Christmas Call Home

It was so good to see everyone via Skype! A little surreal, and I was nervous because I didn’t know what to say, but I loved talking to you all.

This was a different Christmas. I’ve always been impressed by the increase in the Spirit that I can feel during this time of year, but it was even more so being in the mission field. In Neuquén we gave away cards of ´El es la Dadiva´ a week ago, and I think that experience is where my increased feelings of spirituality started. I realized how much I loved asking people to come and experience the love that God has for us, and to be reminded of the gift that is His Son. I wish it could be this time of year always because it has been so easy to talk to people. Hopefully next Christmas the church comes out with another incentive like “He is the Gift.”

Yesterday we taught a lesson with a family that has a son who is less active. The grandmother also does not attend church often. During our visit we talked about something simple, prayer. We asked the son how often he wants his kids to talk to him, and he said as much as they can. Then we explained that it is the same with our Heavenly Father. He loves us and although he knows what goes on in our lives, he wants to hear how we feel about things.

I am playing a lot of soccer here because we live with two Brazilians. Watching the last World Cup I remember there were a lot of stories about kids in Brazil who love to play football wherever and however they can. It makes me laugh now because I am actually seeing it first hand with these Brazilian Elders!

Finally, I’ve been practicing driving here and it’s kind of scary because the traffic rules are different, and the people drive crazy!

Feliz navidad de nuevo y que tenga una buena semana. Les amo mucho!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

¡Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas! I remembered Christ this week, Isaiah 49 to be specific. We have been engraven upon the hands of the Savior, and he will never forget us. I love him, and if anything I hope my mission makes me more like him.

Working in the office offers new ways to assist others. This week I was able to help a young man from another city who came to the mission to finish out the transfer of an elder who went home a month early for an operation. We picked him up at the terminal and I felt like I was able to make him feel welcome. The next day I brought him a pair of shoes from the mission home because the ones he had traveled with were too small.

The other night we did an activity passing out "He is the Gift" cards downtown. It was great to get out there and talk to people. I felt like I was on fire! We also had a lesson this week that affected my attitude a lot. It wasn't part of our plans for the day, but we called an old investigator who was planning on being baptized some time ago. He was really animated during the lesson, and when we asked him why he wouldn't want to be baptized, he said it's because he still needs a desire to really follow Christ. 

Then he stood up and began to walk around with his shoulders shrugged and a long face. He said that right now, he feels like his is following Christ with shrugged shoulders and a frown. Then he began to walk around the room with a straight back and a face that looked determined. He then said that he wants to be baptized after he can follow Christ with that type of demeanor. I thought to myself that for some time I had been following Christ with shrugged shoulders and a heavy heart. They say you know it's a good lesson when the missionary learns something, and I learned a lot that night! I left with a desire to follow Jesus with more enthusiasm.

Thank you to everyone for the nice Christmas wishes. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to spend it at home with my family, but I am happy here. My friend Mark McKellar wrote me the other day telling me that to get through his rough beginning in the mission, he attached himself to his "mission family." That's what I have been doing here lately. I realize that I have brothers all around me. Elder Moser is another new office elder and we have been talking a lot. It turns out he has a fourteen year old brother that is autistic, and he has already become one of my best friends here.

I love everyone and wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Hola familia y amigos!

This was another interesting week and not one with a lot of teaching unfortunately, but I learned and reflected on some interesting things that I want to share. 

On Tuesday we went to the bank to pay some bills and the banks here are crazy. There were at least 200 people inside waiting, and they get angry waiting! There was one point when everyone was screaming and clapping because they were tired of standing in line. 

We had to wait so long that we went outside for about three hours until they called our number. I was really tired and hungry and suddenly noticed something on my shoes. There were bird droppings all over them! I was about to lose it when the thought came to me, “at least it wasn’t on your shirt or pants.” It’s silly when things we don’t expect happen to us, but I learned it can always be worse, and that there is always a bright side to everything! 

Working in the office is very different than working in San Carlos de Bariloche. My area in Bariloche was very poor and Neuquén is very nice. There is a lot of grass and it is much warmer. We go into the office Monday through Friday at 9:00 a.m. and leave at 5:30 p.m. We had very little time to teach this week and I really miss talking to people.

I live three or four blocks away from the mission office that is on the same grounds as the mission home. We live with the assistants to the president and one of them was my zone leader in Bariloche so it’s cool to be with him. The assistants and the mission president were gone all last week visiting zones in the mission and giving a Christmas Devotional. 

This week I’ve been studying in Moses and after reading a few verses I like to stop and think about what it really says. The entire book makes me think of something my dad wrote to me in a letter before leaving for the MTC, and this is that God loves us, and that nothing we do will ever change that. When we are discouraged we can always feel the love of God, its something that we will never understand, but something that’s always available. 

I love everyone and I wish everyone the best this week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

He is the Gift

This was a crazy week with a lot of adjusting now that I am in a new area, and I am learning how to do a lot of new things.

My last week in Bariloche was great with the new program "He is the Gift" or "El es la dadiva." The church wants every companionship in the world to talk with ten people a day in the streets and talk about Christ, and why he is the real gift of Christmas. Elder Supelano and I did it every day and were always sad when we ran out of cards. People were really receptive and liked chatting with us.

Doing that made me think a lot about why we celebrate on the 25th. I love the video the church has put out, especially when it says that the gift of Christ was offered lovingly by a Father to all of his children. That’s a great gift and it makes me think of the love God has for us. 

As I mentioned in my last letter, Saturday night we received our calls telling us where we would be going for transfers, and I am now working in the mission office. My companion is Elder Da Silva from Pelotas, Brazil. Our title is “Secretaries to the Mission.” We have a lot of different responsibilities, and I’m not sure what they all are, but I know that I am in charge of entering all baptismal records into the church database every week. We also collect all the numbers of the mission, like lessons with members, with less active members, referrals etc. 

This was a busy week for us because we helped send all of the missionaries who finished their missions with this transfer home, and then the day after we helped receive all the new missionaries starting their missions. I did A LOT of translating taking new missionaries to the police station to obtain their legal papers. I also translated presentations from the senior couple missionaries who are from Buenos Aires. 

It was a strange week because there wasn’t much time to proselyte, but that’s something I hope will change. Even though working in the office is different than what I am used to, I’m excited to be here and I know I am helping the mission. Overall these last few days have been a trial, but as I’ve prayed for help, I’ve received strength and comfort that I need to press on. (A little personal revelation I received helped very much. I got the distinct impression that because of my challenges I will become something greater than I was before.) 

One of my high school Spanish teachers (nicknamed “Kimo”) always talked to us about the story of the silversmith. A silversmith can’t heat silver too much, because it will melt away, but he can’t heat it too little either, or else it won’t shine. There is a middle ground, and he knows he’s done a good job when he can see his reflection in the metal. It’s that way with us and God, we are the silver and he is the silversmith. I know God always provides a way for us to learn what we need to learn. To do what we need to do. And that nothing is impossible. 

I love everyone. Please pray for me. I find myself in the office, but I am a proselytizing missionary first! My goal is to help someone come to baptism here. It didn’t happen in San Carlos de Bariloche, and that’s okay, but I want to see it happen soon!

Have a great week and remember I write on Saturday now!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Transfer to Neuquén Mission Office

Hello Everyone!

This was a great week and I worked harder than I ever have talking with people in the streets. Most are very receptive when we discuss Christmas and tie it to Jesus Christ. As we talked about the Savior I came to understand the love of God more. For God so loved the world that He GAVE His son. That's powerful.

I was transferred from San Carlos de Bariloche to the mission office this week. I left Bariloche after church and traveled 430 km to Neuquén. I arrived at 9:00 p.m. and my new companion, Elder Da Silva who is from Brazil said, "¡Nos vamos, hay cosas para hacer!" "Let's go, we have things to do!" We take care of all missionary travel, records and other matters. We only have three or four hours a day to work our assigned area. I'm a little nervous to be in the office, but very excited. Wish me luck!

My new day to write is Saturday. I love everyone. Please pray for me and I will do the same for all of you!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

¡Otra semana!

A lot of good things happened this week in Bariloche! We had a lot of time to help and strengthen the members in the ward. 

Thursday morning we helped a sister with her new house. There were a lot of weeds and only one shovel, but I loved it. She has some problems walking and two small kids so it was nice to do something that she could not do alone. 

Also on Thursday we went to the house of one of my good friends in the ward. He had a lot of English homework and I was able to help him for about an hour. He in turn taught me some typical Argentine phrases. They don’t make a lot of sense, but he loves it when I use them!

Yesterday we visited a brother to give him the sacrament. He has trouble walking but always has a smile and ´buen animo´! I love visiting him.

This was a great week with my companion. We are getting along very well and I think it’s because we are talking more in the street on the way to our appointments. He had to do a lot of things before starting his mission. In Colombia military service is mandatory, so he did that for two years before his mission. We are always laughing about something. The other day a dog followed us everywhere, and because of that one dog, all of the dogs in the street started to follow us! At the end of the day rather than walking back to our pension we took a bus, and laughed the whole way home because the dogs didn’t know what to do!

I had a good experience studying this week. We have three hours every day to study the language and scriptures and I read the Gospel Principles manual in Spanish. I loved the first three chapters that discuss our eternal journey because it puts everything I’m doing in perspective.

Sundays are always a good day for me. Our ward is small and sometimes there are only 60 people in attendance. Throughout the week we invite a lot of people to come to church and I get the best feeling when they show up. I really like being a missionary and this is a special time!

I hope this is a great week for everyone. Assist the missionaries in your wards. It makes my day when members ask how they can help. We need members to really succeed.

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Attitude

Hello!

First off a big lesson I’ve learned here, and something that I feel like I knew before, is that attitude is everything. Yesterday a brother in our stake spoke at an activity, and he said that during his mission he began to have success when he decided to love what he was doing. It has been that way for me too. We don’t always have success, but if I know what I’m doing, and whom I am doing it for, everything is so much better.

We have been teaching a woman and her kids for about two weeks now and they are progressing. She is starting to feel comfortable with the church in general, and she came to a choir practice on Wednesday and to our “noche de empanadas” on Saturday. 

She has great faith and loves it when we talk about Christ and the peace He offers. It’s something she really needs in her life right now. She has a date to be baptized on November 29th. This is one of the first conversions in my time here that I really think can happen. My experience with her taught me that people are more likely to progress when they have friends and feel welcome on Sunday. 

We had two opportunities to give service this week. On Tuesday we helped two older sisters in our ward with their garden. The entire time they were explaining what each plant was and where it came from. I loved helping them because there is no way they could do that type of work by themselves. 

Friday we went to a place called “Hiper” which is like a Home Depot, to help a brother load more than 700 bricks into his truck. It took a long time! We had to leave early to arrive to our lunch appointment on time, but what I loved was how grateful he was for the help. He is someone I’m going to miss when it comes time to leave here. 

I continue to trust more in the Lord, and face things that make me scared. Sunday there was no teacher for our Gospel Principles class, and we were all waiting after the opening prayer for someone to stand up and start the lesson. I was so scared but I decided to stand up and teach. It wasn’t the best lesson, but I was grateful for the opportunity. I know that the Lord helped me get through it!

Finally, this week I felt like I went to a new level with my Spanish. I feel so comfortable speaking the language. I am very grateful for the gift I have from the Lord to speak Spanish. 

I love this time and I know I’m doing a good thing. I love and miss everyone.

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Another Fast Week in Frutillar

How is everyone doing?

This was another fast week in Frutillar! The weather is heating up here and I really like it. I was a little discouraged one day as there was a lot of rain and all our appointments cancelled, but we made the most of the opportunity. Rather than avoid the puddles Elder Supelano and I started walking in all of them. We were soaking wet when we got home that night, but we worked and still managed to visit one of our families.

Since I arrived here I have been visiting a less active member who is from Chile. He loves to hunt, and breeds rabbits. We are always going to his house to share scriptures and invite him to church, but we haven’t seen much progress. White visiting with him this week he showed us his driver’s license from Chile, and it showed that his birthday was this Saturday. 

Joking with him I said we needed to eat rabbit with him on his birthday to celebrate! He has no kids and his wife passed away about 10 years ago. I didn’t expect it, but he told us to come! While we ate with him he laughed and talked about all of the animals he has hunted. When we left he said he really would like to come back to church in order to worship in the temple again. 

From this experience I learned that to invite people to come unto Christ, you don’t have to teach them and extend invitations to read and attend church. Sometimes we can simply be like Christ and be a friend to people who need company. Even though we only ate and spent a few hours with this brother I felt good doing it.

We are also teaching a lady we met three months ago, but it was really hard to teach her because her husband was always yelling and asking us strange questions. We unexpectedly met with her this week and she said her husband left to live up north and now she can be taught the Gospel.

This Sunday my less active friend in the ward came to church again and it was awesome to see him there. We have plans to help him raise the walls on his house this week. We had two other opportunities to provide physical service. Lot’s of work with shovels and I’m glad I learned how to work from dad and Uncle Tim growing up.

I wrote down Psalms 62:2 and hung it above my desk and I love the message. “Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Because of Christ we never have to be troubled.

I hope that this is a great week for everyone. Take care!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Update for this Week

Hola,

I finally received my package and did get my glasses and photos. The family pictures made my week. It sounds cheesy, but they are probably my most prized possession here. The other elders always ask me 'y donde estan sus fotos elder?'  

Time continues to move very fast here. The first month was really hard because there was a lot of adjusting, but now I cannot remember what I did in the morning when it is time to go to bed. I love what I am doing, and I have never felt the way that I feel now. 

Sunday we went to look for a member before church. We had to walk for about 30 minutes to his house and it was raining pretty hard the entire walk. When we arrived he wasn't there and it made me pretty sad, but when we got to church there was another less active member I have been visiting since I arrived in Bariloche. He's just 19 and has a baby. I don't know why but it was one of the happiest moments I've ever had because I knew I had made a difference in helping him to come to church. He loved the meeting and wants to keep coming regularly and reading his scriptures!

I no longer doubt that what I am doing is what Christ would be doing if he were in Bariloche. He would walk these streets all day inviting people to come with him. It is amazing to know that I can do that for Him.

Yesterday in church one of my good member friends in the ward bore his testimony of the Savior and I loved it. He said we are like toddlers, always falling and failing, and that Christ never yells or discourages us, but picks us back up. I liked that.

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

He is Changing Who I Am

Hello Everyone,

This was another very busy week. I wanted to do something different, and so we set a goal to visit every less active member that lives in our area, as there are a lot of them. Many members in this area do not follow through with the important commitment of coming to church after baptism, but that doesn’t matter to me. I really know that I am doing what the Savior would be doing when we stop by, share a message, and offer help any way we can. 

There is a sister in our area that is a good example of this type of experience. I have been going there sometimes twice a week since I arrived in Bariloche. I don’t know if she will become active during my time here, but every time we go I know I am doing my job.

I am being the “hands and feet of the Savior.” I am nowhere near who Christ is, but the more I think of the love He has for these people, I know He is changing who I am. 

This past week we went to a neighborhood called, Dos de Abril and it makes me so sad. I had never seen something like it before my mission. There are a lot of drugs and trash, but it motivates me to serve. I want everyone to feel the love of the Savior, and the change He can bring into their life.

Another experience this week was visiting with a young man who has not been to church for a long time. He’s very quiet and he doesn’t want help from anyone. However he has started to open up and tell us what he’s feeling. He’s struggling since he cannot go to school because he has to work to help his mother.

I really prayed for him last night and that the Lord would help him. I think it was the first time I have prayed so hard for another person since I’ve been on my mission. I felt the distinct impression that Christ is constantly doing the same for us. He wants us to have everything that we need, ALWAYS. Please pray for me that above everything else I can do what needs to be done for the people here in my area. It is called Frutillar.

I wish you all great week and send my love as always!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Transfer Week in Bariloche

How is everyone?! This week passed by so fast. Yesterday was the last day of the transfer period (which lasts 6 weeks), and today I dropped off Elder Candia (who was transferred) at the bus terminal and spent the majority of the day with Elder Real who is from Spain. 

My new companion, Elder Supelano, just arrived a few hours ago. He is from Columbia. We get along really well from what I can tell so far, and I am excited to work with him. He has about three months left on his mission so I should learn a lot from his experience. 

It was hard to say goodbye to Elder Candia as he was my trainer when I first arrived in the mission. We learned a lot together and helped a lot of people come closer to Christ. One important thing I learned from him that will always impress me is that language is not a barrier between people. I can honestly say I know him as well as I know Ethan, Jason or Coleton. He became a great friend and I hope to see him again in the future. 

Today many missionaries from the north passed through Bariloche on their way to areas down south. One of the missionaries I met was Elder Wessel. He is a very cool guy, and the first thing we talked about was his aunt Linda who introduced my dad to the missionaries back in high school. I'm glad I finally met him!

This past week I increased my faith a lot through small actions. I conquered some of my fears like calling members on the phone, because at times I don't know what they say, or asking for more help from the ward, as that can be hard too. As I did those little things throughout the week they became easier, and now I no longer fear them. The other week Chris wrote me "you can either fear everything and run, or face everything and rise." I prefer the second. 

I love being here and I love inviting people to come unto Christ. I thought a lot during the week of some of the personal experiences I have had with the Savior. My love for him, and loyalty to him, are the best motivation I have. 

Please continue to pray that I can take care of the people here that need the good news of the Gospel. I am going to do all I can!

I love you all and I wish you a great week. 

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

¡Otra semana en la gran ciudad de Bariloche!

How is everyone? Thank you for your emails and for telling me how things are going. It is always feels good to hear from home!

I cannot believe how fast this week passed. This morning I was thinking of what I could share, and I could hardly remember anything that happened! Its been a blur but in a good way. 

Since I arrived in my area we started to visit a sister that was less active. She has two sons, one that was recently baptized and another who is nine years old. We have been having family home evening with them regularly for a while now. This past Monday was a special experience for me as I realized all of the change that has taken place since we started stopping by. The sister has a steady calling in the ward as a Gospel Principles instructor, her oldest son is blessing the sacrament, and we are working on helping the youngest boy to be baptized soon. 

I love how all of that change has come about by doing something so small. I am grateful that we could be a part of it and see the unity that the family has now. 

Elder Candia has been in San Carlos de Bariloche for about six months working with another sister who has not been to church in years. We love to stop by and share scriptures with her and her son. We always learn together and then just talk about challenges she is having with other family members. Finally after 6 months of inviting her to church she said this week she would come. We were very excited to hear her say yes, and even more excited to see her this Sunday. 

This last Friday Elder Candia and I went to the central part of Bariloche to work in the area of two other elders. I worked with Elder Yanez from Chile and near the end of the night we talked with a guy named Paulo, and we got along really well. The whole time we talked I could not help but think that finding him was meant to be. Experiences like that show me that this mission is the one for me. 

There are only a few movies we can watch in our pension (apartment), and one we watch often is called Finding Faith in Christ. A part that impressed me this week is when Christ is asked what the way is to eternal life. “Yo soy el camino.” “I am the way.” I know that that is true, and I love sharing that more than anything. 

I love all of you and I wish you an excellent week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

¡Hola!

Hello!

So many things happened this week. Time is a lot different here for some reason. What I did just this last Tuesday, feels like it happened a lifetime ago!

This Tuesday Elder Candia left for Neuquén to receive leadership training (he is our District Leader), so I stayed in Bariloche with Elder Gregory from Arizona. We arrived in Argentina the same day so it was fun to work with him. We went to visit a sister who had just been in the hospital, and while there, she had a friend come to visit. 

The Bariloche Zone - October 2014

I know the Lord prepares people and puts them in our path, because out of nowhere, the member's friend started to ask us about our religion and what sets us apart from other churches. She was sincere too which can be rare. I won't be returning to teach her, but it was very cool to answer some of the questions she had. 

We have also been working with a 9 year-old boy in our ward. His mom and brother are members and he is not. He has never been very interested in listening to lessons, but again, out of nowhere, his mom called us and said he wanted to talk to the missionaries. When we met with him I was really impressed by his faith. We talked about the restoration, and the importance of having the church God established when Jesus Christ was on the earth in our lives. I asked him if he thought these things could be true, and without thinking he said yes. He is so young but he is a great example of believing without seeing. 

General conference occupied a large amount of our time this past week and it was really special for me. I realized how much it means to have a prophet when all of the members around the world gather to listen. For me a major theme was the importance of decisions, and how we determine our own happiness. Our joy never depends upon what another person does. We create it.

I hope that everyone has a great week. Tonight I will be traveling to Neuquén to renew my tourist visa. It will be about a 12-hour trip, but it should be fun! 

I am finding a lot of joy in serving the Lord. I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Otra semana terminada

I hope that everyone is doing awesome this week! I am missing the Arizona weather, but am finally adjusting to the cold. It’s spring here now, but it is snowing more than ever. Wednesday all the missionaries in Bariloche worked in one neighborhood, and it snowed all day! More than anything it makes for beautiful scenery. The neighborhoods in which we serve are pretty poor, but all you have to do is look up and see the huge mountains covered in snow to feel blessed.

This week we continued to work with a family that stopped receiving the missionaries about a year ago. Elder Candia randomly found their teaching record a few weeks back, and we stopped by the day after. They live in a really dangerous neighborhood in our area; we can only go there during the day because at night it is just not safe. This week we didn’t plan much in terms of what we would talk about, but rather decided to ask them what they needed. Sometimes it can be hard to find out, but in this lesson the mother of the family told us that she wants to change her life. It was a powerful moment and then we talked about the Savior and that through Him everything can change for us. I know that is true. We now have agreed to pass by every Friday and talk to them.

One of my favorite things to do here is work with less active members. We do it a lot, and twice this week we talked with a brother in the ward who can’t come to church because it is hard for him to walk. He is a guy that always makes me feel like I am doing my job as a missionary. Tuesday we shared a scripture from 3rd Nephi and talked about how we can be healed in all ways if we have faith. Sunday we administered the Sacrament to him and afterwards just visited. He has a lot of history, and we learned last night he was at one time a well-known singer in Chile!

Last night we met with someone that we worked with a lot when I first arrived, but haven’t seen for more than four weeks. It was a sad visit because he told us he doesn’t want to learn anymore. (He was progressing a lot and had set a date to be baptized.) We hope to start the lessons again and find out what happened soon, but what I learned from this experience is that we can only invite, we cannot force. I knew that before, but last night proved it to me.

I grew a lot this week. More than anything I am learning to be more humble on my mission. The Lord wants everything that I have to offer, and I’m slowly but surely learning how to do that.

Finally, please thank all of the youth in the ward for their letters. I felt so much encouragement from them. I almost cried reading the one from Will Wulff. He asked if I had brought anyone closer to the church, it felt good to honestly tell myself that I have. I almost died of laughter from what Coleton wrote. A continent away and he still kills me! 

I love you all and hope that this coming week is a great one.

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

¡El Hobbit!

This was a great week. It continues to be hard to find new people to teach, and we only have a few investigators progressing, but I love being here. I know my success is based of my diligence, and my diligence is increasing with time. I really want to teach people. It's exciting and I am grateful for the plan God has for us.

My Spanish is continuing to improve. My district consists of missionaries from various Spanish-speaking countries (I am the only gringo), so it’s all that I hear. I’ve recently started to drop most of the “s” sounds when I speak and overall I feel really confident. My mouth feels funny when I do speak English, and I think that it had to physically adjust, because when I speak Spanish I hardly have to move my jaw.

I felt like a hobbit this week. The scenery here reminds me of the movie and we are always walking. Serving the Lord so far has been quite the adventure! It is very clear to me now that everything we teach and do is centered on Jesus Christ and His teachings. I love Him and am coming to know who He is rather than just know things about Him. He is kind and He is willing to lift us when we need it. I have to lay my burdens with the Lord a lot here, and it feels good to do so. Everyone can do that.

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Hola mi familia y amigos

Hello everyone!

I hope that all is well with each of you. Thanks for the emails and for the updates. I am writing a little later today as this was our P Day of "limpieza," a day to clean the apartment. It was rather dirty, but Elder Candia and I did a great job tidying things up.

It's always hard to know what to write because a lot happens in a week, but I made a note of some experiences in my planner so I would not forget. First just a note about my first zone conference, it was great. President Lovell is a super spiritual dude. We talked about integrity and the importance of finding joy every day of our mission. 

After zone conference Elder Goar from our district left for another city so Elder Candia and me were with Elder Moreira from Uruguay for four days. We worked hard every day, but we also took advantage of the free time we have here. Elder Moreira is a master chef and made awesome food for us while we played a board game called "TEG" which is an Argentine version of the game "RISK."

Saturday we attended a baptism for a boy named Tomas. It was a great experience to see someone entering the water of baptism to make a covenant with Heavenly Father. It was a really humble service with very few people, but the Spirit was strong. I tended the door and greeted people as they arrived. 

At the end of every day here we evaluate our "numbers," and account for the lessons we had with investigators, with less actives, references received and contacted, etc. Numbers wise, this was a rough week, but yesterday really made up the difference. After church we randomly ran into a young man who told us that he wanted us to come talk to him and share a message. We obviously accepted and talked about the importance of the Atonement, and that God is our loving Heavenly Father. After sharing he opened up to us and said that he was baptized about 4 years ago in the Mormon church, but is scared to come back. We are going to stop by his house this week and bring him with us. It's true that people are put into our path for a reason. I'm excited to help that young man come back to church.

Right after the lesson we visited a less active sister who was really sick. She asked if I could give her a blessing. I was really nervous to do it in Spanish but really felt the spirit helping me the whole time. We finished the day by administering the Sacrament to a man in our ward who can't come to church because he has difficulty walking. 

All in all yesterday was a day full of ministering, and really doing what I know the Savior would have done here in Frutillar, Bariloche, Argentina. I am growing here and coming to know my Savior more and more as He invites me to do His work. 

One of our messages in Sacrament meeting really impressed me. Put simply, it was an invitation to replace the word "problem" with the word "challenge." A problem, it was put forth, is something we may not be able to fix, but a challenge is something that we can work on and even have fun with. It's something I'm going to try to do more here.

I believe in Christ and every day He helps me. More than anything serving a mission is exhausting spiritually. I am always reading scriptures or watching and listening to something to learn about the Gospel. During the day we have to really work to find people we can help, but every day when I pray I feel recharged. I love the Lord and I love each and every one of you! Have a great week.

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

He terminado mi primer traslado!

Hola familia!

This has been a great week with a lot of new experiences. In our district of 6 missionaries for this transfer (every six weeks there can be a change in your area of assignment) I will be the only English speaker. I am pumped because that means almost ZERO English. We will have three Elders from Chile, one from Uruguay, and one from Spain. I can say anything I want in Spanish, but it can be tough listening to people. They speak fast and use a lot of jerga (slang)!

September 2014 Bariloche Zone Conference

One of my favorite lessons this week was with a family that lives quite a ways from our "pension" (guest house), and after many attempts we finally found them while they were home. They started taking the lessons a few years ago, but for some reason stopped. We began our lesson by talking about the Savior, and the prophecy in Alma Chapter 7, verses 11 and 12. Me and Elder Candia bore testimony of the fact that Christ has come to the earth, that he lived here, ministered here, suffered and died here, and for that we can live with our God again forever. Through the Gospel we can achieve that. 

It was such a simple lesson but I know that it's true. The family is interested in hearing more, and I can´t wait to see how we can help them. 

I love to see people progress here, which to be honest isn't something we have been seeing a lot lately, but we are trying our best which is all that matters. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that everything I am doing here starts and ends with him. It is important that people know that. John 3:16 keeps me going.

This week I felt a peace I have never felt during our sacrament meeting. It made me think of the promise in my mission call, that through dedicated service one can find more joy than they ever have before. 

Im excited to be here and to work! I love everyone and hope that everything is well back home. 

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Una más semana en la misión

Hello to everyone,

I hope all is well back home!

This was a great week with a lot of good things happening. I could really feel that me and Elder Candia were doing the Lord’s work. I’ll share a few experiences!

This week I studied Alma Chapter 17 almost every day. It’s a good guide to missionary work. After being a faithful servant Ammon gains the trust of the people, and once he does that they are receptive to his message. I prayed that we could have an experience like that this week, and yesterday it happened! 

All of our appointments cancelled yesterday, and while we were thinking of something to do we saw a husband and wife moving a huge pile of dirt in their front yard. We asked if we could help and they accepted. It felt good to get to work and help somebody. We were there for about an hour shoveling and afterwards the family was more than willing to listen to a short message from us about how God is our loving Heavenly Father. 

I am excited to see how we can help them progress more, but again at the end of every day I am feeling satisfied if I am doing something that the Savior would do. There is nothing quite like it. 

This week I had a major increase in gratitude, as one of our lunch appointments cancelled, and me and Elder Candia had only a little money to buy food. All we could afford was some rice, bread, and ketchup. While I thought that I was not going to enjoy the meal, during our blessing on the food Elder Candia just gave thanks for everything that we do have; our mission, our Gospel, and our Lord. After that blessing I never thought that I could enjoy a plate of rice more than I did!

I love the hymn, "Because I have been given much," or here "tu me has dado muchas bendiciones senor," because the lyric is true. Now more than ever I can see how much I have been blessed, and for that I am willing to give all of my effort here. 

The days here can be hard. We walk a lot and it can be very cold, but when we have the opportunity to sit in someone’s home and talk about the truth that has been restored to the earth, I’m happy! 

I know my Savior lives and that this work centers on Him and His gift of the Atonement. There’s nothing more important than that.

Have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

La Semana Cuatro en la Mision

Hey Everyone!

This has been a better week for me. I was pretty sick for a few days, but I think I'm finally feeling better. Having your health makes everything a whole lot easier! The weather here has been different almost every day, some days we can go out with a light jacket, and others I have to put on everything that I have just to stay warm. It was nice to have a few days when the sun came out!

I learned a lot of great things this week. We had a zone conference with President Lovell and the main theme was integrity. I really think I came away with a different perspective on what it means. In one sentence, I would say it just means being true to you. Thinking about that concept has helped me this last week when I have felt sad or missed home. I know that this is where I have wanted to be for a while now, and I’m not going to let little things get me down. 

I learn a lot when we are teaching, that may not make sense, but it’s true! We have been visiting a less active member ever since I arrived in Bariloche and it can be hard to get through to him. He loves to talk, and it can be difficult to even share a scripture with him because he won’t be quiet. Last night he talked to us a lot about how he won't go to church because the men don’t know how to lead. I felt that we needed to be bold with him, and wasn’t quite sure where it came from when I told him "that if he feels the leadership needs to change, he needs to come to church so he can be part of that change." 

I don't know if that will work, but I really walked out of there knowing that we can make a difference in everything we do, not just with church leadership, but in every aspect of our lives. I hope I can make a difference with that brother before I leave by opening my mouth a few more times like I did last night. 

As we teach the restoration here my testimony of it grows, as well as the love Heavenly Father has for us. The other day we retaught a lesson to a lady in our area because she still had a lot of questions. While we said that the fact Heavenly Father has restored Christ´s church means he loves us, I realized more than ever that that is true. It means a lot to me to know that once again God has reached out to his children, and in all seriousness that is why I am here, to tell people that once again there is hope. It feels good to be doing that. 

This week we started to teach a lady that came to us to ask for the lessons. She really wants the change that she has seen in her son, who has been a member for a few years now. Her faith impressed me, and makes me want to REALLY follow the principles of the Gospel, because she wants to learn them so badly. 

I am trying to improve myself everyday and have been working on following the mission rules. Not just because they are the rules, but also because I love the Lord! Please pray for me that I can do what the Lord wants me to do. Sometimes I feel like we do so many different things like planning, preparing, whatever it may be, that I'm not sure I am doing all that needs to be done. 

I love everyone and hope to hear from you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Not a Lot of Time

Thanks for all the notes and pictures! I have less time to write today, but I hope all is well back home. Congratulations to Chris and Kaylee on their wedding!

I believe I have left the stage where everything is exciting just because it's new, and now it can be difficult to be in the field. I've been praying a lot to not only do what the Lord wants me to do, but to WANT to do what the Lord wants me to do. This is all for Him.

My Spanish is improving and I have learned words I never thought I would! This week I had a missionary exchange with an Elder from Colorado and it felt amazing to speak English with him.

The cafe we are in is closing in a few minutes for a holiday here. Please continue to write and pray for me.

Elder Kauffman aka Jack