Week #82: que lo tiró

Yooooo!! Well yesterday we received pretty crazy news that well be getting sent home within 2 weeks and were all kinda shook right now with that! So many emotions and thoughts and feelings running through all of our minds and it kinda doesnt feel too real yet. But every single missionary will get sent home in my mission and those with less than 18 months will be reassigned to state-side missions after a few weeks, but since I now have about 20 months, Ill be released when I get home! So crazy to think all of a sudden my mission will just be over. Its a bitter sweet feeling, as we are all super excited to be home and see our families and everything, but we also won't have a lot of the experiences that most missionaries have when they end their missions. But we all know that God has His plan for each of us and we just gotta trust that He knows better than all of us! Love you all and excited to see everybody real soon! Stay safe! Chau. 

-elder shoemaker

Week #81: EL FIN DEL MUNDO

Yooo everybody! Wow what a crazy week with everything! Last week there was some chatter about the Corona Virus, but it wasn't a big deal at all, but now it's like the world is gonna end any day now!!

It's so cool to see, at the same time, all the members work together to make sure everyone was able to partake of the sacrament and receive the spiritual nourishment that they need. We were able to participate in a few "home sacrament meetings" and it was honestly a very comforting feeling. Even if we can't congregate in our churches, we will continue to progress and renew our covenants with God.

 This has reminded me how important the Priesthood really is in our day. Our Prophet holds this Priesthood and has the keys to guide and direct the Church of Christ in these Latter Days! Our prophet and apostles have been preparing us for these days for many years! Thankfully we've all been prepared and instructed on how to be self sufficient in these times, with a worthy priesthood holder in the house, we can continue taking the sacrament and have the true authority of God right inside our homes.  

Im not over reacting to this outbreak of the Corona Virus haha...Im sure it will pass by with time, but it really is just another sign of the times that should motivate us to repent and prepare ourselves and our families for what is to come. I hope everyone stays safe! Please pray for the missionaries, that we can still find people to teach with how complicated it is going to be! Love you all!

Week #80: ¡ME VOY!

Wowww what is up everybody!? It has been such an awesome week! On Saturday we received our transfers from President Dunford and it looks like I'll be leaving Argentina. It was so awesome to work in this part of our mission and serve in another country for 3 months. I had two awesome companions, and got to meet tons of people. Honestly I learned so much while Ive been here! 

Tonight Ill be heading for my new area down in the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo!! I'm super excited for this transfer because its very likely my last area of my mission, and I have never served in the capital and that was my dream! Ill be companions with an Elder Daley! He's leaving the Argentina zone with me right now, so Ive been able to get to know him the past 3 months and were gonna have a blast as comps! Really, I couldn't have asked for a better transfer! But, with every transfer, you always have to tell a lot of people goodbye! 

My whole time here in ARG, we had been visiting a less active family, helping them get back into the church, and their two kids have a baptismal service planned for this coming Saturday. Leo and Sheila are some of the biggest studs Ive met! They are 9 and 11 years old. They have loved going to church with their parents and reading the Book of Mormon! I have especially become buddies with Leo, and it wasn't easy explaining to him I had to leave and couldn't stay for his baptism. Leo is a little bit of a cry baby, so that made it even worse haha...but his baptism is gonna go great and Im so excited for him and his family! The mom was also very sad that I wasn't gonna be there for the baptisms. She said she hates getting close to the missionaries because they come and change your life and just become some of your best friends...and then before you know it, they have to leave and its rare to ever see them again honestly. 

I told her as missionaries we feel the exact same way. We are asked to give all our time and attention to these people and do everything in our power to help them in their lives, and then we have to leave them so soon! Sometimes people feel like its not fair, but I guess thats just how God wanted it to be! The mission is the greatest thing that could ever happen to a young person! This gospel is true and its the healing power of Christ's Atonement that changes these peoples lives! I'd invite everyone to access this power to receive more joy in their lives! CHAU!

Braxton and his buddy Leo! 

Braxton saying goodbye to many of his good friends in Argentina! 

 A little Paintball fun on his last Pday in Argentina! 

Week #79: Thee Elder Moreira

Yo yo yo yo everybody! Whats crackalackin?! Man it was a good week! We were able to just work and not stress about other miscellaneous stuff! Here in Argentina we haven't had much time to go out and just find new people to teach, but this week helped us get back on our feet a little! 

Elder Holder and I did some splits with some of the elders in our zone and it was a blast, like always. We also finally got an AC unit in our house!! Its the first time Ive had AC in my mission! (: So yall already know it was a memorable week...:) 

This week during some of our splits, I was working with and Elder Moreria from Ecuador. He just barley got to the mission about a month ago, but already is a super mature and awesome missionary. He's a little older than me, and has gone through a lot in his life. We were just clapping at some doors and trying to contact for awhile, and we had a woman come out of one of the houses and she was super receptive and told us about a lot of the trials she's had in her life. Her husband died 3 years ago, and just 4 months ago her daughter died. She said she believed in God, but that she didn't "have faith like us". She said many missionaries from various churches had talked to her and told her she needed to have more faith and just trust God that all would work out for her good, and that she always had tried to develop more faith, but she just had too many unanswered questions and doubts about it all 

Elder Moreira told her it wasn't a question of her faith, rather it was a question of her understanding and knowledge of Gods plan for her. He started going off teaching her and I felt like for a minute he was teaching me too! I think we often beat ourselves up for not having enough faith because we don't understand everything perfectly, but often times, it doesn't have much to do with just our pure belief in God, but rather our understanding of Him and His character. As we study the scriptures more and seek the answers to our questions, our faith will improve because we understand who God really is and we get to know Him better!!