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, September 27, 2010

When I was born did you ever think someday I would be playing soccer in Argentina in the middle of a rain storm?

This week will mark one year in this country and 5/8 of my mission complete. It has been ridiculously fast and there is so much that needs to get done, but I assume it's like that for everyone. Yesterday we had a surprise guest at church, President Salas. There is a young man who needed his final mission interview to send his papers, and he needed to meet with some other people, and interview the six elders serving in the city of Villa Maria. In the interview he started asking about how I felt about the time I've completed in the mission. Then we talked a lot about Villa Dolores, about the district I'm in, and then about me. President Salas is great. It was also awesome to see him there because he got to meet the Imerso family (possibly the best investigators I've had, but they do have some tough competition).

It has been raining a lot all week, today harder than any other day. Would you like to know what we did for preparation day with all this heavy rain. We played soccer for five hours straight. It was cold, wet, vicious, yet ridiculously fun. Several missionaries were saying it was the funnest they've had in a long time. When I was born did you ever think someday I would be playing soccer in Argentina in the middle of a rain storm? I'll be honest, it never crossed my mind. Yesterday while working in the rain we knocked on a door. The street on which this house was located was completely flooded. We were walking through thick mud in people's front yards to stay out of the deep water. Well here in Argentina the two most common excuses to not listen are "I'm breast feeding at the moment" or "We're leaving", this door we knocked the man decided to go with the classic "I would but we're leaving right now". I couldn't help but turn around and see a river instead of street and couldn't help but ask where. It was a little funny.

It's good hear that every one is doing well. I was blessed with the best family. I love hearing about all five of you. Have a great week!

Chao,

ELMX

Monday, September 20, 2010

Survived The First Week in Villa Maria

First week in a new area down. Met some members but everyone with a calling has a similar name (Claudio, Cristian, Cristofer, etc), I can only remember so many C's, but it'll come with time. It was weird to almost have church attendance of 100, but way awesome. The primary is more than two kids and my first and only primary program of my mission is next week!! Our neighbor's dog hates us and every morning chases us down the block. I live in an apartment complex. It's pretty nice, my only complaint is how fast we run out of hot water, but apart from that, it's the nicest I've had in my mission. That's awesome that you had a family of investigators stay for all three hours! We did too!! The family Imerso. God has been preparing them and decided to hand them to the missionaries at the perfect time. We also had a couple others in church. That's awesome about the Hammontree's! Alison (from Baltimore) hit a year yesterday. I can't believe it's already been that long.

This week we found a great nineteen year old young man named Roque (pronounced like Rocky Balboa) and a couple others and are working on several exciting dates in October. As we were returning to the apartment to eat lunch this week, an investigator passed by on her bike and stopped us and as we were talking to her the branch president drove by and stopped, introduced himself and invited her to church and it was way sweet. Things are going well. I'm exhausted, but I enjoy it. Fun fact, there is a sister missionary from Mesa in the district, and like Elder Flaherty knows Lamoreauxs that I don't haha.

I played soccer for a couple intense hours this morning. It's funny, every companionship in my district is made up of one Latin and one Gringo. So we played gringos vs latinos, then senior comps vs junior comps. It was so much fun, but it got cut short because we popped the ball! haha To me football fields don't exist anymore, they are all soccer fields.

Well, that sums up my week. I'm glad everyone is doing well and I hope that your weather takes a chill pill soon. We're gradually warming up here, today is super humid.

Paz fuera (peace out),

ELMX

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

New City - New Home - Great Mission

About the conference this past week: President Arnold was pretty awesome (as well as his wife and the mission president and his wife). They are changing things a little bit with Preach My Gospel so we talked about that and we also talked about things we need to be doing better (like kneeling and praying with every investigator). I did get to see some old friends at the conference, the best of them all, Elder Haacke, my companion who I served with in February and March. It was great to see everyone though.

The day after the conference we received transfer calls. Elder Flaherty and I are no longer living together after close to six months. And I am now living with a Panamanian named Elder Vasquez in the city of Villa Maria. Villa Dolores had become my home. As much as I wanted to leave (I felt like I had talked to everyone and knocked every door), it was really hard. The Ceballo family is one of my favorite families I have ever met and I didn't want to say bye…Same with the Tello family and Beatriz and her family and so many others. It wasn't fun, yet I am excited to be here in Villa Maria with Elder Vasquez. He comes from a family of seven girls and three boys, he doesn't have a camera so I told him I would take photos for him and we can print them out. He has several months here and says there is a lot of work here and is pretty stocked, so I am too! I'll probably be with him six weeks and then have another companion, we’ll see. We live alone so I will be speaking Spanish 24/7 again, so I apologize if my English starts going downhill over the next couple weeks. My new area is pretty big. I’m in a city not a town this time, it’ll be interesting. My branch has about 80 active members, so that’s a good change, and the city is of decent size, so there are lots of people to talk to. There are two branches here and six elders. We're going to work hard and have fun. Elder Vasquez is awesome.

I need to learn how to cook some new foods. Argentina meals stop at meat and noodles. Hopefully with my Central American comp we can find something new. Like a thai soup :)

It's kind of funny, about 40% of the missionaries in this mission serve in the city Córdoba. I was there for a little bit but this is my third area outside the city, but I like it, it's a different experience.

The photo from last week about “companion inventory”, there may have been a sharpie involved at an investigators house who raced motocross and BMX until he destroyed both his knees.

Sounds like everyone is doing well, maybe a little too busy, but healthy and happy. Love you all. Have a fantastic week, thanks for the pictures. Catch you on the flip side.

Love,
ELMX

Monday, September 6, 2010

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day! I'm celebrating Labor Day with an Argentine asado (probably the best of my mission) and a good round of paintball. I walked out of the arena with only three welts. 'Twas a fun day. This week we received some much needed rain.

Back on the subject of tacos from last week. Funny joke: why can't Mexicans play pool? They eat all the tacos (pool sticks are called tacos here). Saw some circus lions and tigers. Interesting fact about circus animals in Argentina: due to the massive amount of stray dogs and cats, the circus workers collect and use them as the main staple of the African animals´ diet.

And cool missionary story for the week: while working in a little town across the river from Villa Dolores, Elder Flaherty and I knocked a woman's door whose husband had just passed away. We were unaware and were caught off guard when she asked who had sent us. We were able to share Alma 40:11-12 with her, it went well and we're going to go see her again this week. We also have a big conference with our new Area President Elder Arnold this week, so I get to go to Córdoba and see almost the whole mission.

So I have some cool news. Our world focuses on where the money is, meaning United States of America, Europe, etc, which has helped the beautiful creature Nessi gain her popularity (being from western Europe). Well, of not so famous standing is possibly an equally cool natural phenomenon. His name is Nahuelito. In the province of Bariloche is found a large, lake creature resembling that of Nessi. I was soo stoked when I found out. Too bad it's out of my mission :( but still cool that I'm in the same country!

Love you all! Enjoy your holiday. Imma try to send some pix like always haha.

Chao,

ELMX