Miracles happening in Rodeo!!

Hello everybody!!!

     Sounds like everybody is doing so good. And another beautiful little boy. Im so excited. Little Shad is a stud, I can already tell. And Dallin, thank you so much for all the pictures of Clay as well. They were way cute! And Dallin, way to go. You are so close to getting back to Logan. You seriously are the man! Jordy, way to put that 3 in and beat Mt View. That is always way fun. I miss those good times, but are having even better times here! Naes, you never told me you could write poetry, you go girl! Tan, your the man. You basically already have your eagle scout. How was Spencers homecoming? I heard he was coming home from Haley. Its crazy he is already done. The time seriously flies by. Jess and I already hit our 10 month mark.  And of course, Arizona continues to impress. What are they now, 20-0 or something like that! So some exciting news, I got two packages last week!! One of grandmas quilt and the other with a bunch of candy, U of A shirt, ties, all that good stuff. Thank you so much, you are all seriously the best!! Your spoiling me over here! Jess, Ryan Bos is in your district? I remember him well from EFY. I kept in good contact with his roommate that year who also went to cdo because we both ran hurdles. But tell Elder Bos hello for me! Momma, im glad i could help a little bit with your semenary lesson. Let me know if I can do anything else to help!

     Well, the time here in Rodeo de la Cruz just gets better and better! This week was just rediculous. Our goal was the usual 20 lessons for the week, but we just had cita after cita and ended up teaching 32!! A huge miracle! Hermana Videlas and her son Roberto are still doing great! We are teaching the lessons to both of them and her daughter as well. All three of them came to church today and we are wanting to put fechas with them this week! Its way exciting to see them actually keeping their commitments of reading and praying! 

     We are also teaching a 19 year old kid named Bryan. He is the boyfriend of a recent convert, and he is doing awesome as well! We taught him about the gospel of Jesus of Christ last week with his girlfriend and her family. they were all testifying the whole time to him and the spirit was so strong. So we now have a fecha with him for the 8 of Feb. So awesome!

     This past week we recieved a reference from bishop for Rocky, another innactive. He had some financial problems about 10 years back where he went to the bishop for help. But the bishop told him he wouldnt help him becuase he hasnt been paying tithing. So after that he leaft the church and hasnt returned since. So we visited him yesterday, but when we got to his house we found him drunk. He invited us in and was super angry with us and was asking us why we were there and why we were missionaries. He kept going on yelling at us and wouldnt give us a chance to talk. But we finally stopped him and simply told him that we were there because we loved him and wanted to help him. After that he just started crying and we sat there for a few minutes as he cried. Finally he started talking again and told us that he knew he needs to change and that he wants to come to church. Before he never returned to the church because he felt nobody wanted him there. During that 10 year gap, nobody came to visit him until Elder Christensen and I passed by. He just felt alone and that his only friend was his dog. But he now knows that he has Elder Christensen and I as friends and even invited us over to eat an asado for his birthday coming up! So we have another cita set up for him for this week.

    Miracles are so real and day doesnt go by here in the mission field without seeing a some kind of miracle. Weather it be somebody stopping us on the street asking for help and knew that we could help them because we have Christs name on our tags, or something as small of finding somebody in there house when usually they wouldnt be there that day. The mission is an amazing experience and truly is and has been the North Star of my life. Thank you all so much for your love, support, packages, letters, and help. Every little thing helps us missionaries keep going in this important work of Lord. I love you all so much and hope you have an amazing week!!

Elder Wengert-W9

¡Rodeo de la Cruz!

Hello from Rodeo,

    Holy cow, I already love this area. We saw so many miracles this week I dont even have enough time to tell you about them all! But sounds like everything is doing great back at home. Tara jo, come on now, im waiting for news on my new nephew!! Dad, where and how did you get to talk to my new mission president? Im pretty excited to meet him, even though he doesnt come until July. It will be sad to see Presidente Ávila leave, he is seriously the greatest guy ever! I loved Eastons letter, a lot of it reminds me of here! Except luckily we are able to drink the water here. But we still some of the nastiest water ever. But hey, when you are soaked in sweat from the heat, just about anything is great to drink! I still havent seen many pictures of Clay, so please if you could I would love to see a few more pictures. I am so glad to hear Teddi is doing so well! 

     Well I am here in Rodeo de la Cruz no serving with Elder Christensen from Washington. He is a sick kid. Has 6 months in the mission and his spanish is pretty dang good for his time. He is way big kid as well. He is 6´4´´ and 27'0 pounds, but of muscle. He did track at BYU before the mission where he threw shotput. The area is way awesome as well. We are teaching one man named Marcelo. He is living with a less active member, but she has really started coming back to church. Marcelo really wants to get baptised but has to get a divorce and then get married. So he is working on that, but it is a little difficult for him because he got in a moto accident about a month ago where he broke his foot and had to have surgery on it. But the surgeons here arent quite like the ones the states haha. He has some screws in his foot that are literally sticking out of his foot like 3 inches. His foot is super swollen and gross right now. But he is doing what he can!

     So yesterday our bishop invited Presidente Ávila to speak in our ward, and it was so awesome! We had 4 of our own investigators there who got to sit down personally with President and talk to him for a bit. But also a huge miracles. 4 members of our ward brought friends to church because of president speaking. So we got to talk to them and set up return appoitments. Such a miracle! 

     Here we starting working what is called the 5/5/5 plan. Where we recieve 15 inactive names from the ward that we visit and we teach them to try to reactivate them but also to recieve references of family members and friends. Finding to teach and teaching to find. Personally my favorite way of finding! So we visited one family, la familia Videlas. So we went to this house and this lady answers and starts chewing us out hard core. Telling us that we are of the devil and get out of there. Earlier Elder Christensen and I decided to strengthen our love for the people. So we just loved this lady and asked her if she was Hermana Videla and if she was a member of the church. She kind of scowled at us saying yes, but now she was catholic. We found out she was baptised 30 years ago but went innactive right after. She still didnt want anything to do with us and asked us to leave. But before we just asked if we could do anything to help her, she just said ´´well actually maybe just a prayer´´. So we sayed a prayer with her and asked if there was anything else we could do and she replied ´´umm I have a lot of health problems. Can you actually give me one of those blessing where you put the hands on the head´´. So we gave her a blessing and you could just see how she changed. We leaft her with an ivitation to church and headed back to the pench that night. Next day at church there was Hermana Videlas sitting in the back row full of the spirit. We went back to her house last night and met her family. She now wants to return to church and we are teaching her 12 year old son Roberto. Just a huge miracle and an example of the Lord touching the heart of a lost child of God!

     Well I hope you all are able to understand my emails. Im kind of jumping around all over the place and my english just continues to get worse. A little embarrassing haha. But Tara, good luck with the baby this week. Im excited for this little guy to come! Dad, I hope Arizona keeps tearing it up!! Who do they have this week? And I like your changed quote!! Not that yours isnt good Mom, Dads is just a little more accurate haha. Thank you all so much for your love and support. Your help continues to change lives in Argentina. I love you all so much!!

Elder Wengert-W9

¡Elder Wengert.....se va!

Hello family!

     Sounds like everybody is doing great at home! Clay sounds like a good looking Wengert!! How are the girls doing with basketball and tan man with all of his sports?! Dad, how did you find out about President Goates? That news is going to make me very popular in the mission! But we still have Presidente Ávila until July. But it will be exciting to have a fellow that in common with him! Skylers letter and pictures were so cool, thank you for forwarding that to me! His mission is so green and so different. And all the elders there are huge. Here we have a few big gringos and a bunch of tiny latins pushing the 5 foot mark haha! Trish and Gordon, thank you so much for the Christmas card and letters. All the kids are getting huge. Braman is tearing it up in high school, Jadee is more like a beautiful young girl rather thanthat little girl I remember, and what happened to Natalie? She is so big now. Doesnt seem like that little Natie bum haha! Gordon, sounds like the buisness is going good and that your doing awesome as the bishop. Way to go Che! Arizona continues to kill it!! I seriously love it! And thanks for keeping me somewhat in the loop Dad, Arizona is really the only team I care about right now! So Will Bennnet is coming here to join me in the promised land?! Thats exciting! When does he report to the mtc? And the Gilbert temple is all finished, I cant wait to see that. And any news on the Tucson Temple? Please take advantage of the temples you have so close. Sounds like are, especially with family history as well. I will get to go one time here in Argentina, but right before catching the plane home in about 14 months haha!

    So yes, we recieved transfer calls yesterday. And I am leaving Alvear to go to Rodeo de la Cruz, right next door to Rodeo del Medio! Seriously, only the highway seperates it! So that will be kind of wierd. But there in Rodeo de la Cruz, I will be serving as the District Leader. So crazy! I really was not expecting that. So im a little nervous for that, so please any extra prayers would be wonderful! Im a little sad about leaving Alvear, especially since Leticia Guidoga is doing so good! She came to church yesterday with her less active Mom, and she continues working and progressing everyday towards hir baptismal date for the 25 of enero. But thats alright, I did my part of teaching and helping her out, now Elder Evans and his new comp will follow through to the 25th!

    Yesterday at church was literally so awesome! Of course we had Leticia and her Mom at church, but we had 6 other innactives at church and one of our less acitves that we have been working with for a while gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting! Oh the joys of missionary work!

     It has gotten a little tough with Patricia. She continues to have the strong desire for baptism, but has kept giving us excuses of why she cant get married yet and has to wait. But we have come to learn that she is having difficulties with her husband again and he doesnt want to get married. Agency is so frustrating at times. I just want to chew this guy out and knock some since into him! But I wont, because im a missionary representing Christ. So I will just figure a way to love him to death or algo asi!

      So one thing we are getting really serious about is family history work. President has asked us to havea pedigree chart with us while working that has from us leading up to all of our great grandparents. I have started mine, but when I traveled here to Argentina my suitcases got wet somehow, and the information that I had got kind of ruined. I can read the names but not the birth and death dates. So if you could send me some of that information, I would be so grateful!!

     Grandmp, thank you so much for the email. Im glad to hear Grandpa is recovering quickly. No worries about the packages, and here in argentina the picture of mary doesnt make a difference. And I will get you a picture of a few houses. The type of houses depends where you are. Here in Alvear, there are houses that would be pretty nice houses in the states, but then there are the houses that are in the middle of nowhere that are just one room and a dirt floor. But even the rich houses you will never find carpet. I truly miss that beautiful invention!

      Jess, you sound like a boss over there in Derby. Talking to everybody you see! Satan throws cars and stuff at you, and that doesnt even stop you. Way to go, keep working hard, dont ever stop! You are the best and I love ya!

      Tara jo, Im excited for another nephew! Good luck with the pregnancy, im hoping to hop on and hear about him next pday in Rodeo de la Cruz! Tj, way to go getting accepted into the MHA program. Your the man! Teddi, your always in my prayers. Everthing will work out alright!

    Well I love you all so much and am so grateful for all of your love and support! Have a great week and I look forward to hearing from you next week!

Elder Wengert-W9      

Argentine Views!

I know this is a lot of pictures, but I havent been able to send them for a while. So this is to make up for it!

¡Christmas!

1. My awesome Christmas/Halloween present haha

2. Christmas night with Elder Evans and Hermano Lucero

¡2014 and Baby Clay!

    Dang, what an exciting email session!! Welcome to the fam baby Clay, and congrats Dallin and Amy. He is such a good lookin baby boy! Dang, im just so happy haha! Amy, I hope you recover quickly! Sounds like everything is great though! Dang, mom nice writing on the bathroom wall. It was a little wierd to see a bathtub as well. I think that tub is probably bigger than our whole bathroom! Tan, sounded like you played awesome in your football game. And what do you think you are doing? Your feet are only 1/2 a size smaller than mine!! ¡Que capo! Sounds like Arizona continues to kill it! Won their bowl game (which bowl game was that?), and Arizona basketball. Holy Cow!!! They sound so impressive! They beat both washington schools so that means they are in Pac-12 play now right? Exciting times, both in the mission world and the sports world haha! Nae Nae, go and kill it on JV. It really helped me a lot!

    Well, we had a great New Years here in Alvear. We spent it with the Familia Franco, a younger couple that have to little kids. They both served missions here in Argentina and Hermano Franco plays professional soccer. Which is a big deal here in Argentina. So we had dinner with them and after had a family home evening about setting goals for the next year. It was way fun!!

     Jess, I think its funny how you were talking about how nobody was outside the next day after New Years, so you didnt have anybody to talk to. But the thing is that is kind of like everyday here in Argentina because of the siesta! So just about nobody outside from 1 to about 6ish. It gets super frustrating. I love Argentina and I love the people, but I would love to change the cultural part of the siesta haha.

     We had such an awesome week. Mom, Leticia isnt able to get baptised this saturday, because she hasnt been able to come to church yet. But she is reading the book of mormon and has a super strong desire for baptism. She even has a goal to go the temple a year after. Way awesome! But this week we found Edit Fernandez (the lady who has a son living in St George Utah who is a member). We had been calling and calling and passing by the house for the last 2 weeks. But we saw her working in front of her house and went and talked to her right as her husband arrived. So they invited us in and had an awesome talk with them. They told us that we werent able to get into contact with them because they visited their son in St George for the holidays. While they were there, they visited the Christmas lights at Temple Square, the St George temple, and the house of Brigham Young. And they straight up told us that they felt the spirit very strongly at Brigham Young´s home. And it gets better, they are already reading the book of mormon. How crazy is that!!!!! They werent able to come to church with us yesterday, but we have a cita with them for this week. Super exciting!!

     Yesterday we saw a guy sitting on the side of the road on a slab of concrete just stairing at the ground. So we went on over and talked to him. We learned that his name was Walter and he went on to tell us about how terrible his life is. How he is having some very difficult trials and also bad spirits. So we talked to him about how we are here on the earth with a purpose. To learn how to obtain happiness and joy in this life. So we leaft him with a plan of salvation pamphlet and promised him that if he would read the pamphlet and meet with us, hat we would find that joy and happiness. So we have a cita with him this Tuesday. we walked away for about 10 minutes down the road and felt prompted to go back and leave him with our number. So we went back and he was sitting there really reading the pamphlet through. We gave him our number and you could see how much he already changed from the little bit he read. Already found a little bit more happiness. Truly an amazing experience!

    We are finally starting to get things rolling here in Alvear. We have found some people that look so promising. But this is the last of this transfer, so I could be leaving next week. I have 4 1/2 months here, so its very likely. So we will know this upcoming Sunday.

     Well, last year was a very tough year. But looking back I can truly see the growth that all of us obtained  through our trials and difficult times. I am looking forward to this new year of 2014 to grow some more and better myself. I love you all so much, I love you baby Clay, and hope you all have an amazing week!

Elder Wengert-W9