Elder Bednar

Dear family and friends,

Elder Bednar came to Buenos Aires this week and on Tuesday he spoke to all missionaries in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. He talked about so many things and I don't recall every topic. I just remember the things I learned. That's what he instructed us to do when the meeting began. He told us not to write down anything but just pay attention to the spirit, then write down those impressions. 

I learned that everyone is their own agent. These past few weeks have been rough for me because we are looking for new people to teach and it hasn't been easy. I have wondered time and time again "why is it so hard?" I was looking at everything the wrong way. I should have had a better attitude no matter what our results. If someone doesn't accept our message then another person will. That's the way it is in the mission. 

I also learned that I need to be more content with my efforts. This month we had no baptisms, but that doesn't mean I'm  a failure. We have spoken to many less active members, some of whom were past stake presidents and bishops that have not opened their doors to anyone for years. I realized that its all the same work. Baptize, reactivate, and retain. 

I love and miss everyone and hope you all have a good week too. 

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Time is Flying

Dear family and friends,

Thanks for the letters. We had an interesting week here. A lot of work. Like I've written the last few weeks we need new people to teach, and it has been really hard to find them. It's harder than I thought, but I'm not losing faith. We're getting out there everyday and feel that the Lord is guiding us. I had a few cool experiences this week. 

We did exchanges with two elders in the zone. I went out to work with Elder Molina from Costa Rica who is a really cool guy. We were in one of the farther neighborhoods in my area and we contacted a house that I had wanted to visit before but never did. We met a young man named Santiago who is 18 years old. We had a good discussion and I'm excited to see him again.

Another cool thing that happened to us this week was being the first missionaries to talk to certain people in our area. We talked with a group of four young people all around our age on Friday. They said that they had seen us in the past and wondered what we do and why we are here. We were able to make a good impression and I know they understood what we taught them. The spirit was telling them that it was something positive.

We had a really good service project that same day for a lady in the ward, Hermana Rosa. It was the third and final time we went to pull weeds in her front lawn.

Time is passing by quickly! Elder Carroll got here a month ago and it feels like it was yesterday. I love everyone and love what I'm doing. It's not easy but its worth it. 

Have an excellent week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Checking In

Dear family and friends,

This was a great week and I feel like I grew a lot. My morning studies are becoming sacred. They teach me and give me motivation and revelation for the area and the people we are teaching.

Sometimes I feel like I try to take everything that needs to be done upon my own shoulders, and if something good is going to happen I've got to do everything. I read D&C Section 14 and it really helped me and the last three verses are key. It says that Jesus Christ is going to do his work, and that the rest (us), are called to help. Taught me again that we work and God works miracles. 

Something I focused on this week is following the spirit in everything we do. We need investigators right now and actually found one in a really strange, but inspired way. We were out walking and saw someone that I thought was a kid named Jonathon. As we approached him and shook his hand I realized it actually was NOT him.  

It could have been an uncomfortable experience, but instead of feeling awkward we told him and his dad a little bit about what we do as missionaries. Yesterday we taught him and he was really receptive! Wet taught all of the first lesson (which is not typical because it can be a large lesson), but we kept teaching until we finished because he was understanding everything and wanted to hear more!

Elder Carroll and I are getting along really well and I got lucky again with a companion that pushes me to be better! The more I work the more I come to love the people that surround me. Not everyone is super interested, but if we keep looking we always find people who wonder what we are doing here and that want to learn more. 

This morning we did a deep cleaning of our pension. On our patio there were a lot of old boxes that I knew needed to be thrown out, but I haven't wanted to touch them fearing what was behind and underneath them! I finally got myself to do it and I found a lot of spiders. A neighbor from above started laughing when he saw us jumping up and down killing bugs. Pero bueno!

Attitude is everything. That came to my mind (again) this week. When it seems like there is nothing to do, or no one to teach, we must trust in the Lord that things will work out!

Have a great week everyone!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Buenos dias!

Dear family and friends, 

Thank you for the emails, I enjoy them as always!

This week was busy. We went to Villa Regina on Tuesday for zone conference and then Neuquén for leadership counsel. 

We are focusing on working with members in our ward, not just more, a lot more! As far as investigators go we are struggling, but this week is going to be better. More people to teach will be found! Vanessa, the mom we were teaching has a lot of interest, but it's hard for her to attend church. She has not been progressing and we will probably have to stop popping by and visiting.

We had an excellent fast and testimony meeting yesterday. The first counselor in our ward, Brother Esteche, talked about the importance of keeping the goodness of the gospel alive. 

He used a phrase I liked, he said "as if it were the first time." He was referring to the fact that every time he hears the message of the First Vision, or hears someone explain the Atonement, he tries to remember what he felt the first time he heard it, as if it were the first time. He was baptized in Buenos Aires when he was a teenager and the gospel changed everything for him.

I want to have this same attitude the rest of my mission. This week I feel like I made some things too complicated. In reality, I should do what I did when I started, trust in the Lord and just serve as best I can. 

I love you all and hope you have an excellent week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Primero de febrero 2016

Querida familia, 

Thank you for writing me! Its good to hear from everyone. 

Megan I do, and at the same time do not, believe that you are 18. I hope that it was a great birthday and I too wish I could have been there! 

Cameron that's sweet, Disney World!? I liked the pictures. Looks like you had a blast. Finish strong at ASU. 

Connor the cold sounds nice right now haha. Its hot here and my arms will forever be brown thanks to the city of Roca. 

Chris I had a super weird dream last night. I got back to my pension here in Roca and couldn't find my companion, but found you sitting at my desk. Super real! Glad everything is going well at the academy, keep it up. I am ready to finish my mission strong, and I am doing it.

Kaylee I just had a haircut before coming to write. Pretty decent cut and price, but you will always be the jefa!

This week has been interesting. We have been looking a lot for two new apartments for missionaries in the zone and just finally found them! We did the move in for two sisters that are new in the ward this morning. We found a nice place and its safe and cheap.

This morning when we went to get their furniture and fridge fell on me that I was carrying down the stairs! I received just a small cut, but Elder Carroll was telling me afterwards that it was a good story to write home about!.

The other pension will be ready tomorrow for the new elders that will live and work in Cervantes (that's where I spent a lot of my time last during the last transfer). The elders that will be moving in have been staying in our pension this week. Elder Barrios and Elder Baldovino, two Argentines. It's been fun being with them this week.

As far as investigators go we have been having daily contact with a girl named Vanessa. Her husbands name is Javier who doesn't have much interest in what we are teaching, but he does likes talking with us. Vanessa is awesome and we saw a lot of progress this week. She started reading the pamphlets and feels a peace that she has never felt before. It confirms to me that the gospel has no time limit. It can change people in an instant!

We have also been working a lot with less active families. In the training we had I believe they actually said that less active families are gold mines and it's true! We have a lot of part member families in our zone and we can provide service for almost all of them. This week we need to follow up and see how we can help.

This week I had a cool experience. I started studying scriptures that talk about God's family, a phrase I read very simply as that we are are sons and daughters of god, and we are all brothers and sisters. it changed the way I approached things this week. In lessons that I taught I feel like I was better able to express my love for for the Savior and the those in the room.  People I had never seen before looked familiar, and i wanted to talk to them more. 

Prayer means more and more to me. I read a talk that we should be grateful for people who know how to pray. People who ask God for what they need and have compete faith that they will receive it. I want to be that kind of person and little by little I amgetting there. 

Mom and dad I love you both. I am excited to be in the last stretch of my mission, but I need everyone to keep pushing me! Good things are happening here in our zone. Tomorrow we have zone conference and on Wednesday we travel to the mission home for leadership counsel. Excited to see what they have to say! 

I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack