Christmas went pretty well here. Christmas Eve we went caroling in the central plaza. My companion and I sang a solo in English, well actually I sang a solo, he sang a solo, and then we sang together. To those of you who have heard the song, we sang the Sheep Song written by my sister, Andrea Fife. If I can get the internet to cooperate, I will send a video.
[From the editor: Jack said the video was too big to email. He had to convert it to audio. It's not great quality (tons of background noise), but it was fun to listen to Jack's voice (Kirk says he's developing quite a vibrato) and to hear the second part sung with an accent. I feel pretty honored that my song made it to another country.]
We spent Christmas morning carpiendo (doing a service Project of cutting the weeds in a member´s lot with a machete). Then after an asado (delicious barbeque with grilled beef and arroz con queso [arroz con queso means rice with cheese, but it´s way tastier than it sounds]) we proselyted for a couple of hours and then got to talk to our families in Skype. This week went pretty well for everybody. Bermejo has now gone from being the zone that only had one baptism in 3 months to being the best zone in the mission for 2 months in a row.
The next exchanges are this Wednesday, and I hope that I can stay in Bermejo. It´s awesome now, because Bermejo is a small town, so everywhere I go, I see investigators and recent converts from the other areas. I have really grown to love that small town friendliness that exists between the members, the missionaries and the people in general.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Navidad Blanca
We had a conference in Tarija Friday (A city close to Bermejo that´s a lot bigger and has more than double the missionaries here). On the windy 3 hour drive to Tarija, 2 elders threw up, and my companion and I were also just 1 step away from joining the club (probably because our inner child had told us the night before that it would be a good idea to eat a whole pizza the night before a 3 hour monte russo [roller coaster]). We arrived and every zone sang Christmas songs that we had prepared. After the other zones went and sang standard songs from the hymnbook, we blew them away with a Sally DeFord arrangement of Oh Holy Night (with a solo by Elder Casdorph).
We are excited for the noche blanca that we will have this Saturday, although this time, it will only be 14 people getting baptized because 10 of them had scheduling conflicts and had to get baptized a week early. All the members are excited for what will soon be the Bermejo Stake (probably in May or June, the district here will become a stake).
All is going well here and I´ll let you know more next week.
Elder Casdorph
We are excited for the noche blanca that we will have this Saturday, although this time, it will only be 14 people getting baptized because 10 of them had scheduling conflicts and had to get baptized a week early. All the members are excited for what will soon be the Bermejo Stake (probably in May or June, the district here will become a stake).
All is going well here and I´ll let you know more next week.
Elder Casdorph
Monday, December 2, 2013
Cristian y la familia Gutierrez
We have an investigator that will be getting baptised this week, whose name is Vicente Rios, but I don´t feel like writing about him today (I´ll probably write some stuff about him next week) I would rather write about the Gutierrez familily.
The Gutierrez family is a large family of about 30 people (with all of the cousins, uncles, grandkits, etc.) They are all members, but out of the 30ish people, there are only 2 that actually go to church regularly and 1 of those 2 is mentally handicapped. We have been teaching to a couple members of this family to try to activate them. Sunday we decided to plan a giant family home evening Saturday with the 30 of them plus their friends that they could invite, and the whole family was exited for the family home evening. Wednesday, they called us with the news that Christian, a young 19 year old member of the family had been murdered.
That was devistating news obviosly for the whole family, and also left me pretty bummed out because I had taught Cristian like 5 or 6 times and considered him a good friend. It also left, the community pretty worried because bermejo is a small town and things like this don´t normally happen here.
I´m not going to go very much into the details, but Cristian, although he was a good kid, he did have the reputation of being a mujeriego (player, or cheater). What the police and the family think is what happened was that he was going out with someone´s girlfriend, and that that person got mad and drunk and killed him, especially because they found some threating text messages of that nature.
They asked us to go to the viewing as well as the funeral, and we went to comfort the family. In the viewing, his aunt had a panic attack and we gave her a priesthood blessing of comfort.
We asked the grandma (who is the only active member and basically the head of the whole family) if she still wanted to do the family home evening. She replied, "claro que sí, seguimos egual". We did the family home evening with the whole family, which was a beatiful experience in the which we talked to them a TON do about temples and the need that they all had to go to the temple and the need that they had to do the work for themselves and for Christian.. Even more beatiful was that yesterday, the entire family of 30ish people came to church. They took up like 4 rows in the chapel. Afterward all of the adults in the family lined up outside of the branch president´s office because they wanted to be interviewed. There were so many that the district president (who also happened to be there) had to help with the interviews. The branch president later told us that pretty much all of them had the goal to go to the temple in January and they asked for interviews to ask how to prepare for the temple!
I´ll let you know more about them and Vicente next week,
Elder Casdorph
The Gutierrez family is a large family of about 30 people (with all of the cousins, uncles, grandkits, etc.) They are all members, but out of the 30ish people, there are only 2 that actually go to church regularly and 1 of those 2 is mentally handicapped. We have been teaching to a couple members of this family to try to activate them. Sunday we decided to plan a giant family home evening Saturday with the 30 of them plus their friends that they could invite, and the whole family was exited for the family home evening. Wednesday, they called us with the news that Christian, a young 19 year old member of the family had been murdered.
That was devistating news obviosly for the whole family, and also left me pretty bummed out because I had taught Cristian like 5 or 6 times and considered him a good friend. It also left, the community pretty worried because bermejo is a small town and things like this don´t normally happen here.
I´m not going to go very much into the details, but Cristian, although he was a good kid, he did have the reputation of being a mujeriego (player, or cheater). What the police and the family think is what happened was that he was going out with someone´s girlfriend, and that that person got mad and drunk and killed him, especially because they found some threating text messages of that nature.
They asked us to go to the viewing as well as the funeral, and we went to comfort the family. In the viewing, his aunt had a panic attack and we gave her a priesthood blessing of comfort.
We asked the grandma (who is the only active member and basically the head of the whole family) if she still wanted to do the family home evening. She replied, "claro que sí, seguimos egual". We did the family home evening with the whole family, which was a beatiful experience in the which we talked to them a TON do about temples and the need that they all had to go to the temple and the need that they had to do the work for themselves and for Christian.. Even more beatiful was that yesterday, the entire family of 30ish people came to church. They took up like 4 rows in the chapel. Afterward all of the adults in the family lined up outside of the branch president´s office because they wanted to be interviewed. There were so many that the district president (who also happened to be there) had to help with the interviews. The branch president later told us that pretty much all of them had the goal to go to the temple in January and they asked for interviews to ask how to prepare for the temple!
I´ll let you know more about them and Vicente next week,
Elder Casdorph
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Consejo De Lideres
If you´re wondering why I didn´t write anything, it´s because my companion and I had to go to Santa Cruz Monday and Tuesday for a meeting with the all of the Zone leaders in the mission and President Willard. I have very little to write, other that that thanks to our awesome noche blanca, we finished as the best zone in the whole mission for the month of November. We only hope to be able to keep it up and have an even better month in December.
Elder Casdorph
Elder Casdorph
Monday, November 18, 2013
Noche Blanca un éxito
As always I have very little time to write, but I just want to say that we pulled off the 20 baptisms in the noche blanca. It was a beautiful experience for all involved. It looked like we weren´t gonna be able to do it, but thanks to some last-minute miracles (probably due to the prayers of all of you) we were able to do it. We are planning another one for the 21st of December.
In other news,my companion has been called as the new assistant to the President and is en route to Santa Cruz right now, and I am companion-less until the cambios this Wednesday.
Sorry, I want to write more, but I have to send 20 registros bautismales to the mission offices, and there´s no time
Elder Casdorph
In other news,my companion has been called as the new assistant to the President and is en route to Santa Cruz right now, and I am companion-less until the cambios this Wednesday.
Sorry, I want to write more, but I have to send 20 registros bautismales to the mission offices, and there´s no time
Elder Casdorph
Monday, November 11, 2013
Hospital para los infermos (iglesia para los borrachos)
We were super happy yesterday because every single one of our investigators with baptismal dates came to church and the less active members that we were teaching also came. The sad thing was that Reinaldo, who was supposed to be getting baptised Saturday, came to church.....drunk.
He arrived an hour and a half late, so the members (trying to be helpful) directed him to the sunday school class. I saw him in the door and told him to come in. Then, to my dismay, I noticed that he was walking a bit funny and stubling a lot. He sat next to me, and putting his face uncomfortably close to mine, he said in a voice much louder than the occasion required, "¿Cómo essstá, herrrmánou !?" From his breath and tone of voice, it was obvious that he was drunk. As my companion tried to teach the class, he kept trying to talk to me rather loudly. I had to escort him out of the class as my companion kept teaching. Outside, he told me about all sorts of problems with his family. He cried a bit, yelled a bit, and every couple of minutes asked me for money to go buy something to eat. Fearing that he would use the money to buy more booze, I told him that I´d go with him to buy him some lunch, but that I couldn´t separate myself from my companion and that we´d have to wait until he finished teaching the class.
My companion finished the class, and the 2 of us now started to talk to Reinaldo. Reinaldo was mad at Elder Brasher for not wanting to talk to him. Elder Brasher explained that he DID want to talk to him, but he couldn´t leave behind the class of like 12 other investigators, a recent convert, and 4 less-active members. Reinaldo yelled at Elder Brasher, called him a wolf in sheep´s clothing and told him that he should have left the 99 sheep to save the other lost sheep. After talking a bit more, Reinaldo suddenly decided that he was a bit happier and as we were talking (in the sidewalk outside of the church) he decided to sing....really loudly. He sang suprisingly well, and we congratulated him, saying that we had no idea that he had such pipes. He asked us again for money to go buy some food, and we took him to a nearby restaurant, bought him some grilled fish, and left him there eating happily as we called his wife to tell her where he was.
His wife later told us that when he talked to her later, that he was really worried that after what happened we wouldn´t come and visit him any more. We told her that we would still visit him and help him with his goal of being alcohol free, being a good father, and getting baptised.
On the other hand, our other investigators are coming along quite swimmingly and we will have 3 baptisms this Saturday, and 1 more the following week.
Elder Casdorph
pps: We now made the noche blanca shirts and are super excited for the 19 baptisms that we will have Saturday (sadly with, the fall of Reinaldo and a couple others we fell just short of our goal of 20 baptisms)
He arrived an hour and a half late, so the members (trying to be helpful) directed him to the sunday school class. I saw him in the door and told him to come in. Then, to my dismay, I noticed that he was walking a bit funny and stubling a lot. He sat next to me, and putting his face uncomfortably close to mine, he said in a voice much louder than the occasion required, "¿Cómo essstá, herrrmánou !?" From his breath and tone of voice, it was obvious that he was drunk. As my companion tried to teach the class, he kept trying to talk to me rather loudly. I had to escort him out of the class as my companion kept teaching. Outside, he told me about all sorts of problems with his family. He cried a bit, yelled a bit, and every couple of minutes asked me for money to go buy something to eat. Fearing that he would use the money to buy more booze, I told him that I´d go with him to buy him some lunch, but that I couldn´t separate myself from my companion and that we´d have to wait until he finished teaching the class.
My companion finished the class, and the 2 of us now started to talk to Reinaldo. Reinaldo was mad at Elder Brasher for not wanting to talk to him. Elder Brasher explained that he DID want to talk to him, but he couldn´t leave behind the class of like 12 other investigators, a recent convert, and 4 less-active members. Reinaldo yelled at Elder Brasher, called him a wolf in sheep´s clothing and told him that he should have left the 99 sheep to save the other lost sheep. After talking a bit more, Reinaldo suddenly decided that he was a bit happier and as we were talking (in the sidewalk outside of the church) he decided to sing....really loudly. He sang suprisingly well, and we congratulated him, saying that we had no idea that he had such pipes. He asked us again for money to go buy some food, and we took him to a nearby restaurant, bought him some grilled fish, and left him there eating happily as we called his wife to tell her where he was.
His wife later told us that when he talked to her later, that he was really worried that after what happened we wouldn´t come and visit him any more. We told her that we would still visit him and help him with his goal of being alcohol free, being a good father, and getting baptised.
On the other hand, our other investigators are coming along quite swimmingly and we will have 3 baptisms this Saturday, and 1 more the following week.
Elder Casdorph
 |
| ps the pic is of Reinaldo a week ago, when he came to church sober and smiling |
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Noche blanca y Reinaldo
As I wrote last week, we are planning a noche blanca (night of a whole lot of baptisms) for the 16th of November. We have the potential of baptizing 25 people (in the 4 branches in Bermejo) and 6 of those 25 baptisms will be my companion and I´s investigators. We have the potential of doing it, but it will require a ton of work, prayers and miracles.
One of the fantastic investigators that will be getting baptized that day is Reinaldo. I´m sorry, I don´t have much time to write about him, so I copied and pasted what I wrote about him to my mission president. Sorry, it´s in Spanish, but I hope that google translate does the story justice.
Tuvimos muchos milagros con todos de nuestros investigadores éste semana. Uno de esos es Reinaldo Orado, un investigador en nuestra área que tuvo un gran milagro éste semana. Él es el "esposo" de una menos activa en nuestra rama que recién vine desde el campo de Santa Cruz y quiere cambiarse y ser mejor padre. Sábado le enseñamos la Doctrina de Cristo y invitamos a bautismo para el 23. Él acceptó y estaba tan animado a bautizarse que pidió que adelantamos la fecha!
Él dijo, "Oigan, hermanos. Ya estoy 9 meses sin alcohol, y estoy haciendo muchos cambios para estar mas con mi familia y voy a ir con ellos cada Domingo a la iglesia. Siento que debo bautizarme y quiero esto "nuevo comienzo" el mas pronto posible. Me dijieron que iba a ver muchos bautismos el 16. Depende de ustedes, yo no sé, pero ¿creen ustedes que yo puedo estar listo el 16?"
Sintiendo tan felices, le dijimos que si. Le di un folleto de la ley de castidad para leer antes de la próxima cita.
Ayer en la iglesia nos dijo, "Oigan hermanos, yo estaba leyendo el librito que me dieron, como yo quiero bautizarme no, como les dijo y allí dijo que para bautizarme tengo que estar casado, y yo no estoy casado."
Luego el habló con el presidente de rama y le dijo que quería casarse y bautizarse.
Estamos super-felices para él y para todos.
The Google Translate / Andrea-edited version:
I´ll let you all know more about the noche blanca next week. We are gonna go to Santa Cruz Monday and Tuesday, so I won´t get the chance to write home until Wednesday, but at that point, all of the baptisms for the 16th should be in the bag. I hope all is going well back in the states and hope to hear from you guys too.
Elder Casdorph
ps. we´re making t-shirts for the noche blanca, and attatched is the design that my companion and I made.
One of the fantastic investigators that will be getting baptized that day is Reinaldo. I´m sorry, I don´t have much time to write about him, so I copied and pasted what I wrote about him to my mission president. Sorry, it´s in Spanish, but I hope that google translate does the story justice.
Tuvimos muchos milagros con todos de nuestros investigadores éste semana. Uno de esos es Reinaldo Orado, un investigador en nuestra área que tuvo un gran milagro éste semana. Él es el "esposo" de una menos activa en nuestra rama que recién vine desde el campo de Santa Cruz y quiere cambiarse y ser mejor padre. Sábado le enseñamos la Doctrina de Cristo y invitamos a bautismo para el 23. Él acceptó y estaba tan animado a bautizarse que pidió que adelantamos la fecha!
Él dijo, "Oigan, hermanos. Ya estoy 9 meses sin alcohol, y estoy haciendo muchos cambios para estar mas con mi familia y voy a ir con ellos cada Domingo a la iglesia. Siento que debo bautizarme y quiero esto "nuevo comienzo" el mas pronto posible. Me dijieron que iba a ver muchos bautismos el 16. Depende de ustedes, yo no sé, pero ¿creen ustedes que yo puedo estar listo el 16?"
Sintiendo tan felices, le dijimos que si. Le di un folleto de la ley de castidad para leer antes de la próxima cita.
Ayer en la iglesia nos dijo, "Oigan hermanos, yo estaba leyendo el librito que me dieron, como yo quiero bautizarme no, como les dijo y allí dijo que para bautizarme tengo que estar casado, y yo no estoy casado."
Luego el habló con el presidente de rama y le dijo que quería casarse y bautizarse.
Estamos super-felices para él y para todos.
The Google Translate / Andrea-edited version:
We had many miracles with all of our investigators this week. One of those is Reinaldo Orado, an investigator in our area that had a great miracle this week. He is the "husband " of a less active in our branch that just came from the area of Santa Cruz and wants to change and be a better father. Saturday we taught the doctrine of Christ and invited him to baptism for the 23rd. He was so animated [that after he accepted and asked how] to be baptized, we advanced the date!
He said, "Hey, brothers, [for 9] months I [have had] no alcohol, and am making many changes to be more with my family, and I will go with them to church every Sunday. [I am excited] to be baptized, and I want this "new start " soon as possible. I was [already] going to see many baptisms on the 16th. [It] depends on you; I do not know, but do you think that I can be ready the 16th?"
Feeling so happy, we said yes . I gave him a brochure of the law of chastity to read before the next appointment.
Yesterday at church said , "Hey brother, I was reading the book I got, as I want to be baptized now, as I said, and there [it said] that to be baptized [I have] to be married, and I'm not married."
Then he spoke with the branch president and said he wanted to marry and be baptized.
We're super happy for him and for everything.
I´ll let you all know more about the noche blanca next week. We are gonna go to Santa Cruz Monday and Tuesday, so I won´t get the chance to write home until Wednesday, but at that point, all of the baptisms for the 16th should be in the bag. I hope all is going well back in the states and hope to hear from you guys too.
Elder Casdorph
ps. we´re making t-shirts for the noche blanca, and attatched is the design that my companion and I made.
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