Wow it Smells!

First off its a holiday today, i dont know what but its another one. All of the computer places were closed but we finally found one after walkng to another city and let me tell you, IT SMELLS HORRIBLE IN HERE! Im pretty sure the nasty carpet here has a film of nasty poop on it. Anyways, this week went pretty good! It has rained every single day during the week and we have been soaked every day. Its cold when it rains, my shoes are broken so my feet get wet, and not too many people let us in, but im happy! Im not sure why but i feel happier when its raining outside. I did have a big answer to a prayer early this week. Monday I found myself loosing alot of patience with a member we visited that wouldnt shut up and the next couple days we didnt have much sucess. Oh and i was still sick and couldnt eat too much. I knelt down thursday morning and just begged that he could help us have some form of success or help me be happy either way. Well thursday we got calls from members with references they had for us and we found a couple new poeple. One guy we found is a super chill guy that has alot of questions and desire. He has dred locks he has been growing out for 6 years and believes in Rastafari. We will continue to see him and see how it goes. We got to go to the temple!! It was amazing. The ward had planned on one bus to take us there but they had to call another quickly. We completely filled 2 buses with 110 people. About 25 were investigators. We were told we could only go once so we made it count! President Staplet was there and i had him talk with a couple of our investigators and try and help them. We have a baptism this week and im so excited for it. Even though she is a little scared her husband is going to hold her under the water for a while she decided to have him do it which is exactly what i wanted. They also told me i better be here when they go through the temple for the first time and get sealed. Im going to do my best but it might be a little difficult. Well we got to take all the people through the entire temple and it was amazing. We have another investigator whose name is pocha. Her husband is member long time. They got married about 7 years ago after old marriages and since then she has liked the church. Well lets say she has been an investigator for 7 years and has smoked for 50. I have never seen her happy or anyhting although she is always nice to us. She always seemed jittery, nervous, sad, and beaten down. Well she went to the temple once last week with her old lady friends and didnt feel much. We invited her to come with us again this last saturday and she told us no. Well she showed up and she loved it. She even came to church yesterday and bore a quick testimony abou the temple. We went and saw them last night and we had a very good talk. She told us she has never felt the way she does now and the way she did in the temple. ¨After 7 years of listening and dealing with you kids, I finally know that it is time. I thought ciggarretts controlled me and ive tried quiting before but i always had an empty spot and couldnt let them go. Now that spot is filled so much i have to let them go.¨ Now she is getting baptized in 2 weeks!! The temple really was amazing! Im not sure if ill get to go back but it was amazing! In church people kept saying it was like touching a part of heaven with your hand and it really was. I hope one day to get the opportunity to enter in again, especially if i can do it with converts I have had in the mission. This area especially has been very good to me! I love the people here and im know for a fact that i will see them again later. In the scriptures it says that we will be judged by our own books. Well i really believe that we have a big part in constructing our celestial glory. My happiness wont be complete if i dont see them there with me. Sorry, but it smells horrible, i have got to get out of here. Love yall!!! Elder Martino

Wet Week

Well it has rained alot this week. It started Thursday and its supposed to go just about all of this week. Friday morning all the street infront of our pinch was completely flooded and iwas getting way excited to get out and walk. Like 10 minutes before we left it looked like it was clearing up and wasnt going to rain again so i left in just my sweater to go work for the morning. Well our lunch that was on the farthest side of our area wasnt there, and it just started pouring. It was a good ol Texan rain too. well i put my stuff in bags and we started walking. I wont lie i was a littl frustrated at first but as we were walking i started to think about random things and just started to sing out loud random songs that came to mind. i figure everytime I have to walk soaked in the rain, that much hotter and beter my wife will be!! This week something very sad happened...My shoes...are breaking...in front and on bottom. I have a huge hole forming in the bottom of my shoe. Its ok though, im going to wear them til i look like a homeless man on the street! After many attempts we finally found an innactive member we have been looking for. It was a very interesting lesson. he kept saying his problem was worldly and not spiritual. It wasnt the leaders or that no one visits him or that he was offended.

Death Threat!

Well we had another baptism!! Ill send pictures a little later. Her name is Belen and it was definately interesting. Once again we didnt have too much support from the ward but we did it anyway. I have asked the bishop for keys to everything so i can do it when they dont come. It was a great baptism but definately goes on the list for one of the most interesting. Well when i put my hand out to walk down the stairs into the font she told me she didnt need help, well then she fell and screamed, ¨Ahhh ya me bautice!!!!¨ Well then when i lifted her up she stood there for a second then i guess lost her footing and was just fighting everything and screaming like crazy while i held her up. It was definately interesting. It was a very good baptism and we are staying with our goal to baptize every week! This week i had my third death threat taken out on me in my area.. lol. We had a mother and 3 children who were going to be baptized but everything took a very quick turn. She went to visit her husband in jail and she tried to kill her and threatened to kill us when he gets out. Apparently some neibhorhood kids called him and told him that two men were entering into the house. So as for now we lost those but we are going to see what we can do. Quick question for you mom and dad. I was told by yall that you sold Rosie and Grandma told me she died...Im a little confused on exactly what happened. lol This week was very good. We have had a couple up and downs but all in all alot of success. One night we were teaching a woman named jacqui. She is the spouse of a long time member we activated who just became young mens president. Well we were progressing so well with her and then tuesday we took 500 steps back. It was very hard to hear what she thought and i wont lie i teared up a little bit. We bore our testimony and left a challenge with her. I was very worried all week until Saturday when i saw her and it was SOOO much better. She decided to read the whole book of mormon and already almost finished first nephi. It was a very big help to me and i know the date is coming up soon. My zone in the last 2 years has had a maximum of 11 baptisms in a month. This month we put 15 as our goal and reached 16!!!!! There are 10 areas and we as a companionship were able to get 3 last month. Its hard sometimes to focus on numbers when your trying to help certain people but it is the only way for us to measure our success and it does tell alot. Love, Elder Martino

First Week

Well it was the first week with lots of meetings but a good week. My new companion is Elder Siler from Colorado. If youve seen the best two years there ya go. Really the kid speaks well for just getting here but he is very scared and uncomfortable. Im trying hard to help hiim but its going.. We had a great baptism! Her name is lily and she has been through a crazy life, not normal crazy. She has been so excited for her baptism and I had the opportunity to do it for her! I was nervous when at 6 when it started nobody was there, but 10 minutes later the people flooded in as well as 3 investigaotrs. This weekend we have another baptism as well as 8 more in the following month. Our area is doing amazing and im loving it. I had 2 big meetings this week. First one had to do with the leaders in the mission and our goals. It was 7 hours long so i hope i can remember all of it. The other had to focus on the temple! The month of august the temple here will be open for the public. The have given me 5 thousand invitacions as well as my ward recieved 5 thousand more. That i think will keep us busy. Think of a busy city and they want everybody within about 1.5 miles of the church to have an invitacion. On the 8 of september we are having a fireside with President Eyring and 2 other apostles then afterwards a cultural activity in one of the big soccer stadiums. The 600 missionaries in Buenos Aires will enter into the stadium singing ¨llamados a servir¨. Then on the 9 they are doing the dedication broadcasted to all stake centers!! IT is going to be awesome!!! Oh, Nicki, I met your ward mission leader. We will be sending me a picture but his name is elder Villalba. Grandma and grandpa, I just got 2 letters from yall. One from december and another more recent. I just got in the mail about 5 letters that were sent in december or february..sorry. One of my friends was robbed yesterday with a sword.. interesting. Well this week has 3 special days. 26 is the birthday of Tannon. 27 is one year in the mission WOOOOOO and BOOOOOOO. and the 28 we have an amazing baptism. Its kind of sad. The first year was so slow at first becasue i had to work so hard to understand and get used to everyting. At times i wanted to missiom to go by fast, but now no. Now i feel comfortable with the language and everything else. I feel like im learning to be a good missionary and truely help and teach others. The sad part is now everything is going to speed up. Its going faster and faster every week. Its definately good times though! I love it and i love having success! Oh, and last about my district. Its me and my new companion, Hermana Naumann who is training Hermana Kirk from Australia and they are white-washing the area, and the 2 assistants. Our district is going to tear it up!!!! Love, Elder Martino

Dun, dun, dunnnn............

Well this last week was the last week for Aquino in his mission. Although it is not fun being the companion when a missionary dies, we had a lot of success last week. Our numbers beat the assistents and the other companionship combined. The activity helped us out alot. This week we had lunch and dinner just about everyday. We found a couple new families and had success with other investigators we have. Interesting experience that once again i still dont like one bit. We had a couple drunk dudes approach us thursday night asking for everything, watch, money, jacket, etc. Well i told him no and he started to laugh. He proceeded to take a sip of his wine and say he liked it how we just didnt give away everything if someone asks to rob us. All was fine and dandy up to this point but then one of them with his pink scarf proceeded to slap my butt, give me a hug, and ask for a kiss....Well I pushed him off and walked away and hopped on the next bus that passed by there. Still not one of my favorite experiences, but nonetheless interesting. Saturday was an interesting day. I had to do intercambios because all the missionaries who were leaving got to do a tour in capital. Aquino left and i went with another kid. We then had to go to the stake center in my area to pick up 5 thousand invitacions for the temple open house coming up soon. I think that will be enough. Afterwards we met up with my district leader to interview our baptism for later on this day and turns out we needed an interview from President beforehand as well. It got too complicated and it got moved til this weekend coming up but she is still very excited. Well while i was talking to president he asked me if i would be a trainer this transfer. SWWEEEEEETT!!! I forgot to mention that last week i had the opportunity to speak in church about the temple. It seemed to me it went very well. I was able to focus on the importance of the temples and the time we spend there. It was interesting when i read a quote by Wilford Woodruff that said something to the fact of everything single activity, song, and lesson we give in the church should direct us toward the temple. Well this sunday Aquino spoke and gave a little farewell. Saturday we got the call for transfers and i thought i already knew everything that was happening. wrong. President calls me and says, ¨Elder Martino, I already asked you if you would be willing to be a trainer right?¨ ¨Correct¨.¨Good, well i have another question. Would you be willing to be a district leader?¨ ¨..................................................................................................................................are you sure...........? Well he proceeded to tell me what was going to happen. In my district we are 4 elders and the assistants. Well 1-Im training. 2-He is taking both elders out of the other area and putting in an hermana that will train also. 3- That area isnt one of the safest ones so it will be interesting. To say the least this transfer is going to be interesting but i am excited to see all that happens. Love, elder Martino

Not Much Time

I dont have much time. We spent our pday in a ward activity that we had. Proud to say that i was the one who thought of the idea! Well we had over a hundred people show up and about 30 investigators. We cooked two big pots of locro, had a folklorico dance show, and played soccer. It was tons of fun. We had 3 people tell us they wanted to get baptized, one this coming saturday and we will see if we can. Well at one point kicked the soccer ball over the wall into the porch of an old lady. I climbed up the wall and asked her if we could come around for the ball. Well we went aroound and invited her over and she came!! It turned out to be a big success! A lot of other stuff happened this week but i apologize i dont have time. sorry. Love yall!!! Elder Martino

Good News!

Start off with the good news. We had a baptism!!! It was interesting but we got it done. We passed by every day starting on sunday last week and the mom wasnt there or other problems. One day we werent there because a man in the villa broke a beer bottle and stabbed the 5 year old grandchild in the eye. As for now his eye is swollen shut and looks narly but i feel bad for the kid. We ended up teaching her but had help from a friend of the family, Victor, who is 22 and not a member. He helped us, came to the baptism, cooked cake afterwards, and came to my english class. We had the baptism and one member showed up...which was sad but oh well. This week I had a very fun time cutting down a tree with a chainsaw and machete! I felt like samurai Jack!! Besides that we had a very good week in numbers, We broke both of our mission records in with member lessons which was very good. My english class now has 11 people who come and it is steadily growing. It turned out to be a big success and im glad. I honestly dont know what else to write, Ill start taking little notes during the day of things i should write home about.. Love yall!! Love, Elder Martino