Letter Dated May 28, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad;

Well sounds like a pretty classic not to exciting little week.  But for me, no news is good news, ha ha.

Well honestly, uh no I can't tell you what's on the corners of the other streets, I think they might all be stores. its kinda a cream tan house.

We have our old mission president till July, like the 2nd week in July I might see him.  I'll have him for the last 6months.

So this week. 

Tuesday, we visited Dennis and his family.  Dennis is a 10 year old kid in a less active family.  He wants to go to church, but the family doesn't, so we probably wont pass by to much, since to baptize him he has to have active family members.  We also passed by Hermana Blanco, she is a recent convert.  She has a daughter and her family that are not baptized, and well they don't really want to, except her granddaughter. So we shall see what happens there.

Wednesday, we found a newbie. named Silvia.  She is Evangelical, but she had talked to the missionaries before.  She didn't want to talk to us, but we managed to get in (by that I mean the spirit let us in, ha ha) we taught a pretty good lesson.  She almost didn't get the Book of Mormon saying she only reads the bible, but a I just gave her my testimony and she accepted it and said she would read. So we were pretty satisfied.  Them we passed by a recent convert Dayana.  She was doing great.  She is 11, with her mom Laura who just started to come back to church.

Thursday, we talked to Nancy who is having problems.  She got in a fight with the president of the branch, she is his mother in law. So she didn't want to get baptized for the time.  But we are going to work on that.  By Sunday they were friends again... SO we will see what happens.  We found another newbie, Aldo.  He is a real nice guy.  He reminds me of Corey Hines from his looks.  He accepted everything and we took out a  fecha with him.  Then that night we had a small adventure.  Cause well apparently I got conscripted to teach English to people in the church, so Elder Caceres lost our keys to the church (and the house) in Nechochea when we went for the meeting. Sooooo, we had to go to the presidents house for keys, then we were late, so we had to run 15 blocks to the church.  Whew.  Then I had to teach English.  I have no idea how to teach English.  We were suppose to bring the book Elder Caceres has on how to learn English but we didn't have time to go get it.  But it went alright anyway.

Friday, was Elder Caceres´s birthday.  He is 21.  Also it is a huge holiday in Argentina. So we had a pretty sweet ward activity.  We had some investigators go and everything so it went pretty well. The activity was fun. They had a dance (obviously we did NOT participate.)  Some food, they had a singing contests, I won (hahaha just kidding I did not win, or try for that matter) then lets see, some comedian who might have been good, but I don't understand Argentine politics, ha ha.  So yea good activity. Then we visited Fernando, who hasn't read or gone to church. 

Saturday, found a newbie named Carlos.  He used to go to church a long time ago, but switched to the Evangelical church so he could smoke. So we are giving it a shot to see if we can't baptize him.  Then later we talked to Aldo.  He was doing pretty good, can't go to church this week cause he has to work this weekend.

Sunday, we had two investigators go to church Aylen and Carina.  We got invited after to eat lunch with the District President and his family and another family in the ward.  We went.  Well we got stuffed in a van.  Kinda like the Murdoks van.  But we had 20 people inside.  Great huh?  Of course I sat in the back and got attacked by all the small children, ha ha.  So yea, what can I say?  The missionary plaque is an awfully popular item to steal, ha ha.  And apparently it is fun to pull my hair and poke and hit.  I came out of the van with a black eye my hair a bit of a mess and kinda tired,  ha ha.  Ok well I really didnt get hurt, but you get the picture.  It was fun though, ha ha. But seriously there where probably 6 small kids attakcing me.  My companion has a bit of the cold right now.  Poor kid. 

So yea, that is pretty much the week right now.  So yea pretty fun week. 

In the pictures you see a little tower, that place is the water filtering place. Then you have me and Wagner with German, the guy who was trying to stop drinking.

This week wasn't too bad, we are giong to focus a bit more and such.  Time goes by quicker as District Leader.  Whew.  Just more stuff to do.  That and I have to be careful cause the other Elders are watching me, oh no! Ha ha, just kidding.

So I don't have a ton more to say.  Just Choose the right.  Oh yea, I listened to a pretty sweet talk today for P-day, while my sick companion was taking a nap, from Cleon Skousen.  Whew.  It may have blown my mind.  Dads probably heard it, but its good.  When/if I have time I will study it more. 

We have a leadership meeting this week, should be interesting.  Actually I leave 3:00 in the morning :(.  

Anyway. Have a good week talk to you soon.  Don't sell alllllll my stuffffff....... ha ha.

Love ELder Obray

Letter Dated May 21, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad;

Well sounds like a good little week for you guys back home.  Nothing to excited.  But hey, that's good. You just cant have to much fun without me ;).

So I just finished up my 1st week here in Tres Arroyos.  Betolaza and Savedra would be the corner of the street we live on.  There are us 4 missionaries living there.  We have a small car patio too, I can't think of any defining features to help you see the house... but its on the corner, might be the only real house I can't remember.  But my area is the street we live on and everything below (south I think, but who knows).

So Monday, well we tried to visit some people, but we didn't really get anything.

Tuesday, we did lots of contacts as Elder Caceres showed me around and where and who are all the investigators and such things.

Wednesday, we chatted with the wife of the branch presidents mom, Nancy, who has talked to the missionaries for a longgggg time, but has yet to get baptized.  We talked to her for a time, it was good to meet her, she is really friendly.  Of course the goal is to baptize her, ha ha.  Then we found 3 newbies.  Fernando, who is an older guy, who we just knocked his door and we got in.  He is really good, and accepted a baptismal date.  Then we found two ladies out knocking doors, Brenda and Valeria.  Apparently Valeria almost got baptized years before, but it just didn't happen.  We taught Lesson 1 and they both accepted fechas.

Thursday, we did weekly planning, then I met 2 other investigators that they already had, 1 is a recent convert and her mom who would get baptized but she is living with a menos activo who doesn't want to go to church yet, ha ha.  The other was a little girl (Aylen) who's grandma got baptized and always brings her to church, we have to get permision from the mom and dad to baptize her.  When we ask they are just kinda uhhhh yea we will think about it.  So we hope thing work out there.

Friday, we went to Nechochea (its our Zone) for a roundtable (leadership meeting) so yea there we talked about rules and such thing.  I saw Elder Stutz who is in Necochea right now, he is doing pretty good. and then we came back.  We didn't do much else.

Saturday, we knocked lots, and at like 7 I saw a house with one of those looking wholes to see who is knocking, but it was glowing red.  So I was like "Hey lets knock that door", and we found a newbie, Julian, a 90 year old guy,  He is actually surprising still smart.  He didn't want to go to church cause it was cold.  But still, we are going to see if we can get a member to pass by him with a car.

Sunday, lets see 2 investigators went to church.  Laura and Aylen.  So that was good, I met a bunch more members.  Then we went out and Worked.  We talked to Nancy who now wants to get baptized, maybe this week or the next week!  So we are pretty excited about that.  Then we also visited Flia Asuncion who are Menos activos, but he was branch president for a while with a super good testimony. He knows what he has to do.  He even started crying to us.  I felt pretty bad for him, but we had a good chat and gave him a blessing.  We reallllly hope they come back, cause the branch could really use their help out here.

So yea that's pretty much what happened to us this week.  It was a pretty decent 1st week, this next week we are going to do even better.

I am learning the area pretty quick, I think I get the areas faster every time.  I think I am going to like this area, the people seem pretty good, and it's a bit easier per say, then Castex, ha ha.

Anyway I hope you have a good week and enjoy everything.

So the pictures I sent, the last ones of the dinosaur park, then you can see Pedro Cueto, a Menos  Activo that took us.  I am sending a picture of my new district, me then ELder Pino, ELder Caceres, ELder Morel, in that order from right to left, ha ha.  Hope you like them, coming up next week, some more pictures of Castex!  Woot!.

Oh a little about Elder Caceres.  First he is from Paraguay.  Second he has 1 year in his mission.  Third he just turned 21 this Friday.  (I'm cooking him brownies...shhhhhhh it's a secret).  Fifth this is his 2nd transfer here. So really we could be companions for a long time.  I guess we will see, cause he should train.  Well I think he should.  He is a pretty good missionary.

Anyway, talk to you again next week.

Love ya

Elder Obray

Letter Dated May 14, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad;

It was good to talk to you guys the other day on Skype. Time goes by fast for some reason.

Ok. So I can't tell you yet what street it is where I live, but I'm not in Bahia Blanca, actually I'm closer to Necochea.  I'm in Tres Arroyos.  It's a decent sized little town with probaably like 40,000 to 50,000 people who live there.   There are just 2 companionship's in the city.  Which composes of my district.

My district is me and my companion Elder Caceres from Paraguay. Then two other Latinos who I saw for a brief moment. So I'll be speaking 100% Spanish for the next few months, ha ha.  Should be pretty fun I think.

Anyway, tell Nate I am pretty sure I'm not shrinking, but I dont think I'm growing (in any direction) either.

Well sounds like Aaron is doing good, glad his parents could talk to him.  I'm sure it was good.

So I sent you some pictures of the dinasours today.  I hope you like them.  These are from a long time ago.

And some more pictures. They actually have a decent cyber here.  Not great.  But decent.  So that makes me happy.  It looks like a pretty nice town.  For the 2 hours I've been in it.  I'm pretty tired since I've been traveling allllllll day today. Que Cosas.

I don't really have a ton to say.  Last week we worked Monday and Tuesday.  Then Wednesday we went to Pico to help the other Elders find investigators. Then that night we did divisions and I was with Elder Sterling.  We visited a lot of people. Then Thrusday night I was back in Castex.  Friday morning we got transfers, so we had to clean the house, even more so cause Sister Missionaries are coming in. We started to visit people, Satruday we did the same, then Sunday we did the same. So yea. The travels were a hassle but it's fun to go to a new area.  I'm pretty stoked to go work here.  My companion seems like a really good person.  He has like a year in his mission.  

Anyway  so enjoy the pictures I'll tell you more about the area and such next week.

Have fun.

Love Elder Obray

Letter Dated May 7, 2012

Dear Mom and Dad;

Well sounds like a pretty interesting little week.  Pretty good I think.  So, about mothers day, I am planning on skyping.  We are going to try to use the computer in the church, if that doesn't work I will end up calling.  But just be home from 4:00 my time on cause Elder Wagner's family might be a bit more complicated and I may or may not get transfered and leave to a new area that night so could be a crazy day, ha ha.  

Whew!  If Dad takes the job in Tennessee that will make things kinda crazy huh? Guess if God want you to move there its for the better.  You would FOR sure have some opportunities to share the gospel there.  But I would think about that one till it actually happens, ha ha, just let me know what you do, or I might come home to the wrong place.  And let me tell you, THAT would be fun, nobody waiting at the airport.  Just like the movie the RM.  

So, anyway let me relate the things that occurred this last week.  

Monday, we actually found a new investigator.  Mabel, she is a nice lady with like 50 years.  She wasn't super interested, but she did listen.  Unfortunately we couldn't ever find her again during the week.  

Tuesday, well, we couldn't take out money from the banks.  We get  our SIG (allotted monthly money) at the start of every month, SO, we just lived on our small food storage. We didn't have much crazy things happen.  We talked to Antonia for a while.  

Wednesday, Elder Wagner couldn't eat all day cause he had to do a fast for a doctor test.  Cause he has a hard time sleeping all through the night.  He wakes up like 10 times a night.  So he suffered a bit all day.  We went by German, who was SUPER drunk, he tried to tell us drinking was ok using the bible, cause Jesus drank wine.  He was soooooo drunk that when he opened his scriptures to read us the part he just read some random verse in revelations. Very convincing eh? Anyway, we don't really see a point in talking to a super drunk guy, so we left.  We then found another newbie.,Samantha.  She is Evangelical.  But we got in and taught her.  She is pregnant with her second child.  Her husband is nice, but abusive (if that makes sense) so we taught her and gave her the Book of Mormon.  She likes to read so she said she would read. She told us that maybe this is the true church she was looking for earlier.  We only were able to talk to there once last week, shes about to have her kid, so shes always in the hospital.  

Thursday, we had to get up at 5:20 in the morning to go to Elder Wagner's Doctor appointment.  Fun eh?  Then we have another appointment this Thursday for the results.  We found 2 more investigators today.  Nazereno and Veronica.  They are teenagers.  But they were wiling to listen.  And they are going to read and pray.  We go back to them tonight.  So we hope it all goes well :).

Friday, we went back to German, he was not drunk, so we talked.  He had been super sick since  Tuesday when we left.  He was just now feeling better.  He was VERY repentant of having drunk.  And was very determined to stop.  He lost a week of work cause of drinking, which in Argentina isn't good since they don't make a ton.  So now he wont drink more.

Saturday, Wagner was sick for a bit, ate some bad meat or something, then we visited a few people. Not much really happened. 

Sunday, well we had 3 less active families go, German being one of them, so in that sense we were content.  We were teaching a Gospel principles class, when Nerina, who is at the time living with her boyfriend  :( , asked us what happens when someone knows they are breaking a commandment, but they don't want to change (in her case cause she wants a family and she just started dating the guy so he wont marry her).  Elder Wagner, did some good, and told her that when we justify our sins its cause we are prideful.  We think our will is more important or greater then the will of God.¨ So he told her flat out.  At first I think she was upset, but Ii think she thought about it a bit, and by the end of the class she accepted it.  What he said is the truth.  We cannot justify sin.  And he said it at the right time. Later that day, we visited Mirt and Carlos who are waiting for Carlos to get his divorce.  Good people, But they just don't seem to understand that they still need to go to church, ha ha.

And today, we didn't do a ton, we cleaned, I washed all my clothes and such fun things. So that is pretty much the week right there. Wasn't to bad, we still are just trying to get some lessons, we don't get very many.  But I think this week we will see some really good things happen.  We are working, but hey, what can I say, we will get some more baptisms if we keep working, ha ha.  That's for sure.  Anyway don't worry bout me, I will just keep working righteous harry-kery (I don't know how to spell it, ha ha).

Love you

Elder Obray