Hola!

This week I discovered I can eat a lot of rice. I mean so much rice that I’m pretty sure my stomach ripped. I love eating with members and I appreciate the sacrifice they make, but I still eat very fast and they must think I’m really hungry so they give me more and more. I’m trying to learn to eat slower so they’ll stop shoving rice and other food down my throat.

Being with my Latino companion, I feel like I’m in a world that I can say what ever I want in English and no one will know what I’m saying. It’s a strange feeling to have, sure there are some people who know English, but the majority of people don’t.  In the streets I can pretty much yell anything and no one will know. “Stop living your sinful lives and be baptized!” for example. Oh, wait…I’m saying that in Spanish…

We had a fun little event in our daily lives, if you can call it fun, so to begin my story… I take you to the apartment of Elders Glanzer and Serrano.  A building of nine floors and we live on the 6th and our door has an Argentine lock.

One beautiful morning, after a good study sesión and really feeling the excitement to go out and baptize, we were leaving and Elder Serrano…yes the blame game…locked the door and broke it. The door was locked and the lock wouldn’t move. Locked out of our apartment!  We tried to open it, but nothing. My companion wanted to kick it open, he’s a Taekwando fighter and likes to kick things, but I used my better judgment and wouldn’t let him break the door. So that sucks, we called the Pentionero (elder in charge of this stuff) and he called his man to come fix it, but he was out of town until tomorrow.

We went about our day and came back at night to check it out again. No go, so we called the Zone Leaders to see what to do. They told us to come to their pention for the night and that’s all fine and dandy, but all of our cash is inside of the pention. We’re broke. Not even four pesos for cospeles (bus tokens) so we walked. Walked about an hour in the night to our Zone Leaders’ and spent the night there.

It was a fun night. Elder Grange is a new-ish elder and way legit. I can tell him it gets better and he can trust me, I was in his spot three months ago. We talked how amazing the MTC was. Maybe we stayed up a little too late, but who really knows. We slept on the roof in the cool night air and didn’t get eaten to death by dengue (mosquitoes).

Ok, so the next morning, the guy was going to come to our apartment around 12 noon, so we were there waiting for him. He didn’t get there until 2:30 pm! Image the punctuality of an LDS member and an Argentine, lethal mix eh?  Finally he got there and opened the door and all is fine again. So that was our fun little experience.

As we were working, we were going through the Ward directory and passing by everyone. We came across this one family, La Familia Benegas — less active members. They were on our list to pass, but they kept getting pushed back, so finally we stopped by their house.

A few days before, they were having a conversation and the question to the daughter came up, she’s 7 years old, “Who do you want to baptize you?” Now is there any other person to baptize anyone then their dad? So she said dad. Now we hadn’t stopped by yet, this was a few days before. When we got there, they let us right in. We had an amazing conversation with the father and mother, they really want to be active and they said they were having trouble with how to do it and were looking for the answer, and then we came. We committed them to come to church and they did! The next day!  The dad had an interview with the bishop. And then the next Sunday, guess what? I found out they had been to the temple! We win! They’re on their way and he is going to baptize his daughter soon. I love what I do, because I not only find new people to come unto Christ, but I strengthen and re-activate families — eternal families. 

Fun Fact: So you know how in Nacho Libre, his name is Ignacio? Well the nickname for Ignacio is “Nacho”.

When I dream in Spanish I have no idea what anyone is saying, I’m so lost and confused and just want to wake up. Then the funny part is, when I wake up…my dream is still going. My dreams are my real life.  Nevertheless, my dreams aren’t so bad anymore. 

I love you all and thank you for your prayers and support.

Les amo,
Elder Glanzer
Chao

Hola,

Another week of my life in Centro. It’s been a good week, not much to complain about. Still crushing the Spanish, because that’s all I speak, I can’t even pray very well in Ingles anymore. I continue to study my verbs and such everyday. I study the words I needed yesterday, so I can have them for the next day. It’s crazy when you learn a word; you hear it everywhere after that. Was it there before? I don’t know. It’s like that untill you learn a new one, it’s kind of like a cycle you could say, and then you start to use it and all the tenses too.

We’ve had some decent weather lately…who am I kidding? It’s been the same blustering sun. At least today it’s raining and I guess you could say the weather is cool.

Everyday I try to look for a miracle. Hermano Jensen, in the MTC, told me to look for a miracle everyday, they are there so look. Somedays it’s a little harder, I end up saying the miracle is having a companion who loves me, a bed, and a fan. Oh how that fan is a miracle! It keeps me from killing myself! Such an ingenius invention. But then other days, the miracles are punching me in the face — we find a new family, our investigadores come to church, we give a LDM (Book of Momron) to someone. I have a certainty that they are there, in all of our life, we just need to open our eyes and see.

Somedays it’s tough to be motivated and ready to go labor in the vineyard. But I don’t have time to feel down, I only have months. But good thing that serving Christ is a life-long calling. Maybe not in this capacity. I’m just thankful for this calling that I have.

We found a new Apartmento, about four blocks from the church. We are so excited to move into it and we’ll probably move on Friday or so. We are going to be way closer to our are of labor, since we had the great idea of working a 1 1/2 hour walk away from our pention now. One part of our area is on the other side of the world and we work there two days out of the week. It’s an area that the other missionaries haven’t touched because it is so far away — but guess who gets to touch it? …me. Lucky? Yes, because its a virgin area.

Well that’s my life thus far, I try to remember all I can for you, so you can enter my life for a moment.

Keep praying for me, for I pray for you.

Les Amo

Elder Glanzer

Chao

Hola,

This past week I spoke nothing but Spanish and it killed my brain. Elder Serrano can usually help me or help me understand better, but I can usually get around anything I want to say — which is a miracle. I’m surprised in myself with what I can do with the help of the Lord. Just think how much more Spanish I’ll have by the time this transfer ends.

In this transfer I’ll complete month 5 and month 6. Thats one fourth of my misión. Craziness, that kind of puts it in perspective a little more. Well, I just won’t think about the whole time factor because when I do, everything slows down. I just want to enjoy my misión.

In the theme of Spanish, I still have trouble understanding what other people say to me, but I still focus on the lessons and what is being taught.  Sometimes I just have to ask, “what are you talking about?”  I’m sure Elder Serrano is being very patient with me. Since I’ve been speaking Spanish all week, I spend all my study time on Spanish.

We have been re-charging the area by passing by all the members homes and our investigators’. This week we’ll start to find new people, I’m excited because our teaching pool is a little dry.

We are going to have two baptisms this month. Sandra is ready and will be baptized next weekend. She’s been investigating the Church for a year and she’s finally ready. She’s gone through a lot of changes to get to this step. And Antonio, he is amazing. At first, he would run when the Mormons would come, but now after a year, he wants to change his life for himself and for his kid. He is an alcholic but hasn’t drank in four weeks. It’s so amazing to see how bad he wants to change and he is doing it.

We had a very powerful lesson with him, and when I bore my testimony, I’ll tell you, the Spirit was helping me. It was a very simple but powerful momento. We told him that familias are the most important thing ever. I told him about my family and how they are my foundation and how Christ strengthens us together. I told him everything that my family does for me and how in truth nothing can replace my love and feelings for them. He really desires to have a family. Oh ya, he’s the boyfriend to Sandra, but they split because he’s a drinker (was) and she wants the LDS life.

We’re still looking for an apartment and making progress, but other than that, thats my life thus far. Thanks for the letters, emails, and prayers. They don’t go unnoticed!

Les amo

Con mucho Amor

Elder Glanzer

Chao

Hola,

So transfers happened last night and it was intense because either my companion or I was going to leave this area. Either way was fine with me. But either way I wanted a Latino companion, and guess what…you get what you wish for.  :-)  I’m staying in Nueva Cordoba for another transfer with Elder Sorano. He’s from Chile. He’s not here yet so I can’t tell you more about him. So I’ll tell you about him later, should be interesting — now I’m going learn some castillano or die.

Last night, there were two other elders in our pention because they are looking for a new pention for themselves. I was conversing with one of the other elders, an Argentine, and we had a conversation for about two hours in Spanish — and we understood each other! I tell you the Spanish is coming.

I’m so excited for this transfer. My plan is to forget English and eat, drink, and breath castillano. Well, that’s the plan, but “even the best laid plans go a foil,” said Wylie  E. Coyote. That’s my Spanish adventures thus far in my life, more will come, dame lo tiempo.

We had another three days in the pention — oh boy was it fun (sarcastic voice). My companion was constipated and had to take a suppository and milk of magnesium, so after that we were stuck in the pention forever. I ran out of things to read so I started the LDM (Book of Mormon) in Spanish. It’s slow going but doable.

Elder Smith and I bonded greatly over the course of three months, probably because we were stuck in a room with no one but each other to talk to.  :-)  But seriously, he was a good trainer and he set the tone for the rest of my mission. I’m grateful that the Lord put me with someone who helped me grow and learn. I know with a certainty that He puts those in our path to help us grow, it may be a trial but we still grow. This thing I have come to realize more and more in my life — He will always help us, by giving us those people in our lives. How great does He know and help me?! I still stand all amazed at all the ayuda he gives me, the guidance.

My new companion just got here so I’ll be right back…

As I was typing, my companion got here so I had to run out and help him. He’s going to be legit, I can tell. He even knows a little English!  He’s going to “trabajar a fool” with me! I’m excited, but we are still in P-day, so tomorrow we’ll see.

I’m going to have to teach him the area, our area is huge so it will take a week, but it’s easy to learn an area. We’ll also pass by all of our investigators and other people. On Sunday he’ll be swarmed by the members.

The Mission Presidente called us last week and told us that we have to find a new pention, so Elder Sorano and I will be doing that…maybe, it was more of a “you should start looking for a new apratmento”. This next week is going to be interesting. My last week was low so this is going to be good. Usually Chilenos have a bad name, but there are some amazing ones and I believe Elder Sorano is a good one. Elder Smith called me and said that he works hard — hard and effective.

I’ve read the Conference Ensign about three times now, it’s so amazing to have the words of living Prophets today. What a blessing to have their guidance. This is the first time in my life I’ve ever found the General Conference Ensign interesting — let alone read it three times!

What the heck was I doing before?! All the time I was wasting doing nothing — watching TV, Facebook, and other such things that were not helping me to progress. I see now when people say the mission changes you, for it is happening to me. Man, I wasted a lot of time! But not anymore. Even my studies are getting better and more spiritual. I can feel myself drawing closer to the Spirit. This is what I want so much right now, to have the Spirit with me always and be worthy of His companionship. I can’t do this without him, es verdad.

In the last Conference, President Uchtdorf said this: “Work is the antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility.” Well I’m stepping through that door.

I love your guts, les amo.

Con Mucho amor,

Elder Glanzer

Chao