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

Changes in the Mission

Dear Family and friends,

Every week since I left the office I'm more excited to be working in Zapala. We are seeing more changes in the mission and President Casariego is showing us that anything is possible if we are committed and recognize the Lord's hand in everything. 

He came to Zapala on Wednesday to speak to us. He talked about his own mission experience, and how everyone was content to just be in the mission, content with the current circumstances. He was not and he really changed things, baptizing wherever he went.

Ever since I arrived in the mission a big focus has been less active members, the wards here are used to us doing reactivation work, and working with recent converts. President Casariego has shifted our emphasis to finding, teaching, and baptizing!

I know it might sound weird or impossible or strange, but I really have the vision that this can happen. I honestly believe that 20 people in my area can be baptized at the end of this new transfer. Me and my companion will need a lot of prayers and all of the help the Lord can offer but we are so ready. 

This last week in one day we had four baptismal invitations in the street. We would show the person an image of Christ being baptized, teach the restoration in 5 minutes, and then boom, le gustaria ser bautizado como se bautizo jesucristo? Would you like to be baptized like Jesus was? People say yes right then and there. Our new focus is finding. Find any way we can is the goal, but not just anyone, the select. People ready to join the church. 

Elder Garcia left this morning for Cinco Saltos, a small town near Neuquén, and my new companion is going to be Elder Rosas from Santiago, Chile. I am really excited to work with him. This will be the first time I have a companion that has less time in the mission field than me. I feel that these transfers are inspired because Elder Rosas was just in Zapala three months ago. It's very rare that a missionary return to a city, so it has to be for a special reason. 

It's pretty cold here but all of the members say that in September it should warm up again. I am used to the cold and the wind now, whatever comes will come. Two nights ago it was really foggy in the upper part of our area, kind of cool!

I feel great with the changes we are going to have here. I feel full of faith and firm with the knowledge that we will be able to accomplish anything as we trust in the Lord and follow his spirit. There will be more pictures of us in white to come.

I love everyone and have a great week!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Zone Baptisms

Muy buenos dias! 

Things are going great here, and although I don't remember a lot from the week there, were many good things that stood out to me. 

Three investigators of the hermanas were baptized this week. Our zone is seeing some great things happen and has now baptized for three weeks in a row. This is something I have not seen anywhere else in the mission in the last year. I don't know exactly how or why its happening–but it is.

We are working with a lot of less active families in the ward and it was awesome to see about 7 people in church who had not attended for a long time. I bore my testimony and it was a good experience for me. I realized afterwards that my first Sunday, my very first in Argentina, I bore my testimony as well. Knowing a lot less Spanish and having a lot less confidence in myself but somehow I did it. 

I know that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is fully sustaining. These past 8 weeks have been a roller coaster. I am learning about the power of prayer and the importance of trusting in the Lord in order to make things happen. Such cool things are happening in the zone, not so much in my own area, but we are working hard. I am convinced that its because the Lord loves us, and He makes us strong when we show that we are available and willing to work for Him.

If there is a central theme to my mission up until this point it is faith and the power it has.

I decided this week that I want to work with languages after the mission. I have fallen in love with Spanish and I want to speak it as much as I can. I also had a vivid but strange dream that I learned German; I want to start learning it after the mission. 

I still have not purchased a new coat, but I don't think I will be need it now. I have become acclimated to the colder weather and the wind is not blowing as strong now.

Transfers are this week so well see if anything changes with my companion. Anything can happen. 

Tell everyone that I love them and that I would love to hear from them.

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Great Week

It was a hard but great week. I had to spend some time in the pension because my companion was sick. There is nothing worse than that for a missionary because you can't leave your companion unless you do divisions with other elders.

Nevertheless while confined I really studied my patriarchal blessing. Something new I realized is that it says much, if not all, of the happiness in my life will be a result of applying the principles of the gospel. I thought it was interesting the first time I read it, but then realized that it says it over four or five times. So this week I thought a lot about that and studied the first principles of the Gospel.

Things are going well in the zone. This past weekend there were SIX baptisms. Our companionship did not have one, but it was awesome to see the others taking place. We have one scheduled for this weekend and are hoping that everything goes well and that it actually happens this time.

My patriarchal blessing also talks about the burden and blessing of needing to be an example, and that is what I am learning as a zone leader. There are a lot of rules as a missionary and its hard to keep them all, impossible to be honest, but I'm just trying to be an example more than anything. Something I have learned is that if a leader does something that shouldn't be done, the rest of the zone (for the most part) will follow. So I am trying to do my best to be obedient, and know WHY I do it. If there's no motive it makes no sense. Christ is the overall motive.

Yesterday in church a brother who is a recent convert shared a thought he had while we talked about the plan of salvation. He said in effect that he doesn't believe this life is our life. He thinks we are here trying to gain the life we had before back. We are working so that we can live with God again. I think that that's true. Obviously we need to focus on what we do here and strive for excellence, but in reality its just a phase of our existence. I imagine that when we finish it will be like waking up from a dream. 

President Casariego has brought a new "groove" to the mission. He is pumped to be here and his energy and faith are contagious. We can drink Coca Cola now! I think I've only had it two or three times since then, but a lot of missionaries were excited for that change.

I am happy. I love doing this and even though things are a little hard right now in terms of investigators and new people to teach I know I am successful missionary. I imagine I will be in Zapala until November or December and before I leave Zapala is going to explode with missionary success.

I love everyone!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Weather is Changing

The weather is crazy here, a lot of wind and it really cooled down this week! Something I think I might but in these next coming weeks is another jacket. I have a few that people left in my pension from Neuquén that are not quite enough to keep me warm. The big one I have is more for snow. I just need something thick and not quite as long.

Our baptism did not go through this weekend... Kind of broke my heart to be honest. The boy is only nine but really wants to do it and this week we really made an effort to talk to his mom about moving forward. She told us that he can't be baptized now because he is not being obedient in his home. We need to seriously pray for him this week so that things can work themselves out. He has another date scheduled for August 1st and I have faith it will happen this time.

I realized this week why there are so many members who do not come out to church. After talking to another member they agreed and it finally clicked with me that the home and visiting teaching programs almost don't exist. After thinking about it more and more I am realizing it is key. It frustrates me, but at the same time motivates me. We have some good plans to go out and look for those who don't come. Our ward should, or could have 150 people easy, but this week we only had 56.

We had a cool activity with all of the youth in the Zapala stake this past week. 80 kids came from San Martin de los Andes, Cutral co, Plaza and here! They assigned 6 or 7 kids to each missionary and then we went out to contact. I was beyond nervous because I didn't know if they would be really excited to contact with me, but they loved it and I did almost no talking! I just took the initiative to say good morning, get some small chat in, and then they would bear their testimony. At the end of the activity a lot said they want to serve missions!

Jesus Christ is the most important influence we have. I've been watching Special Witnesses of Christ and wondering why so much money and effort would be put into a production like that. The answer is obvious but the more I think about it the more my love for the Savior grows.

Have a great week and I love you all!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Changes in the Mission

This has been a crazy week in the mission field, probably one of the most hectic that I have had apart from the ones we had in the office.

On Tuesday we traveled to Neuquén for our first leadership counsel with President Casariego. We arrived a little late but we made it just in time to start the meeting. President Casariego must have been studying everyones mission photos because right when I walked in he gave me a big hug and said "Elder Kauffman we've been waiting for you." 

No one will be able to replace the Lovell's, but the mission is very blessed to have the Casariego's take their place. We talked a lot about faith and something woke up inside of me when President Casariego spoke to us. He talked about having the attitude to believe that EVERY area and EVERY companionship can baptize every week if we have faith in Jesus Christ. 

Before the meeting we had been asked to study a talk called "Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ" by Gene R. Cook. Its one that ive studied a lot on the mission. It has a story of an Uruguayan missionary that did not listen to what others said about the difficulties baptizing investigators, and in 25 days he had 18 baptisms in Paraguay. Everyone should read the talk! In the last hour of our meeting we discussed what we liked and learned from it, and at the end we learned that the missionary who had all of that success is President Casariego!

Since that meeting I've been working a lot harder, not trying to only give of myself physically, but spiritually too. The last thing president said to us was to work with all of our soul and that's stuck with me. We are really trying to animate the zone and the leaders in the ward so that the level of faith we have increases. 

The half way mark of my mission hit me the other day. Yesterday a youth from our ward gave his farewell talk and he leaves for Lima today. As he was speaking I realized it had been a year ago that I gave my own farewell talk. The time continues to go by quickly. I was in the office for 7 months and now it feels like it never happened. 

Ismael is going to be baptized that Saturday and I will be sure to take a lot of pictures. Pray for the (MAN), Mision Argentina Neuquén. I love everyone and I hope you have a great week. I am well. It is really cold here and it snowed yesterday right before church!

un abrazo!

Elder Kauffman aka Jack

Zapala Update

It was a good week here and it went by pretty fast. I thought about everyone on the 4th of July and missed being at home. I don’t think being with my family is something I ever took for granted, but I am going to appreciate being closer when I return. After Jesus Christ, family is the most important thing, period. I see it in every ward here on the mission, the families that are more united are happier. 

On the fourth we ate lunch with a really cool couple in our ward, Guillermo and Laura, they are an excommunicated couple that recently decided to come back to church. They are really special and love to feed us. Guillermo knows some English because he served his mission in Chile, and had some gringo companions. When I walked in to their home he said, “Hey dude, congratulations!” He was referring to American Independence Day and that was my mini celebration of the holiday.

It was very cool to hear about that United States women’s victory in the World Cup. On Saturday we had the American cup final, Argentina vs. Chile! We were asked my local leaders to stay inside during the game because it can get really crazy in the streets during matches. So we left at 7:00 p.m. to go to an appointment because we were sure the game would be over. When we started to walk to our appointment we realized how quiet it was outside, and that everyone was still inside watching, so we ran back to the pension! Later we assumed Chile won because we heard no celebration noise that night. At church the next day we confirmed our suspicion. There is a sister missionary in our district from Chile and she could not stop smiling and it made me laugh. Soccer is a big deal here, even just playing in the street everyone wants to win!

I wish you all could be with me for a day here just to see what its like. There is no doubt in my mind that Christ knew I would come to Argentina. I feel something very special with these people, and I can connect with them through the language and my ´forma de ser´ or just by the way I naturally am. As of now, I believe I’ve done some good here, and I am constantly looking for those people that I am missing.

A lot of things make me sad when we work here. When we knock on a door and people just look through the window and shake their head “no” or even yell at us. They don’t know what they are missing out on. Also the shady neighborhoods are difficult to process. I’m used to it now, but I realize how much of a blessing it is to live in the United States.

I had a really positive experience in church yesterday with the sacrament. It means more for me now because I realize how much I need it. Every week I have a lot of worries and things that I need to improve in my life, and taking the sacrament makes me feel like I can do better. I believe that Christ wants us to feel good about ourselves, and I like that. 

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

Elder Kauffman aka Jack