Learning from my new companion

I didn´t get transferred but I have a new comp. His name is Elder Heaton. He is from Ogden Utah. He has been out for 7 months now. Before he was in Formosa capital in the area just south of Circunvalacion. He is very obedient and really likes to share the gospel. He is very outgoing and loves talking to everyone. That is a gift that I don´t have. I have seen it more and more as I have been with him. He seriously talks to every person that passes or that he sits next to, ect. That is something that I will have to work on. I just feel like I am naturally the opposite. I don´t like to just walk up to people and talk to them. I have to force myself to do it because I am a missionary, haha I feel like my personality isn´t the perfect one for being a missionary. I will have to try to be more outgoing.... but Elder Heaton´s outgoing personality is helping me to talk to more people and care about them more. He never responds with things that might anger people he always helps them feel appreciated. I have seen that it really does help everyone to leave happier and I have been trying to change so that I respond that way too. 
This week was pretty good. We have found a few more investigators so that is nice! We now don´t only have one, haha I honestly don´t know why more people are listening to us. I realize that yes we are talking to more people because my comp loves to but there also seem to be more people who accept listening to us. I´m not complaining I just don´t know why, haha Are one investigator from last week really isn´t progressing. We might drop her now that we have others who are starting to progress, we will see. We have a few others now that have a lot more potential. They said they were going to go and then were honest but they had different things that happened and didn´t go. We did have one investigator in the church though, it was a surprise. There was a young couple who showed up that lives in our area and told us that they are from missiones. She is a member for a year now. Since he is her boyfriend he went with her. They are both really nice and I think that they have a lot of potential!
I haven´t heard the details yet about our Mother’s Day call it should be the 11th at whatever time. We have a family here that is going to let us borrow their computer to use for skyping and I think they have a landline I will have to double check on that. I can´t wait!!!
Bowling was a big disappointment. We went back and they told us that they don´t open weekdays only Friday through Sunday... We were really disappointed. The only time that they open week days is if it is holidays and there are no more Monday holidays until December. 
It is crazy this is our last transfer with our current mission president then I imagine that lots will change with the new one coming. Lots of people are really excited for the change especially since our mission president is very strict, haha I really hope that we will be able to get together with other missionaries and be able to play sports. Also the standard for the church is that we get two hours of writing time but here they say only one. 

Well, I have run out of time, but I love you all very much and miss you! I can´t wait to hear from you next week and even better Skype on Mother´s day!

Celebrating Easter in Argentina

The people of Argentina don´t really do much to celebrate Easter here. The only thing they really do is they get drunk, watch the passion of the Christ, and go to mass. Everyone here is Catholic on Easter. We did end up going to Hna Lugo´s house and playing some card games with her because there is literally nothing to do on Easter because no one wants to be bothered, haha that was fun! More than that we haven´t done too much. We just kind of walked around in circles clapping aimlessly, haha 

Oh, and last night Hna Lugo made us a dinner called pollo arrojado or something like that. It was good it is like crepes filled with chicken and some other stuff and covered in cheese.

We have only one investigator right now. Her name is Mariela. She is progressing but still hasn´t gone to church since we have started teaching her. We are going to be focusing on that a ton this week.

Transfers are this Wednesday. We really have no idea what is going to happen. I know the different scenarios that could potentially happen but that is it. I will probably stay and Delgado will probably go. He has 4 transfers here and that is a long time. It is also possible that we both go and Alberdi is whitewashed. The area is really echo percha (wrecked) so that is a possibility. But we will see what happens.

I think the new Mission President and his wife only arrives two days before Pte Heyman leaves. That will be the days at the end of this upcoming transfer. There are a lot of people hoping that Pte Franco will bring some relief to the misión (me included). Maybe we will be able to play sports or get together with other missionaries. That would be ideal. I had interviews with Pte Heyman last week and they went well! It was nice because it was on a Thursday and so we didn´t have to work during the ciesta that day. Instead we got to sit in an air conditioned room and do practices and interviews. I asked him about stuff like experiences from his mission and I talked to him a little about plans for when I go home like choices in school and stuff like that. He told me that the biggest thing that I should focus on is marrying the right person. He told me that was the reason for his success was that he married the right person.

In our last district meeting we had a competition to hand out flyers for lessons 1 2 and 3 to people and then come back. Me and my temporary comp won haha

I actually got to talk to Santoro this week, which was cool! He is doing good and is back in his house and working and going to school.

I am excited for mother’s day to come it is getting close now! Depending on what happens at this transfer we will see how it will be. I don´t know if anyone in this área has internet and a webcam so I really am not sure what we will do. But once transfers come I will figure it out.

We are hoping that tomorrow night Hna Lugo does here tacos. I have only had them once and before she did them every Saturday but her oven broke but now it is fixed. Haha

Time´s up love you all!!

Chef Pickle

1.       Have you had any problems where you are with all the strikes going on in Argentina? It says everything including hospitals and transportation is closed down.

We have only had a few problems with all the strikes going on. The day that the colectivos weren`t running was the same day as interviews with president. Luckily there were still a few remises and we were able to take that to centro. We could have walked but it would have been pretty long.

2.       How is hand washing your clothes have you gotten to be an expert? Is your “plunger” holding out?

Actually I haven`t had to hand wash my clothes since Formosa. There are members in the ward that offer to do it for us. It is really great because that took a ton of time and pday would be wasted with that.

3.       Did you make any more blender meals this week?

YES!! I made a ton of horchata, haha also we are probably going to do flat pancakes today! I made some salsa and that was also good! The only problem is that they don`t have tortilla chips here so I have to use these crackers that are the only form of chips here (except for really expensive Doritos or lays). I think that I have made more but they are not coming to my head right this moment. I also got some recipes from Hermana Heyman for teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and orange sauce. I have made the teriyaki and sweet and sour and they were really good! My comp really loves it he is addicted to the sauces, haha I love having flavor to my food, it makes me miss food from home!

4.       Were you able to go back and talk to the men who were working last week? Any other investigators?

No... We went to their house to find them and no one answered. We did find one investigator that was an old investigator from about a year ago. She has received all of the lessons and gone to church a couple times. We are going to be working with her a lot now. We have an appointment with her today. As far as our other investigators we basically have lost the rest. For a whole bunch of different reasons. The saddest one is Milagros because she is ready to get baptized but her parents don`t want us to come by any more...Well, just a lot more searching for new investigators like always.

5.       Do you do any service for people in the ward  etc?

We always try to do service but hardly anyone ever gives us anything to do. We really have done very little. We have helped push a few cars in the street, but not really much of anything. I think we will try even harder this week because we really don`t have anything else besides clap houses to do.

6.       What do you do on Pday?

We write, and then buy things if we need/want to. Then we go back to the pensh and either play games or sleep. We want to go bowling but still don`t know the time I keep forgetting during the week to ask the members when it is open.

7.       Do you have a cell phone now?

Yes, we now have a new one that works but is really old. It works fine so it doesn`t really matter. You can think of it as just a huge blue brick that we have haha

Lately it has been starting to turn winter, ugh! It is already starting to get cold in the mornings and nights and I don`t like it! I want it to go back two weeks ago and stay at that temperature.

We have been playing a lot of card games but my comp doesn`t want to learn any new ones he only wants to play BS and 31 so it can be kind of annoying at times. We all want to play things like 3-13 but because one night he started playing and was tired and didn`t try he is grudged against it, just like another called 500 that E Taylor taught us the other day. I don`t know if he will play hand and foot again, we will see. He also played scum only very grudgingly. We will see. We might just have to start playing three player games... I did use the money that I took out to buy lots of decks though! Now I have enough for all our games!

I also want to teach them how to play ninja (I don`t know if you guys remember that game or not) I think it would be fun to play out back. We will see if they will do it. My comp said he would so hopefully.

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

General Conference was awesome!

The week has been good. We are still looking for some prepared people. We did find some guys who flagged us down and were talking to us that could have some potential. They were working at the time but this week we are going to stop by and talk to them. Also conference was awesome like always! That was a highlight. 

 I listened to conference in English. I can understand it in Castellano but I prefer to listen to it in the voices of the people not their translator`s voice. There was only one of the 12 that translated their own talk (I can`t remember who...)

The conference talks were all so good! I think my favorites were Uchtdorf on Gratitude, Monson on Love, Holland on defending the faith, and Bednar on spiritual traction. Those four are my favorite speakers. I also really liked the Restoration talk by Cabridge it was really good especially to show that even me as a missionary, may not realize the full power and special event that it was even when I preach it every day. Also pte Eyring on Kindness was really good... They all were really good, haha I even thought that the 70`s did a really good job when usually I find theirs a little less interesting.

At conference it was really cool because I got to see the Junco family (last converts) and some members from Fontana. We are still in the same stake so they were there! The Junco family gave me some pastaflora(sweets) and a thing of cologne, haha It was super nice of them! They are awesome! also the Barrios want to come to our ward and bring me and my comp lunch! We are also excited about that!

There is a guy in our ward that is specially challenged and his name is Pablo. I didn`t know about him the first week that I came and he walked up to me and started to strangle me, haha he does that all the time. It is funny to watch it happen. He also snores really loud during sacrament meeting. During conference he likes to walk into the English room and spin in a circle then leave, it was funny. I wanted him to start choking someone because it is funny, haha

I get along really good with my new companion. We may not have a ton of success but we have fun and that helps us to keep our animo up. We often joke about the funny things the other elders do that live next to us and every night we do some sort of pavada like play card games or something to make the day more fun!

 This area is slow, haha We are really close to the center of Resistencia. But since it is soo poor only half our area has paved roads. More towards centro there are nicer houses and stuff but the other direction has poor people with crappier houses. It is funny to see the transition as you walk. We have pretty much the whole cross section of Chaco within our area. 

Love you guys!

Sharing Other Missionaries Testimonies

Well, this week has been a lot like the rest.. not a lot going on, haha

We really just have been clapping houses all week and haven`t found any new investigators for right now. We had a lesson with Juan and his wife and it went pretty good. She is really cool and had been reading and filling out questions in the back of the flyer that we gave her. He mostly just has stupid questions for us.

We have been playing a lot of card games this week a lot of BS, a game like spades called 500, 3-13, I want to play some hand and foot too, but I don`t remember a couple things... how many decks do you need for four people and how many points negative is a red three?

We have one really cool family in the area named Lugo. They are a lot like the Puladas family in Circ. We really like to visit them. She also makes really good food too, haha 

We are going to try to go bowling for pday today so that should be fun. I also want to try to find a blender so that I can make drinks and salsa and stuff so we will be going to walmart. My 10 dollar walmart watch broke so I will probably have to buy a new one soon, unless I can find a strap to replace mine. 

I don`t have much so I will share a experience that Brayden Weir sent me this week it is really good!

This week has been a really good one, full of challenges and difficulties but we´ve really been able to see the hand of the Lord and His love for each and every one of us.  One story I wanted to share has everything to do with my cousin Tiffany Crawford, first of all thank you so much Tiff for your rightous example and for following the Spirit when He instructed you so many months ago to write me a letter.  When I was still in the MTC I received a letter that talked a lot about the hardships that come from pregnancy, especially in her case.  On Thursday we had an appointment with a less active family and when we got there they asked us for a blessing urgently because the wife, sister Madis, is pregnant and had gotten hit by a car and was bleeding which is not a good sign.  She asked us for a priesthood blessing and we were happy to serve, in the blessing she was promised that she would be able to have and raise her baby daughter.  Immediately following the blessing they went off to the hospital for an utrasound, last night we found out that she had a miscarrage.  As we found out I remembered for the first time over a year about the letter I got from Tiff and about how she went through a similiar situation, I remembered how she bore her testimony that she knew that one day she would have the opportunity to see and raise her baby girl and how of that fact she had no doubt.  

  As we got to their house there was a profound sadness in the air, they were destroyed.  We bore our testimonies about the reality and power of priesthood blessings and I was priviledged to share Tiffany´s story and testimony.  Tiffany I want you to know that you were inspired to write that letter, that it was worth it, and that your testimony brought the light of hope back into the lives of this family.  Your story and testimony brought them to tears and gave them the strength to keep fighting and to stay strong until the end.  

  I know that this church is true and that the Plan of Salvation is real, that we can be together forever with our families, if we endure to the end.  May we endure with faith and hope, may we trust in the promises of the Lord as we endure.  

I hope you all have a great week and we´ll talk more next week!

-Elder Weir

Not much to tell... sorry! I will think of more stuff for next week. I really just don`t know what more to say.

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

Oily noodles, smelly mattress, and rats :)

I have really enjoyed the change to my new area! Even though my situation with investigators didn`t improve I really like just having change. In the mission it is really the only thing that there is to look forward to. Especially here because we have so many rules and can`t really do hardly anything on pdays. But we did find something really cool! We have bowling lanes here in Resistencia and we are going to go there Monday! (As far as why I haven`t written until now that is because this last Monday was a holiday so our pday was postponed until today)

 The people here in this area are in general richer. We are more in the center of the city here and people own their own houses instead of government paid for viviendas. Fontana was basically a city of those viviendas. We eat with members about half the week. We can`t ask members to give us lunch we have to hope that they sign up for the calendar, they only sign up some because they have only a little money and will sign up when they can give food. We do usually have tacos every Saturday with hna Lugo!! It is super awesome!! I ate tacos with her for only like the fifth time in my whole mission and I think they were the best I have had here and she makes a ton! The Lugo family reminds me a lot of the Puladas family (Barbara). Here we mostly receive aceite (oil) with a little noodles. It is pretty gross and I would rather just buy my own food because you can buy noodles for like 10 pesos and I could make better noodles just by not putting so much aceite. I feel bad sometimes because I don`t like the oil noodle concoction but It is just sickening (It has been making me sick). I never am mean but I always pray to not have oily noodles for my next lunch. We have a joke that the people hear just take their bottle of aceite and pour it in giant circles and say here is more aceite! And the sad thing is they sometimes do that, haha

I have definitely learned a lot of patience. I can see situations that happen where previously I would have gotten angry or something but now I just take it for what it is and try to make the best of it. Also I have learned a lot about the value of having time to do stuff and to be able to live where we live. I have seen the other side now and I will always be much more grateful for what I have. It is something that you really can`t fully appreciate until you have experienced the opposite. But we really live good lives and I really miss it at times. Also my favorite thing of all that I have learned (but kind of already knew) is that I really truly have the best family ever! I know that that just sounds like a cliché statement but it is so very true. I think about and hear about other missionaries and their relationships with their family and it makes me sad because they don`t have near as good of a relationship as we do. They talk about how they maybe hear from their families once in a month and it is just superficial stuff like how is the weather. They never really spent time with their family and a lot don`t even miss their families. I can see a huge difference between them and us. I find that being away from you guys is the hardest part of the whole mission. You are all my best friends and no one could take the place of any one of you! I think of my relationship between each one of us and I am very grateful for each one and I can`t wait to see each one of you!

YES Nathan, plain yes, haha I miss all the awesomeness of America and I have to fight with every single Latino because they can`t accept the fact that yes it is America and we are Americans. Today when we went to the Hyper (big mall like store where the bowling is) we passed through a part of town that looked a lot nicer with all cement roads and sidewalks that were level and stuff that made it look like America and it made me want to be there! I miss you guys, the variety of food or just in general, the higher standard of living, the cleanliness. 

Right now we don`t have many investigators but we have picked a couple up. We have Milagros who was a reference from Elder Perez. She is cool. I think that she still has lots of potential though. The biggest problem with her is that her parents are really weird and I hope that they give her permission to get baptized we talked with her mom for the first time yesterday about letting her go to church and it was this big ordeal about how she already has a religion and that she is catholic but when we asked if it was ok if she went to church she would say yes but that she doesn`t want her going to every church and not making up her mind. The thing is she never wanted to go to the Catholic Church so I laid it out strait and said so you just want her to pick which church she wants to go to and not go to a lot of churches? And she said yes then I asked Milagros which church she wants to go to and the mom started saying, well obviously she is going to pick your church, haha I was laughing and the craziness she was saying. 

We also have an old lady that we met by clapping houses. Her name is Juana. Her son is a member but he died from a heart attack or something like that a while ago. She wants to go to the church and get to know it but says that she wants time so we will see how everything goes with her. She did give us a whole bunch of books from her son. I think he collected every single book that the church owns. We now have a huge library in our pensh. We also have every single liahona from 2004-20013. 

We have one other investigator whose name is Juan. He is cool and he always salutes us when we pass by. He has a phobia of going to church though... He also says that he needs time before he will go there, that he just wants to read and have the charlas. We will see how it goes with him.

We now have moved the other elders out of our pensh and back into theirs next door. It is a ton cleaner and it is easier to move around, cook, sleep, relax, everything, haha. Plus it smells a ton better. One of the other elders has a mattress that stinks like no other. It is covered in dust and just plain nasty. I don`t know why he doesn`t call the office to replace it but I am just happy it has left my pensh. It was one of the biggest causes of smell. Plus that elder liked to put his stuff all over (especially my desk) and sleep on my bed and it would leave wet marks and it was disgusting. So I am happy they are in their own apartment but we still get to hang out. Now they just aren`t invading our space and making a mess, haha

There were also two rats that were living among the filth of our pensh. They were in the oven and when I went to get a pan out I found them. We had a crazy fight to kill them similar to the last two I killed, I have it on video and will send it when I get the chance, and it is really funny!

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

Transferred to the faraway and exotic location of Alberdi II

I forgot today is St Patrick’s Day, luckily I have on a green tie today, haha but I forget about American holidays here because they don`t exist really.

I got transferred to the very far away and exotic location of Alberdi II. (It was a twenty minute drive to my new area). This area is really close to the central of Resistencia, like ten minutes. It is a medium sized area. It is very hard as I have been told (we have zero investigators). 

My apartment is better than the last but there is another companionship that lives with us and they are very messy, therefore the apartment is a disaster. It is a lot nicer and has running water and air conditioning (just in time for the upcoming winter...). The shower is broken here so still no hot showers... I will send pictures next week I have been cleaning up and didn`t even want to take pictures of the disaster this week. 

My new companions name is Elder Delgado. He is from Ecuador. He is short and dark skinned. He is really funny. He has been a member for only three years. He has four months in the mission. 

Tell Nathan I thought his Valentine’s Day story was funny. But be careful of those girls they have cooties before the mish, haha 

Haha I am not quite sure what to say to Emily about her date :P It is weird to think that my best friend and sister went out on a date. I am glad that you enjoyed it. I don`t know what to tell you about wanting him to go on another date though... you will just have to talk to him about it :P But it was a good choice, Nate is awesome so make sure to date awesome people like him not so much like Brayden, haha

Well, I don`t have much to tell for this week. We have just been knocking a lot of doors and having a ton of rejection. I have heard more lame excuses for not listening to us this week... ugh, haha but hay que trabajar. I hope that this next week picks up a little but my zone leaders said that it is always like that but usually worse numbers. We will see how it goes. 

On the up side with the four missionaries in the pensh we have more fun. Every night we play games like spot it, RPSLS, Butt Man, BS, etc. I looked for monopoly today but I don´t think they have it here in Resistencia. Plus it is just funner to have more people to talk to and not be just you and your comp. I like my comp but I do enjoy more people to talk to.

Fetch! I think they are trying to cut my time so if my letter just randomly ends that is why!!! I love you guys!