The "Why" of Missionary Work

On Saturday Rocio got baptized! Woo! And this time we didn´t flood the church! Double Woo! Not very many members were able to show up because a lot are on vacation during this time of the year, but the other elders in our district were able to bring an investigator to the baptism and now she has a date to be baptized!

I think that the theme of what I learned this week was to get back to the basics. This week we were able to watch a worldwide training from the general authorities. Their words were very inspiring, but they didn´t talk about any new complicated program that we´re going to use as missionaries, they just talked about the basics. That and a few other things that I learned and saw this week made me look a little bit more at the way that I work and teach. I was able to think about the "why" of the things I do. It´s pretty simple what I do as a missionary. I´m here to teach the doctrine of Christ so that the people understand it and,  with the guidance and support of the Holy Ghost, put it into practice in their lives. Simple and easy. Basically anyone could do what I do. I´m not saying that it´s not special what I do. I´m honored for the calling that I have and the help of the Lord that I get, but I know that HE really is the one that makes everything happen.  

In other news, I guess I´m going to start training... tomorrow. Just about an hour ago the assistants gave me a call and told me that my companion will be headed off to another area to finish his mini mission and that I´ll be going to the mission home to wait for my new (really, really new) companion. So this is the start of another crazy week. 

Hope you all are doing great! Have a fun week!

Elder Lulich

Me and Steadman

Sorry I´m writing a day late. Yesterday we had a zone p-day the whole day and there was no time to write. and I`m going to keep it short today. I´m in exchanges for the day with Elder Steadman who has about 4 months in the mission. I don´t know if it shows much in the picture but I got totally sunburned. And i think its just going to get worse, because it is really hot here.

This Saturday Rocio, an investigator that we've had for a while, is going to get baptized! Woot! woot!

Me and Alvarez (mini)

There is Nothing Impossible for God

Week one with a mini complete! My new companion´s name is Brother Alvarez. He´s 17 years old and from here in the city of Córdoba. We´ve been working hard together here in the area, trying to build up a base of more progressing investigators. 

I don´t know if you all remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about the brother that we gave a blessing to (his name is Mercede). Well we´ve continued teaching him. His health has improved a ton, he is starting to walk again and has a lot more strength in his arms. It´s really a miracle. I´ve learned so much from teaching Mercede. I´ve been able to see how the lord changes and heals people step by step, here a little and there a little. Mercede still hasn´t come to church, but I don´t lose hope that he will be there one day sitting with us. Every time we finish a lesson with Mercede, his wife (who is a member) walks with us out to the street. After every lesson she always tells us, "Wow, did you see how well he is, he´s going to make it. I know he´s going to make it to church, there´s nothing impossible for God."

After teaching Mercede a few times and hearing the sister´s testimony of faith after every lesson I realized that her words were for me. Her words and her faith were what helped ME have the faith to continue teaching Mercede even when he didn´t make it to the chapel on Sunday. I can now testify with Sister Mansilla that I know that Mercede will make it. One again I was able to be witness to the fact that missionary work saves and builds both the missionary and the investigator.       

Have a fantastic week!

Elder Lulich

New Years Eve with the Salinas Family

This week was a little weird because I spent the whole week without an official companion. Last Monday we had transfers and my companion Elder Gomez was sent off to Villa Dolores. Then my new companion didn't get to the bus station on Monday when I went to wait for him. My new companion was supposed to be a mini missionary, aka a young man from Cordoba who is preparing to go on a mission. I waited for him for about 2 hours but he didn't show. Just when I was thinking that my companion had abandoned me without even meeting me the assistants told me that the mini wasn't going to show up until the next Monday (today). So I had an interesting week waiting for my companion. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were spent in a different area working with a missionary who was also waiting for a mini. Wednesday I remembered what I was doing about a year ago as I accompanied a young man through the temple who is preparing for his mission in Chile. Then Thursday I returned to my own area, working again with Agustin Salinas as my temporary companion.

New Year´s eve in the house of the Salinas Family. 

This week I had a lot of time to think about what I can do as an individual in the mission. I reflected a lot in a lesson learned in the book of Mormon from a war captain named Moroni. He was a revolutionary leader in his time and always found the way to make the most of his armies. One of the attributes of Moroni that I admire was that he was a man of faith and action. I believe that´s how we should be. We should have the faith that God can do everything, AND we should put our best effort also. It´s not enough just one or the other, we need faith AND action in order to be successful.

Wishing you a successful 2016, take care

Elder Lulich 

That me as an ant on top of this giant ramp-building thing in downtown

Waiting for my Mini

I didn't end up getting transferred. But my comp Elder Gomez got sent to my last area Villa Dolores! Que Loco! I was pretty excited to hear that he was going there, I really loved that area. I´ll be staying here in Parque Liceo, another area that I love, with a "mini missionary" for one transfer. A mini missionary is a teenager who is preparing for the mission and wants to be a missionary for a month and a half. 

But things turned out as they usually seem to turn out for me and the mini didn't show up when we all switched companions. I didn't find out until later but my mini compañero isn´t going to show up until next Monday... Que bueno. In the meanwhile I´ll be working with another Elder (Elder Rodrigues, with an s, from Brasil) who is waiting for his mini, a little bit in his area (Renacimiento) and a little bit in mine. 

First Christmas in Argentina

The Molina family on Christmas eve. 

This week I got to experience an Argentine Christmas. The first thing that was different was that here in Argentina, and in most of Spanish-speaking america, Christmas is celebrated the night of the 24th. On Thursday the whole mission had permission to stay out until 12:30 at night, for a missionary that´s pretty late. My comp and I celebrated Christmas in the house of the Molina family eating roast beef sandwiches, fruit salad and at midnight we make a toast with apple cider. Also something that´s different about Christmas here is that everyone throws fireworks at midnight. It reminded me a little bit of the fourth of July. 
And the best part of the holiday season as you´ll see in one of my pictures is that it comes in the middle of the summer and, I am melting in the heat. Yesterday it reached 100 degrees and this whole week we´re expected to have temperatures in the 90s.

Me melting in the heat after church on Sunday

Something that I learned this week was that we can take advantage of every moment to preach the gospel. This week had several big events:  Christmas, the Christmas call to the family, and transfers, (I stayed in the same area) but Elder Gomez and I gave our best to be able to find new investigators and find people to help out during the month of January. We didn't see all of these other things that we had the opportunity to do as an excuse to not do our work, but instead as things that would give us the energy and spirit to continue working. 

Happy new year! 

Elder Lulich 

A box of goodies that the relief society sisters gave us for Christmas.

Teaching with the Youth

This week, due to a weird series of events I got to spend three days in my area with one of the teenagers from the branch as my companion. His name is Agustin Salinas and he is 16 years old. It was a great experience being able to show one of the youth what missionary life was like. Luckily Agustin was super willing to learn and try out new things. I learned a ton. It was especially inspiring to hear when Agustin testified in the lessons and, without fear, shared what he felt and knew. I look at this experience as an answer to a prayer and an opportunity that the Lord gave me to reflect on my labors as a missionary. 

Agustin and I in the branch´s Christmas dinner with Gabriel.

On Saturday I had another opportunity to work with youth. The stake had an activity where the youth spent a day with the missionaries. This time I was with Elder Gomez again and we were accompanied by a kid named Ezequiel. My favorite part of the day was after the activity when all the youth got together and shared their testimonies of missionary work. It really inspired me to see how they viewed missionary work as such an important thing. Sometimes I take for granted  the fact that I´m a missionary and I forget about the magnitude of what I do. The testimonies of the youth after the day that they spent with us really helped me remember that it is a giant blessing to be a missionary and work side by side with the Lord.1

I thank God for the great gift He has given me to carry the Gospel of His Son to His children. 

Merry Christmas! Que tengan una linda Navidad, y que puedan recibir el regalo de Jesucristo más plenamente en sus vidas.  

Elder Lulich

Here´s a picture of a special lunch that we had today with the zone. A sister (the one in the middle) from Canada, who is originally from Argentina, holds a lunch every year during Christmastime. She was so sweet and just loved to serve. 

The sister made apple pie for us. It was a delicious little piece of home. 

When people say," this is the smallest violin in the world and it´s playing just for you" they are talking about this violin.