday for Argentina.

My journey consists of approximately 8120 linear miles on a two dimensional map, but I haven't had the time to calculate in the curvature of the earth, so I'm sure that it will be a little bit more than that. Yep, that's a good day and a half journey, meaning 36 hours or so.

I love to see the temple, and already long to go back, because for the next 22 months I can't. Be grateful that you are so close.

The Lord is good, and will provide all that you need. Nothing more, and nothing less. Jesus Christ is our Savior, and he died and resurrected so that we might live with God again in the Celestial Kingdom, in the Glory and Fullness of the Lord forever as families. I love the Lord.

Three of our five investigators are committed to be baptized after we leave, and we are very excited for them. For those of you who read this, or that may teach or attend a mission prep class, listen well, please. TEACH THE STUDENTS TO LOVE THE PEOPLE AND TO LISTEN. I had an experience of listening to an Elder teach that didn't listen whatsoever, and have been accused of not listening myself, and therefore have learned firsthand the negative effects of sharing even a wonderfully well-found scripture without applying it to the last comment that the investigator said. It is more important to teach as you are directed than it is to teach the lesson. Don't practice teaching lessons, practice teaching people, and learning about them. The first visit we always simply meet them, and leave a short message at the end, because how can you love someone for who they are, if you don't know who they are?

This officially concludes my last email sent from the MTC on March 8, 2012. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirits.

Elder Lindsey

Greetings from Middle Earth!

Greetings from Middle Earth. There is an Elder Gandolf here, and this Elder a while back sang a version of "Come Thou Fount" that was in a really deep voice, which inspired my companion, in and of the fact, that it reminded him of "Lord of the Rings". We kind of rewrote the song accordingly, and have made multiple references to this storyline in just everyday life, though our main focus is on the Savior and the Scriptures. Myriad references to the movie "Rocketman" apply to missionary life as well, so it's been hard to keep away from quoting that too.

Spanish is fantastic, especially when spoken in a Scottish brogue or a Japanese accent. O-RA! Como estas, laddie? I feel that the reason that I am in the intermediate class is not because my Spanish is lacking, which sounds really conceited, but in all honesty I took an upper level Spanish class in college, and the professor thought I was a returned missionary. The real reason is that I simply don't yet have the skill of connecting the gospel to people's needs in a very simple way. I go overly philosophical and deep for the investigators, and need to water down my thought process for the benefit of everyone. I will definitely need the Lord's help in overcoming this setback because I cannot do it alone.

Smiling and saying "Hi" to people is my new favorite hobby. It brightens their day, and after the obligatory "how are you?", I follow up now with a genuine "and why?" In all honesty, most of the time the conversation goes "como esta?"... "y por que?" This kinda makes people pause and think for a little bit about themselves and their attitude, and gives me a chance to listen more than to talk, which I need to work on as well.

Elder Holland came on Tuesday to give a talk at the Devotional, and he really dug into us, saying that we do not have the right to "miff" missionary work, and that we shouldn't take the first five minutes back home to see how we can not look like a missionary. He read a lot of scriptures, and also laid into us that we need to know 1 Nephi:1 like the back of our hand, which isn't fair, because mine changes... Anyhow, he had a volunteer try to explain the first chapter of the book of Mormon, and he really sadly failed, though he deserves credit for his willing heart. It took a round of five elders just to say that Lehi prayed, and that he saw a vision. It proved the point that though the stories are good, knowing all of the details is absolutely essential for missionary work as well as simple gospel study. Reread the story of Lehi and tell me that it doesn't look like the story of Joseph Smith, or Moses, or any other prophet ever called of God. Also, during that talk, he quoted Moroni 6:9 and asked us what Moroni means by the manifestations of the Spirit and why that is so important that we lead through them. More volunteers got up, and it pains me to see seemingly "cop out answers" in the MTC from Elders that simply want to get noticed. The biggest thing that I have learned about the Spirit is that you know that you have followed it when afterwards you are inspired to humility in your heart, and that what you say does not come from you, rather from God Almighty. I decided to share that because my normally little heart-rate probably measured on the nearby Richter scale. In short, I got to talk directly to an Apostle about the things of my heart, and testify that Jesus is the Christ through my words. My time is up, but in closing I am trying out for a musical number by singing the song "I Heard Him Come" by Jeff Goodrich. Best song ever! Godspeed, brethren and sisters
Elder Lindsey