The Work Continues

First baptism in LaPerlita



La Perlita - First area serving in BAW



June 24, 2012

Familia,

this week was crazy!! It was an awesome week though as well! We had
exchanges this week and I was with one of our zone leaders named elder
kezerian or something from Utah. His grandpa is president packer. lol.
We had a great time!  We were tracting one day and found this lady. At
first she wasn’t very interested at all and kinda ignoring us, but then
we asked a few inspired questions and wow. The spirit took over!!! The
spirit was super strong and completely took over the lesson for us!!
She went from not being interested to asking a ton of questions and
then inviting us in to her house to teach her and her "husband" not
married, he was kind of the same way and then the same thing happened!
IT was incredible! The entire time they were saying how much sense it
made and had so many perfect questions that we answered that no other
religious people had been able to answer! It was a really awesome
experience! At the very end we committed them to read and pray and
they "husband" said "si or Si" Which means yes or yes! He was really
excited! I am really curious to see how this will turn out for the
zone leaders!!
  Then yesterday we had our first baptism and confirmation together!
The girl is from a part member family and the family was less active.
We taught her and now the family is active again and she is baptized!
It is incredible seeing the change in that family’s life! The next step
is going to the temple and I hope they will go soon!! It was kind of
sad because the dad couldn’t baptize his daughter because he hadn’t been
to church in a long time but he was able to help confirm her. He was
crying at the baptism and I felt so bad for him, but at the same time
I know it changed him for the better! It made me really grateful to
have an active family that always strives to do the best they can!
  We have about 5 or 6 others that are really close to baptism and we
are praying that we can help them make it to their baptism because it
is so important for them to make this covenant because it will change
their lives and the gift of the Holy Ghost is something that you can’t
afford not to live with! I have really realized that in my time in the
mission!
  I gave a 10 minute talk all in Spanish yesterday it was really cool!
I got a lot of compliments on my Spanish!!
Sounds like everyone is doing really well and everyone is really busy!
Congrats Kade with your game! The house looks awesome!!! Thanks for
all of the support love yall! Hope ya like the pictures! Let me know
if there is something specific you would like a picture of? Love yall,
Elder Eppich

First Area - La Perlita Argentina

June 18, 2012

Familia,

Well I will try to give as many details as possible and I will just
start at the last day in Tennessee and work from there. So Monday
morning we woke up early and finished all of the packing in our
apartment and then I went and said goodbye to the English Elders that served close to us Elder Adams and Elder Hussey ( Elder Hussey knows one of the girls I home taught at BYU) Those two Elders are awesome! Then we left to the mission home and had a big lunch there and then a testimony meeting! It was crazy to see how much everyone had changed in only 2 months! Everyone was so much more spiritual and had so much understanding to their purpose as a missionary. It is crazy to see the
change!  Then after that we drove to the Airport and checked
everything in and welcomed in the new visa waiters and we saw some actress, I can’t remember what her name was but someone was saying that she is the blonde girl of a movie called "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or something? IDK lol Then we flew to Atlanta Georgia and had about a 3 hour layover which was nice to be able to call home and talk to
everyone!!  Then we go to board the plane and there was like 70
missionaries there! All going to Argentina! It was so cool! I got to
see all of my friends from the MTC and talk to them! I guess a few of them served in Othello! LOL one is still there.
  So we didn’t sleep much on the plane but that’s ok it was a lot of fun anyways!!!  We got to the airport and had to go through customs and stuff and that took awhile then we got out of the airport and there was President and Sister Carter waiting for us with the Assistants and secretaries. They were all super friendly and welcoming! It was pretty cold and foggy so I couldn’t see a ton. We then got into a bus and went and saw some different sights. We went and saw the temple and it looks awesome! Then after that we drove to a park where Elder Melvin J. Ballard dedicated the South America continent for missionary work! It
was really powerful being there!!! Buenos Aires is HUGE It reminds me of a Paris or something, just not quite as a nice! There is people everywhere and cars and buildings! It is Huge! It’s super dangerous to drive down here because the people are crazy!! Weaving in and out and everything by far the craziest drivers I have ever seen in my life. lol
  Then after that we went and ate at asado (meat) Buffett thing. I was a little nervous because everything looked a little different and the
native Elders just said "You don't want to know what part that is."
Haha very funny!! Then we went to the mission Home and had a little
orientation thing and saw some photos and then had an interview with
Presidente. Then around 8 we went to the mission office which is about
an hour away, because the mission home is in the North mission. I think
it’s because the west mission isn’t a very family friendly neighborhood
area. Idk Just guessing. lol
  The next morning we had more training and then the mission started
showing up for transfers and there walked in Elder Streadbeck! It was
really good being able to see him!! We got some pictures and stuff!
Then the meeting started and I found out that I would be going to La
Perlita or the Little Pearl in English with Elder Castillo who is from
the providence of San Luis here in Argentina. We had to wait around
for a thing called a Remis which is kinda like taxi service. then we
went to La Perlita and to our Pension (which is an apartment) at about
845 so we didn’t have time to do anything so we went and got something
to eat called churripan which is like a sausage dog but a lot better!!
  Then we went back and planned for the next day and went to bed!!!
Holy smokes! I don’t know if I have ever been that cold!! LOL JK it
wasn’t that bad because I had the sleeping bag, but when I got out of
it, I was freezing!!!! IT is super cold because of the humidity then
we have to shower outside because the one inside doesn’t work for
some reason. But we were actually told today that we have to tell the
owner either to fix it or we have to find another pension because we
have to shower indoors. LOL so that will be nice!!
  The Perlita is an awesome place! It is one of the poorer/Ghetto
areas of the mission and supposedly it is pretty dangerous, but
between having an Argentine companion and being a little bit bigger
then 3 argentines put together no one really says anything just kind of
stare and say " Hello how are you" assuming I am from The States. It
is pretty funny!!!
   We have quite a few solid investigators and actually have a baptism
this Saturday! It will be really fun! It is awesome seeing the
blessings of the Gospel as it enters families lives!!!  We have like 4
really solid investigators and then a few others and a family of 6!
All of them have potential for baptism and we have a few dates for
July so we are hoping we can set a few more for July as well!!!
  The economy down here I would say is probably like 30 years behind
the States. Everything seems to be about from that time period. But
the people are all super nice and humble and like to listen to us so
that is really nice and will be a big help finding new investigators!!
  The food is really good! I actually haven’t had a ton of authentic
Argentine food just from a bunch of crazy schedule stuff and what not
but the stuff I have had is really really good, except for morsilla,
lol
   Um I am trying to think of other questions I can answer... La
Perlita is about 10 kilometers from Moreno a pretty big city so it is
kind of like a suburb with a bunch of bakeries and little stores and a
few meat places. Most of the houses are very humble and you don’t
knock on doors here what you do is clap! So that is really cool!!! lol
  My companion is the district leader here in la Perlita and there is
4 other sets of elders in our district. Our area just covers one ward
and there is about 70-90 that go to church every week and occasionally
105 or so I have heard. But there are a lot of less actives I guess.
  For transportation normally we walk everywhere about 10 miles a day
but if we are late getting home or anything we take a collectivo which
is a bus and that thing is packed! Like 100 people in one bus. lol
super funny!!!!!!}

 Well I will think of other thinks for next week! Hopefully this will
give you a better idea of what it is like here and hopefully next week
I can get those pictures sent!!!! It sounds like everything is going
really well for everyone!! Tell Randy and Jody congratulations and
Sarah and Dexter like on the 22nd or something.  Tell matt gray
congrats too!!!

I love how much this gospel blesses the family, I try to see everyone
as family and that makes all the lessons a lot more personal because I
couldn’t imagine my family not having the gospel and I want to do all I
can to help those families come unto Christ and feel of His love!!!!
Thanks for everything, Love, Elder Eppich

Definitely not in Tennesse anymore...

June 11, 2012

Familia,

WOW!! What an eye opener! Haha a lot different then Nashville
Tennessee that is for sure!! But definitely a good change! I am in La
Perlita it is a part of Moreno. It is part of a city I think.. It is
pretty run down, like its dirt roads and shacks a lot of places. I
don´t really know how to explain it. I guess if you can picture what
Rio de janero looks like in the movie

My companion is named Elder Castillo he is from Argentina the northern
part. He speaks a little bit of English. I forget that sometimes and
start talking in English and he just is like I don’t understand!!
HaHaha super funny!!  He is a great missionary and has had a lot of
success so far in his mission!! We are going to have a lot of success
as well! We have a few baptismal dates set already and plan on setting
a lot this week with some of our investigators!!  The food is really
good!! Except I ate this stuff called Marcilla. It is that blood
sausage that Ostlers where talking about. It was interesting… haha. We
walk a lot about 10 miles a day. The weather is pretty cold right now
and it is a humid cold so that makes it a lot colder.
   I have to go down and don´t have any more time so I better get
going. Love yall

Elder Eppich


Ps      um hope the pictures worked... I will
try next week.. Love ya’ll sorry
no time

He made it to Argentina!

Elder Eppich made it to Argentina June 5, 2012! Finally. Almost three months later than antcipated. He was scheduled to arrive in Argentina March 12, 2012. Apparently the visa issues have somewhat been resolved. Kraymer traveled with 19 other missionaries. Fourteen of which were in the MTC together. They all were reunited in the Atlanta airport together on June 4th. What an awesome sight I'm sure it was as they were walking together through the airport. :) Todd, Kaitlan and I got to talk to Kraymer for about 20 minutes and then he called Karigan at school, Kade at work, David and Kortneigh and Shayne and Grandpa and Grandma Anita. Kraymer was excited to get to Argentina, but was a little sad leaving the people he met in Nashville behind. He loved the ward members and investigaors. He said they were awesome. It is a wonderful blessing having a son on a mission. We are so grateful for this experience. We love you Elder Eppich.



The Visa Waiters outside the Buenos Aires Airport June 5, 2012



President and Sister Carter, June 5, 2012

Elder Arnold of the Seventy, Area President