Another week in Argentina (Tandil)

May 5, 2010

Well, I guess I´ll start out with the not-missionary stuff... I hope you don´t think that I´m a big slacker because of it. We didn´t go on the long-awaited hike again this week... I´ll just beat up the zone leader and we´ll go next week. But I DID learn how to juggle. Just wait, by the time I get home I´ll be a juggling master. I´ll probably drop out of college and juggle on the street for money.
Also, last night with one of our investigators, we were talking about American music and she asked me what bands I liked and I said, "They´re not very well-known, but they´re called Bread" and she got really excited because she has their "very best" CD. So we were a little apostate and listened to some of it... Also, we´re teaching her English and she´s teaching me Portugese. Also, we´re teaching her the gospel. That´s why we visit her. haha Also, the other day on the bus we were talking to a 10-year-old girl, and when I turned around for a second she reached out and touched my hair, haha. There are some "blondes" here, but nobody as blonde (or white!) as me. I get stared at a lot...
We were visiting the Branch President´s family, and one of his daughters (7-years-old) was telling me all the words she knew in English. After that she asked me what words I knew in Spanish... Don´t worry, I know a few. AND we had a branch activity on Saturday for 1 de Mayo (Labor Day here). We had an asado and played volleyball... it was a lot of fun!
And yes, mom, they discovered my voice then. I was playing some songs on the piano with the kids and then I started singing and all of the sudden half the branch was standing there listening. So now they know I can sing. Dangit, my secret is out...
So now I´ll move on to "missionary" stuff. I´ll answer mom´s questions and that should cover it.
We have a few investigators but only one is really "progressing" right now (going to Church regularly). Her name is Alicia. Her husband (Jorge) was baptized a couple weeks ago and she really knows the Church is true and she wants to get baptized, she just wants to take her time and make sure she is ready. She really is ready, we just need to help her find out that she is. They´re a great family and I´m excited for them.
This week we started teaching Alejandra. She´s an Evangelist, but only because she´s looking for the "true church." Hopefully we can help her with that :) She seems very interested, but she´s busy trying to get divorced and support her family... So keep her in your prayers.
We also teach Marian. We were doing a bunch of contacts on Moday morning, handing out pass-along cards and we came across her. She wanted to talk more, so we came back the next day. She said, "What should I wear to Church on Sunday?" before we even said anything about it. THAT was incredible. We gave her a pass-along card and invited her on Monday morning, but usually people don´t listen when we do that, it´s just a contact. I guess I should have more faith that things like that can happen!
Also, we´re teaching an old man named Litto. His wife died a few years ago and they never had kids, so he´s really lonely. He loves to read from the Book of Mormon and pray, but he´s afraid of large groups of people, so he´s afraid to come to church. We´re working on that with him... I really hope he comes this week.
Our church building is tiny. There are about 10 rooms including the Chapel, which is the size of maybe two regular classrooms in a building in the United States. We have the one building in our area. In Argentina, the Church is set up in Branches because most people don´t have cars and they need to be able to have a church building close to them to get there.
For interviews with the mission president, he comes here for Zone Conference. That´s actually next week, so I´ll let you know how it goes!
We get fed almost every day at the member´s houses. We eat a LOT of meat, bread, and potatoes. And that´s about it... When I get home I try to eat fruit and veggies, because we never eat it outside of the house.
My companion is from Washington state, and she goes home in less than a month... I´m already killing my first companion!
My feet are doing great! Well, they are tired, of course, but my one foot doesn´t hurt like it was last week. The prayers are working! Keep it up!
I haven´t gotten any DearElders yet. I´m not exactly sure how the mail works. I´ll mention it in my email when I get them. Apparently we´ll get them on Thursdays. So we will see!


Also today for p-day we did a little "Trunky Shopping" for my comp to take some stuff home. I already found something for Dad. Hna. Perkes told me that some things are just cheaper here in Tandil because they make them here. I´m really excited about what I got for you, Dad, but I´m going to keep it a surprise... Even though I really want to tell you! I´m sure by next week I´ll have forgotten so it won´t be a temptation.
What else does everyone want to know? I finally got my pictures uploaded so I´ll send them in another email.
This morning in personal study I was reading in Mosiah, King Benjamin´s address. I especially liked 4:15-16. We give good things to the people we love, and that´s why I´m here teaching the gospel. I really do love the people I´m teaching! They are so wonderful and they have their good qualities and faults just like everyone else, but they are just special. I want to share the gospel with them because it makes ME happy. I want to spread that happiness around! The Church is true. It will make YOU happy, too.

Love,
Hermana LaPray