Bienvenidos a la Mision

Tyler left his SD card (and I assume his camera) in Rincon when they went to Cutral Co for zone conference, so no pictures this week.  But he assures me he has some.  Whose kid is this???

Well to start off I am currently in Cutral Co sending this weekly email and not in Rincon. You might ask why. That would be because we had Zone conference with President yesterday. And we were supposed to leave last night but the bus couldn't leave because the route was closed. So we are going to leave today. Not sure when though. 

This week was good! We had a little more succes finding people to teach! So that was great! We also had a few days that were a little harder. Especially when it is hot and we are walking so much. We had one day though where we had appointments all afternoon, but when we went to the appointments they all ended up falling through. So that wasn´t fun. Now I will explain the title of this email. The title is bienvenidos a la mision because at least once a day Elder Diaz tells me that after something happens. 

This week we went and got haircuts before conference. And last week the zone leaders came to Rincon for training so that we wouldn't have to go to Cutral Co two times in like 4 days. Also down here in Argentina my last name is hard for people to pronounce so they usually just say it like Op-far. 

But all is well! We have a few investigators that I think will end up being really great!

Con Amor,

Elder Tyler Opfar

My Questions:

1.  Have you been chased by any dogs lately?  And, speaking of dogs, how are your shoes?  Are they still comfortable and holding up well? 

No I haven't been chased by any dogs. just dogs barking at me as we walk by. My shoes are holding up really well. My feet don't hurt from them.

2.  Your face looked a little sunburned last week...are you wearing sunscreen?  (Sorry, the mom in me came crashing through!)

Yes I put on sunscreen, but not as often as I should

3.  Have you been called on to teach or speak in church yet?  Since you are in an area with a "group" rather than a branch or ward, who is the "leader?"  What is he like?  Are the members helpful in finding referrals?  **This week on FB, the Rincon page posted pictures of a Relief Society project and a YW activity.  I love seeing the people you are serving with.**

I haven't spoken in church. I gave a talk at the Hermanas baptism like 2 weeks ago though. We have a group President. Hermano Ponce. The Ponce family feeds us every sunday. The members sometimes give us referrals. Me and Elder Diaz are working on asking for more.

4. Do most of the people there work in petroleum?  What do they do?  What are some of the things people there do for entertainment or fun? Yes most people work petroleum. Rincon is a high petroleum city. Most of the men work in petroleum. I don't know what people do for fun in Rincon. 

5.  You said that it is dusty and the wind knocks up a lot of dirt.  Does that make it hard to keep your pension clean?  Does it make it hard to get your clothes clean in the bucket?  Where do you hang them to dry? 

Our pension always gets sand in it because of the wind. So we sweep a lot. I put my bucket in like the middle where there aren't any windows so I don't get dirt in my bucket. I hang them on chairs and wherever I can find a spot.

6.  Did you learn any new Spanish this week?

I learn more Spanish every week. Especially speaking it 24/7. It helps

7.  Are there any recipes you want me to send to you?  I can mail them so you don't have to try to print them out.

I don't know. I'll have to think about that. You can send recipes that are easy. 

8.  What was the funniest thing that happened this week?

I don't know. There are many moments that are funny.

9.  What was the best/worst thing you ate this week?

We had pastel de papas. Which is basically like shepherd's pie. But with meat, hard boiled eggs, cheese and potatoes, and that was delicious. I didn't eat anything bad this week. It was all really good.

10.  What was the hardest thing that happened this week?

One of the days this week we had appointments set up all afternoon, but when we went to them they all ended up falling through.

11.  Have you seen any crazy bugs or animals?  Are there bugs in your pension?

I saw a dead dog and dead cat this week. Does that count as crazy? I haven't seen any bugs in our pension yet. Like a few really small spiders and that's it.

12.  What are you studying or what have you learned this week that was especially important?

Jesus the Christ. That book is just great.

Last week you asked what has been hard to get used to. I thought about it this week. Dogs bark at night and at first it was hard to get used to. it is all through the night sometimes. One of the nights a dog barked outside our window at like 3 in the morning and woke me up. Also at the hermanas baptism 2 weeks ago we made a flame thrower trying to warm the water because the lady is kind of older. So that was exciting. Also something that has been hard to get used to is the siesta. there isn't anything you can really do because a lot of people sleep. So we try to set up appointments during that time. Also people here water their dirt. It's weird because they just water dirt. 

I got 2 letters from you this week. one with talks, and the other was the Christmas one that has the countdown with the scriptures. One question, do I start at 1 or 25? 

Also homemade alfajores are great! And no I havent had gnocci yet.

Crazy Weather

Tyler and Elder Diaz

By the Cristo.

Well this week was pretty good! We found some new investigators. We found another family. And we also found a less active member whose wife isn´t a member. And we actually have lunch with them today. Like the first time I haven´t had to prepare a lunch on pday. But so that was good this week.

This week was hot at the begining and then towards the end it was pretty windy and cold. Crazy just just a week ago we were complaining about it being hot. And then we started getting wind and it felt great. Except here when the wind gets super strong it blows up sand and that is not fun to walk through. But on Saturday we had rain and wind. It was cold. And we were walking and my pants were wet. And that was when we found the family. We went to contact them because they were a reference. We had gone before but they were busy and stuff so we went again. And the lady told us to come right in. So we started talking with her and her oldest daughter and son and the power went out. So we gave the lesson in the dark with a candle. But they were super receptive. It was awesome! 

I am loving it here in Rincon. We have such a great area and branch! 

Also this week we had a dinner. First time having a dinner with a family. It was yesterday: And it was with a less active family in the Hermanas Area. The family have a nephew out on a mission right now in Chile. And they wanted to feed all of us and get to know us. It was great!

Con Amor,

Elder Opfar

Questions:

1.  Did you ever end up going to Neuquen for your visa?  

No I didn't end up going. I think i will just going during this transfer sometime. Im not sure

2.  Does Argentina celebrate Halloween?  If yes, what do they do? 

Nope. They didn't do anything for Halloween.

3.  What do you do for exercise?  You mentioned using the sheet on the floor.  Beside walking, do you do anything outdoors?  

I do pushups and sit ups and that's about it. Don't run because Elder Diaz doesn´t want to. 

4.  What is the most interesting thing you have learned about the culture there?  What has been the hardest thing to adjust to?

Well like we clap outside peoples gates. and you wait for them to tell you to come in and you wait for them to tell you to sit down. And it´s respectful to say permiso when you go through a gate, or through someones door, or before you pray in someones house. That was hard to get used to. But one thing that has been hard to get used to is women breastfeeding. They breast feed basically anywhere. I haven't seen a lot of people do it but that was really weird. It still is.

5.  How was this week with your new investigators?  We are praying for you and them!

We gained 4 new investigators! and our others ones are going well! Everything is great! 

6.  And finally....what is something that you learned or studied this week? 

I have been reading Jesus The Christ. And wow that book is pretty amazing. I am loving it so far. 

New Companion...speaking Spanish 24/7

This week was great! On Monday night I got my new companion. Elder Diaz. He is great. He is from the Galapagos Islands by Ecuador. He only knows little phrases of English so this week was hard to communicate with him. But it got better towards the end. He is the only member in his family. He joined the church when he was 18 and is now 26. He only knows some phrases of English. But he wants to learn, so I am helping him. This week I realized that it is actually kind of hard to teach someone English. Like all the little things. And compared to Spanish all the vowels have so many different sounds. So this should be interesting. My Spanish is coming along better now that I am only speaking it. I don´t speak English a whole lot. But that just helps me learn faster! 

We had some pretty good success this week! We gained 5 new investigators! They were all super receptive to our message! I feel like Elder Diaz and I will have a good 2 transfers together! That is what it is pointing towards. We also had 2 investigators attend church this week! One for the first time in the past couple months that she has been taught! We had 60 people at church which is the most that has come since I have been here in Rincon! This is going to be a good transfer. We had a few days that we walked a lot. And it has been hot down here in Rincon and is only getting hotter. So that should be fun. 

I didn´t try any super weird foods this week. It was all pretty normal. We had Milanesa sandwiches one of the days and those were super delicious. I really liked it!

Con Amor

Elder Tyler Opfar

And...my questions:

1.  How many pesos or how much money is put on your card from the mission each month?  Is it enough to do what you need to do?  Remember, you can buy an extra treat or two if you need one on your debit card.  :)

we get 1000 something pesos a month. it is enough. at least has been so far. bueno ill keep that in mind  (I *mom* looked it up, and 1000 Argentine Pesos is about $117).

2.  How is Elder Diaz??  Do you get along?  Does he speak English?  Do you mostly speak Spanish with him?  Is his family LDS?  What is he like?  Do you have a picture of you and him?

He is great. me and him get along pretty well. He doesnt speak any english. he knows a few phrases. I am helping him learn more though. It is all spanish with him. He is the only member in his family. He joined the church when he was 18. he is now 26. He´s great, he likes things clean so thats good. Yes i have a picture but I don't have a way to send it. and we are in the ciber that I think has viruses.

3.  What kinds of things do you buy at the grocery store?  

Each week I usually get oatmeal, milk, sometimes flour, cookies, bananas or apples. and just what we need. For breakfast I usually have oatmeal sometimes pancakes or eggs.

4.  What are you doing for your Pday today?  Is there a place that you have gone or seen that you really enjoyed?  What is your favorite part of Pday? 

Today I don't know. We had to do tramites (I looked up "tramites" and it means procedures). at the police station to register that we live here. I might have to go to Neuquen tonight to do paperwork tomorrow for my visa. tonight or within the next week or 2. I'm not sure.  (I also asked him about his Visa, he is there on a 90-day visitors Visa, so he has to file paperwork to be able to extend it and stay.  They also have to have a current Visa and register with the local authorities.  The bus ride from Rincon to Neuquen in 4 hours, so if he has to go this week, it will be a long couple of days).

5.  Have you gotten any of my letters?   

Yes I got both of your letters today. The one from September and the one after general conference.

6.  What was the best part of your week, and what have you learned or thought about this week?

I don't know. Something I was reading in the Book of Mormon is about the sons of Mosiah and how studly and great missionaries they were. 

Corner of the Willows

Disclaimer...neither of these pictures are mine.  Tyler isn't a very good picture taker.

I thought I taught him better than that....

This is a picture of the ALFAJORES that Tyler LOVES.  

Almost more than Oreo's, which is big.

(photo by a Mendoza, Argentina Missionary Mom)

This is a picture taken from the Rincon de los Sauces branch Facebook page.

They are singing, which is why their mouths are open, at Karina's baptism. :)

Fun fact of the day. Rincon de los Sauces means Corner of the Willows. There aren`t really any Willow trees here though. 

This week. Well it has been 6 weeks so we had transfers. Elder Adcock left. He got sent to Bariloche. So i am getting a new companion today. Elder Diaz. Elder Mena told me he is from Ecuador. so that`s exciting! I can`t wait! It will help with my Spanish more! 

Also this week i tried tongue. I think it was cow tongue. It was actually pretty delicious. Muy rico.

Also a dog bit me Friday... We were out knocking doors and contacting references and a dog bit my shoe and turned and ran cause i turned around mad. So that was exciting. The dog then just sat back and barked. 

We had 2 days where we didn`t do anything cause Elder Adcock was sick. It was Saturday and Sunday. Saturday the hermanas had a baptism. It was the first baptism for their area! it was great! And Sunday We didn`t go to church because my comp was throwing up all night. It was Mother`s Day down here in Argentina. Yes Mothers day here is in October. All us missionaries were going to sing Madre Te Amo in church. I don't know if they did it since we weren't there. But so we just rested all day. And now we have a start of a new week!

We had a little more success this week. Gained a couple new investigators. And we have a few people who we are visiting later this week who are potential investigators. It should be a great week coming up! I am excited for what this next week has to bring.

Con Amor,

Elder Tyler Opfar 

And...my questions:

We got transfer calls Saturday night. Elder Adcock left. He had been here for 3 transfers and thats how long President likes to keep people in areas. So I get a new comp. It is Elder Diaz. He comes tonight. And he i think is from Ecuador

1.  Do you have a water heater?  Or do you have wires in your shower like Rob?  (If you have wires, please don't touch them.)

We have a water tank. but our showers are typically lukewarm or cold but bearable. Not hot. We share a water tank between 2 pensions.

2.  Has it been cold at night?  Do you sleep in your sleeping bag?  Does your pension stay warm, or get cold?  (It looks like you've got some hot days coming up this week!!)  How is the sheet/sleeping bag liner working out?

Night is windy and kind of chilly. I usually start out of sleeping bag and then get in during the night. Our pensions gets cold. unless we have the heater on. but we don't turn it on much now because it`s starting to be hotter. I use that liner as a mat on the floor to do excercises...

3.  Where do you grocery shop?  What is the store like?  Is the food expensive?  Is it easy to find fresh fruit?  Please eat well.  :)

We shop at the Anonima. It is like a grocery store. smaller than Walmart. Food is fairly expensive. We are in a more expensive area of the mission because a lot of the jobs up here are petroleum. Fruit. We buy bananas each week. other than that we get fruit at lunches sometimes with members.

4.  The Alforjones sound DIVINE.  Any other favorites?

Alfajores. Muy rico. I also sometimes buy Oreos. They come in little sleeves. it`s 11 pesos for a sleeve so i don't get them super often.

5.  Any new food experiences this week?

I tried tongue. not sure what from. I think cow. But it was actually pretty good.

6.  How was the baptism?  Was she someone you taught or the sisters?  It looked like she was taught by the sisters.

It was the sisters investigator. They are also teaching the lady`s husband. The baptism went well!

7.  What is one thing you have learned or thought about this week?

Well Elder Adcock was sick all day yesterday so I had lots of free time so I read in Jesus the Christ. It is great so far. Also I read a talk by President Uchtdorf called Fear not for I am with thee, or something along those lines. It was given to mission presidents. it was a great talk. Talked a lot about Peter and being converted.

***Here is a link to info on the talk Tyler referred to:  https://www.lds.org/church/news/president-uchtdorf-tells-new-mission-leaders-to-fear-not?lang=eng

"Peter fearlessly spoke in public places—even the temple itself, President Uchtdorf said.

“From that Easter Sunday morning on, Peter was a new man. He had been born again. For the rest of his life, Peter faced threats, ridicule, hatred, and humiliation. But he did not back down. He feared no man. Nothing kept him from fulfilling his mission to raise his voice as a witness of his Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Then President Uchtdorf asked the mission presidents: “What does this have to do with your sacred callings to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ? What does this have to do with your responsibilities to lead [missions]?

“My dear brothers and sisters, it has everything to do with you. This is at the core of your calling. Each day you put on your name tag, your badge of honor, you declare to the world that you are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Peter, you have taken upon yourselves the name of the Lord and the great responsibility to spread the happy and glorious news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

He told the mission leaders that every day of their mission they will be faced with choices similar to what Peter had to make.

“Among the 86,000 missionaries serving today there are many who, like Peter, are fearless in proclaiming the truth. They approach each day with renewed vigor. Even in the face of ridicule, apathy, and hatred they raise their pure and joyful voices to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“Of course, there are also some who are afraid, as Peter once was.

“But in a sense, we are all like Peter. We each can see the fruits of Christ’s life, Atonement, and Resurrection in our discipleship.”"

The Weekly Update ( :) )

Tyler's Zone

Maybe I will eventually come up with a clever title for these emails.

But this week was pretty good. We got our numbers up from last week. Making progress. We traveled down to Cutral Co last pday night for zone capacitación on Tuesday. When that finished we then had to make the 3 hour bus ride back to Rincon that day. It was long. 

But this week we also did some service. We helped one of our less actives and investigators pull weeds. (thank you mom for making me pull weeds on Saturdays) And we also helped someone put up a fence in front of their house. That was exciting. 

We also ate something this week that didn't settle well in our stomachs. I was fine the next day but Elder Adcock still felt sick. So we stayed in all day so he could rest. I got all my laundry done. So that was good because I really needed to do it. Hand washing clothes just takes time.

We are working a lot with Pedro and Angela.They are 2 of our investigators Who Elder Adcock has been teaching for like 4 months now. They both have baptismal dates. So hopefully we wont have to push them back more. But this week was pretty great! 

I cant believe we are coming up onto the last week of this transfer. Crazy that i have already been in Argentina for 5 weeks. 

Con Amor,

Elder Tyler Opfar

My questions:

1.  What is your daily schedule like?

My daily schedule. We wake up at 7. It changed on Oct 1 because summer we get more light at night. so we go to bed at 11. and in March it will change back to the 6:30 and 10:30. But we exercise and get ready. and by 8:30 we have personal study. Then we do comp study for 2 hours since i am still being trained. then we go out for an hour before lunch. After lunch we go to the pension and do language study then go out to work some more.

2.  What has been your favorite meal so far?  What has been your least favorite?  Has any of the food made you not feel well?  Are you adjusting to the food ok?

I have adjusted to the food just fine. We had this lunch with rice and chicken and carrots and potatoes. That was pretty dang delicious. we had it like 2 weeks ago. Least favorite food was the blood sausage stuff. This week we actually had some food that was just really greasy and it didn't really settle well in our stomachs. so we were in the pension the next day cause Elder Adcock didn't feel super well. I felt fine the next day

3.  Are there any families who are especially kind to you and you have a good relationship with?

all the families are all super kind to us. We have a family that is part member. the mom was a member and her 2 daughters and 1 son were baptized not long ago. She has another daughter who is investigating and getting the lessons. I think she will be baptized. and she has another son and her husband who arent members. but they are still awesome with us. The husband said his first prayer with us a few weeks ago. They are just a great family. But everyone is really nice to us. They all love the missionaries

4.  Do you and the other missionaries in Rincon see each other on days other than P-day?  Do you all get along well?

We live next to the other elders. so we see them all the time. and we usually see the hermanas at the ciber when we email. Yeah we get along great. We sometimes go to the church and do stuff as a district on pday.

The other missionaries are Elder Mena, Elder Rodriguez. Hermana Reid and Hermana Scofield.

5.  What is one thing that you have learned or thought about this week?

One thing i thought was cool was in 1 Nephi 17 i think. but it talks like early in the chapter Nephi gives thanks to God for helping their wives be strong in the wilderness while they were living off of raw meat. and later in the chapter Laman and Lemual are complaining about that.Its just awesome to see the attitude of them both.

6.  Where will you baptize people?  A font or a river?

We have a pool in the chapel. It is just a pool that we can easily fill up and take down later

Interesting fact:  In Argentina they have Mothers Day in October. It is next Sunday. 

(How I wish he could call me for their Mother's Day, too!!)

The Weekly

This Cristo statue is located in Rincon.  I think if I lived there, I would visit this every day.  I think it is so beautiful and one of the pictures I requested that Tyler take.  :)

Rincon at night.

A little flooding after the rain.

In front of the pension Elder Opfar lives in.

They were able to watch conference on Saturday in a member's garage, in ENGLISH.  

He was so happy.

On Sunday, they had chicken...

Well this past week was crazy. We had our pday on Tuesday. And from Tuesday until Friday we were in a trio because Elder Mena went down to Chile for visa. We didnt have a whole lot go on in our area this week. The whole entrevistas and Then General Conference took some time away.

But on Wednesday night we did a talent show in our branch. And thta went really well. We gained a lot more trust with the members. And us Elders did a little magic show. that went pretty great!

On Friday night it rained and poured. So we woke up Saturday and in front of our Pension there was water just sitting there. And it made a huge stream by the road. It was a little chilly Saturday but it quickly warmed up Sunday.

We didn´t have a whole lot of success this week being in a trio and just withthe craziness that happened. but we have goals for the next week to get our area back up. Even with traveling back to Cutral Co tonight for training tomorrow. 

On Saturday we got to watch Both sessions of General Conference in English. We watched in someones garage. THen on Sunday we watched it in a members home and had a lot of chicken before for lunch. I loved Conference! All the talks were absolutely amazing

But this was a pretty great week! Cant wait for the next one

Con Amor

Elder Tyler Opfar

In order for me to get the info I want, I ask questions and he answers...I thought y'all might like the Q&A this week:

1.  Where did you watch Conference?

Saturday we watched them in a garage of a member and We got to watch 2 sessions in english! both Saturday sessions. So that was great! I loved all those talks. On sunday we went to a members house and had lunch and watched both sessions in spanish. I didnt get much out of them. But during all the talks the spirit testified to me the truthfulness of what they were saying and also that they are called of God.

2.  Do the members feed you lunch or dinner?  Is there a siesta time there?

We have lunch with the members. Yes there is a siesta

3.  Do you use your water filter? 

no. I havent used it. Water fromtap has like chlorine in it so it wont really filter that. Basically everyone here buys clean water to drink, as do we in our pensions. 

4.  Do you meet at church with the other missionaries in Rincon or do you each hold your own services?  

We have one service. 9|30 in the morning. We only have 2 hours. About 55 people on average. So it is just all 6 of us missionaries

5.  Is there a post office near you?  Is it better to send letters to the mission office or directly to you?

There is a post office. but just send them to the mission home. We get the bolsa once a week which has letters in it and other things if we get them. And i sent you a letter last week. 

6.  What do you do on Pday?  Do you play soccer?  Who with?

On pday we email, buy/cook lunch and then play soccer(rule here we can only play with missionaries so the games dont get super rough) or we also play ping pong or just wash clothes

7.  Do you have a washer in your pension and do you do your own laundry?

no we dont have a washer. we are hand washing everything. Which is soaking clothes in soapy water and rubbing them with your hands. and then rinsing them out under the water and hanging them up tp dry

Churros and Dulce de Leche

Tyler's pension (it's what they call their apartment there.)

Well this week was pretty good. I am emailing today instead of yesterday because we went down to Cutral Co yesterday to our zone for interviews with president. that was exciting. It is a 3 hour bus ride. So Sunday night we left at 11 pm and got there at 2 am. and we left there last night at 10 and got back to Rincon at 1 am. We went on exchanges after the interviews. I was with Elder Wesel who has only been out for 4 months. that was exciting because i dont speak much spanish and he is also still learning. He told me that usually by like the end of the 2nd transfer you can almost completely understand and talk decently. also down there i got a churro. The churros here are filled with dulce de leche. let me tell you, it was delicious. muy rico.

But this past week was pretty good. We got a few new investigators. and put a new baptismal date with 2 of our older investigators. 2 of our investigators came to church with us on Sunday so that was great! there have been a few days this week where we have done a lot of walking. Like when we get back to the pension my legs and body just feel exhausted. But thats good. I like feeling like that. Makes me feel like we had a good day.

My spanish is coming along well. I am starting to understand more of what people say. Speaking it is harder. but that is what I was told. that understanding will be easier than speaking. 

It was a pretty good week. I am looking forward to another good week. But this Friday was have to go back down to Cutral Co for zone training. 

Con amor,

Elder Tyler Opfar