Slow Week

Hola family! :)

So this has been a relatively uneventful week again, so I'm sorry! Probably one cool thing that happened was that we played football last P-day! Our new Zone Leader, Elder Welsh (who by the way only has one transfer more than me, which is crazy haha, and we were in the same zone in the MTC) played football for BYU before his mission. Actually I think he was a walk-on on the team. Anyway he brought a football and everyone in our district is from the United States! So we had a great time playing some football. I'm glad it was just us though, explaining 'American' football to Latins would be pretty confusing :)

I'd have to say the best part of the week was that evening though. We got a call from a member telling us that he gave the dueña (the person he pays to rent his house) a Book of Mormon and that she has a lot of questions for us. So we went over to their house that night and had an awesome lesson! I think this is the first time in my mission where the members came to me with an investigator and then we had a lesson with all of us together haha. These members are awesome, Hermano Jorge and his wife :) They both served missions and are great missionaries! The lesson we had was basically all four of us explaining the importance of the Book of Mormon, and it is so much better to teach with members! Yesterday we saw Hermano Jorge and he told us that they read the Book of Mormon every day together with Lucia (dueña) and that she wants to come to church next week. That to me was a great example of sharing the gospel with those around us. They weren't pushy or awkward about it, they were loving and inviting. And now due to their efforts, she is learning and growing in the Gospel. That was really neat :)

I read everything in Spanish now haha, in fact reading in English is really weird to me now haha. I understand better in English, but I'm so used to thinking in Spanish now. It really helps me, especially with having an American companion. I love the language of Spanish :) I think it's so pretty and I really enjoy learning it and being able to understand it :)

On Saturday we had a choque de fuerza in a little town called Rojas. That's when all of the missionaries from the zone come in and work in one area. That was pretty cool, I haven't done that yet since I've been here. I guess there aren't many members in the area but they reopened it. It was fun! It was crazy though, we walked by an electronics store and the Olympics were on! That's so fun! I love the Olympics :) Go USA! Let me know if they beat Argentina in anything ;)

So to answer some of your questions about Pergamino, It's a pretty big city, bigger than Venado Tuerto. Probably a little bigger than Pleasant Grove or American Fork. Haha those dome houses I sent were just some random houses we found in our area. My comp calls them 'Star Wars houses', I can see that! As to the food, I eat tons of pasta, oh my goodness. It is always pasta when we eat with members! Pasta with a different sauce, maybe a different meat. I'm going crazy with all of this pasta haha!! In the pench I eat a ton of eggs, almost every meal! They're cheap and we can get them close.

We have about 50 people come to church each week. That was a huge boost since the Family Chaparro started coming. There are a lot of less actives, and we visit them pretty often. The ward is pretty much made up of elderly people and then a few little kids, and that's about it haha, there aren't very many youth. Which is strange because in my last area there were a lot of youth! We had a lot of support from them, and they could usually come with us to lessons!

I have a lot of hopes for my area now. I feel like every person we teach can grow and accept the gospel. I have learned and grown from the experiences I've been having here. I'm grateful for the testimony I have, and for the desire for it to keep growing. I know this church is really the church of Jesus Christ, and that He lives. I know and feel His love for you, and that there was no greater sacrifice, than when He suffered our pains and temptations, and died for us. I know He suffered for me, because I have felt it help me and change me, and I've seen it change the lives of the people around me. I love you guys so much! I'm so happy for all the awesome experiences you're having :) And I am pretty jealous of you, to be able to learn soccer from those Irish guys! haha ;)

Los amo mucho, cuidense

Elder Alek Clubb

Short Week!

Dear Family!

How is everybody doing :)

Well this is the 'short week' of the transfers, haha since P-day comes quicker.

We went to a baptism on Friday of a guy who had been going to church for 2 years straight without missing a Sunday! He couldn't be baptized because he was waiting for his divorce papers to finalize so that he could marry the girl he's been living with. He got baptized the same day as his wedding :) I think that is tremendous faith. His dad jumped up out of his seat and raised his hands toward heaven and shouted 'alelujiah gloria a Dios!'. It was a really enthusiastic shout haha! It was so cool to see this guy who wasn't a member of our church, be so overwhelmed and joyful for his son. He was crying so hard the whole time.

I feel like I don't have much to tell you all this week :/ I'm so sorry about that! I was pretty sick this week and so I've been really out of it lately haha, but I feel a lot better! This has been a week full of trials and tests. In ways that I did not fully expect. I've been studying in Alma, and in the very first chapter of Alma it talks about Nehor and he's just being a bum, going around and trying to destroy the church. I realized that Mosiah had literally just changed the whole government so that there wasn't a king anymore, which was inspired of God. So it just seems like that whole society got smacked in the face with a trial of faith. They overcame that trial eventually and Alma is just a stud about the whole thing, always trying to do the will of God before his own. So I've recognized a lot of trials, and they are all trials of faith. It has helped me to look inward and to really look and ask myself if I am the person/ missionary God wants me to be, or even expects of me.

My companion has been going through a rough time again. He regrets his decision.... That has been the greatest trial of all. President Giuliani called and talked to all of us during the week. Something that hit me hard, he said that when we bear all of the tough times, always looking toward God and being strong, then we will be able to look our kid's in the eyes when times are hard for them and be able to say that they can do it, and that we've done it. That they can have hope. It was directed toward my companion but it really applies to all of us, and I really took that in. I think I'm going through these trials right now so that I will be able to look at all of you, my family, and you, Katherine Dodge, and even my future family, and be able to say "I know you can do it, because even I who am weak and low could do it. I found strength in my Savior Jesus Christ and His great sacrifice for me. And I am always here personally to help you in any way that I can". I keep learning with each passing moment.

I hope you understand my email haha. I'm sorry it isn't very long, But I love you all so much! And I know this church is true, with all the authority and organization. I miss you guys! Keep up the good work :) Thank you for your love and support and examples. You're the best! :D

Elder Alek Clubb

Aargh! Computers!

Ok where here we go again! I wrote most of my letter then all of a sudden it deleted and it didn't save! I hope this works out alright!

Thanks for all of your letters each week to me! They really motivate and inspire me so much! It makes me so happy to hear from you all :) I'm so happy you had a great week this week! I'm really glad that you're all safe as well! I heard about the fires this week but I didn't know how serious they were!

Well on P-day, toward the end of our day, we played some ping pong with some members! That was really fun! Afterwards we had a last minute meeting from our president and the assistants. I don't know if I mentioned it but our mission has been struggling for a while now. With animo, obedience, baptisms, etc. The President has been trying for a long time to help every one of the missionaries. They're now going to all of the zones to try to help them improve. They're starting with the ones that need the most help and we were one of the very first ones! Woo! hahaha. I love President Giuliani. I have a testimony that he is called of God to be my mission president. He's such a powerful guy :) He talked about faith and how faith is the first step. I wish I could tell you everything we talked about! But it was really great! He bore testimony that this is God's work and with Him we can do all things, and Pergamino can get back on its feet.

I've been studying faith a lot this week, and I've learned so much! I can improve on my faith. It has motivated me a lot this week, not just what president said but in my personal study as well. Faith is a pretty neat thing!

The Assistants stayed in the zone all week to do divisions with the leaders here, so they were with my companion and Elder Sands one day. I didn't get a chance to work with an assistant, but I got to work with Elder Chattelain! I love this kid haha, we have a lot of fun together. I felt really bad, though, because I got hardcore lost! Twice! And it had been raining all day and we were working in the muddy roads. It felt like we were walking on velcro all day! I had a good time though. I've learned that when I go through crazy experiences I always look for the good story in it :) And I love stories!

Ok, so my companion and I have been really blessed this week. We've been visiting that new family in the ward a lot and the girl wants to be baptized! So we are going to have two baptisms this week. The other is Marcos, he's an awesome kid! I love it because not only are we excited for them but they are as well! They're pumped for their baptisms! It makes me so happy when people are willing and excited to follow Jesus Christ. What a miracle it is, when people change their whole lives, and are willing to do all things to follow our Savior. I love it!

So, the 4th of July! I really missed the United States! There were no fireworks, no silly string, nothing! My companion and I barely had food to eat haha! I've been eating a lot of eggs in this area which is good. They basically give them to us straight from the chickens! Like they're covered in poop and feathers when we get them haha. So this Independence Day was very different from the one I'm always used to.

On Saturday there was a ward baptism, his name is Alejandro Mandarino. This was really neat because we've been teaching this kid for a while! A lot of people ask the missionaries to teach their kids so they're more prepared for their baptism. It went really well, there were a lot of people there!

I've been downloading a lot of church talks and putting them on my ipod! They are so awesome! Yesterday we listened to a lot of my favorites. Do you have any suggestions? What are your favorite talks? I'd love to get them!

Church was really great, the focus was on missionary work. The second counselor shared a few stories from his mission (that I've heard before like 3 times haha), and they're great! He served in this mission 'back in the day'. He served with a guy who had 1001 baptisms. Which is flipping crazy! haha. He also served with a guy who worked his hardest and was the most humble missionary he ever worked with, and he had 1 baptism right before he left. His point was that with missionary work, the most important thing is that we work our hardest and leave the rest up to God.

Hey Happy Birthday Andrew Stacey! I love you big guy! I hope you had a great day! :D Thanks for your example and friendship :)

I love you family :) You are so great! I love hearing about your accomplishments and your growth. You are great examples to me :)

Always in my prayers,

Los Amo,

Elder Alek Clubb

 

Weird Week

Hello hello!

 

So this has been a weird week! Nothing really happened :P On Thursday we went to Rosario for tramites. I guess they had to redo just about all of the missionaries again because they changed something in them! So I went to Rosario again and did the same tramite stuff with my comp haha. It was pretty fun though! I saw an Elder that came in my group, Elder Herron, and he lives with Elder Peery, my MTC comp! So I got to hear a lot about him and how he's doing, which was really nice since I haven't seen or heard from him since we got here! It was really neat! I love the experiences I've had here :) And all of the friends I've made.

 

While I was at the mission home, I met an Elder from Peru! I love talking to people from Peru, I always talk to them about my amazing experience there and how much I love them and their culture :) It was a lot of fun! Probably the best thing about going to Rosario was on Friday, we went to BURGER KING!! It was the best thing ever :) I wasn't much of a Burger King guy before, but it was a little taste of home :) I probably flipped out the most out of everyone haha. It was the best! I got the 'steakhouse'. And since people who speak Spanish look at that word and think 'wth?', they put 'esteikjaus' next to it, so they can say the word haha. That made me laugh!

 

So you've been asking if I got the packages, and I haven't. When did you send them? Apparently a lot of missionaries are still waiting for their packages, it takes a while to get here! I guess it depends on how it was sent! I'll let you know when I get them :) Thank you!

 

There was a baptism in our ward on Saturday, so we filled up the font for them. When we got to the church, we saw a bunch of kids outside looking at our church. We started talking to them and they just moved to our area from Santa Fe! So we gave them a little tour of the church! I love this family though! The Chaparro family haha. It's the parents, and they have 9 kids haha! Almost all have been baptized, the only one who hasn't been baptized is 9, so we can teach her! We invited them to come to the baptism later that day, which they did! They live really far and walked all the way to the church for the baptism, then yesterday they all walked again to go to church :) They're awesome! I love it when I meet families like this, who really truly have a desire to live the gospel and do the will of God, no matter the sacrifice. People like them, and my own family, are such great examples to me!

 

Yesterday in church, there were these little girls that sat a few rows in front of me. This is just the cutest family haha, I love them! In the Sacrament Meeting they drew me and my comp some pictures and gave them to us :) It made me really happy! Especially since a lot of the people in the ward don't like us very much, or at least think we do a lot of things wrong in this work. It made me think of how Moroni said that children are perfect in Christ. They really don't care what other people think, they don't judge, probably because they don't understand! But it was a great reminder of that doctrine. It makes me think of Deklan! I miss that kid... It is weird seeing pictures and hearing about him, he's changed so much! He's growing up! haha. I'm so happy for those times I had with him, holding him and bouncing him while screaming for hours until he went to sleep, òr playing with him :) I hope he can say my full name when I get back!

 

I love being here :) It's hard, the rejection is the worst. I love this experience for the people, and I get frustrated for the people haha. But I love everything I have learned. Bearing testimony of the gospel is sometimes the only thing I can do! And my testimony has grown and been strengthened, and to say it with greater conviction than those that tell me it's false is something that helps me through each day. I love you so much! Thank you for your examples to me and your love. I know that Jesus Christ is our  Savior! What a miracle it is :) I know He lives. Thank you for everything you do for me :)

 

Los Amo,

Elder Clubb