Letter #9 (Bermejo, Argentina)

                 This week was great with everything. The language continues to improve everyday and I got the opportunity to bless the sacrament in spanish for the first time yesterday. It went well and I got it on the first try. We also helped a member put carpet down in his work shop. He is a leather shoe maker and Italian so we will hopefully get a nice Italian dinner out of this. It was also the first time, since I have been in Argentina, that I have served. Its not that me and Elder Wilson arent looking for service, the Argentines are just against letting White boys help. The tactic we have tried is I go up and ask if we can help, if they say yes, I will do the work, which consists of usually watering the dirt, sweeping the dirt, or something unneccasary like that, and Elder Wilson will teach them. We do this cause my costallano (spanish) is not great. But we have about 5 steady investigators which is a lot for here cause people dont usually let you in a second time and its great. I love the work even if I cant quite understand whats going on, I usually just sit there and smile my happiest smile because this is a VERY happy message.
         --Elder Maddox II



         This week Travis let me know that he was actually cooking!  He went to Wal-Mart (yep even in Argentina!) and got froze ravioli, boiled them, and then added butter and mozzarella!  Wow!  He really had been paying attention all of these years.  This is one of the quick meals I would make for the kids that they absolutely loved!  Way to go Elder Maddox.  I also made him send me another picture of himself from the internet cafe today.  He said he didn't think he had changed much since the last time I made him do it.  But he sent it for me anyway.  And no, he didn't look any different from two weeks ago, but it does my heart good to see his sweet face.  I love this sweet boy! He, of course, is making a cheesie face because it is nearly impossible to take a picture of Travis without him making a goofy face!  And this week I finally received Travis' Missionary pictures.  I love them!                  ~Lisa

Travis' ravioli he made.  Hey, this is no Top Ramon!

Cooking in Argentina!

Travis' weekly trip to the internet cafe.
  One more picture for Momma!

I think he is so handsome!

Letter #8 (Bermejo, Argentina)

                                                                                                                                Week 2 in Argentina
                  Argentina is wonderful. We have a lot of opportunities to teach and to find new investigators. The problem is getting in the house a second time. People are fine if you teach them once but rarely will they let you in again. They always say they're busy. We call ahead to see if its ok if we come by and they say it is, so we go over, clap on their gate, they answer and say they're too busy. We will then reschedule and ask if anyone in the area needs help with anything or wants to here the message. We get a lot of new references everyday and try to visit them in an hour. I have been reading in Doctrine and Covenants. I recently read in section 42 where it talks about missionary work. In verse 4, we receive the commandment to serve. All of you back home, who are worthy and ready to serve get going and prepare. For those of you who aren't worthy, get worthy and then serve the Lord. In section 35 verse 15, it says the Lord calls the weak, to go and thrash the nations with His word. We all need to be prepared to serve the Master. Somewhere else it also says, the Lord will forgive us of our sins when we serve whole heatedly. How many times, does this happen. Not many. When Elder Holland came and talked to us, he said we have been called since the Pre-Existence to serve where we are called. We have two years out of eternity to fulfill this Celestial calling. We will look back on this section of our life for all of eternity, So lets make it count. I know Heavenly Father loves us and wants to give to us. Section 38 verse 39 tells us this very plainly.
              ~Elder Maddox II

Letter #7 (Bermejo, Argentina)

Bienvenidos a Argentina Elder Maddox II
           Well I am finally here doing what i have prepared my whole life for. The only unfortunate thing is I cant understand what is going on most of the time... Something I keep on thinking about is when in
The Best Two Years  (a popular Mormon movie) , the new elder says ¨this isn´t the language they taught me in the MTC¨ and let me tell you this is exactly how I have felt the past 4 or 5 days. Yesterday at lunch, the members asked what I studied in college (we have lunch with members every single day, its so awesome) and I told them I am only 18. Santa Vaca, you´d have thought I told them I had a couple wives back home (Mormon's don't really have a bunch of wives, that is Travis being funny!)  cause they absolutely flipped!!! It was a great laugh for me and my trainer. I have been blessed to be with Elder Wilson in an area called Bermejo which is amazing!!! I often find myself wondering why I am so blessed to be where I am, who I am with, and at the rate of speed I was able to get here. For those of you who don´t know, Me, along with about 60 other missionaries for the Provo MTC, were able to come straight down to our different missions in Argentina. When we got to Buenos Aries, we split off and joined up with about 14 other missionaries from the Argentina MTC and flew to Mendoza. So in total, there were about 25 of us who came straight from our MTC training, the biggest group in years. We are so blessed to be here, all of us, so make sure to thank your Heavenly Father often.
        ~Elder Maddox II

(Italics above added by Lisa)

Elder Maddox at the internet cafe where they go to use the computers!

His first home in Argentina!

Inside

Arrived in Argentina!

Don't you just love e-mail?  I do!  This morning bright and early I received an e-mail from the Argentina Mendoza Mission Home...



Dear Maddox Family,
 We are happy to inform you that your Missionary has arrived here in Mendoza alive and well! Following a short orientation and a dinner with President and Sister Avila, the new missionaries were then brought to the mission home to eat dinner, recuperate from the flight and have a brief testimony meeting. Today they will meet their trainers, receive trainings from the assistants to the president, and have their first individual interview (in Spanish!) with President Avila. After this they will be off to their first assignment area. I am putting with this email a few pictures we took the first day in Argentina and you can even follow the blog of the mission at http://argentinamendozamission.blogspot.com.ar/ May the Lord continue to bless you and your family for all that you do in order to support your missionary.
Sincerely,
Elder Wells
Secretario Misión Argentina Mendoza

Sis. Avila, Elder Maddox and President Avila

New Missionary Arrivals
(Travis is on the far left peeking his head in)

It is always such a relief to know that they have arrived there safe and sound and that they ended up where they were supposed to be instead of wondering the streets!
    ~Lisa

Heading to Argentina!

Wow!  Yesterday, Travis left the MTC heading to Georgia and then on to Argentina.  We were able to talk on the phone a couple of times.  He sounded so happy and excited.  He bore his testimony to us in Spanish and it was so amazing!  His Spanish teacher in the MTC had served a mission in Argentina so he taught them the proper accent even!  I am so proud of him.  He was traveling with a large group because they were picking up other missionaries that had been waiting for visas in other states.  So now it is a waiting game...I will hopefully hear soon how life in Argentina is!
        ~Lisa

Letter #6 (MTC)

Hey mommy,                                                                                                             Sept. 3, 2013
            It was a wonderful week, full of the normal ups and downs. There is a lot buzz here in district 140-A cause we have single digit days left :0!!! super exciting!!! I'm not sure what else to say besides, I know the Lord blesses His missionaries even if they don't deserve the blessings. I have been able to speak Spanish since about the 3 week I got here and I have no idea how it happened cause I have never had the patience to sit through an Hour and twenty minute class in High School without walking around the school a couple times during class, but I am now able to sit through all the class with excitement and an ability to retain the words the teacher teaches. We have been blessed with the best teachers in the WHOLE MTC. Dad, you need to tell Mark Lords to come be a district president. With the new influx of missionaries, we need a fiery leadership for a fiery missionary force.
   ~Much love, Elder Maddox II

Travel Plans (MTC)

                                                                                                                                      Aug. 31, 2013

I received a quick email from Travis today.  It is a Saturday so it was very unusual. Before Travis left on his mission he needed to obtain a passport and visa.   The visa application process took us almost 3 months just to get finger prints and FBI clearances etc.. We finished and submitted the visa application just before he entered the Missionary Training Center.  There is typically a waiting period of several months for missionaries before they receive their visas.  They often spend several months in a State side mission before heading to Argentina.  Travis was prepared to do that but was so excited when he go this news... 
        ~Lisa


 Mom,
       I got my travel plans. I leave the 9th from Salt Lake City Air Port  for Georgia  at 11 AM, then from Georgia to Buenos Aries at 4:40 pm and arrive at about 8:30 am. then probably a bus or train to Mendoza. We're going in on travel visas. We are the first complete district to go straight to Argentina in a couple years. Blessed does not even describe my thoughts right now.
       ~Elder Maddox