The end of 2014

 My ¨Christmas card" pose.

Its super weird to start 2015. Knowing that for the entirety of this year i will be in argentina. Gonna be awesome.

And in other news. I loved the christmas photos. Here are some of mine:

My Christmas dinner. Noquis and hot dogs. heehee i love noquis. 

It rains a lot here and our house flooded;P Like a lot...like all the streets turn into rivers. its krazy.

my current district of Almirante Brown.

The area is super great and we are preparing a girl named N.V. to be baptized this Saturday. She is 8 years old and lives with her grandma. Super excited. Shes super great when we can get her to pay attentionaa;P And shes gonna help her grandma be more active (her grandma se bautizo este ano en enero.)

Shes gonna be the first baptism of 2015. at least one the firsts. 

I wanted to end with another poem that i found in one of my old study journals. 

here it is. 

We live in a world inside of a world

and it´s al justin our heads

If we´d look with our eyes we´d open the skies

and let our vision spread

The seams are tearing

and the chariots pour out

the sky is bursting

and yet the people doubt

They´re given all they need to know

the walkways cleaned and clear

that shining staircase bend down low

to all that care to hear

they live in a world inside of a world 

that to them does not exist

they´re closing their eyes to those redeeming skies

and in ignorance persist

Prove Me now

and lean on My good promises

Prove Me now

and reap what you have sown.

I love you all, Merry new year!

Oh and one more thing.

I love you all. more than you know. all my siblings give me such motivation to work and i don't know what i´d do without them. and my wonderful parents. who taught me everything. So i can do it on my own....but that i also know i don´t have to ;p

Elder Siebers

He is the gift

Baptism of DC. She also bore her testimony yesterday, it was the best one.

Q: Have you used your birthday money?? (He wanted new soccer shoes)
Now i live closer to downtown but its a very small downtown. And I've found the desire to have shiny shoes left me. i have shoes that work. for soccer. Why would i want more. You know that I've never really had desires for souvenirs or stuff. but on the mission...yeah nothing:P i´m thinking its gonna supplement my meals so i eat healthier. and more...i have a ton of hunger here!!! not cuz they don't feed me but because there is so much good food...heehe

Q:What do you want for Christmas?

 FOTOS!! really that's all i want. more fotos of my sisters and brothers that are growing so dang fast. Abby looks so old that it shocked me a full. She looks like an hermana missionary. woah...

You cannot send packages to Argentina but you can include 1-2 pictures in a letter using the international stamp ($1.15).  He also loves to receive sheet music folded up and sent as a letter.

Soccer this week with two newbies. My comp is in the red polka dots. We schooled everyone.

There are mountains...kind of. and all is surrounded by jungled hills. the main street is called Almirante Brown in San Salvador Jujuy if you want to Google earth it. 

My new comp is awesome. he's from Buenos Aires and we both have a ton of desire to do things. we've worked more and more efficiently than i ever have in my mission. 

I love you all!!!!

time is flying and my mind everyday is being illuminated. i´m excited for life. and i love people. There truly are our brothers and sisters. 

Please watch this video this Christmas season and share it with your friends. SO that we all remember that He is the gift.

http://www.mormon.org/christmas

Christmas tree we found under my bed

Love,

Elder Siebers

Transferred to San Salvador de JuJuy

OHMYGOSH oliver is awesomely awesome! I love the pictures as they grow. HOLY COW janie is 6 months?? since when. wow time has flown. 

I have yet to buy the shoes....and now i´m in Jujuy. in San Salvador de jujuy. the centro. I´m here with an awesome elder named Elder A. He dies this transfer (ends his mission) SO i really got to pay attention cuz i know that in 6 weeks everything is up to me. 

I FEEL AWESOME!!!!!! we are going to work super hard and talk with everyone and do a ton of stuff and my comp is super awesome and i´m currently listening to yellow submarine in the internet cafe. wow i´m back in 1st grade with mr. flox..woah..

 

SUPER EXCITED!!!!! my bday was fantastic. The family that threw the party, only one is member. She, Yanina, is super awesome and her mom tambien. They shoved my face in the cake just like you guys do. I felt quite at home. Thanks for the cards too!! Those were fun to read on my 8 hours collectivo ride to jujuy;P 

Love you all!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So grateful for the members celebrating Nicholas' birthday today!

Hat, Soccer and Holidays

One is with my new hat, yes our mission is allowed to wear hats because the sun is brutal.

A bunch of kids that we played soccer with today. It was awesome! They are all investigators!!

Thanksgiving....Christmas...yeah not much here. The biggest holidays are peoples birthdays, Sundays, and every other week are holidays that no one knows but everything closes. But big holidays international don´t happen here much. Mothers day was actually a couple weeks ago. unlike the rest of the world. yeah there are a little strange here with holidays.

I WANT SNOW:::::

I've been in summer for almost 8 months now. i´m dying. but probably not going to see snow for another 2 years still.

I've been learning the importance of just talking, being myself, and loving the people enough to share what little i know. THE SCRIPTURES know everything. the more we STUDY and not just read the more easy life is. I know it. And besides that i cant wait to make these special pancakes. 1. for my bday, and 2 for Christmas. If i can wait that long

We walk everywhere....everywhere....taxis are if we are late to somewhere far away or district meetings....and sometimes still we walk...there are collectivos (micros) but we don´t know how to use them or where they go

 There is a hermana en nuestro barrio (sister in our ward) who wants to cook me a party on my bday. Us and the other elders in our ward and Lucas (eternal miembro presente) are going to eat at her house. Excited! she´s still a investigator (mother of Yanina) (one of my baptism hace alguna semanas (some weeks ago.) and basically our mother here in Tucuman. Its awesome!

I think of ya´ll daily and love to hear of the growth, (mainly in the little ones) 

Ya´ll are growing too but they are at an astoundingly fast rate. 

Love you all!!

Elder SIbers

Jehovah Witnesses and Less Actives

Q: What's your schedule?  zone Conferences, etc. 

A: Schedule: First week of the month we have zone conference and every Tuesday district meeting every other tuesday tambien es reunion de lideres [meeting of the leaders]. Noche de hogar actividad en la iglesia [Family home evening at the church] every Friday. and every Thursday we have weekly planning fro 3 hours. Monday is pday. 

Q: How do people respond to you (as missionaries)?

A. Well since there are a ton here (and a ton of Jehovah witnesses) there are complete barrios (neighborhoods) where everyone is an investigator miembro or antiguo [member or former]. And other (rich) barrios where we haven´t been able to contact anyone because they are never home.

WE are accepted bien and always offered water. lots of heat.

Q: Have you met anyone new?  Tell us about it.

A. I meet a ton of new people every day. WE are focusing on menos activos [less actives] right now. It’s kind of sad to see how many people get offended because (and not limited too): other people who don´t work, other people who work too hard, people who don´t come to weekly activities, people who do come to weekly activities. And just about any other type of reason. It´s so easy to forget who will judge us in the final day. And that not only do we have to avoid these contentions but also that we have to vencerlos con felicidad [overcome with happiness]. Si estamos enojodos, frustrados hemos fallado a cumplir los mandamientos de Dios. [If we enojodos frustrated have failed to fulfill the commandments of God.]

OUR Package arrived!  Thanks to an Evans cabin cousin!

I love the new pics. Just got the package y'all sent me. The mp3 is a little glitchy but I’ll probably use it for the voice recorder (get ready for more pday songs;P) 

Thank you for everything! I feel extremely spoiled. Seeing as I know missionaries that sometimes their families’ don´t even write. Thanks for everything and I love you guys!

Elder Siebers

It's raining

The first 3 days of this week were probably close to 90- 100 degrees. the last 4? raining...like it hasn't stopped misting for 4 days. I've worn my winter coat cuz its cold too....its crazier than Utah here;P

Q: How is your Spanish coming, do you feel like you understand what's going on?

My Spanish is awesome. I can understand everything except slang...

Q: Tell us about your new companion

Elder G has 10 months in the mission and was the father of my friend from the ccm (Elder Hoffman). He´s awesome and loves to cook. Especially cuz all of his family owns restaurants. 

Q: What are you currently reading/studying?

I´m currently reading Jesus the Christ (just started) and am studying all of the scripture mastery. They really are some of the best mission prep i didn't know i did.

Sarah (his girlfriend) started her mission papers. how is this my story? It´s not, this is:  We have a set amount of study hours every day. My comp doesn't always want to do them. He said something interesting the other day. "But as we help them that's how we are saved" Justifying leaving early to proselyte. But i sat thinking. Yes that is true. Every person we meet will testify before god of what they know of us. And if we helped them with a smile they will testify of that. But we must always remember that if we were not obedient, These compliments will only bring feelings of guilt and we will be too embarrassed to accept them. 

Be the reason someone does something good. Do something good. Be perfectly obedient in every visit, paper, study, second, and repent and pray often. And in this manner we will become like our Father. 

This is what I've been teaching recently.

Elder SIebers

Send love!

transfer 3 (infield)‏

My new comp is named Elder G. He is from....(dads gonna go crazy)... Bolivia! Santa Cruz de la Sierra to be exact. He is awesome! He is exactly like NC (friend from VE) but Spanish. 

Q: How does it feel to lose your trainer? Feelings about losing Elder K: Honestly I've barely had time to notice. I do kinda feel like i´m on a really long intercambio and after i´m going to have to report back to him on how it was;P

This week we really had a sad week number-wise. We are struggling to find new people and set appointments in concrete with the members. The people who listen the most are the poor. But they´re never there the second time. The rich areas never even answer the door. and the members have been burned out of references. 

This week. Lunes, after i wrote you guys my comp didn't arrive till 230 in the morning;P

Q: Do they celebrate Halloween? They celebrate everything here. Birthdays can be a 3 day event and Day of the Child was like a month long;P WE tried to go to centro (downtown) the other week and everything was closed (like EVERYTHING except McDonalds) because it was the day after day of the races. 

Q: How was your baptism that was scheduled during conference sessions? So we didn't have a baptism during conference. but the next week yes. He needed a little more time to prepare. Not sure if i've sent you the pics of the last two. M and M. 

Q: What did you do this week? 

I found a glowing bug this week. Super freaky... 

AND I ATE LIVER!!!!

My comp made it for lunch today.

So on pdays we usually play soccer with the zone. Then go shop for food at ChangoMas (Argentine Walmart) (Walmart even owns it) Then we cook something rice for lunch and study. Then we fix clothes, write letters, clean, clean, shine shoes, wash clothes, and other stuff we don´t have time for during the week. We have our hour of Email. And i usually am stressed trying to write everything i want to share. But i´ll try to add more;P And then we go back to work!

Love You All!!! 

Elder Siebers

New Companion

So Elder K has about 6 months left. but now is in San Pedro. I´m staying here with my new comp who comes 9 oclock tonight named Elder G. Its crazy. i´ve been out for 4 months officially this week.

And about the temple. I would suggest the family history talk (we are the futures family history) from conference. And the temple president came recently and was talking about how grateful all the people we do work for will be. How the judgement will go. and how they´re faces will light up once we meet them. 

I had a cold too! for like a day. and then a cough that won´t go away and i had to use my inhaler once cuz it was driving me crazy;P all good now though.

there once was 4 people . One named. Noboday, everybody, anybody and somebody.

Nobody did the job that somebody needed to do. Everybody got angry because anybody could have done it. Everybody blamed anybody, and somebody got offended that nobody did it. 

i fear this happens to often. 

Which body are you?

Anyways. Keep up the work! And send me stories of your sucess in helping the obra misional!

Love Elder Siebers

Favorite scriptures

My mom asked what my favorite scripture is and as such i will share 2 ;)
They are my motto and mindset to try and live by. They are how i keep my mind in the right place and with the right focus.

 Alma 37:6
 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. 
and..

 Alma 26:12
Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak;therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God,for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. 

These two scriptures have helped me more than anything else keep my humility and my sanity throughout my mission, high school, and life. 

Thoughts about Isaiah: As Nephi says (about why he didn't teach Isaiah to his children.) for they would have needed to understand the culture behind it and without living in it (as they had grown up in the Americas) they would not fully understand. To understand the scriptures (and Isaiah especially) we must first gain an understanding of the culture. (bible dictionary "parable")

Motivation: 
Invite someone else so they motivate you to do what ever you want to do.

Sorry, this picture is blurry.

Then BBAAAPPPTTIISSMMOO

The taller in white is a ward missionary and family friend of the shorter in white who was baptized. They are basically brothers. Super awesome

Hope, Ánimo, and love from Argentina! Elder Siebers

i challenge you

So the girl in the baptism pics is named YG. She was my first baptism (as in i actually baptized her) and the 3rd that I´ve been involved with. Sorry i haven´t informed y'all much but now i finally figured out how to organize my email time more efficiently. 

She and her sister and mother have enthusiastically accepted us since about 5 weeks ago now. She was baptized hace 2 semanas. and Her mother, (as soon as she can casarse con su esposo [As soon as she can get married to her husband]) va bautizars tambien. Her little sister (of 14 years) is being reluctant for no apparent reason but hopefully conference got her thinking.

Working with. Well i still have my same old good papi elder K. yeah...

We´re pretty cool...

anyways. I loved elder oaks talk the most. Really this principle of a Christlike love is the hardest thing in life and yet the most direly important. I also like the talk about personal ministries. Which brings me to this weeks story (i try to find one every week for you guys. 

A lady in my ward and I were talking over lunch between sessions (in the stake center between sessions is like a giant inter-stake picnic cuz no one leaves just stays until the next.) and as we discussed the previous talks i shared algunos piensamientos [some thoughts] that i had had. She looked at me and told me, Elder Siebers usted es muy sabio. (or you are very wise.) I laughed and said it was because of my wise dad. 

Later during the talk about personal ministries and people who will follow our examples, It really hit me how many people i have and have had the opportunity to influence. Recently too Ethan wrote me to tell that all the advice i had given him (which i have to admit was just relays from You guys as my parents) was correct and he was realizing it now. Know that Your personal ministry started the day you were baptized and took upon yourself His name. And don´t ever give less than a 100% to that cause.

Mom, i challenge you to take a pamphlet, card, BofM or anything on the plane with you and talk to someone. (ask the Elders in the ward if you need supplies) Write down their reference. And remember (this goes for all of my beloved family) Make history. Be the one person or strangers , that 50 years from now someone will thank for introducing,talking to, or serving their ancestors. DO it. Follow the almost only thing said in this conference and love people enough to work. We know its important because the prophet was not just cheerily reminding us. But grim faced and solemnly warned us to love and reach out and implied with his demeanor the or else.

These are the days when the temptation will only get bigger and we need to join together. I´d love to hear of your experiences sharing!

Cuz that's what i do everyday. And it´s really the only thing we are here to do. Love each other. As He , who shared everything, including His life, with us, has Loved us.

we had to go to salta this week so i could be legal. it was fun! here is a pic.

Till Next week,

Elder Siebers

Listen

Today is p-day,  that means eat....and make cakes...And take our clothes to the president of the relief society who washes our clothes because our washer is broken...she´s awesome!
oh and shop at ChangoMas. and argentine franchise of walmart. No hay muchos cosas para hacer around here. We usually don´t have much free time either. And we just write letters if we do. BTW!! i got all your letters this week. One was from like July 22nd...oh international mail..haha but i absolutely loved them! Especially the picture. OLIVER IS HUGE!!! and Tori is praying?!?!? what?!? she´s so much older than i remember.

I have learned this week the importance of listening. Especially to those around us. I know that the Lord has put them there for us. 

So this is the week leading up to General Conference (When all the prophets and apostles will speak to the entire world and reveal the counsel we need for the next 6 months) and as missionaries we have been  inviting everyone to come. And to bring questions. For these are men called of God to speak to and guide His people. 

Then after Sacrament meeting Sunday my comp and i were talking about how great and applicable the talks were. We then had the epiphany that these humble members, our neighbors and friends, had the exact same calling and duty as the apostles that are to speak. Through the authority of God and through His established pattern of leadership, they were called to advise and speak to the people. More specifically the barrio of Villa Muñecas (whereas the apostles will speak to the entire world.).

It helped us realize the importance that these messages and learning we receive in our Sunday meetings truly have. 

Love from Argentina!

 Elder Siebers

Here are my pday compositions for this week. 

NOTE: I have to make the compositions into a video in order to upload them here.

First we have a string composition entitled "Preludium"

Enjoy!

Can you hear the people sing? Singing the songs of angry men.‏

Yeah thats the subject only cuz me and my comp have had that stuck in our heads the whole last week and whenever we are walking we suddenly and subtly start singin it. 

But on another note, We are going to have more baptisms! 

Thats always fun. 

So in church yesterday a former investigator came to church and was sitting next to my comp. (i was at the piano)

This guy in the past didn´t believe in anything. Nothing in the world.

My comp writes him a note and says "pudo orar? (were you able to pray?)

He responded that his life had since deteriorated and that he felt punished for rejecting the book (Book of Mormon) and the missionaries. He had prayed and asked us when he could get baptized. since he had already attended the church on sundays a bunch of times. He will be getting baptized next Saturday the 27th.

Lesson of the story. 

Don´t wait till your blind to appreciate the light

Don´t wait to be humble to learn your way.

BE HUMBLE, learn the truth and be humble...be humble more.

Read the Book of Mormon if you think i´m crazy and then see what happens to those who aren´t humble. 

I love you all! Keep the Faith and Work!

Elder Nicholas Hanlon Siebers

We had asked Nicholas some questions: 

Do you use/like the missionary bag you took with you?

I actually only use it for divisiones. 4 times a transfer.

It is fairly large and everyone thinks i have a laptop in it (don´t want to robbed of that imaginary laptop.) so i bought a cheap little backpack from the fake walmart and todo bien now.

Online his Mission President's wife posts pictures, but never any info.  We found this picture this week, can you spot Nicholas? I don't know who this Elder Sevallo is, I tried to look him up but didn't find anything.

The conference was awesome! Elder Sevallo (spelling?) came from the seventy., and really the most exciting part is my zone got to have a choir and i was in charge ;Pheehee and a week before i dreamed part of a song and then wrote it out on pday and recorded it with my comp. THEN got to teach it to the zone rapidamente and preform it for the seventy!!! totally awesome!!!!!!

And we learned a lot from him! 

He sent us the recording of the song .  I couldn't figure out how to insert music so I put it in a video to get it here.....

 

We have learned that we can't ever send Nicholas a package or even a pack of pictures.  So we tried to send just one picture in one of our international mail letters and it got through!  

Yes the one with pic got here. We only get mail like once a month when the zone leaders travel. ;P

Happy Mom!

I am growing up

Thats the theme for this week. That i am growing up. i feel sooo old when i talk with other 16 and 17 year old chicos in this area. I remember being just like them. And now i´m the missionaries trying to get them to realize their duty and prepare, And Why? cuz i remember when the missionaries wanted me to come with them. And i never could cuz i "didn´t have time". And now that i invite others and get that response i see how much sadness i must have caused. USE TIME WISELY. Time is a fascinating principle. We all have the same amount and yet do staggering different amounts of things with it. Here are some tips to maximize your day:

1- Sleep Right

namely. Try to go to bed a a reasonable hour. 10 or 11.

2- Don´t Over Sleep

If you don´t sleep in you will be less tired. Wake up at 6 or7 and DO SOMETHING. MAny times we feel tired because our body has nothing to do.

3- Exercise in the mornings, 30 min of exercise in the mornings makes you have to sleep an hour less.

4- Plan. Planning is a celestial principle. Use it.

Anyways. I don´t have much time left (irony) butthats cuz i didn´t plan my email time to well;P object lesson!

But I want you all to know that I love You!. And I can´t wait to hear from you and see you all again in 2 years. scripture of the week. Ether 12:4

Focus on the phrase "better world"

Love And Growth From Argentina!

ELder Siebers

About the Roof project:

Roofs are not normal. but they were quite fun. We just lugged the buckets of cement from the pros down below mixing it to the guys on the roof pouring it on. HAHA missionaries are great manual labor:P

and you will receive your reward

Haha i just keep thinking this phrase: "oh yeah, I´m in Argentina" Its a rather weird feeling that never seems to stick:P

This is probably cuz we just made brownies for p-day. Cuz we´re awesome like that. 

Anyways. I just want to share a short message this week. We've been trying to use more power in less words (because we don´t have time to talk with people, we are always constantly running to the next appointment)

And there is a fun truth that happens when one is forced to stick to the basics and avoid "fluff". Say what you mean and mean what you say. one of the best ways to do this is have an end goal. ALWAYS have a goal. As missionaries we always have the goal of their salvation, but as well as that we have simple short term goals, for example, Attend Church, read the scriptures, pray, hold a Family Home Evening with their family. Then we teach the truth behind the principle (God is our loving Heavenly Father, and because of this role in our lives, He wants that we communicate with Him.) And they then have the choice to accept or no.  

So here is my message:

Know who you are. Thus, know your purpose. Follow that purpose with every ounce of strength you have. Sacrifice for this purpose. After all that. wait.

and wait. 

and you will receive your reward.

Oh! and we built a roof of a member out of concrete this week! it was awesome!

Anyways. 

Hope, Charity, and Love From Argentina

Elder Siebers

I had asked Nicholas if they only had a hot plate to cook on:

We have a stove and oven. and make all sorts of stuff. Like we made brownies today and make pancakes with all sorts of stuff. We are very well fed. (and yes we occasionally add vegetables. occasionally.) fruits are much more common.