Trent

(excerpt)

I’m just gonna do what you always say and sprint the finish and come home every day dead until I’m done. I’ve done it the whole mish why stop now. I really do love this work! The spirit has really been working with Cristian it’s so cool to see. He really is starting to get it now, but we haven't been able to find him that much. He's always pretty busy. This week was actually pretty unsuccessful, but we worked so hard. We have been talking to so many people and I think that we have found a couple chosen ones. Andrés has a baptisimal date for the 8th of December. Miguel had a baptismal date for the 8th but he didn't come to church this week so he’ll have to be baptized mas adelante. 

Our ward is struggling honestly here. Theres about 20 to 30 who come every week. There are 2 families that are really awesome though!!! La familia Velenzuela is so awesome. They always want to help us out. So please help the missionaries. It just makes the work flow so smoothly when there is good fellowshipping and member missionaries.

This week we had the Zone conference and I had to give my "last testimony" along with two others who are going home with me. I can’t believe that it’s all coming to an end. I’ve just loved this time here so much. I really love being a missionary!!! It’s the best. It’s true happiness! I’ll see you soon!!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Sorry I can only write one main letter today because we went to Iguazu Falls today and dont have much time to write. By the way the falls were awesome, one of the wonders of the world baby! But it’s been a good week. Yes, we had a Thanksgiving feast, and yes mom I pulled off the rolls haha! Everybody seemed to like them. But really I love this time of year because we really are able to think about the things we are thankful for. There is so much to be thankful for!! I’m especially grateful for all of you guys and for your love and support. I am so grateful to be able to serve the people here of Paraguay and Argentina! It’s gonna by so fast and I can’t believe I only have about 2 weeks left. It makes me sad to think I will be leaving these people here my brothers and sisters, but I know there is still a work for me to do in these last 2 weeks and I'm not gonna waste it!

To give an update on the people we have been visiting. Ariane got baptized on Friday, so that was awesome! Her grandparents are now assisting in church every week, and her mom came to church this week. Because of her, her family are now active in the church.That makes me happy to see. Romina is doing really well and loves the lessons. We talked to her this week and she told us how she just really feels good and feels it is an answer ro her prayers. We invited her to be baptized for the 8th and she accepted and seemed super ready for it! Yolanda is struggling a little bit with some family problems but tells us that the lessons really help and comfort her. Please pray for her. 

These last couple of weeks I read the book by the church "Our Legacy”. It talks about the restoration and how the early saints were able to establish the church. How they suffered their lives, were hated, spit upon, thrown out and even were brought to death because of it. After all of that they then had to walk about 2000 miles in freezing weather to move to safety and be able to start the church where it now is. It was so hard for them but they knew why they were doing it, that is was God’s work and He would help them through it. I think about the sacrifice that I've made to come here for two years and really it isn't much compared to them. It makes me so grateful to know that because of them the restored church is on the Earth and we don't have to sacrifice literally our lives to share it. How great is that, that we have the gospel in our lives and we can always put in our little sascrifice at least a little to share it. I know this is God’s work and am so grateful for it. Have a good week, love you guys!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Hola Famia y amigos,

Time is flying by like I can’t believe! I’be been trying to take advantage of every minute. Elder Esse and I have been working really hard and praying that the Lord can help us find those prepared for the gospel and we have been able to find a lot of people because of it. The Lord answers prayers, that’s for sure!

Some things that have happened with investigators...Jolanda is still reading the Book of Mormon and praying to know about her baptism. She has been progressing really well just every time she is about to come to church something happens and shes not able to go dangit! I feel like that’s the only thing that’s keeping her from really gaining a testimony. We are gonna focus on that this week and help her get come to church! It’s crazy how every time something good is about to happen something always seems to get in the way. It’s because the Satan knows all the blessings and happiness one can have through the gospel and he always sends something to mess things up. But when we get past that and turn to God he helps us to endure and get us to where He wants us to be. If you could please pray for her that would be awesome!

About a week an a half ago we found a lady named Romina who lives with her 3 kids. When we got there she told us how she really has never gone to any church and has always had the faith that God would lead her or show her where she needs to go. Then we showed up one day and started talking to her about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and she feels we are an answer to her prayers. She really loves the missionary lessons and wants to follow. She says that the Book of Mormon gives her a feeling of peace when she reads it! It’s really aweosme in the misison to find people like that. Heavenly Father knows His children and knows what they need, and answers our prayers. He leads us to find those that are ready for the gospel in their lives. Aww man its so great to be a missionary and a part of this work! I hope you all have a great week. Much love,

Elder Reilly

Trent

This week was good. Cristian is doing pretty well, but he's studying philosophy so he had some pretty wack ideas when we taught him the plan of salvation. We found some really good investigators this week though. I’m excited to see how they progress this next week. My companion is really great. He is really obedient and works really hard. 

The mission secretary told me this last week that Rhett and I will be flying home on the same flight! And we are gonna have a really long layover in Buenos Aires so well be able to talk for a long time. That should be sweet! I cant believe the mission is coming to an end! I dont want it to finish! I love it so much!! I will sprint to the finish. 

I’m really trying finish strong and come home and hit the ground sprinting and baptize all the rest of my friends. Start praying so that God prepares them! 

Love you! Till next week!

Elder Reilly

Trent

I’m writing really late because I got transferred this week to train one of the newbies haha. I was so sad to leave Roca honestly! The work was progressing so well! We had 5 investigators in church this week, Leo, Luis, María Elena, Hugo, and Antonela. And three of them have baptismal dates in November. But I'm excited to be in my new area and to TRAIN! It’s gonna be so fun. My new comp is from Indiana. He’s named Elder Gray and he seems like a really nice kid. We have a HUGE area so it should be a lot of walking and a lot of fun. 

Among the people we taught this week are 3 great investigators we found named Cristian, Yesica, and Luisa. They are all really prepared to receive the gospel and we found them through contacting on the street. We've literally been talking to everyone so I'm sure well keep finding lots of new prepared people. Luisa accepted a baptisimal date for the 24th of this month. She has family members in the church and she’s always wanted to talk to the missionaries. We were guided to her!

Thats great that Trump is killing it. Argentina is seriously in the tank. About 10 years ago, the dollar and the Argentine peso were equal and now 1 dollar is a little less that 40 Argentine pesos. It’s crazy. But good for me haha because all the souvenirs I buy before I leave are gonna be cheap. The common peolpe suffer though. When I got here, a kilo of bread was about 10 pesos. Now its about 60! No one has enough to eat. They have to keep raising the amount of money that they give to the missionaries every month. 

I can’t believe the mission is almost done. I’m literally giving everything I have! I’m just gonna keep going strong until I’m done haha! Love you! Till next week!!

Rhett

(excerpts)

The working is going super well right now. This week we found a bunch of new people. The hard thing for us has been that everyone basically lets us in to talk with them but a lot don't really feel a need to make changes and be baptized. So we have been really focusing and praying to find people who really NEED the gospel in their lives and the Lord has really helped us to find them! We have been praying to find a family that really are in need of the gospel. On Friday we were contacting in a street we had never been to before and we passed by a house and saw a guy working outside. We passed by thinking...ohh he's working he probably wont want to listen, and kept walking. Then we stopped and Elder Esse and I looked at each other and thought, nope we gotta go talk to him! So we went back and we gave him a Saludo and started talking to him. He directly invited us to pass by and share. We got to talking with him and he told us that he has hash a really bad smoking problem and has wanted to quit but never could and that he knows he needs to stop to go to church and be with God. He said he does want start going to church and how he know it will be a good thing for him and his family. We shared about Jesus Christ and the gospel and how he would be able to quit and be clean from everything and start over through baptism. We told him we would be there to help him every step of the way and he accepted a baptismal date for the 25th of this month. We visited him again yesterday and were also able to share with his 2 kids and put baptismal dates with them as well. We told how much the gospel blesses families and how they all together follow Christ through baptism. He loved it and now they are all preparing to be baptized. Pretty awesome!! I dont have time to write more but really it is so great to be a part of this work and see the Lord’s hand in it. This is His work! Love you guys!

Elder Reilly

Rhett

Hola familia!

I hope you all had a great week. It’s always great to hear from you and hear all the good things happening over in the US. We just got the transfers this week and I found out that Elder Esse and I will both be staying here in Ruta. So I will be finishing my mission here! The time has gone by so fast I can’t believe it’s almost coming to an end:( But I'm really excited to be here another transfer and see the fruits of our labor! I want to finish strong and be diving across the finish line!

This week has been a little crazyy. Mirla got really sick this week and then had a soccer tournament for their son so we weren't able to visit them this whole week unfotunatley. But they still have their baptismal date for the 17th, so we will be working with them and do all we can this week to help them be prepared for that day! We have had a lot of investigators this week that haven't been showing much progression and having been keeping their commitments so we are going to stop visiting some of them and try to find a lot of new people this week so that we can have a big group pf investigators for the transfer. It’s been a little bit tough to see that. But I dont want to waste any time and want to find all those prepared that really need the gospel in their lives. We had a really cool experience yesterday. We left the house with a prayer saying that we really wanted to find a family if possible that needs the gospel in their lives and that could be baptized this transfer. We left with a member and had planned to go to an area a little bit far from us to a reference a member had given us. As we got to the area we asked a bunch of houses and asked if they knew the reference but everyone kept telling us that she lives over there, or over there two streets down, until we got there and it wasn't her haha. But when we got to one of the last streets we saw a lady and a kid sitting out side and we decided to contact and talk with them. Without even basically saying who we were, she told us to pass by and sit down. So we sat down on her porch and she told us that she hasn't gone to a church in about 6 months because she hasn't felt good in really any church. She told us about how Franko(the kid that was sitting down on her porch) has been living with her and her sister and that he basically his whole life hasn't had parents to help him and to be with him so that’s been hard. We shared with them about the restoration of the Gospel and how God had put His church on earth once again to bless us and our families and help us have a better life. They told us that they would like us to keep coming by to teach them more. We didn't even plan to go where they lived that day but somehow we ended up there and were able to find them, a familiy ready for the gospel. It’s a testimony to me again that God answers prayers and that He guides this work. There are so many people that need this gospel in their lives, we just need to find them! I hope you all have a great week. Love you guys!

Elder Reilly

Trent