Hey family!
Right now things are sure getting easier in the area! Wow, how much it helps to be able to understand what´s going on, it pays off to be informed. I´ve noticed that as I´ve engaged myself in my "mission
calling" here in Bosques I´ve been more excited to get out everyday and work for the people. The first couple weeks it was good to be out,but I noticed that my heart wasn´t all there because I didn´t know where I was! Thankfully things are going really smooth and the work will progress.
Argentina is experiencing more cold weather. The days have become a little more "grey" with humidity at full levels! Some days are colder than others but for the most part we are getting along just great. :)
Hope that you guys are doing well and that you guys have a great week! Soo sorry that I don´t have a lot of time but I am doing super good and learning tons! We had a great Stake Conference yesterday where we got to hear from Elder Nelson! He spoke with such power as he invoked blessing upon the people of Argentina and the missionary work. It was a sure testimony that he is an apostle of the Lord.
I am excited for Easter, I hope that it´ll be a day for us all to remember our Savior Jesus Christ and the role that He plays in our lives. Because of Him we are able to be free of pains and worries, heartaches and injustices. I know that He lives and was resurrected to reign and guide His church for the eternities.
With all my love,
Elder Jolley
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Hola Mamía y familia!
¿Cómo están? Feliz día de San. Patricio! Ha little different, but el mismo sentido no? Me and another elder americano in our Pinch had fun celebrating yesterday the best we could. We wore our green ties and that was about it! It isn´t really a huge "holiday" here. We pinched los latinos in our apartment for not having green and they kinda got bugged.. oops! Guess it´s something that stays there en casa.
We´ve had a great week! Elder Lopez is a stud and we get along really well. He´s got a funny humor so we spend the whole day laughing which has been really fun. Bosques is TOTALLY different than La Plata. Fa! It´s like I´ve gone to a completely different mission! The biggest difference is just how the area is.. a lot of dift streets and tons of streets. In La Plata I got a little lazy and sometimes got used to taking taxis.. so now I´m paying for that, ha I´m super tired! We´re working hard to find new people here. We tried working last week with old investigators and didn´t really find any success with that so we´ve got like 29 pages of less active members that we´re gonna go through and try and rescue some souls! I´m excited, it´ll get me to know the area si o si! I´m locating myself a bit more everyday, but still have the great risk of getting lost if I were here solo! Dad asked if I stayed as Zone Leader, that´s a yes for ya! Unless President Thurgood changes things when he comes I should stay a zone leader until I leave. I like it! I´m always learning new and better ways to work and especially love the missionaries that we have in the zone! We´ve got some incredible Elders right now in our zone! Our zone is one of the leaders in the mission as far as baptismal fechas so you can imagine the quality of Elders we´re talking about! Haha I´m excited to be here and to learn how to be more like them!
Ah so you guys heard about el Papa! Bergoglio el Argentino! We had heard about that earlier in the week. To be honest it wasn´t that big at all.. All the Catholics recognized i,t but it was super indifferent. Everyone is "Catholic" here but how involved you are is another story. It was cool! :) GO Papa!
Had a cool experience this last week, a guy came to Buenos Aires from the MTC in Provo to do some evaluations here and I started asking him about home and he said that he knows President Nally and also that he has done some evaluations with Ryan in the MTC!! Small world. We had lunch with him and had a great time talking about how things are going back home and he really helped us learn about our Missionary Purpose! Sounds like there is a ton of changes in the Missionary Program and from the sound of our ward, things are seriously picking up!
Getting low on time! I hope that you guys have a great week. This week I´ve learned a lot about the Atonement and how to trust more in the Savior, how important it is to trust Him! I also learned that our prayers are heard and we´re always being taught. I´ve been praying and working to be more understanding and loving in my life and in my work. Sometimes it has felt like I´m ALONE! Some of the hardest times where we ask, "God, where art thou??" This week it was like that. The Atonement for me isn´t just an event that the Savior passed through in His life, but it´s a power that He obtained to help us and lift our burdens. Instead of focusing on bringing the "event" of the atonement in my life, I´ve learned to allow the Savior Himself to enter and allow His spirit be apart of my day. When I can do that, then I see the true affects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ take place in my life. I couldn´t learn that until I was willing to recognize HIM as the only one capable of helping me and of course being humble enough to do it in His way. It´s a process that´ll take a lifetime but how grateful I am for my mission that is teaching these eternal truths and practices!
Hope you all can allow the Savior to come into your lives and try and be more like He is. By doing so the Atonement can mean something more in each of our lives. I know that it´s true. :)
Elder Jolley
(Editor's note: Eler Jolley did not send any specific info about his pictures.)
 |
| Elder Jolley and Elder Lopez in Bosques |
We´ve had a great week! Elder Lopez is a stud and we get along really well. He´s got a funny humor so we spend the whole day laughing which has been really fun. Bosques is TOTALLY different than La Plata. Fa! It´s like I´ve gone to a completely different mission! The biggest difference is just how the area is.. a lot of dift streets and tons of streets. In La Plata I got a little lazy and sometimes got used to taking taxis.. so now I´m paying for that, ha I´m super tired! We´re working hard to find new people here. We tried working last week with old investigators and didn´t really find any success with that so we´ve got like 29 pages of less active members that we´re gonna go through and try and rescue some souls! I´m excited, it´ll get me to know the area si o si! I´m locating myself a bit more everyday, but still have the great risk of getting lost if I were here solo! Dad asked if I stayed as Zone Leader, that´s a yes for ya! Unless President Thurgood changes things when he comes I should stay a zone leader until I leave. I like it! I´m always learning new and better ways to work and especially love the missionaries that we have in the zone! We´ve got some incredible Elders right now in our zone! Our zone is one of the leaders in the mission as far as baptismal fechas so you can imagine the quality of Elders we´re talking about! Haha I´m excited to be here and to learn how to be more like them!
Ah so you guys heard about el Papa! Bergoglio el Argentino! We had heard about that earlier in the week. To be honest it wasn´t that big at all.. All the Catholics recognized i,t but it was super indifferent. Everyone is "Catholic" here but how involved you are is another story. It was cool! :) GO Papa!
Had a cool experience this last week, a guy came to Buenos Aires from the MTC in Provo to do some evaluations here and I started asking him about home and he said that he knows President Nally and also that he has done some evaluations with Ryan in the MTC!! Small world. We had lunch with him and had a great time talking about how things are going back home and he really helped us learn about our Missionary Purpose! Sounds like there is a ton of changes in the Missionary Program and from the sound of our ward, things are seriously picking up!
Getting low on time! I hope that you guys have a great week. This week I´ve learned a lot about the Atonement and how to trust more in the Savior, how important it is to trust Him! I also learned that our prayers are heard and we´re always being taught. I´ve been praying and working to be more understanding and loving in my life and in my work. Sometimes it has felt like I´m ALONE! Some of the hardest times where we ask, "God, where art thou??" This week it was like that. The Atonement for me isn´t just an event that the Savior passed through in His life, but it´s a power that He obtained to help us and lift our burdens. Instead of focusing on bringing the "event" of the atonement in my life, I´ve learned to allow the Savior Himself to enter and allow His spirit be apart of my day. When I can do that, then I see the true affects of the Atonement of Jesus Christ take place in my life. I couldn´t learn that until I was willing to recognize HIM as the only one capable of helping me and of course being humble enough to do it in His way. It´s a process that´ll take a lifetime but how grateful I am for my mission that is teaching these eternal truths and practices!
Hope you all can allow the Savior to come into your lives and try and be more like He is. By doing so the Atonement can mean something more in each of our lives. I know that it´s true. :)
Elder Jolley
(Editor's note: Eler Jolley did not send any specific info about his pictures.)
Elder Jolley and a little friend
A ride on the train
Elder Jolley and Elder Jarvis with an Argentine family
Elder Jolley and Elder Jarvis with the members
Elder Jarvis and Elder Jolley with member missionaries
Monday, March 11, 2013
Hi Family!
Ah, how good to be writing you all! Thanks for your emails and thanks for your love... Thinking of you all and having in mind what we value has been a strength that I can´t explain. Kendyl, congrats on your championship!! :) 1 down, tons to go! Haha and Skyler.. ;) good! I loved seeing the house, I think I remember seeing that back when I ran around the neighborhood. I like it! :) The grass.. make sure you get some good fertilizer down this month!
Well it´s been a funny week, I´m exhausted! Right now in the mission we are improving our Faith in order to receive miracles in our lives, so wanting to help our zone get the idea we put the goal with our District Leaders that every area would be have an exchange and be focused on how we´ll be more sanctified and what miracles we´re looking for. I had some incredible experiences and we´re hoping to have great results come from it. I really love the story of the Brother of Jared, how hard he worked to complete a commandment of the Lord. What is even more impressive is his surety that he had qualified for the Lord's blessings:
2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.
3 Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock.
4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.
5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.
That's the idea, that we all can do our part and humbly go before the Lord with the surety that He will "touch" our understanding and show us how to do as He has asked.
Unfortunately I´ll only be able to hear the results. On Saturday we got a call from Presidente Stapley and got our transfers. I have left Villa Elvira. :( I´m now in an area called Bosques in a city called Florencio Varela. My new companion is from Uruguay, a capo named Elder Lopez! He has one transfer left and is working hard. When I came here he was telling me about all the work that they´ve done and all they hope to keep accomplishing. Saying goodbye yesterday to investigators and members was weird. It was a total flash back to Fiorito! I think I felt the same and right now I look forward to working very hard to get to know the area, members and keep the work going here. I live in a 4 man apartment again, it´s a nice place! Bosques is a LOT different than La Plata, it reminds me more of Longchamps- a little bit more open, lots of trees and it's a little bit of a poorer area. The people are very nice, today I´ve been saying hi to everyone and ya get a warm hello in return. I am totally lost right now as far as direction goes, but that´ll change. We live pretty close to the train station and I think the church too?, so that´ll be convenient. I´m excited to get to know the place and especially the members.
Well, short on time. Gotta get going, but want you to know that I love profundamente al Señor y se que Él nos ama. Al ir a la Iglesia nosotros somos alimentados por al resto de la semana. Llegué a querer y comprender aun mas la Capilla esta semana. Las cosas que aprendimos fueron las cosas que yo esperaba. I know that our Heavenly Father restored His church and the fulness of His Gospel to help us find our way in life. All my love!
Elder Jolley
Ah, how good to be writing you all! Thanks for your emails and thanks for your love... Thinking of you all and having in mind what we value has been a strength that I can´t explain. Kendyl, congrats on your championship!! :) 1 down, tons to go! Haha and Skyler.. ;) good! I loved seeing the house, I think I remember seeing that back when I ran around the neighborhood. I like it! :) The grass.. make sure you get some good fertilizer down this month!
Well it´s been a funny week, I´m exhausted! Right now in the mission we are improving our Faith in order to receive miracles in our lives, so wanting to help our zone get the idea we put the goal with our District Leaders that every area would be have an exchange and be focused on how we´ll be more sanctified and what miracles we´re looking for. I had some incredible experiences and we´re hoping to have great results come from it. I really love the story of the Brother of Jared, how hard he worked to complete a commandment of the Lord. What is even more impressive is his surety that he had qualified for the Lord's blessings:
2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.
3 Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these things which I have molten out of the rock.
4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all power, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea.
5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men.
That's the idea, that we all can do our part and humbly go before the Lord with the surety that He will "touch" our understanding and show us how to do as He has asked.
Unfortunately I´ll only be able to hear the results. On Saturday we got a call from Presidente Stapley and got our transfers. I have left Villa Elvira. :( I´m now in an area called Bosques in a city called Florencio Varela. My new companion is from Uruguay, a capo named Elder Lopez! He has one transfer left and is working hard. When I came here he was telling me about all the work that they´ve done and all they hope to keep accomplishing. Saying goodbye yesterday to investigators and members was weird. It was a total flash back to Fiorito! I think I felt the same and right now I look forward to working very hard to get to know the area, members and keep the work going here. I live in a 4 man apartment again, it´s a nice place! Bosques is a LOT different than La Plata, it reminds me more of Longchamps- a little bit more open, lots of trees and it's a little bit of a poorer area. The people are very nice, today I´ve been saying hi to everyone and ya get a warm hello in return. I am totally lost right now as far as direction goes, but that´ll change. We live pretty close to the train station and I think the church too?, so that´ll be convenient. I´m excited to get to know the place and especially the members.
Well, short on time. Gotta get going, but want you to know that I love profundamente al Señor y se que Él nos ama. Al ir a la Iglesia nosotros somos alimentados por al resto de la semana. Llegué a querer y comprender aun mas la Capilla esta semana. Las cosas que aprendimos fueron las cosas que yo esperaba. I know that our Heavenly Father restored His church and the fulness of His Gospel to help us find our way in life. All my love!
Elder Jolley
Monday, March 4, 2013
Hey guys! :)
Thanks for all the emails.. sounds like everyone is moving up there. Kinda crazy all the changes, but glad that it´s still the same family right? We´ve got transfers this week. I´m not sure if I´m gonna leave.. I´ve been here for a while so the idea of leaving seems weird just cause Villa Elvira where it's at! We´ve got a lot of changes right now in the mission, getting ready for President Thurgood, we´re trying to get everything top notch and ready for when he and Hermana Thurgood arrive! There a ton of zone leaders going now in the next 3 transfers so anything could happen. I´m kinda in between everything, I´d love to get to know another area and start fresh somewhere, but I also know that there is still a lot that I can do here! It´s nice knowing a lot about the area, you can measure your efforts and see where more is needed and where you can continue working hard. There is always a lot of care that the Lord's vineyard needs! This last week we´ve been trying to tighten loose ends and get ourselves to the point where we´re able to work hard and be effective. With the baptism of Abril we spent a lot of time with the members of our ward. We´ve been doing new things with them to help them be more involved in missionary work. The Lord has truly blessed us to have "special events" where members can bring their friends and invite them to get to know the church! So.. hay que aprovechar! :) The baptism of Abril was SO good! Miracles por todos lados.. wow! Unfortunately la abuela de la Hna. Ortiz Martinez passed away this last week so it has been an especially trying week for them. In the end though it was awesome being able to help them feel the spirit of Christ in these hard times.
We´ve been working hard to help more and more get to know our message- we´ve got a lot of room to grow, but thank heaven we´ve got the gospel right!? :) We´re happy, healthy and dedicated to the work of the Lord! We´ve gotta get going right now, but I´ll have more for you guys next week! Love ya tons!
Elder Jolley
Thanks for all the emails.. sounds like everyone is moving up there. Kinda crazy all the changes, but glad that it´s still the same family right? We´ve got transfers this week. I´m not sure if I´m gonna leave.. I´ve been here for a while so the idea of leaving seems weird just cause Villa Elvira where it's at! We´ve got a lot of changes right now in the mission, getting ready for President Thurgood, we´re trying to get everything top notch and ready for when he and Hermana Thurgood arrive! There a ton of zone leaders going now in the next 3 transfers so anything could happen. I´m kinda in between everything, I´d love to get to know another area and start fresh somewhere, but I also know that there is still a lot that I can do here! It´s nice knowing a lot about the area, you can measure your efforts and see where more is needed and where you can continue working hard. There is always a lot of care that the Lord's vineyard needs! This last week we´ve been trying to tighten loose ends and get ourselves to the point where we´re able to work hard and be effective. With the baptism of Abril we spent a lot of time with the members of our ward. We´ve been doing new things with them to help them be more involved in missionary work. The Lord has truly blessed us to have "special events" where members can bring their friends and invite them to get to know the church! So.. hay que aprovechar! :) The baptism of Abril was SO good! Miracles por todos lados.. wow! Unfortunately la abuela de la Hna. Ortiz Martinez passed away this last week so it has been an especially trying week for them. In the end though it was awesome being able to help them feel the spirit of Christ in these hard times.
We´ve been working hard to help more and more get to know our message- we´ve got a lot of room to grow, but thank heaven we´ve got the gospel right!? :) We´re happy, healthy and dedicated to the work of the Lord! We´ve gotta get going right now, but I´ll have more for you guys next week! Love ya tons!
Elder Jolley
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