..."the United States is doing pretty good.. but hopefully they dont come up agaist Argentina or I am going to have to crawl into a hole for a couple weeks haha..."

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

This week was pretty good. It was the first week of a new transfer and we are starting to do some new things to change up how we have been working and to keep the work going down here. It has been a week with some ups and downs.

Down here everybody is going crazy for the world cup which is fun and also annoying because nobody wants to let us in. No i know how the missionaries must feel when we watch the super bowl but at least it is just one day and not for the whole month. The United States is doing pretty good which is awesome but hopefully they dont come up agaist Argentina or I am going to have to crawl into a hole for a couple weeks haha. One of the things we are trying to work on down here is the youth. There are like 3 or 4 active youth which is pretty hard but we are going to try to get some activities going on down here to help them out. We are going to be playing soccer on thursday so we will see how i do against the latinos haha.

We finally have an investigator after the longest time and we commited her to be baptized. Her name is Beatiz and she is a single mother of 4 and has 30 years. she is at the point where she wants to learn about God because she wants what is best for her family in the future so we had a really solid lesson and hopefully we will be having a baptism here in a couple of weeks.

We are really working hard to bring some less actives back and we are seeing some fruits. We have  a couple families that finally came to church this part sunday which was really awesome. Basically we are just going to work really hard this week to find some new people bacuse we dont have a lot to work with right now but I nam hopefull.

I was having a pretty tough time the other day. Just a bunch of stuff piling up and i felt like I couldnt handle it but I had a really good experience. I got back to the pench and was just super stressed out and angry and my comp knew it to so he told me that we are going to kneel down and pray. I prayed and I felt all the tension that I  had inside of me vanish. As I was praying I felt the truth that while i was going through a hard time Christ had carried a weight more heavy and suffered a lot more. It helped me refocus on what I am here to do which is not worry about my incomfort but to help others. I know that the same thing works for everyone of us. When life gets too hard to stand, sometimes you have to kneel and pray. I know that when we think we are passing through things  and think nobody understands how hard it is, that we are wrong because our savior does. We just need to remember him and then focus on what we can do to lift somebody else. I know its true because I have lived it. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and i know that any burden can be made light if we come unto him.

I love all you guys and love hearing from you all! I hope all is well with everyone.

Elder Whitaker

"I will be staying her in Santa Teresita for another 6 weeks..."

Hola mi familia y mis amigos,

Como anda con todo? As you guys are all getting ready for summer I´m freezing down here. Its funny getting letters from my little brother about surfing and down here I´m like an eskimo. This week was kind of short as far as the work because we had a zone meeting ( there is so much space between the areas it is almost a whole day to go meet with all the missionaries have the meeting and go back) and we went to La Plata which is 5 hours away to go to a conference with a gerneral athority. For the conference in La Plata I got to spend the night in my first area, Villa Montoro. It was cool to be beack in my old bed for a night and talk with my budddies about how the area is going. Mari is still going strong, despite her many challenges she is still firm in the church which is awesome.

As far as teaching goes we had a couple of cool lessons. One was with a guy we found that has about 30 years and he doesn´t have any family anything going on besides work in his life. he hasnt gone to church since he was 17. We have been doing service for him and stuff and the other day we had a lesson with him.It was super cool because as we walked into the room to go and teach him i knew exactly what he needed to hear. We talked about how this life is the time to prepare ourselves to meet God and about what he wants to do with his life. I know that the only life that brings true happiness and fulfillment is a life based on the teachings of Christ. we taught him that and he felt the spirit and he commited to come to church for the first time in years.

One of the best things of my week every week down here in Santa Teresita is taking the sacrament to and elderly couple, the familia ledesma, that can´t come to church because of their health. They are awesome. They are so funny and so appreciative when we bring the the sacrament. I have felt the spirit and the saviors love so strong during my visits with them. We are the first to come by in a long time so it is awesome to see how happy they are. It has really helped me to understand how important the sacrament is.

Well I will be staying here in Santa Teresita for another 6 weeks with Elder Varela so hopefully we can keep on working good and accopmlish some good things down here!

Elder Whitaker

"I can't imagine a better way to use this past year of my life..."

Ty and some missionaries in his District

Hola mi familia y mis amigos!

How goes life back home? Its super weird for me to think that school is just about to get out up there and people are graduating and stuff! time goes so fast! I was chillin on my bed last night thinking about stuff and I realized that exactly a year ago I recieved my mission call to serve in Buenos Aires Sur. How crazy is that! i still remember opening that letter and finding out my future for the next two years. Those days when me and all of the guys were getting our mission calls were some of the best days ever. I am so greatful for all my brothers that are out there in every part of the world doing the same thing i am. Maybe a different language or climate but the same thing. I cant imagine a better way to use this last year of my life.

The work here sometimes is difficult. Things don´t always go smooth but then again things weren´t ever made to go smooth. I have grown to apreciate the little moments where you can feel that good feeling inside your chest, the spirit, telling you that what you are doing is good or helping somebody else. i couldnt really tell you anything crazy that happened this past week, just things that i have gained a greater appreciation for. When i had the opportunity to take the sacrament to an elderly couple i felt the spirit testify of how important it was and the love that the savior has for these brothers. Teaching somebody about the gift of repentance and how they could leave behind their past life and start fresh, i felt the spirit, helping the other missionaries when they are feeling down to remember why we were sent here, i felt the spirit. Little things that you could pass by if y


you arent paying attention. I know that when i was taking the sacrament to brothers and sisters in my ward before my mission i didnt take the time to realize what i was doing. Something for you guys to think about this week, Enjoy the little things. look for what you are greatful for and look for the little blessing that you have everyday. Try to feel the spirit when you feel down or lost and it will be there.

One thing im gratful for is the missionaries down here in La Costa with me. We always have fun and i can always look forward to Pdays and our meetings. we play volleyball, make BBQ wings and tacos, and just mess around and lighten up a little. Im glad i have the opportunity to serve with these elders and hermanas. Well i hope all is well with you back home! 

Elder Whitaker

Ty says he wasn't hang many people listen to him, so he got this horse to believe!!