Feeding the Flock - Happy Labor Day!

Hey fam,

This week was another awesome one. We had a sweet baptism on Saturday. The young gun Nahuel Flores was baptized, joining 2 siblings and his mom that are members. He was sooo ampred, it was awesome. Yesterday, he had the incredible oportunity to go to the Cordoba Temple open house!! 

Then to start the week, we headed up North to Oran (the 2nd city I lived in!) to do splits. Wed was Tartagal (the northern point), then Thurs and Fri in Jujuy (my 3rd city!). It was a good, exhausting road trip week! We did splits with the ZLs every day and got some good work done, but the highlight of the week was the incredible blessing I had to be able to visit a few people who I worked with and taught when I served in Oran and Jujuy. 

1st - I got to say hi to a few member families in Oran because we were in the Chapel all day while Pres did interviews. The best was seeing the Cabana family, converts of abouyt 5 years, and one of my converts, Dani Rasguido. It was awesome, because I'd lost all contact with him since I left, and had no clue how he was doing. His member friend told me where he lived and we stopped by. He came out with a smile on his face and told me he'd gotten a little lazy, but that last Sunday he went to Church. It was great to see that he's still striving to serve and keep the commandments!

Then - the highlight of the year - going back to the Brajeda house. For those who don't know or remember who the Brajedas are, please revist my letter from Aug/4/14 titled "Hey Brother." Leandro is Elder Miño (my hijo)'s first convert in the mission. 

Fri just happened to be Argentine Labor Day, so we dropped by the house on our way to the other zone, and the whole family was at the table eating b-fast!!! Wow, it was soooo awesome to see all of them again! The first thing I did was hug Alberto, Leo's dad, and he told me that they had been planning on going to the Cordoba temple as a family, but at the last minute there was a doggone bus strike! DOGGONIT!! But what he said next melted my heart. He basically said, "But hey, maybe it'll be better t wait and go later when we can get married for all eternity." During my 3 months teaching Leo, he and Norma almost never sat down to listen to us. When I left, Leo kept talking to them and they slowly opened up, eventually getting married and baptized!

In the fam, they're 8, like the Blakes. 4 boys, 2 girls. As of now, 5 are members, with the other 3 in jail... But they tell me that Diego, Adrian, and Kevin are reading the Book of Mormon in jail and they like it a lot! By small and simple things, great things come to pass!

I had an ear to ear grin on my face the whole time we were there. Leo told me he's planning with the Bishop to leave on a mission in December 2015!

Word's cannot describe the joy I feel to see them firm and steadfast. I'll finish with some word out of 1 Thessalonians 2, directed at all of the people I've been able to meet and work with here in ARG up till now. I LOVE YOU ALL:

 8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willingto have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, butalso our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

 9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: forlabouring night and day, because we would not bechargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you thegospel of God.

 10 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justlyand unblameably we behaved ourselves among you thatbelieve:

 11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted andcharged every one of you, as a father doth his children,

 12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath calledyou unto his kingdom and glory.

 13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,because, when ye received the word of God which yeheard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as itis in truth, the word of God, which effectually workethalso in you that believe.

 17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short timein presence, not in heart, endeavoured the moreabundantly to see your face with great desire.

 18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul,once and again; but Satan hindered us.

 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Arenot even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at hiscoming?

 20 For ye are our glory and joy.

Elder Isaac Blake

Me and Jose Choque, a member from Oran that accompanied Rosano and me to visit people. He's a convert of 1 year, only member in his fam, and he enters the MTC in 5 days.

Dani Rasguido, my only convert in Oran. He's still going to church.

My dear, beloved Brajeda family (Alberdi, Jujuy) - (Left to right) Leandro, Giuliana (Julie), Norma, Isaac, Milagros, Beba (Not sure her real name O.o), and Alberto.