October 16, 2012 Hey I got pooped on by a bird yesterday! We had a zone conference and as I arrived to the bus stop after, I felt something wet hit my head and all over my suit coat... I thought someone threw a water balloon on me, and then I (stupidly) looked up and saw the grey, feathery butt of a pigeon mocking me. I wasn´t even mad... just kind of shocked. That has never happened to me. For a fleeting moment, I DID want to get my vengeance (spelling?) with a rock but I realized that the pigeon probably didn´t poop on me intentionally.... although its timing was remarkable. Anyway, besides that, the zone conference was really good. We talked about a little bit of everything. I love President´s training because he does it so well. He usually picks like 5 or 6 scriptures and expounds on them and how we can apply them in practical ways in the mission to improve and become better missionaries. Then Hermana Avila talked to us for a little while and we heard from the zone leaders, the assistants, and finally from the senior missionaries who tried to convey a spanglish presentation on health and working out in the morning etc... After all was said and done, we got out of there, a little poopier than before and headed back to good ol´ Rodeo del Medio. That night we had a super good lesson with Graciela. She has been investigating for a while and it looks like there is nothing that stands in between her and being baptized on Saturday, after our blood drive. Its kind of cool because she is studying to be a nurse and so she has a calling basically, representing our ward in the blood drive. I am way excited because the last couple converts in this ward are going to be really strong. Last week as we were walking back from the Gutierrez family, I found a small plastic bag of seeds on the ground. I don´t know what they are, but they look like garbonzo beans.. So I imagine that they are just that... I don´t know, but the important thing is that I put them on some cotton and poured some water on them and now they are huge! They grew a ton in just a matter of days! All but one... I ate that one because it wasn´t progressing. Anyway that picture is old. I am doing great. Elder Larsen and I get along really well and we are trying really hard to keep it going in our ward and area. Our minute to win it activity was a blast and we had a couple investigators come, who got along really well with the ward members. We are probably going to have a Halloween activity, so if you have any ideas please send them. They don´t really do halloween here as far as I know... But maybe they do. I have been in pretty poor farming communities for my two mission halloweens and they don´t really celebrate anything, and if they do its usually with incredible ammounts of alcohol and barbecue. Well, I hope you are all doing great. I hope you are enjoying life and keepin it real good. Love ya! Elder Daybell

October 8, 2012 The Lord´s work is hastening. Hey Family! Wow... Conference as always is the best weekend in any given six month period on the mission. Better is you have people come with you that previously weren´t even aware that God still has prophets and apostles and 70s on the earth today. Unfortunately, this conference we only had one investigator come, that has been investigating forever, and is actually quite converted. He just needs to get divorced, which means he is still far from being baptized because it is such a difficult process here. Hermana Gutierrez and her daughter came and after the Sunday afternoon session, I asked her how she liked it, and she very animatedly said it was absolutely beautiful, and that she loved it. I was happy. Conference really was a wonderful experience and as I sat listening to the words of modern day prophets and apostles and righteous exemplary women, I couldn´t help but think, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." I felt an excitement and an emotional stirring several times during the talks that never before had I felt due to different announcements and other phrases I felt were just for me. I felt something similar to what one feels right before the big drop on the roller coaster, when you are almost paused at the top, looking at the huge fall in front of you when Elder Holland said during the press conference that the Lord´s work is hastening. I appreciate the way that regardless of who you are or where you are or what you are doing with your life, you can recieve mounds of personal guidance at Conference. The Lord is truly the God of gods because He knows what every mortal living here on earth needs to know and manages to give it to us precept upon precept every six months, but in only a cumulitive 12 hours of talks, music and prayers. The hymns were great were they not? This week went well. We found out today transfers and Elder Larsen and I are staying together in Rodeo del Medio for another transfer. I am very excited. We still have people we need to find together and I am grateful for the loving way that he dedicates himself to the work and helps me to push myself in a similar way. I hope to become more like him. I felt kind of like President Eyring in the sense that God is LETTING me stay in Rodeo for one more transfer. I honestly was somewhat looking forward to another area, or province and after the call came telling me I would be in Rodeo for another 6 weeks, a total of 24 weeks or almost 6 months, the feeling of......okaaaayyy....... came into my mind and heart and almost instantly I felt the words of the living prophet seer and revelator come to mind, and really the words of our Heavenly Father come in and penetrate saying, "I will LET you stay in Rodeo another transfer at least." How grateful I am for a loving and mindful Father. I hope that these next six weeks I can keep trying to put it all down and straightaway follow the Lord into the lives and hearts of my brothers and sisters here in Rodeo. I have so much I could say about conference, how I feel, what I saw or heard, and everything else.... I hope you all are doing well. I am SO excited to be close enough to hang out with R and Hope when I get back! I love you guys. Elder Daybell!

October 1, 2012 Hey Family! Happy Birthday Dad!!! and Lindsey!!!! and Grandpa Kenneth!!! Well this week I got an email about voting... I don´t really know how that will work out, because I don´t know anything about the people running, only that Mitt Romney, and Obama are running... If there are more, its a surprise to me. I don´t think I will do the absentee ballot because its just another thing to keep me from the more important work. But whoever wins, and is the best choice, I would probably have voted for him or her. I had a pretty good week. We did a few exchanges but for the most part it was a pretty tranquila week. The elders from Colonia Bombal got robbed this last friday night. They called me at 10:48 PM that night, and Elder Larsen answered and said something like, "no way!!!...Duddeeeeeeee" and then I talked to them. It was pretty nuts because Colonia Bombal is a super calm area and there is almost not enough people to have thieves... But I guess they were out late and just barely missed the robbers. They got cleaned out though; the water heater, the gas tank, microwave, blender, toaster, camera and all the pictures of both of them, and there was about two or three inches of water on the floor in the whole apartment. It was not a good way to end the night for sure. So they took the late bus and got to our pension late and we finally got to bed at about 12:30 AM. So that was probably the most exciting thing that happened this week. We have a couple investigators that are going to get baptized, but have just a little tiny doubt that keeps them from taking the first step. I am reminded of the young ruler that Jesus taught. The young man had kept up all HIS commandments from his youth, and was for sure a good young man. When he asked the Lord what more he lacked, the answer was too great for him to bear in that moment. Our investigators have made some amazing changes, and now live a more honorable life, and are happier. They have seen many blessings recently. They all have one little thing that keeps them back though. We don´t really know where to go from here with them because they come to church every week and participate in activities and in classes and so on... Missionaries sometimes I feel are too hard on themselves. They think that it is thier fault that people use their agency to reject the good news of the Gospel. We must all learn from the Example that is Jesus Christ. Some people even He taught didn´t drop everything all at once and immediately accept His Gospel. These kinds of experiences are good to have though. When the Lord gave us the commandment to go forth and make disciples in all nations, baptizing them, He never said that it would be easy, or even a fun experience but He did promise us that if we keep His commandments, we shall have a fulness of joy, even as His joy is full. Anyways, I am STOKED for conference! I hope to hear a few more temple announcements, especially here in Mendoza! I hope you are all doing good. Sorry this letter was a little all over the place, I got called like 6 times while writing this. Love ya! Elder DAYBELL

September 17, 2012 Hey Family! Well this week was great. Lourdes and Miriam got baptized on Saturday and it was a great service. We had a lot of people come and there was just a great spirit present. I made some banana bread from the recipe that you gave me (mom) and everyone LOOOOVED it. Even if they don´t have shortening here. I baptized Lourdes and Elder Larsen Baptized Miriam, and then our Bishop, Obispo Villarroel confirmed Lourdes, and the High Priest group leader, Abuelo Gomez confirmed Miriam the next day in church. We had kind of an exciting day getting the font filled on saturday and trying to get everything ready. At first we just shoved a hose into the kitchen sink faucet and let ´er rip, but the water ran out after about an hour and we had no idea what to do until about two hours before the service was to start, two hermanas showed up and let us know about the secret spickot from outside the chapel.... so with two hours to go, and about 4 feet left to fill, we started and somehow there was enough water in the mobile font by the time everything actually started. It was really great. Lourdes made us some matching knit hats...on mine, she put W for "Willians" and on Elder Larsen´s she put a L for Larsen. I think it´s pretty dope. She also got us some shirts. Mine is about the rugby team here in Argentina, the Pumas, and how they won the world championship back in... 1946 or something like that haha. Elder Larsen says something like "Mendoza, Capital internacional de vino" Anyhooo besides that, the sacrament meeting on Sunday was great. The Stake President came and talked about temples and how they bless us, and how we need to go si o si to the Buenos Aires temple or Santiago Chile temple as often as we can. It was just a good talk about the next steps that Lourdes and her family will be taking... soon. By the way, this is the Gutierrez family that I have been talking about for about 4 months. Ya buddy I´m happy! We have to keep working with the rest of the family, but they will come. This next weekend we will be working so that Graciela and Matias can also be baptized. Keep them in your prayers! I am good. I ate mondongo again recently. Its been a while, but I have been here long enough that it was actually muy rico. I hope you are all doing good. Love ya! Have a good week! Also, we have interviews with President Avila this week (the 20th) and so I will get my package that arrived! Thanks! Lots of love Elder Daybell

September 10, 2012 Hey Family! This week was de diez. Elder Larsen and I had a rough start on monday and tuesday because I have been dealing with some dumb alergy-cold thing for about a month and it reached a climax on saturday, sunday, monday, and tuesday, but it seems to be going away a little bit. No worries, because its nothing worse than that fun month in Virginia when the allergies attack. I just have the blessing of being in another fruit producing, flowering area in spring time. Free fruit almost everywhere, vale la pena. We are doing way good though; Elder Larsen is a dream companion and so we get along really well and have a lot of fun working together. We are seeing the Lord´s hand in the work as we work hard to meet goals and find thos that will listen to His voice and not harden their hearts. I recently finished the Book of Mormon in spanish for the first time... I know right, I have like a ton of time as a missionary and I am just BARELY getting that done? Well I have been taking my time up until I saw that Elder Larsen had less than a 100 pages left to go and he has a little less than half of the time I have... So I turned it on and ended up losing any way (by a day). Well, we don´t read for mileage or for distance, So now I will re-start and give the Book the attention it duly deserves. But the Lord never loses an opportunity to help us learn and grow, regardless of how much time we give Him, and so I learned a lot and realized some things in the last couple days that have helped me and blessed me. I wanted to tell you guys about an experience that I have already shared with you, but that continues to press on my mind and heart... The Book of Mormon is the most important resource one has in his or her conversion, second only to the Holy Ghost. I have seen it change lives, and tenderize hardened hearts. I love the message that it contains, and I love that it has been brought forth among all of God´s children to help us come unto Christ. It is true, because it is from God. It is from God, because it is true. I have a testimony of the words of José Smith when he says that it is the most correct of any book on earth, and that no other will help us come closer to our Lord than this one. It has changed my life, it has blessed my life, and it continues to do both of those things daily. While the book itself is essentially, paper and ink and a little glue, the words and how they are set forth paint a wonderful image of who God is, and how great His love is for me, and for you and for your neighbor and friend. If you aren´t reading it, I would with much love invite you to start. Any problem is solvable with the Lord, and any question that we have that matters to us, will be resolved within the pages of scripture that the Lord has given us, along with fervent and sincere prayer. We had the temple rededication this sunday morning, and it was awesome. We went to the 3rd of 3 sessions and heard President Eyring, and Elder Christofferson (who speaks perfect spanish (he served in the Argentina North mission under President Richard G. Scott (who also knows spanish (the same mission covered the mission I am currently in)))).....) and Elders Mervyn B. Arnold (president of the South America South Area) and Francisco Viñas of the Seventy. It was a great meeting and I am so excited to see the Buenos Aires temple when I leave to come home. I think we will be able to go through it before we fly back, so I am so stoked!. Anyway, I love you guys, I hope you are well and happy. Thanks for your prayers on our behalf. un besito. Elder Daybell

September 3, 2012 Hey family This semana was pretty wild. Every day is going faster and faster and We are finding so many people that are progressing wonderfully. They actually all want baptism. Now the challenge is getting people married, or divorced and then married so they can get baptized. Or helping them get to the capilla. Getting divorced here is way harder than other stuff though. In a lot of the families we are teaching, they already have testimonies of everything. Now they are just jumping through all the political and financial hoops of the Mendocino government to get divorced. Flia. Gutierrez is coming a long great. We got to give the Hermana a blessing because she was sick and so it was great for her to experience her first priesthood ordinance from an authorized holder. They are all coming a long pretty good though. We are so in love with their family and have loved teaching them these past couple weeks. We are going to have the temple rededication this sunday for Buenos Aires, and I am pretty excited. I still have to get a white handkerchief but... Its all good. Anyways, I am doing way good. Elder Larsen is way cool. We are thankful for your prayers! Love ya, Elder Daybell

August 31, 2012 Dear Brother and Sister Daybell, It is a pleasure to be working with Elder Daybell. He has recently been called to serve as a district leader and is growing and maturing as a man and as a servant of the Lord. Thank you for the support and encouragement you give to him. Your son’s mission brings many blessings to him, the people he teaches, and the other missionaries around him. I’m sure that you have also felt the blessings that the Lord gives to a missionary’s family. A district leader is assigned to a group of elders, normally two or three companionships. Once a week he presides in a meeting with his district. He will prepare talks and classes that will help the missionaries in his district improve their teaching techniques and knowledge of the scriptures as well as the missionary lessons. He is responsible to stay aware of his district’s health and spiritual progress. He also does proselyting work with each of them. As district leader, Elder Daybell will give baptismal interviews. What a wonderful opportunity and blessing it is for him to sit and discuss with baptismal candidates their progress and the covenants that they will make. He determines whether or not the candidates have fully repented and if they are prepared to be baptized. We know your family will be blessed and see the growth in Elder Daybell as he shares with you the experiences and challenges that he has as a missionary and a representative of Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord will bless you and your son continually in your efforts to build the kingdom of God on earth. With love,President Sergio E. Avila