"First Week in the Field"

Elder Comp who was just recently released & my new companion, Elder Correa.  Elder Comp's parents came to BA to pick him up from him mission and they knew Uncle Jon.  He used to be their Bishop!

Sept 24, 2018

I miss you all so much, not gonna lie, my first week in the field has been pretty hard. 

I am in Tigre, a province of BA and my trainer is Elder Correa from Brazil. He speaks some English and understands a lot of it and has this transfer and one more left. Gosh dang it! I have so many pics and videos to send you but it isn’t working. I have taken pics of my journal and everything, but it won’t load. I will have to try again next week. 

Family, I love you guys so much, I love and miss you guys a lot. I like my trainer; he kinda reminds me of a Brazilian Will Hagedorn. One of the guys from the CCM went home (not one of my close friends) so now we are in a trio for the rest of the transfer! It’s honestly a tender mercy even though its kinda crazy. Elder Orellana makes us a trio and is a little cute elder from Chile who has been out 10 months. I love him. 

I love President and Hermana Smith already. Hermana Smith is wonderful, but she’ll never be like my angel mother; I love her though. President is awesome as well. The mission home was gorgeous.  Our apartment is one of the nicest in the mission.  Yes Mom, I have hot water and a wash machine in the basement.  The eating situation is weird here. We eat lunch with members every day or they just make stuff and we come pick it up, and then dinner is just kinda fruit and random stuff in the pension at night. For e-mailing on P Day, it’s one person at a time on an old computer in the church building.

Elder Correa has been in Tigre for a few months now so he knows the area and people really well so we kinda depend on him for everything we do throughout the day; he makes all the plans and everything. Not speaking the language is very, very difficult. It is sometimes hard to be myself when we are visiting people. Sometimes I don’t understand anything that is going on and I just sit there during lessons or visits and not say anything cause I have no idea what is going on. 

It is pretty hard right now, but I had a tender mercy today; we were out with a couple of Elders from another area for P Day (preparation day) and we were eating at a McDonalds and an Elder from Mexico named Elder Martinez was talking to me. He speaks English and this is his last transfer. I told him how I’ve been kinda having a hard time this past week and he talked to me and told me some choice words I really needed to hear.  I feel good when we are out working, just sometimes being in the apartment I get a little homesick, but I know with time it will get better. I have some other experiences I have written in my journal and taken pictures of to send you, but don’t have the pics because they won't load. 

I’m kinda in culture shock I think. It is so crazy being here. The people are usually pretty nice! I have come to realize truly how much of a blessing it is to live in the United States of America. I have come to realize how super immensely I have been blessed to have literally the most amazing family and amazing friends in the world. I’m gonna try to upload pics again then answer some questions!

To answer your birthday question, I would love more pictures of the fam and me, I might have lost them or left them at the CCM and I was heartbroken when I couldn’t find them. I still have the one in the frame though. Also, notes from the family.

Ok I still have to write President and I have like ten minutes. We only have an hour total to email. I love you guys so much and I miss you. Please keep praying for me. It’s not all hard; there are times where I am very happy and can feel the joy of missionary work. It will get better with time. I love the heck out of you guys. Love you bye! I will figure out the picture situation before next week; it breaks my heart not to be able to send any of the stuff I have. I have so much to send. Bye love you.

Elder Moe

Last day with my CCM class.

Elder Moe, Armstrong & Staheli

“Your Missionary Has Arrived!”

Elder Moe with President and Sister Smith

September 18, 2018

Elder Preston Moe has left the Argentina MTC and is in his first area (anxiously awaiting next Monday’s letter to find out where)! He got to meet his mission President and visit the location where all missionary work was dedicated in South America in 1925 by Elder Melvin J. Ballard. Look at that fresh haircut😳 I’m sure he’s missing Ryan Murnan’s sick hair cutting skills. #RIPGoodHair

"My Final Week Here at the CCM!"

Last weeks meeting with Elder Rasband! These are all the missionaries in the Argentina MTC (CCM) at the moment. (There is a clearer picture at the bottom)

Sept 13, 2018

My final week here at the CCM! IT is so crazy, we leave for the field on Tuesday. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to email again, but when I do i'll have a lot of pictures to send so be prepared. This week was so so awesome!

I got a haircut and it is SHORT! Oh well, I’m still a beautiful missionary of the Lord. Proselyting was 10000x better than last time, the Lord helped us so much and led us to people that needed to hear the gospel and were ready to receive it. We even got into a lady's house!! I’ll attach a pic of my journal next week so you guys can read more about it. Flipping Jean Bingham strolled into our class this week!!!!!!! It was crazy, I hear some mumbling out in the hall then I turned around and Sister Bingham was there!! She came in with one of her counselors and talked to all of us in the classroom for a few minutes, it was so so awesome. I could just feel the spirit radiating from her while I was talking to her. She was amazing. 

We did the RATS joke this week! It was so funny. We weren’t ready yet but Armstrong and Tolman were already running through all the rooms screaming, "They FOUND A RAT!" Tons of missionaries started pouring into our room and me, Staheli, Gage and Harris jumped up on the bunkbeds and popped our heads into the ceiling and started screaming, " I SEE IT I SEE IT!" All the younger guys were flipping out, then I tossed the bundled up pair of socks into the crowd of nervous missionaries below and they FLIPPED out; a couple of them dove onto the ground to get out of the way. It worked out so much better than I thought it would. (more details in journal pics)

Elder Christensen ate the window hard this week. We have an ironing board in our room up against the windowsill and he was leaning on the ironing board with his hands and it gave out under his weight and he fell face first into the windowsill; and I got front row tickets and watched the whole thing. His lip was pretty cut up and bleeding on the inside and out, but he was all good.

The past three weeks have just flown by, if the whole mission goes this fast I’ll be home in no time. I’m kinda prepping for the worst once I get into the field though. I’m expecting it to be pretty hard but I’m for sure ready to take this next step. ITS GONNA BE CRAZY!! 

Dad look up the video "yo sé que vive mi Señor" It is a video of Christ and I cried during it. I know for a fact it will invite the spirit into your day.

One of my new favorite quotes in the world is by our dear Prophet when someone was talking to him about the course correction of the name of the church. Someone in effect said to him, "you realize it is impossible to change the name like this" and President Nelson responded, "I know! But we are going to do it anyway!"

We watched the Face to Face with Elder Cook this week with him in front of the Nauvoo temple. It was so so so good, you guys for sure need to watch it and Becca as well. They talk about a bunch of super hard questions.

I have sincerely loved my time here at the CCM. I have loved it!! I have learned a ton here and grown so much already. I am ready to get out into the field and share the message of a living Savior who has called a living Prophet to lead and guide his church today on the earth. Yo sé que vive me Señor. Yo sé Jesucristo ha llamado un projeta para guiar su iglesia y eso profeta se llama Russell M Nelson. Yo sé que mi Señor me ha llamado para estar equí porque el me necesita para ayudarle cambiar los corazones de los personas in Buenos aires norte, y yo sé que por medio el expiacion de Jesucristo y por medio el ayuda de su espiritu, yo puedo invitar el espiritu en los vidas de los personas. Yo sé que este iglesia es la iglesia de Jesucristo y que El Libro de Mormon contiene las palabras de Dios y si leemos este libro cada dia, podemos tener mas gozo y amor en nuestros vidas. Le amo mi redentor.

Love you guys!! Have a great week!

MTC group without Elder Rasband.

Clearer picture from last weeks letter.  "Me and Elder Christensen made a pact to cheese it up in the pic."

"I Turned White As A Ghost"

Sept 6, 2018

I could email for a full day about this week it was absolutely amazing, life could not be better! WE did get to hear from Elder Rasband and it was literally the craziest/best day of my life. I will not be able to tell you all of what occurred in those short few hours so ill send you a full account of my journal next week but i will try to sum it up. 

The entire CCM was there and all of the Buenos Aires South and West missions. So there were a LOT of missionaries. We were all standing in groups waiting to take pics with Elder Rasband (he hadn’t entered the building yet) and me and Elder Christensen and Elder Andrus started singing. After about two songs people started to join in, then we sang Army of Helamen and all the gringos from CCM joined in and all the Latinos started singing it in Spanish at the same time. The spirit filled the room as all these missionaries sang hymns waiting to see an apostle of the Lord. Then us three started singing I Am a Child of God and every missionary in the room sang along, whether in Spanish or English - All the missionaries from the CCM and from South Mission. (West missionaries were outside) The spirit was SO STRONG! 

We all got to shake Elder Rasband’s hand individually then we got settled into our seats and a guy got up and started conducting the meeting (in Spanish of course) and I wasn’t paying too much attention, but all of a sudden I heard my name called from the speaker. Then I realized he was saying names of people that were going to bear their testimonies before the meeting started. Someone, maybe Elder Rasband, I don’t know, picked three missionaries out of the crowd of 400+ missionaries. Every single missionary from the CCM turned around and looked at me and I turned white as a ghost. They just called my name to go up and bear my testimony in front of hundreds of missionaries and Elder Rasband. I walked up to the stand and he looked me in the eye and thanked me for coming up. I then proceeded to bear testimony of the things I know to be true in the Spanish language. The spirit was there with me the entire time filling my mouth with words. I then looked down at the pulpit and then looked up again and started bearing it in English.  I then finished in the name of Jesus Christ. I looked back and Elder Rasband thanked me again and I returned to my seat. It was the most amazing experience of my life. My companion turned to me and said, "this is going to be something you are going to remember for the rest of your life; and it’s true.

I have had something impressed upon three very distinct times since I have been here. Once while reading the BoM, once during Elder Rasband’s talk, and once while talking to my friends in the room at night and reading scriptures together. It has been impressed upon to the point of keeping me awake at night. Guys, Christ is about to come back. He has been preparing for his return for some time now and his preparations are coming to a close. He is coming. He is coming sooner than any of us could imagine. WE have such limited time left on this earth. WE HAVE TO PREPARE OURSELVES. Christ is literally about to come back to earth and what are we doing to prepare? If any of us are from the lineage of Ephraim or Manasseh, our number one priority in life should be helping the people of this earth to be ready so that their suffering can be lessened in the very final days. It is to the point now that if we do not open our mouths and share and give people an opportunity to accept this gospel, we are setting aside our very purpose, our assignment, our job given to us by the Lord, and choosing our own desires as more important. 

Sorry if that seemed like I was preaching, I had to share and every time I talk or think about it I get really, really fired up. I legit screamed my testimony in tears to my district this week, the spirit was so strong I could literally do nothing but shout it, I knew it to be so true.

All the guys in the other older gringo district got the Hershey squirts this week so that was wild, one of the toilets is still untouchable - it is still wrecked so bad.

One of the chicks that sings the "If You Could Hie to Kolob/Come Thou Fount" (Elenyi) song is here at the CCM so that is pretty wild. 

Love you guys, y’all are the best! Love love love ya!

Elder Preston Moe

SOY UN CACAHUATE! ROCK! (sing to the tune "IM A GOOFY GOOBER! ROCK" title my blog that this week.  (Speaking of Elder Harrison & Badger, Sis. Larson & Lewis video) OH MY GOSH I FREAKING LOVE IT!!!!!! They are the best missionaries ever. I love them so much. I would DIE to be able to have a guitar out here. I sing so so so freaking much. Literally I sing everywhere I go. Love the video, tell them they are awesome

Argentina MTC

A City Called Moron

Aug 30, 2018

Hello fam! This week has been really fun. The first week here took an eternity but the past two weeks have flown by. All the older peeps and Latinos left Saturday morning so it has just been us 23 gringos in the MTC the past few days. It has been so fun just being us few Americans here. Hot showers abound (if you go at the right time) and Sunday was like one big amazing personal devotional. They moved the rooms around for the newcomers, my new room is me and Armstrong, DL CHristensen and his comp Elder Smith (i love them) and then Elder Andrus (who is a punk) and his comp Elder Harris, and then two new Latinos. So it is WAY fun. I love our room. 

We went proselyting on Saturday!!! It was crazy, we all got on a bus and drove thirty minutes to... (guess where dad) a city called Moron. I thought of dad making fun of me before i left because i wouldn't get to serve in my city ( we were in West mission boundaries). They dropped us off in a decent area, it wasn't really ghetto at all and we saw some villas on our way there that looked wild. The proselytizing was honestly really scary and intimidating, but it was good! Each companionship had a different section of the city and we were out for 5.5 hours. Some people were super nice but most just blew by us, it was crazy asking people to stop so we could talk to them in Spanish. Some people think elder Armstrong (my companion) is a Latino because of his darker complexion and they just look at him and start rattling off stuff and he just stares blankly back at them because he understands nothing hahaha. (I love him with all my heart though we are seriously like bros.) Some people were pretty easy to understand but some people were impossible to understand. I have A LOT to learn. I need to learn to forget my fear of offending people or bothering people and just testify of what i know to be true. We stopped at a store to try and find a bathroom while we were out but it didn't have a bathroom, but we did by some candy. We placed a BOM with a guy and he said he would read it - it was the best thing ever! It was a wild day, no baptisms hahahahaah. The temple is awesome in Spanish, I flipping love it, and yes I bought three new G tops.

ELDER RASBAND IS IN BUENOS AIRES! On Saturday we are all loading on busses and going to see Elder Rasband speak! Im so excited, it is gonna be the best.

The Spanish is coming along pretty well, it is super exciting to learn new stuff then use it in an IP (fake investigator) or talking to someone. I am starting to love Spanish. The spirit really helps and memorizing stuff helps too. 

New missionaries started coming today! It is so crazy that we are the "older group" now, it will be exciting to have new people here. 

Tell becca congrats, second times the charm. 

Love the heck out of you guys!

Elder Moe