Nov 28, 2011  Tartagal  Argentina

Hi!

Monday when we were going to go to write, the other elders said there wasn’t internet in the city again and if they found it they were going to call us. They called the other missionaries who we live with but weren’t with them at the time. Anyways we found out that evening the internet had come back but we had appointments to go to. I meant to go during the week to let you know everything was fine but I felt like a chicken with my head cut off... I think you can relate.

The week before last, the zone leaders came to do weekly planning with us because it’s so important to do it well to have more success during the week. It really helped us but we still didn’t get it all done. We got a late start because I had to go to the bank and see if I could get my card back from the atm machine... that’s another story... anyways we had a good planning session and managed to improve it a bit this last week on our own. We plan and focus on the people who can be baptized first and see what we have to do. We made a plan and talked with the mom of the 11 year old kid (Franco) who has wanted to get baptized for a while now and she gave us the permission! So the only day he could do it this week so his parents could come was on Wednesday. His dad is an inactive member and his mom isn’t a member. It was a nice baptism and I think the dad liked it too because of some of his comments afterwards about how Franco’s uncle who is 12 years old wants to learn more about the church! He was at the baptism and liked it alot. We planned a time to go talk to him and it turned out great! His uncle’s name is Walter. He didn’t make it to church for the confirmation of Franco but next week we will get him there.

So I think I might have explained a bit of this before but anyways an area closed(they took the missionaries out) that’s about 25 minutes away in a car. The house the missionaries were renting still has all of our stuff in it and the person in charge of the housing asked me to go there in a pickup truck or something and bring everything to our house. I found a member who has one and planned a day to do it about 4 weeks ago. The day before, I talked to the missionary in charge and he gave me the list of things... it was everything but the curtains and air conditioning! I cancelled with the member cause it wasn’t big enough and it would have taken us 3 trips to bring it all. Not only that but the member said it would take us close to 45 minutes to drive it in his truck cause he goes slower. I got permission to look for a moving truck and another week went by¡. I found one and then the missionary in charge told me that I need to go there and pay her for one more month of rent so we can just get the keys and not worry about them selling our stuff that was in it. So he put the money in my account and a couple days later I could pull it out. I went to get it and go up in the bus which takes an hour both ways and the machine took my card.... I messed up my code a few times I guess and then it takes it. So the next week after working things out and finding out I can’t get my card back without my passport which they keep in the offices, I got the money out of my personal account which they will give me back. We had to do divisions the morning of the baptism for Franco’s interview and the district leader’s comp was sick so my comp had to stay in the house with him. We worked the whole morning and then we left for Pocitos which is about 1 and a half hours away passing the town where I had to go to pay the rent. So we did divisions with them and one came back with me so we could pay the rent and get the keys. The lady didn’t want to give us the keys until we paid for the repairs of the house which we went to look at and it was pretty ridiculous what the missionaries did to it over 8 years of renting it. This was the day of the baptism so after leaving the house late where we needed to pay the rent, we had to take a taxi to get to the baptism! It was a little expensive but we made it to find out that everyone including the members were way late for it... the branch president had organized with the counselor to be there and the counselor was moving so nobody was there except for the district president who just happened to be there for a meeting. He conducted the baptism and it turned out ok except he chose a song that NOBODY knew! Not any of us missionaries and none of the members. It was really really horrible! haha While Franco and I were changing, one of the elders started directing Christmas songs and that really brought the spirit there and everybody left with a great feeling. 

I was SOOO tired and ready to go to bed by the time we got back. The weather was about 100 and the busses didn’t have ac or windows to open! I didn’t bring any water with me either so that was pretty bad. I feel like my whole week was like that  cause in addition, the branch president didn’t make it to church and the counselor asked us to organize the sacrament meeting... we started a half an hour late! 

On Saturday we went to a neighborhood pretty far away with two of the ward missionaries and right when we got there it started raining realllllly hard and it didn’t let up. We had a really good lesson with Franco and his uncle and his uncle, like I said before, is really excited about learning more and coming to church. We sang Joseph Smiths First Prayer(?) to start the lesson out and it really brought the spirit in! Franco’s mom was listening on and off so we still have to see what her doubts are but otherwise it was really good! 

When we left to go to our other appointments nobody answered because it was raining so hard and a couple of the people were gone. We walked back to town for lunch and we were all soaked to the bone by the time we had to cross a road that had a river on both sides with just enough room in the middle for one car to drive with out touching the water. It was a long jump and since we were already wet we just walked through it! It was pretty fun cause it was still warm out through it all. We managed to save a lady’s flip flop that she was chasing down the river so that was cool! haha When it rains everything is so slippery and muddy and yes we had some close calls to falling in it but everybody managed to keep at least one foot on the ground! 

We had transfers today and nobody in my district got moved so I will be here in Tartagal for at least six more weeks! I was very excited to find that out last night! 

   

The conference in Salta was so great!!! I think I explained it in my last letter.  

This week when I was on divisions with the other elder I learned alot about how to teach more straight-forward and to the point which really helped the people we visited feel the need to do what we invited them to do. The problem we have here alot of times is that people say they will do something and never do it. So obviously, we aren’t teaching right. I am trying to work with my companion on that and how we can teach better. We have alot of improvements to make but I guess if we didn’t feel the need to change we wouldn’t be progressing at all.

I have to get going now but I love you all and hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! 

One thing I heard is does a judge, judge without looking at all the evidence? Then how can we judge something like the Book of Mormon without reading it first? The Book of Mormon is sacred and I know that anyone can draw closer to Christ by reading it and applying its teachings than by any other book.    

Love Alex!