Be Careful of What you Wish For

Email written: 12/5/16

They say if you want different results, you have to do something different. So that´s what we did this week. All of the district has been struggling in finding and doing the contacts with the Book of Mormon, so we "blitzed" every area in the district. Each day we were in a different area from 3-5 just talking to everybody. It was crazy how much work we put in and how much it helped all of us work with a different attitude. Our unity and fire grew a lot this week. One of the little things I decided that I wanted to do this past week was to carry a Book of Mormon in Portuguese with the determination to find someone from Brazil. On Friday we were finishing up and one of the sisters asked us how many Books we gave out and we said only 6 because the 7th Book we have is in Portuguese. Then she told us that they had just found someone from Brazil who wanted a Book of Mormon in Portuguese. I couldn't believe it. I went with Elder Sousa (from Brazil) and we talked to him and I understood everything he said and I have my testimony in Portuguese. It was so awesome and a little fun miracle. Saturday was the day where the district came here to Urquiza and it was the hardest blitz because almost nobody was in the street and we were getting kind of down about not being as successful the other days. Then we walked by a bus stop and I felt like I had to talk to the lady sitting down. I started talking to her and noticed she had an accent and at first I thought it was from Colombia, but then I realized.... She was from Brazil!!! I didn't have another Livro de Mormon, but I still talked to her in Portuguese for 7 minutes! We still didn't have anybody show up to church but we feel that we gave it all this past week and that we have to start seeing something change. It was interesting to see that God really does answer our prayers based on what we want (so now I realize that instead of Brazilians I should have been asking for baptisms but it´s cool).

Pics of the 3 Nephites in rain and sun (and yes I did get sunburned because last week we played soccer) 

-Elder Steele

The 3 Nephites

Email written: 11/28/16

Have to keep it short because one of my companions is really sick and we have to go. Basically this week one of the Elders from Saavedra had to go home so we got put in a trio. While it was really sad watching the Elder go home, we realized how great of an opporunity we have to really do some great things here because it´s 2 big areas with a lot of potential. We had a lot of "fire" and desire to talk to the whole world because we want to find people to teach, but still nothing. It's really hard especailly that the whole zone except for us have baptisms these next 2 weeks. Well we had 3 but they fell through. Long story short this week was brutal and filled with trials of all kinds. I don't know how I've kept going. Everytime I feel like getting down or giving up, some scripture or quote comes to mind and we push forward. I know that every trial has it's purpose, the challenge is figuring out that purpose and being able to push forward with faith and hope. 

-Elder Steele

The Indy 500

Email written: 11/21/16

Perfecting my taco recipe!

This week being the start of a new transfer with a new companion we decided we were going to put in work. And that's what we did. We did more laps around Urquiza than the Indy 500 (because my companion is from Indiana) and just like the race, the only real prize we had this week was the milk in the fridge, not only because we didn´t have lunch but because also it was a very hard week in terms of finding. We decided we weren't going to be afraid to talk to anyone and that we wanted to make Urquiza the best area in the mission. We worked hard at staying positive and, well, we worked a ton. It was hard knowing we'd given our all, even if our results this week didn´t show it. But we felt so good (and tired) because we had given it our all this week, and that´s all we really can do. We can't focus on what didn't turn out, but on how we did and that we keep up the same attitude, faith, and diligence. Because sometimes, like Alma taught with faith and the seed (see Alma 32-34) things take time.

Just today I ran into an Elder who was in Savio the same time as me and told me about all the baptism they had from our area after they closed our side. One of the most surprising was one afternoon in emergency divisions after all our plans fell through, we were just kind of riding the bikes around figuring out what to do when we heard "Turn Down for What" and saw a group of skater kids. This Elder told me that we should contact them, so we did and out of the group of 6 one gave us his direction but I was the one who wrote it down even though he was from the other side. Then I forgot about it until a month later the elder called asking for the direction and it turns out now that he got baptized! No effort is ever wasted! So that´s what I'm taking in to this week. Hard times will come, but it's our attitude that makes the difference. We can either just wait it out or learn from it. This next week is going to be a good one. 

Divisions

(Pictures of divisions and perfecting my taco recipe.)

-Elder Steele

Doctrine and Covenants 121:7

Email written: 11/15/16

This week was the last week of the transfer and what a transfer. While I was able to learn a lot, it was not the easiest. Every day was getting more and more difficult and I kept asking "why?" and "how much longer?" and Sunday was something that really helped me finish enduring to the end. Sunday was the ward Primary program and it was such good work. To end the program they had us 4 missionaries come up and join the primary in Called to Serve and the spirit that filled the room was incredible. I felt that everything was going to be ok and that I really am in God's special work. Then at night, one of the youth (and one of our best friends in the ward) opened his mission call and is going to Brazil!! Watching him open his call and to see the emotions of him, his family, and the ward, reminded me of when I opened my call a year and a half ago. I remembered that it's not all about me being a missionary, there is a much greater plan and purpose and it is such a privilege and a blessing to be here in Argentina. 

And as for transfers, I stayed here in Urquiza and Elder Aguilar left. I'm now with Elder Spurling from Indiana. He has 2 transfers left, so if we stay together next transfer too, I will be here in Urquiza for almost 8 months!! But either way, Elder Spurling and I are going to work a ton this transfer and I'm really excited. 

-Elder Steele

Tacos + Members = People to Teach

Email written: 11/7/16

This week we started to carry out operation Taco Bell where we offered to cook Tacos for every member in their house as a way to gain their trust and to find others through them (and a way to make sure we eat everyday) and we've started to fill our planners and our stomachs. We started last week with Matias (a member who is returning to the church) and his girlfriend Veronica (an investigator) and it was a success. The only thing with them is that they have to get married before Veronica gets baptized. We did it with another family and we finally got a reference from them after 3 months of them promising to give it to us, and we contacted them and it's a family of 4 and they came to church yesterday. 

I can't believe the miracles we have seen this week and we are feeling good about ending this transfer next week. We won't baptize this transfer, but we have for sure done our part in preparing the area for next transfer and the long term future. And sometimes that's what we do as missionaries is prepare for the future. And sometimes we forget that, and we get frustrated when we don´t get the results or the "success" but the most important thing we can do is prepare and take care of this part so that in the future there will be plenty of "fruits" to harvest.  

-Elder Steele

Where's Waldo?

Email written: 10/31/16

Somebody finally got his package!

This week we calmed down a bit with our work and we focused on helping all of the people we had found progress. One of them is Rodrigo. He just showed up to church last Sunday and told us he wants to change his life, and he was progressing really well. Then we did divisions Wednesday (and I left for José Ladron Suarez) and when I came back elder Aguilar told me that Rodrigo had disappeared. His temporary house was gone and we had no idea what to do or how to find him. We decided that the first thing we were going to do would be find Rodrigo. We retraced all of our steps in all of the times we had seen him in walking in the street and we asked around and we ended up with nothing. We felt bad that we had lost our miracle and we decided we were going to continue with our other plans. I then thought, "if I was suddenly homeless, where would I go? A park!" and we happened to be between 2 parks so we kept looking and when we got to the end of the second park we saw Rodrigo sitting down reading the Book of Mormon while his son was playing!! We were so relieved to have found him, but then yesterday we couldn't find him again so tonight we are going to play detective again! 

And with almost all of the other possibilities we had, we lost so this week is going to have to be another week of trying to find and help people. It´s been almost 3 months here in Urquiza with little to show. We´ve had miracles and good moments, but not a lot of "fruits". But in the Book of Mormon in Ether 12:27 where there is a promise that our weak things will be made strong, and 2 examples of this are found in Mark 6 and John 2. When Christ fed the 5,000 or when he turned water into wine, he made do with what they had to offer him. He did not yell at them for their lack of preparedness, but instead served them. Being here in Urquiza I've realized a lot of my weaknesses and that I lack a lot, but I just have to keep going because the Lord always promises blessings for diligence and obedience. 

-Elder Steele

Like Kevin Garnett, Anything is Possible

Email written: 10/24/16

So I don't know if anyone remembers but a little more than a month ago, we received the goal of 5 copies of the Book of Mormon everyday or 30 in a week and how we struggled to just give out 1? Well I do, and this week we changed all of that. We decided we needed to do more if we want to see miracles and baptize. So that´s what we did. We made invitations and gave out over 600 and we were able to give out 30 copies of the Book of Mormon. By the end of the week we ran into the greatest problem you can have in the mission; trying to find the time in how you are going to be able to make it to all of your appointments. We finally had a large number of people to teach. The week flew by so fast and we felt so good knowing that we really did our best. We realized that the only thing that is holding us back from having success is us and that we have to be willing to do everything possible to find solutions. The truth is we really didn't do a whole lot. We aren't the greatest missionaries and we aren´t perfect, but the little that we can give, we gave, and we were blessed with a ton of miracles. 

From the ward Family Home Evening last night, to our progressing investigators, this week was a week of blessings and one that really built our faith. Wednesday (well I think it was Wednesday because the days are all blurred together) it rained a ton and we didn't have our umbrellas or our coats and we were tired and I thought just how easy it would be to give up and take some easy way out, but then an impression came to me that made me think. I thought "how can you just give up? What kind of standard are you going to set for your future self?" and we just kept moving on. 

-Elder Steele