Happy 20th Birthday, Elder Opfar!!

He got all 4 of the packages we sent!!

Cake and cupcakes...

Well this week was pretty good. Except my comp was sick again a little more so we weren't able to do a lot. But it was my birthday and that was pretty great. The members are great and made me a cake and some cupcakes! they were super good! And on Saturday night we received the transfer calls. My comp left. which means that I will be staying here for another transfer. I will have 6 months here in Bariloche! And my new comp... Well I don't know who it is. I am going to train! I'll be going up to Nuequèn on Wednesday night to get my comp on Thursday! I'll be getting a brand new missionary! I'm super excited for this opportunity that I will have! 

Well this week not a lot happened. But I am going to share something I thought about this week. 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/lift-the-power-of-service 

watch this video. 

I thought a lot about service. This video is about service and serving others. I started thinking about our perfect example Jesus Christ. He always served others. He always turnined outward and helped others. That is the character of Christ. Turning outward and helping others around him. 

In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 2:17 we learn that when we are serving others we are serving God. 

and in Matthew 25:40 Christ is talking about serving other and doing things for other people. For helping the Poor and Needy. For doing the things that He would do. He is our example and we need to follow him. Through service we can be super happy and help others become happy. 

This next week think of a way you can serve someone and do it! 

con amor

Elder Opfar

3.  How are your lessons going?  Anyone progressing?

we found an old investigator that has some intrest and some good potential. so we will see how that goes. 

4.  What is the best thing about Bariloche?

i love the view. it is aweosme. and all the members are super awesome! 

5.  What is the hardest thing about Bariloche?

walking a lot. with hills

6.  What are you looking forward to this week?

I get to train! 

7.  What was your best experience this week?

uhm i dont know. my birthday was pretty good

8.  What made you smile?

Well i got all four of the packages. thank you! so great! also for my birthday we ate some cake and cupcakes

ONE YEAR MARK

Elder Maluenda got some churros for Tyler to celebrate his one year mark!

Well I don't have a lot of time to write this week. But we had a good week. We have been focusing on helping the members! 

I cant believe I have been out for 1 whole year. I have learned so much. I learned a lot about really just trusting more in the Lord in Everything. Not only having faith in Him but also having faith in His timing. He knows better than me. And He will always help me and each and every person according to our needs and our faith. 

I know that i am on the Lords errand right now and in His work. I don't have any doubt about that. I know this church is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and that along with the Bible we can come to know our Savior more because of studying those 2 books. WE can come to know our Savior and our Heavenly Father Personally. They know us personally and they want the absolute best for us. I know that there is power in prayers. Our prayers are always answered according to our faith and if we ask with sincerity. WE can all gain a testimony of the Church because of prayer. That is our communication with God. He is waiting for us to reach out and ask Him. I Love what I am doing and I wouldn't change any of it for anything. 

Have a great week! I love you all

con amor

Elder Opfar

1.  Do you have any plans for your birthday?

well the member we eat with I think is going to make me a cake and also we are going to visit a different member for some cake. 

2.  What is the hardest thing you have done on your mission so far?

oh I don't even know. the mission is just hard. but probably when people don't accept our message especially because I know it can bring them so much peace and happiness

3.  When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this week?

one of the days I was studying. I had a super good week of studying

4.  What strengthens you when you feel down?

I usually sing a hymn in my head and just keep going on

5.  Who is the most inspirational person you have met on your mission?  Why?

Presidente Casariego because to actually hear that all that happened and to hear it from him is pretty awesome. He is such an awesome guy. 

but I don't know. I have met a lot of members who I love. 

6.  What is your favorite chapter or part of Preach my Gospel?

I like chapter 5 about the BoM. and also chapter 6 about the attributes of Christ

7.  What is your current favorite scripture, and why?

I really like Alma 26:12. that we shouldn't boast in our own strength. but that we can do all things with the Lord

8.  What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Oatmeal, Banana, apple, hard boiled egg and a mate cocido. sometimes with the oatmeal. or sometimes with the mate cocido. 

9.  What time do you leave your pension each day?

10:30

10.  Do you and your companion share groceries?

no. We buy our own stuff each week. But yeah we sometimes share

11.  What is the best thing you have eaten this week?

lunch yesterday was really good. It was homemade pasta and it was super good. and desert we had like a chocolate mousse with strawberries and blueberries. 

12.  In your next written letter, try to answer the following questions (they might take a while to think about):

a.  Top 10 moments of the first half of my mission.

b.  Top 10 ways that I have changed or grown spiritually in the first half of my mission.

ok ill do that

Week in the Pension

Elder Moser and Elder Opfar

Well this week we were in the pension all week because my comp is sick. He is feeling a lot better right now. But this week I did get to go out and work with the zone leaders a little so that was good. 

the Hermanas also had a baptism this week! that was really good! 

We also had conference with president. That was great. One of the things we talked about is the trials of our faith. Why do we have trials of faith? 

One thing I really like is that the Lord will never tempt us, but He will try us. He will try us again and again until we know that we are willing to serve Him at all costs. I love that. The Lord gives us some of the trials we have so that we know we will serve Him no matter what happens in life. Life is not easy. It is a test. It is our great trial of faith. But everyday we have the little trials of our faith. After the trial of our faith, our faith grows. Our faith in the Lord. We learn to trust more and more in the Lord at all times of our lives. That is something really important and something that we help carry us through good times and bad. Faith is power. Faith is important. Faith leads us to action. Faith without works is dead. How do we show our faith? One thing to show our faith in our actions is repentance. Repentance and baptism are some of our works. More works are enduring to the end. The decisions we make everyday show our faith as to whether we fully trust in the Lord, or if we trust more in man. The right things is trust is the Lord more than man. 

This is a talk i was reading the other day. I love this talk. It is super good. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/come-and-see?lang=eng 

I hope you all get a chance to read this talk. 

and ask yourself this week, How can I rely more on the Lord? How can I show my faith today? 

con amor

Elder Opfar

1.  What is your favorite scripture from your mission so far?

uhm I don't know. I have a couple that I really like

2.  How many times have you read the BOM in Spanish?  English?

in Spanish just 1 time but I am reading it again right now. In English I think 4 times

3.  How has reading the BOM blessed you on your mission?  Do you feel that reading it in Spanish has helped you with Spanish?

well I know the BOM better. It is good to use and teach with it along with the Bible. yeah it has helped me see like some of the grammar in a different way

4.  How good is your Spanish?

still no like fluent but pretty good. people understand me and I understand them. there are a few words here and there that I don't understand

7.  What is something that you have learned about yourself on your mission?

I am a lot more patient than i thought. and I can control my anger really well. 

9.  What goals do you want to accomplish before you come home?

I want to talk with more people, just go out and open my mouth and invite all to come unto Christ. read all the Scriptures. 

11.  Can you write down your testimony for me?

I know without any doubt in my mind that I am on the Lords errand. This is His church. I don't doubt that. I know that Joseph Smith saw what he says he saw and that he was called of God to restore the church of Christ. This is the only church on all the face of the earth that can bring everlasting joy and happiness. I know that we have a prophet on the earth today, who leads and guides the church in the world that is ever changing. I know without any doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. God answers our prayers. He has answered my prayers about all these things and that is why i know. God wont leave us alone. He loves us and wants the very best for us. He wants us to succeed and be able to live with Him again one day. I know there is power in prayers. I know there is power in the priesthood. I know that Christ is the Son of God. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us and is always there for us. He will never leave us on our own. It may seem like it at times but He is always there. 

12.  If you have time, tell me about your week.  

well I kind of did at the beginning. We also had conference with president this week. That was really good. And the hermanas had a baptism on Saturday!

More Snow..."Working in the snow. I thought it would be fun but nope, I was wrong."

Mon- it was pday and it snowed A LOT. just came down. That was super exciting. We just played some soccer and some basketball. And my comp didn't feel good so he just rested.

Tue- WE had some success contacting today. We tried to find some people but they weren't home. We walked a lot today. We ended up visiting a member and that was good.

Wed- We tried to visit some people but they weren't home. That wasn't good. we were able to visit a member.

Thur- my comp once again wasn't feeling super good. We had district meeting and that was good. We started exchanges. I was with Elder Moser in our area. We tried a lot of people but that weren't home. We visited a member and had an awesome lesson with them. 

Fri- It snowed all night and during the day it was snowing and then raining and snowing again. I thought it would be fun to work in the snow. i was wrong. It isn't as fun as you would think. especially when you have wet cold feet. But oh well. WE had some good time contacting and talking to people. I went up to Pioneros with Elder Moser for a baptism interview

Sat- We had mission correlation and we did weekly planning. Not a lot happened today. 

Sun- we had church and that was good. We had 43 people there. We were able to visit a less active and an investigator and had an awesome lesson with them. My comp didn't feel super good. We ended up going to the hospital last night in the middle of the night. But all is good now. 

just some thoughts. This is from the talk I sent last week. Faith is really important in our lives. The Lord always blesses us according to our faith and our desires. I know that is true. Faith really is power. 

What Faith Is

What is faith? What does the word convey? The following are thirteen descriptive statements to help us define faith:

1. Faith makes men sure and steadfast.

2. After the trial of your faith comes the witness.

3. Faith is evidence of things not seen.

4. Faith is related to hope.

5. Faith is related to belief.

6. Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

7. Faith is not a perfect knowledge.

8. Faith is not associated with doubt and fear.

9. Faith is not physical exertion. It is utilizing words.

10. Faith does not come by signs.

11. Faith is a principle of action in all intelligent beings.

12. Faith is maintained by personal righteousness; and lastly,

13. Faith is power.

Have a great week!

con amor

Elder Opfar

1.  Last night there was a huge cockroach in our bedroom here in Galveston, completely freaked me out...do you have bugs in your pension?  I guess since it's winter you probably don't...did you when it was warmer??

here nope. I have just seen like a spider or two but not much at all. in Cipolletti we had cockroaches in our pension... just small ones but yeah

2.  Do they celebrate with Fireworks on holidays like we do?  

on Christmas and New Years yes.

3.  What is the best food you ate this week?  Was there a bad one?

I don't even remember. a lot has happened. haha. 

4.  What has been the most challenging thing that happened this week?

working in the snow. I thought it would be fun but nope I was wrong

5.  What has bee the best thing that happened this week?

we had a super good lesson with a less active and his nonmember wife yesterday. It was super great. she said she knows the Book of Mormon is true. so the nest time we go we are going to invite her to be baptized. 

6.  How are your new goals coming?  We are praying for your success.

we don't have any people with baptism dates yet. and I think the first baptism of the 89 as a goal of our zone is this next Saturday. it was going to be Saturday but the man got sick

7.  Does the new mission president change your slogan and make new goals and guidelines?

no he didn't make changes like that

8.  What have been the biggest changes since you got your new president?

we can now drink mate cocido and cocacola. also we can now write on 2 different computers. instead of waiting for the other to finish

9.  Did it snow all week?  How much did you end up getting?

not all week. we did get snow though, on Thursday night into Friday it snowed. got a got couple inches. my feet got wet in my boots. i have no idea how the water got in. because on Friday it snowed and rained and snowed and rained. it was slush and my feet got wet

Snow in Bariloche

This week was seriously so awesome!

Mon- we had pday! We ate some McDonalds. Nothing like some super expensive burgers here in Bariloche. But it was good. We walked around Centro a little. And My comp and I were able to visit an investigator. 

Tue- We stayed in the pension all day today. My comp didn't feel good at all. So i just studied and rested a little. 

Wed- We went out and contacted. We had some success with that. We moved the rest of the stuff out of the hermanas old pension. Also some elder from El Bolson came and stayed with us for zone training. 

Thur- WE had a lesson but it fell through. We had Zone training and it was so awesome. Seriously it was incredible. We had a few more elders stay with us. So we had a total of 9 elders in our Pension...

Fri- We met our new president. President Casariego is so awesome! I'm excited that he is the new president! He is the missionary from the story in this talk 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gene-r-cook_faith-lord-jesus-christ/ 

We also did our weekly planning. We tried to visit a few people but they werent home. 

Sat- Well it SNOWED. We woke up and it had snowed that night. We did some contacts in the street. We then had a ward activity. We ate some Locro. It was pretty good. We went out to Dine Huapi to visit some people but they werent home. 

Sun- WE went to church. WE had 40 people there today. But we also had 3 less actives come to church. We went and tried a few people but they were busy. And we came back to the pension because my comp started feeling really sick. 

And it is snowing right now. 

This week was really great! Hope all y'all have great weeks

Con amor

Elder Opfar

1.  How did interviews go?  Did Both Presidente and Hermana Casariego travel to Bariloche?  Was that the first time you have met them?  I wish I could've gone to the Lovell's homecoming today.

it was good. it was more of get to know president more than interviews. we did get a few minutes to go up and talk with them both. they are super awesome! I really like them. it was the first time i met them. 

we had zone training this week also. and we studied the talk Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, again. President Casariego is the missionary from the story. And we as a zone put a goal and committed ourselves that we will baptize 89 people by the end of the transfer. and elder Maluenda and I will baptize 5 people by the end of the transfer. I don't know how we are going to do it. But I have faith it is possible. We can do it. We have to do our part and the Lord will do the rest. 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gene-r-cook_faith-lord-jesus-christ/ 

2.  Did you ever get the Conference Ensign I sent?  I can't remember if you had told me or not.

yeah I did get it! Thanks!

3.  How was Argentina's Independence Day?  What do they do to celebrate?  What did you guys do?

well our lunch got cancelled. but we ended up getting lunch with the zone leaders in their area. The hermana made us some chicken and goat and sausage with potatoes and rice. It was really good. And on Saturday we had a ward activity for 9 de Julio and we ate locro. It is like a traditional stew.

4.  What time does the sun come up in the winter there?  What time does it get dark?  Are you back on the 11p-7a schedule?

wow. here the sun is like up at 9;30ish and goes down about 6:30-7

5.  What are the most common questions you get from people about the church?

are you Jehovah's Witnesses? you have that other bible right? just stuff like that

6.  Are there any parts of your area that you are not allowed to go into?  

in our area no. its fairly safe here

7.  Did you get snow this week?  I am hoping you have it by your birthday!!  It might be the only birthday you ever have with snow!

yeah we got some snow the other day! we woke up saturday with snow! and it is snowing right now! 

8.  What was your most spiritual experience this week?

zone conference and meeting president. Zone conference was seriously so amazing

9.  What has been your biggest challenge?

we need our investigators to come to church

10.  Did you eat any new food this week?  What was your favorite meal?

well locro. my first time trying it. it was good. But probably my favorite was the lunch we had on the 9th. it was seriously so good! 

When missionaries go to an "all you can eat" pizza place...

7/6/2015

Mon- We had pday and we went down to an ´´all you can eat´´ pizza place. We ate like 10 or 11 pizzas in total and the lady was I think getting frustrated... You had to order the pizza then wait for it to come out. but oh well, it was pretty good. We helped some other elders with a Noche de Hogar with some people.

Tue- We had district meeting and then after we did a tsunami in our area to help us find more people. We tried a few people but they weren home, so we were able to visit a member. 

Wed- We visited a guy and had an interesting lesson with him. he was drunk during the lesson and doesnt want to quit... so theres that. We had a Noche de hogar with some members and watched Meet the Mormons!

Thur- We did Weekly planning. We walked a lot trying to visit people but they werent home. 

Fri- We went over to the pension of the Hermanas area that was closed last transfer and we started packing all the stuff up. We were able to visit a less active. and also an investigator!

Sat- Happy Fourth of July! #Merica We tried contacting a little Then we had mission correlation. In the afternoon we had to be inside because it was the championship game of the Copa America and it was Argentina vs Chile. We ate some food and watched 17 Mircales. After the game we didnt leave because Chile won. And my comp is from Chile. But the streets were silent. there was NOBODY out on the street. and even during the game there was nobody. 

Sun- WE had church and that was good. Only 47 people came this week. We were able to visit a less active and his wife who isnt a member and we are now teacheing her.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng 

This is the video of Because of Him. I love this video. I invite all of you to watch it! 

have a great week! 

con amor

Elder Opfar

hey mom! this week was pretty good! we meet the new mission president on Friday! He is coming here for interviews. 

1.  Is the Women's World Cup a big deal in Argentina?  Or not so much since they didn't have a dog in the fight?  PS. USA won, beat Japan 5-2.

i didnt hear anything about it. Yeah dad told me USA won! #Merica

2.  What is the youth program like in your ward?  Do they have a lot of youth?  What do they do for activities?

uhm in our ward we dont have any young men program. there is 1 young man. there are 2 young women. so yeah

3.  What is the ward like?  Are the people super friendly to you, or indifferent?  Are they helpful and welcoming?  Is it big or small, in relation to other wards in Bariloche?

it is good. They are friendly to us missionaries. Yes. I think it is the smallest one here in Bariloche. I think, I don't know. 

4.  What kind of food have you eaten this week?

milanesa, meat, rice, mashed potatoes. For the fourth of july we were in the pension in the afternoon because opf the Copa America. It was the championship game, Chile vs Argentina. So Us and the zone leaders made some food and had a little 4th of July celebration. We made Completos, they are hotdogs with tomato and guacamole on them. Pretty delicious. We also made flan and jello.

5.  Did you see anything unusual this week?

Well during a lesson I was 1 foot away from a guy rolling a blunt...

6.  Do they celebrate Father's Day in Argentina?  Was there a holiday this weekend?  I saw a post on the Rincon de los Sauces city Instagram account that looked like a holiday post.

yes they celebrate Fathers Day, but that was a few weeks ago. This weekend was Argentina vs Chile in the final. (which Chile won) There is a holiday on the 9th though

7.  What kinds of fruits and vegetables do you eat there?  Are there less available now that it is winter?  What fruits and veggies do you miss most?

with lunches we eat mashed potatoes, salads of lettuce, tomato, and oil, and I have been buying bananas and mandarin oranges. I miss mango. They have them here but they are expensive. also strawberries are expensive. and yesterday we have a dessert with blueberries and it was delicious! 

8.  What was the best visit or appointment you had this week?  

We visited an inactive and we talked with him a little. He drinks and smokes but he has a desire to quit so we are helping him. 

9.  What was your biggest challenge this week?  What was your biggest blessing?

We need investigators to come to church and progress. 

10.  Did you meet anyone new this week?

every week. 

here are some pictures... I cut my hair

Peanut Butter...

6/29/2015

I found some peanut butter this week, so I bought some...

Mon- We had a good pday. We played some soccer thats was good. We tried a few people but they werent home. We found a family though and that was really good!

Tue- We had district meeting and that was good! once again the people we went to visit werent home. We had some success while contacting though. We found a guy who has desire to learn! 

Wed- WE were doing exchanges today. I was with Elder Anguiano. He is from Bakersfield California. He is an awesome missionary! We had some good success talking with people in the streets. And we had a good lesson with a less active. 

Thur- We did our weekly planning. The people we went to once again werent home. WE went and were able to visit a member and have a good lesson with them. 

Fri- we were able to have a lesson with a less active. And we are also able to visit an investigator. That was good. Also Argentina was playing in the night in the Copa America. It is hard to work when they are playing because no one wants to open the door...

Sat- We did a tsunami in another area and helped them find some potential investigators. We also had mission correlation meeting. WE went out to Dina Huapi but the people we went to visit werent home... 

Sun- Church was good. We had 57 people at church. We also had a good ward council. We were able to talk about missionary work. We tried to visit and find some less actives. But we couldnt find some of the houses... 

This week was pretty good! I want to invite each of you to look for the Lords hand in everyday. How is the Lord helping you? What are those tender mercies that you are seeing? 

Con amor

Elder Opfar

1.  How is the family history going?  How are your members and investigators?

Family history is good. WE helped a member a little yesterday. And one member LOVES indexing. He has a goal to index 100 names every week. 

2.  Who has been your favorite person this week and why?

uhm I don't know. Elder Maluenda and I get along really well. He has helped me this week. And he is awesome! I'm glad that we are comps

3.  How is the weather?  Are you staying warm in your coat and boots?

It is chilly. a few days this week it wasn't super cold. but it is getting colder. Yes my coat is good. I haven't really worn my boots yet... 

4.  Do you have a specific goal set for this coming week?

uhm I don't know. 

5.  What has been your biggest success this week?

we found some good people that can progress. 

6.  What has been your biggest tender mercy?

We found the family: We went to visit M** and he told us he was busy, so we started to leave. and his sons came running out to us and said our mom wants you to come back, she wants to talk with you. so we went back. and we ended up teaching all 4 of them a little. It was great.