June 24, 2013

Dear Family,

The week was pretty eventful. We had to leave the area a ton, did a few exchanges, but even with all that, Cristian still got baptized. Picture enclosed. It was flippin nuts too. We're talking broken pipes, boiling water to fill the font during sacrament meeting, stirring around the boiling/freezing water with a chair, and still everyone almost caught hypothermia. But it was the best baptismal service I'd ever seen.

It is great to hear about all the baptisms and stuff. The Lord is really hastening the work. I wish I could have watched that broadcast in English, it was super weird hearing president bowman translated to spanish. That was so cool! The home stake is representing! 

It's true that another change is due, I'm thinking I might be out of there. They're really sending me all over the place pretty quick. But we'll see. Usually they leave the oro in his area to get a new companion. Next time I email you guys, I'll know if I'm leaving or not. Vamos a ver.

I'm starting to feel really good. Everybody is telling me there's only a year left. But I don't care. I'm never leaving! 

Oh yeah, what the heck is on this flash drive you guys sent me? Is there like 17 songs of Kendall and Kenny and Spencer messing around with the piano? And also there is muse on there. I don't know whose fault that is, haha, but I'm not touching that till I get home. But seriously, that package was money. Latinos love beef jerky, it turns out. Thanks a lot!

Well, I think that's all. I'll keep you informed. Love you all, have a great week. Keep it classy.

Elder Pyper

June 17, 2013

Hello my dear family,

I got the package just now. It is delicious to have this coat. I needed it so bad, haha. I got the magnet from Grammy and grandpa as well a while back. Things are going good here, we had the best sunday of my mission so far! Four investigators in church, all with a baptismal date! I am super excited for all of them, but the gospel is a lifelong commitment. Baptism is just the beginning. But it feels good to see some fruit. The armstrongs are getting their assignment changed because hermana armstrong has a pretty serious problem with her hips, she's been hobbling about for quite a while. President armstrong is going off to be a lawyer for the church somewhere here in south america, and the hermana is going back to utah for treatment.

I miss scout camp. I'm happy someone was able to catch that bass, now we all know how big it is. Jake is also holding that thing like two inches from the camera, haha. 

I sure miss you guys a lot. It's gonna be awesome to be home. I accidentally found out what day I'm gonna get home, but I'm not telling anyone, haha. No puedo hacerme trunky. It's really been a fun ride with Elder Ve'e, he's turned into a great missionary, and once he realizes that he speaks spanish, he'll be flying. We're really trying to do everything possible to help our two baptisms get there this month. If they do, I will be so incredibly happy. It's very possible, we just have to show enough faith that the Lord helps us.

Something I learned this week that I loved is about faith. Faith is manifest through works, but at the same time, faith is works. FAith=Repentance, Obedience, and Dedicated service. 

Thanks for all the news, hope the spurs win!

Love 

Andy

June 10, 2013

Dear family,

It's been a crazy week. We were about to announce the baptism of Cristian, a seventeen yearold kid that's been giving me headaches for like a month and a half, and he somehow found the way to not go to church. Luckily, a legendary less active that we've been working with shows up, and he wants to baptize his kids, so we'll see if we can help him with that. Have I mentioned I hate sundays? They are pretty awful out here. I get so flippin tense waiting on investigators to come to church. Luis is as usual finding as much opposition as he can. It really comes and finds him actually. But there you have it.

Something really cool that happened this week was the challenge that president Armstrong put out this week. We used to count the amount of contacts that we did, and we had to do a certain number a week, and he compared that to the law of moses. Well now the mission has moved to a higher law. That's gonna take a new level of focus for me, I think, but it'll be amazing. The new law is talk with everyone that is possible. It really made me realize how much importance this calling has. I've been studying a lot about a true conversion this week, how a person can really be changed. Psalms 40 has got to be the new theme of my mission. Just the whole thing is incredible. 

So how is the family doing? Relaxing for the summer? Is the pool open yet? Interesting fact, there are only like three public pools in this whole country. Oh yeah, last week, we found out that we're getting a new mission president two years early. It made me really sad, but everything is according to the will of the Lord. I just want to be the best instrument I can be for the new president when he gets here in July. So we'll see, huh?

Anyway, I love you all a ton, eat some american candy for me! 

Love,

Elder Pyper

May 12, 2013

Dear Dad,

Yeah that was awesome. It left me feeling really happy. It was great to see the family, Ellie and Bekah look way older! What the heck?! That family who I was with is very special, they have only known me for like a month, but already I feel like a son to them. And they love you guys too. I am proud of mom. I have such a big testimony of how the Lord uses our weak and pathetic efforts to serve to answer other peoples prayers and communicate with his children. The more you seek to do his will, the more people tell you that you said exactly what they needed to hear. It's awesome. Well thanks for sending another package, you guys are the best missionary family ever! Have a great week, there'll be more news to come!

Love 

Andy

May 5, 2013

Hola family, how ya doing?

Ok, I'll get right to business, we've got huns to defeat.

This sunday, I will calling Rachel's skype account at some point in between 4:30 and 5:00 uruguayo time. Probably closer to five, but we'll see. I hope you can all be there!!

Well, here in Uruguay, they actually have no clue what tortillas are. If you find those in a store, you gotta buy em, because who knows when you're gonna see tortillas next. We have a poor man's European diet. Since we're basically in the slums of outskirt Montevideo right now, we do not eat a lot of steak. Mostly pasta and rice. There's a really good dish called canalones that is crepes filled with meat and sauce. That's one of my favorites. And we eat a crapload of chicken.

Rachel's teaching primary? Oh my gosh. We can't have that maniac influencing the next generation of leaders in the church. Naw just kidding. But seriously that's super awesome. I'm proud. 

I think that's it for now, the only thing that i would love to have would be that black coat that I left at home. I need something that is waterproof and smaller than the coat I have now.

We had a weird week. I couldn't possibly describe it all here, just ask me on sunday. 

Love you all! See you soon!

Elder Andy

June 3, 2013

Dear family,

It has been a pretty good week. We saw some really big miracles this week, remember Luis who was getting baptized soon? We've been praying that we can have the chance to share the gospel with his family so he's not alone, and he aqui, he decides that he wants to share his happiness with them. So we're gonna have a charla with the whole family this week!

The music needs to be in mp3 format I believe. There's a way to convert it with itunes, if you need some help you can ask aaron ralstin, he's the one who taught me how.

I am so happy that elder kempton called! That's crazy that he's home already. The time flies so fast here. He really is an incredible missionary. I learned a lot about how to commit myself to do something and then do it from him. He knows how to accomplish his goals. Great man.

And oh my heck, rachel graduated? And connor and josh went? That's crazy. 

Still working on being the missionary I want to. It's hard. It's become my quest, but I have a hard time stopping it from being something selfish or ambitious in my mind. That's pretty much the opposite of what we want. But luckily hard work cures all. And we're working hard. We're gonna have a couple get baptized pretty soon, so that will be awesome, and then hopefully two or three more after them. We're starting to see the fruits of our labor. But there is always room for improvement. I have been very humbled in the last two weeks. Funny how the Lord does that sometimes. But he always provides the tools to make yourself better. I appreciate all the prayers and support, I really feel it. This has been a tough area for me, because it's hard to work hard traditionally. You can't just talk to everyone after it gets dark, it's just too dangerous. So I've had to work hard in other ways, like the more subtle grocery store line contacts, or bus stop contacts. It's been weird, but I feel better as I try to lift my voice as the sound of the trump.

But anyway, I love you all, hope to see you someday!

Elder Pyper

May 26, 2013

What the heck? 

Everything exciting always happens when I'm on my mission, haha! First of all, I heard about these tornadoes from Uruguayos in the street, and the only thing they could tell me was that a town of 50,000 got leveled. That didn't sit too well with me, I was sure it wasn't Enid, cause I would've heard about it faster, but still, what a tragedy.

I'm very glad to hear about all the doings of my siblings. They are a bunch of superstars. It's absolutely crazy how talented they all are. I also cannot believe that rachel graduated. I thought I just did that! It is so awesome to hear about you guys having missionary opportunities, me and the bishop here in this ward are trying to really get everybody involved in the work, a new approach for me, but something I wish I had done everywhere else. And I'm already seeing miracles as God gives them answers to their prayers to find people and invite them to be taught in their home. 

I'm super happy with what's going on here, but I'm humbled once again to learn of my weaknesses. I've had the opportunity early on in my mission to work with some truly legendary missionaries, so I know exactly how to serve, I know what I need to do. But it takes so much mental toughness to do it. Anyway, I'm back on a diligence kick. I've learned something new about the word. Me and Elder Ve'e live on our own now, so we're more focused up. I'm way excited to keep working.

All I can say to you all is serve the Lord. That will make you happier than anything else.

Love 

Andy

May 20, 2013

Wow, things sound crazy around there. Tell rachel good job. 

Well, here's the change news, they're gonna take the other two missionaries out of the ward and let me whitewash the other half of the area. More headaches to come for real. But we had a really great week and we saw a lot of miracles. So we'll try to take advantage of them. So this change will probably be a lot easier to focus because there'll only be two of us in the house. Nice. 

Our bishop is one of the greatest bishops I've ever seen here. Or ever. I've started to work a lot more closely with him, and I really think we are about to revolutionize the kingdom of the Lord here. We found a lot of new investigators lately and we're about to inherit some good ones. We'll see how it goes. 

Well sorry guys, there's not a ton new around here. I'll let you know some better news next week.

Love 

Andy