There is so much to say, I absolutely refuse to try and make this email ebb and flow. I am just going to go from point to point. It´s exhausting to try and make it all come together! :)
There are some odd 60 deaths in Buenos Aires from the swine flu. As a result the stake president decided to cancel church. Imagine what that does to the work… yeah, the members will survive, it´s probably e
ven a little bit fun for them to have a break from preparing lessons and taking a bus to get there in the cold, but it makes it hard for the missionaries who are trying to find, teach, and bring people to CHURCH on Sunday so that they can have spiritual experiences, be fellowshipped, and prepare to be baptized. It´s hard to commit people to a baptismal date when for now baptisms have been more or less suspended. Unfortunately we had to lose the date for the 4 kids we had ready, and now we have a "weak, maybe” date of the 19th (the last day of the transfer) and we are just hoping that the stake president lets us baptize. Imagine having to finish the transfer (another transfer) without baptisms… but this time having 4 people that could have been baptized. It hurts. You work and work and work and have no control over the results of anything you do. Who has all the control? That´s easy… Heavenly Father. It´s His work and His plan, and we trust perfectly in it, but there are moments of frustration. President Benton and the stake presidents and bishops allowed us to have a few small meetings with two hymns, a prayer, and the sacrament in the homes of a few members so that we could bring our investigators…. In this way they still progress with their attendance requirements, and don´t lose contact with the church and the Sabbath day thing. But it isn't the same because we are forbidden from sharing or testifying of anything in this meeting because we are not allowed to have a mini-sacrament meeting. It is not my favorite thing--it´s easier because we can pick the time (and we don´t pick 9 am) but harder because you have to explain so much about why we are doing this. We are at least grateful that they can gain a testimony of how important it is as they see us go to such measures to partake of it each week. Just trust me that this twist in the work is throwing us all for a loop.All of the schools have closed until August 4th. The kids have tons of homework to do on their own--I hope they all complete it. The Evangelical church had their meetings on Sunday as normal and I was actually jealous. We work all week long to have game day (Sunday) and then it was like we never had the game… and had to start another week of training. It´s like having a bye / bye in sports… it messes up the groove of things. I´ll try and see it as being a great thing, mind over matter, right?
There are signs all over the place that say Alcohol en gel (hand sanitizer). We bought 300 mg for $15 pesos and the next day found a liter for $15 pesos. So we bought that too. We wash our hands and checks at least 30 to 4o times a day from the saludo--which we aren't supposed to do anymore.
I´m 14 months old today… and we are moving today. But it is not the funnest way to spend my 14 month p-day. I could go into the details, but it would take my remaining 30 minutes and then I´d just have to admit that there are worse things in life.
It is true… this is not the end of the world, but let me tell you that there is just so much that one can handle at a given time and I reached that point 12 days ago. This week I had a morning when I couldn´t take it anymore and found myself crying on the floor in prayer. My companion came and listened to me explain why I just couldn´t handle it anymore and then she helped me feel better. The night before we had had a really rough moment with the mom of the 3 kids who will be baptized and it looked like we were about to lose them. I couldn´t handle the loss, we had been treated quite brutally that day by the world in general and the Elders said that we were going to move on the fifth of never. I fell to my knees and sobbed. I tell you this not to make you sad, but to testify that the Lord hears our prayers. I don´t remember how I was able to get up and go out and work that day, but I remember that we did. And I remember that the day wasn´t all that bad. The point of the story is that you should take comfort because we are not alone. He carries us when we cannot go one step more.
Long story short, we regained the confidence of the mom and things looked good, then _______ the 14 year old decided she didn´t want to be baptized because she didn´t want to give up tea. We almost lost her but we are pretty sure we have won her again. We finally got a brother to give _______ a blessing – she is terminally ill… has an ulcer and unfortunately HIV. We pray for her and know the gospel can help her, but she is not totally well but has moments that are so wonderful that we keep fighting-- determined to at least give her and her children the chance for a hope of a better future.
My companion was downright shocked when I told her the other day that Coca Cola has caffeine. She vowed to drink no more and eagerly told her family so that they could learn too. She is very funny sometimes… Nata – one of those people who says, “you know what I hate… red lights.” lol! Last night when Alejo was following us and taking care of every tree in the 16 blocks on the way home she said, “do you know why they do that?” and I said, “to mark their territory” and she said, “yeah, like wow…” as though she found out yesterday. I about died laughing. She also says things like, “you know what is so bad in the Church… pride, it destroys us.” If it´s a good moment it makes me laugh, if I´m stressed, it makes me think, “did you really just say that?” But good times! Just writing about it makes me laugh!
Brian – the 12 year old thought that I was 36 years old. OUCH! That´s 1 year older than his own mother. Does he really think I am older than his mother? Let me just say that it was not the best comment he could have made.
The other day we saw a dead dog in the street and his tongue really was completely hanging outside of his mouth--just like in the comics. I don´t know why his tongue is out of his mouth… did he die that way? I accept suggestions and answers to this question.
In the chinos supermarket the other day I saw the meat man sawing the meat with a tooth saw… it caught my attention and I stared mesmerized almost sure that he was going to cut himself because he did it all so fast-- and with his hand an inch from the blade… but wouldn´t you know it, he didn´t cut himself.
Every day we contact someone and I walk away thinking, “now THAT is the person most lost and confused in all the world.” And then an hour later we stop someone else who is even more misled. And I repeat it, and the next day the same thing happens. Each day we find someone who is even more lost than the one we met yesterday… unfortunately they are the ones who almost never let us give them the answers and bring them out of confusion. I wish I could make them listen, but they have their agency.
Nata, Dad, mom, everybody… I do all I can to relax, but our life is programmed for us and there is literally no free time to be had. I would love to make shakes and stuff, but it is pretty much impossible. I try to relax in the morning before study and as I drift off to sleep. I´ll do my best to complete the assignment.
Jason – I am trying to write a poem and I want you to write the song… I am going to have it playing in the background of the video I am going to make with all of the pictures from my mission. When I have the poem / lyrics… I will send them to you! That is my way of asking if you will write the song! :)
Norene – Happy birthday! I hope you eat lots of cake and get a fun new puzzle! If I see a puzzle here in Argentina… I will buy you one, but so far I have seen none. Feliz Cumpleaños!
Grandma – I hope you are recovering well. I am constantly praying for you. I hope that you are able to use this time to really study the Book of Mormon… it will help you heal because it answers all the questions of the soul. It will bring you peace.
Mom –I´m excited for the package.
I love you all. I pray for you. I have a cough, but I´m surviving! I love the mission, even though this week was frustrating and trying. I am happy, I am well, I am protected, I am safe. I am blessed. I love you all.
Gotta run!
I don´t yike packing... or moving… at all.
I´m 14 months old today… and we are moving today. But it is not the funnest way to spend my 14 month p-day. I could go into the details, but it would take my remaining 30 minutes and then I´d just have to admit that there are worse things in life.
It is true… this is not the end of the world, but let me tell you that there is just so much that one can handle at a given time and I reached that point 12 days ago. This week I had a morning when I couldn´t take it anymore and found myself crying on the floor in prayer. My companion came and listened to me explain why I just couldn´t handle it anymore and then she helped me feel better. The night before we had had a really rough moment with the mom of the 3 kids who will be baptized and it looked like we were about to lose them. I couldn´t handle the loss, we had been treated quite brutally that day by the world in general and the Elders said that we were going to move on the fifth of never. I fell to my knees and sobbed. I tell you this not to make you sad, but to testify that the Lord hears our prayers. I don´t remember how I was able to get up and go out and work that day, but I remember that we did. And I remember that the day wasn´t all that bad. The point of the story is that you should take comfort because we are not alone. He carries us when we cannot go one step more.
Long story short, we regained the confidence of the mom and things looked good, then _______ the 14 year old decided she didn´t want to be baptized because she didn´t want to give up tea. We almost lost her but we are pretty sure we have won her again. We finally got a brother to give _______ a blessing – she is terminally ill… has an ulcer and unfortunately HIV. We pray for her and know the gospel can help her, but she is not totally well but has moments that are so wonderful that we keep fighting-- determined to at least give her and her children the chance for a hope of a better future.
My companion was downright shocked when I told her the other day that Coca Cola has caffeine. She vowed to drink no more and eagerly told her family so that they could learn too. She is very funny sometimes… Nata – one of those people who says, “you know what I hate… red lights.” lol! Last night when Alejo was following us and taking care of every tree in the 16 blocks on the way home she said, “do you know why they do that?” and I said, “to mark their territory” and she said, “yeah, like wow…” as though she found out yesterday. I about died laughing. She also says things like, “you know what is so bad in the Church… pride, it destroys us.” If it´s a good moment it makes me laugh, if I´m stressed, it makes me think, “did you really just say that?” But good times! Just writing about it makes me laugh!
Brian – the 12 year old thought that I was 36 years old. OUCH! That´s 1 year older than his own mother. Does he really think I am older than his mother? Let me just say that it was not the best comment he could have made.
The other day we saw a dead dog in the street and his tongue really was completely hanging outside of his mouth--just like in the comics. I don´t know why his tongue is out of his mouth… did he die that way? I accept suggestions and answers to this question.
In the chinos supermarket the other day I saw the meat man sawing the meat with a tooth saw… it caught my attention and I stared mesmerized almost sure that he was going to cut himself because he did it all so fast-- and with his hand an inch from the blade… but wouldn´t you know it, he didn´t cut himself.
Every day we contact someone and I walk away thinking, “now THAT is the person most lost and confused in all the world.” And then an hour later we stop someone else who is even more misled. And I repeat it, and the next day the same thing happens. Each day we find someone who is even more lost than the one we met yesterday… unfortunately they are the ones who almost never let us give them the answers and bring them out of confusion. I wish I could make them listen, but they have their agency.
Nata, Dad, mom, everybody… I do all I can to relax, but our life is programmed for us and there is literally no free time to be had. I would love to make shakes and stuff, but it is pretty much impossible. I try to relax in the morning before study and as I drift off to sleep. I´ll do my best to complete the assignment.
Jason – I am trying to write a poem and I want you to write the song… I am going to have it playing in the background of the video I am going to make with all of the pictures from my mission. When I have the poem / lyrics… I will send them to you! That is my way of asking if you will write the song! :)
Norene – Happy birthday! I hope you eat lots of cake and get a fun new puzzle! If I see a puzzle here in Argentina… I will buy you one, but so far I have seen none. Feliz Cumpleaños!
Grandma – I hope you are recovering well. I am constantly praying for you. I hope that you are able to use this time to really study the Book of Mormon… it will help you heal because it answers all the questions of the soul. It will bring you peace.
Mom –I´m excited for the package.
I love you all. I pray for you. I have a cough, but I´m surviving! I love the mission, even though this week was frustrating and trying. I am happy, I am well, I am protected, I am safe. I am blessed. I love you all.
Gotta run!
I don´t yike packing... or moving… at all.
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