Old Divorce Laws Still Prohibit Some Baptisms

Elder Houghton and Elder Chamberlain

Hey Everybody!

So this week was sad but still happy. Sad because we found out that those that had filed divorces using the old system would have to continue using that old system and those that hadn't made a file for a divorce could use the new system and have the divorce papers done within a couple months...It was kinda sad because it literally means that the Peña family can't use this new system at all and that they will have to continue waiting for years to get baptized..Also this is sad but still ok! The family that found us and wanted to be baptized live in the other elders area..Soo we had to give them over to them haha. They were super cool but we can't baptize them in our ward. I'm just glad they're all getting baptized ---that's what matters no?

Also we were able to make good progress with a lot of our investigators! The appt with Andrea and Tomas was awesome! We taught them and I got to teach them how to make some honey bbq wings after!  It was a lot of fun!  Also we got to teach Veronica and she's doing good! Later in the week we found her walking out of a small store and she had just gotten some injections. I didn't know why she was there and not in bed because she was suuupppperrr out of it. Ahaha like she was just mumbling in spanish and trying to say my name. Kower...Kowver. A lot of people when they ask for my real name struggle pronouncing it haha.

That's a quick view of what we did and what happened this week. Thank you for all of your prayers for my safety and well being too--- those are always nice ha! Much love to everyone have a great week!

Elder Chamberlain


(letter to his Dad)

Hey Popz!

Ya going up to the San Juan islands would be super cool. You know more than anything when I get back I'd love to go up to Lake Tahoe with all of you guys. That'd be really cool for me.

Ya this week was a good one! Our investigators are progressing! It's just if I leave at the end of this transfer in 3 weeks I won't be able to baptize them and someone will literally come in and baptize them. That's happened in all of my areas. But its whatever as long as they're baptized is what I try to say. Which it's true --I want them to be baptized more than me just wanting to baptize them.

Haha ya the other week I gave a family of 6 all blessings! Some for comfort and others health. I get to do that a lot. The other week for a couple of hermanas too. Sometimes more than I should because it seems that whenever someone is just sick they call the elders.. not even like any members that we do have in the ward but its just elders all the time! 

Yesterday I got to play piano as always, give a 20 minute talk on the family, lead in the classes and teach the young mens class haha. We get to do a lot which is cool cuz we learn a lot but the goal is to get the wards self sufficient.  We try to teach and we end up doing a lot anyway. 

Hey dad much love. You're an awesome example --thank you for always leading me in the right direction. Before I get off the computer,  I talked about you in my talk and how you(and mom) always helped the family do our prayers, read scriptures, and do the things that the Lord has asked us to do. Thanks for always doing those things with us.

Love your son,

Elder Chamberlain

Todo Bien . . . Seguir Adelante

Hey Mi Familia-

Here are some pics of my "pench."  This is our pink building and ours is the one on the left with the door open.  There is a small market next door but it's pretty expensive so we rarely shop there.  

Here is my desk and all of our maps for our area.  

My bed is the one next to the window.

Here is our kitchen---it's WAY nicer than the one in my last area.  

 And of course, El Bano :)

Hey everybody! 

So this weekend we had a Regional conference for all of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It was in Salt Lake with Elder Cook and Elder Hales. It was really cool. They talked a lot about how members working with the missionaries is really important and how they need to always be striving to help us. Also about marriage which has ALWAYS been a big one. But right after the conference we had a family come to us saying they want to learn and be baptized...we were soo stoked and they all asked for blessings so we went to another room and just did it but wow this family is awesome! I'm gonna be making banana bread for them this week to make it better ahaha! That has seemed to help especially with other missionaries. I'm just hoping they don't have a divorce situation to deal with because that has happened soo much where we could baptize a family but we couldn't because they didn't have the papers to do it. We have a family in our ward that has been waiting for over 4 years to be baptized because he can't get divorced from his wife that he hasn't seen in over...30 years. It's ridiculous...there's a lot to complain about Argentina but I try not to haha.

But other than that we're finally starting to teach another family that's like for sure going to get baptized after 4 plus months or so! Also we're still working with the Alonso family/ the references from a recent convert in another ward! If all goes as planned we should have...at least...11 baptisms and maybe 14 if the law actually did something to help people get divorced faster from what president told us but I'm getting more info on that. It's a pretty big fat number but there's always a first and who said it was bad to be positive? I'm just gonna think "Baptisms... Baptisms" and they're eventually gonna come.  These families are the ones!  

Wow I almost forgot to tell you---- its almost kinda normal for me in the mish now ahaha! Soo our chapel got broken into really bad... like a bunch of windows were broken(even though you can't get through them because of the bars) They broke them with bare hands so there was blood everywhere...?? Also they somehow got inside and broke down a triple lock door which has literally 3 locks from bottom, middle, then top. I don't know how they even did that but we went to go play some futbol in the little court that the church has and we saw it... the members already knew about it but ya its was pretty bad. They stole the computer which had a lot of information which helped us and the members with less actives, part member families and just a lot of other things like tithing etc...sooo were trying to help out the best we can. They even broke into the primary cabinet with the kids snacks and stuff and they were ALL gone....seriously? I couldn't believe it, but todo bien ("it's all good") ----God knows who they are and we're gonna seguir adelante. ("move forward")

Love you all tonzz have a great week!

Elder Chamberlain