Quick Little Update

Hello everybody! Just a quick up date this week.

Me and Elder Molina are basically the best of friends. We kicked it off great and are constantly laughing. He's super helpful in assisting me with Spanish, I just wish I was better so he didn't have to correct me so often! Haha 

The ward really is small (attendance this last Sunday was around 20), but I asked the branch president for a list of members so we now have a more organized list of who we can contact. We are going to work on contacting less actives and asking for references. We have been ask to contact 10 people every day, every missionary (20 per companionship), and it's really difficult. It may sound easy, but a lot of the people you pass in the street don't really want to stop and talk to you, let alone have you stop by their house! I was able to get my 10 contacts once this last week (I actually contacted 11 that day just saying), and we got one new investigator so it does work, it's just a matter of faith. 

So a fun fact for you all. Yesterday was elections for the people here in Argentina. I'm assuming Presidente Ayres was scared there'd be some sort of public manifestations out in the streets, so us missionaries were told we had to be in our apartments by 3 in the afternoon. Elders Danneman, Santos, Molina, and I spent the afternoon chilling and eating and talking. I love these elders, we all get along so stinking well. Fortunately nothing too major happened in the streets, aside from we heard a car do something. Really I don't know what happened but we ran up to the roof to investigate and were slightly disappointed because we couldn't see anything crazy exciting. But I feel as though it was unrelated to any public outcry =)

I'm in the Mission Christmas Choir! Have I said that yet? If so oops. But we are practicing for Christmas (obviously) and have various gigs reserved. =) Oh how I love to sing. It's so nice to take a break twice a week and head to San Fernando (where the mission office is) and do something that I love to do. We have some talented voices and it looks like it's going to be a fun concert.

Hope you all have a really fun Halloween! Don't get too fat and don't stay out too late! 

See you all soon enough.

Elder Hardcastle

Pics 1-3 Cooking and posing ft Arroz Chaufa 

(basically Peru's version of Asian Fried Rice)

Goodbye and Hello

A hearty wingapo to all my friends and family!

Wowzers two weeks of fun and festivities! So two weeks-ish ago we received a call that Elder Sousa might be training this next transfer. I was fairly certain I would be leaving Pilar, so yesterday we spent the day saying goodbye to my dear new friends and family I have made here. It was especially hard with the "A" family. Literally they are mi familia latina. Hermana "A" made me a cake because she knos well I am a fan of all things sweet, and we took pictures and said our last goodbyes for the time being. What is crazy amazing about this mission is the last Sunday in the transfer, President  and Sister Ayre put on a ´´despedida´´ (farewell) for those missionaries that will be headed home that next week, open to anyone that wants to come (there are requirements in order for missionaries to go... just hold up a sec). Elder Sousa and I went with some of our new members and it was so good! There're musical numbers, testimony of the missionaries that are going home, and short messages from the Ayres' and other stuff, and it's crazy crazy amazing.  In order for missionaries to go though, they need to bring one convert from that transfer or a progressing investigator, or be a part of a musical number, so we  already know I am going to look into that. =)  It's also an opportunity for missionaries to see their converts, so the plan is to meet up there with the "A's" this next transfer.

Well, transfer calls came yesterday and Elder Sousa is not going to train, he is going to be Lìder de Zona in PILAR 2!!! President Ayre received revelation that the new area of Zone Leaders in the Austral Zone should be in Pilar not in Derqui any more. 

So anywho, I was kicked out of the apartment and am now currently in the Zona Sarmiento, àrea de Los Polverines with mi compañero Elder Molina from Mèxico (and Canada, and USA). All is super well over here. This has the potential to be my best companionship yet. We are both slighty crazy and keep pulling faces at each other, and we are both fans of the Hunger Games (but I have started wondering how I used to like that book so much... it's pretty dark if you think about it). We live outside of our proselyting area in the area of San Miguel (this area is BEAUTIFUL), and we live with those elders there. One of them is Elder Danneman whom I already knew from my time in Austral, really I am cien por cien tranquilo over here. I hear that los Polverines is an area a bit difficult to work in (Branch of 30ish members), but if we work hard, we don't have reasons to fear. Trust God and go to work.

Things seem almost too nice right about now. I am scared this place will become my testing ground as a missionary, but until then I am as happy as a clam. As two clams, maybe even three. 

I hope you are all doing super well and remembering to be your best selves. Try a little harder every day to be a bit better, and by the end of this transfer let's track our progress, deal? deal.

I love hearing from you guys, thanks for all the letters and emails. Sorry if I don't write back all the time, Preparation days are crazy and really try to answer back, if I don't I am sorry. Just know I love you=)

All righty that's about it for this week, Paz Fuera and see you all soon enough!

Èlder Hardcastle

Welcome to San Miguel, 

view from our apartment 

(really I'm dying over this place)

Never escape the selfie 

(Me, Elder Molina, Elder Santos, Elder Danneman)

Saying goodbye to the "A" Family

There's not much time to write this week, so I'll spam you all with photos =)

There's not much time to write this week, so I'll spam you all with photos=)

1- Pilar 2 and Presidente Ayre, the coolest president of them all

2- Heaven on Earth. I bought a box of 40 Guaymallen Alfajores for 80 pesos (Around 8 USD) I shared with my Zone but still have 15 or so left

3- I made brownies this week and Elder Sousa and I ate them all within 24 hours

Pilar 2

The Baptism of the Familia "B"! 

Be Kind and Eat Cake

Buenos Días from the grand province of Buenos Aires!

First off, I have my cooking update for ya'll. Last P-day I bought myself an aluminum pizza tin and I made pizza. So
there. See the selfie below, because we all know I we can't have a cooking conquest without a good solid selfie to
go with it. The tin also makes for a good cookie sheet, which I also attempted to make. Apple cookies taste fine,
not the best but whatever. You do what you can. Tonight we are having a Noche en Hogar (Family Home Evening)
 with the "A" Family and I am making them some of my muffins, so it will be a party and a half down here in Pilar 2
 tonight!

Happy news of the week! Tuesday was the baptism of our investigator "P"! Yayyyyy! She is a friend of the bishop's
wife that one day showed up in church and we started teaching her shortly after. Anyways, Tuesday was her baptism,
and we had probably one of the craziest baptisms ever in the history of Pilar. The bishop was supposed to do the
baptism, but we got a call from him saying that he couldn't come because he had sick kids but his wife was going to
come. We had to do some quick decision making and it was decided that I would do the baptism. Yayyy! So we run
to the apartment and I grab my baptismal clothes (blessings of living basically across the street of the church) and
then run back. I get back and a little before the baptismal service starts I change into my white clothes and walk
around only to find that "P"'s husband has left to go pick up one of their daughter's from a birthday party! Ahh!
The Relief Society just finished an activity of watching the Women's session of conference in the church, and so here
am  I awkwardly walking around dressed in white. But we did get offered cookies so that was nice. Anyway we
decide to start without "P"'s husband and he makes it back right before the actual baptism starts to take place.
"P" and I are just about ready to get in the font when the Ward Mission Leader tells us there's no water in the font!
Sure enough most of the water is gone, and let me tell you, we filled the font. We find out shortly after that before
the baptismal service "P" and bishops wife sneaked a peak at the font, but mistook the button for the drain as a light
switch. Well now we have to run into scramble mode and fill the font full blast with the hot and cold spouts and
filling buckets of water from the cleaning closet. We got the font refilled in about 30 minutes. The water isn't warm,
but it's enough water to do the baptism. We do the baptism and the rest of the service goes really great. But them
we have another problem, now the drain doesn't want to work! Luckily we had a member with us that knows how to
fix these sorts of things, so we got things figured out eventually and got home safe and sound with another soul on
the pathway to eternal life. =)

Now. Let's talk General Conference. AMAZING! I really enjoyed it. I think the church building in Pilar is the stake
center or something, because it was the designated hub for the Latter-day Saints of the Zona Austral and Estaca
Escobar. Saturday we had to watch it in Español so it was a little rough to process everything, but I still got some
good notes. Once again I was was told that I don't look like an American ('norteamericano') which makes me feel
special and exotic=) I think last time I was told I don't look super white was in the MTC, so it was a nice lil'
compliment. Sunday us gringo missionaries were able to watch it in our native tongue, which was such a blessing.
Quickly jotted down some questions before the talks started that I wanted answered and let me tell you that they
were answered basically within the first talk, and I continued to receive revelation for these questions throughout
the two sessions. A testimony of the power of General Conference for me. Between the two sessions we took our
lunch break for the day: Milanesa sandwiches provided by an member of our ward (they feed us good here in Pilar).
The elders of Villa Verde didn't have a lunch, and I felt in a giving mood so I talked with my companion and we
offered to split our lunch with them and eat in our apartment so we could cook some rice to go with our sandwiches
so we could eat more. They agreed, and shortly after, a lady in our stake hands Both Elder Coltrin and Elder
Danneman (the elders of Villa Verde) TWO CHOCOLATE CAKES, because their birthdays either just past or are
happening right now. Her son is the one that created Missionary Packages Argentina, and so they were super nice
looking and gifted with tags and stuff.. I think she had just caught wind of birthdays the during the Saturday Session
and decided to make them out the kindness of her heart, bless her. So now we are having a rocking lunch, complete
with milanesa sandwiches, rice, and CHOCOLATE CAKE. Actually, I think it was just a brownie recipe, but I'm not
complaining. One had dulce de leche and then chocolate frosting and the other had dulce de leche and then
marshmallow topping. FAMILY AND FRIENDS, I was in love. And what made it even better was that Elder Coltrin and
Elder Danneman thought it was too sweet and couldn't finish their pieces. so I stuck them in the fridge (the cake not
the elders) and ate them (once again, the cake, not the elders). So, I've basically eaten a whole cake between
yesterday and today, but I am oh so happy. Moral of the story: Be nice to others, and maybe you'll get to eat some
cake.

God is good to me. It was another difficult week in the work but He found other ways to keep me happy, so I'm
hanging in there.  =)

Hope you all have a good week! And if you haven't yet, go and watch conference.

See you all soon enough!

Love, 

Elder Hardcastle

Fotos de la semana:

1- GIMME PIZZA (Mom, I know my hair looks long here. I saw some of the pics I took and was like ''wow, my hair is
looking a little long'', so I did some self fixing and made it look less sloppy around the ears. I'm getting a for reals
hair cut this afternoon). I know it kinda looks ugly, but it tasted fine. Ham on pizza is super popular here.

2- The Panamericana. This pretty much road spans the whole of South America. Or so I've been told...

3- The Panamericana and I as we wait for the bus. The bus ended up coming super late so we had to bail on a
lesson. Just a fun fact for you.

Spring is Here and Jasmine is in the Air

Greeting to all from the Southern hemisphere.

While y'all will be watching everything wither away, Springtime has hit us in Argentina, and one thing I looove is the smell. Seriously, EVERYWHERE there is jasmine and that brings zero complaints to the nose of Elder Hardcastle. Lots of times I smell it before I see it, so I have a fun little time looking around trying to find the blessed plant. It reminds me of Arizona when Mom had a jasmine plant (insert trunkie moment). One thing that has been a bit of a downer is that the sky can't decide if it wants to be sunny or raining. It seems like every few days it's going back and forth. I Really love rain, but I think we get it a little bit excessively here, and I keep having to return to wearing long sleeves and a sweater, and walking in the mud isn't my favorite things to do. But I do it anyways because I AM A MISSIONARY! 

It was a bit of an off week. We've found lot's of new investigators, but almost none of them have a real drive or lied and gave us the wrong addresses, so we've thinned out a lot, almost all of them! But that's okay. We are supposed to be searching for those that are ready to hear the Gospel, so if they aren't interested there's no  point in wasting our time with them. Elder Sousa and I really want to open up a new proselyting area in Pilar 2, because our area is pretty dang big and we spend the majority of our time in Villa Rosa and could use some new excitement as things seem to be slowing down there for us. 

In Preach My Gospel (the Gospel guide for missionaries (and others should read it too because it's crazy good)), there is a chapter on developing Christlike attributes, and every week I like to spend time studying one of the attributes for part of my personal study time. My Christlike attribute I am working on this week is patience, Today marks two months as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two hard months down, 21ish more hard months to go! May 30, 2017 seems pretty far away, not going to lie, but I'm also looking forward to being able to say I spent two hard years doing hard things and thinking how proud I will be when it's over. And it's worth it, because the Lord promises us blessings for this work. 

Fun story of the week: Me and Elder Sousa were looking for a contact and we pass a kiosco (little store) and there was a man inside that I'm pretty sure owned it, and I was like, ''Hey, I should talk to him'' but we were on the move and I let it pass. We arrive at the reference (which turned out to be wrong) and were walking back, and I was like ''I am going to talk to him'' So I tell Elder Sousa and we go to the kiosco. I don't want to seem ridiculously forward, so I decide to buy two alfajors to get the conversation going. I ask for two alfajors and start searching for my money and I CAN'T FIND ANY! Crap. But I still wanted to give him a passalong card, so I asked if I could give it to him and he said no. I hope he didn't think the passalong card was my way of paying, But when you think about it eternal salvation is a lot more valuable than two alfajors.

Food of the week: Chori-pan with this killer tomato herb salsa with a member family Saturday with some craaaaazy good beef something (it was like a roast but better), and asado and chorizo and asada with another member family yesterday. Yummm. But, I think dad is still the grill master When it comes to steak and hamburgers.

Also, I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday. A member of the bishopric called us Saturday night and asked if I would give a 10 minute talk the next day... so I did. I mostly just used the talk I gave at my farewell about how to cultivate our faith and stuff, just a bit shorter and in Castellano. People told me the understood it so three cheers for me (woot woot woot). There were errors, but what's important is that the message gets across. 

I hope everyone has had a week full of wonder and that you all are super excited for General Conference! Because I sure am. Take this advantage to listen to the prophets, seers, and revelators of these latter days and to those others leaders in the church to strengthen your commitment to follow Christ.  REMEMBER Faith=Blessings.

Sending Goodness to you all from ARG-BAN.

See you all soon enough!

Elder Brock Hardcastle

No pics sorry=(

Muffins, Baptisms, and a Wedding

Well, another week has passed in Pilar 2!

Goodness, what a week we had.  To start off, last Pday I decided to buy a muffin tin and try my luck in the baked goods department. We had bananas so I whipped up some banana muffins and to be honest they weren't too bad at all, especially with my two favorite condiments (plum jelly and dulce de leche). I just need to figure out a way for them to cook a liiiiiiiittle more evenly. The first batch was a bit burned on the outside, but the second was good. Now if I could just find some chocolate chips I'd be a happy camper!

Let's chat a bit about the Familia "A". This family I LOVE.  With some last minute surprises, this family is now happily married, and also BAPTIZED.  Woot woot!  And guess who got to baptize them? I will say baptizing this family is probably the biggest highlight of my mission so far. I was hoping they'd ask me to baptize them, but I didn't expect all three! We weren't planning on having a baptism Friday, but we figured ``Why not?´´ and a baptismal service we had. Married by morning, baptized by night, well on the way to eternal salvation. THIS IS GREAT!

Between the hustle and bustle of Friday, we also had interviews with Presidente Ayre.  Man, That man is so great. So nice. So happy. Between the coughs we had a great conversation about where I feel like I am at right now in the mission and where I want to be, how to get there. 'Twas marvelous. 

I know this is super short, but Pday is almost over and we are 91% out of food so we need to do some serious grocery shopping at our local Carrefour. 

Side note: yes there is Walmart here.

Love you all and I hope your week is thrilling. Go out and be a little bit kinder today. 

See you all soon enough:)

Elder Castillo Duro

Just a fun fact for you, I think I am getting fatter. In fact, a sister in our ward told me such at our almuerzo yesterday, bless her heart. I love that about Latinos, they just say what is up=)

Okay bye for reals for this week.

BASICally satisfied with my muffins

the "A" Family and I   :)

BOM DIA

Oi. Meu nome é Elder Hardcastle. estou otimo?

So yeah basically I'm fluent in Portuguese now. HAHAHAHAHA not even. But! I think my Castellano is improving. We have to talk in Castellano almost all the time because Elder Sousa has a limited understanding of English and I just maxed out on my Portuguese (see above phrase... and he had to help my with that as well). Patience will be the virtue of the transfer I think. Elder Sousa is super duper charitable with me, which is good. I JUST WISH I KNEW THIS LANGUAGE. But, I am living. So that is always a plus right? I think I am getting better every day. I sure hope so. 

We cooked this week. It was nice, and you can make more with two people! Our resources are limited because our budget is limited, but it was . Una Hermana in our ward gave us a vianda and it was seriously enough for 10 people so right now we are swimming in bananas which isn't a problem with me. I am having scares about gaining weight here... Dulce de Leche and Alfajoresare worth it though. I have had this cough for the past couple days. I don't feel sick and I'm pretty sure it's just stuff in the air (remember it's springtime here), but it has been a really nice ab workout even though at times I can barely get a few words out between coughing fits. 

have I mentioned Alfajor before? Look them up they are a little bit of heaven on earth.

As of right now we have 6 progressing investigators, a wedding this week, and a baptism set for next Sunday. How blessed are we! I really want to find a new investigator this week though, so I will be trying to ´´abbir mi boca´´ and all that jazz more this week. One of our investigators ask if I could baptize him this last week! ahhhh SI SI SI SI SI! Actually, he wanted Elder Carrasco to do it, but since Elder Carrasco probably won't be able come back for the baptism He said he wants me to do it. Second place but I'll take it.=)

Short, sweet, and slightly sassy is all I have for this week. Remember who you are and that the Gospel path is the Happy path. It changes people. 

Love y'all. See you all soon enough!

Elder Hardcastle

We are writing from a Cybercafe thingy and at first I couldn't find a photo port but My companion found one on the computer so you all are in luck.

Pancakes con mermelada de ciruela y dulce de leche