A Small Bite of Utah; La Tierra Prometida; e Tranqüilo nas Ruas

 Elder Newman and Elder Araujo with the Eddy's

 Uruguayan style pizzas

Moving day

Hey peoples! Another great week here in the service of the Lord; we continue to see miracles every day. We are learning new things every day and tackling new obstacles. Let's get right to it!

We had to move stuff out of the Wall's home (the senior missionaries that went home last week), so it was deja vú all over again. Only this time, it was not from 5 minutes away from the office. They live in Florida, which is over an hour away when you're not carrying things. But we had our entire van and trailer packed to the max with things to bring back (not counting all the stuff that Marcelo Fontes took in his car to the offices or other areas in Florida), and it took us 3 HOURS to return because we were going so slow.

Funny story: we went to visit a member's house on Monday night, and were surprised to see a ton of teenagers over hanging out with the teen sons of the member family! Two of them were cousins from the neighboring ward Carrasco, and the others were all from Rivera, which is like 8-9 hours away and in the other mission! All but one were members, and it was like being back in Utah again! We sang some hymns and EFY songs together - a few of them were part of a band, and one of them had a POWERFUL voice - and then we shared 3 Nephi 11 with them. Then one of the Rivera members told his conversion story: how he was first baptized and how the gospel filled his soul, and how his family followed his footsteps and his divorced parents got sealed to their family in the temple. It was so beautiful, and I felt that it made a powerful and positive impact in the life of the nonmember that was there.

We have finally found a poorer neighborhood in our area! The south of Malvín and Buceo (our area) is fairly cheto (rich), and we were so happy to find a more humble section of our area! We already have three news from just one street over there and are excited to see how they progress. One of them, Brian, asked where the church was and said he'd go without us even asking him to come! 

We now have two investigators with a baptismal date for the 24th of March: 1) Rossina, a single mother that we found in Buceo seated outside her porch, and 2) Yanina, an Argentine that we found in a plaza in Malvín. We have been exercising more faith specifically to baptize, and are seeing the difference.

One last thing: with the move of the Wall's, we got a ton of spare stuff to store that we didn't have even close to enough room for. The solution? We brought some of the stuff to our house to replace some of our wasted furniture and kitchen supplies. And one old armchair was too big to move from upstairs through the halls, so I decided to take a leaf out of my dad's book and toss it over the balcony.

¡Nos vemos a todos! (See you all!)

Con amor,
Élder Newman :)

Wow Mom, it fills my heart so much with joy to see everyone's progress back at home. After all, I pray for y'all every single night. Snow! Wow! I surely do miss snow. And what a sweet patriarchal blessing experience. Reminds me of my own. Love you!

Callie, I would love to hear your Hawaiian Twister story! Haha, we had to clean our whole house today, so I know how you feel. Have fun with the Newman cousins and tell them all hi for me! Love ya!

Bear, I heard about you doing super well in Young Women's ball, way to go! And I can't wait to hear about your temple trip! New adventures coming your way for sure! Love ya!

¡29! Pero ¡muy bien hecho, Emma! Confío que me vas a vencer en algún momento. (But very well done, Emma! I trust that you will beat me at some point) Patriarchal blessings are such a sweet, tender experience. Haha good ol' Mr. Palmer. Love you so much!

Tweaking and perfecting as always.  Can't wait to hear the talk. Love you Pap.



Mom’s Questions:
1. In what way have your served your companion this week?

I shared with him my Peachi-O's and Hershey's that you gave me. Also helped with some chequero duties while he was busy talking on the phone with an angry landlady.

2. Now that Carnival is over, are people back in town and are you having more success finding people to teach?

Yes, it is definitely better now.

3. What was the best thing that happened this week? 

Probably yesterday with putting a baptismal date on Rossina and finding Brian.

4. How is the weather this time of year? Still hot?

Bipolar. There's some days when it’s hot and super heavy, but it's starting to cool down a little bit.

5. Did you hear about your brother’s new assignment? What do you think? 

That is soo cool! He is going to stretch and grow for sure, and it will sure help in the mission and in life as it has for me. :)

Rise and Shout; El Desierto de Carnaval; e Os Milagres Siguem

 Birthday cake with the Hermanas

 Taking Elder Borquez to the hospital

 Homemade tortillas for lunch

Hi peoples! Another great week full of miracles!

Sadly, Lethiel is not listening to us specifically now, because we found out that he lives in our zone leaders' area. But all is good; I know he's in good hands with Elder Souza and Elder Saeteros. They've actually already put a baptismal date on him and his mom for the 10th of March!

Then, we were going to head to a certain house when Elder Araújo felt inspired to quickly take a Temple Preparation pamphlet to Virginia Añón. We decided to obey that prompting, and it lead to us getting to finally know and teach a reference she had for us! Her name is Graciela, she's currently Virginia's neighbor (moving to other part of Malvín), and she has been super inspired by the change that has taken place in Virginia. She is currently going through an economic and emotional struggle, and is super open to our message. She has accepted the Book of Mormon, and we are excited to see where she goes from here!

Ok, when there's a holiday in Uruguay, everyone seems to go on vacation, and it becomes super hard to find people. But with Carnaval, it's even worse; the normally busy Montevideo streets were completely EMPTY. It was a ghost town for two days, and it also made office business complicated because Citibank and many other businesses that we needed to use were closed.  Then Wednesday, the office business was even more complicated because everyone came back and had the same ideas as we did (go to the bank). But, what can you do?  Just laugh and smile and enjoy the memories.

I also got to spend some more time getting to know better Elder Borquez. He had an appointment in the hospital yesterday, and Elder Christensen needed to give a baptismal interview at the same time, so I drove Elder Borquez over and hung out with him for a few hours. I actually was able to watch the shots being given! (For those of you who know me, that is a drastic improvement.)

Not sure if my folks have told you all yet, but there has been a great disturbance in the force. And that is... that I will be attending college at BYU in the fall. Yup. You read that right. You may wonder how that happened, seeing that I have been a devoted Utah fan all my life. (I still am, by the way) But I prayed, thought, and fasted much on the subject, and it just felt right. So yup, I am now a Cougar!


Love you all so much! Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!

Con amor,
Élder Newman :)

Haha, all basic stuff on the piano, Mom. And, as always, you were right about me wanting to play piano on the mish; and for the rest of my life, to be honest. Glad to see that things are calming down at home and going well.  Also, Elder Araújo is thinking of coming to the states to study and was wondering what you knew about prices for utilities, food, and rent vs. working wages. Love you so much!

Callie! I loved learning about US Presidents when I was in school! Way to go on 2nd place in the storytelling festival! I would love to hear your story!  I love you tons!

Emma! 'Tis that time of year once again! Let me know if any PG people get called to Uruguay! Ohmagoodness, Black Panther sounds soo sick!  ¡Te amo mucho!

Bear, way to get that guy's number. ¡Audaz! (Bold) Have fun with Emma in ward ball! Lots of love!

Hey Pap, sounds like things are going super well at home. Great things happening here in the work. Some unique assignments for sure, but it all just adds up for more experience. Love you Pap! :)

Mom’s Questions:

1. Did you buy a new suit? I see you in a grey suit in some of your pictures. 

No, I found it here in the offices.

2. How is Elder Borquez with the broken foot? Looks like he’s in a walking boot. 

He's doing well. The boot helps a lot, and he is able to proselyte without a problem. :)

3. How was your follow up with your seven nuevos from last week?

The four ladies are not showing much desire to continue listening, Lethiel is now being taught by Barrio 9 (he lives there and not in Malvín), and we just saw Franco yesterday, who said that he was going to come play fútbol with us today.

4. Were you able to get Franco and Netiel to come to church on Sunday? 

Lethiel did for sure! (Yep, his name is actually Lethiel)

5. Is Kevin still planning on going on a mission? I remember he talked about that back when you were in El Pinar.

Yep! He just emailed me and said he sent his papers in!

Tents Towards the Temple; Las Maneras de Dios son Perfectas; e A Fe pra Mudar Montanhas

 Dinner with Eddy's and Elder Grigor's family

 Basketball with Pres. Eddy

 Matching ties with Bishop

 With Elder Escobar

Erik, Kevin's little brother from El Pinar

Hi everyone! Wow. This was one of the most remarkable weeks of my mission. Funny, as well as challenging, but also miraculous. But guys, I experienced this week, perhaps more than any other week out here, the power of the Spirit and the divine design and love of God.

One of the many miracles from this week: we had gotten 0 news last week and literally had no investigators after so many tough weeks of finding few or none and losing all. In weekly planning, we surprised ourselves by putting a goal for 7 news. Lemme tell you, that takes faith in Malvín and especially after a week of almost all 0's. Today, we're at 7 new investigators.  We have strived to be humble and to increase our faith, and what a result!

I believe the best two of the week were Franco and Netiel. They are two of the many boys in that American Football group that we met a few weeks ago. Well, we found them in the same spot; they had come out to escape family problems they were having, and we sat right down and taught about the love of God, the Restoration, and the Book of Mormon. The Spirit in that charla was so strong, and they immediately accepted to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and come to church with us tomorrow. Super special.

Tents Toward the Temple: We had our first Ward Family Home Evening this past Thursday, and it was super cool! We had a bunch of seats grouped together like tents, with a TV showing a pic of the temple on front, like King Benjamin.  The theme was creativity and it was super cool; we had a great turnout as well! Hope you all enjoyed the photo of the Bishop and I with our green ties.

Las Maneras de Dios son Perfectas: It is amazing how the Lord prepares people like President Eddy and my good friend, Elder Escobar (in the picture, on his last change now) to administer to my needs, whether or not they knew those needs.

Oh yeah, and we also saw Erik, Kevin's little brother (El Pinar) after our multizone conference! Super cool!

We are doing really well now and are super excited for the future of the work here!

See you all next week! Continue to trust in God's love and divine design, and you will see miracles, big or small, in your lives.

Con amor,
Élder Newman :)

Wow. I swear that you and Dad are so inspired. I literally lived the 2nd Nephi 4 experience that you just read about this week, both the bitter and the sweet. Well, drill team judges; what can you do? 😐 Love you so much Mom.

Love you Bear! Good luck with the rest of your tournament!

Callie! We need to try Huhot when I get home! Deal? Deal. Well, I think that it’s gonna be pretty low key for me and Valentine's day. Love you!

Emma! I am so sorry for the politics that happened once again in state and for the ear infection. But oh well, those are things we can't always control.  We can just control our effort and know our true success, like you and drill did. Hope that Sweethearts goes super well!  ¡Te quiero muchísimo!

Pap! Tell Liv and Brielle congratulations for me! And send me a video of Chris' call if you can get one! And look at that with PG wrestling winning state again! Tell the boys congrats for me!  And pretty dope with the Jazz as well; "don't call it a comeback..." ;Love you Pap!

Mom’s Questions: 

1. Christian’s pday is Saturday (tomorrow) because of Carnival. Will you have any adjustments this week because of Carnival? Do Uruguayans get crazy?


Fairly crazy, but we won't have any changes to our P-Day.

2. Since you’re down to the last quarter of your mission, what has been the biggest lesson you have learned so far? 

Humility to improve, accept counsel, and never be complacent.

3. When did you laugh this week? 

A lot today; we had the Grigor family (released missionary and parents) over at the Eddy house for P-Day today, and there were many funny stories and laughs for sure.

4. When did you feel the Spirit most this week?

In our charla with Franco and Netiel.

5. Are you enjoying your changed responsibilities this week with being finance secretary?

VERY much so. A lot more tranquilo for sure.

Another One Bites the Dust; Destrucción de Ninja; e Volei com Os Eddys

 Office Elders with Pres. Eddy

 Pday fun

Hey people! Coming to you live at the end of another crazy changes week! Some details: Elder Manzanares finally reached the end of his time in the offices, he is now heading out to Melo to be a zone leader with my MTC comp Elder Cheney! Super happy for him, and he was super happy to finally get out of the city; he's been in the city of Montevideo for his whole mission minus 1 change only (6 weeks). Now he's about as far out as you can get.

Élder Saeteros, my friend from my first area, Chuy, is now my new zone leader with Élder Souza!

My second senior companion in the mission died this week! My whitewash buddy, Elder Christesen. I am going to miss him, but I will always remember with a smile those times we had trying to figure out our area. Now the only senior comps that remain that I've had are Élder Estouco, who goes home a change before me, and Élder Bazaes, who dies with me. I'm old now!

Funny story from changes: while the oros were waiting to do their medical exams, have breakfast, and get to know their trainers, they were playing Ninja Destruction. It came down to a Peruvian Elder and a small Brazilian sister, and the Elder had his arm up in a square. The sister went for the hand, he moved it, and she accidentally slapped him in the face! Like, HARD! At first we were all taken off guard, then we all burst out laughing. The poor sister was so embarrassed.

Due to changes, we sadly haven't had almost any time to work, so Andrés (a new we found in the street and came to church) kind of went downhill this week. He was really high on marijuana and very depressed about the future. But the Spirit I felt as I testified of God's love for him was super strong. But it felt super good to get out and work in our areas finally! And this next change, I will be handing my chequero duties over to Élder Araújo and becoming the tarjetero again. Definitely less stressful.  But he is ready for the responsibilities.

Coming into the final change in the offices! It's been a blast and has flown by, but I honestly can't wait to get back out into the field and be a regular missionary again. But oh well. Everything has its time and place. Just gotta aprovechar the time that I got.

Love y'all!

Élder Newman :)

I can personally testify of the change that comes from serving a mission; I've seen a little of it in myself. With changes week, we weren't able to meet up with the football boys again, but we are thinking of inviting them to a Ward Night we're having this week! Love you so much, Mom.

Emma, congrats on your All-Region for drill! And good luck at state! I will be cheering you on for sure!

Callerist, level 9! WOW! Impressive! And I would be honored to baptize you, if you are absolutely positive that I'm the guy you want to do it.  I like soccer as well now, as well as spicy things (that's probably a surprise), and mate, and most of all, the Gospel! Lots of love!

Hey Bear, sometimes we have those days when the shots don't fall or things don't go our way. No worries. Ah man, I miss Costa Vida! Love you Bear!

Super happy to hear about Ryan, love that kid.  Wow, deadeye at a mile! Haha those crazy lines... Haha I'm still waiting on some videos of Sarah balling up! Love you Pap.

Mom’s Questions:
1. Tell us about the new office elder. 

His name is Élder Bórquez, he's from Chile, has 8 months in the mission, and is super tranquilo. He actually is the "son" of Elder Manzanares! Such a capo.

2. How is Mabel? Were you able to get in for another lesson?

We passed by once more, but she kind of avoided us, so we're not quite sure if we should continue visiting...

3. When did you most feel the Spirit this week? 

Probably when Elder Manzanares, Rújo, and I had dinner and a powerful spiritual thought concerning God's light with the Moreira Suarez family before Manzie left. The dad had had a very rough life before he met the missionaries, and he felt God's love fill the holes in his soul when he met the missionaries. The wife, who is a convert of 2 years, also shared her conversion story, which was very tender.

4. What are you going to miss most about Elder Manzaneras? 

His ability to find humor in just about everything, and the way our musical abilities complimented each other. But seriously, his laugh is contagious.

Temple Joys; ¡Somos Gringos!; e O Futebol dos Estados

 Palaves Family got their Visa and are moving to Utah!!

 District Picture

Temple with Virginia V

Hey peeps! So good to be talking with y'all again! Lots of interesting stuff happening in our area as we get ready for changes!

A sad occurrence this week: an Elder in our mission is going home really early due to depression and having talked about suicide, and we are taking care of him until changes when he goes home. It was a very sad occurrence, but I believe that all of my trials in the past few weeks served me really well in this tough situation; I have been able to sympathize with him, make him laugh, and sustain him through his burdens. Man, I really ache for that kid; loved him to death. But I feel such peace knowing that I have been able to affect his life in a positive way.

We were able to find a nuevo this week so far on a doorstep contact; her name is Mabel, and she is an inactive Evangelist who loves prayer and believes in miracles. We talked about miracles, God's love, the Restoration, and the Book of Mormon with her. Great to see the results as we applied what we learned in district meeting: teach immediately instead of asking to teach. Great things happen when you're always trying to learn.

After that, we were walking to a charla with a member, and we saw a bunch of boys playing football in the park. Not fútbol. AMERICAN FOOTBALL! It was touch, granted, but it was sick! They waved us over and invited us to play, and I played football again for 10 minutes, for the first time in almost 2 years! On defense, nobody even got close to getting past me; domination. On offense... well, let's just say that boots do not make good cleats in dirt. But we won anyways, and now we're going to invite them to English classes, because they speak really good!  And from there,... charlas.

We're also seeing an upsurge in the member's participation; 3 specific Melchizedek Priesthood holders (the bishop, the high priest leader, and the 1st counselor in the stake presidency) said that they are available and willing to go out and work with us!  We also have lunch or dinner every single day, and are truly seeing how the hand of the Lord is working in this ward. Got me super stoked for change 4 here!

We actually went to the temple today to accompany Virginia V. for her first time there! Man, I truly did miss the temple; I was able to be baptized and to baptize for the first time in over a year. I've said it before, but the peace that emanates inside the temple is indescribable. I truly enjoyed it. 

BIG NEWS: THE PALAVÉ FAMILY IS MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES! They got their permanent residencies after years of work, and they invited us over to dinner to spill the news. We had a suspicion that it was either that, or that the wife was once again pregnant. As soon as we entered the back patio and saw the big American flag, little 4-year-old Mateo yelled "¡Somos gringos!" (We are gringos!)  And there went the surprise.

Love you all so much! Remember to trust completely in the Lord, and "he will direct thy paths." :)

Con amor,
Élder Newman :)


Mom, haha that is quite the mattress adventure. Sounds a lot like our bed frame adventure a while back. Yet while we think of ways to carefully disassemble and reassemble it, y'all just push it off the balcony. So true, I've learned SO much more about the Book of Mormon in these past 2 years than I have in all my life. We are always learning.  Love ya Mom!

Wow Callie, you are super duper smart! Way to go on Lexia!  I know how you feel with dry skin; I had it all the time. I would not have lasted those 100 candies; I would've eaten them all. I love you!

Sarah, my favorite song... is probably Redeemer of Israel by Gentri. So powerful.  I remember NOVA! Congrats on graduation!  Love you so much, Bear!

Emma, I am so sorry for what happened with drill. Sometimes we take our knocks - I took a few over these past few weeks - but I want you to know that I am just as proud of you as I was before. You will be blessed for your great attitude and support. Best of luck in Region! Ah, mighty Valhalla! How I miss it! ¡Te quiero muchísimo! (I love you so much!)

Dad, haha, bringing the Ice back! Blast to the past! And super sick to see Upset City alive and well! I truly feel that, as a missionary, priesthood holder, and man, I have grown so much in this year and a half. Yet I feel that the best is still yet to come.  Love you Pap!


Mom’s Questions:
1. With transfers this week, do you know who is replacing Elder Manzanares? 

We will know tomorrow night in the dinner with the Eddys!

2. How much time do you spend with Elder Holland? What is he like? Do you get along well?

He is in the office quite a bit. He is very tranquilo, super humble, and just a great guy to be around. We get along perfectly. Love the kid! :)

3. Did you have the Oro Conference this week? How did it end up going? 

A week ago. This week, we had a special leadership conference with all the zone leaders, district leaders, and travelling sisters in the mission.

4. Are you feeling like you were able to manage your time and balance office and regular mission stuff better this week? 

Yes, for sure. Minus the situation with the elder going home early, we were able to get out and proselyte every night at 5 PM.

5. How were your visits with Nadia this week? 

We weren't able to visit with Nadia this week; she was trying to drop us, feeling scared to take a risk after all the things she's suffered. We invited her to keep listening to us and she said she'll think about it. We sent her 2 Nephi 2 to try to help out.

Divine Design; Semana Loca; e a Fome pelo Amor de Deus

 Books of Mormon and other mission supplies that we had to find a place for

Hey peoples! This was probably the most unique week of my mission; the most stress I've ever felt, the most tears I've ever shed, and the sweetest joy and peace as a result. Super early mornings, long days of office work, a flooded house, searching for the elect. Life is good as a missionary and office Elder!

This past Saturday, I had been feeling down about the lack of success in our area and the stress from the office and the mistakes I had made. However, that day, my wonderful father felt the inspiration to send me a "4's up" 4th quarter email that truly inspired me. My incredible companion set aside time to talk with me and see what was going on and how he could help. His words for me were truly prophetic. Then a FUTURE INVESTIGATOR told us to keep our heads up; that if today we were rejected by 8 and accepted by 2, and we kept persevering, then one day we we would be accepted by 8. All these three occurrences in ONE DAY. I knew then that this was no coincidence and that the Lord was speaking to me of His love and approval. Truly Divine Design, just like Elder Rasband spoke about in Conference.

Then yesterday, the payoff. We finally had a new investigator - one that I've met in person! She was a contact that Elder Suxo (ZL) and Elder Araújo had found on intercambios here on Monday while I was working with MI HIJO AMADO ELDER SOUZA! Yes, I had an intercambio with my son/zone leader, and it was absolutely awesome; we worked super well together, laughed a ton, relived great memories from El Pinar, and milked alfajors to end the day (of course).

But anyway, back to our new investigator! Her name is Nadia, and she has suffered just about everything from the human race: her father tried to violate her, her mother tried to kill her, her brothers are in prison, and her roommate is crazy and can't stand her. She says that she is sick of the human race and had ceased to believe in God for the hypocrisy of her parents who were highly religious. But she was 100% attentive in our charla - I believe for the hunger she has for peace and answers and the love of God - and she was happy and laughing quite a bit as we talked. She said that she would promise to read the BoM and come to church. A very powerful charla on the Restoration. SUPER POTENTIAL!

Virginia A. is becoming active again; she was able to overcome her dark moment of depression and see the hope in life, and she even has a reference for us that said in the moment that she would love to come over and charlar! We are seeing the desire to participate from the members, and that is truly exciting for me! I believe now that we've passed through the midnight and are seeing the sunrise! It reminds me of Elder Zwick's talk in GC about our eyes being opened. I had my eyes closed and believed that I could not find any new investigators and that we would need intercambios always if we were going to find people. Now they're open, like Elisha's servant with the chariots of fire.

Other than that, it was a crazy but satisfying week as we had to wake up at 3:30 to help a missionary go home (home early), buy and hand over return tickets for the Oro Conference, and other cosas aleatorias (random stuff). But a great week, and a fantastic setup for the week to come!

Con amor,
Elder Newman :)

WOW! Haha, back to school and everything that comes with it; homework en pila! So happy to see the love that Sarah and Callie have for each other; sisters coming together! Indeed, I felt that same confirmation during Pres. Nelson’s broadcast and the news conference; I know that he is indeed the prophet of our time. And I can't wait to try out "Asado!" Having cooked and eaten many asados, I think I'd be well qualified for the job. And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Love you so much, Mom!

Callie! How did you feel at the teacher's desk? Here with Valentine's Day, it's pretty much the same as in the States - there's chocolate and everything - but just on a smaller scale. Love you tons!

Bear! So glad you liked the Vegas Cup despite its ups and downs. And hey, way to be a big girl being on your own for a week! Some of the greatest people I know are from different beliefs; it sure is fun seeing us come together despite those differences. And trust me, I know all about crazy sports fans; I've had plenty yell their heads off at me too. Love ya!

I totally know where I got my flexibility, or lack thereof. Glad you had a blast with the Dad Dance. And I'm right there with you in exhaustion; this next week, we have to help out with a leadership conference (all the 24 zone leaders, 10 Hermana Viajentes, and 27 district leaders), cédulas, and getting ready for changes! (Yup, it's coming already) And thus is the grind! But seeing great things in our area, so all good in the hood. And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Love you tons, Pap!

Mom’s Questions:
1. Since you now are in the last quarter of your mission, is there something you want to do before you leave? 

I would like to visit either the "Dedos" in Maldonado or Chuy once again in terms of temporal stuff, but mainly I just want to finish stronger, bolder, and more like Christ than at any point in my mission. I heard this once from one of my old zone leaders which I've taken to heart: the way you work in your final change says everything about your entire mission.

2. What do the members think of the announcement of the new prophet and 1st presidency? 

Virginia A. has studied a lot about the members of the 1st Presidency and has been very interested and excited in the whole process. With the others, I'd have to tell you next week after church this week.

3. Last week you talked about using the members more. How did the ward members help you with the work this week? 

Even though some charlas with them and having them contact with us fell through due to conflicts this week, they are more and more

4. Have you heard of Six months to sexy? Hahaha. Is that a thing in your mission? 

Oh, it is real, and Elder Manzanares and I are both in full swing with it.

Road Trip; A Full de Ñokis; e Pasando Pelas Provaçãos

Painting Hermana Olmeda's wall

Delivering a mattress to an Elder in San Jose

Hey peoples! Long, interesting, trying week for sure, but full of tender mercies of the Lord! As we all know, a great roller coaster has lots of ups and downs, and you gotta climb all the way up the mountain to get the best view; you gotta be tested to get stronger. This has been one of those weeks.

The first bit of the week, we faced the worst rejections I've ever seen in the entire mission; lots of long days searching intently for someone to listen to us, but to no avail. We realized two things: 1) we were allowing ourselves to lose faith and become discouraged, which was hindering our progress, and 2) we had not been using the many great members in this fantastic ward, and thus we had been underestimating this great tool. We have decided to overcome both our weaknesses this week. We have done service this week, visited key members, and tried to serve and love however we can, and it has worked. Elder Araújo and Elder Manzanares even found a new investigator in our area while Elder Christensen and I found a new one in his on intercambios.

Something did happen this week that normally doesn't happen for the financers. We went on a road trip! A poor Elder in San José needed a new mattress because his old one was giving him back problems. The result: a 6 hour total of driving, much of it out in the country. It was so awesome to use the freeway for the first time in a year and half, and the country was so nice in comparison with the busy city. I truly enjoyed it. :)

Two of the families we ate with this week gave us ñokis, the Palavé family, and Hermana Olmeda after we finished painting her wall. Soo nice!

Elder Araújo and Elder Manzanares were able to teach Germán Lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he is currently reading and praying on his own and with his family! He is so ready, and even Gerardo is opening up more and more and confessing the miracles he's seen. We are planning to invite him soon to baptism once again!

¡Les quiero a todos ustedes! ¡Que puedan seguir los ejemplos de la vida de Presidente Monson que compartieron los que hablaron en su funeral! Fue una experiencia maravillosa presenciar el servicio; sé que fue un profeta de Dios y que Dios cambió el mundo por él. Sé que él y Frances están felizmente reunidos, para siempre. :) ¡Que tengan una semana optima! (I love you all! May they follow the examples of President Monson's life shared by those who spoke at his funeral! It was a wonderful experience to witness the service; I know he was a prophet of God and that God changed the world for him. I know he and Frances are happily reunited, forever. :) Have an optimal week!)

Con amor,
Élder Newman :)

Mom, Pathways! Wow, that is super awesome! I've heard a lot of things about that program! I love Moses 1 and what it teaches about our identity as children of God. Quick request: the next time you send a package, would you be willing to include some athletic shorts? I've lost quite a few! Love you so much, Mom!

Emma, silver nitrate; man, been a while since I did that in chemistry! I have seen major growth in you throughout this year; the way you've attacked challenges and tests head on is amazing to me. I have had to realize the same about God's timing; this weekend and the past, we had had baptisms slated, but they have either fallen through or been postponed, and that's tough as a missionary. But I know that if I keep working and am patient, I will someday see those joyful results I desire, maybe even while I'm still here in Malvín! ¡Te quiero muchísimo, Emma! ¡Espero que las cosas vayan increíble para ti! (I love you so much, Emma! I hope things go incredible for you!)

Callerist! You are going to have me beat on piano by the time I get home! Yup, there's little time left for sure! Love you so much!

Good luck in your tourney, Bear! Praying and cheering for you all the way from here!

Mom’s Questions:
1. How’s Diego feeling? Is he still doing chemo? 

He's still feeling under the weather

2. Is Daniel getting baptized today? 

No, he didn't come to church and now he's out in the country doing a 30-day tomato harvest! And we've passed him on to the Elders from where he lives anyway, so they will be doing the teaching, and Elder Araújo and I will probably go up there when he does get baptized.

3. Any nuevos this week? 

Yup!

4. Did you end up singing “We Ever Pray For Thee” in sacrament meeting? 

No, because it was Fast and Testimony meeting. We will probably do it this week.

5. What is the funniest thing that happened this week? 

I don't remember off the top of my head, but there are always random, unexpected moments every day that leave us laughing hysterically. You need something to reduce the stress of balancing demanding office tasks and the success of your area. :)