Hello Lomas de Solymar

Dear Everyone,

We really didn't expect that changes call last week, but here I am in Canelones, Uruguay, right next to Montevideo!  The ward I have moved into is amazing.  I am in the Lomas de Solymar ward in the zone La Costa.  We're right on the beach, although I haven't seen it yet.  The members are wonderful.  They are super excited to work with us in missionary work and even the young men want to leave with the missionaries to see what the mission experience is like.  This is going to be a fantastic change.  My companion is named Elder Green.  Which state is he from?  Trick question!  He is from Peru!  His grandfather is American and so the very american name that he has continues until his generation, even though he doesn't know any English and his accent is super Peruvian.  He is a super old missionary.  Like, super old.  Like, tomorrow he completes two whole months on his mission.  He is actually still an oro, as in I am completing his training and he couldn't be happier.  Evidently, he and his trainer didn't get along in any sort of way.  So he refuses to call his trainer his father and instists that I am his real trainer.  So, I adopted him.  And now I am a father.  Would you look at that!  Elder Sevilla is a grandfather!  I am super stoked because this area has amazing potential.  Elder Green is a hard worker and so far we have gotten along excellently.

Last Thursday, we went to a recent convert's house.  Her name is Zoe and she is eight years old.  Her mother is named Yessy.  Yessy was going to get baptized a while back, but she could never give up smoking, so she kind of gave up and stopped talking to the missionaries.  But this past Thursday we buckled down and testified like there was no tomorrow that God is a God of miracles (Mormon 9:19-21) and that He could heal her.  We gave her blessing on Saturday and she hasn't been smoking since.  We set the baptismal date for this Saturday and everything is going swimmingly.  I am a huge fan of miracles and have learned that the Lord really does provide miracles if we choose not to doubt even a little bit.  So I have given up on doubting.  It no longer exists for me. And I have seen amazing miracles so far from it.  We are gonna baptize!  Yessi is super excited to finally get there after already having given up.  But her faith has been renewed and now she is repenting.  Next stop: baptism.

Being a district leader is super fun, but all I have in my district are sisters. And after having spent such a good amount of time trying to have little to no communication with sisters, the Lord saw it fit to bless me with the opportunity to talk to them every single night over the phone.  They are an amazing district, though, so we're working really hard.  It's a whole new step of service and a completely different realm of missionary work.  Instead of just motivating people to get baptize, I now also get to motviate people to baptize.  I am having an excellent time working with them and our zone is full of wonderful people.  Being in a new area is always so exciting and gives a missionary the abilitly to leave any sort of bad habit aside that he used to take part in.  It always brings such energy! I am super jazzed!  We're gonna baptize!  I really love being here in Uruguay.  It is my home now.  I love everything about my life and am so glad thatI have so much time to continue to grow and learn.  The Lord is really blessing me.  I will continue to give my all.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

Wasn't I Just Emailing You Guys?

Dear Everyone,

Have you ever tried to type on a English keyboard that has Spanish programming? It's a game of guessing sometimes and I am not a good guesser... We always seems to take it one step further every week when it comes to how hard we work and how much we give of ourselves. We need to improve our charity toward the people of Florida. I am in dire need of some charity. And humility. And basically every Christlike attribute. It is a work in progress. I wish I could say that I remember what happened this week... Let me think...

We have been meeting with several people that are progressing in several aspects of the Gospel, but have yet to take a leap of faith and come to church. This is difficult for several because most the people that we teach live in the very humble part of Florida and the chapel is wayyyy on the other side of the city. None of them have cars. Few of them even have bikes. So they have to walk. And in the cold Sunday morning it is Uruguay custom to sleep. And then eat and then drink some mate (pronounced mah-tey), which is the herbal tea that everyone drinks down here. And then go back to sleep. Sounds fun, right?

We do see several miracles. We met a guy on the street who stopped believing in God after his daughter of 12 years died in an accident, but after letting the Spirit guide our conversation, I testified about the Book of Mormon, how it was the keystone of my belief in God. "I have to reach that whole thing? Is there a movie or something?" No, there isn't. But we agreed to watch the Finding Faith in Christ movie the next day. He was really jazzed and we could see the flicker of hope gleaming in his eye. Unfortunately, in between that time, his family convinced him not to let us in the next day. When we arrived, he was back to being bitter, which really made me sad. He had read the pamphlet we gave him about the Plan of Salvation, but never prayer to know it was true. That's like watching three quarters of a movie. Of course you won't be satisfied. Seeds need to be planted as well as reaped, so we knew we did our part. He'll get there one day. I hope that all are having excellent weeks. After August is over, the cold will go away! I love you all and ask for your prayers for me and my family. I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,
Elder Plautz

Didn't I Just Write You Guys, Like, Two Seconds Ago?

Dear Everyone,
 

I was a fan of this week. Elder Gila and I have been trying to be the missionaries that Heavenly Father wants us to be and as we give more and more of ourselves, we see greater and greater blessings. We are still have trouble helping our investigators progress. We have still been teaching Fabricio Costábile, a non-member in a family of two other members who are reactivating. Fabricio is gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormón, but he is still having trouble getting to church and agreeing to be baptized on a specific date. We'll continue to teach inspired lessons and I know that he will come unto Christ more fully as he is willing to make decisions. Many people don't think that they're ready to be baptized because they don't know enough. The truth is that all you have to have is a broken heart and a contrite Spirit, you ust be willing to keep God's commandments and stand as a witness of Christ at all times and in all places. The learning will come with time. No one is ever done learning.

Last Monday night we were knocking on doors and we approached a house whose architecture echoed of that from decades ago. Florida is anciente, and the older buldings are made of intricately-carved and designed concrete and have towering, old, wooden doors. (The entrances are composed of two tall wooden doors, like french doors, with large elegant knobs for show.) The night was quiet and the streets were vacant, just like most cold nights in Florida. Uruguayans go to sleep early in conditions such as these. We approached the door and knocked three times, hearing the echoes of our knocks from inside. Standing in front of the house, we felt a weird presence. I knocked three times again, and the doors began to open, leaving us to believe that someone would be there to greet us, but we found not a soul. The doors opened on their own, simultaneously, all the way, revealing a dark hallway that led to another set of old wooden doors. No light emitted from inside. We just saw darkness. "¿Hola?" I questioned, which echoed in the hallway. No answer. I took a step inside, curious as to whether someone had heard us-----NOT. I have seen enough movies to know that the house was haunted. If we had stepped inside, the doors would have closed on their own and no one would have ever heard from us again. As soon as those doors opened, I urgently said "We're going," and we high-tailed it outta there. I'm not about to die on my mission by the hands of ghosts.

We saw great success this week and I really love my mission. It has been nothing easy, but it is turning me into the person that the Lord wants me to be afterward. Thank you for all of your prayers. I love you all! I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

It's Always Chilly in Floridelphia

Dear Everyone,

Once upon a time there was an Elder.  He worked hard in Uruguay during the winter, but forgot what it was like to be warm.  It didn't seem to matter how many sweaters or jackets he put on, the cold still penetrated.  He even looked like that kid from "A Christmas Story" because of how many clothes he had to put on.  The winter almost destroyed him.  (Back to first person.)  They are calling for snow in Uruguay this week.  Do you know how long it has been since it has snowed in Uruguay? There's a man in our ward of 82 years who has never seen snow in his life.  That's how long.  It probably won't snow here in Florida because of how low it is in altitude; we'll just get the fierce winds and the rain: oh, joy...  I broke down and bought gloves and an umbrella.  I am not as strong as I thought I was.  Even though the gloves don't really keep my hands warm, I think that it's a mental thing.

The cold doesn't help the Uruguayans want to listen to us in the street or even in their houses.  Uruguayan culture calls for two things when it is cold, dark, and wet.  Tortas fritas (which is just fried dough, sometimes with dulce de leche) and sleep.  If there is one thing that Uruguayans like more than (anything to do with) fútbol, it is sleeping.  At any time of the day (but especially after lunch, when they take their siesta, which is the optional nap that most of them enjoy after a nice meal).  So what do we do as missionaries in these circumstances that don't seem in our favor?  We have faith and keep working!  Don't think that there is ever an excuse not to work (unless it's too dangerous, but that rarely ever happens).  We need to find, teach, and baptize!  This week was incredibly fast and we worked harder than ever, bringing us a lot of success.  People came to church and the branch is growing.  We are working to help the members get jazzed about firstly, going out with us to teach, and next, find people for us to teach.  We need more faith right now so we can see greater miracles.

We're teaching several people right now, but they are still having trouble progressing.  We want them to progress, but we cannot force them.  Our job is to carry the Spirit unto their hearts; they have their decision let it into their hearts.  We find with faith, we teach with testimony, and we baptize with water. That's the way to do it.  We are teaching an older lady named Olga (and she's not German--I had always been under the impression that women with the name of either Helga or Olga were born about eighty years old with muscles like a Roman soldier and a thick German accent; I was wrong).  She is the grandma of a family of members and we're all trying to help her realize that religion is not a position of status.  That's the reason that many people don't want to change.  We'll keep praying about the way we can help her grow a testimony of the restoration.  I love you all.  Thanks for your support!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz 

Oren por mí y los hijos de Dios que sirvo.  Precisamos las oraciones suyas.

I have less than zero time today.

Pday ends in two minutes.  I love you all.  Keep the prayers coming.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

I Am So Cold. And I Lost My Gloves.

Dear Everyone,

We are working toward the middle of winter now and I think I seriously underestimated how much I would suffer from the low temperature when I was packing last year right after summer was over.  Two sweaters will be fine, I thought to myself, and if it's cold, then I'll just deal with it.  Wrong.  Wrong, wrong wrong.  So wrong.  Did I mention that I was wrong?  I eventually got to the point where I would ask for sweaters from the members (who were more than happy to donate to a poor missionary).  So now I am a bit warmer and like an Ogre, I now have layers.  But my hands...  Yes, my hands continue to suffer.  My trainer had given me an excellent pair of gloves on the onset of my mission, which I lost after he left.  Elder Gila then gave me a pair, but I lost those, too.  I guess my hands were just meant to be cold.  Don't expect me to find time during to day to get gloves or have money to buy them!  I am a poor missionary who has to work!  Do you know how much time I would lose if I took time to buy gloves?  Too much!  We must work!

The changes this week brought four new missionaries in our zone.  Like they are called greenies in the United States as new missionaries, they are called golden in South America (at least Uruguay), or "oro."  So we got four new oros and they have brought an excellent new zeal and energy to our group of hard workers.  I feel as if the quality of missionaries has greatly improved since the age changed.  Maybe that's just me.  Maybe it's just my mission.  But the missionaries that we receive are fantastic!  And they come in by the truck-load now, so the mission is really going upward.

We are still working with our investigators and helping them realize the importance of coming to church.  We can only bear so much testimony until we realize that they just won't progress, though. Sometimes it's difficult for a missionary to extend a commitment (such as a baptismal commitment) because they know that the person will say no.  The missionary might refrain and just wait a while, thinking that the person has to be more prepared to receive the invitiation.  The truth is that if a missionary bears sincere and faithful testimony to his or her investigator, then the Spirit will be present.  If the Spirit is present, then the commitment should be extended.  There is no question.  The Spirit will testify to the person that what they are being invited to do is true.  The person may reject the testimony, though, and reject the invitation.  This simply means that they are not ready to hear the Gospel.  The reason the missionary might not extend the invitation is because he knows that if and when they reject it, then he'll have to drop his investigator.  And if he has to drop his investigator, then he'll have to find new people to teach.  And finding new people to teach is the most difficult and exhausting thing to do.  But that's the work of a missionary.  So we as missionaries have to learn to be bold and loving.  And we have to be willing to keep searching no matter what the circumstances are.  And we have to be willing to extend commitments when the Spirit is present.  So Elder Gila and I continue to work!  And we love working together.  He is the best.  We will do what it takes to invite others to come unto Christ.  We love these people and desire their salvation and blessings.  Todos se tienen que bautizar.  Sí o sí.  I love this work!  And I am having the best time of my life in the service of others.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

The fotos:

the first is a pensive Elder Plautz in Florida, next to Piedra Alta

second is me with Elder Gila. But a witch used a spell on us. We got better.

I'm just jazzed to be a part of the show!

Dear Everyone,

I know that you were all holding your breath, wondering what would come to us these changes, but to my everlasting happiness I get to stay with Elder Gila for another six weeks!  And you know what we're gonna do? We're gonna BAPTIZE! I really love this guy; he's my favorite companion.  We are really helping each other be the best that we can be and the Lord is seriously blessing us.  We have been teaching this guy named Fabricio (aren't Latino names the best?) for a while and he is finally understanding the role and the importance of the Book of Mormon, which is the keystone of our religion.  Elder Gila and I have learned that the best way to teach is through testimony and not through knowledge, through love and not through selfish desire.  It is amazing to see the change in people's faces as the Spirit begins a process of enlightenment and they begin to understand their purpose and potential.  I am so blessed to see this with Fabricio.  He is coming along well; he is about thrity-five years old and he and his thirty-year-old sister live with and take care of their mother, who, in her late sixties, is coming under some mental disease where she hears things like voices and stuff.  They tell me that it can get pretty hectic.  Nonetheless, Fabricio's sister Viviana and his mother Elisabeth are both less active members and we're trying to help them all come to church and partake in the sweetness of the fruit of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

One miracle we saw this week was simple and powerful.  We all know that knocking doors isn't very effective, but if we don't have anything else to do, then we have no choice.  As we walk along the streets of Florida, it's amazing to see the Spirit work through us as we feel the impressions to go to a house that we see and find out that the person or people that live there really need to hear from us.  (Even if they don't accept us.)  Such a miracle happened this past Wednesday when we knocked the door of a lady named Teresa, who had recently lost her son, who was a father and a husband, to a terminal disease.  This is why I know that our church is true:  because the moment that she opened her door, she said that she was busy and that she didn't have time, that she didn't want to talk to us.  All we said next was that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Many times we just say "we're missionaries from the church of Jesus Christ" or "we're representatives of Jesus Christ," but in this specific moment, Elder Gila named the title of the true church of God.  And even when we do something as small as that, the Spirit testifies to others of truth.  Call the name long, if you will, but behind it there is the power of God, which is eternal.  After that, she stopped for a second and literally said "I think I need this." She then explained her situation and her loss.  And after testifying of the Plan of Salvation, she began to feel peace.  This peace comes from truth; it is a peace that is long-lasting.  It endures through trial because it is accompanied with hope and faith.  Anybody who has the ability to go on a mission and decides not to is making a huge mistake, because moments like these really fortify me for the rest of my life.  These were just a few of the miracles we saw this week.  Not even a hundredth part of what we actually saw could even be written.  I love this work.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

In LDS.org there's a new page called "Hastening the Work of Salvation."

Dear Everyone,

Feel like member-missionary work is a little bit difficult? You aren't alone.  But yesterday we watched this amazing broadcast and heard from speakers Jeffrey R. Holland, Russel M. Nelson, Boyd K. Packer, Neil L. Anderson, L. Tom Perry, and our beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson.  All of them talked about the same focus, that the time to come together to work in the field (which is white and all ready to harvest) as members and missionaries is now.  Elder Holland promised us that an invitation (to church or an activity or something like that) borne out of love for the Savior and for the people who we are inviting will never offend.  Take him up on that promise.  Elder Nelson shared with us a parable of a father who loves his children enough to check on them and think about what he can do to help them.  He as a father doesn't do this out of obligation or because some manual tells him to, rather he does it out of love.  That should be our motive to share the Gospel.  On LDS.org there is a new page called "Hastening the Work of Salvation" that helps members find more meaningful ways to share the Gospel and help the missionaries have people to teach.  You all may wonder why I always come out and preach about missionary work in my letters.  It is because of just how important I know missionary work to be.  It is so important.  And I am willing to remind all of you again and again of the blessings that will come to those who hearken to the words of President David O. McKay: "every member a missionary."  

This week has been filled with meetings.  I had to say goodbye to President Armstrong and his wife. I have never been a huge fan of goodbyes.  Even though my mission president won't be leaving until near the end of the next month, I won't be seeing him in person any time before then.  I'll just be working.  Florida is getting colder.  I feel like I forget what cold is like every year as I go through the summer.  And then once it comes I am amazed when the temperature goes further and further down.  Plus I never understood Celsius temperature measurement.  (No matter how many times they explain it to me, I always forget, like, five minutes afterward.)  So I just look at the thermometer like I would look at my old Calculus notes and stand conquered by the fear of the unknown.  Do you know how much scarier temperature is when you have no way of measuring it.  And none of the people here pay attention to the weather!  So I never know if it'll rain!  Needless to say, I am basically a saint.  End of story.

I admit that I do love learning the language of my companion Elder Gila, Bislama.  The vocabulary words are almost all English, but grammar words are all different.  They use the words "long" and "blong" a lot.  And just listening to him speak is a treasure.  I think I'll learn this language, too.  Why not?  It's pretty excellent.
 Unfortunately, I don't have much more to say today other than we're working harder and harder every day.  And this is the most amazing experience of my life.  Have you ever read the Liahona magazine before? (I guess you Americans call it the Ensign.)  It's incredible!  I love you all and thank you for all of your support and prayers.  I know that when we do our best and we work our hardest, the Lord will not let us faith, according to His will.  And when we are on the Lord's errand, we are entitled to his will.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

 

This first picture is pretty amazing. If I could fly, I would fly with a copy of the Book of Mormón in my hand and declare repentance to everybody. (With love; this picture seems more frightening than loving.)

The second picture is me with Elder Gila. He's my Turk Turkleton. (Except for Devin Bodhaine.)

There Can Be Miracles When You Believe

Dear Everyone,
 

I hope that everything is warm in the United States, because things just keep getting colder here.  I never got used to the cold, either, so I have been putting as many clothes on as I can to avoid feeling the disastrous affects of the temperature.  As I was suffering outside, dealing with this climate, asking myself why, oh why was the cold created, I had an apostrophe (I think he means an epiphany) that God probably invented the cold so that His children would be forced to be chaste in their clothing for a least three months.  Now the cold doesn't seem so bad.  But I'm still not its biggest fan.
 

Our week was one of miracles.  As I have been contemplating what I must do to fully give myself to the Lord and do what Christ would do in any situation, I have wanted more and more to just be a blessing to this people in any way that I can.  Obviously the best way to serve them is help them repent and be baptized, because the greatest joy comes from that of losing one's self in the hands of the Lord and reaping the blessings of righteousness and happiness.  My end goal is to baptize, but why am I doing it?  Is it for personal gratification, or is it to build the kingdom of God and to serve the people?  For me, maybe it has been a little of both, but this is continually changing (for the better) as I try harder and harder to be more like Christ.  I am convinced that because of these efforts, both from myself and my amazing companion Elder Gila (by the by, it's pronounced "Kee-la"), we have found great success this week.  Still, nobody is coming to church, which is pretty much the greatest setback there ever was to missionary work, but we must show the Lord that we are willing to work hard and be obedient, even if that means that we don't see the blessings that we are expecting immediately (even if the expected blessings are righteous and just).  This, I believe, is called patience.  And it's something that the Lord is finding many ways to bless me with.
 

What were some of the miracles we saw this week, then?  Well, to understand, I must start with the premise that in Florida, it has been very difficult find people to teach, and especially difficult to help them agree to us even coming back to talk more.  We would be lucky to find even one new person to teach every day, and normally our weeks would end with much, much less than seven (going with the idea of one per day) "new investigators," as they are titled.  This week, however, the Lord blessed us with not just seven new people to teach, but seventeen.  These were amazing miracles.  Every day, we would go out and say "we don't know if it's possible to have as much success as we did yesterday, but we are going to trust the Lord and hope that He blesses us." Lo and behold, we saw a great deal of success.  And it was such a wonderful gift from the Lord.  There is a great chance that we lose several of these people to the walls of non-progression and disinterest over time (because exaltation requires actually doing something and some people aren't interested in action), but I trust the Lord.  And I know that if I do everything I can to follow His will, then we will have the success that He is waiting to grant us.
 

Another tender mercy of the Lord this week was running into a less-active lady who was baptized by my trainer, Elder Sevilla.  And it was just a nice reminder from the Lord that Elder Sevilla was, indeed, the boss that I make him out to be.  Because he literally was amazing.  And I miss him a lot.  Anyway, I just know that we are doing our best.  And although we're not perfect, we are getting closer every day.  I hope that everybody has a wonderful week.  I love you all.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.
 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

Sometimes I forget that there was a life before my mission.

Dear Everyone,

First of all, I learned today that back in San Carlos this past Saturday, Honorio Soriano entered the waters of baptism.  And he is now a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I can't express how happy that makes me to know that he finally got there after all of his hard work.  I really love that guy.

I have been learning more and more that the more that we learn, the more there is that is expected of us.  I have been learning a lot in Florida about how much I not only depend on the Lord for every single blessing, but also that He also expects me to give myself to Him.  Everything.  That's not easy.  It has been really tough realizing that there are still things that I do that I know I must change, even if they aren't really that bad or if they are little things.  But I am willing to be more obedient to show the Lord that I am willing to give my whole self to Him.  I know that he that loses his life for the Lord gains everything.  But that doesn't mean dying the death of a martyr.  It means living the live of a disciple.  And it's not super easy to start off.  But I know that once I get the wheels in motion, even more blessings will come.  

The mission is changing.  Last week, we found out that because of severe health complications of the mission president's wife, Sister Armstrong, they are both being released from this mission at the end of July and that we'll be getting a new mission president, Gary Newsome.  None of us saw this coming because President Armstrong was just called as mission president last July and mission presidents serve for three years.  But just like that, he will be moved to some other calling in the church. (I think they're going to Utah.)

I love doing this work.  I know that I say it every week, but it becomes more and more true as I forget myself more and more.  It's true that sometimes I forget about my life before my mission.  It's not that I choose to!  It just... happens.  I don't forget the people that I love like my family and friends, but I just forget about life.  It's a bit difficult to explain.  Other missionaries would know what I mean.  Either way, I am truly enjoying myself in the wonderful country of Uruguay.  This branch, the Piedra Alta branch, is full of some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life.  Growing up in the church in English and in America made it difficult to imagine such amazing testimonies in other cultures.  But the church is true everywhere.  And those who recognize it and live it are really blessed.  I have seen it with my own eyes.  I have seen the stark contrast between the desperate, obscure, directionless life of sin and the tranquil, bright, purposeful life of righteousness.  Truly wickedness never was happiness.  I will do my best to help all understand this.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

I'm not playing games. It's cold out here.

Dear everyone,
 

This week was another week of hard work and I am learning even more and more just how merciful the Lord is to His children.  Especially me.  Elder Gila is an amazing companion and he is super humble.  He has the funniest stories to tell from his homeland.  "We would plant crops.  Like... how do you say... sweet potatoes.  But the pigs would come in and destroy them.  So we have an idea.  Maybe we could kill the pigs.  And then we eat them!"  Maybe it doesn't sound as funny coming through a computer, but his accent while he speaks in English is priceless.  And that's just a lil' story.  He has much, much more amazing hunting stories.  Like hunting sharks and pigs.  And He does the hand motions and the sound effects.  His pig squeals are the best thing I have ever heard.  Apart from his crazy stories about Vanuatu, he is a very diligent and hardworking missionary.  And I love him a lot.
 

Our area is the middle of the city, as I might have said last week, so it's difficult to find people that really aren't super busy and want to hear what we have to say.  We're trying to focus on listening to the Spirit more because we only really have about twenty seconds to gain their trust and catch their attention.  And honestly, I have no idea what to say in just twenty seconds that will make them want to keep listening or to agree to meet sometime.  But the SPIRIT knows!  The Spirit knows all things.  So if we learn to only focus on what the Spirit is telling us to say, and then say it, then it will be our best chance to help them come to the light and understanding of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We're doing what we can to involve the members more in the work and I know that the fastest way to help someone want to help you is by finding ways to serve them.  So we're gonna start serving away!  Uruguayans are pretty difficult to accept help, but I think that's the case for everyone, so we're gonna try nonetheless.
 

There is a recent convert in our ward named Artigas and he is around sixty-five years old.  He didn't complete more than three years of schooling when he was younger because he had to start working to provide for his family and thus, never learned how to read.  Two months after he got baptized, he finished reading the Book of Mormon and can read.  That is such a miracle.  That literally couldn't have been possible without God.  Today is very special for my city Florida because it celebrates some Saint named San Cono who is huge for Catholics down here.  And my city of a few thousand people becomes filled with twenty thousand or more people.  Why?  Just to be at San Cono.  It's a huge party outside right now and hundreds of little mini shops have been set up on the streets to benefit from the lucrative aspect of this holiday.  It's a madhouse out there.  Nonetheless, we are going to go out and find those prepared souls who need to speak to us.  I love being a missionary!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.
 

LOVE,
Elder Plautz

The Pictures:

 

The first is me with Elder Gila.

The second: after a long time of being apart, a few weeks ago when we went to sign our visas and became residents of Uruguay, I found my trio again! And it was a spectacular reunion. No sabía qué hacer porque estaba demasiado animado por encontarme con ellos de nuevo! Que coso, che! Pero sacamos una foto por lo menos! Los amo, en serio. Viva Uruguay!

Hello, Florida!

Dear Everyone!
 

This Gospel must be preached to everyone, so if you are not actively seeking to find people for the missionaries to teach, then start.  Do you think that missionaries knocking on doors all day is effective?  It really isn't.  There are those who must be found that way because they have no connection with the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, but almost all of the people who are prepared to accept this true message are your own friends and the people you know.  Remember that success is in the invitation.  For example, your friends could be invited to church, family home evening, mutual, ward activities, or the most important, to talk with the missionaries!  Because the worth of souls is great in the sight of God and He wants all of us to return to him.  How will these friends of ours know how to return to Him if they don't know where to look?  How will they know that the whole purpose of life is to prepare to meet God (Alma 34:32) if no one ever tells them?  We are the answer--the friends, the coworkers, the accquaintences.  So I give a charge to all to pray earnestly for missionary opportunites, and then seek them throughout the day, and then take them.  They will bring you more joy than you can hope for and will bless you with the trials that you are going through right now.  I know that that's true.  The field is white, already to harvest.  The time to reap is now.  The time to seed has already passed.  Let us thrust in our sickles with our might and lay up in store that we perish not, but bring salvation unto our souls.
 

Here I am in the city of Florida in the department (that's what they call states here--"departments") of Florida.  It isn't a Stake quite yet; it's still a district.  But the active members here are really strong and we are going to help them find people for us to teach and baptize.  Elder Gila, my new companion is actually not from Fiji.  He is from Vanuatu, which is close to Fiji, and he is from the island Ambae.  He speaks four languages and he is a super great missionary.  We are working super hard together.  This area, Piedra Alta, is a little bit small, and on top of that, we share the branch with two sisters.  So our working area is a little bit more than a third of the size of San Carlos.  But we will do whatever it takes to find the miracles that the Lord has prepared for us.  I love doing this work.  I love being a missionary.  We are looking to find those who are prepared to hear and accept our message and work has been a little slow, but it is about to pick up.  Our area is a pretty active city and the people are kinda rich, which leads many of them to believe that they don't have time to talk to us.  But there are those whom we are finding that need our help.  I am learning more and more how to depend completely on the Lord for everything.  We really can't do anything on our own.  If we wish to reach our potential, we must go to Him.  And the blessings that He has in store for us are amazing if we are willing to humble ourselves and do what He would have us do.

Also, optimism is the best.  Sometimes it's easy to think that their is no way to continue to have hope that things will get better.  Do you know what we should do if that happens?  Start by smiling.  If you are by yourself or with other people, just smile.  I think that our brains are programmed to be happier when we smile.  Next, we have to realize that we aren't perfect and that the Lord expected us to make mistakes.  We don't let the Lord down when we make mistakes, we only let Him down when we realize we are making mistakes and we don't repent and try to do better.  And even when we let him down if we don't immediately repent, He still waits for us with open arms, ready to forgive us and lift us up.  We truly can be lifted up by the Lord.  So once we repent of our follies and try to do better, we look forward (continuing to smile) and keep going.  And it's not easy, but once we have that hope, it becomes a whole lot easier!  I love this Gospel.  Not just because it gives me purpose, but because it gives me the strength and perspective to fulfill that purpose.  This Gospel is true.  I know it is true.
 

Remember to seek to build the kingdom of God.  Then everything else shall be given to us.  I appreciate all of the prayers and support.  I'm sending it all right back your way.  I love you all!  Keep on rockin' in the free world!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.
 

LOVE,
Elder Plautz

Goodbye San Carlos; It's Been Nice.

Dear everyone,
 

I honestly forgot that anything existed outside of my mission this last week.  I am exhausted right now.  Typing is making me even more tired.  But THAT'S OKAY!  Because this work will move forward no matter what.  Our whole mission is seeing more and more success every week.  We saw a ton of success in San Carlos this week and found three really amazing people who have tons and tons of potential.  We received the call from our District Leader yesterday night about how changes would turn out.  I had already felt like I was leaving, so it didn't surprise me when he told me that I would be going.  But I'll be leaving with dignity because we worked super hard in San Carlos to invite others to come unto Christ.  I'll be leaving the department Maldonado and going to Florida!  No, not Florida with Universal Studios and Disney World and Sea World (also, Sea World is super lame)!  I'll be going to the area called Piedra Alta!  I have never heard of it before, but my companion's name is Elder Gila and he is from... wait for it...  not North America!  Not South America!  Give up?  The only place in the world that Truman wants to go!  He is from Fiji!  And I don't know what that means for us, but I think that it's a sign that we are going to see much success together!  He had to learn English and Spanish on his mission: what a boss.  He speaks some other language that nobody knows, too, but that's not important.  What IS important is that I'm leaving!  Yes, I have to say goodbye to San Carlos, my home.  It was very appropriate that I came to San Carlos first, because they call themselves "Carolinos"  and I, being from the wonderful state of North Carolina, was already a Carolino by association.  I don't know what people call themselves from Piedra Alta, but I guess I'll find out this week.
 

We worked a ton today and helped Honorio understand how important going to church is.  I had this amazing inspiration to take him to his backyard, where he has planted tons of fruit trees and bring a seed with me from an orange that I ate.  We compared the seed to faith!  (Sound familiar?)  And I took him to different trees in his backyard that were at various stages of their growing process.  We talked about how a tree needs things like sunlight, soil, and water to grow.  Without one of those things, the tree simply will not grow.  If we take one of those things away from a grow tree, then it will die.  We compared those tree things, sunlight, soil, and water, to three things that are completely necessary to grow faith: daily prayer, daily scripture study, and weekly church assistance.  If we don't have all of those things, then our faith cannot grow.  Maybe it will grow a little, but it in no way will be able to reach its full potential.  If we do those things for a long time, but then stop after a while, then our faith will not only stop growing, but it will die.  After this lesson, Honorio understood very well.  The reason he hadn't come to church was because his mother (who is against this whole thing) had asked him to stay with her (there was a little bit of mother-induced guilt in there, too).  A question came to my head:  "Honorio, do you think that your mother is blessed because you come to church?"  "Of course," he said.  "So do you think that the Lord will bless her more if you come to church or if you stay with her?"  "If I go to church,"  he said.  And so it is.  Going to church is blessing.  We shouldn't ever forget it.  On Sunday, he came and said "my mother didn't want me to come; she wanted me to stay with her, but I knew that I would do her better coming here than staying with her."  That, everyone, is a miracle.  True doctrine understood changes attitude and behavior.  And now he understands.

I love this work.  I love how I live a life that is conformed to the Spirit and the relationship that I have with the Spirit as a missionary is undoubtedly different than anything I have every had before.  Just coming to understand this relationship has been a gigantic blessing in my life.  I know that a life lived by gospel standards is what brings true and everlasting happiness.  I'm gonna go to my house and fall asleep now (it's okay; today is Preparation Day).  But after I wake up, I will go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz
 

Pictures, anyone?
 

Picture 1 is an accurate representation of how cold it is getting outside. Winter's a-comin'. I have never been too big of a fan of feeling cold, either...

Picture 2 is with my amazing Zone Leader Elder McLuckie from England. (He trained my new companion Elder Gila). He leaves in two days for home and I'l miss him tons. But seriously, he is a stud. Just look at him. And then eafter hearing him speak, any girl would literally just fall head over heals for him.

 

Picture 3 is us with Honorio. I love that guy.

 

Picture 4 is us with Sister Ofelia. She is super active now. She's great.

I'm an official Uruguayo now!

Dear everyone!
 

I sit at the computer in Montevideo right now!  We had to come to sign our visas so we could become residents.  And now we are!  Soy Uruguayo, por fin!  I'm finally an Uruguayan!  This week was a difficult one.  We worked super hard and I have had to be very patient.  Because San Carlos is filled with people that aren't from San Carlos, very few people came to church yesterday because they were all with their mothers.  Honorio hasn't come to church for the past two weeks now, but we're gonna find a way to help him back to the strength and conversion that he was developing.  He has chosen to get married no matter what and I think that he doesn't really want to, so he is having a lot of difficulty with this.  We can't tell him what to do, so we can only invite him to pray and make sure that he is going the way that God wants him to, and then support him in his decision.  It has been tough, but we continue marching forward with hope!
 

We stopped teaching Mirta because she has decided that she's not in a place to talk about spiritual things because her life continues in a downward spiral, as she says.  She continues to come to church, but only out of obligation to the man she nurses.  We started teaching a boy of 17 years named Franck from France (what are the chances!?).  He is super prepared to hear the Gospel and is excited to be baptized, so we're helping him through the repentance process.  We keep working hard and we are seeing success as long as we look for it in the right places!  Sometimes it's tough to keep your spirits up as a missionary.  I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it's really tough.  You constantly reevaluate yourself and try to change so that you will be worthy to receive all the miracles that God can give you.  But even after all that, it can be difficult to accept the success that you are given.  I really thought about what makes a successful missionary and I have realized that it comes from love, patience, and repentance.  Even if we do all we can do, we still will not be perfect.  We can do everything to live a holy life and try our best, but we will all still fall short of the glory of God.  That's where grace comes in.  The grace of God saves us after all we can do.  And I know that if I am doing all I can do, and repenting when I notice that I can do something better, then I am a successful missionary.
 

I love learning these life lessons on my mission.  It is turning me into the person that God wants me to be.  I'll continue to fill my purpose, looking forward with a perfect brightness of hope!  I love being on my mission.  I love being a missionary.  I wouldn't rather be anywhere else right now.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.
 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

You'll never be anywhere in Uruguay at any time without being able to hear at least one dog barking.

Dear everyone,

 

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no time to email today due to travels to Montevideo so my companion could sign his name on some paper to verify his Visa.  Oh, Elder Teran...  He used to be Mexicano but he is Uruguayo.  I'll get there one day, too!  This week was the fastest week ever of my life.  I was just writing my email to you guys yesterday.  Stop going to fast, time!  Párate!  We saw great success this week!  It is really true that the Lord blesses us if we do everything we can to follow His commandments and choose the right.  We have started teaching some wonderful people and things are starting to pick up in San Carlos.  People are starting to come to church.  If I had more time to write, then I would, but I really have to get out and start working!  Those people need us out there!  Thank you all for your support and I hope you have a wonderful week!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

 

The picture is me with my zone!  That thing I do with my hand (the thumb up and the pointer finger out) is something everybody does in Uruguay.  It means a smile and it's like a thumbs up.  Although they use thumbs ups, too.

An eight-year-old Uruguayo boy told me that Shaq died and I don't know if I should belive him or not...

Dear Everyone!

 

What is the secret to missionary work?  That's just it.  WORK.  And that is what we did last week.  We take every opportunity to find and teach people.  It's the most busy I have ever been in my life.  Honorio told us that his Señora Ana had agreed to start talking to us again, and then he followed that with "and she wants to get baptized, too."  I didn't jump the gun, and I think he may have been exaggerating a little bit... or completely because when we met with them both, she was the same.  Her heart is still closed and she will not accept the idea that there is a life after this one.  For those of you just joining us, Ana lost her five-year-old son a little over a year ago and although she says she believes in God, it is evident that much of her hope has been lost, leaving her to be a very angry person.  Nevertheless, her and Honorio seem to be happy together, so the have finally gotten a date: the 7th of June!  So that is what we're helping him work toward.  He told us in church yesterday "if I could get baptized today, then I would definitely do it."  Too bad it takes loads of time and papers to get married in San Carlos.  But he is doing everything he can, so the Lord is blessing him.  Honorio has more faith than Elder Teran and I put together.  He is such and example to me.

 

We also restarted teaching a lady named Mirta again last week.  She was an old investigator from, like, six years ago, who couldn't get baptized because she worked every Sunday and wouldn't give it up.  Now she nurses an older member of the church.  We didn't really think that this member, named Juan, was completely there when it came to his mind.  All he ever did was say hi to us and sit in his wheel chair.  Elder Sevilla and I were teaching her a month and a little bit ago, but she had to prepare things on Sunday during church so Juan could come back and go about his routine, which still prevented her from coming to church.  Because she wouldn't progress, and on top of that she is a very pessimistic person, (not pessimistic like a mean pessimist who says no to everything; rather she is SUPER DUPER nice and smiley and friendly, but doesn't have too much hope that her life can be a happier one,) we stopped teaching her.  One Sunday, Juan came up to us in his wheel chair and said "I heard you were teaching Mirta, my nurse.  And she couldn't come to church because she had to take care of things for my return every Sunday.  I'm going to fix her schedule in order that she comes to church."  That was the first thing that Juan had ever said to us in the first three months that we knew him that was more than "Hola."  What a boss.  She started coming to church with Juan, so we have begun teaching her again.  But she is still pretty pessimistic.  So we're gonna have to find a way to open her heart.

 

We have been seeing so many more miracles of less-actives coming back to church after talking to them and teaching them.  One of them, named Brother Tort, we have been inviting to church for over three months (his wife and two children are active, but he isn't), and for the first week, after two well-prepared and spiritually-inspired meetings this week, we saw him in the chapel.  That was one of the biggest miracles ever.  I love this work and I testify that the work of the missionary is the most satisfying work that there is.  I wouldn't trade this life for the work, no matter how many times I have to walk through the pouring rain, or how many people yell at me, slam doors in my face, send their dogs after me, throw rocks at me, or how many dogs bite me, or whatever else this Uruguayo world throws at me.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Because this Gospel is true.  The church of God is restored.  We have a living prophet with the Priesthood authority of God.  And I am here to spread this gospel and find those who are ready to receive it.  I love Uruguay and I love this life!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

I am a Priesthood Holder, like my Father Before Me

Dear Everyone,

Sometimes I think that as a missionary, I worked as hard as humanly possible one week.  And then the next week comes and we work even harder.  The amount of labor that we do is nothing short of a miracle.  Missionaries are one of the greatest miracles of the restored church of God.  

Speaking of miracles!  I have another excellent story today!  It is about a sister named Ofelia.  A few weeks ago, Elder Sevilla (I still miss him) were having lunch with a family and we asked if they had any ideas for people we could visit.  Sister Zurma, the mother, said that there was a less-active sister named Ofelia that was offended by one of the members years and years ago and had since stopped coming to church.  So we tried to pass by her house the following week, but we were having difficulty finding it.  We knocked on one door and the lady that came out said "I don't have time right now!  Another day!"  By the by, that's usually a response of someone who isn't interested.  But we persisted a little bit, and tried to find another day that we could pass by.  "What's your name?" "Ofelia," she replied.  BINGO.  She gave us her number and told us to call her.  

That following Sunday was General Conference and by some miracle, she came!  But that's not all.  She didn't come to church the following week, so we knew that someting still had to be done.  So we set up a day to go to her house and brought Oscar Baez.  To my everlasting shock, Oscar did not know Ofelia personally.  He only knew every single member of her family by name.  Parents and siblings alike.  So even though he didn't know her, I excused it because he still knew of her.  So we talked.  

Many people might not know this, but we as missionaries don't go into every lesson with a set idea of what we are going to teach, point for point.  This is especially true for first lessons for less-active members of the church.  We talked about a lot of things, about her baptism, the baptism of her children, that her husband died before hearing about the Gospel, but that they were still sealed together in the temple, and about the things she was hoping from life right now.  As missionaries, we really have to pay attention to the Spirit, because if we don't, then we won't say what God wants us to say.  It isn't difficult to have an ear for the Spirit, but we definitely have to pay attention to it. 

We were able to sing the hymn that was sung for her baptismal service decades ago.  The Spirit was very strong.  We talked about preparation for the life to come, that this time here is so very short, but has eternal consequences.  And so we must do every thing we can to choose Jesus Christ and follow his commandments, keeping our covenants.  As we testified about how much we loved our families and how important it is to return to Heavenly Father united as a family, we invited her to come back to church, to restart preparing herself for this event.  

"Will you come to church with us this Sunday?"  Then, two words that aren't usually spoken afterward were pronounced: "Por supuesto."  Which is interpreted to mean, "of course."  

She said that she had been waiting for years for this moment and that she was finally ready to come back.  The Spirit was so potent and I knew it was because she was finally accepting it back into her life as a guide and companion.  The bigger miracle after this was that she was there, that Sunday, sitting in the Sacrament room.  She told us that church was everything she had hoped for and more.  What a blessing it was to be a part of this lady's life.

Honorio is still going strong.  He really wants his family to get baptized, too, so we're thinking of ways to help them like us more so they'll start listening to us again.  He is super excited to be baptized and came to church this week with a white shirt and tie.  He is such a wonderful guy!  We have been teaching him about the temple and the work for ancestors and he is excited to be baptized vicariously for his father, who died twenty years ago.  

This week was fantastic.  The life of a missionary is not easy, but never have I felt more purpose or joy than I do now in the service of the Lord.  Everybody should be looking for people to be taught by the missionaries!  We should be filling their agendas, like it was said in General Conference!  The saving ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins is completely necessary to live with God again and must be performed by someone who holds the Priesthood authority of God.  So we must help those we love come unto Christ!  

I love this work and know that anybody's testimony can grow through helping the missionaries.  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

Me eating Flan in the house of my Ward Mission Leader.  I didn't like it at first...but when you eat something enough, it grows on you.  And now I'm a fan of flan.

 Me with my new companion Elder Teran from Mexico

Ciao Elder Sevilla. Hola Elder Teran!

Dear everyone,

We worked incredibly hard this week.  Like, we did a ton!  Of work.  Not like just work.  Like WORK-work.  Like the kind that makes your feet hurt and your brain tired.  And I feel spectacular!  We finally helped Honorio put a date on his baptism!  He is super solid.  Because of complicated marriage papers and stuff like that, the earliest he can receive a DATE for his fast wedding is the second week of May.  But he said "if I can get married on the 10th of May, then I'll be baptized on the 11th."  He is such a wonderful example to me of faith.  He wants his whole family to be baptized, but knows that as the father, he has to set the example.  We're gonna make sure that he always has support from the missionaries.

On Wednesday morning, I had to say goodbye to my trainer, Elder Sevilla.  There's a bus that specifically picks up the misisonaries on the day of changes, so we both rode the bus to Maldonado City, where I was dropped off to work for the day with another Elder, and I said goodbye to Elder Sevilla.  Don't worry, there were no tears.  That evening, I was greeted by my new companion!  Elder Teran from Mexico!  My companion is a Mexican!  I was super stoked to find out that I would be with another Latino, becuase my Spanish always has plenty room for improvement.  He speaks English, but we agreed at the beginning that we would never speak English with each other. He is a great, wonderful Elder and we went to work.  We started teaching a ton of people, but we are still searching for the elect and chosen of God who are ready to hear and accept this message of happiness.

Many people wonder what I eat for food here, or even if I eat.  I do, in fact, eat.  If I didn't then I would probably die, I think.  You'd have to ask a doctor about that.  And the members here are amazing.  They feed us almost every day.  (The key to a good missionary-member relationship is returning the tupperware.  That is the truth.)  

I eat a lot of rice with tomatoes, peas, and mayonase.  The Uruguayos LOVE mayonase.  They put it on everything.  Because Elder Sevilla was leaving, a ton of members made us Azado with Churizo.  Azado is the huge chunk of beef that is fused with a lot of fat, but really expensive azado doesn't have as much fat (and Honorio got really expensive azado).  Churizo is sausage.  And it's super good.  

Other than this, we eat a lot of Milonesa, which is like a filet, whether it be of fish, or much more common, of chicken.  I love the food they eat here.  And also!  We eat a lot of Guiso, which is stew.  But they don't have problems with leaving bones, or bits of bones in their food, so I gotta watch out!  Dessert is usually fruit, like peaches or bananas.  But sometimes, they bring out DULCE DE LECHE!  Seriously, I don't know why there isn't dulce de leche in America.  It's a really sweet spread that is a little bit like caramel.  And it's amazing.  I am going to sell it when I come back and be a millionaire.
(editors note:  I told Elder Plautz that we most certainly have Dulce de Leche in the US.)

I love the work!  And I love these people.  The Latin culture is super different, but it's a good different.  I am in love with my life as a missionary.  I'll continue to work as hard as humanly possible to complete the will of God.  That is the easiest way to be happy, in or outside of the mission.   I love you all!  Be missionaries!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God!

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

I had blood sausage for the first time this week and it was gross!

Dear everyone,

 

What a conference it was, right!?!  Can I tell you what makes conference EVEN better?  Watching Honorio intentively listening, building his testimony of modern-day prophets.  Yeah, that's what makes it better.  Unfortunately,  his marriage doubts are slowing things down a bit and we are still trying to put a date on his baptism.  We're gonna try to place a date tonight.  I really hope that it works!  We witnessed TONS of miracles today and seriously, after watching some other people witness miracles, too, and then a few days later rejecting them, it broke my heart.

 

For example,  we found a man named Feliciano last week, who, when we clapped his house, immediately began telling us that it was becoming more and more difficult for him to believe in God because of how many different churches there were.  Well, we told him that we had the answer to why this was and he invited us in.  

The Spirit felt in that lesson was powerful, and Feliciano could feel it.  He began to describe it.  "I'm an alcoholic and a smoker, but now I feel like I can get over it," he said, "my brother died a year ago, but knowing I can see him again makes me so much happier," he said.  

(side note, we went with Oscar Baez, who told us that he didn't recognize the name Feliciano de Leon, but when they saw each other, they both started shouting for joy because they used to work together and were good friend a long time ago.  Yeah, he knows everybody.  It makes me laugh every time) 

We went back to his house a different day and when Elder Sevilla began to testify of the plan of Salvation, Feliciano, this fifty-eight year old man, began to tear up, saying that he wanted to do whatever it took to get over this life and become a new person.  It was SUCH a miracle that we found this guy!  

But we returned for a third time, and he literally didn't want anything to do with us.  It was like a completely different person.  It broke my heart.  

I pondered about miracles and what they are for me, and I think that there are two types of miracles.  There are the miracles that God has control of, like moving mountains, or guiding His missionaries to the people that need Him, and then there are the much, much bigger miracles:  the miracles that we have control of, or our actions.  

Everything that we have, God has given to us.  And no matter what we give back to him, whether it be our time, our money, or our talents, we will only be giving back a small portion of what he has already given us.  What he doesn't have control of is our heart and our mind.  Those are the only things that we can give to God that he doesn't already have.  And the biggest miracles that there are is when someone chooses to change something about himself or herself out of there own free will.  Especially when the odds are against them.  I suppose that this would be a miracle by God's standards.  Maybe moving mountains is pretty cool, but He could do that any time he wants.  Somebody changing him or herself, though.  That's a huge miracle.  That's why Honorio is such a miracle.  He is changing himself.

 

On Saturday before General Conference, Elder Sevilla and I traveled to the Stake Center in Maldonado (about 40 minutes away).  Before the session, we went to a nearby supermarket to get some snacks and a man on crutches began to yell at us from across the street, saying anything and everything that one wouldn't want their children to hear.  And the threats!  Oh yes, there were threats.  But since he was on crutches, he couldn't walk toward us very quickly.  So he just screamed.  We didn't pay much attention to him.  

Well, fast-forward to the nighttime.  Elder Sevilla and I decided to proselyte a little bit in between the second session of conference and the priesthood session.  As we were walking, we saw the man again.  "¿De donde consigió una bicicleta?"  I though to myself.  Or, "Where did he get a bicycle from?"  He was now screaming, and a lot more mobile.  And he began to ride toward us. We didn't really think much of it until we saw that he still had his crutches and was holding one in the way that a knight would hold his 'thingy' to go jousting.  And he was coming straight for us.  

He came up behind us and Elder Sevilla urgently said to me "We might have to run.  Yep.  We have to run.  RUN, Elder."  

This crazy guy began trying to joust me!  It wasn't even a fair match!  We booked it to the nearest supermarket.  He left.  

Satan, right?  He will use any which way to frustrate this work!  But the work will continue.  If you can think about what you were doing in between those sessions of conference, just know that I was being chased by a crazy guy on bike.  

Anyway, the work continues!  I had a magnificent week.  I hope you all did, too!  Have ANOTHER great week, now!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz

Me in the beach of Punta del Este enjoying myself. The Elders of the zone and I went to Punta del Este last Pday.  It was sandy. 

Me going back to my roots and doing chimney with "los dedos,"  which are the fingers that stick out of the beach in Punta del Este.

I am from San Carlos!

Elder Sevilla and I with the Herrera family  I love them so much.

There Would Be No Christmas Without Easter.

Dear everyone,

 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter (or "Pascua" as they say here down south) this weekend.  Uruguay celebrates the whole week, calling it "la semana santa," or the holy week, and everybody stops working and going to school and leaves San Carlos.....so, needless to say, although the week didn't feel slow, there was a lot less going on and a lot more trying to contact people and door-clapping (yes, we still do that, too).  

Honorio is doing wonderfully.  We found out through casual conversation that everybody in his family is against him talking to us, but also everyone that he works with and many of his friends.  But he never even told us!  He just would keep telling us how excited he was to get baptized!  He and Ana are using a marriage service that works with quick(er) marriages, so today they are going to find out which day of April they are getting married!  Although Ana isn't too happy with Honorio meeting with us (because all of her friends have told her that Mormons are crazy and she believed them), she has wanted to get married for a while, so she doesn't have a problem with the fact that his wanting to be baptized sped up the process.  Honorio told us a few days ago that "more and more I am convinced that this is the true church."  That was music to our ears.  He keeps telling us how his life is changing for the better and honestly I love being a part of this conversion process.

 

We had a wonderful weekend, but it ended with one of those moments that I have felt a few times before in my life:  in a period of just five minutes, I went from feeling perfectly fine, to feeling terrible in the stomach-region of my body.  We went to meet with Honorio and after a few minutes in his house, I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom.  Then, after returning, just a few minutes later I had to go again.  I threw up as quietly as I could as to not disrupt the lesson that Elder Sevilla basically had to teach solo.  Then I had to go back one more time. 

The night the followed wasn't filled with much sleep...I felt like dying a little bit, actually.  My body was just getting rid of everything.  Sunday was spent in bedrest after church because I was in no shape to work, but after the evening hit, I felt good enough to get out and start preaching the gospel!  And that is just what we did.  And we saw great success.  We dropped the Tabeira family (a family I talked about last week).  Some poeple just aren't ready to change.  That was their case.  We are teaching other people, and I would report more names if they showed excellent potential, but we'll see how this week goes.

 

I loved this week.  It was a nice reminder of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for what he did for me.  I know that most people's favorite Holiday is Christmas, but had there been no Easter, none of it would have been for anything.  I love this work.  I love it all!  And, unlike Elder Sevilla, who goes home next week, back to Honduras (I will miss him.  He is my father--my trainer--and I love him dearly), I have plenty of time!!  Next week, though, I will be emailing on Tuesday because of changes.  I love you all!!  You are in my prayers!  I must now go and serve the beloved children of God.

 

LOVE,

Elder Plautz