Monday, June 29, 2015

WEEK 42: NEW COMPANIONS, NEW EXPERIENCES, NEW GENERATIONS

This week was a little bit shorter and a little bit harder for me.


But the things that went good is that Daniel, and the familia Segovia are going to be baptized this 18th of July. 
We have been working really hard with these people so that they could be baptized. 

My companion Elder Navarro went away to Yacuiba, and my new companion is going to be Elder Rosalez.


I have some random pictures from this week. It is the Zone Activity, and Zone Meeting!


Scripture of the Week: 
Hebrews 13:1

Let brotherly love continue.

Elder Tracy


1. Elder Gomez and I















2: My first District!!!













3. Repping that Gaucho Shirt
















4. Zona Guadalquivir







5. Zone Soccer














6. American Shirts








Monday, June 22, 2015

POWERFUL SOUP AND MIRACLES!

I forgot to take my camera with me this week.  SO I have no pictures of anything. But I have some cool stories.

This last Saturday, we went to go eat at the Familia 

Chipana´s house.  They always give us something really good to eat.  So we get in there, and they give us a soup that smells REALLY good.  So, being the Elder I am, I just dig into the soup, and I eat every last drop. And the Hermanos are just sitting there, they bust out laughing at me, and I'm just like "Why are they laughing, what's so funny?."  They told me that I had just eaten "Sopa Poderosa" or "Powerful Soup". It is made of onions, garlic, carrots, and......bull testicles. So I ate Bull Balls. How cool is that! Elder Apaza, an Elder from La Paz, ate really fast too.  And he said "¿Será que he pecado?" or in English, "Did I just sin?"  Then they gave us normal food. But that was interesting.

We have this investigator that is PROGRESSING soooooooooo fast. His name is Daniel Chacon. We just talked to him randomly on the street.  And he has already went to a baptismal service, and went to church for three hours. So he is going to be baptized.  He has read all of the Book of
Mormon up to 1 Nephi 7.  Even the Introduction and the testimonies of everyone!

Scripture of the Week:

Hebrews 5:1-4

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:  

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way: for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.  

And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 

And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. 


Article of Faith Five says:  

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances there of.

We believe that the Priesthood is necessary. If you have a question about Priesthood.   ASK THE MISSIONARIES!

ELDER TRACY

Monday, June 15, 2015

SCENERY CHANGE, WEATHER CHANGE AND GRAVE ROBBING

Happy Summer everybody.  Here in Tarija, Bolivia,  we are getting to a balmy 2 degrees Celsius, or like 34 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is getting kind of chilly here.  So make sure to put on your Alpaca Fur jacket because it is only going to get colder.

This week was really fast.  I don't know how it went by so fast.  I just didn't believe that it could go by so fast.  So here is how it went.

We have been finding a lot of new people to teach.  We have two investigators that are actually going to get married so that they can be baptized.  They are the Familia Segovia, with Hermano Carlos, and His almost wife Marisabel. They are going to be getting married in July.  
We are planning on the 11th.  They are doing SOOO well.  They know that the Church is true, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and everything.  I was so happy!

We have found some other people too.  But Carlos and Marisabel are the priority.

And we also went to clean up a cemetery with President Copa, our Stake President.  We were supposed to do the Service Project for like two hours with both Zones in Tarija,  but the other zone showed up like at 12:00 and we had to leave at 12:30.  The best Zone of Tarija,  Zona Guadalquivir. 

SO I have some pictures of that and how that went.  And that was my week this week!

Scripture of the Week: 

Romans 3:21-25

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:  for there is no difference:  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.


Have a good week everyone!
Elder Tracy





This is me on the bridge above the River Guadalquivir.

Elder Valencia by a grave, he is one of the other District Leaders

                                                                 Zona Guadalquivir, a little bit of us


Dirt Bridge above a river

One day tracting in The Valley of Doom

Serving the Dead is the Best


Elder Peñaranda and Elder Posada, 2 Elders from Colombia. Elder
Peñaranda is my Zone Leader, and in my district, and Elder Posada (with
glasses) is a new guy with like 3 months in the Mission.

Monday, June 8, 2015

BAPTIZING, TALKING AND SCREAMING

Dear Friends: 

This week was a lot of fun.  We had a baptism, and I'm learning a lot as District Leader.  I'm learning how to serve a lot of people in my district.  I have so many new friends in Barrio Senac.  I don't have much to say the photos tell all. 

We found an old guy named Luis that we are teaching, he is half deaf, so you have to sit next to him and shout into his ear to get him to hear you. So that is kind of funny.

We are having fun, and baptizing too. What else can you ask for? Nothing else!








Scripture of the Week: 
2 Timothy 1: 8-9

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:  but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.


Have a good week
Elder Tracy

Monday, June 1, 2015

BAPTISMS, MIRACLES AND CHRISTMAS CARDS

Hey everyone.  I don't have much time. So here is a quick scoop.

We baptized Nicolas Guerrero.   He is a nine year old from a part member family.  He wasn't able to be baptized until now because his Dad didn't want him to do it.  My companion and I convinced him, with the help of the Spirit, and we could baptize him.  My companion dunked him in the water, and I baptized him in fire.  SO that was cool.  My mom has
pictures of the Baptism.








I took some pictures of my house for my mom. I live in the Old Zone Leader house, so we are rocking high class digs. And I basically have a big dog living in my house.  His name is Pequeño, or Small.












My companion and I took our Christmas Card Photos!  So here is a happy Christmas in June from the Elders of the Senac Ward.

PRAY FOR US!   We have A LOT of people that are progressing.  I just want them to be baptized!

Scripture of the Week:

3 Nephi 12:2

And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am.  Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK


JONATHAN TRACY

TRANSFERS, LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENTS, TARIJA

***(This blog entry is one week late due to our family traveling to Salt Lake City for our daughter, Betsy's wedding.  So please enjoy double blog entries from our missionary son, Elder Jonathan Tracy.)

Hey everybody! 

This is Elder Tracy giving you the latest news from The Heart of South America, Bolivia.  This week was absolutely crazy. I got transferred out of Bermejo. I wasn't able to say goodbye to my converts.  But I left them my picture so they will remember me.  I left Elder Ullua to go Barrio Senac in Tarjia. I'm with a Nuevito. (Newbie)  His name is Elder Navarro.  He is my third companion from Argentina in a row.  So I'm basically a Gaucho by now.  But it is helping with my Spanish.  I'm his second companion. So I'm trying really hard to keep a good example and do everything right. .
My new area is just BEAUTIFUL. I am in the Bolivian equivalent of Utah.  The climate is dry and windy.  I'm not sweating anymore!   And the Ward is really good.  Supportive and everything.  So I can't complain much.
And I'm District Leader now.  I have a trio of Sisters, a companionship of sisters, and the Zone Leaders in my district.  So I'm going to be really busy from now on.
We found four people that are going to be baptized in this next month.  Franklin Gutierrez and his son Luis, and Carlos and Zara, a son and his Mom.  They are progressing SOOOOO well.  They have the Date set for June 20th.  But this is my weekly update for this week.  I hope that everything goes well this week.


Scripture of the Week: 
Ether 12:27

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.  I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.


The Promise is real. And if we are humble, we will do great things.  The Lord gave us imperfections so we can STRIVE to be perfect.  And the STRIVING is a lifelong journey, we can not be perfect in one day.  And that is where the Lord comes in.
And now a list of Pictures

1: Leaving Bermejo, saying Bye to Elder Ullua


2: Elder Navarro


3: My new Chapel in Senac


4: The Drive to Tarija. i was literally in the Clouds



5: Taking the Numbers as District Leader


6:Cool Rock Formation in my Area



7: More Rocks