News Letter...

Dear Family,

Well, this is going to be really short. I ask for forgiveness now.

We had a baptism at 8 o’clock Saturday morning, which went well (yay for waking up at 5) we are expecting two baptisms this weekend. We also have stake conference. I am finding real joy working with and through the members. Things are just doing great. Love you all! Love,

Elder Michael C. Watson
Misión Argentina Buenos Aires Norte


(P.S. Mike spent a lot of his time this morning scheduling his classes for winter semester at BYU).

Elder Quintana Transferred

Elder Lane & Elder Watson

Hey all!

This week has literally been crazy. I know I said it's been busy lately. But this week was absolutely crazy. Monday went well. Tuesday was a bit different. We had weekly planning and then went to go do service - when I get a call from the assistants telling me that Elder Quintana has to be in the Mission Home ASAP. So we run back to the house and throw everything in the suitcases and off he went. Emergency transfers are quite fun. Anyways, so now I am only with Elder Lane.

Last week was just a blur. Trying to see everybody and help everybody get to church. We literally had so many things to do with no time to do it. Thursday we had set up an appointment with the Stake President and President Gulbrandsen came. But the Stake President didn't show up. So it turned to an hour lesson with President Gulbrandsen, Elder Lane and I. Wow. Can I say amazing? Sure, we've got quite a bit of changing to do, but President helped me to get a better vision on things and how to be a better leader. He really made a point when he said that he wants us to work with the recent converts and the members on the 5-5-5 program (Do you have this in our ward?). This is really where we've been having success. President went with us to a recent convert family and we had a great lesson. So that was cool. Every second I am with President I am learning something. He is SO AMAZING! :D

Elder Lane and I are getting along pretty well. He likes to be clean! (YES!) and helps out a lot. We've been trying to figure out how to best work the area. Last transfer we just went out and found people and taught. All the people that we found last transfer (that weren´t baptized and aren't progressing) we've dropped. Right now we are making a HUGE map and organizing all of the members, former investigators, and all that jazz. It's gonna be sick. Like 2 meters long... so 7 feet by 3.5? something like that. It's gonna be legit. I'll take pictures of it when I am done.

So you want to hear a miracle? Well, it's not HUGE, but it's big enough for me. We've been teaching a 13-year old and his Dad kinda got a little mad at us for coming by often. So he restricted us to only pass by on Fridays. The kid freaked out a bit of baptism because we showed a lot of urgency to get him into the water. Well, we had a lesson on Friday with his Aunt (an awesome active member who is a PERFECT missionary) and we just took it cool. We read 3 Nephi 27 with him (he didn't read it for homework so we read with them) and explained about the Church and about the doctrine of baptism. Suddenly he clicked and understood the importance of baptism and why we need to get baptized ASAP. So I asked him when he wanted to get baptized and he said next Saturday. That night he asked his Dad for permission and everything is all good! :D :D :D :D His dad is a less active member and his mom isn't a member. The mom is going to the service with various other family members that aren't members. The Dad wants to go back to church, but in his own time period. So we can't do anything about that. But we are going to have an awesome baptism to round out the month. :D

Things are pretty awesome here. We've got some sweet plans for the zone and we are seeing the Lord's kingdom progress here in Zarate. Things are going very well. I love you all and hope everyone is well. Until next Monday! :D

Love,
Elder M. Watson

Short Note

Hola!

Well, I don't have much time today. Being so far from the Mission Offices has really made us short on P-Day. We went to go pick up our new companion Elder Lane. Yes, the same Elder Lane who was in Rio Gallegos and the same who added me on Facebook before the mission. Oh yea!

So Elder Harris and Elder Heath went home. That was sad. And tough. Having not one but two elders just getting close to the end of their missions was pretty hard on Elder Quintana and I. But we had a rocking week still and everything went great. We had a baptism and two confirmations. Things are doing really well.

So that's basically all the time I have today. Love you all and be good! :D

Love,
Elder Watson

Another Week - a ton of stuff!!

Divisions with Baradero

Dear Family,

Well, this week was pretty amazing! I'll let you in on it as I go. :D

Tuesday was District Meeting and Divisions! I went to a city nearby called Campana. We were able to teach a lot and I was able to do a baptismal interview for one of their investigators. The work is about to burst here! The zone Zárate is just so ready! I had a good time with Elder Curbela. I even got to show my cooking skills. :D

Wednesday I went back with McDonalds for Lunch with Elder Harris. We went to work and had a good day. Thursday was a lovely planning session! (It's really hard to stay focused for 4 hours straight with 3 other elders with one of them not wanting to do it at all....... Ugh.) But we split the weekly planning session up into two groups and we were quite productive. Then I left with Elder Heath and went out to work. Friday was a great day. I went with Elder Quintana and taught a lot and got a lot done. Oh... by the way - It rained from Thursday to Saturday. And when it rains here, it pours. And that makes riding bikes fun - especially when you're going through the mud. Friday, we shot over to find an investigator who lives on the OTHER side of town --- with lots of mud in between. Apart from sliding in the mud on bikes, one happens to lose control and eats it. Yea... I fell. But I didn't get too dirty. It was funny - afterwards. You can ask Elder Quintana.

Saturday we had a baptism! Micaela's mom got baptized. Afterwards, we visited with an investigator that can get baptized at ANY moment. We just need to help him gain his testimony again. Then we went to Campana again for another baptismal interview and we helped them with the baptism due to the fact that not many people showed up. We got back and visited with another couple that we are working with (the boyfriend has been inactive for 6 years). They went to general conference and we watched the restoration with them and we got down on our knees and prayed. She received her answer! How cool! We left committing them both to go to church and they said they would.

Sunday was an interesting day. Elder Harris woke up with a big fever and body aches and so I volunteered to stay home with him. Just to say right now - what torture for a missionary to be inside ALL DAY LONG. I about died. I studied in the morning, watched a talk by Elder Holland on our DVD player we got from the mission and Legacy. I also cleaned and organized and paced a bit. I read a couple letters and listened to a tape I received. But being stuck inside all day long is not a good thing. AT ALL. I think if I ever stay inside a house all day long again I will go crazy! Haha. But now he's better and so we are all good.  But we also had Micaela´s dad baptized and Micaela and Claudia (her mom) got confirmed. It was a good day even though there were only two going out and about.

We played soccer again! :D Tomorrow Elder Heath and Harris have to go to the mission home for their going home interviews ---- they have a LARGE group so President is getting ahead on that. That's weird. People go home from the mission? This is the first time I have been with someone that goes home and luckily we have SO much work there is no time for them to be trunky. This transfer has been very very fast. But very good as well.

Well, that is about it. Thanks for all that you do! If you can, can you make most of my classes in the morning and before 2? I just focus way better on books and stuff in the morning. Thanks!

Love you all! Be good!

Elder Watson

Conferencia General!

Elders Watson, Harris, Heath, and Quintana

Dear Family,

What a week! Time flies by so fast now! It is UNFAIR!

We did divisions this week. We brought Elder Caon to our area Tuesday and Wednesday (One day with Elder Harris and one day with me.  Elder Heath went to Baradero). That was a good experience.

I lost my voice this week... It's still in the process of coming back. But Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were bad... like it hurt to talk. But now everything is good. :D This week we prepared a zone baptism---- 4 people! :D We had one baptism, Micaela, while the sisters in Zarate II baptized a Father and Daughter and the Elders in Lima (not Peru) baptized a little girl of a part-member family. That was an adventure and a half. Talk about complicated. We did not prepare very well but in the end, it all came out well.

Conference was AMAZING! I love conference sooooo much! I think it goes by so quickly because I am writing the whole time! Haha. I loved Elder Callister's talk as well as Elder Scott's. Basically they were all inspired and amazing!

Well, we played soccer today (is there a surprise? :D) but this time on an Astroturf field. We paid 20 pesos each to play on the field for an hour and a half or so. That was nice. :D

Micaela's parents are getting baptized this weekend so that is awesome. We are really doing some great work, enough to keep the four of us VERY busy. :D I am loving every minute of it.

BTW - Mom, if you can get a weight class in, that would be WONDERFUL! My legs are getting much more pumped, but overall I am out of shape. I am definitely going to have to go running and play lots of sports when I get home. It's just not fair when there are so many good sweet things! Alafajors.....Lots of stuff. :D

Anyways say hi to everyone for me. Mom, can you say hi to the Vera Family for me?

Love,

Elder Watson