March 2024

 March was a very special month in our mission.  We started the transfer with a 40 day fast.  Where we fasted and prayed at the beginning of the month and asked the Lord what were the things we were doing that were keeping us from feeling more of His spirit.  We each made a personal list and for 40 days we worked to improve ourselves.  We saw MIRACLES happen.  The Lord blessed us with finding, teaching and baptizing a record number of friends.  In this process we were changed and became better disciples of Jesus Christ.  The hashtag for this transfer was #Marzoeselmes  (#marchisthemonth)    March 2024 will be etched in our hearts forever.   One of the many great miracles was this sweet family was found, taught, got married and baptized all within the transfer.  What a beautiful picture of a family all in white!  I can not wait to see a similar picture in a year of them in front of the temple being sealed together for eternity.   I love the opportunity we have to help change peoples lives forever!  It was also a tender mercy for our sweet Hermana Orme who served so faithfully and because of extreme arthritis pain had to go home a transfer early.  I can't help but think the Lord was blessing her for her great service.

We also welcomed 12 Los refuerzos and said goodby to 13 Los Fieles. It is amazing how the mission changes so much with each transfer yet the work of the Lord continues uninterrupted!  

Welcome Elder Bogren, Elder Comin, Elder Cope, Elder Harvey, Elder Isom, Elder Krepps, Elder Scott, Elder Milner, Hermana Arrieta, Hermana Barnum, Hermana Cabrera and Hermana Coppola

We had a pilot strike on the day our Los fieles were to leave to return home.   All flights were changed but we had to scramble to get the Los fieles to Neuquen from the south of our mission in time for there new flights.  So 4 of them missed the dinner.  But the most important thing is they all made it home safely to thier families.  We miss them and love them dearly. 

Thank you for you service Elder Harker, Elder Johnson, Elder Wheeler, Elder Sanchez, Elder Alarcon, Elder Hendricks, Elder Abadia, Elder Williams, Hermana Fernandez, Hermana Montiel, Hermana Orme, Hermana Balerezo and Hermana Rudd(not pictured).

Summer in Argentina

Summer is coming to an end in Argentina (We hope).   It has been a hot one!  Over 100 degrees everyday for weeks.  This week has been a little better it has been in the 90's.  We are looking forward to Fall!  

We met the Salazar family a few months ago.  The missionaries found them when one of their lessons fell through and so they decided to knock doors.  They began teaching the family.  We were invited to join a lesson with them.  We loved getting to know them.  They are a very sweet family.  They had been searching for something and when the missionaries started teaching them they felt something they had not before.  Martin is very intellectual and he could not believe these young missionaries could answer all his questions.   They were married on March 1st and then baptized that same day!  They asked President Pennington to baptize them!  What a blessing for us to be part of their conversion to the gospel.

11 new missionaries joined our mission!  Hermana Mason, Hermana Tzic, Hermana Beltran, Hermana Ramsey, Elder Olsen, Elder Cameron, Elder Reese, Elder Bryce, Elder Boopor, Elder Larkin and Elder Dominguez.

This is what the garage looks like on Transfer day!  It is a crazy day!  We have missionaries who travel 12 hours from their areas to get to the Mission home.  But most of them travel about 3-4 hours to get to the mission home.  It is a big mission.  They all come to the Mission home and then regroup and back out to their new areas. 

We said goodbye to some great Los Fieles!  Elder Bohme, Elder Mckeon, Elder Heslop, Elder Evanson, Elder Mortensen, Elder Gordon, Hermana Shumard, Hermana Parker, Hermana Jones, Hermana Moran and Hermana Windward.

President took the AP's out golfing by our new Mission home.   They are renovating the Mission Home for the new Mission President who will be arriving in July.  We are in a rental home on a golf course with a pool! 

2024

 Ended the year with 3 Missionary Christmas concerts, 8 zone conferences and a District Conference in Esquel.  After Christmas our Daughter Grace and her friend Maggie came to visit.  

We started this year with a Transfer!  We received 11 new missionaries from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and the United States!  

We said goodbye to Elder Luna our only Los Fieles this transfer.  He bore his testimony in our last Zone Conference and he talked about how much his mission had changed him.  His mother joined the church before he was born but he said he would like to find those missionaries who found his mom and thank them for changing his eternity.   We will miss this great missionary!

Missionary Story -

Every transfer we use combos (small buses) to pick up and drop off missionaries to there new areas.   Graciela was one of those combo drivers.  Many months ago Hermana Fraser and Fernandez were talking to her while she was driving them to their new area and Graciela was touched by their message.   Another transfer and Hermana Brady gave her a Book of Mormon.   She loved the spirit she felt when she was with the missionaries but she never really followed up and she didn't drive for us again.  One day many transfers later, there was a knock on her door and there was Hermana Fernandez and Hermana Bloomquist.  They were both quite surprised to see each other.  She started taking the lessons from these wonderful sisters and was just baptized.  I love how Heavenly Father is in the details.  

The Mission Tour

Elder Walker of the Seventy and his wife came to tour our mission.  Elder Walker is a counselor in the area Presidency for the South America South Area.  It was a wonderful week full of missionaries and trainings.  Elder Walker was not able to travel so we brought every missionary to Neuquen.   We had 4 zones one day and the other 4 zones the next day!  It was like a family reunion!   The Walkers were mission leaders in Mexico about 15 years ago and shared so many great stories and taught us so much!  On Friday we met together with our our Zone Leaders and Hermana Leaders and were spiritual fed!  It was just what our mission needed!  It was such a wonderful experience!  

Zapala Zone, Bariloche Zone, Neuquen Zone & Cipoletti Zone

El Bolson Zone,  Centenario Zone, Roca Zone and Cutral co Zone

We lost 13 Los Fieles!  We will miss them and we welcomed 6 Los Refuerzos! 

Los Refuerzos
Elder Ferreti, Elder Price, Elder Harris, Elder Glassey, Elder Jones,
Elder Parke and Hermana Gonzalez

Los Fieles
Elder Brito, Elder Felker, Elder Morrison, Elder Guinn, Elder Black, Elder Cabral, Elder Olmos
Hermana Farr, Hermana Rasmussen, Hermana Wach, Hermana Varela and Hermana Morais

154 Missionaries

 Wow!  We have really grown in the last 2 years!  We started our mission with 40 missionaries all from Argentina.  We now have 154 from many different countries and 2 Senior Missionary couples!  We are so blessed!  Every transfer is quite an adventure!  This transfer landed on a holiday!  All of the missionaries who needed to take a bus to their area got to stay an extra day in Neuquen.  It is such a fun day to see all our missionaries!  I am always sad to say goodbye to our Los Fieles (always my favorite missionaries) but the very next day is transfers and it makes me so happy to hug them and talk to them and remember all my favorites are still here!!  We also were able to visit the Tulipanes this year!  I have tried for the last 2 years to go and see this beautiful part of the Patagonia!  The first year we were 2 weeks to early, the 2nd year we were 2 weeks to late!  This year we were blessed with great weather and great company, the Esquel/Trevelin missionaries!

We welcomed 10 Los Refuerzos to our mission!  What a powerful group!  We are excited to have them in our mission!!

Said Goodbye to our Los Fieles!  We will miss these wonderful missionaries!  

A little look at transfer day!  It is such a great day to see old companions and meet new companions and spend a little time together!

Spring 2023

 And just like that Spring is here!  It is so beautiful!  Still hard to get use to flowers blooming in October but that is what it is like south of the equator!  

Our transfer was huge this time.  We welcomed 16 Los Refuerzos and said good bye to 4 Los Fieles.  The mission continues to grow!  We now have 150 Missionaries!  

Each Sunday we visit a different ward or branch in our mission and hear the best stories of faith and dedication.  In one particular ward I was visiting their relief society class of about 15 women and each and every woman shared their story of conversion.  They were all converts to the church.  Each one had missionaries knock on their door and share the great message of the gospel.  One of the oldest members of that relief society was an 80 year old woman.  She had joined the church when she was in her 20's.  She remembered when the ward was just a group of 15 people.  

In another branch in the south of our mission the members shared with us the disappointment of the economy in Argentina and how it is nearly impossible to attend the Temple.  If they attend the temple that is the closet, it takes 8 hours to drive and it is in Chile and they can not afford to stay or eat.  If they attend the closest temple in Argentina it is a 26 hour bus ride to Buenas Aires.  But they go, they save their money and spend their vacation riding a bus for 26 hours to attend the temple.  I am in awe of their dedication and faith.   

Another woman who will come to mind every time I read this scripture in Alma 7:22 "I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may WALK blameless before him, that ye may WALK after the holy order of God."

It was a Sunday that all the buses were not going to be running.  She lived about 2 hour walk from the chapel.   She didn't even think twice about it.  She knew it was important to go to church no matter the circumstances and take the sacrament.  She woke up early that morning and walked the 2 hours to attend church.  (we of course drove her home after the meeting).  I am in awe at the dedication and faith of these great members in Argentina.  What a blessing it has been to serve beside them in this great work of bringing souls to Christ.

Los Fieles Hermana Fraser, Hermana Lourenço, 

Elder Rodriques and Elder Jones

Los Refuerzos 
Hermanas Curtis, Von Niederhousern, Leal, Soria, James
Elders Peay, Tucker, Faulkner, Bravo, Smith, Taylor Ellsworth, Lund, Barney, Norman & Gilbert