Hola Familia,
¿Como están? I am well, and... I got transfered today to the city of
La Rioja, in the province of La Rioja! I left Villa Dolores on a bus
yesterday night, and arrived this morning at about 9:00 AM. My new
companion is Elder Strong from California.
The week in Villa Dolores was a bit confused; we were in Merlo on
Tuesday, then with six extra Elders in Villa Dolores on Wednesday,
then we somehow ended up on splits with Elders Castillo and Lennox on
Thursday and Friday, and on Satuday too, and then we got transfer
calls and packed up! Elder Lennox has finished the mission this
transfer, and Elder Castillo is going to Mina Clavero to open the area
and start the church there. Elder Goggins is staying in Villa Dolores,
and will be traning a new Elder. Thus, my week was a bit confused,
and we weren't able to see many of our investigators!
In our Sacrament Meeting, I felt the Spirit's witness clearly that
this work is true, and genuine. I do know that the Lord's authority is
present in this church, as it must be in order to work effectually for
the salvation of His children. The missionary purpose is God's
purpose, and I feel that life must be built around it if it is to
built around Christ. There are many, many good things to do and to be,
but inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the
restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement,
repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is the
most important and most fulfilling.
I'm excited to be able to serve the people of La Rioja! Thank you for
writing to me!
Love,
Elder Schlachter photos
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
May 16, 2011, Merlo, San Luis, Argentina
Querida Familia,
How are you? I am well—today we find ourselves in the province of San
Luis, in the touristic city of Merlo. We're visiting to help the
Elders tomorrow, by flooding the city with missionaries! Hopefully,
with ten Elders where there are usually two, we'll be able to find
some new investigators.
We found a new family this week, the Familia Salvatierra. They've been
going through a rough time, and we showed up in time to really help
them. We found them by using the Area Book, which contains records of
people whom the Elders had previously taught. They came to church this
week, and we had a super-lesson with them with a recent convert,
Monica Barroso.
In Merlo today we went hiking in the mountains. I'll send the pictures
this coming week—it was very pretty, but also rather tiring!
This week I have my six-month mission birthday on the 17th, as well as
my real birthday! Thank you for the birthday wishes!
I hope you are well. Do let me know how you've been, and how the vacation went!
Love,
Elder Schlachter
How are you? I am well—today we find ourselves in the province of San
Luis, in the touristic city of Merlo. We're visiting to help the
Elders tomorrow, by flooding the city with missionaries! Hopefully,
with ten Elders where there are usually two, we'll be able to find
some new investigators.
We found a new family this week, the Familia Salvatierra. They've been
going through a rough time, and we showed up in time to really help
them. We found them by using the Area Book, which contains records of
people whom the Elders had previously taught. They came to church this
week, and we had a super-lesson with them with a recent convert,
Monica Barroso.
In Merlo today we went hiking in the mountains. I'll send the pictures
this coming week—it was very pretty, but also rather tiring!
This week I have my six-month mission birthday on the 17th, as well as
my real birthday! Thank you for the birthday wishes!
I hope you are well. Do let me know how you've been, and how the vacation went!
Love,
Elder Schlachter
May 9, 2011, Villa Dolores, Cordoba, Argentina
Dear Family,
How are you? I am well—it was nice to hear from you yesterday. I hope
that you're enjoying your vacation! [David's family was in Virginia Beach, Virginia U.S.A.]
La vida misional this week has not been very vacation-y! We've been
working hard as a mission for every companionship to teach at least
twenty lessons a week (apparently the mission average is about
fifteen), and generally trying to do everything that we're supposed to
do, in a focused effort to do it! Thus, Elder Goggins and I did teach
twenty lessons, and contacted people in the street more than ever
before. I've been blessed with a bit more focus and energy this week,
and we've been blessed as a companionship with more people to help.
Heavenly Father will bless one who is preparing to be thus blessed. I
think that general diligence is an act of faith and obedience that
permits Him to bless us.
I'm also really excited because we're working to better study the
language, i.e., more consistently, more effectively, and a bit more
fun. I want to learn in order to be better able to help, and to be
more comfortable and proficient in expressing myself, and following
impressions.
This week I thought about making a little binder with profiles of
difficult investigators, so that I can remember them and practise and
study for them, or others with similar doubts.
Thank you for your love and prayers—do let me know how you've been!
Elder Schlachter Photos
How are you? I am well—it was nice to hear from you yesterday. I hope
that you're enjoying your vacation! [David's family was in Virginia Beach, Virginia U.S.A.]
La vida misional this week has not been very vacation-y! We've been
working hard as a mission for every companionship to teach at least
twenty lessons a week (apparently the mission average is about
fifteen), and generally trying to do everything that we're supposed to
do, in a focused effort to do it! Thus, Elder Goggins and I did teach
twenty lessons, and contacted people in the street more than ever
before. I've been blessed with a bit more focus and energy this week,
and we've been blessed as a companionship with more people to help.
Heavenly Father will bless one who is preparing to be thus blessed. I
think that general diligence is an act of faith and obedience that
permits Him to bless us.
I'm also really excited because we're working to better study the
language, i.e., more consistently, more effectively, and a bit more
fun. I want to learn in order to be better able to help, and to be
more comfortable and proficient in expressing myself, and following
impressions.
This week I thought about making a little binder with profiles of
difficult investigators, so that I can remember them and practise and
study for them, or others with similar doubts.
Thank you for your love and prayers—do let me know how you've been!
Elder Schlachter Photos
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
May 2, 2011, Villa Dolores, Cordoba, Argentina
Querida Familia,
How are you? I am well—this week has been a bit generally busy; we've
been working with members a bit more, especially in teaching
appointments, and seeing good results. We've found that members are
willing and generally rather excited to accompany us.
For example, last week we took a half hour bus ride out of town to
meet with our Elders quorum president (Hno. Mandeli). We arrived about
a half-hour early, and found him in front of his house giving a copy
of the Book of Mormon to a friend who sells bread in his
neighbourhood. Then, we chatted a bit about reaching the branch goals
for the year, and in how we can help hometeaching to happen, and then
we visited a nearby family, and set up an appointment. Our visit was
vaguely in our memory yesterday in church, but Hno. Mandeli came to us
very excited: "Elders: I got the phone number that you needed—call the
family and we'll visit them together! Here's another less active
member that we need to visit—when can we do it?"
We also brought one of the ward's youth, Eric, teaching with us, and
found almost nobody that we had specifically planned to find, but we
instead found... two youth, and Eric suggested that we also visit a
less active deacon's family. Thus, the night was a success, and Eric
asked us at church, "Elders! When are we going out again? Can we do it
tonight?"
One of our district's areas (Merlo) is doing especially well right
now, and partially because the Elder's feel like they're the mission
leaders for the members in their area, namely, the members! Thus,
their goal is to help their (member) missionaries to baptize, to help
them with their investigators (friends), and generally work with them
as if they were mission leaders. This is an attitude of confidence,
and unity.
President Salas (mission president) sent out a letter this week to
encourage us to have a perfect week, in order to more effectively
qualify for the Lord's help in our work. I know that we need Heavenly
Father's help! Only through His Spirit can we be effective in His
hands, and only by His power will our investigators come to know Him.
We had a zone meeting in Rio Cuarto this morning, emphasizing humility
and repentance in the work, and I know that we need to receive
inspiration in order to do and live by both! I really want to give my
best effort, and help Heavenly Father according to the calling and
stewardship which He has given me. I know that a life of faith, guided
by Him, is the only thing that will bring peace in this life, and
eternal life, which is more important than anything else—it is how we
will be eternally! Without end! Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.
As for the day to day business of the mission, it was rather hot this
week (30 to 40 degrees), until two days ago it suddenly dropped to
about ten degrees, with wind and a bit of rain! Our house it designed
for a hot climate, so we snuggle about in blankets and jackets and
toques in the morning, and we've been using our winter jackets in the
day. It feels more or less exactly like autumn in Canada—the trees are
even losing their leaves, and the evergreens stand out a bit more!
We've been contacting a bit more—a highlight of the week was when we
contacted twenty people in twenty minutes, working separately
downtown. We even found a former investigator in the street that
night, then another committed (more or less) to be baptised ("Well, I
have to do it eventually, but... it's really hard to change...").
In other business, mother's day is this coming Sunday—thus, I'll be
calling at about four or five o'clock Argentina time (three or four in
Ottawa), edging towards the later part of that range. Surprisingly, a
ten peso calling card should last up to an hour, but we're to keep
calls under 40 minutes. Also, my six-month birthday in the mission is
on the seventeenth of this month!
Thank you for your letters! I try to write something in the mail for
you each week, but it's turning more into each month. I would love to
see photos! You can send them to me direct to my email—I'm not to go
off to other sites, like Picasa web albums. However, you can send them
from iPhoto—I believe there's a little mailing button that will
handily resize everything and make it rather little in order to send
it more efficiently. Also, I do have another favour on that
topic—could you go to imslp.org, to the Petrucci music library, and
download a copy of the Bach Gesselcraft printings of the Goldberg
variations, and the second and third English Suites by Bach as PDF,
and email them to me? I'd like to print a bit of music to play when
I'm near pianos on P-Day! Thanks!
I love you all and look forwards to hearing from you, and talking with
you on Sunday!
Love,
Elder Schlachter Photos
How are you? I am well—this week has been a bit generally busy; we've
been working with members a bit more, especially in teaching
appointments, and seeing good results. We've found that members are
willing and generally rather excited to accompany us.
For example, last week we took a half hour bus ride out of town to
meet with our Elders quorum president (Hno. Mandeli). We arrived about
a half-hour early, and found him in front of his house giving a copy
of the Book of Mormon to a friend who sells bread in his
neighbourhood. Then, we chatted a bit about reaching the branch goals
for the year, and in how we can help hometeaching to happen, and then
we visited a nearby family, and set up an appointment. Our visit was
vaguely in our memory yesterday in church, but Hno. Mandeli came to us
very excited: "Elders: I got the phone number that you needed—call the
family and we'll visit them together! Here's another less active
member that we need to visit—when can we do it?"
We also brought one of the ward's youth, Eric, teaching with us, and
found almost nobody that we had specifically planned to find, but we
instead found... two youth, and Eric suggested that we also visit a
less active deacon's family. Thus, the night was a success, and Eric
asked us at church, "Elders! When are we going out again? Can we do it
tonight?"
One of our district's areas (Merlo) is doing especially well right
now, and partially because the Elder's feel like they're the mission
leaders for the members in their area, namely, the members! Thus,
their goal is to help their (member) missionaries to baptize, to help
them with their investigators (friends), and generally work with them
as if they were mission leaders. This is an attitude of confidence,
and unity.
President Salas (mission president) sent out a letter this week to
encourage us to have a perfect week, in order to more effectively
qualify for the Lord's help in our work. I know that we need Heavenly
Father's help! Only through His Spirit can we be effective in His
hands, and only by His power will our investigators come to know Him.
We had a zone meeting in Rio Cuarto this morning, emphasizing humility
and repentance in the work, and I know that we need to receive
inspiration in order to do and live by both! I really want to give my
best effort, and help Heavenly Father according to the calling and
stewardship which He has given me. I know that a life of faith, guided
by Him, is the only thing that will bring peace in this life, and
eternal life, which is more important than anything else—it is how we
will be eternally! Without end! Heavenly Father wants us to be happy.
As for the day to day business of the mission, it was rather hot this
week (30 to 40 degrees), until two days ago it suddenly dropped to
about ten degrees, with wind and a bit of rain! Our house it designed
for a hot climate, so we snuggle about in blankets and jackets and
toques in the morning, and we've been using our winter jackets in the
day. It feels more or less exactly like autumn in Canada—the trees are
even losing their leaves, and the evergreens stand out a bit more!
We've been contacting a bit more—a highlight of the week was when we
contacted twenty people in twenty minutes, working separately
downtown. We even found a former investigator in the street that
night, then another committed (more or less) to be baptised ("Well, I
have to do it eventually, but... it's really hard to change...").
In other business, mother's day is this coming Sunday—thus, I'll be
calling at about four or five o'clock Argentina time (three or four in
Ottawa), edging towards the later part of that range. Surprisingly, a
ten peso calling card should last up to an hour, but we're to keep
calls under 40 minutes. Also, my six-month birthday in the mission is
on the seventeenth of this month!
Thank you for your letters! I try to write something in the mail for
you each week, but it's turning more into each month. I would love to
see photos! You can send them to me direct to my email—I'm not to go
off to other sites, like Picasa web albums. However, you can send them
from iPhoto—I believe there's a little mailing button that will
handily resize everything and make it rather little in order to send
it more efficiently. Also, I do have another favour on that
topic—could you go to imslp.org, to the Petrucci music library, and
download a copy of the Bach Gesselcraft printings of the Goldberg
variations, and the second and third English Suites by Bach as PDF,
and email them to me? I'd like to print a bit of music to play when
I'm near pianos on P-Day! Thanks!
I love you all and look forwards to hearing from you, and talking with
you on Sunday!
Love,
Elder Schlachter Photos
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