The Great Argentina Adventure

December 13, 2021

Saludos desde Argentina!!!! 

Guau!! After about 3 straight days of travel I'm writing this from the scorching hot and windy little town of Aimogasta, La Rioja, Argentina! It has been a wild week, I'll try to give a quick run down.  

The beginning of the week, that really feels like it was a month ago, was full of goodbyes to all of the special people I had the sacred opportunity to meet in Albuquerque. It was honestly so humbly and I am eternally grateful for the experiences, and especially the people there. The line that was on mind my as I was packing up my things my last night in ABQ was from Epinezer Scrouge at the end of A Christmas Carol, "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve to be this happy." I really don't know how I got blessed with the members in the ward, the amigos we taught, and the missionaries I served with. I left a big part of my heart in Albuquerque and in El Paso. 

After the despedidas, I left my apartment on Thursday morning and then the craziness began. The next days consisted of paperwork at the mission office, a quick flight hour and a half flight to Dallas, a not so quick 10 hour red eye flight to Buenos Aires. All of that was relatively smooth. But then instead of taking a quick flight to Córdoba as we were thinking, we ended up having a 12 hour bus ride. Luckily all of the other 22 elders I came in with are super nice, good guys and we made it in to Córdoba at 2:30am on Saturday morning. After a few hours of sleep we had trainings all day with Presidente and Hermana Hintze in the mission home, which is literally in the shadow of the temple which was so cool!!!! Córdoba itself was absolutely beautiful. The city is really pretty and it was all super green, a huge change from the deserts of New Mexico and Texas I've been in haha. Presidente and Hermana Hintze are fantastic as well, some of the friendliest and most loving people ever. It was such a fun to be be with them and probably half of the now 80 missionaries that make up la Misión Argentina Córdoba. 

That evening we got our area assignments and I am just about as far away from Córdoba as you can possibly be haha. Elder Monday and I, another American missionary who came to Argentina the same day as me, are opening up an area in a little town of called Aimogasta. It's about 8 hours north of Córdoba in the provincia of La Rioja. We ended up having to take another 6 hour bus ride at almost midnight on Saturday, then meet a member who drove us another hour to Aimogasta. We finally made it to our little casita here around 8am on Sunday morning. As I mentioned, we are opening up this area out here that hasn't had missionaries physically here for almost 2 years. We cover a tiny group out here and had a total of 14 people at church yesterday in a little two room public building. The crazy thing is there have been 3 baptisms in just the last few months through remote teaching and the members who are active and absolutely incredible. They have welcomed us with open arms and I feel like I went right back to again being humbled and beyond grateful for the people. We don't have a list yet of the members or people who have been taught in the past becuase we don't have access to the Area Book yet and they don't really have addresses here, but we are going to work on getting some bikes this week and going to visit the few inactive members with the group leader, Hermano Ramos this week. But if anyone has any suggestions about how to get this little group and town going please let me know!! It has definitely been a little overwhelming getting started, and my head is still spinning a little from the travel/lack of sleep, but have felt so strongly that there are people here who are prepared and waiting to accept the gospel. I know this is exactly where the Lord wants me to be and I am so grateful to be here in Argentina!!! It truly has been a dream come true make it here. 

I'll leave you with a spiritual thought about revelation that I absolutely loved from something Presidente Hintze talked about and is actually something I have thought a lot about recently. Amongst other scriptures, he read 2 Nefi 4:15 where Nefi says "And upon these I write the things of my soul." He as well shared part of President Nelson's first Conference talk in April 2018 where he talked about the "process of growing into the principle of revelation." He talked about the importance of writing down impressions and feelings that we have, as that is the most common way we recieve guidance from the Holy Ghost. I have felt the recent importance of this and know it is true, that by writing down promptings it often times allows us to recieve more impressions from the Spirit. So pull out a pen and paper when you are studying this week or write other ideas that lead to do good in your notes this week, I know you be guided more steadily as you do so. 

I love you all so much and am especially grateful for the prayers and messages and love and support as I've traveled and now start this new chapter in Argentina!! 

Con todo el amor, 

Elder Jackson 

1 Liz y Ronald 

2 The beloved Familia Medrano

3-4 A couple of men that have changed my life, President Weathersby and Elder Woodhouse 

5 Buenos Aires from the plane 

Más fotos en otro correo!!