Elder Joshua Novakovich
Neuquén, Argentina

Here's the latest update on Josh! (from mom/Tiffanie) Yesterday at 11am (AK time) he left Esquel on a bus with 3 other missionaries bound for Buenos Aires. They were expecting to pick up a bunch of missionaries on the way to Neuquen, and then finish the drive to B.A. That's a 22hr drive under the best conditions, however, with all of the pickups and border stops, they were expecting to be on the bus for 30hrs. All of the missionaries finally have their paperwork to be able t...o cross provinces and fly out of the country. Their agreement with the government is that they cannot get off the bus for the entire duration of the trip. So, they packed enough food and water for 30hrs...and there is a toilet on the tour bus. When they get to B.A., they might overnight at the missionary training center there. Then they have two charter flights scheduled for Saturday 8am and 10am (BA time), which will arrive in SLC at 5:10pm and 7:10pm MDT. Yay! They finally have a flight out! Once in SLC, Josh will catch a flight to Anchorage and be here! I'm not sure if that flight will be Saturday night or Sunday morning, and we probably won't know what flight he gets on until he's on it. But we're ready for him!! I'll post pictures when he gets here :) Things are uncertain beyond that. He will get temporarily released from his mission assignment, and reassigned to a mission in the US when that becomes possible. We just don't know when that will be. So, Sunday begins his 14 day AK quarantine. Can't wait to have him here.

4/2/2020 - I'm alive guys calm down Hey everyone. I'm still alive. a little update because i didn't have time on monday. We are waiting for a bus right now to take us from Esquel to Buenos Aires. It's about a 24-30 hour bus ride. Then we will take a charter flight from B.A. to salt lake city, and from there i should be home on sunday or monday. So yeah i'm doing alright and i'm in good hands. The Church is taking very good care of us, and spirits are high. From there, at home, I will be in a mandatory 2 week quarantine, and then I will be reassigned to a new mission in the U.S. THese last few weeks have been really boring, so i'm really excited for things to finally be rolling. See yall soon! Hasta la vista, babies!

Update on Josh. He is still in Esquel Argentina. They’ve been 99% indoors for 11 days. He is bored out of his mind. A few areas in Argentina have bussed missionaries to chartered flights coming home, but not Josh’s area yet. I’m hoping it’s very soon. I’m glad I’ve been in contact with him so I know he’s alright, minus the boredom. He has texted me these funnier things:... Bro if we have to be here another week i think ill die No WiFi and we have a Nokia At least we have monopoly See more

316/2020 - Coronavirus Gotcha. clickbait haha. I don't have corona. but everyone is going crazy about it. It has been interesting what the people say about it. Lots of people are really hesitant to shake our hands, and lots of people think that we are bringing the virus from the states because we are gringos. But don't worry about me. They are taking good care of us here. We are buying lots of food for emergency. People haven't started to freak out yet a ton here like in the ...U.S. This week we had a cool experience. We got a call from the branch president one afternoon saying that a less active member called him and told us to come to his house to teach his friend. So we went up to his house in the mountain and found out that his friend is going through a really hard time in her life right now. So we shared a message about how much jesus christ loves her and that he died to feel her pain. She felt more peace, and then we taught her about baptism and invited her to be baptized, and she accepted! hopefully now with everything that's happening we will be able to baptize her. Please pray for Marisa for us, that would help a lot. Love you all, i am going to keep it short this week. stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands, and don't worry. everything is going to be ok. There is a promise in the Book of Mormon that says: "The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after His resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come. So read the Book of Mormon, and you will find peace. Hasta la vista, babies!!!