Merry Christmas!

Dear Family!

Yes, I have regular P-day this week. Mother, about the titles of my weeks and what not for the mission book in the future, I am titling every day of my journal. And I write every single day, so I'm not going to be worried about that! JA JA! Anyway, it was really great to hear and see each of you! I was bummed to not get to see J, but I couldn't figure out how to call him without it being a conference call. Anyway, I love each of you so much! I am sorry that I had nothing spectacular to say. I just work and that's about it. :) I just love Spanish and the people here! It's tough not being able to talk to my companion in Spanish, but he is learning. He just is really confused about a few things. He wants to work though, so he's really to go out and work everyday! So I am grateful for him. His name is Devin Porter from Spokane Washington and he loves his motorcycle! PS, the mission just makes me want one more because that's all the people drive here . . . :) Anyway, he's half native American and so many people think that he is from Chile or Argentina, but then they figure out he's English from when he tries to talk or doesn't understand. Ja ja! I love him!

Elder Rubalcabo, Elder Tantachuco y yo

With Skype and talking to you all, the bishop wanted me to tell you that it was hilarious when I showed Mom what Mate is and how the screen froze right as she made her disgusted face! Ja ja! They drink that stuff all day! Google it, you'll find a lot about it I bet. And now you've seen a fairly well off family too and their house! Kind of small and not too nice, eh? It's really poor here. But, I love it! I think I will feel out of place when I get back home and see all the space and big houses!

So, enough about that. I'll talk about some investigators now. We got to visit Mirta and Maria this week. We got one plus and one minus from that lesson. Do you want the good news first or the bad? Well, I figured you'd want the bad first to end on a good note like always, so the bad thing was that Maria doesn't want to talk about joining the church. She says the Book of Mormon is true but she feels like her church is the true church already, or that there's more than one way to get back to God. She doesn't want to talk about anything other than the questions she has from the Book of Mormon. The good news is that Maria got on Mirta's case again and made her pick a definitive baptism date! So, Mirta will finally be baptized on the 7th of January! Hopefully there isn't any more crazy things that happen like what happened to our fecha this week. . .

So, Lara wasn't baptized because of the problems they are having with the neighbors. In fact, the whole family had to move unexpectedly in the middle of the night because the neighbors were going to kill them if they didn't leave, or if they tried to leave the house, they'd burn it down with them inside, so basically it was death either way. So they left without telling anyone. I called them the other night to see when we could go by to see them and they told me the story. So, they are living somewhere in the North mission right now near the Capital. I was really sad to hear about that because that is seriously my favorite family in the whole country. The bishop, the missionaries who work near the chapel, and the stake president are all looking for houses near the church that they could move into to have their lives again but be far enough away from the neighbor to live in peace and without them knowing. So, hopefully we find a decent one that they can afford. I will call them to fix a time to go and visit all the houses we have marked out. Let's all pray for a miracle to happen! I'm about to donate half my monthly funds to buy them a house, but I don't think I'm allowed to do that . . .

We found Mabel this week. She was a contact I did because she has a beagle!!! Reminds me of a skinnier Blaze! I don't remember his name, but I love the dog! And, Mabel saw me cry a little bit. I couldn't help it with my testimony that time. She told me that she knows the emotions in my face are real and true and for that reason she is going to read the Book of Mormon and try to go to church once all the parties/holidays are over. She accepted a baptism fecha really easily and she has a lot of people in her home that we are going to try and teach too. I hope she is our "beginner's luck" for Elder Porter. She's a really kind lately too. I can see her clothed in white already!

We had the end of the year dinner with the ward this weekend too. The bishop wanted to get special permission for us to stay out until MIDNIGHT with the ward! Ja ja! Yeah right, that didn't fly. Ja ja! So, we stayed till nine thirty and took off for the pench. We had a HUGE asado/Argentine BBQ deal and it was really fun! I fall in love with this ward more and more each day! I make jokes all the time now and the members are loving us a lot more too! They are really willing to work with us now and we might start to do divisions every Sunday now! Yay! Then, with Elder Porter, the members kept telling him things like the meat was made from the dogs here and things like that and it was really funny! I told them that Dad ate dog on his mission (I hope you did because I thought so and said so . . .) and the Argentines were disgusted! Ja ja! The best thing of that night was baffling some of the members with my Spanish. The old branch president of the Fabian Onsari Branch lives in our area and now he is part of our ward along with his counselor. So, they got to meet us a little more. They asked me from where I came and I said the US. Then he was like, no, what area or ward did you come from? I told him it's my first and then another member told him that I have only been here for three months. Those two men were shocked that I talked so well and that I understood everything they said too! Ja ja! I loved that! I am starting to feel fluent now! YAY!!!!! :) I am starting to dream parts in Spanish too! I hope I master it up soon with the grammar.

Well, we didn't get a lot of time to work this past week, so I don't have tons to say. I am excited for an almost full week this week! I can't wait until all the holidays are over and then the work won't be suffering as much! I want to get working really, really hard and start finding new people to teach! I am putting everything into the Lord's hands as my new year's resolution. Everything I do will be through revelation and through promptings of the Spirit. I know it is possible to baptize every single week of my mission and I just have to work for it with the Lord's help. There are thousands of people prepared to hear the message of the Restored Gospel in every single area! I am going out there and we will find them all! Ja ja! I love my mission so much! I'm such a nerd and I love it!

Elders are saying that president is going to call me as an assistant someday, and if I do, I will be the assistant when we get a new mission president for my last three weeks or so. So, I would most likely be called to extend my mission another transfer or two to help him get adjusted and all. And to the dismay of Kevy, Mom, Aubree, Carly, and lots others, I want that extension!!!! :) In fact I'm going to ask President . . . right now! . . . to extend my mission already! Ja ja! I think missionary life would be better than life back home. I just have to worry about others here. Back home I actually have to make decision for myself. . . Gross. Ja ja!

Well, I have to go write President now! I love you all so much! I am grateful for such an amazing family and for my many friends!

Love,

Elder Blake W. Cowan

"I'm a TRAINER!!!"

Dear Family,

Just a warning, I have no time to write this week. I offered to be the missionary who has to wait for the others in the cyber to finish their computer time. SO, I lost twenty minutes. Then, I didn't print this morning because of the transfer meeting, so I had to read a lot. Now I'm just starting and I have so much to say to you all!!!

I'm starting right away with the most exciting news! I, Elder Cowan, am now the most famous missionary in our mission. President has called be to be the earliest trainer in the history of the mission!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!! WOOOO!!!!!!! Can you tell I'm excited? yeah . . . Ha ha! Anyway, he called me last Tuesday and told me that I will be the first person who finished training to train directly after. Everyone in the mission has heard the story and are wanting to know what happens with me. Elder Vergara has been called to be a zone leader and is now in Adrogue. I'm in a trio today with an an elder from Mexico and an elder from Peru. Their names are ridiculous, so I'll write them down later in my journal. So, yeah, I have to go search for my son tomorrow at the mission home and am SO excited! I bet President will give me the Latin one because I still lack a little bit of Spanish, even though the Latins say I could hold my own without a Latin . . . But I am pumped!! Elder Vergara says I'm an assistant in the making now because usually nobody trains until they've had at least eight moths in the mission. But, I guess President listened to my constant pleas to train.
I have taken a ton of pictures this week and will have to send some next week because I have no time! I'm super stressed about my time right now. Anyway, Lara wasn't baptized this past week. She will be baptized on Friday before the end of the year dinner that our ward is doing.

With Christmas, I finally got the updates about five minutes ago. Chill mom. Ha ha!I will be calling from the church phone or if I find a member with skype, I will be skyping. I will have 40 minutes. It used to be an hour last year, but I think president put it to 40 to keep the elders a little more on time of an hour, but nonetheless, I will only use 40 to be obedient. I don't know when I am calling, but I will not try to call during your church. I have to buy a phone card thing and figure out how to call. I don't really know though. Anyway, I am super excited although it feels weird calling in the summer. I feel like it isn't Christmas time. I think Christmas is better in the cold. . .

So, here's a cool little story, our dueño, or guy that rents us our apartment/house, decided with his wife that they are gong to go to church with us. They showed up and are super Catholic, but liked the church! Their names are Marta and Hector. Marta wants to learn how she can have her family forever and Hector had questions about what happens to people who don't join the church after this life. To convert them will take a miracle because Hector promised his mother when she died that he would not change faiths. We've got to show him how his mother is waiting for her ordinances to be done and that it's not changing faith, it's just adding more to his faith. Marta will be more simple once we explain temples and the Plan of Salvation. I hope they are willing to listen to us.

I hope you had a happy anniversary and that the holidays are treating you all well! Kevin, just get through those last finals and I totally know who that Chika is!!!! Trevor, keep having patience and maybe try digging deeper into the scriptures for an answer, it'll come. Look at how the prophets had answers. Justin, thanks so much for your email! Keep working hard and I have a homework assignment for you when I call.

I have to go now. Sorry this letter is shorter than usual. I will be calling in less than a week so don't worry! Wish me luck with my new calling as a trainer! I will need it! I'll send a bunch of fotos home next week! Hopefully they all worked out really well! I might buy a new camera because this one sometimes doesn't work . . . Anyway, I love you all! Merry Christmas and a happy new year!!!!

Love,
Elder Cowan

Great Ward Family Night

 Dear Family,

Wow! This week flew by so fast! I can't believe I'm already writing again! It feels like just one or two days ago when I was sitting at a computer writing you all. Anyway, yes mother, I did receive the other two packages from you! They were greatly appreciated among the missionaries here! I don't feel like it is Christmas time at all. It's just getting hotter and more humid. That's all it feels like! Ja ja! It really doesn't bother me though; it provides an opportunity to talk to people. The people here don't have air conditioning. They see us walking around in the sun and stop us to ask why we're crazy for sweating all day! Then we bear testimony of why we are here and start teaching lots of them! For Christmas, it is the exact same here. There isn't anything different about the tradition. The holidays just involve a lot of alcohol. For that reason, I guess we're not supposed to be out proselyting after five or six on Christmas and New Year's Eve. Ja ja! And I still don't know what we can do exactly with calling home. All I know is that I will be calling and not Skyping. I have no idea the prices, times, or even where I will be calling from. We don't worry about that much into the future yet. We're more worried about the transfers coming up here in a week. Elder Vergara and I are really nervous. We want one more transfer together so badly! We have to baptize so many people still! Ja ja! But our bishop is calling our president and asking for a four missionary ward! So, if he takes that into mind, we could both stay here and get new comps but live in the same pench! That would be the best option for us! But I kind of doubt it.

Well, it sounds like you're all just about as busy as I am here in Argentina with all your holiday festivities! I have only done one thing for my Christmas and I bought two jerseys. I decided I'm not going to wear them and just gather up a bunch throughout my mission so I can have them back home! I love all the teams and designs here, but "Racing" is still my team for sure! Ja ja! I'm sure you can get everything done this month, though. The Cowan family is notorious for doing the impossible and pulling through in one way or another. In fact, I've talked about you guys to my fellow missionaries and members here and they have come to the assumption that Dad is going to serve in the Seventy some day. Ja ja! I stand by that! They say you look like one of them, Dad Ja ja! Who knows though. They said I looked like some politician here and I don't at all! But I am glad you are all enjoying the season! And I'm jealous of the cold weather. Arizona or Utah! Ni importa!

Oh, before I talk about my investigators, PLEASE HAVE THE MISSIONARIES STAY AT OUR HOME!!!! That would be such a blessing and I am so jealous of Kevin that he can have that opportunity! He could go watch them plan, or study with them or something! He would be the most prepared elder EVER!!! Plus the elders are awesome! For the most part, they are some of the coolest people on the planet! Plus you could help them out with lessons with members and try to have family nights with investigators! That would be so cool! I am utterly jealous of those elders if they get that chance! DO IT!

Well, I am going to write about this past week a little out of order. I want to talk about last night first. Since nobody ever has family night here, the ward is now starting to do a ward family night every Sunday night. We had one at the Luna family's home and almost all the attending members showed up. It was amazing though! I have never seen a group of LDS members so close. They are such a family here and the members are their best friends! They may not have the most functional ward, but it is definitely apparent that these saints have faith. We started by discussing what Jesus Christ means to us in our personal lives. Each of them took turns to describe what He means to them. When it was my turn I said that He is my hope. Through His life and sacrifice for us, we can have the chance to inherit the promised blessing in the Celestial Kingdom. Hermana Luna, who was teaching the lesson, loved that! Anyway, we compiled a list of what everyone said, even a boyfriend of a young woman who is Catholic contributed! Then one of the members, Hermana Coronel, shared her experience as the Primary president and the opportunity she's had to meet Alan's family. She shared how grateful she is for them and their sweet love for the gospel even at their age. And how she's so glad that Lara, Alan's little sister is getting baptized this weekend. Then she turned the subject into how I gave my scripture case to Alan after he was talking about wanting to make one like I did. She cried and described to the rest how the best gifts aren't the things we want the most or are the most expensive things, but are the things we willingly give to show our love in the best way possible. She said the look on Alan's face was priceless and there was such a love and shock. Then the whole ward started to share stories and advice on how they can give the best presents to others. Then the question was posed, "What's the best present we can give to Christ?" And it became a testimony meeting that was so powerful. I ended the family night with my remarks on how grateful I am for their faith and how I don't know how difficult it is to be a member here, but I have been humbled and learned to go by my faith more because of them. We really bonded with the ward that night and it would be so hard to leave them now.
About some of our investigators, well, we are dumping a ton of them. AGAIN! We are wasting time on people who are too lazy to go to church and to read. We are finding new people all over the place. We took out nine new fechas this week and are finding some really amazing people! My favorites this week were Gladis and Dante. We found them after a whole day of failed return lessons and walking around all day. It was the sweetest thing to end the day with them. Gladis is the daughter of Dante and they were so receptive of our message! She believed in everything and is excited to read the Book of Mormon. Dante is quiet but was receptive too. I was so grateful to my Father in Heaven for them that day! I see the hand of the Lord in my life every single day as a missionary. It's so true what they say, as missionaries, we have the front row seat to watch miracles take place every day.

Another lesson that was exciting was with Roxana. She didn't accept a baptismal date, but she is definitely liking to learn about our beliefs. She goes to this gathering of people to discuss the Bible on Tuesdays and we are going tomorrow. Hopefully we can turn the discussion into the lesson of the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon and they all accept it as the answer to all the missing parts of the Bible. We're really excited for that and we might have the chance to take out ten new baptismal dates with them! That would be amazing! Plus they already have the habit of reading the Bible so it would be easy for them to start reading the Book of Mormon.

Well, I have gone over my time. I need to go now. I had so much more to tell you all, but I had to do some other things before I could write today. I love you all and am so grateful for your letters. Next week I will update you all on the progress with Alejandro and Ruth, the three sisters we found this week, and with Mirta who could be baptized any day now. I love you and am excited to call in just two weeks or so!!!

Love,

Elder Cowan

Hilda's Baptism

Dear Family!

December is here and it is time for a Case quote- "OH MY HEART!" It is SOOO HOT here! I officially don't like the humid days. About every three days it is unbearably sticky/wet. You open up the front door and get drenched! Ja ja! It's so weird having a full year of summer . . . I keep waiting for it to get cold, but it's only getting hotter! Yummy yum yum delicious. But don't worry because I'm always so excited and happy to be a missionary! Even when I think that I have 20 more months of this, I'm still feeling great! And you know why? Let me tell you. I convinced my Latin comp to go running every morning this past week!!! Yeah baby! I'm already losing my weight again! I missed running so so SO MUCH! I only get 25 minutes, but it is so worth it! I love the sore leg feeling and just pushing yourself. It's great. I don't even mind that I run around a soccer field the whole time. It is the best. What a blessing! So I am pretty darn happy this week!

One more thing to add to my holiday spirit is that Hilda was baptized!!! Yeah! I love this woman. Right before she entered the font, I told her that she is about to become the most clean person in the whole world and she started to cry. After the short, small service, she told Elder Vergara, one hermana in the ward, and I that these missionaries (us) will always be her brothers from her soul and she will never forget us. Elder Vergara described her as the most prepared person that he has baptized in his whole mission. I'd agree since she's read about half the BoM already. But she is amazing. She wanted to convert her whole family so badly and is already bearing her testimony to them. I would love to see her get sealed in the temple before the end of my mission. Oh and she is SO excited to meet my parents. She called you guys saints for having raised me the way you did. I just told her that you two had nothing to do with that part. Love ya! Ja ja! But yeah, she is wonderful and fits amazingly well into the ward.

Unfortunately, Mirta did not get baptized. I went to the lesson with one of the zone leaders to do the interview, but she finally admitted that she hasn't read or said a prayer on her own yet. Her friend, Maria, was there and laid down the law on Mirta for us. Ja ja! I'm grateful for that! But then she continued to tell us that she knows the BoM is the word of God and she still wants to investigate a little longer before she will accept a baptismal date. But she is really progressing well. She's clever and really understands the lessons and everything. The BoM is really the key in everything. If you find out that book is true, then everything else just falls into place and fits all the puzzle pieces together. Elder Nelson promised us in the MTC that if someone will just read the first chapter of the BoM and actually try to understand it and then pray about it, then it is a guarantee that they will get baptized. 20ish verses can change their lives for eternity.

So, Mother, you need to call sister Jarvis and tell her that I talked to him on the phone the other day. He has had a different experience as a missionary here. Right after training he was called with another elder to be co-senior-comps. Crazy huh? They have shared duties and everything. His Spanish is coming along, but the new program definitely shows a difference in the missionaries. He hasn't had as much luck getting people baptized but I think he just had his first one. But yeah, tell his mom that he's doing just fine! And he's still gaining weight. Ja ja! Told ya he's in my mission.

Well, this week we had a zone conference with Elder Ajducaidis from the quorum of the seventy come. He checked some penches and gave some amazing advice. Everything he told us to do was an act of repentance. Especially our planning as a mission. He attacked that sucker pretty well. We are all trying to focus on bettering our planning. Before we did weekly planning for about two hours and now we are doing it for about five!!! Crazy! I am dead by the end. Ja ja! But it was an amazing experience with him. I do kind of suspect that he is a little crazy, though. He kind of has that crazy eye/laugh thing going on and it made us all laugh sometimes. Love him though!

The investigator of the week has to be Alejandro Lopez. This man is a stud. Last week we helped him build a floor in his house and yesterday he finally understood what we are all about. He understands the importance of baptism and wants a change in his life. He said he will read and pray every day and go to church every Sunday until he has an answer about the church. The only other thing we need to do is get him married. His wife is a little more skeptical of everything but is still willing to go to church with Ale to help him. I hope Elder Vergara and I stay together one more transfer here to see these two get baptized and their family. But I love them so much! They will be one of the most rewarding baptisms.

Oh good thing you sent me those caramels because I'm giving them away! We have an investigator named Gabriel and he wants to quit smoking. So I asked him to give me all his cigarettes and I would give him caramels because that's what he likes and they help take the cravings away. So I felt really weird having cigarettes on me for a little while till I could destroy those little servants of Satan. Gross. But Gabriel is great! He's really smart and wants to help people a lot. He's buddies with my drunk body guard, Julio, who was actually beat up pretty bad the other day trying to buy drugs in the villa . . . Almost dead kind of beaten up. But Gabriel isn't into that stuff. He only smokes. But he wants to quit and keep learning more from us.

So, we having been finding a lot of new people to teach and dumping anyone who is a waste of time. We were promised in the zone conference that we can baptize every single week of our mission if we are determined and find prepared people. That's why we lifted our standards and I now make twenty new contacts everyday!! That's a lot. Some elders can't even do a contact at all. But we are finding a lot and are always fishing! You can't catch fish if you don't have your net in the water! That's what President always says.

Well, I've spent long enough typing up this letter. I sent nine pictures already and Mom is demanding more. Ja ja! SO I have to go work on that. Thanks for everything! I love you all! And Happy Holidays!

Love,

Elder Blake W. Cowan