God works in mysterious ways

9/30/13 

Hi-

This week was good.  We went to a house of a girl that we baptized last week and we started talking to her, taught her a lesson, then her granddaughter walked in and then we taught her for an hour, and then her husband walked in and we taught him for an hour.  Ha ha It was the longest time of sitting in the same broken lawn chair understanding bits and parts of what they are saying. Before I came on the mission I thought that it was going to be completely knocking doors and getting shut down and occasionally finding someone and doing work, but so far it is not really like that at all.  We go biking far distances but for us it is a lot of referrals and street contacts, and people we haven’t talked to for a while.
This week we did exchanges for the day so I went with an elder that I live with named Elder Suarez (Shaun Rhodes twin) and we did service painting a gate.  I was happy to do it because I love doing service, but I wish that I would have thought a little bit more about what we were doing. When we were painting I realized that it was getting a little bit harder to see things and my comp told me that I had paint all over my face... and my glasses....dang.  

After that we went and taught these 3 way old grandmas and my companion is super friendly and they were loving every second of him.  I kinda just sat there and chipped in every once in a while.  After that we went to a girls house and her boyfriend and her had a super big fight a couple days before and he went and found a new girlfriend so she was crying about that and I didn’t know what to say and then the boyfriend walked in and said that he wanted to see his 3 little kids. The air was so thick with contention that you could spread it on a piece of bread. So we ended that lesson and got out of there ASAP.  After that we went to a house that I was at on my second day here and I could understand a good amount of what they were saying.  They even told me how much I have improved.  Woo, it was a huge confidence booster that was much needed.  After that we had the best dang hot chocolate.  I don’t know how they make it but it is so good down here.  At 9:30 all of us were supposed to be home, but my comp and the other elder weren’t home yet. When we tried calling them, they didn’t answer.  At 10ish they finally walked in the door.  They told us that while they were doing service they locked their bikes up against a fence and then put their stuff around the lock too so they could help the family.  They were gone for 10 minutes and when they came back somebody "borrowed" all of their stuff permanently by cutting the bike lock.  All of their phones, books, bikes, all of it were gone.  After that they didn’t have money to get home or a phone to call us to help them get home so they had to walk 3 or 4 miles home.  We walk now.  It is a lot longer to get to places but I feel like we aren’t sitting around as much. 

The next day we had to go to a place called Adrogue (where the mission president and offices are) to get some books and phones and order bikes.  It was soooo much different than my area.  The houses were really pretty and all of the roads were paved and no dogs chased me.  It was a good change of pace for a little.  We got our stuff and while we were waiting at the train station, a woman walked up to us and asked us if we were the Church of Jesus Christ and we give out books to people.  When we told her yes, she got way excited and said that she had met with the missionaries once and that she wanted to know more.  We got her info and told her that missionaries in her area would be calling her soon. After the train ride, we got off the train and I said hello to a guy who was staring at us and then he started walking with us and talking.  He said that he had talked to missionaries once in the street but he didn’t know how to get in contact and that he lost his book.  So we did the same thing with him and went on our merry way.  The man up top works in mysterious ways.  After that we went to a different area to go interview somebody who was going to be baptized.  My comp was interviewing so I helped keep track of the kids for a little.  One of the kids was filling up his cup standing on a chair on his tiptoes and he grabbed the faucet and it blew off and water started flying everywhere.  Having already experienced this, I threw off my backpack and when into action.  I grabbed the faucet and jammed it back into place, spraying water everywhere but I got it down and everything worked out.  Everything was a little wet, but all was well.  

We also had a thing called Noche de Hogar (a night where we go to their house, play a game, teach a lesson, and eat some dinner) with a family that is half members and half nonmembers.  There we met a guy named Albert who was real excited about everything that we were teaching him.  I asked if he found an answer to his questions, would he be baptized and he told me yes. Woo, my first acceptance to my invitation in Spanish! Then he told me that he works Sundays so he couldn’t make it to church.  

We went to church the next day and it was raining way hard so nobody was there, but I had to give my first talk in Spanish about how the members need to help the missionaries.  I got up on the stand and then a family that we have been teaching showed up and the guy from the night before who said that he couldn’t make it came in the doors too. I was stoked about it and said "I’m so happy that I was placed in this ward because you are all so great" and my talk turned out well.  

Strange things about Argentina for the Week:  

They put their dogs on their roofs so that 1.) they don’t run away or something like that and 2.) So that the dog can watch all around the house and guard all of it.

Another strange thing is that they love Simpsons so much...  They have Homer in a bunch of their stores, like a manikin or spray-painted on their building or painted on the glass. There are also Volks Wagon trucks everywhere here.  I have never seen one in my life but they are everywhere here.  

They eat halls cough drops like candy.  People will just pop them in and enjoy until times up and then they will pop another one in and go at it. 

The weather is exactly like Utah—really, really crazy.  It hailed the other day and then the next day it was pleasantly warm all day.

I love you guys.  Thanks for writing me.  

Love,

Andrew