Early Mornings and Late Nights

Dear family and friends,

It takes so much effort to run a mission. President and Hermana Lovell never stop working, and this week we had some late nights in the office but we had fun. I love Elder and Hermana Arnoundin who serve here with the Lovells. They are like our grandparents and are always asking if we have everything we need. 

We had a meeting last Tuesday with President Lovell where all of the transfers were presented (which was very cool), and we learned who the new mission president would be later this year. He is from Uruguay and will arrive in June. I don’t know that I will work in the office then, but this will be a big change for everyone. 

President Lovell also told us that soon the amount of missionaries would drop significantly from 250 now to approximately 170 in the near future. He told us new missions are opening, and the big jump in missionaries we saw from the age change is slowly receding.

My Final Zone Conference in San Carlos de Bariloche

This was a week with a lot of early mornings and late nights. Every day at eight we went to the police station to do “tramites.” I have no idea how it translates, but it’s basically a process that every missionary needs to go through in order to legally reside in Argentina. I remember doing it when I arrived here, but I never thought I would be doing it for others. I had to do a lot of translating, and a lot of waiting, but I know I was serving! It really is cool what I get to do. I’m seeing how this country works in some aspects because I spend a lot of time in the department of immigrations, police stations and different banks.

Argentina is a special place. I feel adapted to the country and really confident managing and getting around. I know this time is going to help me in the future when I encounter new situations and new places. One of my cool experiences with the people in immigrations this week was that I bought them all facturas (which are like donuts) to thank them for all the work they do for us. It helps the paperwork we submit move along faster, but it was also an opportunity to do something nice. 

On Monday a new missionary came from his area to do his documentation paperwork and we had to wait a LONG time to get it done. So we just talked. I felt the spirit tell me that I was helping by telling him that he doesn't have to worry while on a mission. He just needs to keep moving forward and trust that everything will work out. That’s something I have done and expect to keep experiencing. I believe when he left to go back to his area he felt more confident and comfort. 

I’m not teaching a lot now but I continue to try and give service by doing small things like washing dishes, cleaning and most importantly thinking of what Christ would do in a particular situation, and then doing it. There have been many stressful moments this week, but I’m seeing how the Lord stretches me to I grow. Whenever it gets too crazy I go to the bathroom and pray. I know the Lord knows what I feel. I need him.

I mentioned last week that I have thought a lot about personal goals for this year, and one of them is that I want people to feel the Savior's love through me. I’m not perfect, but I am really going to try to do this.

I love everyone and have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Happy New Year!

Feliz ano a todos!

This was an exciting week with the New Year and it was cool to learn what they do here in Argentina to celebrate. If I had to pick one tradition that’s done to bring in the New Year it would be: to eat! Earlier in the week some of President Lovell’s family flew into the country including a few grand kids. On New Year’s Eve we had what’s called an ´asado.´ Basically its a barbecue but with a lot of meat. Elder Arnoundin from Buenos Aires is a great chef and made almost all of the meat. It was a good time and everyone enjoyed it. 

For a few days here we had no water, not just in our apartment, but also all along the street where we live. There was also no water or electricity in the mission home. I talked with the plumber who came to see what he could do and he told me it’s always this way at the end of the year. It was kind of annoying but it just made me laugh. 

Two scriptures affected me this week. Mosiah 26:30 was one of my strong motivations for coming on a mission, to know that we can be forgiven in this life for our errors. The other is D&C 112:10-11. I love the line that says the Lord knows our hearts. We struggle and we make mistakes, but the Lord knows we are trying.

As I’ve mentioned we don’t have a lot of time to work our area. When we do I am trying to focus on the people that I know and help them as much as I can. We have an investigator that has been talking to missionaries for a while and I feel like I have a really special connection with him. He has some mental issues, and it’s hard for him to interact with people, but I want to help him. He wants to be baptized on the 31st of this month. He told us he has a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and that Jesus Christ is his Savior. I’ve never heard anyone say that to me on my mission so far! I am going to do everything I can to make sure he meets his goal. Pray for him please!

I have been doing a lot of thinking as this New Year comes in about who I want to be, and what I want to become this year as a missionary. So far I know that I want to be willing to give all of myself to the Lord. This week I found myself in two or three exchanges, where I left the office because elders in the zone needed something from the office, but their companions had appointments elsewhere. It was a little disconcerting to be in lessons where I didn’t know the person being taught, but it felt good knowing that I was helping out in some way. One of my goals is to feel that way always, knowing that no matter what I do, inside or outside the office, I am serving others. 

Finally, I am feeling comfortable in the office now that I am helping fellow missionaries with their needs. It is different than teaching, but service just the same. I like asking elders and hermanas how their areas are and if they need anything special when they call the office. I only expect to be here until May of this year, but we will see. 

I love everyone and I hope this is a great week for you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

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