Sunday, February 3, 2013


7-9-12                  Tucumán   Argentina

 

I was reading in 2 Nephi 6:15 and I am sure there are many others that say in the latter days there will be pestilence. The thought came to my mind to look it up to see what the dictionary says and it describes cancer perfectly... kind of interesting.

This week was an interesting but great one!

On Tuesday I was doing divisions with our branch president and we walked around a corner headed to a part-member family's house and these two kids came up and grabbed the president's little backpack and then saw my little scripture bag in my hands and grabbed it too. I told them they were just books but he pulled it and I let it go, not knowing what the other kid might have in his pockets where his hands were. They left and I wasn’t sure what to do. I felt pretty useless without my scriptures. I felt I had done the right thing though. I thought afterwards that I could have resisted more but that's not what we are taught. I was just thinking how much I would like to have my scriptures or at least my triple - since I had more marked up in it.

We stopped by a couple of members’ houses who live close to see if they knew the kids who hang out there. One did and said he would try to locate the stuff if they didn’t just burn it or break it. We left there and it was about 45 minutes after they took the stuff that we were headed out the main road. A few blocks down the road we saw a group of kids (who I know from saying hi and trying to get to know them a little so that things like that wouldn’t happen). The president didn’t know any of them and just said to cross the road, so we crossed and as we went a block further we came up to a crossroad that not too many cars go on and my the president said there is your bag. I was just thinking how much I would love to have the books and was praying silently that the member we talked to could find them. Anyways, it was right in the middle of the street and closed up but it was fuller then when they took it. I didn’t really think anything of it and was just thinking about how it got there and how grateful I was. When I opened it, the president’s books were in there too! Then I realized my bible wasn’t in there but wasn’t too disappointed. I have since asked a couple of the kids but one was really drugged up and drunk and I don’t think he understood me and another sheepishly said he didn’t know where it is but they all say hi to us now as the Mormons. I figure they opened it up with their friends and they said to put it over there in the street since it’s the only way out of the area and we pass frequently there. Or an angel picked it up and put it there right before we showed up.

Last night we got home from church a little early because I wasn’t feeling good at all. I think I ate too much because I stacked my plate up. The member always tries to give us a ton of food there. Took my plate and filled it up again and I feel bad to leave stuff but now I won’t hesitate there. It’s always so good but we walked fast afterwards rounding people up for church and we walked pretty far. In church I didn’t feel good. Anyways I am better now. Nothing happened. I was also really cold and shivering in church and afterwards my whole body hurt and was sore.

We stopped at a few people’s houses to set appointments and then went back.

When the other elders got home, one was about to clean a water line that gets plugged all the time from iron that builds up inside the pipes in the instant water heater. The valve to shut off the water just fell off in his hand and sprayed everywhere. They plugged it with a rag and they held it while we looked for a shut off outside and looked for the owner who lives under us. No luck with either of them. They continued holding and it was still spraying because they couldn’t plug it all the way. We let it go and put the handle back in place to try and close it and it worked! Only a trickle is coming out now but the hot water is plugged so we didn’t shower today... haha. The pipe is cemented into the wall as usual here so someone has to come chip it out and then replace the valve... the cast iron piece of the pipe that the valve is in just broke off. Ill try to send a picture next week.

The owner was on vacation because today is Argentina’s Independence Day. He also sounded really drunk and just said he’s not sure what to do haha. Then I called back and asked if he could send a friend or family with keys to shut of the main water. They didn’t help - just saying we had to get on the roof to shut off the water coming from the big tank on top of the house... no way to get up safely so we went to bed with it just dripping not too fast.

We weren’t having luck with any of our appointments on Friday morning and we were about to go to a different part of the area when we passed a door which I had thought about knocking in the past - just never had time. Then I thought, no how is anyone going to be there. It’s almost lunch time and if there is anyone they will be cooking and not want to let us in. We turned around to knock on the door and tried a new approach of contacting which we had learned this week and they said come on in! We were both surprised but it was really cool. We went back Sunday and the mom was there but the most interested is her 18 year old son. He didn’t come to church because he plays soccer during that time... always something but we will go again soon to talk about it and see if he is still reading.

Well I will talk to you later. I love you all!

Love, Alex

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