Getting Ready For Our New Mission President

Hey!

Sorry I haven’t emailed a long letter in a while... Things have been pretty hectic. Our new apartment is pretty far from everything (not like David and his 30 min walk to his area) But it’s getting there... Oh well. At least it is a nice apartment. As soon as I get a card reader, I want to send a whole bunch of pictures. As well as this, can you look through the album Michelle gave me and help me remember what I am supposed to take pictures of? I would be glad with any help I can get. ;)

Anyways, last week we had our last interview with President Argyle because Wednesday is his last transfer. He is a man of God, called by a prophet to help us in this work. We have truly been instructed and helped by him and I don’t want him to go... But I am excited for our new mission president as well. At our interviews we received our mail. I received the box of flat sheets and peanut butter and a lot of letters. :D Some of the other Elders were giving me a bad time because I got a lot from Michelle, but I like reading so it’s good. :D I also received one from Alexis, Cybil, and a couple from Joanna. I don’t want to leave anyone out but thank you so much for writing me!!! :D  I will be getting to those as soon as possible... I still have to respond to letters from the last transfer.... I think I am pretty bad at this whole writing letters thing... But I will probably be a pro by the end of my mission. ;)

So I was reading through the dear Elders I got and I read about the time you [mom and dad] went to the Argentina restaurant. Mom - the black sausage is an acquired taste, even for the people here. I bought an Argentina Jersey, #10, Messi... It was 10 dollars. :D

Congrats to Bryan! :D :D I am glad the week and everything went well, including the drive. :D If you could send me a ballot that would be great. :D I have no idea what’s going on in the US except for what I get in letters, but I would like to vote. :D

Elder Raymond - Yes!!!! His companion was Elder Healey. Elder Charles es un CAPO! He is so awesome. :D I really enjoyed my week with him!  And we also know the same person at BYU, Ethan Watts... Pretty crazy.

Also there is an Elder from Neuquen in my zone as District Leader. His name is Elder Diez and says he went on splits with Alex Cahan... If I understood right. Anyways, I thought that was pretty cool. :D

Anyways, I have to write my letter to the President and we have to get going... There’s never enough time on P-Day.... :( Oh well. Necesito aprovechar que tiempo que tengo!  Say Hi to everyone for me and that I love them.  Thank you for all you guys do for me and I will see you all really soon! (If time keeps flying by like this! :p)

CON MUCHO AMOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Michael C. Watson

Where does the time go?

Hey!

I don’t have a lot of time today. Like thirty seconds... But things are great here! We are working hard to find new investigators and progress with the ones we have. I testify that this work is of God and that I am seeing many miracles in the lives of the people here in Argentina. Also the Book of Mormon is the word of God and was written for us. We can apply every chapter to our lives. I testify that as you read the Book of Mormon you can feel the Holy Ghost and know for a surety that the Book of Mormon is true and that the Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church and that by and through the restored priesthood we can receive the necessary ordinances and blessings to live with our Heavenly Father again and with our Families for Eternity! I love you all and please keep praying and studying the scriptures. As we do this, Heavenly Father will bless us in more ways than we can imagine! Stay safe and be good! :D

Love,

Elder Watson

New Companion, Same Area

Hey All!!!

This week I don’t have much time to type... Today was transfers and that took a while to put everything in order. As well, we moved to a new apartment... I am no longer in an apartment with three other missionaries but an apartment of two with my new Companion Elder Paz. He is from Peru and is our new district leader here in Villa Adelina. I don’t know much about him yet, but as we move along I am sure I will have more to tell you about him. Elder Garay is now a Zone Leader and a District Leader in a Zone that is way north called Zarate. I am very grateful to have had him as my companion and he has helped me to become a better person, missionary and servant of the Lord.

I can’t wait for Zone Conference next week. :D Hopefully I will have some packages waiting for me! ;) With Peanut Butter! ;D Lol...I want to tell you all that I know that this church is true and that you can find out for yourself by reading the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon has the answers to our souls and as you read it, you will find the answers Heavenly Father wants to give you. He loves you and wants you to have peace and happiness in this life.

I love you all and can’t wait to hear from you!

Love!!!
Elder Watson

It's Raining, It's Pouring!

¡Hola! ¿Cómo andan?

Esta semana fue muy bien! Tuvimos un bautismo y fue de Diez. Este hombre, Alfredo, esta dispuesto para hacer que el Señor le manda y realmente tiene un gran testimonio del Evangelio de Jesucristo. Yo puedo ver los cambios en su vida al Alfredo leyó, estudió, oró y cumplió con los compromisos nosotros dejamos. El Evangelio de Jesucristo tiene cinco pasos por medio de podemos ser salvos en el Reino de Dios con nuestras familias para siempre jamás Primero es la Fe en Jesucristo. Necesitamos creer que Él es el Hijo de Dios y que Él dio su vida para nosotros. Su sufrimiento en el Jardín de Getsemane y en la cruz nos permite para arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados. Al nosotros reconcimos nuestros pecados, sentimos culpa para ellos, pedimos perdon de Dios y nuestros semejantes, y dejamos de hacer el pecado, podamos ser limpio de nuestros pecados. Despues arrepentimiento es el bautismo por la propia autoridad de Dios. Esta autoridad fue restorado por medio del profeta Jose Smith y este poder se llama el Sacerdocio. Solomente La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santo de Los Ultímos Días tiene este autoridad y poder de Dios. Despues bautismo es el recepción del Espíritu Santo. Recibimos el Espíritu Santo por el mismo poder cuando somos confirmados en  La Verdedera Iglesia de Jesucristo. Despues este necesitamos perserverar hasta el fin por siguiendo aumentar nuestra fe y arrepentir de nuestros pecados. Al hicimos esto, vamos a ser salvo en el Reino de Dios.

Wow... It is so much easier just to talk in Spanish…  :D Anyways, we had a good week. Our investigator, Alfredo was baptized and confirmed which was really awesome. We also had President Argyle in our branch to teach the third hour. Everyone was together and we had a question and answer session. La verdad, fue de Diez! It was really awesome. I love listening to him teach and I have had many special opportunities to hear from President Argyle. He doesn’t visit with every missionary’s investigators and go to their ward’s to teach. It really has been a blessing to having so many opportunities early on in my mission to listen and learn from my Mission President. He is truly called of God and has the Power and Authority as a Disciple of Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel here in Buenos Aires Argentina. It is a treat to hear him speak.

It was raining really hard yesterday! I guess there is a lot more rain to come. The Relief Society President said that we haven’t had as much rain as we should have by now. I guess I will get used to water filled streets! Lol.

Thank you for your letters! I look forward to them with anticipation. And in two weeks hopefully I will get a whole bunch of letters! :D And maybe some packages. ;)

Well, I have run out of ideas of what to say. I hope all is well at home and that you are great!

Con muchísimo amor!

Elder Michael C. Watson

Intercambios means - Splits

Buenos Dias Padres y mi Hermano!

¿Cómo andan? Estoy muy bien! La obra aca en Villa Adelina es muy buenisimo! :D

So on Tuesday I had the opportunity to listen to my Mission President teach. La verdad, fue amazing! Everything he tells us to do, he does. And he follows the steps of Preach My Gospel as well! Really, it was a great experience to sit and listen to him. We got to share our testimonies, and then we had to leave because we had some appointments to get to. Really, Mission Presidents have the power and authority of God to do the missionary work in their areas. They have the vision of what needs to be done and how to do it. If every missionary were to follow exactly what he says, they will be more blessed in everything they do.

This week also was intercambios. In our mission, intercambios (splits) are longer than a day. They last until the leader and the other missionary baptize someone and the leader feels comfortable with the progress they have made. So this week I have been with Elder Charles, who was in Villa Adelina the transfer before me! He only has three more months in the mission than I have and we have definitely learned loads! He is an awesome missionary and we have had a great time this week. Hopefully I can take what we learned and apply it to the rest of my mission so that I can become a more effective missionary of the Lord! It was great to walk around with another missionary and talk about everything. I also learned the importance of knowing everything that is going on.... It doesn’t help if your companion has information you need and he is in another place. That wasn’t really a problem for us, but I definitely had it confirmed that both companions should write things down and talk about everything.

I want to tell you that faith is such an important aspect in our lives… Faith is what drives us to action and we can receive MUCHO fuerza to follow the commandments and do what the Lord would have us do. It takes a lot of work on our part, but that is what is required to receive personal inspiration and blessings. When we do our part, we can expect the Lord to do His part. All blessings really are predicated on the laws and commandments of God. Also, we need to have hope! If we do not have hope, faith is nothing. We need to hope that the world will be a better place through our actions, our lives will be better and blessed if we follow the commandments, and that in general we can be happy and have joy as we follow the commandments. To have this faith we must read the scriptures daily, pray to our Heavenly Father for strength and the gifts of faith and hope, go to all three hours of the TRUE CHURCH of Jesus Christ, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and obey the commandments. As we do this I can promise that we will see the hand of the Lord in our lives and can experience and see many miracles. Miracles still happen today and they are a result of our faith. Miracles do not bring faith, faith brings miracles.

I want to tell you that I love you very much and I pray for each of you daily! Stay strong, keep studying, and we will see each other soon!

CON MUCHO AMOR!

Elder Michael C. Watson

Happy Belated Mother's Day

Hola a todos!!!

¿Como estan? Todo esta bien acá en Argentina! :D Being a missionary is so awesome! I am learning so much from my studies, from my companion, and from the people!

I would like to bear my testimony that I know this Church is true. I know it to be true through the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is evidence that God does talk to His Children today. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in the year 1820. By the power of God, Joseph Smith was able to translate the Book of Mormon. Por medio de el Libro de Mormón, (Through the Book of Mormon) I know that families can be together forever, that the same Church that Jesus Christ established when he was on the Earth is now restored on the Earth as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and that we have a living prophet on the Earth that has been called by God to help us keep the commandments and avoid sin. You can know the same for yourselves. All you have to do is read a little bit of the Book of Mormon, kneel down and ask sincerely in prayer that if the Book of Mormon is true. I testify that you will feel the Holy Ghost as described in Galatians 4 (I think): peace, comfort, tranquility and happiness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings peace and happiness into our lives. We can live together with our families after this life through the restored ordinances and by proper authority. I encourage everybody to read the introduction to the Book of Mormon and to pray about the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon answers so many of the questions of our souls. As you read, I can promise that you will find answers to the questions you have, whether they are questions you think about or not. As you do this, you will feel the Holy Ghost and the feelings it will bring. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins and we can be forgiven of all our sins through repentance and baptism. This work is amazing and you can feel the joy, comfort and happiness I feel if you read the Book of Mormon, pray to our Heavenly Father and talk to the missionaries.

It is such a blessing to serve the Lord. I can see every day the blessings the Lord has for all of His children, including me. It is great to have access to the Atonement of Jesus Christ and be cleansed of the sin and the resulting guilt we feel. We can´t be perfect, but every day we can repent and progress a little bit more.

Thank you to all that have helped me to get to this point. I will be forever grateful for the many lessons I have learned. And again, I am way behind in my letter writing, so I will get back to all who have written to me as soon as possible. Love you all, and I pray that God will be with you until we meet again.

Love,

Elder Michael C. Watson

He Received His Package!

Dear Parents,

So here´s the low down. I will be awaiting your call at 6:30 my time. I am pretty sure that is around 2:30 your time. Hopefully that will give enough time for Dad to get home from meetings and such.

Wow, you have a lot of courage sticking a kitten with Flash! ;) I hope all turns out well and that they can find homes!

Thank you so much for the package!!!!!!! I received one package that had my ties and my deodorant, toothpaste and POP-TARTS!!!! :D Super excited. :D I also received a LOT of letters, so it will take some time to answer everybody. I am already a bit behind, so I will probably have to keep them really short. Thanks to everybody who wrote me and I will try to get back to them asap!

This week we had Zone Conference, which was absolutely amazing! I felt like it was just for me! It was really great. Now I need to take everything I learned and apply it to myself and change and become a better person and missionary. There´s always something for us to change and do better. We just need to follow through with our decisions (I forgot how to spell that.. and no, not t-h-a-t... ;) ) and work for our salvation. We cannot sit back and wait for the Lord to answer our prayers. We need to work for our blessings. Like it says in D&C 131:20-21, all of our blessings are according to our obedience. I really need to work to change and not just ask to be changed.

This week was good. We found a couple new people and a former investigator. As long as we do our part, we can find the Lord´s chosen and help them to come unto Christ. The mission is difficult, but I can already see the blessings from it in my life.

Well, that´s all I can think for this week. I hope all is well at home and that everybody is doing well.

Love,

Elder Watson