July 25, 2011  Salta  Argentina

I made it through transfers without having to pack! I was expecting to go because it was a rumor that 6 months max in an area was a new rule from the prophet. I guess it was just the president's rule. I don't know if I mentioned this, but we got a new president in the mission 3 weeks ago or so. He is really good! The new president is from here and has 5 kids under 15 years old!  Yes, he has his hands full. The secretary of the mission takes them to school in the morning sometimes so he has a new title... baby sitter. ha ha

Anyways, my companion  goes home the first week of September. We were hoping to stay together to get alot better at teaching together. We have recently been trying hard and talking about the lessons and how we can work together through it. I am learning alot and working it out and changing the way we are doing things to have the spirit more in the lessons will help me down the road. We are so blessed to have the spirit guide us in our lives as long as we are living righteously. I am so happy with everything and what I have been learning. It is so true that the times that aren't just easy are the best times because we learn to rely alot more on the Savior and his help. If everything were easy, I wouldn't be learning anything. We learn so much more with trials and tribulation!

So there is this member who served here in Argentina a long time ago and learned how to make tacos like we make them at home. They aren't common here cause the food is so different than Mexican food. They don't like hot foods here so when they say something is really hot you don't have to worry about a thing.

Anyways, we ate with them yesterday and they were so good, we made some more today and it might just become a Monday tradition.... another kid in the apartment with us loves Mexican foods cause he's from Arizona and has a lot of Mexican friends. The tacos ended up so good but the tortillas we have to improvise since you can't just buy them ready here. We buy these little empenada crusts which are smaller than a corn tortilla and role them out to be a little bigger than a corn tortilla but it's a flour tortilla. They were delicious! That’s the one thing I miss is tortillas ha ha. Pat Forcum was right about that - at least the Costco-ready tortillas.  

Oh I don't know if I told you, but last week, I think it was, we found someone while knocking on doors, who was inactive and we set a time to come back and it landed on the lady's birthday. We found out from a member it was her birthday because it was her aunt. She had been praying for them a long time and it just happened that we were walking by and we had just about passed when I turned and reached out and knocked on the door. It was weird but felt like I wasn't in control. The spirit once again. So we came back and found out that her husband received the priesthood from Elder Richard G Scott when he was mission president here! They enjoy singing the hymns again and his favorite was the lighthouse one. They still know the church is true but quit going for some reason 25 years ago. It's great to see them excited to get back.

  

I love you all!

Alex