A Fun Week in Argentina

So this week was really fun. It poured rain so much during the nights and then it wouldn't be so hot during the day. And It would make the whole streets flooded. Like I got some awesome pictures in the puddles. Of course it isn't so comfortable here. For example I burned my hand while trying to pour the boiling water into the shower bucket, but I love it here. 

We had divisions this week. My companion was with the other elders and while they were teaching, he ended up yelling at a Testigo de Jevohah (Jehovah's Witness). The guy was invited by his friend to listen in during the teaching appointment and was intentionally being a jerk. He kept telling my companion in English to "speak Spanish" just to get him riled up. It was so very rude and he was such a complete jerk to my companion who can't even speak Spanish yet. So finally my companion just lost it and blew up on the guy in English until he left. I guess not really the best approach but it was pretty funny. 

On top of that our work has really expanded. We met a guy a few weeks ago as the result of a referral that had a wrong address.  When we followed up on the referral the man who answered at the wrong address turned out to be a relative of one of our families. Later we followed up with an appointment with the man and his family at the relative's house. We showed up kind of early and talked to the man. There he humbly told us that he had been praying for us to come to his house. Because of the mistake in the referral, and because we knew his brother, we were able to meet with him. It was an awesome experience. Truly a miracle. 

While talking about miracles, we fixed a car by miracle. These people were having problems with their car. So we offered our help. Upon further inspection  my companion concluded that the car was way to old and dirty for any repairs we could possibly make.  Well before my companion began working on it, he said a prayer. We did everything we could and then just had faith that it would work. My companion shut the hood of the car, told them to start it...and it worked! It was so crazy. Like literally we couldn't have done anything to fix it but a prayer and the Lord did everything. 

It was such an awesome and special experience. Through faith and prayer many miracles are made. This week has been really fun and I love it here.

Love Elder Hoopes

This week has been very hot. To be completely honest, the computer keyboard is broken and it is very difficult to write. Anyway, this week has been just a typical week here. Very hot, very humid, and very difficult. We got rejected a lot this week. Like it's so sad because they don't know what they are turning away. 

We had an asado this week with some members of the branch which was awesome, and I cut my companion's hair, which was really fun. We are working a lot. Tomorrow is my 5 month mark. So that is super exciting. There just isn't too much for me to say. Our investigators are doing well but there isn't much I feel like I can share about them.

Anyway, I love it here. It has been really really difficult but I feel like I have really grown. Everyday here is an adventure. Argentina is just a crazy crazy place. 

I can't put any fotos on right now. The computer is literally the worst. I love you all. 

Elder Hoopes

(Connor was able to send a few pictures later so here they are)

Members of the branch who had the asado (barbecue)

A Better Week

Well this week was way better than the last. The weather has been, not so hot and it has only drizzled. So that has been a huge relief. I also got to seemy cousin at multizona. It was so much fun! For some odd reason there are just tons of frogs out. They are everywhere. It's like a chorus of croaks. It is just like the jungle out here and I love it. Everyday is like an adventure and we get to do a great work. 

This week one of the families we have been teaching came to church and it was so special. She was like bawling and it was a wonderful expirence. My companion and I are doing good so that is good. And we finally got a photo. 

Honestly nothing super exciting happened. Like we had a dog follow us for the WHOLE day and we found talking-parakets that speak spanish. We are still working very hard. We have been rejected a lot this week. But we will just find those who will want to listen. 

I wish I could tell you all about a great miracle that we have had this week. In reality though, we see small unmistakable miracles everyday that are too many to recount. For this we know that we are watched over and protected. I love it here.

Elder Hoopes

Happy Halloween

So wow this week has been kind of difficult. In the last few pensions I have problems with the water but this time was probably the worst. The shower, the faucets and the bathroom didn't have water. We literally had no water. Luckily we had refrigerated a lot of water bottles and we still had drinking water, but nothing  else, because nothing else worked. (Connor said the water issue has since been fixed).  We also had super super hot and humid days this week and then super crazy storms. It was like 100 plus degrees with like 100 percent humidity with no clouds anywhere, then like the next day we would have to literally walk through shin deep mud in the middle of the roads. And when we would ask if we could enter houses to try to get out of the storrm, people were just like, "¿otra dia?" (Another day?).  It was literally the hardest downpour I have ever expirenced and no one would let us in. Actually it was very frustrating. Aside from that I`m losing weight again and probably weigh ten pounds less then when I entered the mission. So the climate has just been overall frustrating this week.  On the brightside though, I bought a new hat this week.

In respect to the work, it has also been very frustrating. If there is  soccer match, everything stops, no one wants to talk, and everyone is just super drunk. So its just hard. I don`t intend to be a depressing Debbie Downer, but I`m just being honest with what has happened this week. 

Obviously we will have our trials. And truthfully throughout these setbacks, I have felt the hand of God guide us and strengthen us. This week has been a week of strengthening. If it wasn`t for the problems, I would have never seen the parts of my testimonio and of my life that I would need to strengthen. And honestly, these problems have only added a great adventure to the mission. They are just great opportunities I have had to show my faith in God. They are quite fun to encounter. 

I hope that you all are having fun in the States. 

Love 

Elder Hoopes