Week 1 Argentina!

First off, I hate foreign keyboards. Well, at least for trying to send emails in English. Anyway. I made it here! It only took 1 train ride (1 hour), 2 bus rides (9 hours), and 3 flights (17ish hours), and lots of layover time, and I am in the town of San Martín de Los Andes. (Yes, you can go google map it now.) It is awesome here! I would describe it as a mix of the following: Springville/Mapleton, the kind of town you would find in Montanta and Yellowstone, Park City, and poverty. It rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is super beautiful here, and very cold. It is still Winter here, but it should start to inch into Spring shortly. My companion is Elder Godoy, and he is from El Salvador. He doesn´t really speak much English, but I am teaching him, as he teaches me Spanish. There is another set of Elders in the city with us, and they are Elder Castillo, and Elder Child (the District Leader). They are all super awesome, and are doing a lot to help me catch onto everything. So far we have placed a few Book of Mormons, invited some people to church, and taught several messages about the restored Gospel. It is really hard for me to share with people, when my Spanish is so weak, but through Christ and the Holy Ghost, I have been able to share the things that I have needed to share. Yesterday, we were eating lunch with a family after church, and they had a non-member friend there with them. We talked a lot about religion in general, and at the end of the time, it came my time to share a scripture. I had originally had a certain scripture in mind, but the Spirit told me it wasn´t the right one. I quickly searched my Book of Mormon, and stopped on Alma 37: 36-37. I said a quick, silent prayer for confirmation that this was the correct scripture, and the Spirit confirmed it to me. I shared it, and it was exactly what the man needed to hear in order to be willing to accept a Book of Mormon, to learn more about our religion. Awesome! :) I love the Gospel! It is definitely not easy to be a missionary, but as said by Elder Holland, "Salvation isn{t cheap." I am headed to go play soccer! Hopefully I won´t fail! :) I love you all, and hope you are all doing well, no matter where you are! The church is true; if you don´t yet know that, ask God and He will tell you. Stay strong!

Con Amor,

Elder Thurman  

Last week in MTC!

So there we were. Helping the Senior Missionaries unload their things, and taking their bags to their rooms. (It was actually super cool, because only two districts a week get chosen to do this!) As we were doing this, some Elders came running with excitement! They informed us that they had just received their Visas for Argentina! Of course, me and my companion knew that we would surely not have the same luck they did; nevertheless, we decided to go look into the little hole in the mailbox, anyway. As we approached, it looked as though the box was very full. As I peered inside, I saw a stack of travel plans; ten to be exact. There are ten people in my district. My companion and I made a run for our district leader, and explained the situation! He wouldn't believe us, because we had already received papers that said we were going to get reassignments on Thursday. We finally convinced him to check, and he came and opened the box. As he slowly, and hypnotically handed out the flight plans, we all broke into a mix of cheers, laughs, tears, and excitement! And we all lived happily ever after. :)

...Anyway! Thanks to all of you that have written to me and emailed me while I have been here in the CCM! It really has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I am definitely going to miss a lot of the things from here, but I am anxious to get out and share my testimony with the people in Argentina! :) I have been coughing all week, but I don't really care! :) The Spirit is too strong here, to get down too much. All of you out there, preparing to enter here, study hard, and have faith. :) Yo sé que La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Útlimos Días es verdadera. Yo sé que José Smith fue un Profeta. Yo sé que El Libro De Mormon es la palabra de Dios. Yo sé que Jesu es el Cristo y nuestro Salvador. Yo sé que soy un misionero. En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen.

Week 4 email from MTC!

The time in the MTC makes absolutely no sense... A day is like 72 hours long, and a week is like 4 seconds long. Crazy stuff! Well, I am 12 days (hopefully) from shipping out to a reassigned mission, but the district ahead of me got delayed an extra week, so we will see what happens! I want you all to know that I know, without a doubt, that this is the true church on the earth. It has been restored by Joseph Smith, a true prophet, called in latter days. Our church runs in the order that it did in the times of Christ, and he is still the head of that church today. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. All of its teachings are meant for us to study and apply in our lives. The sacred ordinances in the temple are true and essential. Missionary work is ordained by God, and is important for the gathering of Israel. Yo sé que estas cosas son verdad, en el nombre de Jesucristo, amen. :) I know that I have been called at the time and to the place that I am needed. Thank you all so much for your letters, packages, emails, and prayers. I miss you all, but I wouldn't give up what I am doing for anything! Be safe! Write me! I will write you back!!! :) 

Elder Thurman

Week 3 email from MTC!

Hello world!!!

 

Short on time today, but I just want to say thanks to all of you who have done so much for me in order to get me to this point! You have all been so great in my life, and I'm glad to know all of you!!! Thanks to everyone who has written me, or sent me a package! It can really turn a hard day into one of the best days :) This week has been great, and I really feel as though the Spanish is coming along quite well. In about half an hour, my district is going to clean the Provo temple, and we are all very excited about that! My companion and I are getting along great, and we are learing a lot about working with others well (all my teachers keep saying having a companion is just preperation for being married.) I love the Gospel, and I love this work! Only 19 more days here, and then I am getting shipped somewhere until I recieve my visa! (cross your fingers for somewhere cool like New york or Florida!) A mark I want you all to go make in your scriptures is connecting the last verse in 2 Nephi to 1 Nephi 3:7. Basically shows how dedicated and obedient Nephi was his whole live! Love the Book of Mormon and PMG! Everyone read both, A LOT, before you come in! Be safe!

 

Your loving friend,

 

Elder Thurman

Week 2 MTC

Hola mi amigos y familia!

 

El CCM es mui dificil, pero mui importante y Esperitual. Someone tell me if that sentence made sense! I miss you all and hope everything is going great for you in each of your individual lives! I love being a mission, and learning so much from the Spirit and from the great Elderes y Hermanas around me! If any of you young men, or couples are thinking about serving a mission, and can, DO IT! IT IS LIKE THE GREATEST THING EVER! :) The work is rolling faster and faster, and many of the prophecies in the scriptures are coming true, or are approaching quickly! Come help hasten the work! Anyway. This week has been a great one! I definitely had moments were it was extremely hard, but I was able to be lifted by the Spirit, and by the Expiacion del Salvador, Jesucristo. We always seem to focus mainly on the fact that the Atonement covers the sin of all man, which is very important because it is the only way to endure to the end; nevertheless, we must always seek to remember that it also covers our afflictions, sadnesses, and hardships. He can and will lift us, if we have faith in his ability to do so. We had a new district come in yesterday, and they are in an intermidiate class, so they are already pretty great. Definitely gonna try and get some help from them! It is crazy how time works here en el CCM! Our district has come to the conclusion that it works like this: Every day feels like two days, but every week feels like one day. Crazy stuff! I want more people to write letters to, so if you could maybe shoot me a letter sometime this week, I will send one back next Thursday! Anyone hasve any questions for me? Let me know and I will answer them for everyone, next week. Some advice to anyone is getting prepared to leave, do the following: READ THE ENTIRE PREACH MY GOSPEL (you will not regret it), If you are speaking a language, don't feel as though you need to try and learn everything before you get here! Just work your hardest, and trust in el Senor! And lastly, try and study for as much time as you can before you get here; it will really help you adjust to all the study time you have. I love you all, and pray that you will all be safe! Please send me letters so that I can look super popular to all my district everyday! ;) La Iglesia es verdadera! Adios!

 

Elder Thurman

Week 1 Email from MTC

Hello everyone!!! I miss all of you! Hope everything is going great for all of you! Thanks to all of you that have sent me letters! and to all of you that haven't... well I'll forgive eventually! ;) The work of the Lord is moving along with great speed! All of the missionaries here having such an amazing spirit and glow about them. I know this force is going to change the course of la tierra! See what I did there? Yeah, I know some Espanol, no big deal. ;) Learning Spanish is one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I know if I stick with with, it will be one of the gr eatest gifts and blessings of my entire life! I have learned so much about the Savior, and who he really is, and it has made me want to help others come unto him even more than I did before! The true character of Christ is to turn outward, instead of inward. Always! We have to push away the natural man who is only concered with himself, and focus on all of our brothers and sisters who need help. Yo se que la Iglesia de Jesucrist de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias es verdaera! Jesucristo es el Salvador y Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial! En el nombre de Jesucristo, amen. Love you all! Send me letters! It helps keep me positive :)