Argentina - March 24, 2015

Hello mom :)

Sorry about the internet, but that is okay if you will be getting a new provider. I am very sorry to hear that McKady is not doing well; this life is very, very hard, I would have to agree, things are not easy. I know 100 percent that everything is hard, but that is what makes us grow to become better and stronger. It is just like exercising a muscle, if you want it to grow you have to tear it down, and at first is is going to hurt and you will be sore and wonder, "why did I even think about doing that, all it is now is pain?" Then you look at the muscle and it doesn't seem any bigger, then you think," what is the point?", because we are so focused on wanting things now, I want it now, I want to feel good now, I want money now, I want bigger muscles now, I want to be fluent in a language now, or feel the spirit now, or have the faith and testimony of President Monson now.  There are so many things we want now, but just like with the muscle, if we keep going with it day after day, keep breaking it down so it will grow, we will be able to look back and see the progress. And if you want it to grow even more, it still needs broken to be broken down, but this time it is easier. I don't know if that makes sense.. but every challenge is for our good, God knows all. From a very good source, I found that our experiences here are helping us to grow so that one day we can enter into the kingdom of heaven. We also have prayer, scripture study, and the church to help us get better and find peace in this world, I know this to be true.

This week was good, we went back to Resistencia because we had a member of the quorum of the 70 come and talk to us, it was really great, i learned a lot! Then I whet on divisions with Elder Regalado from Colombia, great guy! It was fun to get to learn about Columbia, and we got to preach the Gospel. Then it was transfers yesterday and that is why I am writing today. But I am still in the same area with the same companion, so nothing has changed.  Hopefully during this transfer we will find lots of success. All of the members and our investigators are glad that me and my companion stayed.

I want to tell a  little about the scriptures that I studied this week. I will only talk about Alma 28, there are only 15 verses, but it is one of the most powerful chapters I have ever read.  It is talking about, well Alma is talking  to his son Shiblon, and at first he tells how Shiblon suffered while teaching the people of Zorom, but he put his faith in the Lord. Then Alma talks about his conversion and says that only through Jesus can we be saved from our sins. Alma warns his son not to be prideful and bridle his passions, and then give all glory to God.  Be careful not to think we are better than other people, but remember to acknowledge our weakness be submissive and give all the glory to the Lord. I wold like invite everyone to study this chapter, not just read it but study it.  I studied it for an hour and still wanted more time to really dig deeper in those wonderful words. I would also like to invite everyone to prepare for this conference with prayer and scripture study, so that we can really be where we can get the most out of it.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know with all my heart that this is the true church. I have no doubts, Joseph Smith did see the Father and His Son, and they did call him to restore the church on this earth. Christ lives, He suffered so that we don't have to.  He has a plan for us, and if we live the gospel, we will live with our Father in Heaven and our families forever. Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today at this time to lead and direct the will of God on this earth. I know if we will follow the commandments we will be blessed, if we put our trust in the Lord he will help us through the hard times. Families are eternal, and I love you guys with all my heart. Being a disciple of Christ is not easy, it is so hard, we have big targets on our backs, but it is so worth it! If we mess up or do something wrong, we've always got the next day and the atonement to help us to be better every second. En el sagrado nombre de nuestro senior, Jesucristo, amen.

I love you all and hope this week is better. Mckady, I love you and I am so grateful to have you as a sister. Remember that it is all okay because your 2 very best friends in the world love you! You have our Savior in heaven who loves you without end, and you have me:) Your brother here in Argentina, and then family after that, but I want you to always remember that! I am always here and will always love you, and so does our Savior and our family. It may be hard, but they have great advice and just want to help. Listen to them and love them and gain friendships, because I know I look back now and wish I just would have spent more time with my true best friends, you and the whole family, the scriptures and prayer!

Mom I love you, thank you for your email, it is always a wonderful time for me to write you. Have a great week and know that God loves you and is watching over you at all times, as well as the family. 

Love Elder Grover

P.S. Be happy, smile, laugh, and love! In times that I have experiansed that are hard, I just smile say, "God loves me".  Just say "hacuna matata", from the Lion King.  I love you all, have a good week.

Argentina - March 17, 2015

Hey Mom,

This week, well I think for our whole mission it has been a little difficult. Hermana Brittney Scadlock, yeah I knew her. I would like to share with you the story, it begins back on August 27, 2014, that is when I first met this amazing missionary. She was in my MTC District and I had the opportunity to try to learn Spanish with her every day for 6 weeks. In that time friendships grew with our whole district, all of us are really great friends, we all sat together to eat the meals, sat together as a district in all the devotionals, and we were there in the class all day every day learning together. We would also go play the sports as a district together, it was a really fun time and they are all amazing missionaries. In the MTC Hermana Scadlock sprained her ankle and my companion and I had the wonderful opportunity, along with our branch president, to give her a blessing. What a powerful, strong spiritual experience that was. Since being in the mission field, I have only seen her once, it was in January when we were having interviews with president. She and her companion got transferred because she was a blond girl and that dosn't go well with the guys here. But anyway, I had the opportunity to talk with her a little and catch up. President called all of us that came to the mission field in that group and told us what had happened. This week she passed away into the next life to continue being a missionary, teaching the same things we are teaching over here. The reason I am writing today is because yesterday we traveled to the mission office and had a little memorial service with the last zone she was in and all the people that came in our group to the mission field. It was really wonderful and helped a lot. We filmed it and sent it to her family. All the sisters that were in our group and all her companions talked, and my companion from the MTC talked also. He told a story that I would like to share, when my companion and I got to teach the sisters in practice, the spirit was so strong and everyone felt it, what a wonderful memory. I have no doubt in my mind that she is with our Savior, that it was her time to go and that he had another work to do that was not of this earth life. From this experience I have had the opportunity to think more about the Plan of Salvation and death and how it is all part of the plan.

Mom, don't worry, I will watch what I eat and be careful, thanks for worrying but don't worry too much because I am growing and becoming the man I need to be. I know God has a plan for me, and I know for a fact that it goes beyond the mission, so please don't worry too much, :)

Spring break has come and gone... wow that it is cool that they got to go do that.  And McKady has prom this weekend, wow, that is crazy, you will have to send me some pictures :) Mom, you aren't getting old.. you are getting younger and growing in wisdom and knowledge:) So the chapel is almost done? Crazy.. American chapels.. they are all a lot better than our remodeled Argentine home; and carpet, wow we don't even know what that is.. I love it! The church here is great!

About the weather.. I don't think it ever will get cold... and all the people here say, "yeah it gets cold here for like 2 weeks", and their idea of ´´cold´´ is a lot different than mine.. so we will just have to wait and see what happens. It would be nice just to have dry heat, humity just kills.... 

This Gospel is true and families are eternal, I know that. Jesus is the Christ, He lives and through Him all can be made right. This life is but a small moment to the eternal things, exact obedience brings happiness and will help us to have the spirit more. I know what I am doing here is for the Lord and to help people know of His plan. We have no need to fear, God's plan is that of hope and knowledge that all will be okay.

Mom, I love you so much, I want you to know that. I will like you for always, love you forever, and forever and eternity my mommy you will be. Have a wonderful week and smile always.

Love Elder Grover

P.S. So my companion's brother just got his call to Taiwan, crazy! Anyway, so I haven't heard where anyone is going, if you could tell me that would be super cool.

Oh yeah, I got the calender last Wednesday!!!! I love it!!! Thank you so much!!!! It is awesome!!!! I got a letter from Candice too, tell her thanks:) I am a valentine!!! And as for the princess stickers, they are on my tag now! Oh yeah. I love you all, have a good week!

Argentina - March 9, 2015

¿hola como estas?

Como estan todo? Espero que todo es super maga contra bein! Quiere a saber como lo fue mi semana? Hmmm como simpre fue muy bueno, pero tenemos experiancias muy intrasante, con meiembros y nuestro investigators y tambien con otro persons in nuestro area, pero escribrie en ingles por que le quiero entender todo :)

Anyways, yeah my week has gone by way, way fast! This week flew by, but it was very good.  Like every week we have some difficult times, but they make us stronger and better, that is what we want in this life is to be the best we can be. 

Wow, santa vaca!!!! It is spring break already? Where did the time go, seems just like yesterday we had spring break...crazy! Anyway, I hope all are enjoying the spring break and have fun plans to do fun things. I do, I get to teach the Gospel, which is awesome, so I will enjoy this week.

I've got to admit I am really shocked, yeah I remember Mary Nielson, we were friends, I remember talking to her just last year at state wrestling. It saddens me to the core to hear of people taking their own lives because there is so much to live for in this life, it is so wonderful. We have great wonderful things to always look forward to, the main ones are this gospel that we are so blessed to have in our lives, and families, what a wonderful blessing God has given us to have families. Remember to keep her family in your prayers. A conference talk that will help anyone that is struggling is from the April 2014 conference by Elder Holland, it is called "Like a Broken Vessel". It is very sad that happened, because it is just something we can't take back, life is precious. Our savior lives and He loves us and He is merciful.  I don't know what was going on in her life, but I know nothing is impossible with the Savior, all is possible. He is our medicine and he will help us in times of trials.

JJ got staff infection? That is crazy, and he wasn't even on the mats. Got to watch out for those spiders, I have so many bites on my body, I don't know if they are spider bites, I think mainly they are mosquito bites. I have constantly had bites my whole time in Argentina, but none have been bad so we are good don't worry:) I am glad to hear that he is doing better! I am glad to hear their little boy is doing great too!!

A note real fast, the cyber where I am writing was playing a country song, oh yeah, country, my companion likes country music too, so sometime we will remiss on the good music.  Here they play like the same songs over and over so I have them like memorized.  But you can never go wrong with great great church music, it is the best! I love church music, I just wish I could sing better, oh wells, you don't have to sing good to sing, and I am proof of that.

That is good to hear that I write the best letters;) Elder Grover #5, best for last;) Just Kidding, I un chisto no mas. But I am grateful that you like them mom, it pleases me, in Spanish that would be me gusta. 

We had a very interesting experience happen to us this week, very sad and just interesting, I can't say all that happened because in this story we were told a story, a very personal story. Anyways, so I don't know if you remember me telling you about the recant convert in our area who is so awesome and very, very converted to the Gospel.  Anyway, she has a daughter that is 19 years old, but she has never gone to church because she has to work every single Sunday during church.  So we having been passing by and teaching her, but she just has this obstacle with work and it is difficult. But her mom, during the lesson, was just telling us how much she wants to help her kid,s and it scares her that they won't live their lives right so that they will be with her in the celestial kingdom, and that is all she wants. She is amazing, she would do anything for the church and her family. But anyway, she left the room to do something so it was just her kids sitting there; her daughter was like really sad so we are like, "what's up? what is going on?", and she was like, "I will show you". So she goes inside and gets a paper and shows us... it said + positive... yup, she is pregnant.. bomb shocker. She didn't tell her mom, and didn't want to and we told her she needed to. Anyway, the next day it is like 8 at night and we are just finishing a lesson and the mom calls us, in tears, asking if we could come over. We go over and it turns out that the mom just came home that day from work and just asked her because she said she just had a mothers knowledge and knew, so I hope the girl doesn't think we told her mom! But anyways, her mom found out, and was in tears, but she made us really good hamburgers even though she was sad and stressed, they were amazing! Anyways, that is beside the point, she was just crying and thinking that it is her fault because she was bad mom, which isn't true at all, and we told her that. Then she tells us her whole life story, with all her struggles; now me and my companion and her mom are the only people who know this story. To sum it up, the guys are jerks here and she has been through 3 . . . horrible stories. But telling us helped her feel better and we helped her understand agency, forgiveness and the atonement. It is so weird that the Lord would call 19 year old boys to people like this, but I promise it is by His power and His spirit that any of it is possible. So she is doing better, and hopefully her daughter will seek the help and the gospel through all of this. That is why we are here! That is one story for you, but other than that is was a good week, and we are excited to see what happens this week. Being a missionary is really interesting and really awesome, I love it a lot.

I want to talk a little about my studies because they were awesome. So I get to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon every day, it is so amazing, but then I really take it and study it so I can learn more. Anyway, this week I read Alma 23 through 27, in chapter 24 it is so amazing, it is when the anti-Nephi-Lehi's bury their weapons in the earth. Then they just laid down and prayed when the Lamanites came and killed them, and from that more where converted.  They would rather die than commit sin, I think that is a lesson we all need to learn to try with every ounce of our being not to sin. In chapter 5 it is just talking about how the Lord keeps his promises, everything he says he does. Then in 26 it is also very amazing, when Ammon is just giving all glory to God, because it is so true, everything comes from God so all glory should go to God. It talks about how they passed through a lot of trails, but still had the greatest joy, all thanks to our Lord. Then in chapter 27 when the people of Ammon go into the land of the Nephites and they continue to be honest and faithful in their covenants with the Lord, they are great examples of faith and courage!  The Book of Mormon is so so amazing! I am also reading Jesus the Christ, and I love it and encourage all to read it, it is so amazing.

I hope all have a wonderful week and that JJ gets to feeling better, and that your spring break will be awesome. Mom, I love you forever and ever, I hope and pray every day for you. You are the best, give my love to everyone.

Love your son, son for all eternities:) Elder Grover

Argentina - March 2, 2015

Hi Mom,

WOOOOOWW:) A new baby boy in the family!  That is so awesome!!!!!! I am so excited!!!! That is so cool. So grateful everyone is doing ok and all are healthy, ahh, I am excited. That is really awesome that you guys are getting snow, God really does answer prayers, I know that for a fact.  Like, I prayed every night and morning for the health of this new precious gift in our lives, and God answered that prayer! Thank you so much for the pictures, they are wonderful, thank you, thank you. Jedidiah Clark Grover, that is quite a name to live up to, I know some really amazing men who have those names.  And think of it like this, he is going to be the next Elder Grover.  Elsie is so great, she will be a wonderful older sister. So I already decided, and I am going to help him:  4 time state champ wrestler and bronc rider.  I don't know what you guys see, but when I saw the pictures that is what I saw, and of course a wonderful future missionary.  He has that dark hair, wow that is a good looking kid. Congrats, that is very exciting, send my love!

So, quick news update, we just found out that on the 24 of April the Argentina mission we be so pleasured to have an apostle of our lord and savior Jesus Christ come and talk to us and to the members here in this part of the Lord's kingdom, we just dont know who yet... well, the office elders and president know but we don't, and they wouldn't tell us.  Oh well, I am super excited none the less.   So we will get to listen to conference and then little bit later have an apostle come! So Awesome:)

This week we had some interesting things happen, first, one of our investigators moved and we don't know where to.  This in not good because she was so excited and looking so forward learning more about the church...it was rough.  Then, this really awesome family we were teaching separated and the guy moved out.  Then 3 of our really good investigators have very strong addictions to things that are not healthy for our bodies...it is really sad, but the Lord will help them. Right now we are teaching this lady named Silvia, and she loves the story about Joseph Smith. She is single and has 3 kids, so things are looking really good there.  This week we really need to spend some time and find some new people, through the Spirit of course, that is the only way that anything can be done.

Oh, so I bought a kilo of ice cream! I ate half of it before the fast, which wasn't good...then I ate the other half after the fast...that wasn't good either, but the ice cream was amazing.

I had the amazing opportunity to attend church this week, well, I have the amazing opportunity to attend every week, but this week was special because I got to listen to everyone and their testimonies, my own personal testimony was strengthened because of the ones I got to listen to yesterday.  It was really amazing, and like awesome participating in the sacrament, what an amazing experience that is every week.

I want to share with you some of what I was able to learn in my studies this week. I spent a lot of time thinking about the song "I Need The Every Hour", it goes something like this if I am not mistaken, I need thee, oh I need thee, every hour I need thee, oh bless me now my savior, I come to thee. Something like that, I can't remember too well.  Then it got me wondering on our need for a savior, how much we need our savior every day, hour, minute, and second of our everyday lives. In Romans 3:23 it says all men sin, and in Alma 34:15 and 2 Nephi 2:6-8 it kind of talks about our Savior and how through the atonement we can be come clean.  Then in Mosiah 3:19, it is so amazing, just really hits the spot, how we need to put off the natural man, the natural man is an enemy to God, all of the desires of man and flesh is against God, everything, only through the spirit are we able to change that.  And the atonement of Jesus Christ we can become like a saint. We need to become like a child and be humble and meek and willing to do all that our Father in heaven wants us to do.  And in 2 Nephi 4:16-19 is the icing on the top because we are all imperfect, and in this part Nephi, an obedient, perfect, amazing prophet is saying how it pains him for the wrongs he has done, and but he has trusted in God, that is what we need to do. We are going to mess up a lot and do some wrong things, and like in the first verse in the Book of Mormon when Nephi says, be afflicted in much, we are going to face problems and hard times but we just need to put our trust and faith in the Lord. That is why we need Him every hour, and I know we do. I also know that he will be with us every hour, all we need to do is ask. This church is true, God lives, and his son did atone for our sins. I know I am not perfect and will continue to makes mistakes, but through my savior all will be right.

I want all of you to take time and ponder with the new special gift we have in our life. To think about the wonderful plan of salvation our Lord has given us, it is crazy to think that just not too long ago little Jed's spirit was with our Father, it is a beautiful and miraculous thing. He has the opportunity and challenge to take on this  crazy world we live in.  But he has the great privilege to have wonderful parents who are going to help him know what the purpose of this life is, which is to live and grow and live the gospel, which leads to eternal life. It is so amazing, this wonderful thing we have.

Mom, send my love to my new nephew and the the rest of the family. Mom, I love you, I want you to know how special you are in my life and in the life of all the others. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the snow.  I got a quick story yesterday, well while we were working, well let's just say only like 5 to 10 percent of my clothes were dry, and I will tell you this...it was not raining. It is so weird, I haven't  had my summer end, it just gets hotter and hotter. Kids here are starting to go back to school too.  It was funny, we were eating with this family and the girls had their school clothes out and they were just covered with Justin Biber, they like him here...I told them he was ugly and sounded like a girl, it was funny.  Anyway, have a wonderful week:)

Love Elder Grover

PS Tell dad I have a letter for him, I just need to send it, and that means finding where in my little pueblo I can send it.. but I also have one for McKady. But I hope all is great with everyone, that school is great and life and all that wonderful stuff.  Just know I am doing good, really, good just need to get better with my Spanish, like I am not fluent, but I can talk to people and know what they are saying and reply back, not perfect, but it is coming so no worries.  I've got time to get there and talk like an Argentine.  Once again, I love you all and hope all is well, and that church things are going great. And yeah, love you all, have a wonderful week.  Mom, if you ever get down remember 2 things, God loves you and that you have a missionary in Argentina who loves you very much!

and take  care of the new little guy :)

Argentina - February 23, 2015

Hey mom,

No school, huh? Sounds like they should shut down the school with no one being able to go right? Well, here school doesn't start until March sometime.  I am glad you are getting water, that is amazing. What!!!!!! I have to wait a whole week to find out about the new baby? That is going to be a long wait!  I hope everything goes well and all of that. So next week I better be getting some pictures! I realized God is all-knowing and smart, He probably sent the snow so the kids wouldn't have to suffer with Jade's teaching ;) Ha, just kidding, he will do a great job! I am glad you have been liking the emails. Speaking of which, about the one last week, it could have sounded mean...so Tuesday we went to Resistencia, where I stayed for 2 more days doing division with my zone leaders, which was really awesome and fun. So the office has not gotten any mail for a month!  Everything that comes into the country is still in like customs thing or whatever. The office elders said it has been shut down and they don't know when it will open back up, so I don't know if i will get stuff...sorry. I really wanted it...anyway, so in the multi-zone meeting we watched "Meet the Mormons", super good, if you haven't watched it, watch it!  So anyways it talks about the missionary and showed a picture of him wrestling...yeah, the ref is the Pangutch coach who gave the match to the Millard kid, where dad and JJ almost got kicked out, crazy huh? I guess it could have been Dewitt in the picture, ha! Apart from that, is way really great, we had a great meeting and I learned a lot. So I have been told by a lot of different elders that I will be an office elder someday because I look like one that was in there a couple of moths ago, he was a wrestler too from Arizona, super cool guy. My week has been awesome, we have found some great people. We found a girl who is 17, she has a smoking problem, and she goes to these parties and drinks some.. but she wants to change and become a better person, she really wants to learn more. She came to church yesterday, walked 2 miles in her high heels, but she made it and her little brother came too, I am excited to see the what the gospel will bring in her life. There have also been some other great people. This truly is the work of the lord, and I love every second of it. Our branch is really fun too, the branch president is a little older and can't get any of our names right, but there are some amazing people with really amazing testimonies. We ate lunch with some members yesterday, it is a big family that the mainly eats  the food they grow. They raise pigs, and they stink, ha! But we are going to be doing service there tomorrow so I will be sending pictures. It is a great family and seeing the little pigs reminded me of our little goats and sheep. The food was good too, and I ate a lot too:) We have a lot of progessing investigators and they are awesome! It is just great, I am excited to see what this week brings.

Love Elder Grover

P.S. So in my studies I got to read Alma 14, I would advise everyone to go read it, it is so amazing! I would tell you what I learned but it is better to go read it for yourselves. Then I read in James 2:26, a body without a spirit is dead, faith with out works is dead. I want everyone to have works of faith and see the happiness it can bring in your life.

P.S.S. Have a wonderful week! Mom, I love you so much, you are the best mom in the world! I am so grateful every day to have you as a mother and to have the wonderful family that I do. I know this church is true, without a doubt in my mind. I know Christ lives and that He will come again, that is why we need to always be prepared to meet Him. He does answer prayers; I so strongly testify of that, it may not be the way you expect, but He does answer and He hears us, I promise. Love you all pray for you all, and hope you have a wonderful week. 

P.S.S.S.  I think that is all, I hope. Anyway, hope all goes well with the baby. You got Jesse an i-pad? Tell him Happy Birthday for me and tell him I love him very much. Love you all, when you can, tell dad I love him and I hope everyone is doing amazing. Oh, do you want to know something crazy? On the 27th it will be 6 months.. holy cow, time is flying by so fast! Eat a good American steak for me, and a peanut butter sandwhich too.  And tell JJ to drink a Mountain Dew for me. Which reminds me, I make vanilla coke, it's  not as good like from the states, but I do what I can. My companion will complete 1 year.. wow party;) We work hard, anyway I love you all,  have a wonderful week! Love you and pray for you guys.