Catriel Weekly

The landlord's pet turtle

Well we had a pretty good week. It could have been better but it can always be better right? 

So one thing super cool that happened was, we went to visit a less active family. The parents are members but the 2 kids aren't. The hermana let us in and she ended up telling us that she hardly ever lets the missionaries come in. That in the past it has basically just been at the gate- talks with them and there's that. But she let us in and we talked and it was super great. and at the end we gave her son a Book of Mormon and he accepted it. He is a super smart kid and he loves to read. He said he is going to read it and will have it read in 1 month! When we left his mom told us that was a miracle because he doesnt accept books or anything like that from anyone... So yeah! It was super awesome! Hope to see some good success with this family!

Yesterday we went to church and only had 15 people there. My comp and I lead the meeting and I gave a talk. I found out right before the sacrament meeting started. so that was fun. but I talked about Christlike attributes and it was really good. We only had 1 hour because of elections. And then afterwards we couldn't go outside of the pension for the day because of elections... President Casariego told us he wants us all inside all day. So that was a fun day of studying... We started going a little crazy not having anything to do. 

Not much super exciting happened this week. I have been studying a lot in the New Testament. Learning a lot about Our Savior Jesus Christ. And also a lot about the plan our Heavenly Father has for us. The plan of God is PERFECT. He knows why we pass through trials and He is there to help us. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/the-will-of-god-2

This is a video I really like. It talks a lot about accepting the plan our Heavenly Father has for us. He knows us perfectly and he is aware of us. 

have a great week

con amor

Elder Opfar

hey mom! yeah the afternoon emailing... haha we were going to email in the morning today but the church didn't have internet and the ciber is closed... so we are in 25 de mayo. 

but yeah i had no idea ther was an earthquake... wow. 

4 wards in prosper?? wow thats crazy! growing super fast! 

1.  What is the best thing that happened this week?

uhm I don't know. I got your package from the Argentina packages for Halloween. thanks! 

2.  If you could do one thing over and over again this week, what would it be?

I don't know... 

3.  Were you able to serve anyone this week?

we did have a service planned but it was cancelled because it was raining in the morning of the service. we were going to take down a roof and fix it. 

4.  How many miles a day do you walk in Catriel?

I dont know. depends on the day. 5ish. I have no idea

5.  Which scripture has had the biggest impact on you this week?  

I really liked 2 Nephi 33:1. It talks about the spirit touchs the hearts of the people

6.  What has been your most significant tender mercy this week?

we entered in the house of a less active. she told us that in the past she never let the missionaries in, it was always just outside her house talking but with us she let us in and talk with her family. we gave her son a BoM and he accepted it and said he would read it. 

7.  What are you looking forward to?

uhm I don't know.

8.  What did you do last week in 25 de Mayo for pday?

we just played soccer and football. it was fun. 

9.  What is the best thing you ate this week?

the best thing... I don't remember all the food we ate...

10.  Do people eat different kinds of meals in the different areas you've been in?

no its all like the same. not much difference

Getting Warmer....

Well this week was good. It is starting to get hotter that's for sure. Yesterday felt pretty hot outside. So that's always super fun. 

But this week was good! I noticed more of the tender mercies from the Lord. I promise there are tese tender mercies everyday in our lives. We sometimes just dont even notice them. But it helps at the end of the day about what about that day and we can start to see them more in our lives. 

Another thing I noticed more this week is the kids yelling hello at me. Like they see me and think oh hes a gringo ¨hello¨ so that's fun. I always respond to them in English and they are left there just like what did he say

This week was good. we found 4 new invetigators. and a couple of them are family of some of the members so we are going to work with them more. the other couple are our old dueños. We left a Book of Mormon with them and now we are teaching them! thats awesome! In church yesterday we only had 23 people. I think part of the reson why is because yesterday was Mothers Day (the Argentine Mothers Day) Happy Mothers Day mom! But yesterday for lunch we ate an asado with meat and chicken and lamb and it was super good! But we are looking forward to a good week coming up here! 

John 17:3 is a scripture I read this week that I really like. It talks about knowing God and Christ and the way we can come to knpw them both more and personally is through the scriptures. Through studying the scriptures. I have come to love to study the scriptures. I look forward everyday to just keep to study and learn more. 

This video is by Elder Bednar. it talks about the light of christ. I invite y'all to watch it and to also watch part 2 and 3 and to think of how you can apply it in your lives. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/patterns-of-light-the-light-of-christ-1

have a great week! 

con amor

Elder Opfar

Hey mom! this week was good. last monday i bought a sd card adapter and a new tie... 

And Happy early Birthday this week! 

good to hear liza got her braces off! thats exciting! Im sure she is jsut super excited about that! 

1.  Does your branch have a good youth program?

their aren't like any active young men and of young women just one I think. not the best

2.  What is the most interesting thing you learned this week?

well I finished the Book of Mormon and I received a great impression that it is true. 

3.  How is Elder Pineda doing?  Does he like the mission?

he is doing good. he misses his house a little but its always like that towards the beginning. He is getting better though, adapting really well. 

4.  What is your new pension like?  What are the floors made out of?

the floors are ceramic. it is small and nice. 

5.  What has been your most tender mercy this week?

I dont know. but on tuesday we had a district meeting in 25 de mayo and we talked about that there are people ready for the gospel and in the taxi ride back to catriel the guy was prepared. and we had a super great conversation with him about the gospel! 

6.  What is the hardest thing about this area?

we have a lot of less actives. and the members have somewhat difficult schedules to come with us. but it's okay. 

7.  What do you love the most?

uhm I don't know. I like the members here.

8.  What strengthens your faith when you feel down?

a talk by President Eyring. He says ¨when my body begs for rest i give myself this rallying cry, Remember Him¨it is from the talk of learning your duty in the preisthood session a couple years ago. helps me keep going even when I'm tired 

9.  What are your neighbors like?

uhm our dueños, landlords, are super nice. they are an older couple 

10.  What has been the best thing you have studied this week?

well I finished the BoM, that was good and I have been studying from the New Testament right now

Zone Conference...pictures from the Casariego's FB page

What are you willing to do for Christ?

we went to Neuquen for a conference and I don't fit in the buses to travel. 

I didn't take pictures with other people with my camera.... sorry 

and this is a little park in Catriel 

Well this week was good. We had 29 people at church yesterday. that is good here because it is just a small little branch. There is a lot of work to do though. There are a lot of less active members to work with. But we also had 2 investigators in church yesterday and that was really good! 

We also had a conference in Neuquen with President this week. it was a three zone conference. It went really well. We taught a lot about working with the members! And it was great to see people who I hadn't seen in a while! Always fun to see the other missionaries. 

We found a couple new people to teach this week. that was pretty good. but we also couldn't find some people. But we have been working a lot with less actives. We visited a lot this week to help strengthen their testimonies and their trust in Jesus Christ. 

What are you willing to do for Christ? 

I want to invite you all to think about this question. 

One thing from this week that i studied and thought a lot about is the church is perfect! Absolutely perfect. The members of the church aren't perfect and we go to church to get better. a saint is a sinner who keeps on trying. This is the restored church of Jesus Christ. And it is led and guided by Christ himself. He gives revelation to us through the Prophet. I know that is true. i know that there is a prophet on the earth today who leads and guides us through revelation. 

Have a great week. 

con amor

Elder Opfar

hey mom! This week was good. I got the talk about the Good Samaritan and the lost symbols. It was really good! 

Glad that y'all got to see their homecomings. I think I might struggle putting my thoughts into English too. Sometimes it already happens to me... 

1.  What scriptures touched you this week?

D&C 1:37-38. just with conference and everything, it is really what our heavenly Father wanted us to hear and it is His words. We should obey them because that is how we will truly be happy 

2.  What is the most interesting thing you have learned this week?

I was reading some old conference talks from a couple years ago and in one of them they mentioned something that Pres. Benson said. It was like 14 fundamentals about the prophets. I really liked it. it was good. 

3.  How did the asparagus go?  Did it taste ok?

it was pretty delicious. asparagus with butter and salt. 

4.  How was your first real week of church in Catriel?

really good! we had 29 people there with 2 investigators and a less active came! it was good! we only have 2 hours up here

5.  How is the work progressing?  Are you teaching anyone?

we found 2 new people. but we are dropping one of them because he just was saying yes to the commitments we gave him but he didn't complete them... and we went by his house before church yesterday and he said he couldn't leave the house alone so he wouldn't go with us.

6.  If you could do one thing over again this week, what would it be?

uhm I don't know. 

7.  Where do you grocery shop in Catriel?

at the Anonima or at a super market called Hong Kong. it is run by Chinese people.

8.  Do people use public transportation or drive themselves places there?  Do a lot of them walk?

walk or they have cars. there aren't buses here

9.  Do most of the people work in oil/gas?

yes ma'am. like Rincon 

10.  Is it as dusty and windy as Rincon?  How has the weather been?  

uhm a little. there is cement but only in the center and on the outsides it is just dirt roads 

11.  What are your P-day plans?

we already did our shopping so now write and eat and I think take a little nap. not much to do out here. 

General Conference

On the bus to Zone Conference

Watching the Priesthood Session of Conference

New haircut!

Well this week was a little rougher than the week before. Not many people were home when we went to visit them. That's not fun. But we had zone training this week and that went really good! We talked a lot about the First Vision and the importance that it has! 

and this weekend was General Conference! I LOVED it! All the talks were so great and inspired! We truly do have a living prophet in the world today! I have no doubt about that! If you missed the conference you can watch it or read the talks on lds.org do it. 

One talk that really made me think was the talk by Devin G. Durrant about ponderize. To take a different scripture every week and to ponder the scripture and memorize it. 80% ponder and 20% memorize. The scripture will have a bigger impact on you and it can help you to remember it in times on need. I'm going to start doing that. and I know it will help in the long run. I would invite each of you to do it also. 

Well there isn't much new here in Catriel. The weather is starting to get warmed and I'm now wearing my short sleeve white shirts! I love it! The cold is good and all but I like it a little warmer. Don't worry mom i´ll wear sunscreen. I wont get burnt too bad. 

But I hope all y'all are doing well! 

have a great week! 

Con amor

Elder Opfar

Buen Día! Im doing good! 

also how do you cook asparagus? I bought some today to make. but yeah.

yeah I heard Mitchel is now home! Its crazy how fast the time goes by! 

Did Park say anything crazy after his teeth were pulled? 

I LOVED Conference. And yeah I noticed that too with President Monson... I have heard he is getting a little sick. The talk by Holland was really great! And by Nelson! I loved them both! I just loved all the talks this session! 

also can you send me the ensign of conference in English when you get it next month?

1.  Did you watch conference both days?

yes. in Spanish because we watched it here in Catriel and there aren't any other gringos. so I watched it all in Spanish.. 

2.  Were you able to watch the priesthood session or was it too late?

it was too late. but we watched in Sunday in the morning before the first session

3.  Where did you watch conference?

in the church at Catriel

4.  What was your favorite message?

I don't know. I liked the one by bro. Durrant to ponderize. also Holland, and Nelson, and Hales. And I don't know. I liked them all. 

5.  What time does your church start in Catriel?

i think 9:30. we haven't had a normal Sunday here. 

6.  Does your bishop and branch mission leader work well with you both?

the branch President yes. and we don't have a branch mission leader... he went inactive... 

7.  How are your investigators coming along?

good. this week as rough thought. not many people were in their homes when we went to visit them....

8.  I LOVED your pictures last week and would LOVE more...

9.  How do you like your new pension?

I like it. it is nice. 

and I cut my hair. and my comp and I with the conference. well that is actually the Priesthood session.

Catriel

This week was a really good week here. We have some really good investigators that we are currently teaching. And it all went well this week. And then on Saturday we had a baptism. The kids name is Andres. And it was realy well. he was prepared for this. 

Last night we went out to look for a reference from a guy we talked to this week and we found the house but he didn't want to come out. We ended up talking to his mom and teaching her. And she accepted a baptismal date for the 31 of October! It was a really awesome lesson. We just had a good week with teaching people and finding some new people. It was all really well. I am looking forward to another great week. 

And yesterday we had a conference in 25 de mayo. President Casariego came up and he ended up speaking. He spoke about the restoration and the power that it has to bring the spirit. And its true. I know that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet of God and he restored the gospel and church of Jesus Christ.

And this next weekend is General Conference! I am really excited that we have the chance to listen to the Prophet this weekend. I love General Conference. I want to invite you all to watch it. Watch it and pay attention to what is said. 

i hope y'all have a great week! 

con amor 

Elder Opfar

hey mom! this week was good! I did not see the moon... and I'm just now writing because we moved pensions this week to the hermanas old pension

but yeah dad told me about the Utes! Dang that's awesome! 

1.  How was your first week in Catriel?

really good! We found a lady last night and put a baptismal date with her for the 31 of Oct and she accepted it. she was super receptive! And this week was really good! 

2.  How do you get along with your companion?  Is he a hard worker?

pretty well! Yeah he works hard. its been good. 

3.  What was the best thing that happened this week?

well the baptism was really good. the kid is prepared. I can see him serving a mission! 

4.  What is the hardest thing that happened?

uhm I don't know. we had an overall good week 

5.  What is the ward like?  Are they friendly?

yeah they are good. yesterday we had a conference in 25 de mayo. but yeah the members are good. 

6.  Did you have your baptism?

yes we did! Elder Pineda did the baptism and I confirmed him

7.  What kind of food did you eat this week?

pasta, rice, chicken, the normal

8.  What is the town like?

small. dirt and concrete in the center. 

9.  How often do you get together with your district?  How about your zone?

uhm I don't know... 

yes I have pictures. they are loading right now. I am just using the camera and cable of Elder Pineda with my sd card

Transfers...goodbye to Bariloche, Hello to Catriel

Well so we had transfers yesterday and I spent the entire day traveling. Right now I am in a little city about 2 and a half hours north of Neuquen called Catriel! It is just a small little city with not much going on. Well it has been raining and the streets are all dirt so now it is just straight mud. Fun stuff ya know. But my companion is Elder Pineda. He is from Mexico. And I am finishing his training so that's fun! I'm excited to be here and work with him! 

But anyway this last week in Bariloche was pretty good. We started teaching a lot more people and it was just overall a good week. We were able to be out and just teach more lessons although we did have a lot lessons that fell through again... But oh well not much we can do if the people arent home. 

On Sunday we brought an investigator to church and he loved it! It was super awesome! And then Sunday we went around to the members and said bye to them. I'm going to miss Bariloche but I am excited to be here in Catriel to move the work forward! 

This week I thought about my testimony about the Book of Mormon. I know it is the word of God. It is without any doubt another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that without any doubt in my mind. I am so grateful for the opportunity that i have to be a missionary and share this with others! 

Have a great week! 

con amor

Elder Opfar

Hey mom! Yeah I'm doing good. yes I got transferred. I'm in a small city north on Neuquen called Catriel. And I am finishing the training of my comp. his name is Elder Pinera. He is from mexico. 

I'm glad that y'all had a good time and the time out for women! that is fun! 

1.  I was looking at Hermana Larmouth and Hermana Bailey's blogs, and both of them have talked about investigators and baptisms.  Do people seem more open to listen to the Hermana missionaries than the elders sometimes?

yeah sometimes. 

2.  Have you been able to find Matias?

we found him and set an appointment with him but when we went he wasn't there... 

3.  Were you able to reach your teaching goal this week?

no. we taught 6 lessons this week, but that is better than the week before... 

4.  Besides the pants that tore, how are your other clothes holding up?  How are your feet?

they are good. everything is good dont worry. my feet are good. 

5.  Were you able to do any service this week?

this week no. we were going to do service for the bishop but he never called us to confirm it. 

6.  How did you see your prayers answered this week?

we were able to find some people in their houses and teach them a little. and we had an investigator in church on Sunday!

7.  What is the music like in your ward?  Does everyone sing?

yeah but no one sings loud... so yeah. it isn't like the states

8.  Have you had a lot of people at church the last few weeks?

we have been above 50 people for the past couple weeks,.. that was really good. 

9.  What are you looking forward to this week?

well we have a baptism here on Saturday here in Catriel! should be good! I'm excited to be here and work!