Packs of stray dogs on every street.

We are in the city of Formosa. Our area is Circunvalación II (Spelled something like that). For here it is considered a city, but nothing here is the same, jeje most of the roads are dirt. Our apartment is in the back of a member´s home that lives here and it is not very nice, jeje pero it´s all good I knew that everything was going to be different here. I forgot my memory cards to send pictures so I will do that next week with the apartment and everything. It is crazy how many dogs are roaming the streets here. There are probably 20 on each street. The baptisms here are bastante more. There are 150 each month in the mission while in my last mission we were shooting for the lofty goal of 235 for the first half of the year. 

My new companion is great, his name is Elder Santoro. He is from Buenos Aires. He speaks mostly Spanish but good English as well, but we mostly just speak in Spanish anyway. (one annoying this is that president makes all the persons arriving to the mission do training weather they had done it before or not which means another hour of companionship study basically watching the district every day, yuck) I understand the people for the most part but it is really different here. The people use different words than in the states and they speak really fast. When they are speaking slower I understand just about all of what they say but the words that are specific to this country/zone. 

For meals here we usually have a small breakfast. Then for lunch we go to member´s homes where we eat huge meals. We have had mostesa twice which is like chicken fried steak and that is with things like eggs, potatoes, French fries. We have had Asado which is really good meat that has been bbqed essentially. I think that has been all our lunches so far and for dinner we buy stuff at the store which is really close and make things like pizza. 

I haven´t seen any cool animals yet because I live in the city but I have seen more dogs and cats than I ever have in my life and a couple horses and chickens in the streets. 

Laundry we do by hand in the shower/bathroom (which is inside the house! I had heard they are usually outside the house).

Pdays are now Monday and the cyber (place to email) doesn´t open until 5 our time 1 your time. 

No machete

LOVE the camera!!

Staying in this mission if I don´t get moved to missiones in the next transfer

Can you send me some magic tricks for the kids and primary object lessons?

I love you guy’s sooo much and unfortunately am out of time so I will email you guys next week!

Home sweet Argentina!

Elder Santoro, Elder Pickle the Mission President and his wife

My Final Week in the U.S. (At least for a few years)

So far I have not got my camera :( pero I will be getting it soon! Either today or in a few days. I don't know if the APs have gotten it already and given it to my zone leaders so I will find out today, but I have been texting them and they know about it so they will get it before I leave!

So you know we were actually at the Clawson's for Skype and  it was sister Clawson that is making me chicken scaloppini, ha-ha But she can read English! So it will be perfect!

I should be able to get all of that stuff  at Walmart but will it be a problem with the price? I don't want to spend too much... you can text the sister and have her tell me your answers or something. I have 5 pairs of pants so should I get another? What kind of meat seasoning? And do I really need that much deodorant to go there, or can I buy it there? (Have to meet the weight limit too, ha-ha) oh and we shop right after this so if you could respond quickly that would be best, thanks!

What do you want me to do with my camera that I have right now? Send it home? or what? ha-ha

For my last week in Temecula I don't really have anything special planned. We will be cutting my hair today... jeje We probably will go out to eat or something and  members might do some stuff for us, like Sister Clawson making my favorite dish. Oh, and the pictures I emailed you were with the Vidal Family, so that is them and the Clawson’s are who we skyped with since the Hermanas stole the Vidal family.

Elder Fe meant that they both grew up in part member families where no one went to church but them. They are either non-members or inactive. While on my mission I have realized how big a blessing it is to have all my family not only members but active members and I am so grateful for it.

I don't have any travel plans yet... I texted Elder Curtis and he told me to relax and get back to work...

More minutes sounds good, jeje I am soo excited to talk to you guys again! It went far too fast and I couldn't believe the time passed so quickly. It was the best day so far! I just am sad that it will be many months before the next one, oh well... 

Oh, I am sending the scriptures that Emily and Nathan gave me home for now because I love them and want to keep them in good condition. I have the set from the MTC that I use for tracting/teaching because things happen such as little kids and rain and I don't have enough room for both sets. So put those somewhere safe for me when I get home! They are still in new condition!

I love you guy’s soo much and can't wait to talk to you Monday!!

I will miss you Temecula!

 

Yo Hablo Spanglish!!

We get to talk on Sunday! I am so freaking excited! We will get to skype, there are plenty of families who have to ability for three of us to do it! We are going to be going to the Vidal family's home and they said we can have as long as we want to skype but I don't know how long Elder Herrera will let us stay. He is very much like Grandpa when he thinks it is time to go, it is time to go. But in the Vidal home we should have at least 1 hr. I love you all too much and miss all of you!

 

Physical therapy went good; the doctor gave me these exercises that strengthen the inner muscle of the quads. Apparently as a swimmer you don't develop those muscles. He told me I have really weak ones and the outer muscle is pulling my knee cap to the side causing the pain. Also my outer leg muscle is tight pulling the knee cap even more. So he gave me stretches for that. I think that guy knew more than the doctor because that was different from what the doctor had said and it has been working so far!

I did get my St. Patrick’s Day package and I haven't got my camera yet, but I should be getting it on Thursday. The problem is I don't know how the system works with the mail sent to the wrong address but the AP's have to do something and I don't know exactly and I don't see them because they are in Vista but I will be seeing them this Thursday for Zone Conference. We will be getting mail and the package should be there!

Right now our investigators are starting to add up. We are starting to have a decent pool of them despite losing many to family problems. We have one youth by the name of M with a baptismal date for the 1st of next month. He actually went to church for the first time last week and bore his testimony! It was awesome! I couldn't believe he had that kind of courage! Then afterward he was trying to get me to go out on dates with people giving me suggestions on people in the branch that I should date, jaja My Spanish is good enough to say really whatever I want. If I can't say it exactly how I want I can say it a different way or describe what I want. It was funny I was looking at some stuff from the MTC and my Spanish was horrible then. I couldn't believe some of the mistakes that I was making. Plus just my word book says a lot. When I first came out I had something like three pages of words in it with maybe 5 learned now I almost have the whole thing filled with 3/4 of the words learned.

We have interviews with president every transfer, but mine wasn't exciting. Since I'm a visa waiter he invited me in had me pray asked 2-3 questions like how everything is going. Then said we wouldn't be in a trio for the whole time (when Murrieta was still planning on opening early) and closed with a prayer. I think it was shorter than the really short one when I first got here. My companions were in there like a half hour each...

Well, to be truthful I am getting really sick of  the jokes from one of my companions. This transfer he has started this thing where he takes my stuff. It has gotten really old. Also the last couple nights he has been putting cups of water on my bed and I keep waking up to it and haven't slept well, but only two more weeks with them. So whatever.

I love hearing about everything from home! Anything and everything you write I love to hear! I still haven't heard what Harmony is having! I would like to know that! I do really miss the food. While the food here is good, I miss our food, we had lots of really good dinners and I miss the variety. I miss everything about home. It is funny how right now I would love to even be doing chores anything just to be at home, specifically with you guys! I do miss time to just relax and be there with you guys, we never have a moments to rest, it is always on the go here.

I would love pictures of all of you guys. I would love to get new pictures at times! The pictures of Nate in polo were great the other week! I haven't checked it this week quite yet.

Thanks for the long letter last week, it was awesome! Also that is soo awesome that Ambri wants to get baptized! Sounds like you guys have been having a lot of fun with polo, new designs, and polo shirts! I want to see some pictures of baby Bennett too! Oh, and could you send the info on the original Apostles, that sounded really interesting. Also if you have any other object lessons, specifically one for lessons in preach my gospel that would be awesome! It was funny to hear that Foster is really stressed about the baby and Jack won't admit he has a brother, ha-ha.

I also heard from a missionary that in another mission some Argentina visas came and some didn't. The people were at 4 months of waiting and 3/5 got their visas... I'm just under 3 mez of waiting.

My favorite part of the day is when we have lessons and next favorite is personal study. Unless of course it is Martes then I love email time!!! My least favorite part is tracting specifically at night. It gets old fast, no one wants to listen and at night people get angry.

I can't think of any embarrassing Spanish moments right now, I'll have to think about it and get them next time if I can think of some!

I love you guy’s soo much and I can't wait to talk to you guys this Sunday!!!! It will be the best day so far!!! I love you all soo much!

Oh, and the Zone Leaders were saying that we will have a short phone call Sunday morning right before we Skype to make sure everything is set up or something like that.

Oh, and by the way, Good job Emily on your ACT score! I never was good at that test, but I'm glad you can get a good score on it! But is concussed a real word? It sounds made up, jaja, but what do I know half the time I spit out Spanish and the other half English.

Good job Nathan with your Spanish! I can tell you are getting better! Also it sounds like you are becoming quite the goalie!

To answer grandma's question, I do think in Spanish at times, not always but it usually depends on what I was speaking last. Sometimes it ends up being Spanglish. Oh, I guess that makes me think of a pretty funny Spanish thing. I was talking in Spanish and then all of the sudden I said an English word but said it with a Spanish accent, I guess I thought if I said it the way they do they would understand :P I realized a little after and changed it to Spanish.

Also the story about Foster was really cute! Tell him that I miss him too and want to see him! Without him I don't know how to do all the new styles! I miss all the funny things he would say! Make sure to tell him I miss him too! I miss all my young cousins! I miss Sunday going down stairs playing with Asher, Gavin, Foster and Jack Jack! I miss Devin and Ally! Don't let them forget me!!!

Well, I guess I have to go, so hasta Domingo! I love you guys! Les amo!

Voy a hablar en espanol hasta mis companeros dicen que nececito ir. no puedo esperar por domingo pero necesito! Tambien estoy nervioso que no voy a recibir mi visa! Quiero a ir muchisimo pero no se si voy a ir! Es dificil para acceptar entoces estoy tratando a acceptarlo ahora. Tambien quiero que cosas pasa, porque casi nada esta pasando. No tememos no bautismos en todo de los dos translados que tenemos aqui! En otro zonas tienen bastante bautismos cada translado. En todos otros zonas el obra espanol es el mas rapido pero aqui en Temecula es muerte. Presidente esta pensando en cambiando los borderes de la zona o poniendo un otro companerismo aqui. No se que voy a pasar pero ojala la obra va a aumentar aqui mas rapido. Yo se que en el tiempo que estaba aqui ha crecido muchisimo. Tambien neustro numeros estan bastante largos de los misioneros antes. pues necesito ir pero Les amo muchisimo!!!