Thanksgiving Dinner (pizza)

Hey everybody, this week was pretty great! We didn't get to teach a ton which was disappointing, but we still had a ton of good experiences.

Unfortunately we weren't able to talk to our investigator Jazmín much this week, so she didn't get to be baptized this week, but we're going by tomorow and hopefully we can get a date set for this transfer, because she's super ready. Already knows everything it's awesome. But we did get to teach her neighbor who we've tried to go by a couple times, and it was amazing. We had given her and her son restoration pamphlets and she already read them, and as we went over the lesson, eventually she just started crying and talking about how she wants to change her life, and she knew this is how she's gonna do it. It was extremely powerful, especially her closing prayer when she was sobbing, pleading with God to change her life. The Spirit was so strong it was aweome. Haven't seen her since then, but we're super excited.

We also got to do intercambios this week, which was great. I went with Elder Bush, another gringo that got to Argentina with me, and we had an awesome time. It's always super fun to go out with other people. The night before was Thanksgiving, so we made a bunch of pizza of course, and had a great feast. I didn't think I would miss Thanksgiving as much as I did, it makes it even weirder that they just don't celebrate it at all. But I am super thankful to be here. I'm loving every minute, and learning so much. My district and zone are both awesome, and the ward is great too. I'm super lucky to be here.

Unfortunately we had to end those intercambios early, but it was so I could go do the baptismal interviews for the zone leaders' investigators, which was also really cool. My first time doing interviews, but their investigators are so awesome it made it really easy. They are teaching a family of 7 kids, 4 of which are baptismal age, and the parents already got married about a month and a half ago. And so I interviewed the four kids, and that family really is special. The baptismal service the next day was extremely beautiful, and it was the first one I've been to on my mission. It made me super excited to work hard, and reminded me of my ultimate purpose. The joy I felt and that I saw those kids feel was so powerful, I can't wait to have that be my investigator.

Everything is all good here, can't believe it's December tomorrow! It'll be 5 months for me out here, it's going so quick. I love you all and hope all is well for you guys!

Élder Grondel

preaching repentance to the people of Roca

It's Good to Be Alive

This week was great! We had a lot of fun, and saw a lot of miracles.

Yesterday was the second half of elections here in Argentina, and so we had to stay inside again all day. The difference this time was we live with two other Elders, and the zone leaders came over too. We made A TON of pizza, like literally three bags of flour worth, and banana bread, and ate a bunch of peppers for fun. It was crazy and fun.

Our investigator Carla, who got married last week, now has a baptismal date! Her husband is going to marry her on the 12th of December, and we're super excited. She's so ready, we're so glad we'll both get to be here to see her get baptized.

Also this week the assistants came down and gave a training/presentation to our zone, and it was really good. We talked about being obedient enough to achieve our goals, and things like that, and I got to be in like a leadership council with them and all the other leaders in Roca, and it made me realize how awesome this place is. It really is suuuuper cool, and just has an amazing spirit. I¡m so glad to be in Roca.

We also went on exchanges with the zone leaders this week, and it was really good too. I went with Elder McCarlie, he's a 6'4" guy from Provo, so we towered over all the people we visited, but it was really good. I learned a lot and we had a lot of fun.

The miracle of this week happened on Monday. We went by and talked to a girl named Jazmín that we've met before, and asked if they needed any help, and her mom was actually cutting grass and needed help. So we go back there, and she's cutting her grass with literally children's safety scissors. Like the 2-inch-bladed ones you used in preschool. So she got two more pairs and we cut her grass with those tiny scissors for like an hour and a half haha it was hilarious. We didn't even get close to finishing, but she said she could do the rest. So we started talking to them, and the mom is a member, slightly less-active, and none of her kids are, and this girl (Jazmín) wants to be baptized soooooo bad. Turns out she has already received all the lessons twice, been to church a ton, and even had her baptismal interview twice. What a miracle. We're going to try to get her baptized this week, but she didn't go to church yesterday, so we'll see. Sooo awesome.

Everything's great, and I love it here! Love you all as well,

Elder Grondel


Pics


1. Trains

2. Nice place in our area

3. Our zone

Big head tree statue thing

When our roommates scared us hahaha

Pizzeria Pension

¿Que tal, eh?

This week was pretty awesome! We had some good experiences, and are just having a lot of fun here in Roca. We had our zone training, which was super amazing. Our zone leader Elder Moser got ahold of this training given to the Las Vegas West mission called the Donaldson Papers that has a bunch of amazing tips in there that is completely changing the way we are teaching, and the results are stupendous. I am loving it, it makes it super simple, super effective, and brings miracles. My zone is really awesome, I'm loving it so much here.

The rest of the week was pretty normal, but Carla and Eduardo got married on Friday! They are the couple where he is a return missionary that was inactive, and she's taking the discussions, and she's basically already baptized. The marriage was really short, but really cool and fun, we got to throw rice at them afterwards haha.

We have a new investigator named Kevin, and he is a capo. We taught him on Tuesday, and then on Friday in his member-neighbor's house and he was super attentive and sincere both times. He didn't come to church which was really upsetting, but we're gonna meet with him again this week and hopefully get him on track to be baptized before the end of this transfer! He's really awesome.

We also got to meet with an investigator that we've been trying to find home for like a month and he was really open, and we read from the Book of Mormon with him, and everything was really cool. He has a really strong desire to know the truth, and so we're working with him on that, but I think he has a lot of potential to be baptized this transfer too!

As foreshadowed by the subject, we have made a loooot of pizza this week. I'm talking like 7 in the past 4 days. We found out that my comp's parents own a pizzeria back home, and so he knows how to make really good pizza. And we've just been trying a bunch of different stuff, and we've basically perfected pizza haha it's great we're making more for the zone today.

Overall, thinks are just cherry here in Roca. I'm learning more and more everyday, and my zone/district/area are all awesome. Elder Sorenson is super cool and a good missionary, he's basically already trained so I don't even have to do much there. Spanish is coming reaaally well, I have learned so much in the past few weeks, it's so apparent the Lord has been helping me and that the gift of tongues is sooo real. Everybody thinks I have a ton of more time than I do because of my spanish, I have been so blessed. Life is great, I love everything, and I'm learning tons!

Thank you all for your love and support, I pray for the best for each one of you

Elder Grondel

Pics
1.Pizzzzzzza

2 y 3 Eduardo y Carla's wedding

4. Statue of General Roca

5. Wall art of Father Steffenelli (the barrio where we do most of our work)

6. bike selfy

Roca rocks.

In short, my life is awesome and I'm loving every minute of it.

Details. So Elder Sorenson is actually the coolest man alive and I love him so much. He doesn't care ho bad is spanish is (and it's not great) he talkks to literally everyone. We haven´t been able to teach a ton of lessons thtis week, but the lessons we did teach were amaaaazing. Super simple but powerful. Elder Sorenson knows his stuff, and is ready to work hard. He's the best. Also this keyboard is awful so if there are mistakes, know that it's because this keyboard is the seed of the devil.

Every transfer the mission has a leadership counsel that all the zone leaders and hermana lideres go to in Neuquen, and everysix months the district leaders go too, and it just so happened to be this transfer, so that was fun! It was reallycool and interesting, but I felt kind of weird being the youngest kid that didn't really know anybody.

I literally have the best district and zone in the mission. My zone leaders are both awesome and super cool dudes. I'm gonna learn a lot this transfer. My district is really cool too. We live with Elder McNeil and Elder Blanco, which is super fun, but makes it a little hard to focus some times. We love it though.

We have an investigator named Carla that we taught on Tuesday, and she is amazing. Her "husband" (not married) is an rm that is less active. But he's pretty active and they've been going to church a ton. We taught the Plan of Salvation and she understand everything without any questions. Amazing. They're getting married this week, and she'll be baptized as soon as he's worthy to do it. Truly a blessing.

We had a ward activity on Saturday where we danced and eat and that's it, but it was super fun. It's a great time having six missionaries in the same ward. We're having a lot of fun and seeing a ton of miracles. The Lord really is blessing and qualifying me for this week. I am not worried at all anymore, because I know the Lord is on myside. DyC 6:36. I love you all and hope the best for each one of you. Thank you for all your support and letters!

Elder Grondel


1. Classic

2. Walking the streets of Roca

3. Stone Christian Soren Sorenson

4. We have bikes!

¡Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroca!!!

Hola como andan?

This week has been extremely crazy a ton of changes have happened that have blown my mind.

First things first, the new transfer starts today, and they did indeed close our beloved Lamarque. An office elder told us on Friday that the contract for our pension expired the next day, and so we needed to be ready to leave the next morning. Sooooo we packed quickoly, and cleaned the pension, got everything ready to go, and a guy came Saturday afternoon, took all of our stuff, and we left for Choele later that night. This week again we just focused on visitng members again because we knew the area would be closed, so we tried strengthening them so they'll hopefully stay faithful. It was really hard and sad to tell the poor members that we were both leaving and no other missionaries were coming to replace us. The area has been closed before, so it was especially hard because they already know what it's like when they're gone. But nonetheless, we feel that quite a few will remain faithful and attend the branch in Choele Choel. But in order to keep them all, we need the Branch President to step up and get some priesthood holders in Lamarque, or send a member from choele to Lamarque every week to be the group leader there. Most of the members can't even afford to go to Choele once a week. But, that is out of my hands now, so I can't worry about it anymore.

So, I'm now in Roca! It's a fairly large city about an hour from Neuquén. We left this morning at about 4:30 from Choele, and got here just before 8, So I'm suuuuuper tired right now. Elder McNeil is with me in my district, and we're living together! But we both are training! I can't believe it! We're both finishing the second-half training for two Elders that arrived in Argentina with me, but I'm technically a transfer ahead because of Idaho. My new comp is Elder Sorenson from Koosharem, Utah, which is about 300 people strong. He's super funny, I love him already. And, I'm district leader! I have no idea what is going on or how I'm going to do any of this, but I'm confident everything will be alright. Also, Elder McNeil is with Elder Blanco from Mexico from my group, and we are all living together! It's gonna be super awesome and fun.

President called us last Tuesday to ask about Lamarque and wanted to talk to me. He asked me how I would feel about being a senior companion to a new missionary, and I said that I still don't speak the language all that well, and I haven't had much experience at all, but he just told me not to worry. I felt nervous ever since then, but have been praying a ton and really just telling the Lord that I'll do whatever He wants me to. I felt like I was doubting myself too much when I was on the phone with President, and I came to the realization that, once again, it's not about me. Although this is kind of in a different since than it has been before, it really isn't about me. It doesn't matter that I don't understand a lot of Spanish, or speak it that well, it doesn't matter that I have never taught anybody the Plan of Salvation in Spanish, none of that matters. This mission, every single part of this work, is about the Lord Jesus Christ. I am simply trying my best to do His work, but I can't do it alone. And I know I'm not alone. When we got transfer calls and we were all huddled straining to hear what would happen, and I couldn't breathe, as soon as they said my new assignment, I felt at peace. I didn't feel nervous or inadequate, just peaceful. The Lord is going to help me sooooooooo much this transfer, it's all gonna be on Him, because I really don't know what I'm doing. But I know as I rely on Him, todo va a salir bien.

I love you all so much. The Lord has big plans for each and every one of us, and I know if we put all of our trust in Him, we will perform miracles. Not just in the mission field, but everywhere.

Sorry for no pictures, camera still broken, and Elder McNeil forgot his with all of ours from this week.

Elder Grondel