Loco Sabado

This was possible the craziest weekend of my mission so far, haha. We went Saturday to look for Kati and Manu to bring them to their baptism (It was raining really hard and colder than it has been the whole time I have been here). When we got there the youngest sister who has como 5 years answered and said that only her and Kati where there. So we asked her if we could come in and then we found out that also another sister was there. We asked if Manu was there and she said he left somewhere, mentira, and then we say Kati and asked her if she was ready to go but she wasn´t changed or anything. Then the mom came out and said that no one was going to leave because of the rain and cold and asked if we could do it another week. We told her that everything was already set up with the warm water the people coming, the food prepared and that we were going to call a remis. Eventually she gave in and then we were talking more to Romina the youngest and asked if she would go get Manu for us and she went into the bedroom.... ugh so we went back there and started to talk to him and he didn´t want to leave because it was too cold... We eventually convinced him to get up and get changed. During this whole time we were calling remises but none were answering and after everyone was ready one finally answered and said it would be a half hour(that was when the baptism supposedly started and the hermanas had one at the same time with their investigator). Eventually after 20 min the two remis showed up and we went to the church. There we met the hermanas but their investigator wasn´t there. Apparently he had been kicked out of his house and doesn’t have a job anymore because he decided to get baptized. We then got changed and put the schedule together for the baptism.

Only one member had shown up so us, the missionaries, gave all the talks, prayers, etc. I baptized the two of them because originally we each were going to baptize one but with the lack of witnesses we didn´t want to have one person get wet then go wet to be a witness for the other. Then when it was time to go, and still raining and cold, we called a remis to come pick up our investigators but it came to circunvalación and there is a big pit of mud and construction that is separating the circunvalación and the church right now. So we had to walk across on a mud bridge that was two blocks away and it was crazy. Then we had to walk the Hermanas to a remis because they brought a crazy investigator to the baptism that was in love with one of them and we didn´t want anything to happen and during that we helped a truck that was stuck in one of the entrances to the circunvalación because it was pure mud. After all of that we finally went back to our apartment to end the day... or so we thought. Then the hermanas called us to say that we needed to go to central to help with their investigator get baptized and the zone leaders said to go. It was already time that we were supposed to be in the pension and not leave but since the zone leaders said so we went. There we had another baptismal service for Ariel who was kicked out of his house and basically disowned by his family for getting baptized. It was crazy because it was only the zone leaders, us, and the hermanas. Then when that was all said and done it was already 10:30 which is supposedly the time that we are supposed to be going to bed, haha The next day it was raining just as hard and was maybe even a little colder.  When we got to their house we called a remis and they all have really long wait times that weren´t going to work so we ended up just walking with them. It wasn´t raining tanto como the day before. There at the church there were only the stake president, the bishop, the hermanas, us, and Kati, Manu, their sister Antonela, and one member. We ended up giving all the prayers, things for the sacrament, talks, and lesson in gospel principles. But all in all it all worked out, haha I know that baptism is the first step in our eternal progression and if it wasn’t Satan wouldn’t throw rain, mud, cold, lost jobs and lost homes at us and our investigators to try and keep this work from progressing.

We have been finding new investigators the only problem is that we are trying to find people that are more prepared because we can find a ton but they will end up not keeping commitments or anything. With that we have some really good potential right now but not a ton of prepared investigators.

There are a lot of new missionaries coming in right now, this last Thursday 20 came in and have been with temporary companions in Corrientes and this Wednesday we are going to have a ´´mini translado´´ in which there will be lots of new areas opening. In our zone there will be two new areas of Hermanas. We don´t know who will be moved where but the zone leaders were saying that there will be a lot of change and just expect that everything will change. If not this Wednesday then the end of this transfer because another 34 will be coming in then. They were saying that I will probably be an abuelo soon.

The jersey I was wearing in drop box is of one of the big teams here called river. I still haven´t been able to withdraw money yet but I had enough to buy that, they aren´t very expensive here if you don´t buy the ´´official´´ ones that are a lot of money. The only real difference though is that the real one comes in a box, haha. I wanted to try to withdraw today but the bank was closed when we got there... just barely... I hate the siesta, haha it is a huge waste of time. The spider in drop box I have no idea if it is poisonous but I don´t thinks so. The older couple is friends of President who came and visited during the new missionary conference. Brother and Sister Holmes. He served in a stake presidency with president and they were lawyers together. Also yes, haha that was me in the picture president posed missionaries after we had already gotten dessert and took the photo and I was in it but I never saw the picture so it sounds like I was covered by someone else, haha

Bry and Harmony:
I am so excited to hear about my new cousin! You guys should send photos! It is weird that there will be another girl on the pickle side of the family! You will have to tell me more about her when she gets here! Also thanks again for the temple picture that you drew me, it is taped on my desk and I look at it every day!

Paul and Lindsey:
The videos of Jack Jack and Foster were hilarious! I laughed through both of them! I can´t believe how much Jack has grown up! He was hardly saying words when I left! Also you should sent a few more pictures of Bennett I didn´t really get to see the picture you put on that was when I was having problems with dropbox. 

Alex and Tammy
It was fun to hear how T.V.’s were important in Brazil and here it is their stereos. Also I loved the object lesson you shared with me about the pencil. I can’t believe how big your kids are getting in pictures I won’t even recognize them when I get home. Tell Ally I miss her letters.

Grandma and Grandpa Pickle:
I am glad that everything is going good there! It is crazy that you guys sold the Lexus! I remember when you first bought it and that doesn´t even seem very long ago, haha back when you still had the judge, haha Gracias tambien por sus palabras que me escribas frecuentemente siempre me alegre en leyendo las palabras de Uds!


Grandma and Grandpa Peterson:
I am glad that everything is going good back there! Sounds like you guys have been up to fun vacations like always! Also thank you for the letters you send every week I always love hearing from you! 

#therearesomanyargentinewomenhere

Ok, this transfer has been crazy and you will never guess what has happened. So I will tell you but it will blow your mind and never ever guess the outcome. Are you in suspense right about now? Wanting to know how this all will end? I want to know how it will end and I am the one writing this letter! So this is the final results of transfer.

Elder Fiabane... well he is still in Circunvalaciòn II and where am I?

Well I am in a really crazy place in Formosa called Circunvalaciòn II, jaja All that suspense and was it a let down? I am happy though. I have a good companion and we are going to have about 5 or 6 baptisms this transfer even if we are having troubles getting people to go to church.

This week wasn`t very exciting. I got sick during the middle of the week with a cold that seems to be hitting everyone and that is finally almost gone. The fungus bacteria on my feet has almost gone away too.

We have started the papers for two of our three baptisms next week!

Sebastian, Manuel, and Katherina. They are siblings and all will be getting baptized the 24th. There are pictures of us with them in dropbox! They are all very cool and I am very excited for their baptism. I think that president might even come to that baptism if he can because he helped teach Sebastian in a lesson. This week we have been having the fun of having to kill a lot of investigators and now we are running low. We will be focusing on finding a lot this coming week and hope that that goes well. We right now have 14 people with fecha baptismal for the 24th but only three are going to happen then we will only have 4... It is hard because a lot of people show interest and set a date but then stop receiving us or just don`t answer or algo asì and then we get left wasting time trying to teach them while they don`t answer. We only pass by two or three times but that can add up when almost all of your investigators do that...

One cool thing that happened this week was we had a surprise baptism!

Our zone leaders called us Saturday night and told us that we were going to be baptizing someone the following day. We had to organize everything and that Saturday ended up being really crazy. Setting up the baptism wasn`t bad but two hours before the service started our talks started bailing on us. Then we didn`t have the key to open the baptismal font because the Hermanas had taken them the week before and the keys the bishop gave us didn`t work. Luckily in the end it all worked out the Hermanas brought the keys a half hour after the supposed starting time and all the parts were filled (mostly by my companion and I, haha). It was a little bit of a mess but now Jorge is baptized, jaja

Sounds like you guys had an awesome road trip! I am jealous I have always wanted to ride a Segway! Also I can`t believe that Nate is home! I want to see him really bad and you guys... but I can`t yet...

What are Emily and Nathans schedules? They didn`t even say! Mom told me more about that then anyone, haha

Are you guys saying (CAN-AEE-DEE-UHH) or (CAN-A-DEE-UHH) por Canadia?

Emily:

Have you all of the sudden become a twitter addict? Because you have begun to hash tag your letters to me, haha also your #brokebackfishpond sounds like they are gay... just saying #thinkaboutit, jaja #itsarealproblem I love you and miss you!

PS #therearesomanyargentinewomenhere

Nathan:

Querido hermano mìo, como anda con el polo de agua? No se ahogue! No quiero eso! Vos sos mi hermanito! I am glad that you are enjoying polo! It is a lot of fun! and did you know it is 17:41 on a Argentine tarde? jaja Te amo y te extraño!

Grandma Peterson:

It was great to hear your view on the chapter of the apostles being sent out in Jesus the Christ. When I was reading that part I wasn`t that excited about it but it shows how when you look at it in a different way how it can mean so much more. That part means a lot more now to me. It has been a great read and I am enjoying it. I am at the expiation right now. Talmage was talking about how all the trials of the Jews were unfair. One thing that I don`t like is at times Talmage goes off on his own little stories that are not scriptural and can be odd. Also he writes unnecessarily wordily that doesn`t add to the book, if anything can detract from it at times. But I really have enjoyed learning a ton of new things that I never knew about Christ and it has been really enlightening.

I love you all and can`t wait to hear from you next week!

``I`m not crazy! I`m a psychic detective! Just ask my friend Gus, he is pretending to be the janitor and he drives a blueberry!``

My testimony keeps me warm at night (so flippin warm)!!!

We didn`t have a chance to have the investigators on a tour last week of the church because the bishop wanted to plan it for this week but because we couldn`t have correlation meeting we probably won`t have it this week either! Recently we have been teaching the family Vasquès. We originally met Sabastiàn who was sitting on the curb of the sanja. He was there smoking and we were skeptical of whether or not we should talk to him but we both felt that we needed to. We talked to him and taught about the Restoration and invited him to be baptized. He accepted and we invited him to go to church that week. He didn`t show up in the chapel and so we had basically lost hope in him thinking he wasn`t going to progress. We went back to give him one more chance. When we were there we taught about the Plan of Salvation and during the lesson two of his siblings joined us for the lesson. The next time that we stopped by we taught the restoration again and had Sabastiàn help teach with us to his siblings. We set baptismal dates with them as well. That Sunday we went to bring them to church but only Manuel on of Sebastiàn`s siblings came. The next week we had a lesson with Sebatiàn and president and we taught the Word of Wisdom and now Sebastiàn is living the word of wisdom and this Sunday Manuel and Catorina came to church (Sebastiàn had to vote because it is required of every Argentine about the age of 18). They all have a baptismal date for the 24th and we hope they all can be baptized that date. Manuel and Catorina won`t have a problem but there is only one more Sunday between now and the date and there is a rule of going two times to be baptized unless president says it is ok. So we will have to ask president what he thinks if we have to prolong Sebastiàn`s date or
not.

We travel by Remis (taxi) to the terminal then by colectivo (large two layer bus) to Resistencia. It is a two hour ride there and two hours back. It is nice to have a day with different activities than the rest but it was kind of crap because we lost that Pday because it was on Monday.

I am torn between what I want in transfers but I will be happy whether I get transferred or not. I would like a new area to know with new people to meet that actually want to go to the church, haha but at the same time we have four baptisms lined up for this coming transfer! Also I don`t want to leave my companion, Hna Puladas, or Flia Fleytas! So however it goes is how it goes. With all the newbies coming in there is no way to know how it will end up, haha

The weather is good, at times it has gotten cold because it is winter, but is starting to warm up. For one week it was really cold and I was wearing every warm thing I had to stay warm but that week passed a few weeks ago.

This week on Friday we had a lesson with president! President came for a surprise district training this Tuesday (which has never happened before) and at the end he said he wanted to have lessons with two compañerismos and we volunteered and another.
President has only done that a few times. It was such an awesome experience to get to teach with president. I learned a ton from teaching with him. I thought that my comp and I were getting pretty good at teaching but when we taught with president and saw how he taught I was very humbled and saw that I still have tons to learn! We
taught about the Word of Wisdom with an investigator and I was worried if he was going to accept living the word of wisdom but I learned that we (as missionaries) need to realized they are taking the lessons for a reason and want to be baptized so we need to teach them appropriately. I think at time we get caught up in wanting to have a baptism we teach so that they will comply with the requirements to be baptized but we are helping them to want to keep the commandments and have the desire to be baptized for themselves.

I have seen several parrots, lizards, horses, dogs, not really too much out of the ordinary yet. More of the crazy animals are in the campo. I haven`t seen the rat in our apartment since Santoro left. We have had a little problem with mold but that is just the area because Formosa is very humid and hot. That causes mold to grow in every building. I got a funky mold thing on my foot (drop box) but I got the medicine to make it go away now. I have to start using talk in my shoes to keep that from happening, haha

I love you all so very much and I can`t wait to hear from you next week!

Clapping Houses

For the conference last week we had the trainings that we received the first day that we arrived. President did that because the first day can be really overwhelming and there were missionaries that that were new from the MTC and some that had two transfers already like me. So he decided to have a new conference for all the missionaries that arrived in the last three months. We went over things like the lista MLS, working with members, mission culture, coping with stress, area book, and some other things.

We are not having much luck getting our investigators to attend church. We have 20 people scheduled for baptisms but they will all fall through if we can’t get them to church. We did have one investigator at church this week. Even the people who signed the chest of Christ saying that they were promising with him that they would go didn`t... I am not quite sure what to do to get them to go... We are trying to work more closely with members in our area but it is really difficult because we only have two or three active families in our area and they aren`t available a lot of the time. We are also trying to work with the members on the side of the Hermanas but we don`t have a lot of their numbers, don`t know where they live, don`t know their schedules, or anything, haha We are trying to set up a tour this week to actually get the investigators in the church so that they will know what it is like and then go on Sunday! Maybe we will just have to share Exodus 11 with them that says they will die if they don`t keep the Sabbath day holy, haha. This week we were clapping houses and we felt that we needed to go to a house that we had passed a block ago. When we went and clapped a kid answered and we started to teach him. I was a little reluctant thinking why are we teaching a little kid and a little impatient because we weren’t finding a lot of prepared people but soon two more of this kids brothers joined him and we shared the first lesson with the three of them. They were all really interested and now have baptismal dates! The only problem we have is that their parents are catholic and don´t want them to change religion but we are going to talk to them this week and see if we can change their mind and more than anything share the gospel with them too and help them also to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ!

My companion is an Argentine; he is from the providence de Buenos Aires from the city of Bahia Blanca. He is third in his family. He has 21 years. He really likes basketball and kickboxing and sports. No one can remember how to say his name right, haha Oh and I forgot to tell you guys but he doesn`t have sympathy for drunks anymore, haha

Yes!!! Jack jack’s video was hilarious! I thought I had said something about it already, haha but you guys should put more pictures and videos of you guys! I want to see more of what is going on! And the white tiger sticker is awesome, haha!

My favorite food is Asado sì o sì! But besides that it is all good just I feel like I am drinking oil every day, haha everything is fried or coated in oil. If it doesn`t have oil it isn`t Argentine, haha or at least Formoseñen I`m not sure if all of Argentina eats like this, haha but we eat things like fried milonesas, fideos (noodles/spaghetti) coated with oil of course, fried empanadas, pizza, gizo (rice with carne or pollo), carne and fried eggs and fried potatoes, tarta (fried quesadilla). The worst thing that I have eaten was pig head/brain. YUCK! The face part was all fat and really chewy and the brain I couldn`t even handle and didn`t eat, haha that was in my first week here too! I haven`t bought any bottled water... I always have used my water bottle with a filter. I haven`t had any problems with the water and sometimes I drink it straight from the tap if I don`t have my water bottle with a filter and I don`t think that I have had any problems because of the water. I have from the food a couple times.

Do I still have problems with the language? It depends on the person, haha I have a harder time the more slang that they speak. Also if they are cordoban because they speak with a really weird patter of speech as some people say it sounds like they are singing everything they say. Lately I have been learning the slang from Elder Fiabane and that has helped me understand a lot more. Also I am getting a little more accustomed to the other accents from other parts of Argentina como Ariel Rivas a member in our ward who speaks all in slang and cordoban I used to have the hardest time understanding anything that he said but now I understand most of what he says. Also the people here all speak really fast and quiet. Elder Fiabane said in the south it isn`t like that they speak a lot slower and more clearly. Here is fast and mushed together but I almost have the hang of it.

We went to a wedding this week because Elder Fiabane had to be a witness because the missionaries couldn`t get a witness for a couple getting baptized in their ward.

Today we are going to go with the owners of our house and help them pick out a new computer (too bad we can`t use it!).

Transfers are coming up; they will be in a week and two days... We are wondering what is going to happen because everything has been crazy here and you can`t expect anything! Normally Elder Fiabane and I will stay together another transfer but we don`t know if it will happen for sure because of the crazy amount of new missionaries!

I love you all so much and I can`t wait to hear from you next week!

It`s weird to think that next week could be my last pday in Circunvalaciòn II! I love you so much and can`t wait to hear from you next week!

 

Short but Sweet

This pday (the reason I had to write today not yesterday and why my email is so short) It was a reunion for all the missionaries that arrived in the last three months. We all went to Resistencia and received the training that we got on the first day we arrived again and some others that are important specifically for this mission.

So far no luck in catching the guy who stole our phone! We know who it is but the member who knows him has already got in a fight with him before and his wife doesn´t want him to end up with another black eye. We are using our old phone that we had in the pension that we jail broke. Maybe one day our new one that Elder Santoro baptized will be replaced, haha

Sorry this is short but I will write lots next week love you guys!