July 18, 2011

Mi familia como esta!

My companion and I are doing well in Gualeguaychu! Lol I love saying that name! We recently had un dia de milagros! A day of miracles! Yesterday the mission president came and called a new branch president! The new president is named President Martinelli! He is a great guy and will help this area a TON! We had sacrament meeting and we had six investigators come to the church! Lol that is six more than we had for the last 2 months! We had almost all of one family come! Their name is Bulo and 4 of them came which was awesome! Then the brother of the new branch president came. He wants to learn more, but is scared of what his dad would say to him. And also another lady came that we have been teaching. She wants to be baptized and is waiting to get married in December. So that was awesome. The sacrament meeting was soo spiritual and had an awesome spirit. It was good for both members and investigators. I played the hymns for sacrament really well. Lol another miracle. And then after church we were helping the new branch president set up some stuff and I decided to go practice the piano downstairs and so I was playing some child's hymns and a group of teenagers came in. They just moved to Gualeguaychú from Companas. They were recent members of the church which will help strengthen the branch here. Also one was not a member and he told us that he had come to church a couple of times and wanted to be baptized! Soooo awesome! And also their mother wants to be baptized. So we may very well be having two baptisms in the future. It was awesome! After that I made some french toast and it turned out really good! Lol but that, the french toast, for sure was not the greatest miracle. So we believe things are going to turn around in this city and become really strong. 

It really is cool what God does for His children to help them achieve eternal life. I love reading the scriptures and seeing how God helps each of His children. I know that God loves each and everyone one of us and has provided us with the scriptures. I was reading about how the Book of Mormon can help people´s lives. God really wants us to be happy and have fun and joyful lives! This Gospel certainly can help people enjoy their lives and to be happy. 

There is a new member here and her name is Beatrice. Her life is super difficult! She lives with her children and grandchildren. They don't have much of anything but are so nice and giving. Lol my companion told them that I threw up last Monday and they were loading me up with healthy tea packets and pills and everything. So funny. I was like, "It's really all right. It was my own fault that I threw up." But still they didn't take no for an answer so I had to take it. But this lady named Beatrice you can see it in her countenance and in her eyes how much she loves the gospel and the scriptures. She loves to read the lyrics of the hymns and just feel the spirit in them. So awesome! Lol she doesn't even know the how the songs go but she loves the message in them. She let me read one and really it had an awesome message. Like it says in the scriptures, a song of the heart is a prayer unto God. I love music and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Awesome! Lol I love the word awesome too! Awesome! 

Oh and so about how I threw up. I ate a bunch of really bad food! First I ate two alfajores which are like three cookies with dulce de leche in between each and then covered in a coating of chocolate! They are soooooooo good! Paul you would definitely be in heaven. Oh and by the way Paul thanks a lot for your email! I loved it! I am so stoked that you are going to get to play the new zelda game. Lol my companion and I joke about the old game ocorina of time. And its pretty awesome! Love ya bro man! Oh and so how did you and rachel like AFY? The youth here just came back from one down here and they loved it. Such a good program. Anyhow, after the two alfajores, we made some homemade onion rings cooked in lard (ewwwwww) but I still ate it. And too much of it. Then I drank some malta which is kind of like hot chocolate, and a banana which is kind of like a banana, and then an orange and some herbal tea and then a piece of some awesome super delicious cake. And by then is was tooo much. My companion was talking on the cell phone and he looked over and I was lying on the floor wishing to die! I threw up like 3 times that night and my companion video taped!  I could send you guys the videos but I don't think you would like them. They are kind of gross! Anyhow, after I was sick we rested the next day and then went out to preach the gospel! And now I am more careful about what I eat. But we are teaching some awesome families and having a great time! I hear things are going well for all of you! I love all of you! Family and friends! The Church is true! It is the church of Jesus Christ! 

Gotta blast! Have a great week! Love yall!

Elder Chris Gibbs!!!! yay!

July 11, 2011

[Editor's note:  There are two new letters from Chris, one from this week (July 11) and one from last week (July 5).  Read them both!  Sorry I'm so late in posting them!

Como andan mi familia?

 

This week was better than the last week! Not as much sickness and more work! It was a great week! Also the food has been really good! Lol yes I do have to talk about the food! So it turns out that I am well known in the ward in Gualeguaychú for eating a TON! Lol I swear I was just eating till I got full! And they kept offering more! So what else am I supposed to do! Lol but I do love it! I think when I return I am going to weigh A LOT more than when I left for the field! Besides the food everything is going really good! Thanks for all of the emails! It was way awesome! 

We did the regular thing this week lots of work and not too much success. But we believe things are going to change in this city for the better. We have like 3 or 4 different families we are teaching. We need them to go to church though lol. They keep saying they will but they don't show up. We are going to keep working with them. Lol Spanish is still destroying me! I hope to get the hang of it soon. Lol this little kid came up to me and said something like super fast. It kind of sounded like ´´jasklejfoibnierjwoefjkabihwerigneai´´. Lol like that and I had a look like Elder Calhoun from the movie the Best Two Years! Like what in the world did you just say? Lol I am so glad I have a companion that can help me. The good thing is that I haven't mistaken too many words and stuff. On accident I do occasionally say the bad words that are written on all the graffiti. Not on purpose. I read it out loud. Innocently. And then my companion is like DON'T SAY THAT! And I am like whoops...... but I am understanding most of what is being said to me. And everything is going great! 

We taught a family last night who are way cool and they accepted to come to church next week! So hopefully things go well for them. We are going to work super hard next week! We weren't able to do all the work we wanted to last week because we had a mission conference to meet our new mission president. His name is President Giuliani and is a way cool guy. We left Gualeguaychu to go to Santa Fe! Like a 7 hour bus ride. It was alright. I slept most of the way we had the meeting and I got to meet a bunch of other awesome missionaries. Oh and we actually received the letters that were in the mission home! Lol I finally received some letters from back in June! Thanks everyone for the letters! They were great! I met some of the missionaries that I met in the MTC, but my first companion wasn't there. After the conference my comp and I got stuck in a little city called Parana. We couldn't get all the way back to our home, so we stayed with some other missionaries. Elder Towner and I got word that there was Walmart in Parana! So we went lol! And they did indeed have a Walmart. It was really awesome! 

After we got back to Gualeguaychú we worked the next day. The ward had an activity that was really good! The ward has been struggling a bit but this activity was really good for them. There has NEVER been such a good turn out to activities. They had like nearly 60 people there. The branch is getting more united and working better together. We think things are going to turn around in this city! So we are quite stoked. Unfortunately, the branch president had to move to another city, which was really sad. He was a great guy! But we do have an awesome guy who we believe will be the next president. So things will be alright. All the members here are super nice and we are having a great time! 

I am almost out of time! But just wanted to let you know that I have a testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! This is the true church and it has been restored by a prophet! Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! God called him to translate the Book of Mormon so we could understand and have more of the word of God. We have living prophet, who receives inspiration from God. I know that we are all God's Children and He loves us. He answers our prayers! And He blesses us when we follow His commandments. My life has been blessed so much by my Heavenly Father that sometimes I cannot believe it. I am so glad for this knowledge that I have and estoy muy animado a compartir este mensaje con Argentina! Love you family and friends! You are great! Thanks so much for supporting me! 

Chow,

Elder Gibbs

July 5, 2011

Hola familia,

 

Sorry for responding late this week. I forgot to tell you all that on transfer weeks we have our preparation day on Tuesday. But ya so we have had an all right week. Nothing much happened. Lol besides Elder Towner getting sick and then me getting sick. Lol it's a den of disease. Elder Towner got sick last night from some food poisoning. Lol Soooo frustrating. But it was alright. I am still playing the piano for sacrament. I have to learn new songs every week in like 2 hours. I have only played like one song for them that I already knew and soooooo I am getting really good at sight reading the music.  Lol. But it's all good cause I love playing the piano! 

Last week we got to go to another city for Elder Towner to do an interview for an investigator who was going to get baptized. We went to the city Concepcion de Uraguay and we visited the guy. The man had his interview and now he is a member. So awesome! He seemed so excited. Lol I wish we could get another baptism soon but we need to stop getting sick and everything. So in Concepcion we went on divisions. I worked with an Elder Cortez from El Salvador. He was way cool! He could only speak Spanish and so it was great practice. We did 40 contacts between the two of us, which was quite a bit. We even found a lady who was interested in hearing about the gospel. We taught the first lesson together and she even prayed to know if our message was true. I haven't heard anything more yet from the Elders in Concepcion but I bet everything is going great. But after that trip to Concepcion Elder Towner and I were sick for like 4 days straight. So Lame!!!  But ya and then we recovered and worked a bit more. 

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!! Elder Towner and I had a little 4th of July party. Lol really little! Like it was just us and a little firework candle. We lit the candle off and sang the Star Spangled Banner really off tune! It was really funny. I will send the video real soon. But that was about all that happened. 

I read in the scriptures in 1 Nephi 2:15 which says ´´and my father dwelt in a tent´´. it is now one of my favorite scriptures. Lol one reason that I like this scriptures is because it is really short. Haha the other is that it shows how much Lehi was willing to follow the Lord. Lehi in Jerusalem was very wealthy and had a lot of possessions and lots of land and everything. When the Lord told him to leave Jerusalem, he took nothing with him. He went from living in a mansion to living in a tent. Lehi is sooo awesome! This week I tried to think of someway that I could follow the Lord better and do what he has asked of me. Lol like getting out of bed on time or using my time more wisely or stuff like that. I am so thankful for the scriptures and for the teachings that are in them. I am thankful for people like Lehi and Nephi and all of the other prophets. They set a great example for me. I am also grateful for the people in my life who set a great example for me. Everyone I know has made an impression on my life which has made me really grateful. I love the scriptures and love to find teachings in them. I know they are true. 

Thanks Dad for telling me to read in 1 Kings about Elijah! I am defiantly going to do that. Sounds like such an awesome man! It was good to hear from all of you! I am stoked for Rachel and Paul! They are going to have so much fun going to AFY. Lol I am way jealous! It's really cool to hear how everything is going! I love you all! Hope that you are having a great week! DONT GET SICK!!!!!! It is not fun AT ALL!!!  Hope that all goes well! I still can't believe I have been on the mission for a whole 3 almost 4 months. It felt like yesterday that I was dropped off at the MTC! Saying goodbye to my Mommy and Daddy! Haha but it is awesome!

Talk to you all later! Hopefully we will have a better week next week!

 

Elder Gibbs

 

That is soooo coool! Elder Gibbs!