Hey - Cosquin

There's a lot that happened this week, and to be honest I'm not feeling like writing a long letter this week. I'll catch up next week, but for now, enjoy some pictures.

loves

Elder Jenkins

spending the night in the mission home to avoid going back to the area late (I live far)

asado with my chilean buddy Elder Larraín

El templo de Córdoba

a true treasure trove - Cosquin

I'll start off with a funny story today. so we were teaching a few little kids, some are members, some aren't, and all of them needed some testimony strengthening. This day we were teaching about the Plan of Salvation. We explained about the premortal life, that we came to earth to learn, grow, and follow Jesus, and then we would all die and move on to the Spirit world. then, trying to see if they understood, I said, "so, we all came to earth to..." "DIE" says one of the little girls, so fast and loud that I just started laughing. She quickly corrected herself, saying that we need to learn about Jesus, but I thought it was so funny.

My favorite part of the week was Sunday. All the youth came back from PFJ (EFY) and they all really really enjoyed it. the whole sacrament meeting was filled with their spiritual testimonies and experiences. They sang the Youth theme for 2020 and asked me to play piano (I hadn't ever heard the song before haha, but I think it turned out alright). But really, it was inspirational to see all the young people with such great experiences, you could tell that this past week really helped them. Some of the people we are teaching were there at church and started crying during the testimonies. It was powerful.

Everyone please read the Book of Mormon, especial with the new Come Follow Me manual, its super awesome, I've been doing it, and I've gotten more out of those first few chapters than I ever have before. the church is true, the book is blue (and the book is true as well, but no, the church is not blue.)

love

elder jenkins

me at the geographical center of argentina (it's in our area!) 

my custom HLJ (Haz lo Justo) (CTR) rings

my new hoodie (here in cosquín, there's a HUGE music festival in February, so how could I not buy some merch. I know it's from 2017, but the new merch hasn't come in yet)

some thailandese ice cream (?)

this morning is was so hot we could barely be outside, and then out of nowhere it started raining like the dickens

the main plaza is crazy full of people, shops, and wacky stuff, so we took some pics with... these things

making ties - Cosquin

Great week, I've been able to learn a LOT. For example, I learned how to make ties, my new companion Elder Chagas taught me. I've made 2 so far, and they're turning out pretty nice. I wore one to mission council. gotta have the facha.

More importantly though, I learned a great lesson yesterday out teaching. Elder Chagas and I had a great lesson with one of the people we are teaching who's trying to stop smoking. We felt the Spirit very strongly, and he did too. We all felt a lot of excitement and that he could reach his goals. After the lesson, we left the house, but Elder Chagas said he'd like to talk with the elderly lady who lives next door. We didn't know her very well, but we felt like we should talk to her. She came out, and at first didn't seem interested in what we had to say. I was expecting a polite "no thank you" but when we persisted and talked more about our purpose, and offered to say a prayer in her home, she accepted. We went inside and she started to become emotional, and talked about her physical and emotional problems. We shared one of my favorite scriptures, 3 Nephi 17: 6-10, when Jesus heals the Nephites. 

6 Y les dijo: He aquí, mis entrañas rebosan de ^acompasión por vosotros.

7 ¿Tenéis enfermos entre vosotros? Traedlos aquí. ¿Tenéis cojos, o ciegos, o lisiados, o mutilados, o leprosos, o atrofiados, o sordos, o quienes estén afligidos de manera alguna? Traedlos aquí y yo los sanaré, porque tengo compasión de vosotros; mis entrañas rebosan de misericordia.

8 Pues percibo que deseáis que os muestre lo que he hecho por vuestros hermanos en Jerusalén, porque veo que vuestra ^afe es ^bsuficiente para que yo os sane.

9 Y sucedió que cuando hubo hablado así, toda la multitud, de común acuerdo, se acercó, con sus enfermos, y sus afligidos, y sus cojos, y sus ciegos, y sus mudos, y todos los que padecían cualquier aflicción; y los ^asanaba a todos, según se los llevaban.

10 Y todos ellos, tanto los que habían sido sanados, como los que estaban sanos, se postraron a sus pies y lo adoraron; y cuantos, por la multitud pudieron acercarse, le ^abesaron los pies, al grado de que le bañaron los pies con sus lágrimas.

After the scripture and a prayer, she started to cry and asked us to come back when we visit our other friend. Elder Chagas and I talked later about how crazy it is that there are so many people that just don't know they need the Gospel, but once they hear it, they find what can fill the emptiness they have.  The Gospel saves lives, learn it, live it, love it.

Elder Jenkins, peacin' out

mate + honey = ricazo

making ties

me wearing my homemade tie to the council

hiking pan de azucar part 3

 this time featuring wild goats

asadoooooooooooooo

wicky wild - Cosquin

wicky wild

wicky wicky wild

wicky wicky wild wild week

Transfers were this week, and I got transferred out of Cosquín II... to Cosquín I. Haha I'll be living in the same house with almost the exact people, but I've changed companions! I'll still be living with my old comp Elder Nascimento, but my new comp is Elder Chagas, who is also from Brazil! Elder Brown was sadly transferred out of Cosquín, but we're very excited to now be living with Elder Oliveira as well (also from Brazil! I better start learning Portuguese!)

I have a lot I would love to share this week, but I really want to focus on one story that touched me a lot. We've been teaching a lady, she's a single mother of 4 children. We had explained much about the gospel, and she was very interested in the Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost. We got into a great conversation where she started opening up about her past and some difficulties in her life, and she started telling us a great experience of when she learned to pray and believe in God, and how those prayers (and the Holy Ghost) helped her through some really really rough stuff. We began to realize how spiritually in tune she is, and that's why she so easily recognized the Book of Mormon as the truth. 

As we were talking, getting to a really great point in the conversation, her dad shows up at the house and it quickly becomes apparent that he isn't the biggest fan of the Church or us (especially me, I don't think he likes the USA that much.) We felt the Spirit start to leave as he started to start a bit of contention, but there came a point where I felt the Spirit very strong within me. He asked me to my face, "do you really believe any of what's in that book?" pointing at the Book of Mormon. I didn't want to get into an argument, but I answered directly, "Más vale que sí." ("of course I do.") He didn't say anything for a second, but then began trying to bash the Book of Mormon again. Before I could tell my companion that it would probably be best to just leave and come back another time, the lady pipes in and says to her father, "Dad, you don't understand. You don't know what this book teaches. It talks about God, it talks about Christ, and it teaches the same things as the Bible. It teaches the truth." 

I felt the Spirit so strong hearing the testimony of someone who has known about the Church for only about a month, testifying of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. That testimony turned what would've been a rather bitter end to a great lesson into one that I will remember forever. 

That's all for this week, I have lots more great stories to share from the past few weeks, but I'll tell them later! Love you!

Elder Jenkins

a family from General Lamadrid (my last area) stopped by Cosquín to say hi

there are some big festivals coming soon to Cosquín, and some food trucks have started appearing in the plaza, this hamburger is very very tall, the picture doesn't fully capture it

sunset from the roof

elder brown took a nice shot of me pondering

this morning saying bye to elder Brown