Well, we just finished another transfer. I get to stick around with Elder Mortensen. This will be the first time in about 7 months that I get to have a second transfer with my companion. I'm excited to be working with him. We have at least 5 baptisms planned out for next transfer. Things have just been falling into place for us. We have been listening to the wise counsel of our leaders and have been blessed greatly for it. I know this means nothing to any of you... but it is something that surprised Elder Mortensen and I... according to the new missionary system that we are using in our mission... Elder Mortensen and I are the number 7 companionship in the mission. We have no clue why that is or how that happened... but we are happy about it.
This week was really interesting. We had a special visit from Elder Bednar. But I’ll explain that later. We were not able to work in our area much this week because of a million things. I was asked to do two baptismal interviews which were amazing... but took a lot of time away. All of Thursday we were with Elder Bednar. My companion was completely sick on Friday, so we didn't leave the pench. The fact that we were not working every day in our area made us focus every second of every moment we were able to work. We made some really good visits and found some really amazing people. We have been trying to change our teachings so that instead of teaching the lessons we know so well, we teach the people we don't. It is amazing how the spirit of the lesson changes when we focus on the people and teach with love and understanding. We took out 3 baptismal goals this week. We also found and taught some great people. All of the lessons were wonderful and had a powerful impact on all of us. Let me explain 2
There is a companionship in my district that was having problems with one of their investigators, so I was asked to lend a helping hand. I taught this person 3 times this week. The first time we cleared up the problem. The second we got them to read and pray... and on the third visit we were told that they had received the answer they looked for. So we set up a goal for them to be baptized. Every lesson we focused more and more on the Spirit to guide us and this person. In the end they felt the true love of God and for that reason they will be baptized.
We found someone last Monday. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and she read it. Our second visit she had questions so we were not able to teach her the restoration. But at the end of the lesson she asked us... why are there so many churches and how can I really know which one is true. So the third visit we taught her the restoration. It was probably the most powerful lesson I’ve ever had. She felt the Spirit as well as we did. I personally was taught by the spirit the truths of what we were teaching. I love it when that happens.
Okay... There was so much that happened, but I don't have time to tell it all. OH!!! Good story:
There is a sort of inactive member of our ward who goes to church every once and awhile. She is having problems so we taught her about the celestial kingdom. We explained that we need to live a celestial law here on earth if we want to live in a celestial world some day. She understood the lesson very well and at the end we committed them to make a list of 5-10 things that they needed to change to live a celestial law. That day she took out her tongue piercing... and yesterday she gave us her nose piercing as well. It is interesting sitting down to study in the morning and seeing body piercings covering the table with an occasional package of cigarettes that we've confiscated. Oh the interesting things missionaries get to do.
Okay, Bednar. I really can’t tell you anything about what he said. I made a promise not to pour all of it out to everyone. But one thing I will share is how he started. He explained how well we are at taking perfect notes of what every speaker says... but that we shouldn't. He asked us if we ever re-read any of those notes... or if we even knew where they all were. He told us to only write down what the Spirit indicated. Well, I came to that conference with lots of questions... I left with even more, but all the original questions were answered... although Elder Bednar only talked about one of them. I can truly testify to you all that David A. Bednar is a true Apostle of God. That he is guided by the Holy Ghost and that he has helped me in more ways than one. I hope that all of you take the time to read the conference talks from the prophets and apostles of these days. I know I used to take General Conference for granted. Don’t do the same thing I did.
I’m over my time. Take care. I love you all dearly and look forward to Christmas. Thanksgiving is a non-celebrated holiday in Argentina... so I’m really not that excited. But Christmas is this transfer and I will be calling home. And after that call I will not speak English until I talk to my family again. So I’m going to enjoy this time of language freedom while it remains.
Again, I love you all,
Tommy
Monday, November 23, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
and they want to get baptized
Well, the biggest news is that we baptized this week!!!! I'm trying to send pictures, but the computer kinda sucks. Maybe next week.
Anyway, we had three wonderful people get baptized. They have a really long story, and I don't remember if I told you all about it yet or not. So... I probably won’t tell you at all. HAHA!!! You`ll just have to wait till I get home. My favorite part is that two of them were studying with the Jehovah's Witness people. I love how true the church is, that we literally receive revelation from God. No other church really does that. It is amazing to watch the people as they change their lives and relieve the answers they look for. I love that feeling as you look them in the face and they tell you that they got their answer and they know the Book of Mormon is true and they want to get baptized. We have been working really hard recently and been able to see these kinds of changes on a regular basis. The problem is that people always need to get married or something like that. So, baptismal dates are pushed off into the future. My companion and I mapped it out and we are teaching in over 40 houses. About 10 of those houses have people that want to get baptized already... but about 9 of them need to get married. HAHA how ironic, no?
Well, I’ve got a fun little story for you all. It has to do with us and a dog. We are teaching this lady named Eli... as in Elisabeth. Her dog has been following us around for awhile. At first we didn't know who he belonged to. There are about 5000 dogs in our area, so we didn't really know who it was from. We started calling him Captain because of the eye patch he has and the fact that he always walks out in front of us... leading us. That turned into Captain Hook... then to Hook.... then to Hooksy. So, Hooksy follows us around all the time... normally all day. He will start in the morning and wait for us outside of houses... or the church. And when we go to bed, he waits for us until the next morning. He is really cool, kind of annoying sometimes, but cool. The members and investigators all think that we have a dog now. I guess we kind of do. Anyway, our captain leads the way for us.
Cool story. I’ve decided to put more focus on Christ in my teachings. Instead of just including what he did in lessons we teach... we now teach lessons based only on what he did. One of our lessons this week was just that... it was amazing. We had a member with us who always comes out with us. We explained things very clearly and powerfully using all sorts of examples and scriptures. The Spirit was very powerful and clear. It was a very good lesson, not that the others aren’t, but this one sticks out in my mind. I remember saying that we want to work as hard as we can here on earth to make up for what Christ did for us. For that reason we came on the mission and for that same reason this particular member helps us. The member was touched, and explained later that she felt she understood better why she came out with us after that lesson.
A desire that I have had ever since I got on the mission is to help the missionaries after the mission. I hope that you all have the same desire. Please go give them a hand this week. Don’t just feed them a meal and nothing more.... go out of your busy day to help them by finding someone or going with them to a lesson. I know that is what God wants us to do. This was a great week. I hope all is well in Zion.
Love,
Tommy
PS I got a few packages and letters this week. Thank you so much. I was able to wear a WHITE shirt to the baptism instead of a yellow one.
PPS This Thursday we get to hear from Elder Bendar... in person. I’m excited.
Anyway, we had three wonderful people get baptized. They have a really long story, and I don't remember if I told you all about it yet or not. So... I probably won’t tell you at all. HAHA!!! You`ll just have to wait till I get home. My favorite part is that two of them were studying with the Jehovah's Witness people. I love how true the church is, that we literally receive revelation from God. No other church really does that. It is amazing to watch the people as they change their lives and relieve the answers they look for. I love that feeling as you look them in the face and they tell you that they got their answer and they know the Book of Mormon is true and they want to get baptized. We have been working really hard recently and been able to see these kinds of changes on a regular basis. The problem is that people always need to get married or something like that. So, baptismal dates are pushed off into the future. My companion and I mapped it out and we are teaching in over 40 houses. About 10 of those houses have people that want to get baptized already... but about 9 of them need to get married. HAHA how ironic, no?
Well, I’ve got a fun little story for you all. It has to do with us and a dog. We are teaching this lady named Eli... as in Elisabeth. Her dog has been following us around for awhile. At first we didn't know who he belonged to. There are about 5000 dogs in our area, so we didn't really know who it was from. We started calling him Captain because of the eye patch he has and the fact that he always walks out in front of us... leading us. That turned into Captain Hook... then to Hook.... then to Hooksy. So, Hooksy follows us around all the time... normally all day. He will start in the morning and wait for us outside of houses... or the church. And when we go to bed, he waits for us until the next morning. He is really cool, kind of annoying sometimes, but cool. The members and investigators all think that we have a dog now. I guess we kind of do. Anyway, our captain leads the way for us.
Cool story. I’ve decided to put more focus on Christ in my teachings. Instead of just including what he did in lessons we teach... we now teach lessons based only on what he did. One of our lessons this week was just that... it was amazing. We had a member with us who always comes out with us. We explained things very clearly and powerfully using all sorts of examples and scriptures. The Spirit was very powerful and clear. It was a very good lesson, not that the others aren’t, but this one sticks out in my mind. I remember saying that we want to work as hard as we can here on earth to make up for what Christ did for us. For that reason we came on the mission and for that same reason this particular member helps us. The member was touched, and explained later that she felt she understood better why she came out with us after that lesson.
A desire that I have had ever since I got on the mission is to help the missionaries after the mission. I hope that you all have the same desire. Please go give them a hand this week. Don’t just feed them a meal and nothing more.... go out of your busy day to help them by finding someone or going with them to a lesson. I know that is what God wants us to do. This was a great week. I hope all is well in Zion.
Love,
Tommy
PS I got a few packages and letters this week. Thank you so much. I was able to wear a WHITE shirt to the baptism instead of a yellow one.
PPS This Thursday we get to hear from Elder Bendar... in person. I’m excited.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Christmas is Coming --> Mailing Packages
For those of you mailing Tommy a little something for Christmas here are some tips.
1. Always mail the package "Express Mail".
2. Keep in mind it will take longer than USPS says it will to actually get to Tommy. Plan on at least a month to get to him.
3. Tommy once suggested writing "Dios sabe todo y Dios vea todo." on the side of the box. It means "God knows all and God sees all". It seems to help it so that people don't rob from the packages.
4. Review this post for a letter sent from the Mission Office on sending packages.
Address:
Elder Thomas Steinkuhler
Quintana 447
1846 Adrogué
Buenos Aires Argentina
Please keep Tommy in mind this Holiday season, letters and packages from home really help to keep a missionary going. They need it. (I know, I've been there). ~Windy
1. Always mail the package "Express Mail".
2. Keep in mind it will take longer than USPS says it will to actually get to Tommy. Plan on at least a month to get to him.
3. Tommy once suggested writing "Dios sabe todo y Dios vea todo." on the side of the box. It means "God knows all and God sees all". It seems to help it so that people don't rob from the packages.
4. Review this post for a letter sent from the Mission Office on sending packages.
Address:
Elder Thomas Steinkuhler
Quintana 447
1846 Adrogué
Buenos Aires Argentina
Please keep Tommy in mind this Holiday season, letters and packages from home really help to keep a missionary going. They need it. (I know, I've been there). ~Windy
Monday, November 9, 2009
this work is going forward with power and authority
Well, a lot has happened, but there really is no time to explain all. My computer is not working well and my time is almost up, so I need to get going. Let’s just start with the week then, shall we?
We WERE going to have 3 baptisms this week, but it is kind of hard to do baptisms if there is no water in the church. So, we put the baptisms off for next week. So next week we will be baptizing 4 people... in the sanja if we have to (someday I’ll send a picture of a sanja). We got everything ready and then... it just didn't go through. So this Saturday was kind of a bummer. We had fun though, chatting with the zone leaders and working with the bishop to fix things. Unfortunately things here are not like home... there is a baptismal font in each chapel because it is too hard to travel between chapels. Pretty much everyone just walks... so we couldn't change places... nor get enough water... nor nada. So, next week.
I’ve got a fun little story for you all. A week-ish ago, my companion and I were waiting for a bus at night. It was too far to walk at night... so we were waiting for a bus. It was already 9:25 and it takes about 30-45 minutes to walk home from where we were... so we waited for a bus. This drunk guy came up with a branch and started telling us to chastise this other guy because he was a sinner. I politely told him to take-it-to-himself (tomatèla) and leave us alone. He left and a young girl came up. When the drunk came back and started harassing us again, she stuck up for us and not so politely told the guy to get the heck out of there... explaining that we couldn't do anything and he knew... so, "stop being a bum". I was laughing my fat roles off because a little 22 year old girl scared off a 35ish year old punk. So, I decided to talk to her. I thanked her and did a contact. We ended up talking for about 25 minutes because a bus didn't come. During that time an investigator came up and started chatting with us. Once the bus finally came, we got on and I asked if we could come by some time to teach her family. She said, "sure, but no one will listen to you." So last Monday we pass by and the mother answers us. She looks at us and says, "no, sorry boys". I explain that we are looking for said girl, and she looks at me weirdly. I explain what happened and she laughs, saying that it was definitely her daughter. Before I could open my mouth to teach, she tells me she doesn't want to know anything. I smile at her... and teach her anyway. I’ve found that a "no"... really means "I have no clue what you believe". She told us no about 5 times, but I persisted... We eventually come up to her with the Book of Mormon and I explain what it does for us. She became all excited and accepted us. We testified powerfully and handed the book over after a prayer.
After leaving my companion just stared at me and said... how did that happen? I didn’t even think twice about it. It has happened to me so many times before that it just seemed normal. It felt good to reflect on the power of a testimony and the power of the Book of Mormon. This transfer we are focusing on the two most important tools in the missionary handbag. The Spirit and the Book of Mormon. Believe you me... this work is going forward with power and authority. I’m extremely glad to be out here. I don’t want to come home... so I’m sorry for all of you who are waiting for me. I’m sure they will send me home some day, but until that day comes, I’ll work as hard as I can. I hope that all of you are working hard at home as well.
I’m excited for the changes happening here. I love you all and hope that you are finding joy in sharing the gospel at home like I am here in Argentina. Take care... and write me sometime.
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
We WERE going to have 3 baptisms this week, but it is kind of hard to do baptisms if there is no water in the church. So, we put the baptisms off for next week. So next week we will be baptizing 4 people... in the sanja if we have to (someday I’ll send a picture of a sanja). We got everything ready and then... it just didn't go through. So this Saturday was kind of a bummer. We had fun though, chatting with the zone leaders and working with the bishop to fix things. Unfortunately things here are not like home... there is a baptismal font in each chapel because it is too hard to travel between chapels. Pretty much everyone just walks... so we couldn't change places... nor get enough water... nor nada. So, next week.
I’ve got a fun little story for you all. A week-ish ago, my companion and I were waiting for a bus at night. It was too far to walk at night... so we were waiting for a bus. It was already 9:25 and it takes about 30-45 minutes to walk home from where we were... so we waited for a bus. This drunk guy came up with a branch and started telling us to chastise this other guy because he was a sinner. I politely told him to take-it-to-himself (tomatèla) and leave us alone. He left and a young girl came up. When the drunk came back and started harassing us again, she stuck up for us and not so politely told the guy to get the heck out of there... explaining that we couldn't do anything and he knew... so, "stop being a bum". I was laughing my fat roles off because a little 22 year old girl scared off a 35ish year old punk. So, I decided to talk to her. I thanked her and did a contact. We ended up talking for about 25 minutes because a bus didn't come. During that time an investigator came up and started chatting with us. Once the bus finally came, we got on and I asked if we could come by some time to teach her family. She said, "sure, but no one will listen to you." So last Monday we pass by and the mother answers us. She looks at us and says, "no, sorry boys". I explain that we are looking for said girl, and she looks at me weirdly. I explain what happened and she laughs, saying that it was definitely her daughter. Before I could open my mouth to teach, she tells me she doesn't want to know anything. I smile at her... and teach her anyway. I’ve found that a "no"... really means "I have no clue what you believe". She told us no about 5 times, but I persisted... We eventually come up to her with the Book of Mormon and I explain what it does for us. She became all excited and accepted us. We testified powerfully and handed the book over after a prayer.
After leaving my companion just stared at me and said... how did that happen? I didn’t even think twice about it. It has happened to me so many times before that it just seemed normal. It felt good to reflect on the power of a testimony and the power of the Book of Mormon. This transfer we are focusing on the two most important tools in the missionary handbag. The Spirit and the Book of Mormon. Believe you me... this work is going forward with power and authority. I’m extremely glad to be out here. I don’t want to come home... so I’m sorry for all of you who are waiting for me. I’m sure they will send me home some day, but until that day comes, I’ll work as hard as I can. I hope that all of you are working hard at home as well.
I’m excited for the changes happening here. I love you all and hope that you are finding joy in sharing the gospel at home like I am here in Argentina. Take care... and write me sometime.
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
Monday, November 2, 2009
I’ve broken in my new boots
Sorry but this one will be really short. This week has been crazy and there are a million things that went down, but none of them are worthwhile to tell you about. We are working hard and doing a lot... so right now we need to get going. We have three baptisms this week and some in the upcoming weeks. So we are running around like wild men.
There has been rain all week, so I’ve broken in my new boots pretty well, a little too well... We got wet almost every day. It has been a little dampening on the work. For some reason people here don’t want to let two wet boys into their houses when there is rain. SOMETIMES yes, but not this week. We have however been working amazingly hard and have done fairly well.
Here is a little fun story to share with you all about a comment my Mother always tells me. She tells me to "shine". Well, it is funny she says that because I try. I’m a pretty smiley person, but not always. It is amazing how much effect a smile has with people. So, I smile a lot to cheer people up, even if I don’t feel like smiling. Anyway, this week we had a meeting after church. Everyone was hungry because it was time to eat and everyone had been fasting. Also tired because we all drudged through the rain and mud to get to church. So I started smiling and enjoyed the effects of it. Then the ward secretary who is Uncle Dursley`s twin brother (mustache and all... from the movie) starts giggling. I normally don’t get that... from men, especially a fully grown and serious man. Everyone looks at him of course and he points at me. So everyone looks at me too. I smile back and everyone in the room just smiles. It was a fun moment. But the best part is that the ward secretary says, "You have this friendly face. I’d bet you have a lot of friends, I’d bet your friends with everyone you talk to". That just made the moment even sweeter. It was nice to see such a wonderful reaction from the people I work so closely with. So I hope I am finally able to report home that I am shining.
Christmas is coming up... so I thought I’d put a list together of all the things I would like from the fam and friends. So here it is:
1. A letter... HAND WRITTEN... and more than one page
2. A current photo... with the letter. Just one is good enough
3. For all that can... be home so that I can talk to you.
And that is about it.
All the stores around here have their Christmas stuff out and it makes me long for snow. Unfortunately there is only heat and muggy rain. Perhaps a miracle will happen.
I love you all,
Elder Steinkuhler
There has been rain all week, so I’ve broken in my new boots pretty well, a little too well... We got wet almost every day. It has been a little dampening on the work. For some reason people here don’t want to let two wet boys into their houses when there is rain. SOMETIMES yes, but not this week. We have however been working amazingly hard and have done fairly well.
Here is a little fun story to share with you all about a comment my Mother always tells me. She tells me to "shine". Well, it is funny she says that because I try. I’m a pretty smiley person, but not always. It is amazing how much effect a smile has with people. So, I smile a lot to cheer people up, even if I don’t feel like smiling. Anyway, this week we had a meeting after church. Everyone was hungry because it was time to eat and everyone had been fasting. Also tired because we all drudged through the rain and mud to get to church. So I started smiling and enjoyed the effects of it. Then the ward secretary who is Uncle Dursley`s twin brother (mustache and all... from the movie) starts giggling. I normally don’t get that... from men, especially a fully grown and serious man. Everyone looks at him of course and he points at me. So everyone looks at me too. I smile back and everyone in the room just smiles. It was a fun moment. But the best part is that the ward secretary says, "You have this friendly face. I’d bet you have a lot of friends, I’d bet your friends with everyone you talk to". That just made the moment even sweeter. It was nice to see such a wonderful reaction from the people I work so closely with. So I hope I am finally able to report home that I am shining.
Christmas is coming up... so I thought I’d put a list together of all the things I would like from the fam and friends. So here it is:
1. A letter... HAND WRITTEN... and more than one page
2. A current photo... with the letter. Just one is good enough
3. For all that can... be home so that I can talk to you.
And that is about it.
All the stores around here have their Christmas stuff out and it makes me long for snow. Unfortunately there is only heat and muggy rain. Perhaps a miracle will happen.
I love you all,
Elder Steinkuhler
Monday, October 26, 2009
through prayer she received a powerful witness
Well, I will start this out with an apology. We played soccer this morning and I took a direct hit to the face several times. And scraped off about all the skin on my left leg (for those of you who know me well, you`ll know it is nothing new). But that means my brain is still kind of running on low brain power. So, sorry if this is really random.
This week was amazingly weird and long... but great! According to the mission standards we are still one of the best in the mission. I’ll stop telling you all what number, but we`re doing good. It feels good knowing that we are doing well. We are seeing a lot of hard work and success in our area. I’ve written down a few things noteworthy to tell you all about.
First of all... this Saturday something weird happened. We had a meeting early in the morning and almost no one could go. We are trying to train the ward missionaries. Well, two showed up... two ladies. We sit down to teach them and one of them had a seizure. She started shaking and spluttering up water. It was pretty scary. But my companion and I pulled out the good old oil (no joke on the old part) and gave her a blessing. It was interesting because my companion had never done it in Spanish. All I had to say to her was... Sleep. And she slept. The other lady said she`d never seen it so bad before. After awhile she came to her senses and went home to sleep more. But that was a fun early morning wake up call. I'm glad we are both worthy Priesthood holders.
Well, about 6 months ago my shoes died and I bought new ones. It rains here a lot, so the souls basically just died. And when I step on mud (unpreventable) it gets into my shoes. I got tired of it, so I went out and bought a new pair of shoes this week. I bought some nice ankle high boots with WOODEN bottoms. So much cooler and funner (FYI=Funner does not get caught by spellchecker). I’ll try to send pictures. I now have two pairs of shoes with wooden bottoms. I like them a lot more. They don't wear out and are actually pretty comfortable. I admit it is like walking around with a piece of tile strapped to your feet because they are so hard... but I don't walk that much. However, I do walk around in the mud a lot.
On that note.... it rained a lot this week. Like 3 times and the last one was a mini storm... some people had their houses ruined because of the strong winds. It was pretty fun. And my companion and I got all muddy and wet... fun times.
Something I am just bursting to tell you all. Last Sunday we found this family. It was Mother`s Day here and so I told this lady I had a Mother`s Day present for her and we walked into her yard. The whole family was outside chilling in the shade. We taught that God is our Heavenly Father and what the Book of Mormon is. Also that we can pray to know if it`s true. We set up an appointment and left. We were going to come back on Tuesday, but there was no time because the Zone Conference went long. I had the lady in my mind for a long time afterwards, but there was never time to go by. Finally on Saturday someone stood us up so we had a little bit of time. We booked it over to her place and found her there with her kids. She was washing clothes (by hand... as is normal) and just leaves everything to come talk to us. We sit down in her house with her kids. They were watching TV and I always find it distracting so I asked them to turn it off... but they only turned off the volume. So we start and pray. My companion still has troubles speaking... so he helped me with the lesson part (we taught the Restoration) but then got lost when we started speaking fast and about specific needs. So he tried to tranquilize the kids as I taught. MIB 2 comes on TV and that TOTALLY distracted me. I asked her if she thought the Book of Mormon was true and she said yes. That surprised me and so we read the last paragraph in the introduction page to the Book of Mormon. While she was reading I was looking at all the kids running all over the place and the movie going and a thought entered my mind. It was a quote from Preach My Gospel about someone that had a similar experience and the thought entered his mind to pay attention. I looked at her and focused all my energy on not loosing concentration. I asked her if she believed The Book of Mormon was true... again... then if she thought Christ was our Savior... if Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.... and if The Church of Jesus Christ was the true church of God. She said yes to every question. The spirit filled the room and I forgot about the kids and craziness going on. I looked deep into her eyes and saw that she was completely and honestly sincere about all of that. I invited her to get baptized and she said yes. I love seeing the power the Book of Mormon has in the lives of others. She knew nothing, but through prayer she received a powerful witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. That is just one of the many times this has happened to me. The difference was how the Spirit pulled my mind out of the world to focus on the needs of this lady when no one else was listening to her. It was great!
Well, things are going great! I’m working hard and enjoying it. This was a rather rough week, but we pulled through with flying colors. I’m loving the work and don’t want to go home. Sorry, but I think I’ll probably stay out here as long as possible. I hope no one is missing me too much. But I also hope you know I miss you all dearly. What more can I say?
"I’m good family... Had a great week... tell you about it next week. Love ya"
I love you all...
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
This week was amazingly weird and long... but great! According to the mission standards we are still one of the best in the mission. I’ll stop telling you all what number, but we`re doing good. It feels good knowing that we are doing well. We are seeing a lot of hard work and success in our area. I’ve written down a few things noteworthy to tell you all about.
First of all... this Saturday something weird happened. We had a meeting early in the morning and almost no one could go. We are trying to train the ward missionaries. Well, two showed up... two ladies. We sit down to teach them and one of them had a seizure. She started shaking and spluttering up water. It was pretty scary. But my companion and I pulled out the good old oil (no joke on the old part) and gave her a blessing. It was interesting because my companion had never done it in Spanish. All I had to say to her was... Sleep. And she slept. The other lady said she`d never seen it so bad before. After awhile she came to her senses and went home to sleep more. But that was a fun early morning wake up call. I'm glad we are both worthy Priesthood holders.
Well, about 6 months ago my shoes died and I bought new ones. It rains here a lot, so the souls basically just died. And when I step on mud (unpreventable) it gets into my shoes. I got tired of it, so I went out and bought a new pair of shoes this week. I bought some nice ankle high boots with WOODEN bottoms. So much cooler and funner (FYI=Funner does not get caught by spellchecker). I’ll try to send pictures. I now have two pairs of shoes with wooden bottoms. I like them a lot more. They don't wear out and are actually pretty comfortable. I admit it is like walking around with a piece of tile strapped to your feet because they are so hard... but I don't walk that much. However, I do walk around in the mud a lot.
On that note.... it rained a lot this week. Like 3 times and the last one was a mini storm... some people had their houses ruined because of the strong winds. It was pretty fun. And my companion and I got all muddy and wet... fun times.
Something I am just bursting to tell you all. Last Sunday we found this family. It was Mother`s Day here and so I told this lady I had a Mother`s Day present for her and we walked into her yard. The whole family was outside chilling in the shade. We taught that God is our Heavenly Father and what the Book of Mormon is. Also that we can pray to know if it`s true. We set up an appointment and left. We were going to come back on Tuesday, but there was no time because the Zone Conference went long. I had the lady in my mind for a long time afterwards, but there was never time to go by. Finally on Saturday someone stood us up so we had a little bit of time. We booked it over to her place and found her there with her kids. She was washing clothes (by hand... as is normal) and just leaves everything to come talk to us. We sit down in her house with her kids. They were watching TV and I always find it distracting so I asked them to turn it off... but they only turned off the volume. So we start and pray. My companion still has troubles speaking... so he helped me with the lesson part (we taught the Restoration) but then got lost when we started speaking fast and about specific needs. So he tried to tranquilize the kids as I taught. MIB 2 comes on TV and that TOTALLY distracted me. I asked her if she thought the Book of Mormon was true and she said yes. That surprised me and so we read the last paragraph in the introduction page to the Book of Mormon. While she was reading I was looking at all the kids running all over the place and the movie going and a thought entered my mind. It was a quote from Preach My Gospel about someone that had a similar experience and the thought entered his mind to pay attention. I looked at her and focused all my energy on not loosing concentration. I asked her if she believed The Book of Mormon was true... again... then if she thought Christ was our Savior... if Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God.... and if The Church of Jesus Christ was the true church of God. She said yes to every question. The spirit filled the room and I forgot about the kids and craziness going on. I looked deep into her eyes and saw that she was completely and honestly sincere about all of that. I invited her to get baptized and she said yes. I love seeing the power the Book of Mormon has in the lives of others. She knew nothing, but through prayer she received a powerful witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. That is just one of the many times this has happened to me. The difference was how the Spirit pulled my mind out of the world to focus on the needs of this lady when no one else was listening to her. It was great!
Well, things are going great! I’m working hard and enjoying it. This was a rather rough week, but we pulled through with flying colors. I’m loving the work and don’t want to go home. Sorry, but I think I’ll probably stay out here as long as possible. I hope no one is missing me too much. But I also hope you know I miss you all dearly. What more can I say?
"I’m good family... Had a great week... tell you about it next week. Love ya"
I love you all...
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
Monday, October 19, 2009
Easy come, easy go.
Well, I have to admit, I want to brag it up. We started a new system in the mission. The President is listing the top missionaries of the mission every week. Every key factor of the mission is weighed and then totaled. Of the 125ish companionships, we are ranked at number 20. And that is without baptizing or anything... WE ROCK!!! Sorry... I’ll stop.
Well, Elder Mortensen from St. George Utah is my new companion. He is an amazing elder. He speaks a lot better than I did when I got to the mission, and he is a lot better of a missionary then I ever will be. He really is an example to me. We have been working our hearts off this week. We ended up finding 19 new investigators this week... that was like 3-4 new families!!! I must admit, I’m quite enjoying the new missionary rush. You know... that rush of success you have from the missionaries freshly out of the MTC. Those elders who explode with the Spirit simply because they are so packed full of it. I love it! JUST LOVE IT!
We have had a pretty interesting experience week 1. Normally I don’t tell you all about this, but my companion already wrote home about it, so you can all find it out if you wanted to. We saw a drug deal this week. Day 2 on the mission and we walk by some drug dealer and his client... "just keep on walking elder". Later that day we found a guy who was obviously just doing drugs... HAHAHA... SURPISE!!! We also had a few drunks come up to us for various things. One of them wouldn’t leave us alone, so we gave him our apples an investigator gave us. Easy come, easy go.
The coolest thing about this week was finding. We really have been blessed to just find. We are bold and just walk in... it works out great! I must admit, this was a very powerful week for us. We got a lot done and I feel good about what we did. I don’t really know what all to say. Most of what happened was really personal, so I won’t tell you all. Let us just say that investigators are progressing. We took out a few baptismal goals this week, as well as dropped a few. Easy come, easy go. Some people just are not yet ready. But we also met someone who was just perfectly ready. A bunch of people actually. This week was AMAZING!!!
I’ll write more next week. I’m not really sure what to say this week and out of time all the same.
Love ya,
Tommy Steinkuhler
PS I’m sun burnt now and really blond again.
PPS We cleaned the pinch all morning... it looks pretty good.
Well, Elder Mortensen from St. George Utah is my new companion. He is an amazing elder. He speaks a lot better than I did when I got to the mission, and he is a lot better of a missionary then I ever will be. He really is an example to me. We have been working our hearts off this week. We ended up finding 19 new investigators this week... that was like 3-4 new families!!! I must admit, I’m quite enjoying the new missionary rush. You know... that rush of success you have from the missionaries freshly out of the MTC. Those elders who explode with the Spirit simply because they are so packed full of it. I love it! JUST LOVE IT!
We have had a pretty interesting experience week 1. Normally I don’t tell you all about this, but my companion already wrote home about it, so you can all find it out if you wanted to. We saw a drug deal this week. Day 2 on the mission and we walk by some drug dealer and his client... "just keep on walking elder". Later that day we found a guy who was obviously just doing drugs... HAHAHA... SURPISE!!! We also had a few drunks come up to us for various things. One of them wouldn’t leave us alone, so we gave him our apples an investigator gave us. Easy come, easy go.
The coolest thing about this week was finding. We really have been blessed to just find. We are bold and just walk in... it works out great! I must admit, this was a very powerful week for us. We got a lot done and I feel good about what we did. I don’t really know what all to say. Most of what happened was really personal, so I won’t tell you all. Let us just say that investigators are progressing. We took out a few baptismal goals this week, as well as dropped a few. Easy come, easy go. Some people just are not yet ready. But we also met someone who was just perfectly ready. A bunch of people actually. This week was AMAZING!!!
I’ll write more next week. I’m not really sure what to say this week and out of time all the same.
Love ya,
Tommy Steinkuhler
PS I’m sun burnt now and really blond again.
PPS We cleaned the pinch all morning... it looks pretty good.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Green
This picture just arrived from President and Sister Asay. Tommy is training again and here is his new companion, meet Elder Mortensen.
Monday, October 12, 2009
the true power of the Book of Mormon in connection with the Spirit
Well, it looks like things are going to change for me again. It is interesting to me that of my 10 transfers here in Argentina I’ve had 8 companions. That means I’ve only been with 2 companions for 2 transfers. Every other companion I’ve been with has stuck around for one transfer and nothing more. Elder Acuña has also left me. But that was somewhat expected. I just hope the Elder I receive will stick around with me a little bit longer. I`d tell you his name, but I cannot. I will find out tomorrow, because I’ll be training again. It feels weird not knowing the name of my companion again. I am currently with Elder Schupple. He is also going to train. He was in the MTC with me. Elder Hodson, my MTC companion is going to train also. YEAH!!! Elder Jones, the other Elder who came with us, left me to be a zone leader. I will miss that big Teddy bear.
Well, I am doing very well. I had a whole lot of things to tell you all. I even wrote some down, but then I changed agendas and now I don't have anything I wrote down... oops. But I have at least a few cool stories to tell you from what I remember. But before I start, I want to explain again that our focus is finding. So when we find, it feels great! It feels like we are completing with our calling as missionaries and will our calling as missionaries working under our great president. If that makes any since to you at all.
We got a reference last week from our zone leaders. They had no clue where it came from, just that it came. We went off to contact it the one day we had time. We got lost because they changed all the numbers on the street. We were walking down the street and I saw a lady sitting on a fence with her baby and I decided to do a contact. The Spirit just told me to ask her about the person we were looking for. She said, wow... that is my Mother. So we chatted and set up a time to come back when her mother would be around. It just turns out that her Mother is the daughter of an inactive member. She knows the missionaries very well and even cleans the churches. When we returned we asked to gather the family and explained to them just The Book of Mormon. It was very easy to feel the Spirit. It was strong in the room and all were impressed by the power it had on us. We invited them to pray and read. They promised they would... and the next time they would invite others as well. We found part of the family that day. There are about 15 in all, and we found 7. They were excited to see us return and are truly waiting for what we have for them. When we finished with the lesson, we asked the son in law to kneel down and pray to find out if what we were teaching was true. He and the family bowed down and he offered his first prayer. The Spirit was strong and I believe many received answers that very day.
A few days after we were walking down the road on our way to an appointment. I felt the Spirit pull me toward a house. I clapped and out came a nice lady. She smiled and said, ‘Hello Elder’. I laughed and said, ‘you must be a member’. We chatted and I walked into her house to meet her family. We sat down and began to learn. She was baptized when she was 12 years old, but stopped going because they moved and then she "didn't have time", that was about 20 years ago. Two days before we clapped on her door, she was talking to her husband about religion. She still says she is Mormon. Her husband is Catholic. The majority of her children are Evangelist. And one of her daughters is studying with the Jehovah`s Witness`. We called the family together and explained The Book of Mormon again. The Spirit washed over us again. We told them they could only know the truth by getting answers from God. We explained clearly and with power. All promised to read and pray who were there in the house. The mother offered the prayer. Something she hadn't done in many, many years. She cried softly as she communicated with her Heavenly Father again. The Spirit down poured on us and we left that house feeling full and edified.
Sunday I went out with Elder Coats, who got here about 6 weeks ago. He doesn't speak well, but has lots of power. We found 3 more. Those and every other person we found this week were just ready. They were all powerful lessons and great memories to me. If there is one thing I learned this week... it is the true power of the Book of Mormon in connection with the Spirit. We need to read from the Book of Mormon every day if we want to feel the Spirit. It is a clear and powerful way of feeling what God wants for us. I'm grateful for the time I have to read daily. I'm grateful for the opportunity to train again. New missionaries have such power, even if they don`t speak Spanish. I'm expecting to receive an American this time. So I’ll be able to learn all over again the Spanish language.
I love you all and expect to hear from you soon. Don’t leave me hanging high and dry.
Don’t forget that you are loved, at least by me.
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
PS Argentina is going to mundial!!!!
Well, I am doing very well. I had a whole lot of things to tell you all. I even wrote some down, but then I changed agendas and now I don't have anything I wrote down... oops. But I have at least a few cool stories to tell you from what I remember. But before I start, I want to explain again that our focus is finding. So when we find, it feels great! It feels like we are completing with our calling as missionaries and will our calling as missionaries working under our great president. If that makes any since to you at all.
We got a reference last week from our zone leaders. They had no clue where it came from, just that it came. We went off to contact it the one day we had time. We got lost because they changed all the numbers on the street. We were walking down the street and I saw a lady sitting on a fence with her baby and I decided to do a contact. The Spirit just told me to ask her about the person we were looking for. She said, wow... that is my Mother. So we chatted and set up a time to come back when her mother would be around. It just turns out that her Mother is the daughter of an inactive member. She knows the missionaries very well and even cleans the churches. When we returned we asked to gather the family and explained to them just The Book of Mormon. It was very easy to feel the Spirit. It was strong in the room and all were impressed by the power it had on us. We invited them to pray and read. They promised they would... and the next time they would invite others as well. We found part of the family that day. There are about 15 in all, and we found 7. They were excited to see us return and are truly waiting for what we have for them. When we finished with the lesson, we asked the son in law to kneel down and pray to find out if what we were teaching was true. He and the family bowed down and he offered his first prayer. The Spirit was strong and I believe many received answers that very day.
A few days after we were walking down the road on our way to an appointment. I felt the Spirit pull me toward a house. I clapped and out came a nice lady. She smiled and said, ‘Hello Elder’. I laughed and said, ‘you must be a member’. We chatted and I walked into her house to meet her family. We sat down and began to learn. She was baptized when she was 12 years old, but stopped going because they moved and then she "didn't have time", that was about 20 years ago. Two days before we clapped on her door, she was talking to her husband about religion. She still says she is Mormon. Her husband is Catholic. The majority of her children are Evangelist. And one of her daughters is studying with the Jehovah`s Witness`. We called the family together and explained The Book of Mormon again. The Spirit washed over us again. We told them they could only know the truth by getting answers from God. We explained clearly and with power. All promised to read and pray who were there in the house. The mother offered the prayer. Something she hadn't done in many, many years. She cried softly as she communicated with her Heavenly Father again. The Spirit down poured on us and we left that house feeling full and edified.
Sunday I went out with Elder Coats, who got here about 6 weeks ago. He doesn't speak well, but has lots of power. We found 3 more. Those and every other person we found this week were just ready. They were all powerful lessons and great memories to me. If there is one thing I learned this week... it is the true power of the Book of Mormon in connection with the Spirit. We need to read from the Book of Mormon every day if we want to feel the Spirit. It is a clear and powerful way of feeling what God wants for us. I'm grateful for the time I have to read daily. I'm grateful for the opportunity to train again. New missionaries have such power, even if they don`t speak Spanish. I'm expecting to receive an American this time. So I’ll be able to learn all over again the Spanish language.
I love you all and expect to hear from you soon. Don’t leave me hanging high and dry.
Don’t forget that you are loved, at least by me.
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler
PS Argentina is going to mundial!!!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
We explained that feeling as the Holy Ghost
I feel like a broken record, but I swear this was the longest week in history. We did so many things. As most of you know, conference was Saturday and Sunday. So we spent all the week trying to prepare ourselves for it.
Wednesday we had interviews with the president. I got a package!!! I say this not to offend, but to help you understand my joy. I really don't get many letters or packages... So when something does come it is the thrill of a lifetime. Who was it from?! What does it say?! What is inside?! Needless to say, it is amazing to get things from the other world. So thank you mystery person. You know who you are... it`s great!
Anyway, interviews went well. I always expect the president to drop the cane on me... but he always just tells me I'm doing great and to continue doing it. So, I guess I get to stay in the mission for at least up till next interviews.
Thursday we did a Family Home Evening in the church with a whole lot of investigators to teach them a little more about the Prophet Joseph Smith and what a FHE really is. We watched the majority of Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration (which none of you have seen because it hasn't come out yet... hehehe... only missionaries have seen it). It turned out great... with lots of kids. You see, we are teaching a young couple who have 4 kids between the ages of 2 and 6. They are a handful. And we want our investigators to focus, so we normally play with the kids to keep them quiet while the parents learn. I’ll be honest... I still have a headache. Babysitting is something that I can do... it isn't ever easy with 4 kids... but even less easy as a missionary with 1001 rules pertaining to the child-missionary permitted conduct.
Friday we got a lot of people together to finish the movie and play volleyball (which doesn't really exist around here). I again was on child entertainment duty.
Saturday and Sunday during conference I was also on child duty. I basically only heard Priesthood and the last session of Sunday. Which were AMAZING by the way. I fought with kids for hours and then sat down to hear Elder Holland bear pure testimony about the Book of Mormon. It was extremely wonderful. Priesthood was off the spiritual hook as well. I took a million and one notes and only saw 2/5 of conference. I’ll be honest, I was starting to wonder if it was all worth it and then saw the change it made in the 5 investigators who went. DEFINATELY WELL WORTH IT!!!!
The young couple who went have had a very deep change of heart. The wife sat down for the first session on Saturday and during the talk of some lady leaned over to me and told me she had heard the talk already. I looked at her with a puzzled look and she asked me why I look so bewildered. I explained again that conference was happening at this very moment. That she was in fact giving that talk for the first time at that VERY moment. She stared at me and then clutched her chest. Soon tears were forming in her eyes and later she explained to us how she felt. We explained that feeling is the Holy Ghost and she looked at us as if she finally understood. The husband is a little more hard-headed. He only came to one session and loved every minute of it. Hopefully this week we will be able to take out a baptismal goal with both of them.
That wasn't all that happened. A lot more went down, but I can’t really explain how or why. Here is a cool little thing though.
Every day we need to do 5 contacts. Conference makes that hard. But we decided to do it anyway. Between sessions we returned back to our area to find more people. We did divisions with a few young men to get two groups. We took 15 minutes to do contacts. The only thing is that when we do contacts we don't just give them a pamphlet and leave. We try to find them at that very moment. Well, God always blesses us for being faithful and doing what he asks us. I decided to clap a house where a family was working on cleaning their clothes outside. The member that was with me said, "Hey, I know them. I just never thought we had time to stop by, so I never told you." We entered and taught them about the Book of Mormon and left all within 15 minutes. It turns out that they normally are not together, but that day they were because we took advantage of every minute of the day... God helped us find a family of 6.
There are just so many things that happen like that. We go a little bit more and God goes miles ahead of us to prepare our paths.
I’ve been thinking that it has been a long time since I have given my family/friends my testimony. I assume all of you are alright. But I know that there is something I’ve learned here on the mission that I want to share with you all. And it just so happens to be what Elder Holland talked about. The Book of Mormon really is everything. Every person we teach needs to gain a testimony of that book. They often ask us questions and the answer is always simple and findable within the Book of Mormon. We have been asked to divide the wheat from the tariffs more. The best way to do that is find out who is reading from the Book of Mormon and who isn't. It is amazing that every person who reads is progressing. Every person who doesn't gets dropped within a week. Many people have asked me why I don't use the Bible to teach. Well, it is simple. Everything I teach can be easily found within my triple... ESPECIALLY The Book of Mormon.
So I would like to add my testimony to that of Elder Holland. I am not as great at word choice as he, nor am I as powerful of a speaker, nor am I an apostle. But I want you all to know that I know The Book of Mormon is true. It is "the most correct of all the books on earth." I love it`s pages and glory daily in the power it has as I read and share with others what prophets have written to us. I love that book and will continue to read from it every day until the day I die.
Now is that dreadful parting we all hate. The moment where I go back into the Spanish world and leave you all to wait breathless for one more week (I doubt your breathless, but I`d like to imagine so). If anyone wants anything from me... let me know. I think I can find at least 20 minutes to reply to you all. I’ve learned one thing here on the mission. If you want to do anything special... you need to take sleeping time. I basically don't sleep anymore. So, if anyone wants anything... I now know how to find time ;) But in all seriousness... Is there anything I can do for my loyal listeners?
Love you all,
E. Tommy Steinkuhler
Wednesday we had interviews with the president. I got a package!!! I say this not to offend, but to help you understand my joy. I really don't get many letters or packages... So when something does come it is the thrill of a lifetime. Who was it from?! What does it say?! What is inside?! Needless to say, it is amazing to get things from the other world. So thank you mystery person. You know who you are... it`s great!
Anyway, interviews went well. I always expect the president to drop the cane on me... but he always just tells me I'm doing great and to continue doing it. So, I guess I get to stay in the mission for at least up till next interviews.
Thursday we did a Family Home Evening in the church with a whole lot of investigators to teach them a little more about the Prophet Joseph Smith and what a FHE really is. We watched the majority of Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration (which none of you have seen because it hasn't come out yet... hehehe... only missionaries have seen it). It turned out great... with lots of kids. You see, we are teaching a young couple who have 4 kids between the ages of 2 and 6. They are a handful. And we want our investigators to focus, so we normally play with the kids to keep them quiet while the parents learn. I’ll be honest... I still have a headache. Babysitting is something that I can do... it isn't ever easy with 4 kids... but even less easy as a missionary with 1001 rules pertaining to the child-missionary permitted conduct.
Friday we got a lot of people together to finish the movie and play volleyball (which doesn't really exist around here). I again was on child entertainment duty.
Saturday and Sunday during conference I was also on child duty. I basically only heard Priesthood and the last session of Sunday. Which were AMAZING by the way. I fought with kids for hours and then sat down to hear Elder Holland bear pure testimony about the Book of Mormon. It was extremely wonderful. Priesthood was off the spiritual hook as well. I took a million and one notes and only saw 2/5 of conference. I’ll be honest, I was starting to wonder if it was all worth it and then saw the change it made in the 5 investigators who went. DEFINATELY WELL WORTH IT!!!!
The young couple who went have had a very deep change of heart. The wife sat down for the first session on Saturday and during the talk of some lady leaned over to me and told me she had heard the talk already. I looked at her with a puzzled look and she asked me why I look so bewildered. I explained again that conference was happening at this very moment. That she was in fact giving that talk for the first time at that VERY moment. She stared at me and then clutched her chest. Soon tears were forming in her eyes and later she explained to us how she felt. We explained that feeling is the Holy Ghost and she looked at us as if she finally understood. The husband is a little more hard-headed. He only came to one session and loved every minute of it. Hopefully this week we will be able to take out a baptismal goal with both of them.
That wasn't all that happened. A lot more went down, but I can’t really explain how or why. Here is a cool little thing though.
Every day we need to do 5 contacts. Conference makes that hard. But we decided to do it anyway. Between sessions we returned back to our area to find more people. We did divisions with a few young men to get two groups. We took 15 minutes to do contacts. The only thing is that when we do contacts we don't just give them a pamphlet and leave. We try to find them at that very moment. Well, God always blesses us for being faithful and doing what he asks us. I decided to clap a house where a family was working on cleaning their clothes outside. The member that was with me said, "Hey, I know them. I just never thought we had time to stop by, so I never told you." We entered and taught them about the Book of Mormon and left all within 15 minutes. It turns out that they normally are not together, but that day they were because we took advantage of every minute of the day... God helped us find a family of 6.
There are just so many things that happen like that. We go a little bit more and God goes miles ahead of us to prepare our paths.
I’ve been thinking that it has been a long time since I have given my family/friends my testimony. I assume all of you are alright. But I know that there is something I’ve learned here on the mission that I want to share with you all. And it just so happens to be what Elder Holland talked about. The Book of Mormon really is everything. Every person we teach needs to gain a testimony of that book. They often ask us questions and the answer is always simple and findable within the Book of Mormon. We have been asked to divide the wheat from the tariffs more. The best way to do that is find out who is reading from the Book of Mormon and who isn't. It is amazing that every person who reads is progressing. Every person who doesn't gets dropped within a week. Many people have asked me why I don't use the Bible to teach. Well, it is simple. Everything I teach can be easily found within my triple... ESPECIALLY The Book of Mormon.
So I would like to add my testimony to that of Elder Holland. I am not as great at word choice as he, nor am I as powerful of a speaker, nor am I an apostle. But I want you all to know that I know The Book of Mormon is true. It is "the most correct of all the books on earth." I love it`s pages and glory daily in the power it has as I read and share with others what prophets have written to us. I love that book and will continue to read from it every day until the day I die.
Now is that dreadful parting we all hate. The moment where I go back into the Spanish world and leave you all to wait breathless for one more week (I doubt your breathless, but I`d like to imagine so). If anyone wants anything from me... let me know. I think I can find at least 20 minutes to reply to you all. I’ve learned one thing here on the mission. If you want to do anything special... you need to take sleeping time. I basically don't sleep anymore. So, if anyone wants anything... I now know how to find time ;) But in all seriousness... Is there anything I can do for my loyal listeners?
Love you all,
E. Tommy Steinkuhler
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