Un regalo navideno, 12/18/17

Hola mamá y familia!!!!

Glad to hear that you have had some fun Christmas preparations recently. It´s crazy to think that Christmas is already so close. We´ll already be talking again within a week! I´m excited for the opportunity to see you guys.

As far as missionary work out here- in Buenos Aires, when they say that something is really cool or great they say that it´s "de diez". Or in other words, 10 out of 10 points. I have to admit, Elder Holmes and I just finished out our transfer "de diez". We were very blessed by God.

The most incredible blessing was that we were able to hold the baptismal service of Veronica and Sebastian. It was a beautiful service and I really felt the spirit. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that in spite of the weaknesses, and imperfections that a person has- they are willing to trust in their Savior and take a leap of faith by being baptized. I could not be happier that I had the blessing to be involved in this step of the lives of Veronica and Sebastian.

In addition the incredible experience preparing and baptizing Veronica and Sebastian we had another investigator make great strides that we met this week. We met one morning a young peruvian man named Cristopher. He´s 21 years-old and was really taken aback when he met us. He was really amazed to meet two young-men from another country that were giving away something for free (The Book of Mormon). We visited with him, invited him to be baptized, and committed him to attend church with us.

As Sunday morning came Cristopher fulfilled with his commitment- we stopped by his house, ate a little bit of banana bread and rode our bikes all together to church from his house. He stayed for all the meetings, and the baptism. As we were helping him ride back towards his house he turned to Elder Holmes and asked, "Are you going to be here if I make it to my baptismal date on the 21st of January?" It was an awesome moment, and it grew even greater when we passed back by later Sunday and were also able to invite his sister and neighbor to prepare with him for baptism on the 21st. I know that God is preparing his children here in Francisco Álvarez.

I have loved my time here in Francisco Álvarez but God has now called me to work in another part of his vineyard. This Tuesday I will be packing my bags and heading for Chacabuco to finish the training of Elder Elliott. Chacabuco is even more countryside than Francisco Álvarez. I´m excited to get to know God´s children there and help them come unto Christ.

Jesus Christ lives and leads us. May you all remember the child that came to this world in humility and then saved the world by the power and glory of his Father.

I love you all,

Elder Lambert

Veronica, Sebastian, Elder Holmes, Elder Lambert

Feliz Navidad, Viajes, y la Rama, 12/26/17

Hola Mamà y familia!!!

It was good to see all of you and talk with you yesterday. I forgot to have my companion come on the call and present himself! I`m glad to see you are all happy and healthy though.

So this past Tuesday afternoon I arrived in Chacabuco. It`s a really interesting place- Chacabuco. It`s not a giant city, and it`s over 3 hours of travel outside of Buenos Aires. However, it has over 50,000 inhabitants. It`s also the cleanest and most organized city I have ever been in during my time in Argentina. 

My new companion is Elder Elliott from Orem, UT. He is the youngest of 5 children is an amazing missionary. He is only in his second transfer in the mission field but he speaks fluent Spanish, is well-organized, and likes to cook. It has been awesome being able to cook together and bounce ideas for food off of each other. It`s been awhile since I had a companion that likes to cook.

We had some great experiences this past week. They were two that stuck out that I wanted to share: one was with a couple that we taught named Marta and Hector, and the other was during our Church Open Hous that we held this past Saturday with a woman named Juli. 

As we were walking towards the apartment this past week I felt like we should stop and knock on a house. Elder Elliott told me that they had previously met the woman who lived in the house, but had not been able to find her again to talk for some time.

As we waited for someone to answer the door, the man of the house arrived, Hector, and allowed us to enter and speak. After a minute or two speaking with him his girlfriend, Marta, arrived. We were able to sit down with them, testify of baptism, invite them to be baptized, and leave them a part of the Book of Mormon to read. It was very cool to see that God lead us to them in the exact moment that they would be there to accept our message.

This past Saturday during the open house Juli, came to the church with a member-friend named Ludmila. When she arrived to the baptismal room we explained baptism and invited her to be baptized. She accepted, and we could see and feel the Spirit testifying unto her. 

As we spoke with Juli, her friend, Ludmila, also testified powerfully of the truths that we shared. We are excited to continue meeting with Juli to help her act on the feelings that she had this past Saturday and be baptized. 

It was a crazy week with lots of traveling, getting to know new people, and working hard this past week. Elder Elliott and I are being really blessed and I`m excited to keep opening my mouth, declaring repentance, and inviting people to come unto Christ.

Thank you for all of your love and support! I hope you all had a very merry christmas! Keep Christ in your hearts as you move forward towards the new year!

Much love,

Elder Lambert