Elder Pyper is in Uruguay!

October 31, 2012

Dear Pyper Family,

                Tuesday we went to the airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, to pick up Elder Pyper and welcome him into our mission.  He arrived full of excitement and enthusiasm to get to work.

                We have spent the day getting to know him, and we recognized that he will be a great asset to us here in the mission.  We know that he will bless the lives of many wonderful people.

                Wednesday was transfer day and after meeting with his trainer, he headed off to his first area so that he could start ¨ [bringing] to pass the immortality and eternal life of man¨.

                We are now sending you a photo that we took with him.  As you can see, he is extremely excited and ready to start.  We are so excited to have your son with us and hope that you receive this photo with excitement and pride in all that your son has done to prepare himself for the opportunity that he now has to serve the Lord for the next two years.

                                                                                                                                             Love,

                                                                                                                                             The Armstrongs

Elder Pyper and his trainer,  can't read the name tag, but I am sure we will hear all about him!  I think they are pointing to their area...looks like the boonies!  I bet they will have some great adventures!

Andy with the Mission President and his wife.

Andy and the group he arrived in Uruguay with.  They have all been in Argentina in the Missionary Training Center.

Oct. 22, 2012

Well Dad, things are cooking right along.

It was a good week, I'm slowly but surely starting to understand more Spanish. My companions a great guy, it's just weird not having an american. He has some weird South american habits, like brushing his teeth seven to eight times a day. But whatever, I'm doing it too. He's promoting good hygiene. Or advanced gum disease brought on by too much brushing.

I'm glad to hear the normal world is still happening without me. I'm pretty much insane in here. I'm starting to forget how to spell in english, and that's pretty awful for a former champ like me. Several cool experiences this week though. 

I was actually kinda discouraged after our proselitismo. It's me and Elder Alcaraz now, instead of me and elder Francis, so it was really different. Usually during a proselitismo I do great talking and really listening to the people, but it's way harder to stay involved when they realize they can just talk to my comp and he's fluent. So I was still able to help out listening to the spirit and talking to people, but once they got into it, I was totally lost. The times I did open my mouth though, it was filled. Just got to have a little more faith. Sin embargo, it was a wildly successful venture, we taught like seven lessons in one day and gave a catholic priest a book of mormon and committed him to read it.

Also, today, like a few hours ago, I met and talked to Elder David Bednar. He came to the CCM for a devotional, cause all the mission presidents are here for some meeting. After his excellent devotional, I shook his hand, and he recognized my name and inquired after one Brian Pyper. Both Elder and Sister Bednar said that he's a good friend. So that was cool. He's a very powerful presence, just a really Christlike man. So then after that, my mission president came and found me during class and said he's got big plans for me. Hopefully not, haha. I still can't really understand exactly what people are doing in spanish. I feel like I'm about to break through a wall though. Just gotta be developing those Christlike attributes, and not worry about the language at all. So far that approach has served me well, and I don't intend to change it.

So that's the only Apostle I've met, but I've seen four speak in person since I've been here. Good times.

So here's my spiritual thoughts for the masses. Read John, chapter 1. That part about nathanael at the end. I have decided that what Jesus says about faith right there is a really powerful lesson for us all. Pray about it.

I finally got out of Nephi 4, and have spent all my free time this week reading Jesus the Christ. Great book. The book pointed out to me that Jesus literally died of a broken heart. I want to be able to love people like that someday.

Anyway. The church is true. 

Love you all, keep on doing your thing.

October 18, 2012

My good father,

I'm doing pretty good. Studying with the latinos is righteous. Elder Francis got a latino comp as well, and he's in some other district. 

We had such a weird last proselitismo together. Just a bunch of weird spiritual promptings, and I only got to see one of them pay off. I'm sure the others will though, I've been really practicing following the spirit, and hopefully it paid off. One time I just thought we should go to this road that only has like one house on it. On the way there, I felt like we needed to walk a little faster, so we did. We show up, and right as we ring the doorbell, some couple on a motorcyle comes screeching into the street improbably and gives us a reference for a non member friend, then just rides off again. So, stuff like that all day. Everyone else was mean.

So, spanish. It's difficult now that I'm in a class where the teacher isn't going easy on me, but when i get in the field, I'll be accustomed to understanding.

Sorry, I gotta leave

thirty minutes ain't enough

Love you!

Andy

October 10, 2012

What's up familia?

It seems that you finally forgot about me, or quizas you were just confused that I couldn't seem to email on a consistent day. I'm not offended at all. Just kidding! Nothing could wreck my good mood write now. It's almost time. Time for the real world. With real investigadores. I am beyond ready. And plus, in my last interview, presidente said I was too, so cool beans. I think I'm his favorite or something. 

So I'm leaving with the next group of latinos that comes through the CCM. I will be assigned one of them as a new companion and I'll attend only gospel classes for three weeks. But everything will be in spanish. I plan to go totally native. So I went and purchased myself a nice pair of spanish scriptures at the distribution center, conveniently located next door. I'm going to attempt to read the entire Libro de Mormon in spanish before I leave. I've already done it in english, but I can feel the effects of studying the BOM in the mission language. I'm a believer.

So, every girl I've ever known is going on a mission, right? Rachel's starting her papers this summer or something I bet. Crazy business. We're starting to get real serious about preparing the way and gathering the house of Israel. Seriously, everyone that just got the opportunity to go, do it. Just the month and a half I've been gone has been amazing, and I would love for all of you to have this experience.

General conference was way cool, answered all my questions and concerns.

I don't know. Life is good, but I want to leave éste carcel.

We didn't do proselitismo because of conferencia general, so i don't have any cool stories this week. Sorry. And sorry about the weird spanglish email, that's just how I think these days.

Love you all, and read Mosiah Chapter 2 in honor of me ésta noche.

Elder Pyper.

P.S. The pictures are of an alfajor. They're these awesome cake things that cost solo uno peso. I buy like twelve every time we proselyte. Note the dulce in the middle.

October 4, 2012

Well, 

I can't believe it's been another week already. It's unreal. I'm leaving with the next group of latinos that comes in, either the night of the 29th, or the 30th. I'm so pumped. I love learning about the gospel here, but I need to go. A month of my mission is already gone, and I've only given out like five book of mormons. Gotta get working. 

It's good to hear about things from home. I'm proud of everyone and I miss you all.

Thanks to everyone who emailed or sent me a letter, I just barely got stamps, so you'll start getting letters soon.

Well, the biggest thing on my mind has been my calling lately. I really evaluated how I do my personal study last week, and since then I've been having really spiritually intense studies. We're talking revelation here. It's so crazy. I've been reading in 2 Nephi 4 for like two weeks, haha I just can't leave. It's so beautiful and I feel like I can use that doctrine to become more like Christ and become a better missionary. A few scriptures that come to mind are Alma 13: 1-5 and Mosiah 21:35. They contain awesome messages.

Spanish is going fine. Just truckin along. I feel like it's a stretch to be fluent when I leave, but I'll do my absolute best. 

One thing that's really changed is how I look at life. My district, and being their leader has really taught me a ton about life and the gospel. I look at them and I realize how much I want them to succeed, and it's so weird. I really love all them.

Proselitismo was pretty rough this week. We went to the actual richest area in all of argentina this time. We were like ringing the doorbells of mansions and maids or security guards were answering the door five minutes later. Nuts. We had the most success with the people just passing through, because they weren't puffed up. I feel confident that two of the people we talked to will get baptized though. They were hungry.

Elder Francis is starting to do better, I kinda tried to give him a wake up call in my own way, and it worked, so he's working hard now and feeling exhausted, but way better at the end of the day.

Ok, I'll have way more time to write a longer letter next week, so see ya later. Good luck with your endeavors, everyone.