Baptism in Roca

Buen dia!

We had a great time celebrating Christmas, but other than that, we worked just like any other week! I think one of the highlights were “intercambios” we did on Wednesday. We didn’t have a lot of time to visit since we started after lunch and finished at 9:30 p.m.

I worked with Elder Wessell, es un genio para trabajar en la obra misional! I love working with him. For some reason I get nervous doing divisions, but I chose faith over fear and I can’t explain why or how, but the Lord made everything work out. He is more than present in missionary work.

We were able to see a previous investigator and teach two or three more lessons, but the numbers are not the important part of the work. What matters is that people are progressing. We also taught two youth that the elders have been working with for a while and one might be baptized this Saturday. 

Things are going great with my companion Elder Moser. He’s the best friend I have out here, and we are pushing each other to work harder!

The Ledesma familiy was baptized and confirmed this weekend and I’m sending some photos of that event. It was a cool experience. 

I love what I’m doing and I love and miss you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Christmas Call Home

Transfer to Roca

This was a great week! President told us to take P-day today because transfers are on Monday and we will be traveling to Roca. The best part of this move out of the mission office is that I am going to have a really good friend as a companion, Elder Moser. We arrived in the office together about a year ago and spent six months here in Neuquén before I left the first time. 

We are going to be the zone leaders and we have some fantastic missionaries that we'll be working with this transfer. I am pumped to see what we can achieve as a companionship. With the help of the Lord I know that great things are about to happen! (This is an inspired transfer.) 

I was thinking about what I could share about these past six weeks, things that I've learned and that I have been able to improve upon. I feel a greater love for people and I believe that’s something the Lord is continually blessing me with. It has been a big focus in our district this transfer. 

We saw it the other day while we taught Maxi. It seemed like it was going to be impossible to begin teaching him because he was always sitting outside of his house on the curb. Finally I feel like we did what the Savior would do for people he loved, and we just sat down with him right on the curb. The spirit came and we were able to share a good message. He’s now reading the scriptures and keeps coming to church, and he has a baptismal date for December 22nd. 

I have also learned a lot about making mistakes, and that it is okay to make them. Everyday we start over, every day gives us that new chance to make things right. Jesus Christ atoned for a reason. I have also realized that this life is part of one eternal round. It was super weird being here in Neuquén again doing things that I hadn’t done for what I thought was a long time, but after a week or two it was like I had never left. When I finish my mission it will be like I never left home. Someday when we are with God again, I imagine myself saying, “it’s like I never left!” 

I love what I am doing. There’s a fire in me and a lot of excitement for the work and love for the Lord. Pray for Elder Moser and me and all of the missionaries in our zone.

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Successful Days

Dear family and friends,

This week was great, really busy but we are working hard and getting things done.

We found a new investigator this week! His name is Luis. He was a reference from a member family, and he has asked all of the right questions. His youngest daughter passed away a few years ago and so he says that he is angry with God, but when we passed by the other day he was really interested in talking to us. We are going back today visit with him. 

On Thursday two people from the church in Buenos Aires came to do the periodic “check up” of all of the immigration paperwork we do. In the next two weeks about 60 missionaries will come to Neuquén to finish their paperwork before leaving the mission. There’s a lot to coordinate and I think I will be in the office until then. After that I should be assigned to a new area right before Christmas!

I am really happy here. The more I’m here the more I learn about Jesus Christ and His atonement. It’s easy to think at the beginning of a mission that you can do everything perfectly, but you can’t. I believe that I am helpless without the Lord. I can’t start a new day unless I feel like I can start fresh all over again, and that is what the Savior provides for me. 

Christmas is coming up but it doesn’t feel like Christmas. It must be because it is heating up here. I am really excited to talk to everyone at home on Christmas day. 

I hope that you all have a great week. Something president says a lot that I like is that we shouldn’t just have good days, but we should have SUCCESSFUL days. 

I love everyone!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Happy Thanksgiving

Dear family and friends, 

We did celebrate thanksgiving in the mission home! President brought up the idea out of the blue and really wanted to do a dinner, so we did it! 

I am sending some photos this week from a service project we did, and one where my companion and I got to talk on the radio. There's a hermano here that has a radio station. 

Everything we do here is service but this week I got to do two moves. On Friday I went with Elder Espinosa and Elder Jensen to take everything out of a pension that was closed. On Saturday morning with Elder Tarone someone stopped us on the street (a member family from Rosario that had just moved in that day), and they asked if we could help them unload everything. Of course we did and there were six elders helping that made moving everything go by a lot faster.

Things are going well in the mission field. My companion and I are getting along very well and that's one of the most important things to serving. We just work and there are no questions. We both know what we need to do and do it.

We continue to work with two kids named Maxi and Lucas and another man named Alberto. He really likes talking to us but we still haven't been able to find him when his whole family is home and our goal is to teach everyone! We are also seeing a lot of success from contacts and working with the members. God puts people in our path!

I hope you all have an excellent week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Checking In

Dear family and friends,

I had a very busy week and it was great! Elder Tarone and I did work in immigrations and the police station every morning and everything went smoothly. We have also been able to "get our hands dirty!" I think the latest we left the office was at 6:00 p.m. so every day we had a good amount of time to be in the area serving the people. We are working with a few people that I met while here before, two kids named Maxi and Lucas and a couple named Javier and Teresa, but we have not seen a lot of progress.

Maxi and Lucas come to church every now and then, and Javier and Teresa travel a lot for work. One of our goals this week is to find new teaching opportunities. Through contacting, members and doing everything and anything we can in the streets, we want to find those that are ready to listen to what we believe about Jesus Christ.  

Yesterday was an particularly interesting Sunday. Argentina had national elections and we were told to stay inside the pension after lunch. I studied and listened to parts of two talks from this last general conference that really stood out to me. The first one was President Monson and I still have the words in my head "he is the light that shines in the darkness." The other one (I don't remember who gave it), but he talks about improving our lives and continually progressing. If we ask the spirit what we can improve upon he will tell us. 

I thought of the two talks at the same time and how they are related. What do I lack to be more like Christ? What can I do to have the light of Christ at all times?

I am enjoying myself and I continue to learn every day. Heavenly Father shows me that the best way to be happy is to forget about myself and focus on others. The key is doing it with real intent. I should be leaving the mission office again at the end of this transfer on December 15th and where I'm headed I have no idea!

I love everyone and hope you all have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Loving Neuquén

Dear family and friends,

This was a great week, saw some cool things and I am enjoying everything about Neuquén. 'No se pierde ningun esfuerzo' is kind of like saying nothing that we do is done in vain, that's something I saw this week. 

I believe it was in May during the first time I served in the mission office that we had an open house in Neuquén, and Elder Thompson and I found a guy walking outside the church named Orlando. I wrote about what happened in one of my letters. It was a cool experience meeting him, but sad at the end because we never found where he lived and he had no phone. I thought we'd never find him again, but this week we did! A lady called us and asked for a visit because she had some questions about what we do as missionaries, and Orlando was with her! I later found out that the sisters in our ward are teaching him. He is slowly progressing. 

That experience this week showed me that you never know what will happen. I've also been able to talk to a new member named Pablo since I've been back. He was baptized in January and is progressing a lot! He's blessing the sacrament and everything. 

There was a message that I really liked in church yesterday, it was given by Hermana Marta who came back to church last year and has done a 180 since returning. She talked about her process in coming back. She tried everything spiritual. Chinese and classical music, spiritual programs, etc. In the end she said that nothing did for her what the gospel does, what the Savior does. I had that feeling this week, the overwhelming feeling to just try and be like Jesus Christ, to do what he did and follow him. That's more important that anything else I will do in my life. 

I am enjoying working with Elder Tarone. We get along along great! He is one cool guy and he reminds me of Coleton Paolacci so you can imagine how happy I am! He's picking up everything I am teaching him, and we are getting out everyday at 5:00 p.m. to teach! We actually have appointments today with a few families we found last week. Working in the office this second time has been better since I know what I'm doing. 

My Spanish is really good at this point in the mission. Now it's a matter of speaking it all the time which is hard when you have an English speaking companion. Spanish is something that I will always study after the mission because there is always room to improve your speaking and writing skills. Just like English! 

Have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

PS the photo is me with Elder Draught who finished his mission and came back to visit. He was companions with Elder Supelano, my second companion.

Training in the Mission Office

Dear family and friends,

This was another great week in the Neuquén Mission! Elder Tarone who is my new companion, and I am training for these next few weeks, arrived in the mission office on Thursday. He's quickly picking up on his responsibilities in the office, and the best part is that he wants to learn the job.

We have already been to immigrations and the police station which is a big part of his job when new missionaries arrive and when they need to renew their papers. We have also had a lot of time to be out doing normal missionary work. We are just getting everything in our area up and running because it was a "white wash" (when two new missionaries come into an area at the same time). So we don't know anyone, but we did have some great contacts this week. 

The Lord really does prepare us for the things we do. If we put our faith in Him, and take the right actions, He will help us. That's what we saw and felt this week every time we left the office or the apartment. We weren't sure what to do, but we took the first step with faith and everything worked out. The past few months since I left the office have been crazy, but I am learning a ton and I am very happy to be doing what is expected of me. 

I love everyone and hope you all have a successful week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Return to the Mission Office

Dear family and friends,

I am no longer in Esquel! I left Friday morning for a special assignment in the mission office in Neuquén. President Casariego had been talking to me about the possibility of coming back and Tuesday he called to confirm my return. I will be in the office for at least six weeks to train another elder as the new mission secretary. His name is Elder Tarone from Las Vegas. 

I'm excited to be here, but it was a little strange to come back, especially on Sunday and to see all of the members from the last time I was here. I do have a good feeling about returning and for the first few days that I've been back I've been organizing things and familiarizing myself again with all of the secretary responsibilities. Elder Tarone will be here on Thursday to begin training. 

One of my goals this time in the office is to be strict about being out in the area talking to people by 5:00 p.m. every day. Even if there are things we haven't finished in the office we're going to get out and talk to people about Jesus Christ. That is president's goal for the office missionaries and we are going to make it happen!

My time in Esquel was fantastic. I learned a lot (as always), and had a great companion in Elder Motzkus. We worked hard and he helped me to really enjoy what we do. We left the area well prepared for the next companionship. 

Other news in the office is that Elder Wessell is one of the new assistants to President Casariego, so we will be seeing each other quite often. Also, Elder Espinoza from the University of Arizona is one of the new office elders, and he'll be one of my many companions while I'm here. It's way cool to be here with him. It doesn't feel quite real that we came all of the way from Tucson to be in the same mission in Argentina, but we did! 

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic and successful week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Anything is Possible

Dear family and friends,

This was another great week. It went by fast and we were able to do a lot of service with members and investigators!

One of the people we worked with is named Luis. His girlfriend is a member, and every time we have gone to his house it has been hard to talk to him about the gospel. We asked after a dinner we had with them if he needed help with anything, and he said we could help him move some bricks. 

We prayed a lot that during or after the service that we could somehow teach a lesson–and it happened! After working with him we talked about his family and he really opened up. Little by little he is going to change. They have plans to be married in December and that is step one!

President Casariego came to Esquel this weekend for a Zone Conference, it was awesome. We talked about our missionary purpose and why it's so important. The Gospel isn't just something that will afford us better lives, rather it is what will bring salvation to all men. It really changes how I look at people and what I say to them. 

He also did something that he always does which is made me think of the impossible and how I can achieve it. I can't express how valuable that is, that someone says we can achieve anything if we put our minds to it and if we trust in the Lord. Those are two things he has put into practice his whole life and its brought him success. 

The day before the conference he took Elder Motzkus and me out to lunch. It was cool to see him in a casual setting. He was cracking jokes the whole time and he asked us about what we will do after our missions. I also asked Hermana Casariego if they have a blog, she said no, but the do have a page on Facebook!

Search for: Presidente y Hermana Casariego Misión Argentina Neuquén and  you'll find it.

I love both everyone! 

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Just a Quick Note

This will be quick since I don't have a lot of time to write today. This was a great week and one of the fastest of the mission so far. 

As I have mentioned before, we have a focus to serve the members so that we have more trust and more people to teach, and almost every day this week we did some sort of service. One day we went to Trevelin, a small town south of Esquel to work on a farm. It was a lot of fun and we got to work with a big tractor. 

I'm happy and I continue to learn to love the people here, and I'm convinced that its the most important part of missionary work. Yesterday was Mother's Day in Argentina so Mom, asi que feliz día, le amo!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Focusing on Teaching

Dear family and friends,

Things are going great. We are half way done with this transfer, each one lasts 6 weeks, and today is day one of week four. Our big focus this transfer is 1) teach lessons and 2) work with the members. We've had some great opportunities to do both this week!

In Zapala I worked an area that had very little missionary work happening. There were two investigators, a family and not a lot more. We did a lot of contacting in the street and I learned a great deal. Specifically, I learned how to have quick, short, and effective conversations. 

Now that we've changed our focus to teaching lessons we feel like the Lord is giving us what we want, solid people that want to progress. Our number one for now is a woman who wants the Gospel to change her life and strengthen her kids. She accepted a Book of Mormon and is reading it!

One day this week we taught four lessons and two of them with members present. (I had never done that before!) This week we gave bread and cookies to three families to reach out to them. We're just starting to provide this type of small service and it's working. I continue to learn that love for people is key to success. That's true in missionary work and in life.

Everyone have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

General Conference

Dear family and friends,

This was a good week and there was no better way to end it than watching general conference. It was just what I needed to keep everything going. I loved President Monson's talk. It brought me to tears what he said about the Savior, "He is the light that shines in the darkness." There's nothing more true than that. I want to be close to that light. 

I've been reading a letter my dad gave me right before I left on my mission. In it he said "to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to be simple and to tell people that he came here he died here and we can live with him again." I've been putting it into practice and it makes a difference!

I believe that it's a combination of those simple truths, and the spirit of the Holy Ghost that really have an impact on people. In a lot of contacts this week with my companion we strongly said things like "we don't worship Joseph smith" and "we don't have to have faith in Joseph Smith. We only worship and have faith in Christ. It was sweet! 

I did an exchange this week with one of our district leaders who is from Paraguay. It was an interesting experience because he seemed unmotivated and wasn't feeling well. I felt like I could do two things: be really strict and tell him we needed to get going, or be really helpful and compassionate towards him. I chose to really help him. 

I cleaned his apartment and we had a really good conversation, I asked him why he came on a mission and what he hopes to accomplish in the short time he has left (he leaves in January). We had a great day afterwards teaching two good lessons with members from the branch present. It drove home a point to me that you cannot really help someone until you love them. 

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Checking In

Dear family and friends,

Things are going great here and Esquel is a really cool place. There are a lot of people in the area which I like and they are all really receptive; however, there are only 12 missionaries in the zone, but everyone is ready and willing to work. Of the 12 here, three of us came from Zapala and that was an interesting change from the last transfer.

I am stoked for general conference. We are going to watch it here in the chapel of Esquel. We are a district, three branches and two church buildings, and I think everyone from the district is coming to the building I attend. I feel like there will be a Latino apostle called!

This week went well and I am getting used to the area. We met a recent convert who was just baptized but was mad about some incident that happened. He didn't want to listen to our message but calmed down after receiving a blessing. We also found an old investigator that used to  come out to church quite often. It was amazing to see how well they were received by the members of the branch. 

I had to travel quite a bit this week for a leadership meeting we had in Neuquén, but finally we can get to work here!

I love everyone and hope you all have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Transfer to Esquel

I left Zapala yesterday and am now serving in Esquel which is located south of Bariloche. In fact, Esquel is the southern most area in our mission, which is why I couldn't email anyone yesterday. I traveled for 14 hours just to get here and it is beautiful. I'll take some pictures this week of the pension and the area.

We had interviews on Friday with President Carariego and he told me that I was leaving Zapala. Now that I'm here I am ready to get going! I have great confidence in the southern part of the mission. It's where I first served and I don't listen when others say it's a hard area and no one is receptive. My companion is Elder Motzkus from Salt Lake City and he reminds me of Steve Goaslind.  

In Zapala we didn't see the 25 baptisms we had set as a goal, but I saw changes in me, in the way I work, and the love that I have for people. My last night in Zapala we had a family home evening with a part member family. They told us they are finally going to be married!

I am pumped to be here. Wish me luck and pray for my success. For this transfer we have set a goal for 12 people to gain a conversion, 12 baptisms and 12 people who become temple worthy.

I love everyone!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Inviting People to Come Unto Christ

Dear family and friends,

I realize more and more every day that my purpose is to invite. If we are doing all we can to be more effective and dedicated in the way we invite people to do things that will bring them closer to Christ. That really is all we can do, and I can be happy with my efforts! The other week we found an awesome family, Israel, Yamila (dad and mom) and Solam their daughter. They are progressing little by little and I'm excited to see what happens with them.

I am hoping for some warmer weather but I don't believe it will be here in Zapala. The weather changes out of nowhere. Last week we had some beautiful days! We left the pension in short sleeve shirts and were like that all day. Three days later I left the pension with all of the clothes I had it was so cold. We had a meeting in the stake center here one night and to make it to the meeting alive we ran for a few minutes to warm ourselves up! 

This week we really saw the importance of going out with ward members to our appointments. There are not a lot of members willing to do it here, but this week we went with a  member who is coming back to church  again and she made our lesson excellent. It was with a young family who keeps all of the invitations we give them to read and pray, but they haven't come to church. Our member missionary told the family about what we do and how they were going to enjoy it. Now I believe it is key to have an Argentine with you when teaching Argentines. It just makes all of the difference. I can speak the language perfectly, but there's something about having someone from the same city when you teach.

Time is going by fast and I will be home before I know it. I am trying to stay as focused as I can, sometimes that's the biggest battle I face–what am I going to focus on?! Things always go better when I focus on the work. I believe this is my last week in Zapala but you never know for sure until you get a phone call. We have transfers this Saturday so that's when we find out. I am working hard and I am trying to stay dedicated. Elder Rosas is one of the best companions I have been with here. He came to do paperwork in Neuquén a few times while I was in the office and we always got along well. When he arrived in this area became good friends. He's a great missionary.

Well I love everyone and hope you all have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Elder Teixeira Visit

Saludos de Zapala!

This week was great. On Wednesday morning nine of the 12 zones in the mission went to Neuquén to listen to Elder Teixeira who is a general authority. It's always fun and a bit weird to go to Neuquén for me. We were in the stake center and I spent quite a bit of time there for zone conferences and other meetings while working in the office. 

Elder Teixeira told us he speaks 7 languages, but Spanish is not one of them. He's still learning and spoke a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese. The interesting thing was that everyone understood what he was saying. I suppose that's the spirit!

Two big questions that we have had as a mission lately are 1) How can we baptize and 2) How can we have greater support from the members? In a meeting we had with the zone leaders and sister leaders we asked Elder Teixeira both questions. 

In response to the first he said 1) it's easy fill up the font and find someone with the priesthood willing to perform the ordinance. In response to the second he said 2) members are busy and you can't expect to always have their support. Basically he showed us that in order to see the fruits we want, we need to do two things. We need to do everything by the spirit, and talk with everyone we meet. I'd say that summarizes his message in one sentence. 

So this week we did what he suggested and it went really well. For the week we had 104 street contacts, and I think every single one was a different experience. We listened to the spirit and had some great conversations about the gospel. Two of the 104 are new investigators who are really interested, and there are about eight more that we still need to visit who want to learn more.

I feel great right now! I realized this week that my purpose is not about baptism, it's about conversion. I'm here to help someone gain a testimony of the Savior, a conviction of Christ. Baptism is only a small part of that. 

I love all of you!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Being Bold

Dear family and friends,

Our mission president shared a talk with us that explained why we should be bold in inviting people to be baptized. I believe it was called "The Vision to Baptize," or something like that. It basically says that there are two ways to go about helping someone come unto Christ through the ordinance of baptism. You can 1) teach them everything and then invite, or 2) present them the idea of receiving a remission of sins and having all blessings of the Holy Ghost forever in their lives, and then go about teaching the remainder of the Gospel. In other words, help them catch the vision on the front end.

Sunday in a Ward Counsel we talked about this the new focus we have as a mission regarding being bold, and the whole country of Argentina, along with Uruguay and Paraguay, had a special missionary conference. Elder Cook and Elder Hales talked along with other local leaders in the broadcast basically saying "missionary work needs to get going here!"

In the first chapter of Preach My Gospel it talks about things that a successful missionary experiences. Even if I had no baptisms, I know that I am doing things the right way. I feel successful and I know I am dedicated. Overall the motive for spreading the message of Jesus Christ has got to be love. That's an insight I shared in our Ward Counsel yesterday, and its something I've come to realize little by little on the mission. Love for the Lord and fellow man. I have seen some missionaries that don't have it, and I honestly think they return home having missed out on that key aspect of missionary work. 

A general authority is coming to visit us this week so the whole zone, and mission is traveling to Neuquén except the missionaries down south in Bariloche, Esquel and San Martin. I'll take a lot of pictures and let everyone know how it goes. 

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Checking In

Dear family and friends,

This was a great week that flew by as they always do. We have had a lot of success in finding new people and teaching them the first discussion. It is hard to get people's attention and I feel like it's just part of the culture here to say "I don't have time." It is something I wish I could change but I can't, we've got to do it little by little.

President Casariego promised us that every time we tell the story of the first vision the spirit will be present, and that's what we have been doing. I think this week I related it at least 25 times! They are the same words each time, but it's a different experience for every time I do it. 

Yesterday about an hour before church we went to look for people (something I love doing here). There are a lot of families that have kids and other members who haven't been baptized yet, and we went to see ALL of them before the meetings started. None of them came out to church, but i know they will show up someday! It's fun to search for people because I learn a little more about myself and how the Savior feels about each of us. 

In sacrament meeting I wanted to feel something special or have some type of personal revelation. I saw myself in the future, with the same habits and desires that I have now as a missionary. A desire to find those that are lost and bring them back to the church. It made me realize that I will always be a missionary for Jesus Christ.

I love you all and I hope this is a fantastic week for everyone. Cristo es la razon y el amor es el motivo!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

It's Snowing

Dear family and friends,

This was a really productive week in the Zapala Zone. Elder Rosas and me are working hard, and we have decided that we can baptize 25 people before the next transfer. We have the faith to do it, and are trying to show it through our actions every moment of the day. 

On Friday we had our leadership counsel meeting. Our mission president has the vision to baptize and that’s the focus now. Not less actives or new converts. We are trying to leave those tasks to the members and focus on finding new investigators. Today I am working with Elder Sanchez from Mexico. We arrived the same day to the mission so it’s good to see him again.

A challenge we have lately is getting into peoples houses, but we aren’t letting that stop us. I think that this week we taught the restoration more than 10 times, but each time in the street or right outside someone’s house.

More than anything we are trying to change our own mentality and believe that things are going to improve in the mission. We don’t want it to be the hard, tough mission that everyone says it is, but the people are not what will change that, it is us.

I really miss the heat of Arizona. Most likely because this week was COLD! It snowed on Wednesday. I’m reminded again how happy I was for the boots mom and I bought before leaving for the MTC. It will be exciting to finish this winter and have another summer. It is much easier to wake up in the morning with heat than with cold!

Thank you for all your prayers and letters. Please pray that we will find the chosen ones, ones ready to make covenants.

I Love everyone,

Elder Kauffman aka Jack