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