New Year's Celebration

We got caught in the rain!

Happy New Year

Celebrating on the Roof Top.

Elder's Activity

Jan 2nd

I think i forgot to tell you... my hair got cut again hahaha and the place i wanted to go was closed on Monday so my hair was cut by a missionary again hahaha. So one day we were teaching a lesson and it started to rain super super hard! and we were pretty far from the pencion, we had a good 30 min walk in the rain hahaha. we were soaked. but luckily we had little bags to keep our books dry. the other picture is of my district.

New Years was good. We didn’t do much, it was a regular day, we couldn’t stay up late, but we did go on top of our roof and played a game of Uno and ate some pan dulce. um.... oh scripture for the week. Mosiah 24:13-15. :) I love you all so very much. I hope all is well, and if there is anything i can pray for, please let me know!

One of my goals in the mission is to teach a lesson to someone while either my companion or i am helping them do something (for example if someone is sweeping, to go up and start sweeping for them while my companion teaches) well we did just that. There was an older couple and they were cleaning outside. I told my companion I want to help them, so we went, we started to clean for them and i would sweep and my companion would teach, and then my companion would throw away what I swept while i taught. IT WAS AWESOME. I’m glad to have a companion that likes to work. he likes to talk a lot and he has told me many times that he is very prideful, and i can see it. But i don’t mind, I’m just using that to work even more.

We also had a neat experience with another investigator. She called us one day and told us that she was kicked out of her house (they were in a temporary refuge place until they found a house, but they couldn’t find a house) and that they were on the street. So we went to go talk to them and try to help, they were out on the street with a couple bags of personal things. We had no clue what to do or what we could do, so we said we were going to go to the pencion and call a couple people. So we did just that, i called everyone, first zone leaders then president (president didnt answer) so i called the bishop, but he was out of town so i called the councilors and then a councilor of the stake presidency, he gave me some ideas of what to do , but they weren’t very sure. So we decided to pray, we all knelt down and prayed. we then got up, left the pencion, brought some little food that we had and when we showed up where they were at, there was a truck and they were all loaded in the truck about to leave. We ran over and talked to them, when we gave them the food, she appeared to be a person with terrible hunger, they ate the food we had with tears. We gave them the references we had, and then they left, as they drove away they stood up in the back of the truck, waved and said. Thank you brothers!! Thank you. It was a neat experience. words cant really describe it.

I LOVE YOU!!!
Elder Rowse

Christmas Day

Yes, we have a Christmas tree - Kevin and apartment companions

Treat of the day was ice cream.

Phone call home. We enjoy a wonderful hour talking over activities, hearing his Spanish, and laughing together. Everyone loved it!

Snooze at the Church with creative bed idea - waiting for companion to make call.

Dec. 26th Letter

So in this picture i am talking on the phone to you!!!!!! woo hoo the other fotos was after i spoke. my companion was talking and i laid down for a little and fell asleep. i was really tired h ahaha. my companion said i was saying "casa, familia, casa" while i was sleeping. haha ha when i woke up i felt like the call was just a dream I love you!!!

So in the ward we had an activity to sing in Wall-Mart, so we did just that. It was way cool, a once in a life time opportunity to sing in Spanish in Argentina in a Wal-Mart and have tons of people stop and talk and what not. So successful that we bought ice cream after and ate some hahaha.. (also because we had the baptisms, whenever we baptize we buy ice cream ) Love you!!!

Elder Rowse

OK so first i want to tell the funny story that happened. so we were visiting a family and it was really hot so we asked for a glass of water. they brought the water and then went back inside to get something. We tried the water but it was really really gross and bad. so i looked at my companion and did a little sign and then we looked around and we saw a plant just outside of the door so we quickly tossed the water (trying to do so sneakily )an d the family came back right after we tossed the water hahaha i felt like Esma in Emperors New groove .

So a neat experience now. We were teaching a less active member and i was thinking to myself. ugh we don't have too many people for January to baptize we should be looking for new people to teach or help them get baptized. I then heard in my head. she is my daughter, she has left the fold and needs to come back. i felt a little bad for thinking that less active member lessons are a little waste of time. I then felt that if the Lords sees our efforts to bring his children back to the church he will bless us with baptisms because really, baptisms are blessing from him. we then taught a really good lesson to this less active member and i hope she comes to church next week.

so scriptures to read. first read Alma 36:27 and 2 Nephi 4:34-35 and try to think of the similarity between the two verses and between the two experiences that these prophets had. then read psalms 37:3-5. and then answer how can i put my trust in the lord? :) happy studying.

Love, Elder Rowse

Christmas Activities In Argentina

A White Christmas with Baptism of Children

Caroling with Companions

Ward Caroling at Wal-Mart

Elder's Christmas Party - Packages for All!!

Dec. 19th

So this week was pretty good, so we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!! We had 4 baptisms of children. the spirit was sooooooooo strong!!!!! everyone was crying in the room with the baptisimal font. and then afterwards the confirmation. It was a really really neat experience. and i know a blessing for all the dedicated obedience that i had in la rioja. I hope i can get all the pictures to you in time. so quick recap. my companion had problems with his knees, they were hurting him a lot. so for two weeks he was just in bed. and if i could find a member to leave i could leave, but if not i was stuck in the pencion, but i never was trucho, I was either studying or organizing the work. i never slept or anything. I kept the rules yay!!!!

So i got a new companion!! his name is elder Garcia and he is from Peru!!!! I will be sending pictures of him

so this Sunday!! i will be calling here in the evening so it should be around 4 or 5 maybe earlier, i´m not sure. I am pretty excited to call you!! at the same time i hope i remember the phone number hahaha :P

OK to answer the question, the area is a mix of everything. There is some really really rich areas. and then we have two villas. where a lot of really really poor people live. the ward is awesome. some problems here and there but they are still learning. they help a ton. when its convenient. BUT the work is going to start going forward really well. i fee it. with my new companion i have some new ideas and i am excited. I should be sending some letters soon. i have a bunch saved up i just need to send them. I hope you know i love you. and thank you for the box. if i get it woo hoo!!! I LOVE you so very much :)

Love

Elder Rowse

More Nov. & Dec. Pics and News

A look at part of Uritorco

There was this ginormous alfajor and well... i had to buy it. So this is me attempting to eat it hahahaha

Yes, there is a MacDonalds!!! hahaha i had to eat there. I was way way happy when i found it.

We did catch this fat frog and had some fun playing with it.

Service cleaning Humberto's house.

Kevin's comp, Humberto (their investigator), Kevin and Elder from his apartment.

November 28

QUE BUENO!!!!!!!! I hope thanksgiving was great for you!!! I didn’t realize it was thanksgiving until Friday hahaha. oops. just kinda slipped by. I have been feeling a little down. Everyone says that i will be such a great missionary or i am such a great missionary, but it is really hard to see that right now. I am trying, but the results and i hate to say it but the numbers hardly show it either. I know the numbers are not important. I hope i can progress, I have been fasting and praying to find out what i can be doing. I started writing specific things that i did during the day to try and help. I hope it works..

Anyways so quick story, we were visiting a member and they have a fig tree. Well their daughter picked one off and i started talking about how we had a fig tree and we used to dry them and everything. the daughter got excited and cut the fig and gave it to me.... hahaha.... i was a little worried. The last time i ate a fresh fig was when i was a kid and i didn’t like it AT ALL. All the little tentacle thingys hahaha. Anyways. i had no fear!! Like in the song from swan princess. And i ate it and honestly it was really yummy. i asked them if i could have some more hahaha.

I also want to give a big thanks for the letters. the words of advice and the spiritual thoughts. i keep all of them in a special place and during the week i read them and they really helped me. I want to start preparing spiritual messages for you, lets do D&C 88:119 i think that is the verse. It talks about having a house of god in whatever you are doing or trying to accomplish. i invite you to change house to whatever you are trying to accomplish. :)

My companion is having problems with his knee. and he has to rest for 2 weeks. so these next two week i will be trying to leave with members and what not. I am very grateful for your prayers and faith in behalf of my knee a couple months ago. i know my knee was blessed and now i can work and walk with minimal or no pain. i know that has been a blessing for me. Well i love you all!! the pictures really explain what i did this week. Have a great week. I love you all!!!

Elder Rowse

Dec. 5, 2011

Thanks Mom and Dad. I needed this letter. I have been doing a lot of "soul searching" i guess you could say. This week was a little off with my companion starting his two weeks of resting and if i couldn’t find a member or if they fell through i was stuck in the pension. Something that i absolutely hate. Some days when this would happen and we would go outside so my companion could get some things for his knees i would talk to every person i could, i wanted to teach. I even taught people in Wal-Mart, but it didn’t amount to too much. This week i have been learning a lot. I had to do all the calling from the cell phone because my companion was sleeping. i had to take the initiative in all the lessons. i had to lead the lessons and what not. I have definitely been more tired at nights .
This week i had some good days. like in the pictures i sent, we did some more service for some investigators. They were painting their whole house and we helped them. The house looks ten times better. i also had a really heart touching lesson with Humberto Saturday. I was not able to pass by him all week because of the tema with my companion’s knees and he was really really down, with not having food, or work, or anyone to talk to. His broken leg is hurting and life if pretty uncomfortable. It rips at the heart to see a grown man tear up and cry, but i am working with the bishop, we bought food for him, and he now has food and we are passing by him. It was a neat experience.
Oh before i forget, spiritual thought for the email it is in doctrine and covenants 109:10 i think, i will have to double check. i don’t have my scriptures with me! It talks about prayer and getting answers to our prayers. I know without a doubt that Joseph smith really did receive an answer. I know that we can just like him, get an answer. I love this church and know that Heavenly Father loves us. Even in the moments when we feel like he has abandoned us, or we feel far from him. Pray. The answer never comes in the form or the time in when we think but an answer will always come. The important thing is that we have faith that we will get an answer. Put our trust in Heavenly Father that the answer will come.
I love you all so very much!! I got letters the past week!! :) I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I will be interesting to spend Christmas away from home. But it will be good to spend Christmas in the service of the Lord. I love you
Elder Rowse

Hair Cut - By Companion

Before - AhAh.... What Will This Be Like?

After - How's it look?

Companion didn't say mine was his first hair cut!
I guess it will grow back, right?

Service - Building House

House on top of House

Crazy Way to Build

Ok so the highlights of the week... I gave service on Saturday. We helped a less active member and his family build their house on top of another house (his mother in laws house... hope is doesn’t fall through hehehe) it was really nice weather that day, not humid or sunny. But i got burnt really really really bad. it hurts to wear a tie but oh well :) it is the service that counts i sent some pictures of the service. i also cut my hair and i sent some pictures of that too...

Thank you for the spiritual messages. i really do appreciate them. i print them off and the read them during the week.
Love, Kevin

Transfer to Cordoba

Goodbye to Elder Machado from Uruguay
Smiling but sad at heart.

Chilecito Elders

Love Tacting (now called contacting) in little town.

Oh No! They didn't forget Halloween.

11/3/11
AH!! What a wonderful letter!! Well this past week with my companion Elder Machado was a lot better!! We were really unified and we were able to work perfectly, plan better, and have the spirit a lot stronger during our lessons. We still ended up doing a lot of contacts but we did find some people that can definitely progress... We don’t have any one solid and all the people from the last time we had to drop because they would not come to church (one of the more harder things to do in a mission) i am going to miss my native companion. we were really getting along by the end

Well sad thing... i got transferred :( Wednesday was a fun but rough day..... saying goodbye to all the members and recent converts. There was one really happy moment that almost brought me to tears. One of the members i was visiting with told me that Matias Rearte the baptism we had a transfer ago, told this family that he is thinking of serving a mission. He was a little worried because his parents are not members and don't support him in any way and he doesn't know if he could be a good missionary. But there is a great blessing one of the elders that is in Chilecito right now is a recent convert of 1 year and 6 months and his parents are not members either. I was filled with such joy to hear that he wanted to serve a mission. I had a great lesson with him Sunday. i had gotten some books for him and also a triple. We were just sitting in the church in between classes and he just kept asking me, what does this mean, what is this book, we shared jokes and had a spiritual lesson. We really started to grow closer. I am pretty sad to leave. It made me think of how hard it will be to leave when i finish my mission. I thought of all the effort i put into the city and realized that if i put in this same effort in every place i will be very sad when i leave but filled with immense joy.

While on the bus i was blessed with this immense joy. i was pretty sad but then i was happy all of the sudden :) I am now in Uritorco Cordoba... and is it HOT!!! and HUMID!!! i never thought a place could be humid. hahaha. My companions name is Elder Stradling and guess what!! he is from Thatcher Arizona. There is another elder in our apartment that is also from Arizona!!! I hope to get some pictures soon.

.
Well dad i said i would share a funny story. So hay un miembro que vive en chilecito y bueno... él tiene una hija que vive en Miami y cuando él tiene dinero suficiente, él quiere viajar a Miami y vivir con su hija. pero tambien él quiere pasar por todos los elders que tuvieron una influencia en su vida. él quiere pasar por nuestra casa y hablar en español con ti. y tambien él me preguntó lo que tú te gusta. y bueno yo dije que tú te gusta (a cap, or hat) entonces dentro de 5 años él puede pasar hahaha. i dont know if he will but anything is posible.
A little about my companion he is from Arizona and like music and paintball, all the things like me. Sherry could explain he is like all guys from Thatcher.

So about my area!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IS A WALMART AND MCDONALDS!!!!!! AAAAAA AAAA AAA !!! I was so happy when i walked into Wal-Mart to buy food for the week. i had i huge smile on. Everything is so different from chilecito. There are tall buildings and everything is so busy. I kinda miss the small town atmosphere but this will be a new experience :) I love you all so very much!!!
Love,
Elder Kevin Rowse