Some videos

This is Mike's brother posting. These are some short videos Mike took on his trip to Iguazu falls, and a little bit of tango. We're still curious about the full story of finding the tango dancers and then "performing." I'm posting most of the videos and photos on Mike's blog, and the videos I've been converting from the full 1080 HD to a small mobile format for quicker uploads and viewing. The HD is much more impressive, especially of the falls.

-Chris

Mision Buenos Aires Oeste

I find myself typing this in an interesting location. I’m sitting in an airport in Guayaquil Ecuador because of a layover. I flew out of Buenos Aires this afternoon (Sat 2nd), and ended up here at 9:30 this evening. My flight at 7 a.m. will then take me back down to southern Peru where I will have a 5 hour layover in Lima from which I will catch my final flight back up to Northern Peru and arrive in Chiclayo tomorrow evening. I will have flown over my destination twice before finally landing on the third pass. Ridiculous.

So, the mission was incredible! Nearly three weeks of physically exhausting, frequently uncomfortable, and often mentally draining hard, hard work. I wouldn’t trade it for the world and in fact, I traded the world for it. If I were to share all of the spiritually saturated experiences I had in that short time, I would fill a good twenty pages. Instead, I will tickle your taste buds with a handful of special spiritually uplifting experiences to show a little about the life of a servant of the Lord. Before I do that, I will share a little about the incredible spiritual giants I was blessed with the privilege of serving alongside. First off, as you may know, my fulltime mission was in Guatemala years ago. So, I ask you, was it a coincidence that one of the two elders in the other companionship in our apt just happened to be the only Guatemalan in the mission? I think God knew I needed someone to translate the Argentine castellano into Guatemalan Spanish for me so I wouldn’t offend anyone ha ha. Elder Ponce is one of the most bold, courageous and faithful missionaries I’ve met, with a passion for the work and a smile that lights up a room. Elder Streadbeck, his companion, is only surpassed in physical height by his spirit and a heart big enough that the whole world could feel his love for them and he’d still have love to spare. He’s been in the field only a couple of months and already speaks Spanish better than many missionaries do after an entire mission! Now last, but most certainly not the least, is my own companion Elder Lopez. Elder Lopez is a half Mexican that didn’t speak any Spanish until the mission. No worries, he speaks it now, and quite well I might add. What can I say about the man who trained me? Elder Lopez was the District Leader and was an incredible example of not only obedience (which we all know I need. J), but he was the perfect example of a leader who demands no more than he himself is willing and capable of giving. A leader whom I saw on many occasion share a greater love for those elders under his stewardship than many people in places of higher authority. The care and concern he felt for those elders might only be surpassed by his faith in the promises God has made through His servants such as President Carter, the mission president. The man showed me everyday, unintentionally, how close he is to the Spirit by sharing scriptures perfect for each individual we spoke with. Truly, these are men of God and I found myself humbled in many instances to be in the presence of these and other soldiers of our Father in Heaven. Indeed, in a Zone Conference, the Spirit overwhelmed this body and I was left with only the ability to allow the tears to flow as they sang their title hymn of “Called To Serve”. What a blessing I was granted. Truly it was an unprecedented and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

My mission was filled with moments where in spite of my not knowing these people, the Lord used me as a mouthpiece to share just the right experiences with the people at just the right time and in many instances I was privileged to see the Spirit touch their hearts deeply, bringing many to tears. I can testify that the spirit of forgiveness worked in many hearts as we preached the gospel of repentance. I was granted the opportunity to witness young Fidel as he begins the lineage of the true followers of Christ in his immediate family by being baptized by his 17 year old cousin Alvaro who is the first in his immediate family to do the same! Awesome! We got Mary to come back to church after many years of inactivity and because of that, her daughters Mariana and Leila will soon be baptized! Incredible! Estela, a widow with her two daughters has committed to baptism in two weeks after having read the Book of Mormon faithfully and recognizing its divine nature! How cool is that?! Then we have Veronica who is only waiting to be married in order to be baptized! She already considers herself a member! The field is white my dear friends, just thrust in that sickle already!

I served in an area called Moreno. It primarily covered a very poor area with mostly dirt or rather muddy roads, since it either rained or was cloudy nearly every day I was there. We worked nonstop everyday, walking quickly to each house so as to help the greatest amount of people we could. Weekly we would speak to over 150 people in the streets and on the buses and trains. Fear of speaking to strangers is a luxury a missionary must live without. On more than one occasion we would speak to entire buses both cumulatively and then individually. My first week in the field I had a cold and my feet were covered in blisters that I kept finding for the next two weeks since my shoes didn’t fit nor were they designed for that. They, along with all of my missionary clothing were borrowed. This last week I also had stomach flu, but with all of these things, the work must always go on. When you know you have something so special that everyone needs, these are just petty annoyances.

Everyday a missionary wakes up at 6:30 am and begins his day with exercise until 7 and then food and getting cleaned up until 8.
Then he studies the scriptures, both modern and old to increase the Spirit’s ability to use him/her as a tool. From 9-10am the companionship studies together from the inspired manual Preach My Gospel so they can better understand how to deliver the messages properly and effectively to the anxiously awaiting ears. For the last half hour before hittin the dirt they study the language in order to make sure nothing will stand in the way of a clear communication of the Spirit to the hearts of those willing to accept. The faithful missionary then steps out into the field and speaks to every man, woman, and child of the truths that will bring salvation and pure happiness. He does this for the next 11 hours or so when they finally return home only to sit down for 30 minutes and plan how to be most efficient and effective in the following day and what the needs of each individual investigator are so that they can meet them and prepare them for the waters of baptism. Then, if you are like my comp, and have the task of being a District or Zone Leader, you spend whatever precious little time you have left til lights out, calling every missionary under your stewardship and making sure all is in order. Personal time…what’s that?

The chance to step into the field again with the experiences I’ve had, allowed me to hopefully reach some people who may have been more difficult to reach. At the very least, I pray I was more than just a companion. If no one else was changed or affected by my service, I certainly was and I thank my God frequently that I was able to meet and interact with such incredible members like Vanesa who helped us out day in and day out. She has only been a member for months, but the fire is so powerful inside her it is nearly impossible to avoid ignition. I thank her and many others for the example of what we all should be.

Well, I have written enough for now and must attempt to sleep in this airport. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Iguazu

It's been a crazy busy week and a half. The day after I arrived here in Buenos Aires, my parents were asked by the mission president to go out to the areas in the campo (country) and take a few things to the missionaries out there, as well as observe a new branch president out in one of the areas. So, the morning after my arrival we began our three-day trip into the campo. The first day was pretty incredible as we were able to stop at a zoo in the city of Lujan, which provides visitors with an opportunity to fulfill dreams, or at the very least, to fulfill some of my lifelong dreams! They said they were one of three (or five, I can't remember) zoos in the world that allow you to enter into the cages with, not just lion and tiger cubs, but with actual fully grown lions, tigers, and yes, even bears, oh my! As I entered the cages and walked up to those giant cats with their massive paws and huge heads, it was easy to understand why these are the masters of their domains. Then, as I was handed a bottle of milk and instructed to squirt the milk into my hand as the course tongue completely engulfed my hand when they lapped it up, it became all too easy to want to give into the temptation to wrap your arms around the beasts and just love'em to pieces! Unfortunately, if you were to give in to that temptation, you would probably be the one that ended up in pieces. One of the younger cubs was growling while I was petting him because they had just given him a piece of meat and he was a bit protective. I must admit, even for a little guy, it was intimidating, considering their paws are bigger than my hands. I was given the opportunity to feed some howler monkeys and was amazed at how soft the skin on their hands is. I would have guessed it might have been rough and callused from climbing around, but I apparently not. As awesome of an experience as it was, I couldn't help but wish that they all could've had more room since the enclosures were smaller than you might see at a typical zoo in the states, not that any of the animals know any better since they were all born and bread in captivity, but still.

The trip into the campo continued about 500km out to the outskirts of the mission. It was a beautiful ride.
The campo reminds me of driving through the central states of the US. Farmlands as far as the eye could see. No variance in elevation. The vast landscape was also riddled at times with marshes and wetlands with all sorts of different species of birds, the most exotic of which were the flamingos. It was a bit different to see them in the wild.

It's strange being surrounded by a language that is so familiar to me and yet so foreign at the same time. I find the words entering my ear almost like English, but as I attempt to formulate them, they seem to get lost somewhere between my mind and my tongue. It's coming back, but it is frustrating at times.

On Tues I took my first solo adventure into the big city by train and subway. I spent the afternoon wandering the city in hopes of finding the famed tango dancers. I wandered miles, and found some beautiful sights including the cemetery where Evita Peron is buried and a beautiful catholic cathedral along with a couple of basilicas. The port was gorgeous, filled with old-fashioned frigates and modern hydrofoils. The city, full of high-rises and skyscrapers was every bit as modern and civilized as any you might find in the US. The people are kind, for the most part, and while I enjoy being greeted with kisses and a huge from the lovely ladies, I must confess I was taken a little off guard the first time a guy did it to me. I'm pretty confident I will never get used to seeing or receiving that particular salutation from the guys. As I continued to wander, I saw their Casa Rosada (Pink House) and various other famous landmarks, but no tango dancers. So, before I gave up and headed back to the train I decided to walk down Avenida Florida one last time and see the beautiful shops. This time as I meandered I found various street performers including a band that was quite good, a couple of statue guys (people pretending to be statues), and some jugglers. Then, on my way back, I saw them! Tango dancers! The tango has always been one of my favorite dances and as I watched them perform, it was magical. I'm not sure if it was the music, or the dancing, or the combination this time that really got to me, but I truly felt the power of the emotions behind the movements as they danced...For a few moments...I really missed it all. Her...in my arms. Holding her close, body to body. Swaying and swirling the two become one. The intensity as I look into her eyes. The emotions of love, desire, and passion, if only for that brief moment, are as real as she is when she melts into my arms and lays her head on my chest. Now that, my friends, is dance. The ability to create emotions where none existed. The capability of igniting feelings that might have forever remained buried in ones heart. I felt the power that night and it stuck with me as I returned to the apt fulfilled. I got to see my tango and I wasn't disappointed.

On Wed. evening of this week, my parents and I boarded a nice double-decker bus and spent the next 18 hrs on it as we drove overnight up to Puerto Iguazu, a city on the border of Paraguay and Brazil. The landscape changed drastically from a somewhat temperate climate to being one of a subtropical nature. I began to feel a little more like I felt when I served my mission in Guatemala. We visited the national park of Iguazu Falls and it was indescribably incredible! We rode a boat right up underneath one of the falls and got soaked, but the highlights definitely included seeing some of the wildlife and walking through the rainforests.

The Garganta del Diablo was awe-inspiring at 50 meters taller than Niagra and the falls spanned such a vast length it was amazing and so beautiful. As I stood near the Garganta I felt the power of this, God's creation, and it was humbling. An interesting thing to note as we were crossing the river on a boat over to an island, there was a young lady we met, by the name of Mara. She is from Peru, but studied in Canada and is currently doing almost exactly what I'm doing. She has been out for 5 months already and expects the rest of her journey to take another 3 months or so. As much as I would never recommend for any female to do a trek like that alone, I commend her for living her dream and letting nothing stand in her way.

In closing, I leave you with a note that I will be beginning a mini mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Buenos Aires West mission, Argentina, starting tomorrow and going for the next three weeks. I will still be logging my adventures. I don't know if I will have the opportunity to post them during that time, but I will do my best. I am a bit nervous about the whole thing. Things have changed a bit since I served my mission. I know that God will be with me. With Him by my side, I know I am up to the task, but it still has some interesting potentialities. As of tomorrow I will be Elder Cox...again.

I would like to share something to think about. Years ago when I first was called to serve a mission, the call was to serve in Buenos Aires, Argentina, not to Guatemala. Things happened, and choices were made that required me to wait many months before leaving on my mission. Due to the length of time of the wait, the call to Buenos Aires was changed and I was then called to Guatemala. Years have past since then. When I first returned from my mission, I had frequent dreams of being back on the mission and I would wake up in a panic only to find relief in the fact that it was only a dream. Slowly over the years the dreams remained similar, but my response to them upon awakening changed from a feeling of panic, to one of longing. This had persisted up until about three or four months ago when the dream came, but something was different. It didn’t feel right. In the dream it wasn’t my place. It was my mission, but it I felt like I didn’t belong there. In the dream I spoke with the mission president, who then told me that my mission lay elsewhere. When I awoke I laid in bed thinking about the meaning and my mind turned to this trip that I had been planning. I felt stronger than ever that I needed to come to these foreign lands and serve the people in whatever ways I could. I knew then, as I know now. I am where God needs me. I had no idea that when I would arrive here I would find the mission to be more than 30 missionaries short due to inability to obtain visas. Areas in this mission have been shut down. The president has tried to keep them open with mini missionaries, but some have to leave and he found himself short by one, and here I am. God’s hand in all things. That’s what it boils down to. I am here now, to fulfill my mission to Buenos Aires that I was called to those many years ago.

For pictures visit my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=104255429694798