Elder Krasnoselsky Visits

Weekly Re-Cap:

My week was a long one. Elder Krasnoselsky (that was a fun name to practice for like 2 weeks to be able to say it without stuttering) one of the Area Seventy in Argentina made a tour around the mission this last week. Elder Rich and I were able to get to know him and his wife, Florencia; Such awesome people. I think the Lord decided the Church needed some “called and set apart” motivational speakers so He called them 70’s. Listening to 3 different conferences, I realized that the Lord truly está acá para ayudar a nosotoros. Side Note *Presidente is really Buddy Buddy with ALL of the area authorities in Argentina. The Church has a very tight network in Argentina. It was SO funny listening to Presidente and Elder Krasnoselsky speak to each other in “vos” or the “tu” form in Argentina. I can´t wait to be able to practice vos every day and be able to speak it with other people… It is so “close”. It represents such a closeness in the relationship.*

We finished the 12 kilos of Mango that we bought 2 weeks ago, and bought another 10 kilos, on Saturday for this next week… I have been very regular. Papaya is also VERY VERY delicious… not like the LG´s corner store special… Papaya has grown on me.

 “In the Book of Mormon there are over 240 instances of the word remember or forms of the word (such as remembered, remembrance, or forget not). Fifteen of these instances are in Helaman 5. What must we remember? (See Helaman 5:9; see also Mosiah 3:17.) Why is it important to remember?

Elder Spencer W. Kimball said:

“When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be ‘remember.’ Because all of [us] have made covenants … our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day—to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that [we] ‘… may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us].’… ‘Remember’ is the word” (Book of Mormon gospel doctrine teacher’s manual/lesson-33)

This Saturday we will be baptizing Juan y Romina Caberos or Caveros, I don’t know which. First Husband and Wife Baptism…en 1 año, al Templo. Juan and Romina keep inviting new people to their house to listen to the lessons. Last night we invited on of their friends to be baptized, and she accepted. Love new convert referrals (well…almost new convert referrals).

Keep Calm and Keep the Commandments. “In this there is safety and peace”.

Peace Out Family.

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

Where Do I Go For Peace?

I was asked a GREAT question: "Where do you go for peace?"

I thought I would share my answer with you guys:

If there was a physical place (within mission boundaries) that I could encounter peace, I have not found it yet. However, I do feel peace as I go to God which specific questions and workout with Him my understanding of His answers. That peace comes when He opens my mind to the knowledge and understanding that awaits on the other side of the veil. Not the veil of death, nor of forgetfulness, rather the veil that I believe God places between us and His reviled truths in order to keep them sacred and peaceful. This peace sometimes feels like a mental expansion or physical connection with those “things which are not seen, which are true.” I go to the scriptures to invite this peace, but it is not until I kneel down and vocally ask “with a sincere heart” that I am allowed to cross this veil and find peace.

Take time to find peace this week; not the peace of this world, but the peace Christ gives us.

I love you all.

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta

"Don't Cry For Me Argentina"

Hello Family!

Happy New Year! So this week’s Testimony Meeting had some very similar testimonies… 4 or 5 mentioned that they received a watermelon from “angels”… All of the rest of the members who received watermelons realized that they got watermelons from the same “angels” so after sacrament meeting, people stopped us in the hall and said “I KNEW IT WAS YOU GUYS!”… I didn’t really like all of the ward finding out that we gave watermelons to everyone… big scale surprises don’t stay surprises for very long… Not much you can do. I did, however, appreciate hearing that it made their Christmases brighter and that some of them were really in need for a spiritual pick me up. One lady said she opened the door, and before she even knew who it was from, started to cry (I thought Mom and this lady would be best friends) and just felt really grateful in her heart (yes… sounds like mom). 

Tomorrow, we have a Mission Leaders Counsel with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders in the mission. I always over think everything and get stressed out before hand for things like this… But then tomorrow it just feels like another normal day. I’ll be giving a training on “Personal Revelation through Prayer” and “Personal Revelation through the Book of Mormón”.

My Peruvian companion is trying to learn more English. He keeps repeating the line "Don't cry for me Argentina" all day long.... mercy...

I was reading the Liahona from November (we received it last week… “Don’t cry for me Argentina”) and the Insert about Elder Scott. He was the Mission President for the Argentina North Mission (my mission is only a part of what his mission was then). He related a funny story about his Assistants and how they messed up one time. I found comfort in the fact that I am not alone.

“Serving in Argentina, President Richard G. Scott was an efficient but compassionate mission president. One of his missionaries, Wayne Gardner, remembers having to make arrangements for a missionary conference located far from the mission home and being responsible to pick up President Scott from the airport. At the last minute, the building Elder Gardner had scheduled for the conference became unavailable. Then he and his companion were late getting to the airport to pick up President Scott. They also forgot to tell the taxi driver to wait for them and there were no other taxis, so they were stranded.

“Even though I could see frustration in the president’s eyes,” Elder Gardner recalls, “he put his arm around me and told me he loved me. He was so patient and understanding. I hope I never forget that lesson.”

As far as reading the Book of Mormon goes… Do It.

Don’t make excuses for not reading the Most Important Book we can ever occupy our time with.

Have a great week Family!

Élder Hampton | Misión Argentina Salta