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Friday, August 26, 2011
Happy 21st Birthday, Elder Ludlow!!!
Write Ben an email!
Bear your testimony!
Share your favorite scripture!
Open your mouth!
Express your love for your Savior Jesus Christ!
August 22, 2011
Well this week was a mess!
Thanks for the Happy Birthday Wishes
Thats what the elders left us when they left. =P
So we cleaned and I got to try and make the day work, the next day but we were still cleaning. I went and did splits with a member on tuesday, and ended up getting stranded in Ward Council until 11, when my bus left at 4:45 the next morning. UGH so I got my stuff ready and tried to sleep, but well, I barely closed my eyes and the alarm went off. So I went on a really gross and hot bus and made it to the trainer meeting where Pres. got us all pumped up to train, and assigned us. We ended up sitting next to each other, and so did most of the trainers end up sitting next to or close to their kid. Pretty funny. Umm his name is Elder Schaap, hes from Albuquerque New Mexico, is the oldest of 5 brothers, his dad is the Institute teacher at the U of New Mexico, and he went to BYU, for 2 semesters, and may go play as a QB or RB or Safety after the mission. Hes real sharp and full of love for the people. He just has a little problem understanding the accent here. Other than that his spanish is pretty good. Hes full of fire, and today we are getting out to work earlier, so we can have more sucess. I am super pumped for this next week. The new training program is pretty interesting. Ok love you. gotta be getting to work
Thanks for the Happy Birthday Wishes
With Love
Elder Ben Ludlow
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 15, 2011
Beginning on the money question.
Ok last week I got an email from my Paypal (Paypal is used for Ebay and safe online purchases, and some of my email gets forwarded from my old email) Well it had an account balance for $62.72 So I checked it out and I moved it back to my checking account. Well good thing I did. I had a bit of personal funds floating around and so I took my suit to get dry cleaned... It needed it, but well if you remember about my shoes breaking. Well I was using those and those came completely unglued...Again. I changed to my other pair of shoes and they as well came undone or started to. Glue doesnt work, and the piece of rubber used to sew them had fallen off too. I asked some members and they told me to go get them fixed at a place, but I was gonna need a pair in decent shape. So I was left with but one option. I had to get shoes. No choice, and I got ones that will last, unfortunately It ran me 380 pesos or 95 dollars. =( I have a nice pair of shoes that will last me here and back home, it also appears that I have one leg just a little bit longer than the other and one foot bigger as well. the blister isnt bad. way bummed, cuz it was a big hit to the money that I dont have, but luckily I have been doing pretty good with my money and have been able to actually get my allowance on time, cuz I got my new credit card. and the mission owed me a little bit and i had that. So aside from all of that mess. thats my accounting of the subject. So I took alittle bit of money out because well yeah I had nothing left and had to get the dry cleaning, and because I have to go to Cordoba.
I am going to Cordoba on wednesday ish to go get my new comp. Thats right I am going to TRAIN! Training is a 2 transfer or 3 month process. So I will train and be replaced by a brand new elder.
I would love to get pictures, and I am not trunky just very aware of how much time I have left to serve. The good news is that everything is certain and I dont have to worry about mission things. What I would like is that you just hold on to that money for me so I can buy clothes or do stuff when I get home. I would like if you could put in a little bit so that I can have it there in case something like this happens again.
We need to be talking about the whole "I am coming home" thing. I am gonna be getting "the call" this week, so I am going to tell them that the airport is Burbank or Bob Hope International Airport. Unless you would prefer a different one...
I dont have a real checklist like that anymore. I have a list of things that come to my mind that distract me and I just right them down in my agenda then move them off to the list at the end of the transfer. It helps a lot to just put away those thoughts and save them for later, because they are not bad thoughts but not missionary thoughts. I love his [Lynn G Robbins] talk because it really separates the boys from the men. Lots of missionaries come on the mission thinking its gonna be a gas, a laugh and a fun time, but to come on the mission without goals is bad. Many think that to put a goal it means a number. How many baptisms are you gonna have? Wrong. How much are you willing to leave behind your boyish tendencies and the natural man and become a Man of God like our Savior Jesus Christ. Many missionaries check off their investigators as done when they are baptized. Thats not ok, they rely on us so much, its our job to hand them off to the ward and get the ward involved.
Yeah lifes good here in the mission. This week we were teaching the Retamozo family. they are way cool I think I told you about them last week. We were talking to them about the restoration and they are eating it all up. They seem like they are ready to be baptized. Gonna challenge them this week with my new comp. Other than that this week I helped Elder Vera pack his bags to go home. It kind of really hit home that it was coming up for me too this week. We'll see. Lots of work to do before than. but not alot of time.
Well I gotta be getting out of here. I love you all and I know that this Church is the only true and living church on the Earth today, and that we are led by a Prophet of God. I know that Jesus Christ is our one perfect example of how to live, and my life is dedicated to changing me and my weaknesses to align myself more with Him, and BE like Him. He is my Savior and I serve Him with all my might.
con amor
Elder Ben Ludlow
Ok last week I got an email from my Paypal (Paypal is used for Ebay and safe online purchases, and some of my email gets forwarded from my old email) Well it had an account balance for $62.72 So I checked it out and I moved it back to my checking account. Well good thing I did. I had a bit of personal funds floating around and so I took my suit to get dry cleaned... It needed it, but well if you remember about my shoes breaking. Well I was using those and those came completely unglued...Again. I changed to my other pair of shoes and they as well came undone or started to. Glue doesnt work, and the piece of rubber used to sew them had fallen off too. I asked some members and they told me to go get them fixed at a place, but I was gonna need a pair in decent shape. So I was left with but one option. I had to get shoes. No choice, and I got ones that will last, unfortunately It ran me 380 pesos or 95 dollars. =( I have a nice pair of shoes that will last me here and back home, it also appears that I have one leg just a little bit longer than the other and one foot bigger as well. the blister isnt bad. way bummed, cuz it was a big hit to the money that I dont have, but luckily I have been doing pretty good with my money and have been able to actually get my allowance on time, cuz I got my new credit card. and the mission owed me a little bit and i had that. So aside from all of that mess. thats my accounting of the subject. So I took alittle bit of money out because well yeah I had nothing left and had to get the dry cleaning, and because I have to go to Cordoba.
I am going to Cordoba on wednesday ish to go get my new comp. Thats right I am going to TRAIN! Training is a 2 transfer or 3 month process. So I will train and be replaced by a brand new elder.
I would love to get pictures, and I am not trunky just very aware of how much time I have left to serve. The good news is that everything is certain and I dont have to worry about mission things. What I would like is that you just hold on to that money for me so I can buy clothes or do stuff when I get home. I would like if you could put in a little bit so that I can have it there in case something like this happens again.
We need to be talking about the whole "I am coming home" thing. I am gonna be getting "the call" this week, so I am going to tell them that the airport is Burbank or Bob Hope International Airport. Unless you would prefer a different one...
I dont have a real checklist like that anymore. I have a list of things that come to my mind that distract me and I just right them down in my agenda then move them off to the list at the end of the transfer. It helps a lot to just put away those thoughts and save them for later, because they are not bad thoughts but not missionary thoughts. I love his [Lynn G Robbins] talk because it really separates the boys from the men. Lots of missionaries come on the mission thinking its gonna be a gas, a laugh and a fun time, but to come on the mission without goals is bad. Many think that to put a goal it means a number. How many baptisms are you gonna have? Wrong. How much are you willing to leave behind your boyish tendencies and the natural man and become a Man of God like our Savior Jesus Christ. Many missionaries check off their investigators as done when they are baptized. Thats not ok, they rely on us so much, its our job to hand them off to the ward and get the ward involved.
Yeah lifes good here in the mission. This week we were teaching the Retamozo family. they are way cool I think I told you about them last week. We were talking to them about the restoration and they are eating it all up. They seem like they are ready to be baptized. Gonna challenge them this week with my new comp. Other than that this week I helped Elder Vera pack his bags to go home. It kind of really hit home that it was coming up for me too this week. We'll see. Lots of work to do before than. but not alot of time.
Well I gotta be getting out of here. I love you all and I know that this Church is the only true and living church on the Earth today, and that we are led by a Prophet of God. I know that Jesus Christ is our one perfect example of how to live, and my life is dedicated to changing me and my weaknesses to align myself more with Him, and BE like Him. He is my Savior and I serve Him with all my might.
con amor
Elder Ben Ludlow
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
August 8, 2011
Well this week was interesting.
We worked a lot, and we went to a "new" area. Its called Holmberg/Santa Catalina. We went to the absolute southernmost point of the mission. There is nothing more below it. We saw the horizon... hahaha. Its a new area because the missionaries before us havent been in over 6 years... So you can imagine that its a bit difficult to get a lot of member references. There are a few families that live there, and only 2 people who are semi active still. So we went to find all the inactives. Well we didnt really get to talk to alot of people because of certain previous incidents in the area. The last time the church started to grow there in Holmberg, the local Catholic Priest started a campaign against us, and got almost all the members to reject us. almost all, but those that didnt reject got isolated from their friends and in some cases their families. So its kind of a rough environment.
Its a small town that has maybe 16 blocks by 16 blocks divided by a 2 lane freeway. So you have to cross the road. and we went to cross it and my comp accidentally gives me a flat tire. No big deal you would think, but my shoes have glue to keep the soles on. So the flat tire became a total blowout. Wooh in the middle of the freeway! So we walked into the first shop we could find, a pharmacy, and we asked the guy if he could help us. So he goes and gets shoe glue for me and helps us out. Crazy, way nice. People are nice in small towns hahaha. Well we got my show glued and hit up a few more contacts, and headed home to the Ward Actvity. Well we were just gonna take a bus, but another random stranger comes along and offers us help. Apparently the bus wasnt running. So the dude says "hey you going to Rio Cuarto? get in." Kinda freaky you know. but my comp just walks up and gets in so I ran after him and we got in the car. We got on the road and he tells us about his life and how he is heading to a charity show where he is going to play the accordion for the benefit of geriatrics. So he leaves us on the side of the road in Rio Cuarto and heads to the hospital, while we walked to our activity. Thats about all that I have to say on the subject of hitchhiking. Check that one off the list.
Umm but other than that we have a new family that we are teaching. The Retamozo family of Ana (40) Alexis (18) and Abril (16) They came to church this sunday and barely made it for sacrament meeting, It was fast and testimony meeting, and was very good, all things considered that F&T is probably a missionaries worst nightmare for his investigators. Anyway they barely got there and loved it, and said they were definitely going to come early next week.
On other news, Elder Vera goes home this week. Saturday will be transfers, and I will find out whats gonna happen for my last 3 months. Its been a fun transfer, trying to not get as trunky as my comp. Well gotta get out of here, we are having an asado with the zone apparently (in other words they invited themselves over to our apartment........) so we have to go get things ready.
Talk to you next week
With love
Elder Ben
We worked a lot, and we went to a "new" area. Its called Holmberg/Santa Catalina. We went to the absolute southernmost point of the mission. There is nothing more below it. We saw the horizon... hahaha. Its a new area because the missionaries before us havent been in over 6 years... So you can imagine that its a bit difficult to get a lot of member references. There are a few families that live there, and only 2 people who are semi active still. So we went to find all the inactives. Well we didnt really get to talk to alot of people because of certain previous incidents in the area. The last time the church started to grow there in Holmberg, the local Catholic Priest started a campaign against us, and got almost all the members to reject us. almost all, but those that didnt reject got isolated from their friends and in some cases their families. So its kind of a rough environment.
Its a small town that has maybe 16 blocks by 16 blocks divided by a 2 lane freeway. So you have to cross the road. and we went to cross it and my comp accidentally gives me a flat tire. No big deal you would think, but my shoes have glue to keep the soles on. So the flat tire became a total blowout. Wooh in the middle of the freeway! So we walked into the first shop we could find, a pharmacy, and we asked the guy if he could help us. So he goes and gets shoe glue for me and helps us out. Crazy, way nice. People are nice in small towns hahaha. Well we got my show glued and hit up a few more contacts, and headed home to the Ward Actvity. Well we were just gonna take a bus, but another random stranger comes along and offers us help. Apparently the bus wasnt running. So the dude says "hey you going to Rio Cuarto? get in." Kinda freaky you know. but my comp just walks up and gets in so I ran after him and we got in the car. We got on the road and he tells us about his life and how he is heading to a charity show where he is going to play the accordion for the benefit of geriatrics. So he leaves us on the side of the road in Rio Cuarto and heads to the hospital, while we walked to our activity. Thats about all that I have to say on the subject of hitchhiking. Check that one off the list.
Umm but other than that we have a new family that we are teaching. The Retamozo family of Ana (40) Alexis (18) and Abril (16) They came to church this sunday and barely made it for sacrament meeting, It was fast and testimony meeting, and was very good, all things considered that F&T is probably a missionaries worst nightmare for his investigators. Anyway they barely got there and loved it, and said they were definitely going to come early next week.
On other news, Elder Vera goes home this week. Saturday will be transfers, and I will find out whats gonna happen for my last 3 months. Its been a fun transfer, trying to not get as trunky as my comp. Well gotta get out of here, we are having an asado with the zone apparently (in other words they invited themselves over to our apartment........) so we have to go get things ready.
Talk to you next week
With love
Elder Ben
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
August 1, 2011
Yeah it was not exactly busy, its just not much to talk about other than the baptism. It doesn't seem to matter what ya do, there is always something that manages to go wrong. Its all in the attitude of how ya handle it. Murphy says that even if you have everything in place, everything can go wrong. this week we were busy getting the interview for the baptism, the baptismal invitations, the clothes, who was going to baptize, making sure that the bishopric could show up, making sure the baptized persons show up, just making sure of everything. The bishopric member who was going to come, has a double hernia, and it got really cold on Saturday... in fact it snowed. THAT RIGHT IT SNOWED!!!!! It didn't stick, but well you can imagine all the Argentines FREAKIN out, we had almost no one at the baptism, but the last 7 recent converts were there. They are actually all pretty tight despite their various age differences and everything, its surprising how the recently changed of heart feel that companionship for each other. As an overall experience, it was quite well done. While we were waiting for everyone to get there, we just sat and watched the Doctrine and Covenants resource DVDs and they are awesome. So in one room all the people who attended the baptism watching movies and being spiritually uplifted together, while the elders run around the church wondering what happened to all the people they invited. Every once in awhile we would go check on them, and they had put on another video, and it was just peaceful in there. It was like this little bubble of spiritual paradise. at one point i realized that Edgar wasn't in there, so i went to look for him, he was in the bathroom, just holding on to the sink, and tapping his foot, all nervous. So I asked him if he was nervous, and he just kind of grunted "yup". Well why don't we go in to the room where everyone is watching videos its nice and warm. you ll be fine, Elder Vera wont drown you "yeah ill be fine, I'm not worried about elder vera,besides its all your fault, you knocked my door, and it seems like so little time, but I am so happy about this. Thanks."
This was from Edgar who probably has said a total of 100 words to us since we met him 8 weeks ago. Hes pretty quiet, but as we have gotten to know him and explained the gospel his heart and his mouth have opened and he is so much happier. He literally said that he felt like he had been reborn. Its great to see a new family ready to strive forward in the church.
Yesterday the bishop pulled me out of Elders quorum to give my testimony of the mission to the young men. A little off guard, I realized how much I have learned here in the mission, and well its almost unfathomable what one can learn when being constantly instructed by the Spirit. I love knowing that the Lord has me in mind every time that I am teaching someone else and I can capture a truth or say something that I didn't think I knew but that I really did know. That's how my testimony has grown here. Line upon line, precept upon precept. I know that this church is true and that through the restoration all things pertaining to our salvation have been revealed and that we will continue to be guided by the Lord and His Prophet until He comes and personally reigns and guides us through the last moments of our mortal lives, and brings us through His sacrifice to Exaltation. I am eternally grateful to Him for the Atonement. Without it life would have no reason, because there would be no escape from all the errors that we commit.
Yesterday the bishop pulled me out of Elders quorum to give my testimony of the mission to the young men. A little off guard, I realized how much I have learned here in the mission, and well its almost unfathomable what one can learn when being constantly instructed by the Spirit. I love knowing that the Lord has me in mind every time that I am teaching someone else and I can capture a truth or say something that I didn't think I knew but that I really did know. That's how my testimony has grown here. Line upon line, precept upon precept. I know that this church is true and that through the restoration all things pertaining to our salvation have been revealed and that we will continue to be guided by the Lord and His Prophet until He comes and personally reigns and guides us through the last moments of our mortal lives, and brings us through His sacrifice to Exaltation. I am eternally grateful to Him for the Atonement. Without it life would have no reason, because there would be no escape from all the errors that we commit.
So I have a feeling that wasnt the last time you saw something like that. There is much more to come. stake callings are like that. Think about other great young mens leaders, ie Helaman and the 2000 stripling warriors.
Thats one of those its about time things. Pop has always been dedicated to scouting. He is a scouter. What did they call that award? How is pop doing? How is his memoir going?
Aly is now 16. So i bugged her last week, and she promised me there would be no kissing boys. I hope that was the case. =P she wrote me today and gave me a nahnahnahnah Im available and you arent here to do anythign about it. PBBBPPBPBPBPPB
Yeah other than that things are good here in the mission. I just feel good. =)
WEll gotta be getting out of here.
Love ya´ll
Elder Ben Ludlow
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