Week 10 11-30-15 Rincon de los Sauces

Hey fam!!!

This week was another great week. Yi Boy got another baptism!! The kid that we baptized is a stud too.Well this week seemed really fast too!! We were able to teach a lot of people this week. We have been trying to get some new investigators so we visited a ton of the people that we had contacted. Sadly no one was home or they were ¨busy¨. Thats the nice way for people to say we dont want to talk to you haha but everyone one is so nice about it here. Rincon is awesome because its a small town and everyone is really chill. We had like three storms this week but it only rained for like an hour and it was during our language study!! The weather has been pretty nice but then on Saturday and Sunday it started getting hot again. We taught Santi who is one of Eyners friends. The kid I baptized last week. He is a stud. He is always inviting his friends to lessons and already doing missionary work So we had him pray about being baptized last week and he said he had this warm feeling and felt the spirit. This week he was way more interested in the lessons and he got baptized on Sunday!!! Elder Bursach got to baptize him so that was really awesome. We also had a primary program this week.....and oh my gosh the kids here are crazy!!! I had the biggest head ache Sunday because I'm trying to focus to understand the language and then the kids were so loud hahaha We had an awesome lesson this week with Gerson. We taught him about prophets and going to church. He said if he found out that there was a true prophet he would drop everything for it. We talked about prayer and I got to talk a lot and understood almost everything. The gift of tongues is true!!! haha It was my best lesson. I hope we can have more of those!! We taught Mateo, Lautaro and Rodrigo too. They are 14, 13, and 9. They are super funny and studs Hopefully Lautaro gets baptized this week. He always remembers stuff and we asked him to pray so hopefully!! 

Well this week was good and this next week should be another great week. 

Love you all:)

I miss Thanksgiving. I hate you for having deep fried turkey, wings and pumpkin pie....Some elders in Cutral Co had a member make them a pumpkin pie too. I love the food here but i miss american food!!!  That's crazy that Mckenzie is already leaving and that I have been out for 2 months. The language is getting better but I am still having a hard time getting Elder Bursach to speak Spanish all the time...I miss the Martinez too but I am having fun here. We always stop and play futbol with the smaller kids. Its super fun!! Can you send some pictures every week of stuff during the week?
 Love you guys and miss you!!!

Santi and Elder Bursach at his baptism.

We had some sweet sunsets this week!!

Rincon from the Cristo Statue

Elder Mccutcheon(ZL) and I up at Cristo

Week 9 11-23-15 Rincon de los Sauces

We Had Our First Baptism(Voice From the Best Two Years)

So this week was a super awesome week!! On Monday I got my first Mate and Boca Jersey!! So we started off the week good. We had a least one lesson a day and then on Thursday night we had to go to Cutral Co again for a training with the APs. That night was the worst....So we got to the pension and the APs were there so we had to sleep on the cold tile ground!!!! I had a towel to lay on and then luckily I bought my sheet but it was still freezing. I slept for like an hour and then woke up and couldnt get warm. They had a little heat so i moved over by it and slept for like 30 minutes and then would wake up hahaha i will remember that!! 

So the training was good. It was about how when we are obedient we receive blessings from God. Which is so true. A guy in the MTC said When you are obedient you receive blessings but when you are exactly obedient you receive miracles!! Its soo true. So awesome story that goes perfect with that. On saturday we had to do a baptism interview for one of the Hermanas investigators named Isi and her had mom said she couldn't be baptized. So we had started a fast the afternoon. So we meet with her and she stills says no but says she will go to church. Next day she comes to church and after Elder Bursach talks with her and she says she isn't going to her other church but to our church and that she wants to know more about baptism. That right there is a miracle. 

Sunday we also had a baptism for Eryner our investigator and i got to dunk him!!! It was a greatest experience ever. When we got in the water I was super nervous and the water was way cold. As I started to say the words of the prayer, the water got really warm and the spirit was super strong. It was such a cool experience!! I also was reading an Ensign that Shelly sent me and it was about Jesus Christ and the Atonement. One cool thing I learned about the fall of Adam was that God had to give him the choice to choose the fruit or be cast out. If he hadn't he wouldn't have been using his free agency. I had never thought about that so it was cool. 

This weeks weather was really weird. It was super stormy. A member said its because El Nino is going to hit us!! He said it already hit Peru so that should be interesting. Has the surf started getting big again? 

Well this week was a great week and this next week we have at least one baptism but we may have 3 more if they are ready. I'm pumped for this week. I'm sending a ton of photos from the last couple weeks. 

Love you all!!

Dane and Andrew in Buenos Aires

Week 8 11-16-15 Rincon de los Sauces

Hey!!

This week was good but rough! We didn't teach a lesson till Thursday so we did a lot of walking....haha Im glad my shoes are nice and not Payless shoes like Chad hahaha I was getting down and thinking come on let me see how it is to teach a lesson and i asked god to help me teach a lesson. That afternoon I was thinking and i remember a quote from Elder Bednar, he said This mission isn't about you, your success, or what you want. Its about the people you are serving! That was a huge reminder that when its hard to keep going because there maybe one person that i can help. That helped me get though this week. So we taught Erynor on thursday who is a 13 year old and goes to church every Sunday by himself. He is getting baptized on Sunday!! On Wednesday we had a huge storm and it hailed and it was the size of marbles!! It was crazy!! There was also a crazy sunset that night. The sky looked like fire. I love the sunsets here!! Mom you would think they are so awesome. I'm going to send some pictures today of them.
  So we finally had asado on saturday! Saturday was the The day of tradition so the branch had a big party. It was super fun and they did a couple of songs and dances. They had chorizo but it was in the form of a big hotdog like a the ones we have that start with a B haha I cant remember what they are called. It was super bomb!!! After the party we went and did service. We had to dig up the poop pipe haha and add some attachment to get. When we took off the pipe some poop came out hahaha so that was fun!! So that took like 3 hours so that was most of our day. Another funny story so we were walked down the street and this random guy was like do you know how to tye a tie and we were like ya! So i got to tye his tie right there in the street. It was a funny experience! 

Some more stuff about my pension. So we have hot water, ac and a heater so thats super nice! Its a pretty nice pension for Argentina. Yeah not understanding people is rough. It wasn't bad at first but i hate it now haha We had a zone meeting last week and the ZL is a gringo and i could understand like everything but when the natives talk its way harder to understand...Its like a totally different language but I'm starting to get words. I heard about the gay lesbian thing but it doesn't seem like the Argentina people care much about it but I may be wrong because i cant understand everything.  . Mom the food is super good here. I love it. The dulce de leche is sooo bomb!!!!! Its my favorite! For Pday last week we played futbol which was fun so i have a lot of improvement haha Its fun tho. Oh yeah i taught a kid how to say some things in English, so i will send a video of it hahaha we are teaching him and two other chicos his age Well that's about it! Love you all and miss you!!

Dad I have tried to think that same way about the people! We have a couple areas in Rincon that are super poor. Its awesome to see how they are still so happy tho. I have tried to have the same attitude. That's fun that you guys went to the Reign game. I can't believe that this was Tanners first time seeing a hockey fight hahaha. That's awesome that they still remember the hotdog at the Volleyball games!! That's great haha Im jealous that they have a football field now. How did Rancho's football team do this year? I can't believe Osos Water Polo lost. That's crazy and a bummer for Tanner. Well love you and thanks for everything!!

I tried sending more pictures but the internet is super slow sorry and I'm out of time!! I will send more next week first while I'm writing:)

Week 7 11-9-15 Rincon de los Sauces

So the first like three days we stayed in Neuquen because my companion Elder Bursach(from Lehi, Utah) is a district leader and they had a big meeting on Friday. My area is Rincon de los Sauces. It's at the top of the mission at the border of Mendoza. The church has only been there for 2 years so the work is going crazy right now. Its a little branch of like 50 people. The church is in the 2 story building like 10 minutes from the pension(boarding/apartment). All the missionaries told me that the work is great there and we will be baptizing a ton of people. The members are all super nice and we have had lunch everyday. We also have a member that does our laundry so that's a score. My area looks like southern Utah. Its all dirt roads beside like 3 main roads. Its amazing how happy everyone is when they have like nothing. I have already started to love everyone. We haven't taught a lesson yet because no one has been home and we haven't been super organized because its been a busy week so I'm super excited for this week and to start doing the Lords work. I have been reading everything is spanish and i cant feel it helping. In church  I didn't understand anything. That's how the first day was. But I am slowly starting to understand words if its one on one. I told my companion to just talk to me in Spanish because the first day he was speaking English. I have been cleaning my shoes everyday so they last and look nice. Rincon does that beautiful sunsets its awesome. The food is also amazing! They always have meat which i love and this saturday we have asada so I'm super excited for that.I sometimes think i am in Glamis because a lot of people ride motorcycles haha Its a great place. I cant wait till i can understand and speak to the people. I have got to say since i got here. I have a totally different desire to learn the language. Well everything is going good. Love you all!!

I don't have anything pictures this week because we went to a zone pd in Cutral Có and i forgot my camera. So next week i will send a lot. That's awesome that Kate is undefeated. Good luck in CIF. I only have like an hour to email so my spelling may be bad hahah Correct it for me please!! They said that packages always get here but they can cost a lot if they are big. So if you want to sent small packages its okay:)

I forgot to tell about the weather. Its hot like California summers but there is usually a little wind so its not too bad!!  

Week 6 11-4-15 Travel to Argentina

Dane was able to call home from the airport. On Monday 11-2-15 he flew from Salt Lake to Atlanta, then at 9:10 pm he got on the plane to Buenos Aires,  When we talked to him he didn't know how he was going to get to Neuquen. According to Google, it's a 12 hr drive from Buenos Aires. He arrived in Buenos Aires at about 11:00 am Tues morning local time.  He let us know that someone picked him up along with 5 other Missionaries going to Neuquen, and drove them to another airport where they took a flight to Neuquen.

Mike Nielson



Hey I got to Neuquen and the president and the A.P.'s picked us up! The airport was tiny and we just walked off the plane and in to the airport. Its a super cool town! I'm excited! Yesterday was a little stressful but I think it was hearing all the Spanish and not understanding and then being exhausted. We drove to the mission house and we went over the rules and had dinner. We had empanandas. I spelled that wrong but whatever. They were amazing. I cant wait to have all the food. Well today we are just chilling at the mission house and doing interviews. So tomorrow I will find out my companion and where I will be going. The mission president is super chill and nice. I'm excited. Well I don't have a lot of time so I love you all. Neuquen is going to be awesome.

Dane