Snakes un ful, y Oven Asado

 Isn't it great when Elder Newman's friends in Uruguay request to be my friend on FB and then send me pictures they took of him?

 ​Capilla Abierta - Elder Souza and I had the privilege of wearing all white and talking about baptism​

 ​La Costa

 Bolt

  ​Elder Souza thought he was Spiderman...​

​...thus we brought in the real deal!​

¡Hola queridos! ¡Que semana que fue! ¡Milagros a full! ¡Que bueno que es para estar en el servicio de mi Padre Celestial, mi Salvador, y mis hermanos aquí en Uruguay! (Translation: Hi dears! What a week that was! Miracles to full! How good it is to be in the service of my Heavenly Father, my Savior, and my brothers here in Uruguay!)

Christian, OPA!!!! Your chance finally came! Way to take advantage of the opportunity; WOOT! How'd the game go with Lone Peak? Tell Andrew hi for me!  You can never go wrong with NSYNC; nice job on defending the title of Mr. Congeniality at Mr. Viking! Dude, I can't believe Coombsy's going to Bismark; what a coincidence!  Color festival? And no photos? tsk tsk tsk I'll be praying for you and the mission call; ¡buena suerte, mi amigo y hermano! (Translation: Good luck, my friend and brother!)  Love you Christian!

¡Hermana! Looks like you had a ton of fun at the color fest; the pic shows it all! The food is what grabbed my attention (like always). Huh! I wonder what happened with your neck; strange. Best of luck with the tryouts!¡Te quiero muchísimo! (Translation: I love you so much!)

BEAR! Way to start off the season right in soccer and shut them down on offense! #zilch Looks like you learned a little bit from Christian. Ask him about 8th Grade vs. AF and Cody and you'll know what I'm talking about. Adding more and more sports to the list! Well, when you're busy, you're happy, and you feel a sense of fulfillment. Best of luck! Love you Sarah!

CALLIE! I saw the photos of you at Mr. Viking; that dress was SOO pretty! That must have been so fun to escort Christian and Coombsy across the stage. Tigers are such cool animals and polar bears are too. That must have been scary to get lost at the zoo! But I'm so happy you were found. Haha I saw your post office video; SOO FUNNY! Love you tons!

Mom, forgetting to pick up Callie from school, losing her in the park; man, you are losing your touch!  So great to see all the wonderful things happening in the family each week; I pray every night that you guys may have success and happiness in all that you do, and each week I see a huge answer! BTW: I would love it if you could send me that beautiful Italian song that I used to sing when I was little (Partiro something) and a Portuguese song that Elder Souza recently showed me: Ninguem Explica Deus by Preto no Branco.

Pap, that range looks like paradise. 1000 yards! We will definitely have to go when I get back! I also love that talk from Elder Cornish; the referee reference made me laugh and feel the Spirit at the same time.

This week has been absolutely amazing! Kevin Reus, a youth preparing to serve a mission, has become our secret weapon and greatest friend here; he finally got us a charla with his girlfriend Solange, who has been investigating the church for a while now. And she now has a baptismal date set for the 15th of April! He and his family have also helped us a ton with Nicolas; we've had charlas about the 10 commandments and OLA (Orar, Leer, y Asistir) as well as a fantastic lesson about the Sabbath Day specifically. Man, every time I'm in that house, I can feel the Spirit sooo strongly; incredible family.

We have also been working to find new people to teach, and we were blessed this week with 7 Nuevos! (including Solange) Diego and Leo are twins and friends of Santiago Rivero, and they were there when we came for the lesson. Immediately, Santiago said; "they've got this Book! Want to read?" In addition, his 12 year old sister Lucía, who had not been joining us for charlas for a while, told us that she received an answer that the Book is true! In addition, Margarita and Valentína, a mother/daughter combo that have taken the charlas before.

We also got to put on a Capilla Abierta (Translation: Open Chapel) in El Bosque (stake center of La Costa) this week, and it was amazing! Such a privilege to be dressed in white and talking about baptism and the Holy Ghost. Funny story: upon talking about baptism by water and baptism by fire (which I promise we said was symbolic), one woman raised her hand with a little fear in her eyes and said, "What does baptism by fire mean?" She had construed it literally.

Snakes un ful: Snake means a chick that could be dangerous to the missionaries and flirts with them (not sure if I told y'all once already). Two experiences: 1) We were walking to a charla on Thursday and waved to a group of teenagers passing by, and a girl in the front turned her head back and said, "What's up, baby!" #etee 2) We got to know a lady (who's in her 50's) in the streets, but we got to know her 24 year old daughter when we arrived at their house for the charla. When the daughter saw us, a look came into her eyes that made us Elders uncomfortable, as if she liked what she saw. It's a good thing that her older brother was in the house and that she respects her mother, because otherwise it would be REALLY risky to visit again.

Oven Asado: José María cooked us an asado yesterday! It was in the oven, because he is blind and doesn't have the asado pit, or churrascero, but it was absolutely DIVINE! Great charla as well about forgiveness; strong spirit present.

You all should read Moses 6:59-68; it explains the reason for baptism better than any scripture I've ever read. Modern revelation to the max.

I love you all a ton, and I hope y'all enjoy GENERAL CONFERENCE! (wait, wasn't it just yesterday that we had conference? How the time files!) Come into it with prayer in your heart and a hunger to learn, and it will be a spiritual feast for you. ¡Que tengáis una buena semana! ¡Os quiero tantísimo! (Translation: Have a good week! I love you so much!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman :)

Mom’s Questions:

1. I saw a picture of the temple in your last email. Will you get to attend the temple soon? Or have you already?

April 11th. Finally! :)

2. How is Elder Souza’s training coming along? You two seem to really get along well.

VERY well! There's a lot of lessons that the oro is supposed to take charge of in week 6 or even more advanced that I've let him take charge of, and he is absolutely killer. Makes my assignment very easy :)

3. What miracles have you experienced this week?

Finally finding Solange and immediately being able to set a baptismal date with her; 6 other nuevos this week, with 2 of them in part by missionary work from our 9-year-old investigator, Santiago!

4. How is the punching bag and exercise coming along? Have you done any pushups lately? What’s your record? What’s Elder Souza’s record?

Exercise is very good; I've been 90% on days doing them! We are still trying to find a way to get the punching bag hung up, but I've done some squats with it since. And nope on the pushups. Will have to get back into that.

Cremación, Asado Muito Bom!, and Posso Negro

 A great view of the beautiful Montevideo, Uruguay Temple​

 Lineage (My son, Elder Souza, me and my father, Elder Anderson

 ​Rain gear activated!​

 ​​​So very soon, I will be choosing a college to attend after the mish! I am currently down to two choices: the obvious University of Utah...

 and the Thunderstrike Brigham Young University! (trust me, even I didn't see that coming!) I'll be letting y'all know in a bit which I have decided on!​

 Nosotros tenemos tantos problemas con los possos negros​

 When your ward friends are homies and help you exercise and obey the rules

 ​Our first attempt at asado was a success!

¡Hola mis queridos! Estoy muy feliz y agradecido para hablar con vosotros, porque ¡esta semana fue milagrosa y chistosa a la vez! (Translation: Hello my dear ones! I am very happy and grateful to talk to you, because this week was miraculous and funny at the same time!)

IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN! Christian, my man, words cannot explain how stoked I am for you dude! You are about to join the field with me! Secretly rooting for that you get Uruguay Montevideo, but you are going to make an impact wherever you go.  Way to kick butt again with the bracket! Did Utah make the tourney? Oh yeah, btw, how'd they do in football this year? Hope you guys enjoyed the March Madness games; must've been intense in a hostile crowd! Dude, you guys beat that team by 30 points in the championship game? That´s just straight up ridiculous. I saw your dunk; approved!  Oh I forgot to tell you: last week at the zone activity I was playing alone in a 1-vs-2 bball pickup game vs Elders Souza and McMillon before the big game started. On defense, I probably only allowed one basket, and on offense, I pulled your between-the-legs move vs Elder Souza, crossed up Elder McMillon, and easy lay-up in. Hahaha, Pop's still got game. Best of luck with Mr. Viking! Don't stress it at all; just have fun with the other guys and don't worry about the scores, and you will have a highlight experience. Enjoy Israel in April! Love you buddy! Game on!

Emma, haha the State Math Competition is always a mind-buster; I honestly just went to get out of school, get strawberry candies, see the BYU performing arts, and get my Uruguay t-shirt. (Plus, having it on my resumé aint too bad either.) The weather here is FINALLY starting to cool down; we actually got to wear sweaters this week! Poor Elder Souza is from Recife where the COLDEST it gets is 20* Celcius, and he thinks THIS is cold. My poor friend is going to die before he even completes training! ¡Te quiero muchísimo hermana mía! ¡Que tengas una buena semana! (Translation: I love you very much, my sister! Have a good week!)

Bear! So excited to hear about how outside soccer goes! Outdoor sports are always the best. Haha I remember when I was the tallest in Grovecrest and got those kind of advantages. Enjoy it while you can, because if you go anything like me, you'll stop growing once you hit 7th grade. I'll pray to make sure that doesn't happen. Make sure you send me a video once you get up on slalom! Love you!

Callie, haha oops! Mistakes are made sometimes! (*her friend called 911 from our house) Did I ever tell you that when I was little, Mommy found me having made a 6-HOUR phone call?  I miss you soo much too, Callerist! Beautiful music ALWAYS makes me happy! I love you!

Mom, I honestly am laughing my head off. Maddie got called to the Orem, Utah mission!? What are the odds!? Do you have Maddie's email? I wanted to send her a quick congrats. Or you could just send my congrats to her personally. I am 100% with you: music is the key to my soul; I honestly cannot express my love for it sufficiently in words. I love you and wish you a happy and spiritual week.

Pap, Elder Souza does not know Uilary Pedrosa, but hey! Recife seems to run in the family! B...B...Battle! Pretty sweet with solar! You'll have to send me some pics when they're all set up. Love you Dad!

Ever since we gave that blessing to Nicolas, he has been a completely different man; I see a light in his eyes that I haven't seen before, and he is working on repenting and correcting his errors. It is truly incredible to be able to witness such miracles in the work here. We have had many new friends show interest and start learning about this glorious gospel that can bring such happiness into their lives. And Facundo and Mikaela now have a baptismal date set for the 8th of April; their mom gave them permission! She personally does not want anything, but it is touching to see her love and respect to her dear kids allowing them to exercise their agency. Mikaela says that she has received her answer on the Book of Mormon, and Facundo is progressing and gaining light and love for the gospel each time we meet with them! Truly a miracle!

Cremación: Monica is an investigator that has taken the charlas a few times but struggled with her work schedule and the death of her husband. She has kept her Book of Mormon through it all and loves learning, and wants to come to church despite believing it impossible due to night work. We have been working with her and she has progressed well! However, when talking about the plan of salvation and how our bodies become perfect, and she all of a sudden asked us if cremation was okay and if it was discussed in the scriptures. And I realized: I honestly have no idea! I never would've expected it!

Asado Muito Bom!: We had 3 (yes, 3) asados this week that were all fantastic! 1) Familia Pereira en noche de hogar, 2) almuerzo con familia Plata, and 3) ¡lo nuestro! You read that right: we made our own asado today! And may I just say: it's honestly the best one I've ever had! (your seasoning and a little orégano saved the day, Mom!) Not too bad for first-timers! Pictures below!

Posso Negro: A posso negro is a nickname for the septic tank that the majority of the Uruguayan houses (including ours) have instead of access to the septic line. The city is currently trying to fix that. Before this week, I had no idea what it was, and when Elder Anderson imitated Elder Wainker (senior couple missionary) in his Idaho accent saying, "Nosotros tenemos tantos problemas con los possos negros," I thought Elder Anderson was making E' Wainker appear racist. But this week, I was studying in our study room, and I heard,"AYYY Elder!" I said, "¿Que pasó?" (what happened?) And I heard the most horrifying, heartstopping phrase of my entire life: "¡Hay caca saliendo de nuestro lluvero!" (There's crap coming out of our shower drain!) "¡¿QUÉ?!" I responded as I ran to the bathroom, saw and smelled the crap, and almost vomited. I called Elder Wainker in a panic and blurted, "Elder Wainker, there is crap coming out of our shower drain! What do we do!?" I then heard him explain what a posso negro was and that ours was overflowing; we had to call the barométricas and have them empty our tank. (Like a porta-potty) I then understood what his phrase meant.

Some scriptures I wanted to share:

James 5:14-15 (where blessings of the sick with oil came from)

Acts 20:7 and 3 Nephi 15 (evidence of the Sabbath being changed from Saturday to Sunday and why)

Jacob 5:70 in connection with 1st Nephi 14:12, D&C 101:55, and D&C 103:21. (Missionary work, and the Church in our day!)

Well, that does it again! Another fantastic week! I love you all so much and wish you all an incredible week as we fast approach April General Conference! (Woah, already! Didn't the last one just happen??) Sisters, enjoy the Women's Session, and know that your Father in Heaven and your Older Brother love you infinitely and eternally! ¡Os quiero!

Con amor,

Elder Newman :)

Mom’s Questions:

1. Since we’ll be asking everyone to put their guesses up on the map for Christian’s call, what are your guesses state side and outside of the states for him?

State-side: Eugene, Oregon! International: Uruguay, Montevideo!  OR Argentina, Resistencia!

2. What is the best thing you have eaten since Elder Souza has been your companion?

The asado we cooked together today

3. You mentioned in your last letter that you ripped your pants and scratched your leg on a metal pole. Were you able to mend your pants? And how are the rest of your clothes doing? Anything wearing out yet?

Will send my pants in (as well as my backpack) to the hermana who works on such clothes tonight. And so far, so good!

4. How are investigators doing? Did you have any show up to church today?

Yup! Facundo and Santiago came together to stake conference!

El Pájaro y La Montaña, Everything Sounds Better In English, and When a Non-Member Understands

 ¡La nueva zona de La Costa!​

 We all need a short Elder in our lives. ¡Elder Guali es un CAPO!​

 ​Pizza y noche de hogar con Obispo Bo​

  When you hit an iron pole in the ground without seeing it, and it tears your suit pants and leaves you with a battle wound.

 ​The agenda on top is the new one we received this week. All below are my previous ones. Before vs. after in mission life.

 When your washing machine breaks. Now we just use the hose separately and spray all the water in the chamber before closing the door and starting the cycle​.

 Preparando fideos con tuco (el clásico) para la actividad de zona 

 ​Normally a milanesa is a piece of meat covered in a mixture of eggs, milk, flour and bread crumbs, and fried, but the hermanas made some out of zucchini! And it was actually pretty darn good​.

Lunch in between the past fútbol and the future Signs game and basketball. Zone activities are sweet!​

*In the subject of Jackson’s letter, he says, “Everything Sounds Better in English”. This is in reference to some videos he sent us that he and his companion took where his companion would say something in Spanish and then Jackson would translate it to English. His companion cracked up at every translation.

¡Hola mis queridos seres! ¡Me alegro mucho poder hablar con vosotros de nuevo! Esta semana fue más difícil que muchos que he tenido, pero ¡siempre hay milagros en la obra del Señor! (Translation: Hello my dear beings! Glad to talk to you again! This week was harder than many I've had, but there are always miracles in the work of the Lord!)

When we are busy, we are happy, and we feel fulfillment in our lives! Glad to see the same passing with you. It's the final countdown to having your papers sent! My excitement for you grows each day, and I continually pray for you in your preparations to serve. It is truly service that will bless your life more than anything else. Love you Christian!

Emma, that is quite the temperature change from Florida to Utah! But as y'all are starting to receive warmer weather, it is becoming fresher and cooler here in Uruguay (finally). It's even cold at night! My poor companion is from Recife, Brasil, where the coldest it gets in winter is 20° Celcius! I walk right now quiet in the streets, perfect weather, and he keeps saying how cold it is. I laughed and told him in essence that if he thought this was cold, "¡prepárese!" or, "Buckle up!" ¡Te quiero muchísimo, Emma! (Translation: I love you so much, Emma!)

Bear! Glad to see you making game-saving saves! Just today, in our zone activity, I cost my team the game, after having such a kick-butt game at goalie, by letting in 2 straight goals and going from 9-8 and about to win (10 pts.=victory) to losing 10-9. Also, nice job to win a grinder at the end and finish on a positive note. Hope everything is going well at school, with your new friend, and with Mr. Green. Tell him Elder Newman says hi! Love you!

Callerist! I have been waiting to see Moana for a long time! I promise to watch it with you after the mission! Chicken nuggets and Frosties from Wendy's are... OUTSTANDING. Your lesson on Sunday sounds great. I love repentance, because I know that not only can I right the wrong and be forgiven, but I can also become clean again, cast off the weight of my sin, and feel a joy and happiness beyond description. I love you and miss you more than I can say.

Well, Mom, we all can do tough things and learn in Christ who strengthens us. Keep practicing the organ. I will definitely be using that jump rope; I actually have an exercise tool now! Thanks a bunch!

Well, despite the toughness of this week (fake address being one, Gabriel silently dropping us being another {he saw us out his window and hid}, and learning that Santiago lives in Montevideo and that his friends have not been good influences and have discouraged him from continuing), I still saw the Lord's hand a ton this week, and I will only count the miracles that we saw this week! Facundo and Mikaela have received permission to be baptized by her mom! She personally didn't feel like participating, but I was touched to see her love and respect for her children and giving them agency. I see a baptismal date being placed this week! We also had the son of Ramón, Santiago, come to church yesterday, and he absolutely loved it! He clutched his Book of Mormon as if it were a priceless treasure (and it obviously is), and I see a bright future with him! His older sister Lucía is a little less enthusiastic, or perhaps timid, but we have the Young Women inviting her to mutual this week, so we'll see what happens!

The power of the priesthood is real: Sunday night, everything had fallen through and none of our contacts really wanted anything, and I was spiritually, mentally, and emotionally shot. Suddenly, I had the feeling that we needed to visit Hmo. Pisa - an ex stake president, patriarch, and temple sealer; an 83 year old man that looks in his low 70's and still has MUCH strength, and one of the most spiritual, wise, and kind men I have ever met. We stopped by and conversed for a bit, in which we were enlightened by him, and then I felt prompted to say, "Hermano, vinimos aquí hoy proque yo necesito de usted y mi compañero una bendición de guía y consuelo." (Brother, we came here today because I need, from you and my companion, a blessing of guidance and comfort.) What followed was one of the most powerful manifestations of connectivity with the Holy Ghost and priesthood power that I have ever witnessed, let alone be a recipient of. Throughout the blessing, I felt the frustration, sadness, and exhaustion leave me and be filled with peace, contentment, and energy. I hardly even remembered my past negative feelings. I also gave a blessing for the sick that same day; both ends I felt that power.

Last thing: This past week, we had started working with Nicolas; his friend Hermana Cela had referred him to us and asked that we present the charlas as if he were a new investigator, point zero. Today we came for L2 (Plan of Salvation), and Hermana Cela came to us and warned us that he had had a tough life and done many terrible things in his life, that he had not shown the desire to change, that his face of humility that he had shown us was a disguise, and that it might be a waste of time to teach him because we as missionaries are here to baptize. We shared that a reactivation is pretty much a baptism for us; it's a soul saved, just like baptism, so we entered her house (where Nicolas stays due to the poverty of his own house and because they are great friends), and presented the Plan, and Hermana Cela shared a fantastic 1:00 video about priorities, important things, and trivial things in our lives. (if you want to look it up, it presents a jar, pingpong balls, pebbles, and sand as object lessons, and it’s fantastic). We were able to talk about how when we put God first in our life, everything else fits perfectly, but when we put other things first, there's not enough space for the important things. As we were talking about this, we noticed that Nicolas has begun to cry, tears rolling down his face. I could see that the weight of his errors had finally come crashing down on him and that he felt immense guilt and sorrow for everything he had done. I felt the impression to stop, and Hermana Cela asked us, to which Nicolas confirmed, to give a blessing of guidance and comfort. We agreed, and I had the privilege to be voice. I have given blessings of comfort and guidance before, as well as for the sick, but today was surreal, incredible, heavenly. I felt the Spirit fill every fiber in my body, and not only did I never lack words; words of blessing and promise came out of my mouth that were not my own. I can't even begin to describe the Spirit, power, and love that filled that room. As we closed the blessing and arose, he embraced us with a sincerity and gratitude that we had not seen before, and left feeling extremely elevated from such an experience.

How incredible. One day, I am able to give a blessing for a sick brother; that same day, I come to a fellow priesthood holder to ask and receive a blessing of comfort and guidance; the very next day, I am on the other end giving one. My beloved friends and family, I testify with all the fervor of my soul that the priesthood and power of God are real, here on the Earth today, and active among the children of men. In two days I have felt that power three times from both ends, and I feel indescribably blessed to be able to be a benefactor and vessel of that priesthood power. I know that the priesthood works miracles, for I saw them happen right before me and felt that undeniable Spirit fill us with power. Priesthood holders, always strive to be worthy and in tune with the Spirit so that when these opportunities come, you may be an instrument in the Lord's hands to bless the lives of your spiritual siblings. And to all, never be afraid to ask a blessing, for it is an opportunity to receive love, service, and miracles from the hands of others. In the sacred name of the source of priesthood power, even the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

El Pájaro y la Montaña (The Sparrow and the Mountain): Elder Souza has used an analogy in Family Home Evenings and a Recent Convert charla to describe the immensity of the importance and power of 1) the family, and 2)the priesthood. Imagine if a little sparrow were to make regular trips to the top of Mt. Timpanogos, and sharpen his beak there. Every time he does so, the mountain diminishes a little. How many trips, and how many generations of sparrows, would it take to completely erase the mountain from existence? Now you have an idea of the immensity of the importance and power of the family and the priesthood.

When a Non-Member Understands: see Question 4 from my Mom

Well, I'm out of time, but I love you all so very much and hope you have an amazing week! ¡Yo 

siento que milagros van a pasar esta semana! ¡Que Dios os bendiga! (Translation: I feel miracles are going to happen this week! God bless you!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman

Mom’s Questions:

1. Did you ever get your Valentine's package?

YUP! This week! And I wanted to say thank you so much! I've already downed all the Peachy-O's and Hershey's and am excited to use the marinade in ¡ASADO! :)

2. In what way have you learned from your companion this week?

I have learned to always push forward despite the challenges that come with the work, and I neede to learn that this week, because this was a tough one.

3. What goals did you set for yourself and your companionship this week? And how did you work toward meeting them?

This week, we have set the goals of sharing the contact load, having Elder Souza direct L1: Restoration, and look for opportunities to serve. Elder Souza has done magnificently on both the first 2, and we have had countless opportunities to serve!

4. Did anything funny happen this week?

On Wednesday, we had received a bunch of futures for that day only to find that 90% of them were fake addresses (didn't exist or they weren't there). We passed by a Uruguayan woman who had not been able to help us earlier but had wished us luck, and she said, "Did you find them?" We said no, and she sighed, and proceeded to drop some mad cane: "I can't stand these Uruguayans! If they're not interested, they should say, 'Not interested,' instead of making you poor boys walk outside all day in the hot sun! What disrespect!" We were honestly shocked and blurted out, "¡Fa!, ¡gracias hermana! Lo apreciamos mucho," (Translation: "Fa !, thanks sister! We appreciate it a lot”) and thought inside, "Amen! Hallelujah!"

Strong in Spirit, Weak in Body; ¡O Poder do Brasil!; y Un Cambio Poderoso de Corazón

 ​Preparing a surprise for my oro

 ​Meet Elder Souza! ¡O Poder do Brasil! Portuguese will be returning shortly...​

 When your boy is a better cook than you are... absolutely no complaints

This photo does not even surface the joy we felt to see this beauty delivered by Elder and Sister Wainkier​ after our old fan broke.

¡Hola a todos! ¡Feliz mes de Marzo! ¡Esta semana ha sido muy rapido, milagroso y divertido con mi nuevo compañero, oro, y hijo Elder Souza! Así que sé que queréis saber acerca de él, os diré. (Translation: Hello everyone! Happy March! This week has been very fast, miraculous and fun with my new partner, gold, and son Elder Souza! So I know you want to know about it, I'll tell you.)

Elder Souza is absolutely fantastic! He is from Recife, Brasil, a fútbol maestro, fromer jui-jitsuist, amazing cook, and one of the most dedicated and faithful Elders I have ever met! He is going to move mountains; I've already learned a ton from him! He has been an incredible example to me of faith, dilligence, and fearlessness, and I feel like I will continue to learn much more from him than I could ever teach him. ¡CAPO! He is also VERY STRONG! (or perhaps I've just gotten weak) We had an arm-wrestle, both sides, and he beat me equally fast, like 2 seconds. Yikes!

Callie, that is a lot of games to watch on Saturday! Hope you had a ton of fun! You should tell Christian thank you and give him a big hug for giving you his unicorn. Such a good big brother! I love you tons!

Holy cow, Bear! 20 points in a basketball game! That is quite the game you had, well done! (applause)

Haha Emma, the humidity photo is absolutely on point. I gotta say, we could all do without humidity, am I right? This week our fan broke and the humid hot was absolutely unbearable; we had all the windows and doors open for a few days during the daytime. Can't wait for the cold to come (did I just say that?) #heatratnomore So glad to hear you had so much fun in Orlando! ¡Te quiero muchísimo, hermana, y estoy muy orgulloso para ti! (Translation: I love you very much, sister, and I am very proud of you!)

Christian, Co-man of the house! When in doubt, pizza; glad to see you learned such a valuable life lesson. Tell Brandon WOOT WOOT on his mission call!  Love you buddy; keep kicking butt, loving life, and prepping for the mish!

Welcome to the Ghirardelli's club Mom! There really is nothing better! Sounds like a busy yet fun week with the perfect amount of spirituality as well: well-balanced! I've recently tried to focus more on the Savior during the sacrament and boy, it has made a difference. This past Fast and Testimony Sunday, I was literally consumed with the Spirit; every single testimony was perfect. The Gospel really is MUCH better than anything the world can offer us. Anything and everything.

Well Pap, first week as a trainer has been amazing, spiritual, hilarious, and challenging all at the same time! But when you have an amazing and dedicated elder like Elder Souza, miracles can happen! He is absolutely fantastic; one thing I learned from him is that just because something didn't work once or twice or even 20 times, doesn't mean it can't. There were times when he would start a contact in a method that I would think, "Oh boy, here we go," and it would end up very well! Big example for me in that regard, and my faith has grown much since he's arrived.

Well, we now have a sibling package: Mikaela joined her big brother Facundo this week in our lesson! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is wonderful to teach the gospel in such simple yet beautiful terms, and their abuela Beatrís has been a HUGE help in the lessons! The kids have said that once they receive an answer, they'll be baptized! (We didn't put a date because they need permission from their non-member parents first.)

Gabriel is a youth that has attended many churches in his life and has faith in Jesus, even though he has never read the Bible! We taught him The Restoration, gifted him a Book of Mormon, and put a baptismal date for the 25/3/17! When we came for the next charla, he wasn't there, but we set a time with him and his older sister, so we are getting the family involved!

José María has passed his interview for the Aaronic Priesthood! He will be receiving that soon and preparing for a calling, limited temple recommend, Melchezidek Priesthood, and temple marriage! He is happier than I've seen him yet; what joy that this Gospel provides!

I also wanted to share a really cool experience we had this week: it was late at night and we were out contacting along the main street when we saw a young teenage boy sitting alone on a curb on the other side of the street. I felt impressed to cross, and we did so, sat down next to him, and began to talk. At first he would give us short, quiet, and terse answers, and he didn't even make eye contact. I felt impressed to keep talking, even though I had no idea why; I was sure he wanted nothing. We gave him a Restoration pamphlet, and as we briefly explained it, he found the picture of Peter, James and John restoring the priesthood to Joseph Smith. Suddenly, his posture straightened, his eyes lit up, and he pointed to the picture and said "Are those angels?" We said yes and that they were Pedro, Santiago, y Juan, and all of a sudden he turned to us with a big smile on his face and said, "¡Santiago! Como mi nombre." We showed him our phone number on the back (his parents aren't big on religion in their house), and he was drawn to the church schedule, which we explained. We invited him and he said yes without hesitation. And then before we could say anything else, he asked, "Can we pray together?" Thus we did, and as we got up we embraced and he said, "God bless you." (common phrase here, but he REALLY meant it) Miracles come when faith is shown, and I am grateful that I listened to the Spirit and pressed on.

Great first week with my boy, and we're looking forward to a great couple changes together, milagros, y ¡bautismos un ful! ¡Os quiero muchísimo, y que disfrutéis la nieve mientras la tengáis todavía! (Translation: I love you very much, and enjoy the snow while you still have it!)

Con amor,
Elder Newman :)

Mom’s Questions:

1. What is your new companion's name, where is he from and what is he like? 

Elder Souza is from Recife, Brasil, and one of the most faithful, dedicated, and friendly people I have ever met! Also a fantastic cook! Boy, did I ever luck out!

2. Emma wants to know what he did in high school. Also, how good is his Spanish? 

Fútbol only; there's basketball and volleyball in Brazil too, but he focused on football. He can communicate pretty well with the people here; he never learned Spanish before the mish and only stayed 4 weeks in the CCM. But he is doing well, and he is relentless to learn!

3. What's the hardest part about being a trainer? 

When your oro asks you a question and you realize you honestly don't know the answer! Without Preach My Gospel, Missionary Handbook, and The First 12 Weeks, I'm sure I'd have absolutely no clue what I'm doing

4. How are your investigators coming along? Any of them come to church this week? 

We have had some promising news this week! Nobody came to church but a few have promised that they will the following week. :)

Grido's Sesh with the Zonies, Toddy Timer, and "I am your father"

 Grido's sesh with the Zonies after a hard day of work in El Bosque. Elder Valqui's last one!​

 ​E' Christesen cooked me German Pancakes with maple syrup. ¡CAPO!​

 ​Toddy Timer and Milking alfajores. Uruguayan missionary life​

 Cutting the lawn for a member in Parque del Plata w/ Elder Sosa. With this being eletric and powered by a cord, it's a two man job!

​"I can't answer, Brother; my grandson is being born right now. We're in the sanatorium." Not the response I was expecting, but a very valid excuse!​

¡Hola querida gente mía! ¡Otro cambio ha venido y pasado, y Cambios son este Miércoles! Elder Christesen se va ya a Las Piedras para ser Líder de Zona, y yo quedaré en El Pinar, con... ¡UN ORO! ¡YO VOY A ENTRENAR Y SER UN PADRE! :D ¡WOOT! (Translation: Hello, my dear people! Another change has come and gone, and Changes are this Wednesday! My comp, Elder Christesen is going to Las Piedras to be Zone Leader, and I will stay in El Pinar, with ... A GOLD! I AM GOING TO TRAIN AND BE A FATHER! WOOT!)

*phew* Ok, not that I got all that energy outta my system…

We have had a rollercoaster week! On Thursday we taught Juan L3:The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and felt impressed to include the Law of Chastity because he was living with a woman in his house, and legal marriages are not common here in Uruguay. Upon teaching the lesson, however, we found out that he is already married and living la Ley! Talk about a miracle! However, when we went to pick him up on Sunday morning for church, all fell through. He came out, set his BoM on the fence, and told us, "Miren, chicos, no quiero conocer a ninguna iglesia, ni conocer a ningun Lopez (the family we were going to fellowship him with), ni nada. Buen día." (Translation: Look, guys, I do not want to meet any church, or meet any Lopez (the family we were going to fellowship him with), or anything. Good day.”) And he marched back inside without explanation or even a chance for us to speak. Boy, that hit me hard! I'm not going to lie, that demoralized me for the first bit of the day; I took a huge emotional hit. However, I tried to stay positive, upbeat, and obedient regardless, and as a result, miracles occurred within 3 hours! We had an investigator come to church! Facundo, the grandson of Beatrís, came to sacrament meeting and enjoyed it, and we are preparing to extend him a baptismal invitation! In addition, Solange, the nonmember girlfriend of Kevin that we have heard about but that nobody until now has been able to contact, also came, and we were able to set a charla with her! I learned to never lose faith even in hard times, for miracles are usually just around the corner! We have also reestablished contact with MA Ramón Rivero and his non-member family, and have gifted the kids a BoM! (The mom wasn't there) We also received a reference from the hermanas that we have previously contacted; José wants to know about life after death with having lost members of his family. The Lord can truly bless us in greater abundance if we are exactly and constantly obedient, despite the circumstances, and I saw that this week! I will definitely try to emulate that as I begin to train this week; what an exciting/terrifying challenge ahead!

Grido's Sesh: Grido's is an ice cream place that is very common in Uruguay and Argentina, and to commemorate Elder Valqui going home this week, we went there after a hard day of work and got ice cream. The ice cream itself is okay, but the whipped cream is ¡RIQUÍSIMO!

Toddy Timer: Anyone can do Toddy Time, but to be a Toddy Timer, you must have a jug with water trapped inside that can be frozen and keep your drink cold. Therefore, this week, upon doing Toddy Time with the jug, I am now officially a Toddy Timer.

Hey bro! Nice work on the three peat; business as usual!  Can't wait to see the rings! Who are you guys playing this week for lacrosse? Can't wait to see where the Lord assigns you in His marvelous vineyard! It is the most wonderful time of the year with mission calls; I remember it vividly. Tell me how the U goes! Love you Christian!

Emma, yo he oído I Heard Him Come; ¡que suerte que tengáis para cantarla! (Translation: Emma, ​​I've heard I Heard Him Come; How lucky you are to sing it!) Good luck at NATIONALS! You guys will do amazing as usual! And you probably won't get AS burned, because Florida is humid like Uruguay and although the heat is much worse and heavier, the moisture in the air hydrates the skin and protects a bit from burning you. Nevertheless, knowing you, USE SPF 50! ¡Te quiero muchísimo! ¡Tú eres una angel! (Translation: I love you a lot! You are an angel!)

All A's and P's on your report card! WOOT WOOT! That's what I'm talking about! Bear, of course I know it's your birthday this week!  It's actually on the same day that my son is born! (in other words, the same day I receive my oro) Way to be a great friend and example! It's never easy to stand up for your beliefs - that's why not many people do it - but you will be a light in her life and the lives of others for your example. Nice work. Love you, Sarah!

I miss you Callie! I love you!

Mom, Manti is definitely on my list of temple to visit afterwards; how gorgeous!  

Pap, so amazing to see so many great 5th Ward missionaries doing work all across the globe! Haha I am all alone on South America. What's the farthest shot you've hit on the range this week?

Wellup, that's about it; it's been a great change, and I'm super stoked to see the miracles in store these next 2! ¡Os quiero muchísimo!, y ¡que tengáis una semana increíble! (Translation: I love you so much !, and have an incredible week!)

Con amor,

Elder Newman 

Family Questions:

1. Christian’s question for you is: what are you doing to stay physically fit on a daily basis?  

Well, as of two days ago, I have started doing exercises again: pushups, situps, planks, etc. I am sorry to say that I have not been very faithful in this aspect. Christian, always do exercises or you'll get chubby like I have. You may not be able to build muscle in the mish, but you can at least maintain.

2. Emma wants to know more about your p-days in El Pinar. Are you still going fishing?  

We have not been able to go fishing because I still haven't got my pole from Chuy, and we haven't found a spot yet. But definitely in the plans! Normally we just email, cook something for each other, clean the house, sleep, etc.

3. Christian wants to know where you spend most of your time teaching the investigators. Do you spend most of your time in the Book of Mormon or do you cover more of the Bible that they are more familiar with and then how it applies in the Book of Mormon? 

Definitely the Book of Mormon. You should never shy away from teaching from the BoM even when your investigators are pro-Bible; the Book of Mormon is our evidence that we are different from the world. If you need to, you can share Ezequiel 37:16-19 in connection with 2 Nephi 3, or John 10:16 in connection with 3 Nephi 15:21-24, or even all of Isaiah to show that the Bible prophesies of the BoM. But otherwise, you stick to the Book. The Bible is incredible, and the Word of God, but it has gone through the hands of enough men and been changed enough times that it is no longer entirely pure; many interpretations. The Book of Mormon has been preserved for many years and only undergone one translation and is entirely pure and perfect. Stick to the Book! :)

4. Emma wants to know if there is good pineapple in El Pinar. 

Not any that I have seen.

5. Have you experienced any miracles this week? 

Facundo coming to church, and contacting a reference and receiving another in two days.