You can reach Levi by email at levi.lamoreaux@myldsmail.net
Levi's Quest in Argentina will soon be coming to a close. Levi will be returning home on July 6, 2011 after serving an unforgettable journey throughout the countryside surrounding Cordoba, Argentina.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Makeshift Tacos...Not the Same as Home

The weather is getting warm, but it beats the cold, sweating makes me feel like I'm working hard. I'm hoping for some rain soon, I haven't seen much this winter, but that's usually how it goes here, December brings in the rains usually.

Work related, it was a difficult week, but there was still some miracles that occured. First of which took place in a grocery store. A young married couple invited us to eat lunch with them Wednesday, they live about as far as possible away and still be in Villa Dolores. Out in there direction we had a contact we were planning on seeing since we would be out in that direction. Well we saw her in the grocery store buying Tuesday's lunch. We talked to her and she informed us she had just recently moved, so we didn't end up wasting time looking for someone that didn't live there anymore. Next was a friend of ours, Romero. He has found himself in a poor health situation. As he left the hospital he thought of us and how it had been awhile since we had talked. Elder Flaherty and I had had a rough day with no success and found ourselves standing on a street corner at night not knowing what to do when Romero happened to drive by us. It was a really cool experience and it turned the night around. The third, to round off this trilogy of miracles, involves Beatriz. According to President Hunter someone is truly converted when the desire to share the gospel with others. Beatriz brought two of her daughters and three grand kids to church on Sunday. Super cool.

Funny story. Missionaries all miss Mexican food and we all make makeshift tacos, and somewhere along the road every missionary has cooked tacos for a member. Well, yesterday Hermana Tello made 108 tacos for lunch. They were way good...except for the Argentine spin: mayonase, katchup, and mustard.


As for Eli, she is one of my favorite peopele in Argüello. She is a convert who has gone through some rough times and I had the priviledge of helping her and her children. She is honestly one of the nicest people I've ever met. What she said is "I know ELMX. He baptized two of my kids Agustin and Rocio. We love him, he is a blessing in our lives and an excellent missionary. With much love, Eli (short for Elizabeth)". I can't believe she remembers me and found you on facebook. Tell her "mi hijo manda saludos y dice que extraña a su familia y que les quiere mucho"
Well that's my week.
Have a great week.

Love,
LMX

Monday, August 23, 2010

Warming Up In Argentina

This week was definitely warm, it felt good to sweat again. We ended up having an interesting week. Elder Laws (Merlo) had to travel to Córdoba for the week, so I was living/working in a trio for five days. We spent half the week in Merlo and half the week in Villa Dolores (so neither area went too neglected). While in Merlo we took the stairway to heaven, and ended up contacting two men (two different days) who are fluent in English. One night Elder McClellan woke up with a killing ear ache and saw me roll over so he woke me up and asked me for a blessing. It was the first English blessing I have given in quite some time and it was three in the morning. It was interesting but it helped and he was able to go back to sleep right away. In the morning Elder Flaherty told us he had a weird dream that I gave Elder McClellan a blessing in the middle of the night but he didn't know why. Elder McClellan and I just laughed in response, but later explained.

On Saturday a young boy in the ward (Facundo...which I plan on naming one of my children) turned seven so we crashed his birthday party and I felt like I was celebrating Po's birthday by proxy haha. Beatriz is doing awesome and sharing her testimony with everyone, and she is trying to get her family to come with her to church or to listen to us. The armadillo was just in the road so we grabbed it last week and took a picture.

This week we also had an attendence double that of last week. We were over forty and neither missionary spoke! We each have spoken six timesish I've lost count and don't even remember all my topics.

Well that was my week. I'm glad everyone is doing awesome and making me proud.
Love you.

ELMX

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Amazing Member Missionaries

I can´t believe school is already back. It feels like everyone just got out yesterday. Also weird to think that this is the second of the school years I miss while serving.

Congrats to Megan. Salta is just north of me. It includes the provinces of Salta, Tucuman, Santiago del Estero, Jujuy, and one other that escapes me at the moment. She will be dealing with more natives and hotter temperatures, and spicy food (here if you add a pinch of pepper people freak out and think your tongue will fall out...a little different than I had anticipated).

Sounds like everybody is doing awesome. I'm doing pretty well myself. We were meeting with an investigator named Alicia who was explaining her real estate problems. We explained to her how we could receive blessings if we put God first and follow His Spirit. We read 3 Nephi 13 (towards the end) and 2 Nephi 32 with her. Just as we finished the subject and she was said she would try to do those things--ring--went the phone. Someone wants to buy a house she has been trying to sell for six years. It was super cool. It was funny as the phone rang Elder Flaherty said someone wanted to buy the house...sure enough. Then when she came to church on Sunday (for her first time) we gave her a little tour (little because our chapel is small, it's a room haha). For some reason I pointed out a picture of the temple in Buenos Aires. I felt kind of silly afterwards wondering why I pointed it out and started talking about it. I still wasn't sure until Hermana Sanchez started her talk...on what? Temples.

It absolutely is amazing watching Beatriz grow. At the end of hard weeks or hard days seeing her transition into Christ's church makes it all better. I have a feeling her husband is going to come around before next July as well. A lot marriages are like that. One person eats it up and the other takes their time but makes it in the end.

Other cool story from the week: we went out the small town of Luyaba to visit the Maldonado family and teach their daughter-in-law. Well we did a lot more than that. That had made several appointments for us all with family and friends. Amazing member missionaries. They just surprised us by saying do you have time to visit a couple families with us and we did! So we just sat in the back seat of their car as they drove us from appointment to appointment, allowing us to teach and find some people. We even found and taught a nun who is on vacation until February. It was a fun day. One reason why it was so fun will be demonstrated but what we found in a photo.

Well another week come and gone. And the seasons can't make up their mind. We have both cold and hot days. Yesterday I was wearing my jacket, today, short sleeves. Another week filled with the Spirit and adventure and this work that I've come to love so much. I love Monday's coming into the cyber and seeing what's going on with my family. Thanks for keeping me updated and sending me the love e'ry week.

Love,

ELMX

Monday, August 9, 2010

Time Goes By Too Fast Sometimes

Hard to believe summer break is over. I feel like last week school ended and you were chocho (Argentine for stoked) for you cruise/road trip and everyone else to be out of school. We had our first rains since April this week. Only this time they were freezing! It would rain, turn all the dirt streets to mud, then freeze...but wouldn't snow :(. Now it's heating up and I've already shed the jacket. I hope the nice weather endures for awhile. So Beatriz is doing awesome. Becoming better friends with everyone, sharing her testimony and participating in class, offering prayers. It is the type of baptism you dream of. Especially because every other I leave the area and don't see them progress, so it's exciting. The Cordero family is doing awesome...in fact so awesome they fed Elder Flaherty and I an awesome asado. It was--if I may--legendary.

Another big holiday came rolling through Argentina this week, Día del Niño (Children's Day). In the town's amphitheatre, thousands gathered to watch acrobats, juggling, magic, and other things to entertain children. In church, Sunday school ended early so we could all eat alfajors (pronounced alpha whores, which you will all be experiencing in eleven months because I am bringing as many as I can home to share), and drink hot chocolate.

My funniest story of the week occurred Saturday. After a lot of knocking and talking Elder Flaherty and I stopped to drink a peso Coke (glass bottles cokes that cost a peso, but you can't leave with them, because they exchange the bottles, so you just drink them on the curb, or if you're lucky a chair outside). While drinking we had a crazy looking man wearing large dark aviators, a large llama fun beanie, and trench coat, with maybe three teeth and crutches approach us. He told us to send our regards to President Obama. We laughed and he said no I'm serious. And started asking us if we were agents for the CIA or FBI or CTU. We said we were missionaries and introduced ourselves and asked for his name, he responded with--in English--"Indian Chief". We continued to converse a little, but he was one of the most interesting men I have a met. Oh Indian Chief, hope he's doing well.

Well, another week come and gone. This time goes by too fast sometimes. I feel like I just arrived to Argentina, then I remember it's been awhile, then I feel I just arrived to Villa Dolores then I remember it's been over four months and that I'm over half done with this quest. It's crazy to think, and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity and to have the support I do. I thank you all. Love you all tons. Stay awesome.

Chao,

ELMX

Monday, August 2, 2010

It's A Crazy Time, But I Love It

So transfers came. I am now in the area known as Villa Dolores (same area), and my companion, Elder J. Cale Flaherty (sane companion). Villa Dolores is a small city of about 40,000 residents. The branch has over 300 members, and an average attendance of 20-30. Elder Flaherty is a great elder from Gilbert, AZ. He has a little over ten months in the mission and is a bright, hard worker. As for the other two elders in the district...well they are the same, too. Transfer night is like Christmas Eve. There is so much anticipation and anxiousness and you can guess all day long, but you'll never really know until the phone call comes. I can't believe both Elder Flaherty and I are going to spend a fourth of our mission in the same area. Hopefully the work goes well and we can find some new people who will progress. We had another inactive member in church on Sunday, and we have another member who is just waiting for his stake presidency interview to send in his mission papers.

Hard to believe I have been away from home for thirteen months. It flies. Yet, I look back and it seems like sooo much has happened. It's a crazy time, but I love it. Not sure what to say. I walk around the streets of a foreign country every day trying to find people who want to find peace in this life and life eternal in the here after. I can testify that God works miracles, me being here is one. I truly appreciate the support and love I receive from everyone. I'm still a little overwhelmed thinking of the calling I have, and the little time I have to do it. Hope everyone has an awesome week.

With much love,

ELMX