Tunuyan District

Hey fam and friends,

Well it's starting to snow here and it's been super cold!!  If I would've kept my sleeping bag a little longer ahaha! We found several new investigators this week with the rest of Iris'  family. All of them together are like 20 people or so haha so we're just preparing them more than anything for when they go back to Tucuman after the harvest so the missionaries can keep teaching them up there.

This week also I got to meet some interesting less active families that have really struggled with problems they have with other people and other sad things they've brought into their lives. So we're going to be really trying to help these people and their families.  I had a way cool investigator in my last area get baptized this last Saturday too that we'll probably see together! 

Other than that we've still been doing a lot of service for the members so I can get to know the members better and to get some more confidence from certain families that haven't really liked the elders too much:/ That and we've been contacting a bunch and have had some luck with some new and a lot of future investigators! A scripture that I liked this week and came to share several times this week was in John 15: 12-13. Remember whose life was given for you and that we're invited to also give our lives for Him.

Much love to you all --have an awesome week!!

Your Argentine Elder,

Elder Chamberlain

Elder Chamberlain near the Andes Mountains

Hey fam and friends!

This week was great and we found a couple more new investigators with who we're working with. We invited a young couple to be baptized and they weren't exactly sure so we're going to press them. They're named Daniel and Iris. They both work together harvesting grapes until they go back to Tucuman/northern Argentina again. They do that every year until the harvesting season comes. They live in a VERY humble home in the middle of these massive grape vineyards and the husband Daniel can't read but when we invited them to be baptized after talking about the plan of salvation the husband showed a lot of agreement with doing it but Iris wanted to wait.  It's weird because she searched the church out and wanted to hear us and usually women are more likely to say yes and the husband a little more hardened. But we're going to encourage them.  They're just not sure because they're leaving in less than a month! But there are missionaries up in Tucuman Argentina so we're good!

I got news from my last area and Lucas who I was working with is getting baptized and he was soo emotional when they asked him to be baptized! Also Catriel and his mom were taught the plan of salvation who we worked with a lot and the mom started crying when she found out she'd be able to see her daughter that passed away a while back. A lot of good things happening back there in San Luis too! Mom and Dad you're going to love them when you meet them!:)  

We're also helping our branch president's daughter in law with learning English so she can give a presentation to some vineyard owners from Miami and France.  It's kinda cool to talk to them about and learn! The views of the Andes here in Valle de Uco help on the long walks but I haven't been able to see them a whole lot for about 2 weeks or so because it's been constantly cloudy and rainy ahaha. But it's still cool-- I feel  the love of my Heavenly Father everywhere I go as I always have my whole mission! I'm really grateful for it.  

Anyway those are some things from this week much love to you all! Trust in the Lord in all you do!!

Elder Chamberlain

Quick Update from Valle de Uco

Hey fam and friends!

Sorry this is so short, Mom.  We are getting kicked out of this ciber cafe because it's closing so I need to hurry.  So this week was way cold and muddy from raining a TON but we've been trying to find a lot of new investigators.  When I got here there wasn't a whole lot going on but Elder Christensen and I have been able to find a couple new investigators this week and we've found a lot of really good future investigators which has been good!

This week I got sick a little bit and with the cold it didn't help.  I tried cooking meat in the microwave because we can't use our stove.  If we do, then carbon monoxide will come out and that's not good ha ha.  I think the meat was still a little raw and that's why I got sick.  But it's ok, I'm better now.

It's going to be raining a lot of sleet soon apparently so we're pretty excited for that! We've also been doing a lot of service this week and we made a random note for an Hermana here with some cookies that we bought because her husband isn't the nicest to her and we wanted her to know that someone is looking out for her. Other than that those are some of the things we did this week it was really cool! I'm still getting to know the new area more and the members/ less actives. We only had like 18 members come yesterday so we're going to be working a lot on that!

Much love to all of you--you're all the best!

Elder Chamberlain

First Week in Valle de Uco

Leaving San Luis last week.  Bus was one hour late but Marcelo Riveros was there to say goodbye.  

Hey fam and friends!

Wow I loveeeddd General Conference! My favorite is Elder Holland as always I just personally feel like I feel and understand him the most out of any other apostle. The love he can express for other people is truly a gift he has and how he talked about we don't need to be scared for tomorrow. Heaven will be cheering us on and will always be cheering us on as we go on day by day for the rest of our lives. I really liked it. We watched all of it in spanish because the english channel wasn't getting picked up but I was fine. I just felt bad because there were several new missionaries who had just gotten here to Argentina and couldn't understand a word. Haha it was hard for them but they'll be ok.

So I'm kinda sad to be honest that I'm not in my last area. It was pretty hard for me to leave San Luis. I'm only sad that I'm not gonna see the progress of the people that we worked with. But I know the next time I'll see them I'll be with you guys!! I'm just happy they're progressing a ton right now!

Well my new area (Valle de Uco) is A LOT of farmland haha and we walk a ton! We have bikes but they're broken and I don't want to fix them. I've heard about bike areas and them always getting broken and stolen and missionaries having to pay a ton for all of that stuff soo we're just gonna keep them in our pench haha!

I've been doing way good just learning and progressing as usual and I'm really trying to do my best to end strong. I'm just trying to imagine that I still have like another 6 months or a year to go so I won't be anxious to go home and see you guys. It's been working so far but every now and then it's weird to think about.

I really don't know a whole lot of members and our investigators but we talked with a lot of people in the streets and had some good conversations! I got to know my branch President and he seems like a good guy. We have about 20-30 people come in this small building with a plaque that has the church name on it. It's cool but small and somewhat dirty I guess but to the point where we can't really clean it if that makes sense. Just in bad condition but that's ok-- it doesn't matter.

Also my new companion has 4 months in the mission and is a really goofy guy haha but he's funny and I already love him as a person. We're gonna have a lot of fun this transfer I can already tell!

Anyway that's all for right now OH! So several of my investigators in my last area are getting baptized that we worked a lot with so that made me happy! They had Lucas go for all 10 hours of the conference sessions it was awesome! Also now Catriel's mom is listening and they both said the Book of Mormon is true because the Mom felt it and Catriel had in his words" A voice told me in my head that it was true and I felt really good!" Catriel is just 11 by the way and is a stud!

Much love to you all I hope you all enjoyed General conference as much as I did! I can't wait to study those talks when they come out! Talk to ya guys soon!!

Love,

Elder Chamberlain