The KEY to success 5/25/09

(Editor's note: Check out these funky Argetine keys in Cooper's hand! By the way, I created another web site where you can see Coop's photos, letters, an Argentine real-time clock, a mission countdown and more! Check out www.missionsite.net/cooperboice )

Hey family,

Another good week in Argentina with my hijito (little son). We had a zone conference this last Tuesday, and we focused on planning. I really liked a quote they told us. That some people are born natural teachers, some people are natural artists, or athletes. But no one is born a natural planner. Haha I don´t know if it´s true or not but I liked it.

On thursday I did divisions with the zone leaders. So I went to their area with one of them to work for the day. I really liked it, and it was funny how different their area is from the area I´m in. There´s a lot more villa, and there´s always a bunch of people in the streets.

Also right now I´m in an internet place (cyber) in their area because todays a holiday here so everythings closed in our area. Argentina is funny.

But anyway, the only other notable event I can think of was that on Sunday we did splits with the bishop and another member and went by less active families, and we found a few good ones. Well, I´m not really sure what else to say, I can´t think of anything right now. NO, nevermind. I just remembered...

One of the Elders in the apartment had to leave and go stay in the mission home because he has knee problems, and so they sent us a mini-missionary. A kid from Rosario thats gonna be a missionary for like 3 weeks. A "mini-mission". I don´t know if they have that in the states.

But anyway, things are going well here and we´re just trying to find more people to share the gospel with. I hope you´re doing well at home. Send my love to Gary and all the Duncan family for me. I can´t be over there but they are in my prayers.

I love you all and I´m really grateful to be here as a missionary. Keep being a great family. I´ll just be down here trying to do my best during these best 2 years ;)
Love,

Elder Boice

May 18, 2009

Hey family!

I don´t have much time to write this week, we´re in a hurry.

Highlights of the week were: we had interviews which is always a good opportunity to learn. And we found and taught some good new people. Last night my greenie and I taught a lesson that went really well and so we were excited because we´re starting to teach with a good flow now. Pretty much everything is going well here and we´re always really busy. I assume it´s pretty much the same over there at home haha :)

Sorry this letter is so short but one more thing HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!! well in a couple days that is. I love you and thanks for being such a great dad.

Love you all!, have a great week
Love,

Elder Boice

May 11, 2009

Hey family,
It was great talking to everyone yesterday!! Mother´s day kind of snuck up on me I can´t believe it came so soon. But so anyway, after the call I of course remembered all the stuff I could have said.

For example I keep forgetting I wanted to talk with mom in spanish, but oh well. And then your question of the most spiritual moment of the mission and the funniest moment. Ok I still don´t know what those would be from my whole mission but I figured since I couldn´t really think of anything at the moment, I´ll make up for that now by telling you the most spiritual and most funny moments of my week.

So for this week, starting with the funniest moment:1. Haha ok there were a few really funny moments. And they both happened this last Thursday. The first, all 4 of us missionaries were in the pinch (apartment), and one Elder started yelling that he had seen another mouse. My comp and I were planning but we jumped up, instinctively grabbed a broom and a metal pole, and ran into the other room. Boxes and suitcases went flying as we tore through the study room going after the mouse, and at one point the mouse came flying toward my companion in flying sidekick position and grabbed on to his leg. The battle raged on for a good 5 minutes and of course wouldn´t have been complete if we hadn´t set fire to the floor in an attempt to trap it in a ring of fire. (Don´t worry, Argentina doesn´t have carpet floors). Well the battle ceased when the mouse somehow escaped and ran into the bedroom. We tore the room apart looking for it but never found it. The good news is that we ended up cleaning the bedroom really well.

2. And the second funny story is that my companion peed his pants when we were walking down the street, cuz he just couldn´t hold it I guess. Mom after reading that is probably thinking Awwwww. But it really was funny you just had to be there.
Ok so that´s enough of the funny stories from this week. PS I have part of the battle with the mouse in a video on my camera, it´ll be on the next CD of pictures that I send.

Ok and the most spiritual moment of the week, would be a lesson we taught to a lady named Airé, I´ve talked about her before. She wants to be baptized and really wants to go to church, but so far the last 2 sundays family has come to visit them sunday morning so they couldn´t go. We talked with her a little bit about how now that she´s decided to be baptized she might have a lot of difficulties or things trying to stop her. Which I´ve never really talked about that with an investigator before but I´m glad we did because the Spirit was stronger in that moment than in the rest of the lesson.

Alright well that´s it for this week. Oh wait, one more thing we did. We went to a little radio station and did an announcement one morning for free english classes that the bishop teaches. That was kinda fun.

OK well I´ll talk to you next week. Thanks for everything family. Love you!
Love,

Elder Boice

Argentine Baptism 5/4/09

Hey Family,

Thanks for the emails. That´s super great that Jaren Hallet got his mission papers in. I had heard a while ago that he had decided to go on a mission, but that´s awesome that he´s going!

Dad, thanks for the update on the family and the pics. Haha I read the Boice Family rules and I liked it. Sounds like the parental units are laying down the law, but that's good. I wish I had spent more time doing better stuff before the mission. Doing more physical things, learning, studying the scriptures, etc. And less time just chilling on the computer. But it´s like the saying, The farthest moment away is a second in the past. Well it goes something like that.

Ok but anyway I´ll tell you a little about my week. There´s not really that much to tell about. But on Wednesday I went to the mission home and met up with the other trainers. The mission president talked to us and gave us a list of what we have to teach our hijos (sons), and then we went outside and met our greenies and ate lunch with them. We took pictures, then went to our areas.

We had a couple days to work, then on Saturday we had a baptism. Woohoo! I thought that was cool, my hijo had 3 days in the mission and a baptism already. Fun. Well yeah, so that was pretty much the highlight of the week obviously.

But a little about my comp. Elder Chamorro is from Chile and seems like a really cool guy and he´ll be a great Elder (I guess I just have to train him right). Before the mission he danced with some group that dances the native dances from Chile and goes around travelling.

Alright well I´m out of time to write, but I sent pictures, enjoy! And I´ll talk to you all on Sunday. (Mother's Day) Chau! Love you!
Love,

Elder Boice