2/22/10 Letter to the World

Hello World!

I hope everything is going well for ya’ll! I’m doing great here in Lopez Camelo!

Saturday we had the Baptism of Gustavo Romano! It was great Sunday when we got to the church, a few people told us that Gustavo was the first person there, and waiting for somebody to come and open the church so he could get in! His mom, a few siblings, and an uncle went to his baptism, but he didn’t have any family at his confirmation. Hopefully we can help that change! This last week we’ve visited a lot of his family that lives in our area, and are going to be starting to teach them this week!

Maira Cantero is progressing still! She came to church Sunday, her 3rd assistance (time), and her baptism was announced in sacrament meeting. The last time we taught her, we left a pamphlet of the 3rd lesson, and when we went to teach her yesterday, and I asked if she had read it she said ´yea, I read it, and I already knew everything that it said.´!! We did a quick review, and we only had to clarify a few things for her.

Sofia Moreno said this week ´Everybody is getting baptized...I think I want to get baptized too!´ We’re continuing to teach her, and we’ll be putting a baptismal date this week!

I don’t know if I talked about them last week, but there is a family that has recently moved here from Uruguay who were introduced to the church there, and recently found the chapel here in Lopez Camelo. They are a family of 4, all within the age to be baptized! The mom, Monica, is a radio talk show host, and has interviewed the bishop to clear a few things up, and wants to do a piece about Mormons.

Yesterday we found a few others to teach, and it seems that they have a lot of interest! Sara and Brian live about 1/2 block from the church, and Sara has a son that’s LDS. She’s already heard the lessons, and wants to take them again to prepare herself to be baptized! (Brian is a nephew, and is 17)

Have a great week everybody!

Love,

Elder Denton

Here's a little note about something that happened just this morning that he shared with me:

This morning we left the house to go to the bus stop, that´s in the other corner of the intersection where we live. We saw that the bus was down the road already and had passed us, but it turns around and passes about 2 blocks from the house about 5 min later, so we walked to the other bus stop.

Right when we got there, there was a guy about 20 years old on a bike passing by. He came around the corner and almsot hit me, and then stopped right in front of the bus stop as if he were waiting for the bus. When he stopped, Elder Martinez and I both knew that he was going to rob us, because people on bikes can´t get on busses. While on his bike, he turned to Elder Martinez, grabbed his tie, and said ´give me your watch´ while Elder Martinez was talking his watch off, he told me to take mine off too. I gave it to him, and then he said to us ´I know you have money, give it to me.´ Elder Martinez had about 80 pesos, but the guy didn´t find out. He reached into an empty pocket of Elder Martinez, and didn´t find anything. I turned out my pockets to show that i didn´t have anything too. (I had stuff in my pocket, but turned it only partially out so he cold see the pocket lining, but couldn´t see the SD card and converter that i have with me to upload the pictures of the baptism.) We pulled out our white handbooks and daily planners and opened them to show him we didn´t have anything, and he started getting mad because we didn´t have money. We said again that we didn´t have anything, and he said ´Go and walk up the hill there...go...run.¨ So we left the bus stop and started walking to another one. that was close. 2 People in moped saw that we were being robbed and stopped a little ways away. When we were walking to the other bus stop they asked if we were alright and offered their cell phone in case we needed to call anybody. we thanked them, and said ´no, he only took our watches.´

It appears that our Heavenly Father was looking over these two righteous missionaries! George.

2/15/10 Letter to the World

At about the time I hit the send button on the email this morning (and posting to http://elderdenton.blogspot.com/), Elder Denton sent me another message saying he was back online. They had went to an internet café near where their leadership meeting was held this morning when his companion realized he didn’t have his SD card with him, so they drove home and grabbed it and then went to their normal internet café. George Denton

Hello World!

I’m not promising anything short this week!

OK, we’re going to do a quick run-through of the investigators that we have, and how they are progressing here in Lopez Camelo...there’s a lot, so sit back relax, and I hope your eyes don’t get tired!

Gustavo Romano - He’s awesome! He’s a 17 year old kid that has investigated the church before, but started coming again a few weeks ago. He came two times, and we started teaching him last week. We put a date with him for the 20th...this Saturday, but he HAD to come to church. For attendance at church to count, they have to be in sacrament meeting. Elder Martinez and I were praying a lot that he would get there. When the people arrived that normally would come with him, and he wasn’t with them...we started praying even harder...10 minutes before sacrament meeting ended, he showed up. When he came in, elder Martinez went up onto the stand to inform the bishop, and he announced that Gustabo would be being baptized this Saturday!

Myra Cantero - Her whole family was baptized, but she couldn’t because she works so much, and couldn’t come to church. A few weeks ago she got laid off from work, and has been coming to church, and receiving the lessons. She has a baptismal date for the 27th!

Nidia Portillo - Mother of 7, and lives 1/2 a block from the church. She’s been an investigator for a while, and I’m not 100% sure what was holding her back from being baptized. I think more than anything is that she wants to know more, and she has only attended 2 of the 3 times that she needs. Talking with her last week, we helped her realize that she has already received an answer, and knows that the church is true. She wanted to see a baptism before she is baptized herself, and just in time, Gustavo Romano is going to be baptized. Nidia has a baptismal date for the 27th, the same day as Myra.

Veronica Bello - Another investigator that was waiting for a change to happen so that she can progress. She was living with her boyfriend, but recently dumped him and has no desire to return. We’re going to start teaching her again this week.

Familia Torres (Raquel (the mom) and Alexander (the son)) - I think I’ve talked about them before. They had a baptismal date for this last weekend, but the mom still hasn’t received sufficient witness that the church is true, which, unfortunately, also effects Alexander. I know that they are really close to being able to be baptized; we just have to find out what more is standing in the way of an answer!

Sofia Moreno - Sofia is 14 years old, and her mom was baptized a few months ago. There are some family problems, and she hasn’t received the lessons in a long time. She always comes to church, even in the rain (something that is hard for a lot of the MEMBERS here), and loves it, along with mutual every Tuesday night! One of her best friends from school lives in the ward, which helps a lot! We are going to be starting with lesson 1 with her tonight, and hope that she will be baptized shortly!

...These are the main investigators that we have here in Lopez Camelo that are progressing! Sorry I can’t write too much more about anything else...but there isn’t too much more that i can think of to write...

I hope that you all have a great week!


Love,

Elder Denton

2/15/10 Elder Kyle Denton (Not a Letter to the World)

This morning Elder Denton sent me a text (via e-mail) indicating that he was online and sent a reply to my email to him...and then we lost him. I "assume" it has something to do with the computer that he is using, or MyLDSMail.net email system, which is sometimes a pain for the missionaries in the field. Because of that, I am sharing the few lines which I received from him. I try to prime the pump with many questions about his area, investigators, upcoming baptisms and how busy he's been with having a very young zone leader for a companion and if they are able to get out to find/teach yet. His note is somewhat cryptic, but he usually answers most of my questions in his Letter to the World. We hope to get more next week. George Denton.

Hey!
Things are going great! Stuff is settling down, and we have a baptism scheduled for Saturday!

We are finding a lot of people, and today we had another leaders counsel meeting this morning in the mission home...usually there is 1 every 6 weeks...we’ve had 3 in 3 weeks now...but learning a ton!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Elder Denton

BTW...I’m less than 200lbs now! I weighed myself about an hour ago and I’m at 194!!!!!! WAHOOOOOO

2/9/10 Letter to the World

Hi Everybody! This one’s gonna be quick...I hope!

The best thing that’s going on right now is with the Cantero family. They were all baptized about 2 months ago except for the oldest daughter Myra, because she was always working. Well...last week she lost her job! Wahooooo! We stopped by the house, and she was there. She told us, and we said...”ok so...we’ll see you at church this Sunday, right?” She said “yes” and was there when sacrament meeting started, even though the weather was wet and ugly. Sunday afternoon we had a lesson with her and her dad, and we set a date for her baptism!
The Torres family we were finally able to get a hold of and teach on Saturday, but they didn’t come to church Sunday. They said that they slept in. We are praying for the mom that she can receive an answer...or recognize the answer that she has already received, that she needs to be baptized...because she already knows that the church is true.
The ward here is great! The missionaries before were always good workers, but at one point, the missionaries tried a LOT...and succeeded in getting the trust of the members. They would go to their houses and chat for a few hours...literally 2-4 hours. The families got used to it, and it is REALLY hard for them to understand why we don’t spend as much time with them now. That is the biggest challenge that we have.

Fun story for the week.
Sunday, in church, the counselor in the bishopric that was conducting was bearing his testimony when all of a sudden the lights went out, and about 2 seconds later there was a HUMONGUS (I can’t spell) clap of thunder that lasted about 10 seconds right over the chapel. Apparently lightning struck the steeple and shorted out the lights. Ha-ha. The meeting continued with the emergency light, and we got all the lights back about 10 min later.

I Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Denton

2/1/10 Letter to the World

World! ...How’s it going?

This week has been FULL stuff to do...unfortunately, a lot of what we had to do kept us from being able to proselyte in our area. Tuesday we didn’t have much time because of p-day and transfers. Wednesday we had district meeting (Elder Martinez, my companion, is Zone Leader...so we have to travel a ways to get to our other District), Thursday we had to go to the Doctor in Capital, and Friday we had to go to the mission home for Leadership Counsel.
With Elder Martinez as my companion, I’m learning a lot! There are also a lot of opportunities that I will have to learn from others. One of the assistants to the president will be living with us from Friday to Monday to help us, and mainly to teach elder Martinez all that he needs to know to be a Zone Leader. There are also going to be a few other opportunities to do exchanges with the District leaders!!
The time that we WERE in our area, I LOVED! The difference is huge between here and Munro, but I really enjoy it here. It’s a bit more of a laid back and relaxed environment.
We have a lot of investigators, and I can hardly remember their names. We are teaching a family called the Torrez Family. The husband is a member, but the Mom and Son are not. They have all of the assistance that they need, but we’re working with them on a few last things!
There is a LOT of potential here, and a lot of people that are very close to baptism! I’m excited to be able to work here, and help these people baptized and make covenants with our heavenly father!

In my personal study I was reading in Mosiah 2 today! I LOVE this chapter. It’s impressive the power that the words of King Benjamin spoke still have the same impact today as when he spoke them! One of my favorite scriptures is in this chapter too. v. 30 talks about the weakness that King Benjamin has in talking to the people, but that the lord supports him and helps him. I know that as I am serving here in Argentina I have weaknesses, but the work I’ve been called to do is of God, and as I work diligently to help his work progress, he will sustain and support me!

¡Que disfruten la semana!

Con amor,
Elder Denton

¡Chao!

Note from Dad: The city that he is in is called Tigre, which is North of Buenos Aires and about 45 minutes from his last area. He is about 6 miles from where the South Atlantic Ocean comes inland to the Buenos Aires area. Temperature today is about 90 degrees with 85% humidity. They do not have air conditioning, but they do have 1 fan. The mission office provides the fans for free and they are getting a second one very soon. Also just found out that the reason for the trip to the doctor, above, was to have an ingrown toenail removed for the second time. He had it removed before he left for his mission and it grew back ingrown again. "No biggy!" was the way he put it.

1/26/10 Letter to the World

HELLO WORLD!

I pretty much knew it was coming, but I got the ´transfer call´ last night at about 9:45. I am now in an area called Lopez Camelo in the zone Litoral. It’s an area a lot more tranquilo than Munro, but the same. I haven’t really gotten to know the area a lot...I’ve only been here about 3 hours!
My new companion is Elder Martinez. He has a little bit more time than me in the mission and was recently called to be Zone Leader. I’m very excited for the opportunity that I have to learn from him!
I don’t have a lot of time because of moving and everything, but i hope that you all have a great day!

Love ya!

Elder Denton

Additional Notes:
Elder Denton mentioned in an email to me that Elder Martinez (A Chilean) has been out a few months longer and went strait from a junior companion to a zone leader, which is something that hardly ever happens.

He also had some thoughts about leaving his first area:
I did get transferred...and like you said, twisted and torn. The change that I was able to see in Alejandro Bentancourt is absolutely amazing. I know that he will be baptized soon! He got work as a remisero (he drives a car sort of like a taxi). We called him to take me to the mission office to the exchange, and we introduced him to a lot of our friends in the mission (Elder Fuentes and I). He was happy to tell whoever he talked to that he was going to be baptized as soon as possible!!!