Happy New Year's Eve!

Time is the weirdest. In the beginning of my mish I thought I wouldn't see you guys until the second coming or the spirit world, but here I am more than a fourth done with the mission and a week past my first Skype call? It makes no sense so I think I will just stop keeping track of the date from now on.

Lots of changes right now! New year, new comp, new zone, new goals, etc. My new companion is named Elder Jackson. He is from Oregon (<--dope) and is super cool. He's the nicest guy who grew up on a farm, was a river rafting guide (a small dream of mine), drove a sick jeep before the mish, has great taste in music, has about a year and a half in the mission, works good, and is so nice to work with! Yesterday after we finished up all the chaos of transfers we cleaned and organized the whole house TOGETHER (that's a first..woo!). We just buckled down and did it all. Swept, mopped, dusted, and moved furniture around. We even walk around without shoes on in the house now cause its so clean (mom you would be so proud haha)! So far I like him a lot and I'm super excited for the transfer ahead! Also our zone is fantastic. I will give you more details on the individuals throughout the transfers as I do divisions and stuff, but a few quick details: Hermana Palma from my district in Bahia is in our zone now! She's so cool and the most low-maintenance Hermana so I'm pumped! Also Elder Tannyhill got transferred so that was kind of a bummer...but hey, that's the mission for ya.

It was so good to talk with you guys! Skype was kind of a strange experience for me to tell the truth. Before I was soo excited but also a bit nervous because I thought seeing you guys would make me soo trunky, but after the call ended I felt completely fine. I haven't been super homesick in my mission but I have just had this mentality of "everything is SO much better back home and here I am walking on dirt for 500 miles every day.." haha. Then when I saw you guys, everything was so... normal. I still miss you guys a lot because I love you, but I can honestly say that I don't have any desire to be home right now. In other words.. I like to look at our skype call like closure from a bad breakup. Our separation was so sudden 7 months ago and I spent all that time wanting to be back with you... then we met up again. We chatted, we laughed, we even cried (just a tiny bit..), and now I can happily move on with my life realizing that I'm actually not missing out on anything. So here I am, living in this ugly/special country that isn't my favorite but it has character and people that are stubborn and lazy, but I serve them anyway and little by little they are growing on me and wedging themselves into my corazon :) Plus it's what Christ wants from/for me, so I will stay here and proudly call myself an American-Argentine for the next year and a half.

Love you all! I challenge everyone to strive to be a better person than you were last year and to use the gift of Christ's Atonement in your life to help you become that person you want to be. A priceless gift that He offers us for free.

"Don't look back." Genesis 19:17

 Elder Jolley

 Last week before the Christmas activity on Wednesday, all the leaders went for a conference on Tuesday. The conference went super great as we all counseled as leaders how to best influence our fellow missionaries and help them to become their "propio agente" (self-agent). Afterwards we went to visit a family that lives in the Maldonado ward that Elder Searcy knows (the missionary house in Maldonado is where I used to stay last transfer when I would come from Pedro Luro to Bahia every week for district meetings so I know this area pretty well). We got there around 5pm  and they invited us to stay for an asado (jackpot) at 8pm. So we helped them prepare for that and Elder Tannyhill and I ended up chatting in their backyard for like 2 hours. That kid is such a homie. We found out we have the same birthday and that he went to the same place we went to in Cancun, and his family also has a condo in Del Mar, San Diego (the same beach that I went to with Lyssa and her family before the mission!) Small world! So nice to talk to a normal person haha :)

 After dinner at the family`s house in Bahia (forgot their names), we went back to the AP's house to find it PACKED with missionaries seeing that we were having the activity with everyone tomorrow. They could have planned sleeping arrangements a little bit better in my opinion... so anyway they ran out of space inside, so Elder Tannyhill, Elder Searcy, and I went "camping!" It felt so good sleeping outside, besides the fact that I got eaten alive by bugs all night. We ended up playing some pranks on some of the Elders inside which was funny, then we stayed up for a while quoting Jim Gaffigan (been a while, but I still got it haha).

Morning of the activity! We all met up after the rest of the missionaries arrived in the Plaza Rivadavia. There were SO many missionaries and we were getting the weirdest looks from everyone haha (what else is new, right?). So then we did a giant scavenger hunt in Centro of Bahia. Looking for buildings, Christmas caroling, taking pictures with specific people. I felt like I was in the Amazing Race. It was dope.

 After the activity we went to the stake center for a GIANT ASADO put on by President with all the missionaries. See all that meat behind me? Ya...lots. It was delicious.

 Maybe the coolest picture I have ever taken on my mish. ALL my comps (besides my new one Elder Jackson). With everyone together I gathered up all my comps and got a picture with them. So weird to be with all of them at once. That was like companion inception. Also Elder Moraes died last week (went home for those who don't understand mission lingo). That was a bit sentimental, but I was super glad to see him before he left. That first transfer with him was hard, but I love that guy to death.

 We stole some santa hats off a few other missionary heads. yoso

Feliz Navidad :)

 Our arrival group from the MTC. Elder Arnold still doesn't like hugs... or being touched (as you can tell from the face) but we're havin a great time!

 After lunch we went in and watched a movie!! They let us watch Emperors New Groove. That was definitely a highlight of my day. We watched it in English too!! I was laughing my head off at almost every part haha! love that movie.

 After the movie, some dinner, decorating Christmas sugar cookies while listening to the Michael Buble Christmas album (most trunky day... wow), AND watching videos from everybody's Stake Presidents that were sent in (that was so cool, please tell Pres. Anderson I said thank you for his message to me), we went into the chapel for a giant missionary testimony meeting. That was super powerful and amazing to hear the testimonies of some of my fellow missionaries and to bare my own. Loved that!

 Listened to Pres. and Hna. Cifuentes give some closing remarks. I love them so much. 

 We made some no-bakes last week and took them to Nadia and Nicolas. People here are fascinated by no-bakes haha. Not many people use peanut butter here.

Made some banana pancakes this morning with Elder Miller, Elder Howlett, and Elder Jackson (my new comp). Yum!

I am loving my mission here in Argentina as I get to serve the people and help them to come unto Christ. May Christ be the center of your CHRISTmas this year. He is the reason for the season. I know that He was born, that He died, and that He lives again for all of us. He is The Gift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzjFEMmM0Xs

Here are a few pictures from the week. Can't wait to see your beautiful faces on Friday! 

Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad, and a Very Merry Christmas!

Love,

Elder Skyler Jolley

 My Zone

 Some sisters from the ward mission crew made this super dope paper pine tree and other decorations. The activity went so well and we had a great turn out of about 40 people.

Playing games

 The ward mission leaders and us who planned the activity. 

 Me with Shanina, Rafael, and their little kid Mateo (we call him Leon). Recent converts. Super nice and their kids crack me up.

 Activity decor.

This last week was a good one, also stressful and kind of a blur so this email might be a struggle...

Tuesday I went to an area calle Bolivar to do divisions with Elder Marin. Bolivar was super pretty and Elder Marin is the goat (greatest of all time) so that was super fun. We laughed a ton, worked hard, and had some good chats so that was a success. Then Wednesday night Elder Da Silva (Marin's comp) came in the evening and we made chocolate chip pancakes that night (unfortunately I forgot my camera). Then that night/morning I took the bus at 1:30 am back to Olavarria.

The next morning we woke up and went to do service for the Mussi family. We basically mowed their yard that looked like a wheat/tall grass field... but since we are in Argentina and they were all taking a nap during the industrial revolution... we cut all the grass with SHOVELS. 3 hours later we finished and I if I hadn`t been so tired from the heat and a bus ride in the middle of the night I probably would have used my shovel to dig myself a grave. Haha, but they were super grateful and fed us lunch after so it was worth it in the end... as long as they`re happy I guess :)

 Had lunch with the Mussi family yesterday. Super nice family and they have 6 boys. Their house is insane but so fun too. We took a couple funny pics right before we ate. Gangsta pic and a crazy pic (my hands in the gangsta pic look like they are growing out of the table its weird).

Friday I did divisions with Elder Tannyhill. That was the best. We are super good buddies now from the MTC together and we have similar personalities/humor so it's a blast. Also I found out his birthday is May 29 so WHATTA YOU KNOW? That was super weird haha. Anyway we had a great work day and a lesson with a contact Elder Yeates and I made a couple weeks ago with a 21 year old girl named Rosio with 2 kids. Her two not-so-virtuous friends were also there (we had the lesson outside, don't worry) so that was super interesting/awkward. Also they offered us soda and I guess forgot to clean/empty the glasses they put it in because there was definitely alcohol in our drinks. Soo ya. That lesson didn`t last too long. It actually went decent in the end though, but we will see if there`s a follow up there or not haha.

This last week we had appointments with Nadia and Nicolas, but each one got canceled. We passed by on Saturday though to remind them about church and they came so that was soo great. We have an appointment with them tonight at 7 too, so I`m excited for that. We will be teaching the Restoration and playing cards with them because.. come on.. everyone likes cards and we don`t want to be boring.

So this happened yesterday.. Nicolas and Nadia came to church!! Not that I have never had an investigator to church before, but this was the first time that one of MY investigators had come to church. At the very beginning of sacrament meeting (first hour) they weren`t there, so I was super bummed but also not surprised because people hardly ever follow up on the church commitment here..at least from my experience. Then before the sacramental hymn I glanced back casually to see them sitting on the back row next to their mom, Hermana Ojeda. I had talked to Hna Ojeda before the meeting asking about them, so when I looked back I made eye contact with her and she just gave me a huge smile and a wink. I was on cloud 9 and had a stupid grin on my face for probably the next 15 mins cause I was so happy to see them there. After sacrament I went back there and sat with them. It was just me and them because Elder Yeates was playing the piano for the primary program. Then after sacrament Nicolas had to leave to work, but Nadia stayed for all three hours.

She said she really enjoyed it. WOO!

Yesterday night we watched the Christmas Devotional in our chapel with a few of the other Elders in our zone. I was blown away at how good it was. Before I had basically come to the conclusion that I would never feel the Christmas Spirit here in Argentina like I always do at home... and in some ways that's true because it's just not the same.. but last night after those amazing talks and listening to the choir sing christmas carols, and especially at the end when we joined in singing to silent night, BOOM. It hit me for a sec and as I listened I closed my eyes and I could feel the warmth of Christmas time. No, I won`t be able to be there at home with the ones I love most, sitting around the Christmas tree and sipping on hot chocolate with a light snowfall outside, and I definitely miss those things... but that doesn`t mean I can`t feel the TRUE joy of Christmas that comes from our precious and holy Savior. I realized that last night and it was a blessing. I am excited for this next week and a half to be able to focus more and come closer to the Savior in a way that I have never done before.

Les amo muchísimo.

Elder Jolley

Had a "noche de hogar" with the Soules family last Monday. We invited Nicolas and Nadia, as well as Pablo and Tomara, but nobody showed up. So we just spent an hour instead with the Soules family and had a great spiritually thought about having "Ears to hear, and Eyes to see" in the gospel. Then after we played a game where you roll dice, and if you get a 6 you put on all these clothes, then when all the clothes are on you you can starting eating this chocolate bar on the plate with a fork and a knife. It was soo funny and everyone was screaming and laughing the whole time.

Also this is the family with the "Argentine Kendyl." You can`t see her in the family pic, but she is the one on the right on the other picture in the white shirt. This week for the FHE she took out a paper and wrote everyones names down and started taking attendance, as well as orders for chocolate milk or juice. Just like Kendyl used to always do for dinners when she was little! It was sooo weird haha.

December??

Time in the mission is impossible to understand. I feel like I was just barely in the MTC, but at the same time I feel like I was born here in "filthy" Argentina and Utah is just a wonderful dream I had.. haha! (I don`t hate Argentina.. but I won`t take back the "filthy" comment cause wow... just ask Brayden)

Soo I will get right too it. We have a new investigator!! WOO! Last week a sister in our ward (Hermana Ojeda) called us and told us she had a reference. Her son is a returned (but inactive) missionary, married to a girl named Nadia. They have two kids. So Nadia lately has taken a lot of interest in the church from a couple of conversations with her mother in law. She already knew about the church from her husband, but they just don`t talk much about it. Her and her husband Nicolas are both amazing people. So we talked with Hna Ojeda and set up an appointment last Wednesday. It went sooo well! Hermana Ojeda helped us out so much to make the lesson successful. She even picked up the kids before the lesson so that Nadia and Nicolas wouldn`t have any distractions. My jaw was on the ground the whole time Hermana Ojeda was helping us set up the lesson. WHERE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU BEEN ALL MY MISSION?? We taught the plan of salvation and I have never had such a successful lesson. Nadia is so receptive and agrees/gets excited about everything we teach. We also get along with them really well and laugh a lot so everything is perfect...but I`m trying not to get comfortable haha cause this is too good to be true. The only thing with Nadia is just that she says she wants to take it slow and not get baptized RIGHT away...we`ll see if the Spirit agrees with that or not in the next flew lessons. Right now we have put a date for the 19th of December! Pray for us please :)

Things with Pablo and Tomara are going about the opposite direction. I think they are really great people but WOW they are so passive. We teach them and I know they feel the spirit but every answer we get to the commitments we ask is "Umm...we`ll see" or "we will...try", which are both nice ways to say "no cause we have no self motivation." Gahh. People make things so complicated for themselves! All we ask them to do is read like 10 verses or pray or go to church and they act like we are taking them up Mt Everest. We will see what happens in the lesson we have this week...

Tonight we have a family home evening with a couple families, as well as Pablo and Tomara, and we also invited Nadia and Nicolas. It will be at the house of the Soules family and I`m super excited because the Soules family is amazing and SO funny. We went to visit them last night for a bit and they had me crying from laughing so hard. They remind me of the Leavitts. Always wrestling/hitting/yelling/laughing with each other, but at the same time they are so strong in the gospel and there is so much love in their home because they are all so close and comfortable with each other. I love that! Also, they have a little girl named Martina that looks almost EXACTLY like Kendyl when she was younger. The first time I went to their house I think I just sat there staring at Martina during the whole lesson because my life was flashing before my eyes. She has the same cute "little-Kendyl" voice, but is also crazy and funny and super tom-boyish. It`s weird..

Things are going well with the zone and my companionship with Elder Yeates. Right now we are going to the gym in the mornings with Elder Tannyhill and Searcy and Da Silva. The gym here is about the same as AF Rec... not the best, but it gets the job done. You have no idea how nice it is to be doing REAL workouts again. (It`s pretty nice)

I still feel like I have no idea what I`m doing as a zone leader, but we are getting there little by little. I feel blessed and happy and guided by the Lord as he makes up for my many weaknesses. 

Fast and testimony meeting was amazing yesterday. It was my first time being with my new ward because of stake conference the week before so I introduced myself and bore my testimony. (PS tons of people came to me after saying I speak super well and almost sound native Argentine! BOOM BABY! Ay vamos! ;)) Our ward is so solid and everyone that bore their testimony yesterday just blew me away. So nice to have a breather from all the Atheists in the streets that don`t want to hear anything about religion or hear our message, then come to church on Sunday to be reminded that me and my companion actually aren`t the only ones that believe in what we are sharing. I was so grateful for Sunday and the sacrament and the spirit that exists there.

Les amo!

Elder Jolley

 Thanks so much for the package! I loved the notes, treats, and.... seasoned salt?? That's cool I guess. I`ve been putting it on my eggs in the morning like I did at home and ohhh it's good :) Try it.

Unlike Ryan... I had the patience to actually "frame the stuffing." The Lord is teaching me well. ; )

I'm on a bridge!

Quick email that came in on Monday:

Hey mom. We had a huge leadership activity here in Bahia today that took forever. We don´t have time to write cause we´re gonna take a bus back to Olavarria in a bit. Love you so much and I will be writing in the morning.

Love you guys! Say hi to the fam.

Elder Jolley :)

Buenas tardes!

So.. here I am.. sweating in an internet cafe because it`s blazing hot here and the air is so humid here that I have to repent every night for breaking the "no swimming" rule.

This week has been crazy, busy, FUN, spiritual, strange, and everything in between.. but that`s just like any other week. I will get on with a few highlights because I am running out of time.

So my new comp, Elder Yeates. He`s a great guy and we get along really good. Super nice, funny, and so innocent haha. I would relate him closest to Kronk, from Emperor`s New Groove. haha! Not saying he`s dumb... just.. innocent haha. He seriously acts and talks exactly like Kronk haha. He always says "niiiiiiice" or "riiiiiiiiiight" in his Kronk-like voice and it gives me a real kick.

My new comp Elder Yeates! From Washington. Great guy.

Works hard but knows how to have a good time. Woo

My zone! Wow I love my zone a ton. I sure do miss the Hermanas from my district in Bahia Blanca. No one will ever replace them... but I sure do love the people I`m working with, and it`s only been a week! Don`t have a good picture of everyone yet, but I will get it too you.

This last week we had a zone conference with President and Hermana Cifuentes (including the AP's and... Hermana Chesler! Who basically is working side by side with Hermana Cifuentes until she goes home in 13 days). That was super good as always and really helped us get focused and excited to work harder and improve as it always does.

My new buddy Elder Miller (perfect mixture of Haden Fillmore and Austin Garrett.. for those that know them). Elder Miller and Elder Tannyhill are the first people that can quote funny movies, songs and raps with me. I`ve been laughing a lot this past week.

 Me and Elder Miller doing a Zoolander impression cause we`re "really really good luking" haha

 My buddy Elder Tannyhill from the MTC is in my zone!! He was there at the bus station last week to pick me up. That was a sight for sore eyes. Love this kid.

Not many things to report as far as investigators here... we have one couple who is somewhat solid. Pablo and Tomara. They are going to get married on the 23rd and baptized soon after. That's just the plan though. They are pretty child like and get discouraged really easy. On Sunday they didn`t come and when we called them, Tomara was saying that she wasn`t sure if she wanted to go on with this "religion" thing. That was hard to hear as always... but we are going to visit them this week and work hard to get them to be excited and feel the spirit. We are also trying really hard right now to get members more involved in the work. I have hardly worked with members at all in my mission and I know it would help a lot so cross your fingers for me! And pray too.. that`d be good.

Sorry for the shorty. Sepan que les amo mucho y estoy muy feliz acá, sirviendo mi Salvador. Tengo muchas debilidades pero sè que puedo mejorar por medio de Él y Su expiación. Les testifico que es igual con ustedes. 

Con amor,

Elder Jolley

 Didn`t do much for Thanksgiving besides puttin in some WORK, but some other Elders had a little Thanksgiving dinner so we stopped by that night and celebrated with them for 15-20 minutes.

My zone is awesome.

 Went to Bahia on Monday (another 6 hour bus ride both ways... sweet). Played soccer, football, and basketball with President Cifuentes and all the zone leaders! Super fun. Elder Canez also taught us the "shoe lace game." It`s basically a wrestling game where you try to touch  the other ones shoe lace. Super fun and SO funny. First time I have wrestled in a while and it reminded me a ton of wrestling with Ryan and Brayden. Also I`m proud to say I only lost once (which also reminds me of wrestling with Ryan and Brayden... heh heh (ok maybe just Brayden)). So fun to hang out with President, meet new people, and see a bunch of old friends from my first transfers in the mission.