My Stepdad Is my Cousin? Aug 28, 2017

My Comp is my Cousin! well 15 generations back but none the less! cousins! We have been learning about genealogy work this past week! we have to be able to teach them about the temple and the ordinances they can do for their family that have passed away, and part of that is family history work!

Also, something really Cool is that I was able to find out is that 13 generations back my family is linked to Corry’s, his great x13 grandma married my great x13 grandpa how cool is that? also making him my cousin (weird right) but yeah that was my cool little moment with family history work! 

I finally found a place to hang up my hammock! people told me I was stupid for bringing it but I found joy being able to look at the stars last night from the roof of our building! (photo to come) 

oh, also this week we had zone conference so i got so see our mission president and we learned about some better ways to work together with the ward to help investigators it was really cool! really this entire week has been awesome I’ve been able to see how family history work can bless families we had one elder here find 131 ordinances that could be done for his family just because we took a couple hours out of our busy schedule to sit down and learn how to do family history. 

family history work is a big blessing and because of it our family has the opportunity have the same eternal happiness we can have. 

oh! some members made elder Caron a doll that looks liek him, I think it’s a voodoo doll, ill keep you updated on that

8 new photos & a Baptism - Aug 22, 2017

"Hey guys mom is going to write something and fill out what happened this last week I don't have much time to write due to a holiday they had yesterday so i'm just filling you in through her! love you!"

Devin had a great week & stays very busy. He had a baptism on Friday and loves being a tool in the Lords hands. 

He ventured out to the swap-meet where he found a minion piggy bank that he couldn't live without. And he made a music video which we will get to see at some point.. The  picture above is of him in a suit coat & shorts (He wore this for the music video)  More photos below.  

Devin asked me to share...

"I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, and because His atonement each of us can live with God again in the heavens. I have much love for my eternal father and I feel his love in my life in every moment. And I can testify that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God and that he restored of the church of Jesus Christ. I know without a doubt that this gospel is true and that Thomas S. Monson, was called by God. And he is a guide for the people here on earth. I know that the missionaries who work every day are messengers of Christ and their message is of great significance, I so testify that the book of Mormon is the most truthful book in the whole world and when we read we can feel The Holy Ghost Testifying of This Things in our hearts.

but really something that I can’t stress, the importance of is The Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. He loved us so much that he took upon himself the worst pain imaginable. no one can understand the pain that he went through.  he has felt every sorrow imaginable, he understands how we feel he understand that were human and that we fall. even while he was being tempted by Satan during his 40 day fast he didn’t think about himself but he thought of John and he sent angels unto him. the lord is the perfect example of charity and of light. quite honestly, it’s hard for us to grasp the love he had because it’s so perfect he never favored one person over another. we could all benefit from trying to be more Christ like. and we can, as we study the scriptures and the character of Christ we can learn to be more like him we can come to have a better knowledge of the love and charity he had for people. when we live and act in a manner that is pleasing unto the lord the blessing that come to us are without number. I know that our Savior has a deep love for each, and every one of his children His ability to understand everything that we go through makes him the perfect person to confide in. He loves each, and every one of us and wants nothing more than to live with us again, and as we follow his teaching we find joy and happiness. I share this testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Swollen eyes, a nearly broken ankle, and a sore throat! August 14, 2017

It’s been a REAL interesting week........... so last Monday I played Rugby for the first time, I did really good! so I mean that makes up for it. but anyway, I ended up doing something to my ankle. all I know is that I stepped in a hole and my ankle bent one way and I bent the other and there was a loud pop. well we went to the sideline and we looked at it. Initially there was some type of pain, then there was nothing. so, as any normal 20-year-old would do.... I played on it (sorry mom). I didn’t hurt the whole time (until I said hey I need to stop my ankle hurts) but anyway so we went to eat lunch and I was like "wow my ankle really hurts" and my comp and I just laughed. well we went about our day and we went back home to get ready and I took off my shoe and my foot was just swollen! and I was like ahh, crap! and so we call the mission nurse and she’s like okay tell me what happened we tell her she tells me I’m dumb for playing on, then she tells me I’m not allowed to go outside and work and I need to ice my foot. well I do that and the next day she calls and asks how’s it going and I tell her well it still hurts and the swelling hasn’t gone down and now we have some bruising. well she’s like take some Ibuprofen and I tell her I can’t because whenever I take that I turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. well so she calls the mission Dr. and gets a list of medications that will help but don’t have the same ingredients in them. so, she gets me this drug called Naproxen. I guess it does the same thing and it won’t kill me. so, I take it and I tell my companion okay, we are going to be on red alert for the next 45 minutes to make sure that I’m not going to die so were sitting there and my companion says something funny and so I laugh but when I breath in I’m all wheezy and I’m like AHH CRAP, ITS ABOUT TO GO DOWN. 10 minutes later the transformations start’s. I take a puff of the inhaler that my mom warned I needed (moms really do know all). and I tell my companion all right we have to go! so we go down and get a taxi because I want about to get into one of the "ambulances “or as I like to call them a chop shop on wheels. so, we get to the hospital and everyone is just looking at me. they get me to the place where they just kind of look at me and the nurse looked up and she basically thought I was a demon. it was really comforting when I heard a shriek followed my her taking the lords name in vain. (Grade "A" bed side manner) then they take me into this other room where they put an Iv in me and I don’t know who made this poor lady mad but I felt that she had some pent-up anger when she stuck the needle in. so anyway they pumped me full of medication and I guess they gave me some sort or sedative I was just feeling so good! and I was just chill. I was cool as a cucumber. well after we got out of satan's vacation home we called for a Remis (argentine Uber) it got there and we hopped in (keep in mind that I’m still on that sedative) and he was like "yo what happened to your buddy" and my companion was trying to explain that his companion Elder Hunchback from Notre Dame has some problems with medication. and the whole time his explaining this I’m just in the back of this car with my body and fluid as water rocking out to Burn by Ellie Goulding. I really think I may have been singing it better than she does! then we were stuck in the house for a few more days and then we went to church on Sunday and that’s basically how we spent our week. an and I had a sore throat the last 3 days of it.. but I’m all good now so that’s good! my ankle is still swollen so I’ll probably have to go to the doctors for that, so I mean that’s fun. but yeah, it’s been a great week! and yes, I have photos! you are in luck! 

                                                                                  

I love you all very much thank you for your love and support. I hope that you are all doing well! I pray for all of you always! make sure to shoot me message, drop me a line, hit me up, whatever you want to call it! I love hearing from you guys! I love hearing how my siblings are doing too yeah thts right im calling you out Corbin, Kinley, Linzi, Mike, Dax &, Keaton.   Kyle, you talk to me so you’re off the hook, and it’s your wedding so you know hope you have a good one, I have 10 people bringing my cardboard cutout so I’m sorry I know you said no but it’s very important I be there. 

oh, but you know I threw in a selfie from Sunday so you know that a have a normal face again! 

Love you Guys! 

Elder Devin Rios

Gral. Lavalle 1828
1646 San Fernando
Buenos Aires
Argentina

Nineteen Slices later! Aug 7, 2017

There is nothing more satisfying than fast Sunday dinner, this my friends, is a fact. But let me tell you a little story about your dear Elder Rios. So, as we all know, I like to eat. My companion and I had a meeting with the zone leaders and after the meeting we were like wow were kind of hungry so we went and grabbed some lunch. The four of us sat down and Elder Levitt one of the Zone Leaders said "alright, whoever eats the most pizza wins an alfajor (pronounced: Alpha-whore   - they are these really good little cake things) and so I was like okay and I kind of chuckled because these boys had no idea what they were getting themselves into. So, the way this place works is that all you can eat pizza joint and they just bring it around on a platter and just say what one you want, I know, classy right? So anyway, they bring it around and they offer us pizza and everyone takes one and she gets to me and I’m like yeah can I have two slices of the cheese pizza and she’s like sure. So, then all the other elders look at me and I’m just like "WHAT I came to win" so we just start pounding pizza and we all get to 12 slices and that’s when some of the elders start getting the sweats. You know the ones, the ones where the food is too good and you know you should stop but your manly hood is just on the line so you push. Well the first elder to tap out is elder Deschamps; he’s an argentine light weight that stopped at slice 14. So, about this same time we run out of soda and I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an eating competition without something to drink but it’s like trying to swallow sand. So, we decided to buy another during which are much overpriced and I’m not kidding they charge 6 dollars for a liter of coke. so, any way we continue pounding these slices of pizza and me and my companion are neck and neck we both stop at 18 slices and we just sit there and watch elder Leavitt struggle he’s eating his 17th piece and he’s just chewing for minutes. The poor kid was slowly going into a food coma. well we started cheering him on telling him that he just needed to finish those last 2 pieces and he could just join us in the eighteeners club. so, we talk him up and he does it this poor kid really put up a good fight. And as he took the last bite of that 18th slice the lady came around again and she was like "Quiere Mas"? (want more) and my comp and I just looked at each other and just said "SI" and all poor elder Leavitt could do was just sit there and stew. We wronged him on that one loll. However, I can say that that is the fullest I’ve ever been in my entire life. It made work a little hard that day but we did it darn it! Haha, it was also a really good way to start our fasts for fast Sunday! 

We had a really great week, my comp got really sick from some sketchy food, he ended up riding the dragon for an hour or so (that’s where you’re throwing up and pooping at the same time). That sounds horrible huh? 

But as far as work goes we are going really well we have had lots of success we have lots of new people to each and we are continuing to work with people that are preparing to be baptized and it’s so cool to see the lord work in them. I know I say that about every week but that is the coolest part about what we do. I can already from this small part in my mission say that’ll be the thing I’ll miss the most. I’ll enjoy every moment of these next 19 months possible. That’s the advice that I was given by a missionary that recently left and I intend to follow it! Love you guys lots hope that you’re all doing well! I love all the letters talk to you next week! 

Elder Devin Rios

Gral. Lavalle 1828
1646 San Fernando
Buenos Aires
Argentina