Hello Everyone from Tucuman Salta Argentina!The “vacation” of the mission. Shorter time today because I am paying for internet.
This last week was pretty crazy. We went to Ibarreta like usual for Pday. Monday was the hottest it’s been in Formosa for a long while. We stayed in the Capilla for most of the day. I started to get a little cabin fever so when Elder Kersey (He is my favorite person in my zone) showed up he and I went for a walk. We stopped by the Chinos so that I could by more flour and we could pick up some drinks for some of the other guys in my district. While we were walking we stopped in the shade near the little laguna and just talked a little. Seeing two gringos sitting in the shade, some latino guy who was studying English came up to talk to us. So we talked and eventually gave him the first lesson. We found his name, address, and telephone number. We gave it to the Ibarreta 2 missionaries as a reference. The scones weren’t finished until dinner time. They were kind of scones but were more like pieces of fried bread. It started raining Tuesday morning aful. (Just means a lot aful) So we slept past the first bus because Mercado didn’t want to. When we did finally wake up it was still pouring and the road turned into a river. It had a small current and everything. The rain cut the power and then the water. That was strange. We did get on the bus though at eleven thirty and found out it didn’t rain at all in Pirane.
So Tuesday was cut short since we got home halfway through the day. Wednesday and Thursday and Friday we worked like normal. Saturday though Elders Ignacio and Carnesecca came down and we did divisions. I went with Elder Ignacio for the interview of Fabio, and Elders Mercado and Carnesecca went and cleaned the chapel and started to fill the font. That is the green thing from pictures past. After the interview Elder Ignacio went contacting with no luck unfortunately. Our zones numbers were low this week because our boys in Las Lomitas went to Formosa ill, and the flood in Ibarreta which got to the Elders knees, made it difficult to work. That meant that Campo and Pirane were taking the brunt of the numbers and Pirane was working with Fabio to get him baptized. So most of the areas weren’t out contacting and getting the goal for our numbers. Saturday I packed for Tucuman and then had the opportunity to perform the Baptism of Fabio. When I got in the font the water came up to my knees. I could have performed the baptism with my camera in my pocket since it didn’t get wet. Fabio sat on the ground to get low enough for me to dunk him all the way under. That was cool. I almost forgot the prayer. I didn’t though.
We left for Formosa basically right after that. We had Stake conference in Formosa so our new convert and the other young men came down Sunday morning for that. Right after the meeting, me and the other new guys went to the Terminal and got on a bus for Resistencia. That is four hours away. Then we had empanadas for lunch and we got on another bus for Tucuman. Tucuman is a city in the Salta Province and the Salta mission. We are here all week. And this is the last week of the transfer. We stay in the hotel all day and eat food, and play games, and talk. It’s pretty fun and a nice break from walking in the burning sun where I can burn and tan through my shirt and garments sometimes. I need to buy a sombrero. I am turning brownish. The natives all tell me I will be as red as a tomato, or black as a burned marshmellow. I’m hoping that I will be a good golden brown like a perfectly cooked marshmellow. The only downside to Tucuman is it’s a twelve hour bus ride away from Resistencia. Redeye both ways. That was miserable and I am running on about three hours of rotten sleep from the bus. I’m in a nice hotel now though and will sleep like a rock tonight.
I’ve got a few things for you guys to do for me at home. Look for the pen dad gave me for my eagle, send me the pretzel recipe, and look up Elder Dial in my Jr. Year Yearbook and send me the picture. Elder Dial is my favorite missionary in Resistencia. I lied about the burgers. I want alfredo or stir fry my first dinner home. Something with veggies. When Hunter gets his call make blocks for the Restoration. One that says church, one that says priesthood, one that says prophets and one that says apostles.
The President of Argentina has mobilized the army and national guard along with the police in the streets. These are the makings of some nasty stuff that may have it’s beginnings while I am here. It probably won’t get too crazy during my two years but we’ll keep an eye on it. The South Americans seem to think that because they live on an American continent the rest of the world refer to them as Americans as well, and that we are the United Stateians. So they call us that or North Americans. Roads here have the garbage of ages in them. The roads turn to mud and things get pressed into them. And buried. Cooking on a gas stove is a bit like cooking while camping. It’s hard. During the week leading up to Partidos of soccer, the people where their teams jersey. The big River Plate and Bocca Junior game was yesterday. They tied two to two and they play again this week sometime. They play twice anyway but this one is for keeps. We got stuck in Palo Santo this week because of a cut in the road and that made us miss all of our citas but two. I have nearly lost my hair to a few stores. They have these goofy grates that hang down low enough for me to scalp myself but high enough they are hard to see. Just like the stupid chandelier. The weather was hot enough that when we asked hows it going, we got the reply hot.
So the first cita we got that day in Palo Santo was Fabio. The second was going to an evangelical church with an investigator so she would come to ours. That was a weird experience. They were shouting into a mike, they had a jazz band playing the whole time, and a picture of Aslan hanging up in the front. It was just a weird experience. Hand waving and bible bashing just like you see in the movies. And I didn’t understand a word. So that was exciting. And it gave me a headache.
Well happy veterans day and I will talk to you all next week plus pictures for this week and next.
Love your neighborhood missionary,
Elder Rees
