Meeting goals

 There's lot of little things I could say - this week had a few lessons that were building up from the last...but before I attack the little stuff I must announce to the world that we had 2 baptisms. :DDDDD

http://imgur.com/a/tSw7L  (lots of pictures here)

Yeaaaah! There's the new album, with TONS of new photos to boot. I moved some photos that I put in the "5th Transfer" album so that they reflect their true origin, and perhaps for Christmas I'll upload the rest (i.e., photos from transfers 1-5) I've got for their appropriate orders.

Both of these baptisms actually fell into our lap - they were not an investigator with whom we had shed blood, sweat and tears to get into the font. However, they are both very strong converts, and I'm really happy to be able to help them into the fold of the Bariloche ward. The first, the girl, is a recent convert's daughter who finally decided that she would just get in the water. The other I'm actually looking forward to training - the dude David, who's 17 years old - to teach about the gospel too. Right now it's just pumping him up for the mission, and off he'll go! He participates readily in gospel discussions he has little knowledge about, and even though he never attended in our ward before he's already made good friends and is being really proactive. Hopefully he becomes a ward missionary soon! This guy is a dream convert. :3

I've learned a lot more about being an effective leader and being proactive, and to propose solutions rather than problems. Even if you don't like something the other guy is saying, it's a lot easier to accept when he's being proactive. This requires a little resolve that I had to develop in the last couple of weeks - and life has had an interesting and subtle change in the last little while. What could this mean? Is Gubler becoming a man?! All I know is that I'm grateful for the patient people around me who were waiting for me to finally realize this lesson.

Anyway. That's all for now, folks! I'm feeling pretty darn good, because we met about half of our weekly goals. That is fetching satisfying. :) But rest not on these laurels! I'm still expecting y'all to WRITE ME SOME DARN LETTERS because I'm feeling a snail mail famine right now. :( Don't forget about meee!

-Erich

Lessons, Headaches and Changes

Man. We always find and ditch a lot of new investigators for various reasons, but this last week was particularly bad. At the very least, we've got a baptism for this week! We're finally gonna baptize in this areaaaaaa! I was worried - perhaps I would have to say I had an area I didn't baptize in?! But no! Elder Gubler can still proudly say he'll have baptized with every companion and area thus far. I got to chat with Prez about some interesting things - and we talked specifically about the challenges of leadership. I know that 

 

A general description of last week:

 

Lots of consecutive lessons. Lots of headache. Lots of changes in teaching style as experiments. I'm learning lots about how to help people accept the restored gospel. Right now we're gonna be teaching a lot more effective lessons with member - our ward mission leader is being our fetching advocate. I love him to death. :)

I've learned more about using organizational structure between human workers and how effective it can be, when everybody does their part. I'm also starting to slowly see just how oriented mission life is to developing leaders - somebody is always having to pick up the work and start doing things decisively here on the mission. I've discovered that even if you decide on things people don't necessarily agree with, they tend to like you better as a person because you are being decisive. Perhaps that's part of the reason I like the LZs I've worked with in my entire mission - even though not everyone is perfect and I don't always understand the decisions that will be made, at the very least I can count on them to be firm in whatever they do - and they're just trying to do the right thing.

 

I've also gained a better testimony of fasting. I missed the fast at the beginning of this month because I spaced it - but when I finally got around to it I felt much better spiritually, mentally, even physically. The fast is a curious thing - and I plan on abusing a lot more after seeing more than few blessings from it.

 

Random anecdotes of the week:

• Taught 8 lessons in one day. Record!
• Somebody said this to me as we passed by their house: "O que eu vou receber se eu aparecer lá na sua Igreja?"
• My companion and I invented an epic super power (this one would be Daniel Harral's). Has anybody thought of a power that specifically reverses the Big Bang?
• Quotes by Gubler:
• "Charity is when you love somebody - a specific somebody - more than your own life."
• "The difference between a man of God and the natural is the disposition to sacrifice oneself."

Alright. Sorry for the randomness. :P

 

That's all, folks, for now! This week I learned some stuff that's probably changed my personality for the better. It's been a great week, and I look forward to the next. DON'T FORGET TO WRIIIIIIIITE!

 

 

Love  -Erich

 

Having Fun

I've actually been learning about taking things a little more slowly and showing a little more love to investigators this last week. Being tired of hit-and-run teaching, I decided to socialize a wee bit and let the conversation drift with some of the "cooler" investigators - it's about the same thing, but not nearly as stressful. I've been testing the theory that PMG has - you can teach just half a lesson if you need. It works really well - and I think I'm hitting more milestones as I take time to make our lessons a cooler experience for especially the youth we happen upon. Patience is definitely something I've learned this transfer. I'm grateful for my companion in this respect - he's helped me learn a lot of patience.

Speaking of my companion, our companionship is better than ever. I decided to go a little more out on my branch with respect to doing things I prefer instead of just tolerating everything strange my companion does, and I believe that it's working out for the better - we're forced to come to better understandings and expectations of what the other does, and when we overcome problems the companionship gets to be a richer experience. Did you and Dad have a lot of adjustments to make at the beginning of your marriage? I'm seeing both of your influences in the way I like to conduct living space. It's kind of weird.

I found out that the feirinha here sells OptiFree. It's cool to send the contacts - I just need to find a few things (I think I'll finally be using the small hand towel I've got) to help with keeping hands clean, and I should be good. I'm excited to see what the world here is like without glasses!

I have a joke for the Brazilian family across the street. You can try to translate it too if you want, but it's not quite as funny in English: ;)

Era uma vez, Arnold Schwartzenagger tava usando o computador dele e de repente quebrou. Trouxe pra loja pra concertar, e daí ele pediu conserto do computador dele. O técnico replicou "Oi, posso concertar, mas temos que formatar o computador. Tem que escolher uma versão de Windows pra colocar depois. Qual você quer?"

O que você acha que falou?

"Instala Vista, baby."

Looking to change lives

Woo. I'm a fetching happy guy! 2/3 of the areas in my district have baptized this transfer! It's just lacking...us! Woo. And I'm pretty sure we're gonna baptize this week! I'm super exciteeeeed! WOOHOO!

We actually had a baptism lined up for this last week, but it looks like they've got a little proving to do - but to me they're almost certainly baptized. If I stay another transfer here, I'll be here during the time that they can be baptized. I'll be sure to be careful with helping this person stay excited about the Church and being committed to God.

Actually, I think it's interesting how many small miracles we've had this last week. None of our investigators we'd been teaching went to Church...but the members went ahead and found 3 more references who went of their own volition. I was pretty happy! It's entirely possible we'll be baptizing every week, which is the Standard of Excellence that Prez. Gonzaga established soon after arriving here. Cool, huh? I'll be really happy to realize that standard if I can. Can't wait to work my butt off for them baptisms. :)

Watching a baptism itself is invigorating, for those who don't know. I, as a missionary, long to see people who are seeking something better finding it - and I know that through making their covenant of baptism they make that first step. Lives change, man, when they come out of the water. And I got to see it this last week. It's a nice reminder that what we do here really DOES make a difference. See the updated photo album for some of the baptismal meeting! Missionary encouragement get!

Lives also change, too, as they enter and become immersed in the work of the Lord. Being a missionary is something I love now, and though I know I say it a lot...I'm fetching happy to be where I am. I'm really looking forward to this next week, and to the new stuff I'll have to learn to be an even better person! I'm also very excited because we finally got a Ward Mission Leader called - and he's a spunky RM who's got a lot of good ideas. I do believe I passed a rough spot on my mission without knowing it - this week seems the most hopeful of all of the weeks I"ve spent here until this point. But that's the way it should be, right?

Anyway. As always, most of the stories can't be shared here because this is a blog, not a novel! But don't forget to write. I never tire of exhorting others to write, because...who knows, maybe somebody will actually do it someday? For those who are in doubt, check the "How Do I Write Gubler?" tab above! You won't regret it, I swear!

That said, gotta run. Tchau, gente! Until next time!

-Erich