Week 20: A Story of Faith

Hola! my familia!! Sounds like you guys have had a pretty exciting week! We had a really great week here in Buenos Aires!! We witnessed many miracles. Before I start talking about the miracles that happened this week, I will tell you some random stuff. I got your package yesterday mom! Thank you so much. My comp loves the Kind bars and the stuff you sent so he is also very grateful! Also we took some pictures this week so I will be sending a lot this week.  As for my Spanish. It’s coming along. I am forgetting English as well so it is becoming difficult now to speak in both languages. Why can’t we just speak Spanglish? I would be for it. Another week has gone by and I felt like it went really well. We really tried to step it up this week and tried to find new people to teach. We have been trying to go to areas that we haven’t gone and trying to mix it up, try new things that might bring success. Our ward is doing really well, yesterday we had 122 people in sacrament mtg, the most since I have been here. It was pretty awesome and very exciting for all of the missionaries in the ward. I feel like our ward is definitely starting to step it up and work hard. We also met up yesterday with the Elder Quorums president, Young men’s president, and some young men to go visit inactive families. We are trying to do this every Sunday. And I think it has made all of the difference. We had a baptism this week for Fernando, the baptism that fell through about 4 weeks ago. It was really great. His best friend, who gave us the reference of Fernando, baptized him. I loved being able to watch two friends walk into the water together, and watch him baptize the other. The bond that they have and will have will continue for a long time. 

Fernado's baptism by his best friend

            Probably the biggest miracle that happened this week, happened yesterday. The young men were going to bring Fernando to church so we decided that we were going to go somewhere else and bring people to church. When we showed up, we realized that he wasn’t there and that the young men forgot to bring him. We panicked for a little bit and as we were trying to make plans to try to get up to his house, about 20 min up a hill from the church. As we were making plans, he came walking into the church. I was so blown away. Here is a 16 year old boy, both parents live in the states, really has no support from his family, woke up in the morning, and walked by himself all the way to church, where he only knows some of the young men and the missionaries. It has been a miracle to watch the changes in him, from the first moment we met him till now. Every Sunday he leaves and does visits with us. Even though he doesn’t have a lot to say, his testimony through his actions always strengthens mine. Also we have another baptism for the husband of the lady we baptized 2 weeks ago. His name is Gonzalo and his story is a story of faith. He is about 70 years old and has trouble walking. Like Fernando, he lives about 20 min away from the church. But that doesn’t stop him. He can’t read or write, so his wife, who got baptized 2 weeks ago, reads to him from the Book of Mormon everyday. What a sweet couple. The love and trust that they have for each other is truly something you have to experience. It is difficult for me to try to explain it. Every Sunday, he and his wife, and some of their grandchildren make the long walk to church. Even though it is extremely painful, he does it. We have been trying to find rides for them to take them back to the house, but yesterday we couldn´t and they made that long walk all the way up to the top of our area in the pouring rain. Also my companion and I have been thinking a lot about what faith it must take to not be able to read and only listen to someone read to you and have a testimony of it. Every time we go to this family I am always impressed with the faith that this family has. Many times, I am taught by them. 

            We also had another very interesting experience with a man that is a hondurean gringo. He is from Gaunaja, a small island off the coast of Honduras. His parents are immigrants from England. He speaks English and has lived a pretty rough life. He works as a fisherman, so he leaves for about 4 months at a time. We found his family as we were contacting some houses in our area. Our first visit with him really strengthened my testimony about the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We met with him and talked about The Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can follow Christ. After the whole lesson was finished, he said to me in English, that he already feels better, feels more happy. He wants to be baptized, but has a lot of things that he needs to work out in his life. He really wanted to change, and more importantly is willing to change. There are a lot of people that always come up to us and tell us that they want to change. But after we visit with them for a while we realize that they aren’t willing to change. They love the world more than they love God. I was very impressed by this comment that this man said to me. Our message is a message of hope, hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, hope that we can change. I love asking our converts and some of our investigators what the difference is in their life now than before they met the missionaries or before their baptisms. For one lady, she said that she felt so abandoned, that no one cared for her, but now she feels accepted, wanted, and feels a hope for the future. Isn’t that awesome! Those are just some of the miracles that we had this week. 

Thanks guys for everything. For the package and just for the love that you guys give me. The support and examples that you guys are to me. The more I become a part of these peoples lives the more I truly love them and realize how blessed we really are. I love you guys. I couldn’t have asked for better parents than you guys. Thank you so much. I love you guys I love you guys so much!

Love Elder Neuberger

Pico Bonito...the mountains Kaden looks at every day.