A GREAT TIME TO BE A MISSIONARY ...11/12/2012

ZONE CONFERENCE WITH BUENOS AIRES
MISSION PRESIDENT ZEBALLOS AND WIFE NOV 2012

Hello Hello Friends and Family!

 

I hope everyone is doing wonderful! Well first off I would like to congratulate all my amazing friends who have been receiving their Mission Calls these past few weeks.  Needless to say those “Sisters” are really steppin’ up with the recent announcement:   Ashlynn Clegg - Australia, Addy Bentley - France, Andrea  Barney - Argentina, Kaitlin Davies – Chicago, Emily Howell – California. Gotta give a shout out to my girl Hermana Barney, Mendoza Argentina,so exciting!!!! Oh and Hailey Jones is going on a Mission YAAA!  I am equally as happy for all the Elders who are preparing for their Missions.  I hear the Desert News has reported a 471% increase in Missionary applications since the announcement in this past October General Conference.  This is the greatest calling of all! It is a GREAT TIME TO BE A MISSIONARY!!

 

Well this past week was super odd with the weather.  At the beginning of the week it was decently hot, but like not Alabama hot because it was killer there!!!! Then it poured rain on Wednesday and Thursday, like super bad, but now it’s just pretty windy out, but that’s ok because I love the wind!

Yesterday we had Stake Conference and it was super fun! Tania came with us, and the Buenos Aires Temple President Elder Zeballos and his wife spoke at the meeting. They both gave really good talks filled with the Spirit.

MTC BAW LEADERS MEET AGAIN
ELDER NIELSON MTC ZL & ELDER DRAPER MTC DL
IN BUENOS AIRES TO GET ARGENTINA OFFICIAL ID'S  NOV 7, 2012

 

I met up with Elder Nielson last week while going into Buenos Aires to get out official Argentins ID's.  He looked great and it was so good to see him and catch up on a few things. He was a great Zone Leader at the MTC!!!  

 

Well the transfer ends the 18, and I am hoping that I don’t get transferred because we have 3 baptisms on the 24 of November and they have been progressing so well! First is my darling little Faustina! She is just so ready for baptism! We are also teaching a nine year old boy name Mateo who has some sort of health issues but he is great and super faithful. Another is  Jessica a single 26 year old mom, she is so funny, and she is just super ready for baptism.  All of them have progressed so well and I am so excited for them to enter into the waters of baptism on the 24, so lets hope things keep going good with them!

After the meeting, a little old lady approached me and asked me what ward I was from, and I told her the Altos de Merlo 2 barrio.  She replied with a smile and tears in her eyes, “I know I was prompted to come and talk to you because I am an inactive member of the Altos de Merlo 2 barrio and I need a blessing of health”.  I grabbed my Companion and we took her into another room and I gave her a blessing of health, and she thanked us. It was quite an amazing experience, the spirit was very strong! We are planning to go visit her this week and see how she is doing and how we can help her out some more, I love the opportunities for service here!

I also had an interview with President yesterday, it was a nice little chat, he really is a great man! I expressed to him that I really was so in love with my area and I would prefer to stay but, we will see what happens.  I would really like to be here for the 3 baptisms.

A LITLE FUN WHILE WAITING FOR MISSION PRESIDENT INTERVIEWS

 

Ok time for my little pop culture update!  I love to hear about this TV show they watch here called “Floricienta”! I guess it’s like a spin on Cinderella and I saw a sneak peek the other day while we were waiting for one of our investigators to come back into the room, I mean really should I have left the room too or covered my eyes and offended their little girls? HAHA It was cute and the girls love to tell me about it when we visit, it just so happened to be on this time and they were thrilled to share it, soo???

 

As they play music a lot here in the streets, all kinds, I heard part of the new Ke$ha song, “Genius”.  I caught this line something like "Wild Childs lookin good,  livin’ life just like we should" Ha and I had to smile inside myself, thinking how true, My Life My Mission just like I should!! Not that I ever lived it bad or anything, as I was never the extreme Wild Child”  she probably is referring too, I was more of a “Bigger Then Life Child” right mom HA HA Everyday I had an agenda and I still do, the AGENDA has just changed and is just more important now!!

  

Well I miss ya’ll a ton! I hope everyone is doing well! Stay sweet Lyn’s and Wyatt I miss our little tuffs and teasing each other, don’t fret we will pick up where I left off from soon.  HAHA! Also shout out to Dad who is on the road or should I say in the air today, have a great week! 

 

Yep mom, gotta run, I miss you tons and love you more!

 

Love,

Elder Draper


 

PDAY WITH MISSION PRESIDENT AND WIFE 11/5/2012

FELIZ HALLOWEEN




EL BIGOTE "THE MAN THE MUSTACHE"

Hello Friends and Family!

 

Sorry but this week is going to be a little short, we are pushed for time as we have been shopping and are about to go to lunch with Hermana Cater and President.  I am currently writing you from my Mission Presidents wife's computer right now!  Yes, I am in the home of the Mission President, no I am not ill or in trouble.  I just had the most amazing experience to go shopping with the wonderful Hermana Carter today.  She took me because I am losing allot of weight and my clothes don't fit me, I mean really don’t fit I am poking holes on my belt to make extra ones to tighten my pants and she decided enough was enough and said “Be ready on Monday and well, here I am. We went out this morning and I bought a new suit and some pants, super nice stuff too!  Feels good to be able to walk again without fearing the loss of my pants! HAHA

 

I hope everyone is having a good week!  Elder Gomez is starting to open up to me a bit more, which is wonderful it just feels good! Our investigators are progressing really well! We have for sure (or at least I am hoping) 3 baptisms on the 24 of November, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

I hope all my Italian kin in New Jersey are safe and sound, and the city that holds my heart, New York is getting the help they need!  Please continue to pray for the people and all who have been affected by the devastating storm! Yes we hear about the news from the investigators, that is about the first thing they ask, Where are you from?, and then go right into anything that is happening in the states like the storms and stuff.

I hope you enjoy my Halloween photo and drawing.  The other picture is Elder Wilson and myself, coming in after fixing the roof in that insane storm we had. We didn’t really think about it tell all was said and done, that we are on a metal roof for like 2 hours with the rods just flaming down everywhere!  HAHA Lord was definitely laughing there but still looking out for us!!

About letters listen up all, this is the address you will want to send anything as it gets here, some have been sending it to the Mission Office and eventually it will get here but this is this the closest address to my Mission here in Alto de Merlo II.  Please do continue to keep those letters coming, you just don’t know how much us Missionaries (Jesus Boys what the Alabamans call us) look forward to them.  After all it’s about as close to home as we get right?? HAHA

Iglesia S.U.D.

Elder Wade Draper

Mision Argentina Buenos Aires Oeste

C.C. 92

1702 Ciudadela

Buenos Aires, Argentina
 

 Well I love ya'll so much and I promise to write longer next week! I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! Next... Thanksgiving yay!!!!  Love ya'll, gotta run mom, love u much!

 

Love,

Elder Draper

 

"LLUVIA LLUVIA DESAPARECE "RAIN RAIN GO AWAY"

 

 

 

TRICK OR RAIN 10/29/2012

 






MISS ARGENTINA WISHING YOU A HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 

Hello Hello Hello!!!

Well first off HAPPY HALLOWEEN in 2 days, oh how I will miss it so much! I can´t remember if I mentioned it in one of my previous emails, but they only celebrate Halloween... in the big city of Capital!

Well this past week was absolutely amazing!  We are teaching some wonderfully amazing people! We are currently teaching Faustina, a darling little abuelita.  I had probably one of the most spiritual experiences ever, the other day with her.  We were teaching her about the Restoration of the Gospel, and I think she has a hard time understanding or remembering because of her age.  We were talking
about living Prophets and we showed her a picture of President Monson and the Apostles.  She just stared at it for a few good minutes, as the room remained silent.  The spirit was so strong, I felt I needed to bear my testimony about living Prophets.  She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and again I was just overcome with the spirit, an amazing experience!  I hope to have lots more!

Well I am still just trekkin along with my Senior Companion, even though  I feel like I am leading this companionship, I do get frustrated, but I have developed so much patience on the Mission. I won´t lie he is kind of odd, but then again this is coming from me right! HAHA

I am basically running on like 6 hours of sleep right now!  Saturday night I woke up just scratching my arms all over because I am covered in have a mosquito bites, so I didn´t get back to sleep that night! Then last night, out of nowhere a huge storm hit, and I woke up at like 3am, it was so loud and lightning like every 3 seconds! As I was lying in bed I heard Elder Wilson get out of bed, I presumed he was going to the bathroom, but like 2 minutes later he ran in whistling loudly telling us get up get up, the kitchen is flooding!  One of the drains on the roof was clogged, so we went on the roof to unclog the drain, it is just pouring by now.  By the time we were done it was like 5:30 in the morning and we have to wake up at 6:30 so I didn’t get back to sleep.   When I get to a computer that I can send pictures, next week, I will send one of us drenched! HAHA  that also was quite the experience!

We are having a conference with an Area 70 this week and I am super excited for that! We are also having a Stake baptismal service where all the missionaries in our zone have a goal of at least 2 baptisms.  We have 5 people scheduled for that day!  Transfers are on November 18 so hopefully I am still here!

I want to leave ya´ll with a bit of information about the mail service here and how awful it can be.  If you write me, I promise I will write you back, and you will eventually receive it, however if you write me, and I don´t write you back that means I didn´t get your letter at all.  You see the mail incoming mail here takes 10-14 days to arrive.  I then have to wait for my Zone Leaders to go into town and get mail and packages and they do that about 3 times a month so I may not actually get mail in my hands until 20 days after it is mailed from the states, packages take twice and even three times as long!

Hope all is well and I hope everyone has a safe fun happy Halloween!  Love ya´ll!

Love,

Elder Draper

DRENCHING RAINS

 

 



 OCTOBER IN THE MISSION 

 

 

 

  



WELCOME TANIA 10/20/2012

D & C 20:73 la persona que es llamada por Dios y tiene autoridad de Jesús Cristo a bautizar, irá hacia abajo en el agua con la persona que ha presentado a sí mismo para el bautismo y dirá, llamar a él o ella por su nombre: haber recibido el encargo de Jesucristo, yo te bautizo en el nombre del padre y del hijoy del Espíritu Santo. Amén.

Hello Hello Family Friends, Stars and Studs!

I hope ya´ll have had a good week! This past week I would like to title, “Bad Luck, With a Sprinkle of Good Luck” Ha Ha

 

First of all, the weather this past week has been absolutely wretched.  It rained basically every day! One of the days, I believe it was Thursday, started out beautiful! We headed out into the streets of Argentina, and out of nowhere it started pouring rain, and I without my rain gear, tragically got soaked to the bone. In some ways it made me think for a brief moment of what the Savior went through, so much, for our Salvation and this compared to only a  grain of sand, so with that thought and drenched I pressed forward for the remainder of the day!

 

My new companion Elder Gomez, is a quiet thing, he really doesn´t talk to me much. To clarify last week’s comment he speaks very little English not Spanish like I mistyped last week, however even when I talk to him in Spanish it´s always a little response and that’s it! I think he is shy or something, but he is a really good teacher when it comes to teaching! It isn´t very fun sitting or walking in silence either, sooo I am hoping I can change that! I need to have a fun companion or I will die!!!! HAHA

 

I also had a baptism this past Saturday! My darling friend Tania was baptized, and she wanted me to baptize her, so I baptized my first Argentine! She is 15 and it was a really great experience!

 

The preperation was a little frustrating though. The last minute on Friday night, she told us she couldn´t be baptized at the time we had planned so we had to change that. We had to call all the members and tell them the time had changed, I dont think the Bishop was to happy with us but oh well! The next day as we were filling up the font, I noticed there was a dead spider in the font and so I carefully walked into the font, and as I walked down the stairs of the font, I slipped and fell into the water. I sat there for a minute so mad, but then I just started laughing! The baptism went wonderfully and the next day was her confirmation. Earlier in the week she told me that she wanted a skirt and a blouse that she could wear to Church because she didn´t have one, so I bought her one. When she walked into the Chapel, BAM she was radiating, “Elder Draper's” wardrobe choices did work, she looked wonderful!!

 

(Bad Romance just came on in the cyber,, I am loving my life)HAHA, music in the cyber café what a strectch right!  Cabree, ya her guy is s stud huh, Iam happy for her! Got Addie Bentley’s address thanks moms! She is  preparing her Mission papers and will leave before I get home!

 

A shout out, to my Cuz, Tanner Draper, who just committed to Oregon State Baseball. That’s a trip that the the Oakland A’s, and Florida Marlins, have been to visit and are trying to recruit you as well, lots of luck to you, your hard work deserves the best!

 

Oh my, my little sister, Lyndsey looks, pause, SENSATIONAL in here Cheer Photos, print them off and send them to me. Is she having fun with that and is she going to keep up with that or try volleyball next year, she will be great at either! Is she wearing makeup to school to cause wow, that’s all I can keep saying to myself! She's quite the KNOCK OUT mom! Your gonna need me home soon!!

 

I didn’t get the Halloween package yet, but I will thanks! The Zone Leaders only go into the office 3 times a month, I think they are going in this Friday. I am supposed to go in on November 7^th to get my “Identity".

 

Could you have Shelbie send a Christmas CD for me, I emailed her some songs that I would really like to have, before December arrives. I would really love a Picture Calendar for Christmas, have Shelbie take some photos of the family, I think that you can make them at Walmart. There are a few sound tracks I wouldn’t mind having either I will send them to you.

 

Well that was my week in a nutshell!I am looking forward to this upcoming week! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful October there and in Alabama! Mom will you email some pics to Sister Tracy and Sister Andrea and let them know I am thinking of them, and wishing them T"HE BEST OF THE GOSPEL "I love ya´ll in their lives!!  Well that was my week in a nutshell! I love you all so very much and wish everyone a wonderful October.  Catcha next  Monday!!

 

Love,

Elder Draper 

 

MY LITTLE PUMPKIN PATCH

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER TRANSFERS..MISSING OCTOBER 10/15/2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GANG AT OCTOBER 2012 TRANSFERS
SISTER ANDREASON, SISTER CAHOON, ELDER NIELSON, ELDER DRAPER (4 FROM MTC DISTRICT) BEGINNING WITH PURPLE SCARF

 

Hello, Hello, Hello,

Well, this past week was a tad bit stressful! My birthday came and went then Tuesday came with transfers.

Did you get my pics of my Birthday breakfast, Golashes in the rain and Conference ride?  Yep I got the Yellowstone and Jackson Hole pics, can’t wait for our big vacation after the mish Yaaa!?   I got my Birthday package also, pants are still a bit big but with a belt they fit fine!  I loved the cologne, smells so good and I love the jeans! Nope never got zebra sheets in Alabama, but it’s all good!

Elder Delgado and I returned from tracking Tuesday night and while we were planning for the next day, we heard the Zone Leaders phone ring!  I wasn´t too worried about being transferred, because I am new, but I still had a little feeling of (not sure what to call it???) for the unknown in my head.  We ran in and listened to the Transfer Call. They went down the list, and finally came to Altos de Merlo 2.... my heart was beating soooo fast! "Elder Delgado... SE VA!" Elder Delgado was leaving me! And also Elder Young was leaving as well! So it was just me and Elder Wilson staying in the pension.

The next day we went and said goodbye to some families, it was hard for some because Elder Delgado had been in this area for 6 months!!!

 

We went to transfers the following day and I got the little birthday song sang to me and a few other missionaries. Then the video started for transfers... Merlo Zone came right up and my “Elder Wilsons” picture popped up, he received Elder Moore, then my picture and I received… Elder Gomez! He is from Costa Rica, and speaks very very little Spanish... but my language has really improved the few short days I´ve had with him. He is a tad bit quiet, he has 19 months in the Mission, so alot of experience!

 

The ride back from the Mission office was quite a treat... ha! I didn´t know how to get back to our area, I didn´t know our address I only knew the street we lived on and it wasn´t coming up on the remis drivers GPS, but we eventually made it back!

 

We were a tad bit short of our key indicators at the beginning of the week, so we came up with a plan to go through our area book, and find old investigators and people that had been contacted in the street, We managed to find over 200 people that we can go visit, so I am hoping to have more investigators this week.

 

We have a baptism coming up this Saturday, I hope that it goes through, her name is Tania, and she is in love with me! HAHA Her Quince party was this past Saturday and we helped her decorate for it, I wanted to go so bad, but it started at 10 pm, basically our bed time... and I don´t think President would have been too fond of me going to a party. 

 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful October! This is probably the hardest month for me to be away! Birthdays, colors, haunted houses, scary movies, jackets, Halloween parties, Hocus Pocus, Halloween in general! Really I miss it so much, but I hope to receive fun pictures and letters of all your October adventures!

Send me the pics of Lyndsey in her cheer uniform she looks great, like printed out!  I have been thinking mom, you should dye your hair for fun like Farrah Fawcett blonde, really.

As usual I gotta run now! I love you so much, like TONS and miss you!  Have an amazing week.

Later!
Love,

Elder Draper



ELDER DRAPER AND ELDER DELGADO
BIRTHDAY BREAKFEST FOR
ELDER DRAPER PREPARED BY ELDER DELGADO 

 



"SINGING OR SINKING IN THE RAIN"

 

TAKING A REMIS TO OCTOBER 2012 TRASNFERS
ELDER DELGGAO, ELDER DRAPER, ELDER WILSON

BUENOS AIRES OCOTBER 2012 TRANSFERS