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
