Week 19: Utahns Unite

This week has been really cool, but really hard.  I got my new companion, Elder McPherson.  He is a super cool guy, super chill and he has already taught me tons.  He is from Utah too, so its been cool to reminisce in the beehive state, haha.

Like I said, this week has been hard, we've had a lot of golden investigators drop us.  People we thought for sure were going to get baptized.  Also, many of our members are having problems with things they struggled with in the past.  But I am so grateful for the opportunity to be serving these people, and helping them come unto Christ.  My companion has taught me something really valuable this week, and thats to listen.  If we listen first, the spirit will tell us what we need to say, and what these people need to hear.

The worst part of the week though is one of my converts passed away, Yolanda Ibanez.  She had been really sick this past week, and we had already given her two blessings.  She finally went into the hospital Friday, and we got the text that night that she had passed.

This really threw me off.  Just one week before we had been eating empanadas with her family and reading the scriptures, and now she is gone.  That is why I'm so grateful for this gospel, for the hope and peace we've been able to give to her family because we know theres more after this life and that we really can be an eternal, celestial family.

We got to hear from our mission president this week, who said, "Difficult times put our lives into perspective.  They help us remember whats really important."  I know that this gospel is true.  That no matter how hard life is, God loves us and is watching over us.  Theres nothing more important in this life than following the Savior and the temple.  Please keep the Ibanez family in your prayers.

Love,
Elder Starkey
Chau

 Elder Philpot gave me his hat,
notice Miguels undershirt :)

 Blue Steel...

 At Yolandas baptism in April, she just passed away.

Week 18: The baby bird has left the nest

Today is transfers and my first official transfer. My new companion will be here in a couple of hours and then its my job to show him our area. I´m nervous but excited at the same time!

But its official my trainer is gone and I´m way sad.

This week was super great, we were really able to teach 50/50 and we had tons of great lessons. All of our investigators are progressing a little slow, fighting to overcome addictions to alchohol and drugs but its amazing to see the changes in their families as they make that change in themselves. 

I just wanted to say thanks to my trainer, Elder Philpot. He taught me so much, not just about missionary work but also life. I don´t know why but before my mission I always thought of companions as companions and nothing more, but Elder Philpot was a super good friend. I´m grateful for the opportunity I had to have him as a trainer, and for always pushing me to improve and become the missionary that God wants me to be!

Love you all tons and don´t forget to read your scriptures, everyday, oh and don´t forget to pray. haha

Chau, Elder Starkey

 We make popcorn homemade a bunch and its super good, 

like movie theater status!

 The hotel we stayed at for the conference with Elder Vinas.

Elder Philpots 1 year celebration, 

we got ice cream bars.

 The Suarez family, 

they always make us homemade bread.

 The Cordoba Temple dedication...

 The Olivera family...

 Waiting for the bus...

 Del Zotto family...

Miguel cut his hair, 

and is a freakin stud!

Week 17: Hotels and IPhones

This week was great, on Friday we went to a conference in JuJuy.  A city about 3 hours away from here in Pichanal.  It was awesome.  We all got to stay in a hotel, and it was a blast.

This week we've been having some trouble with our investigators.  There's so many who have problems with the word of wisdom, but I can see the lessons having a real effect on them and their family.

To finish my week I got to talk to my family yesterday.  We finally found a family with a couple of IPhones here, and we got skyping, haha.  It was so good to see their faces and talk to them again.  We ended up getting to talk for a little over an hour and it was great.  I learned that they haven't changed much in these 4 months.  So that made me super happy.  In fact, I can honestly say that it was the best Mother's Day I've ever had.  Haha, Love you guys

-Elder Starkey

 Pday today...

 Me and Elder Hales at the conference, he was in my district in the MTC.

 In front of the chapel in Pichanal...

 Miguel showed up to go to lessons with us and he fell asleep while we finished studying.

It was so funny he was snoring so loud! Haha

 In one of the members houses...

 Milan, I thought this pic was funny, haha.

He's one of the kids of a family of members that we visit all the time.

 At the conference with Elder Vinas of the first Quorum of the Seventy.

My zone...

Week 16: Hunting?

Well, I decided that I'm going to start off every weekly email with a funny story, because basically everyday is hilarious here.  Ok, heres the funny story of this week:

On Saturday we were helping a member, Miguel, to organize and clean his house, like for service.  We came upon nun-chucks and a slingshot.  So naturally we started messing around for a second, and Miguel took the slingshot and shot a bird that was sitting on the telephone wire in front of his house.  It took the head clean off.  He was so proud and excited, haha.  He plucked it, gutted it, and gave it to us to cook haha.  Guess what we had for lunch today...haha!

This week has been crazy, we've been walking a ton!  On Saturday we walked about eight miles!  It was a long day, but we're having so much success.  Just the other day we had 2 separate people contact us in the street!  We're starting to believe that Pichanal is a gold mine of investigators.  On Friday we got to baptize Maribel!  It feels like we were teaching her for such a long time, so it was awesome to have her be baptized.

Another crazy thing is this lady that we were teaching.  We had given her a pamphlet to read and she seemed like a great investigator, good family and all.  Then when we went to visit her she started asking us why we put the devils star next to the chapter heading she was suppose to read.  Then when we asked her to read a verse of the Book of Mormon she asked if it was going to bring a demon into her...?  She was just trying to argue with us and it made me think about "Preach My Gospel".  It says, "some people will just try to argue and say your wrong, but you can't argue testimony", or something like that.  So thats what we did, we bore our testimonies of Christ, of the Book of Mormon, and the church, and then we left.  Whenever I hear more and more from other religions it really just helps me to know that this is the true church, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that we really can find happiness in this life and the next.

Con Amor
-Elder Starkey

 caminando,  means walking...

 Me and Miguel in front of his house with nun-chucks and a slingshot...

 The skinned bird that Miguel killed for us, hahahah...

 Nun-chuck...

 Baptism of Maribel Velasquez...

On our way to interviews with the mission president...