Missionary Monday a Massive Installment

*Nathan promised to send pictures next week.  I'm not sure how to hold him to that promise, but I will find a way.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom and read about the car accident/dog bite.  Interesting stuff....
May 16, 2011:

Hi family!!! I hope you all had a good week! Mine went pretty good too!! Nothing too exciting, but we have been finding some really cool people lately to teach. All through members and recent converts. We are teaching the sister of a menos acitvo member that just moved to live with them. We taught her about the restoration, and she just told us how she things we came into her life right at the right time to help her out, she is really cool.  And also, the grandaughter and her family of Marta, our recent convert just moved into her house, and we are now teaching them. They have now background beliefs of God or anything, but are really interested and nice. We are excited to ssee how things work out with them!!!! Here in the offices it hasn't been too crazy. Transfers are next week and I am anticipating a new companion sometime this next week or next week to have him trained by Elder Seguel. That should be fun. We will see how it all works out!! The finances are coming along good. We are staying with the mission budget for the most part...if you cared to know...So today we went to go pay rent for a new apartment here in Rosario, and the landlord started telling us about how they have known the missionaries forever....(they aren't members) and so they pulled out some photos...and of course...who was in them?? Elder "Richi" from 1991. They were so excited to know that I was his cousin. They said... "Tell him that he´s in trouble for not writing us all of these years." We talked about him for a little bit...it's a small world. They live in the San Martin Ward and his name is Juan Soberon.  Everyone sure loved him!!!  Well the week was good! I love you all! I hope your spring is going good for all of you! Everyday here it is a little bit colder and darker, but I´m lovin' it! Have a good week!

May 24, 2011:

Hello family!!!  Well today is transfer day, so right now (7:00 AM) all of the missionaries that are going home are here. They have been playing soccer and what not since 5:30...... They will all leave at about 11 and then today at about 2 will come all of the new missionaries. It´s always fun to see the new missionaries. They have always heard only the worst about Argentina..... haha. But anyway.. so it will be fun. With transfers, I am going to have a new companion and I will now be the district leader of the offices. So this will be a lot of fun. My new comps name is Elder Lugo, he´s from Argentina I think he will be good.  And, one of my best friends from the MTC, Elder Perona, came yesterday to be the new assistant. It´s gonna be fun here! Also, my 2 companions from the MTC, Elder Davis and Elder Allen, are both training so they will come to the mission home tomorrow to pick up their newbie. It´s gonna be a fun reunion......... yeahhyyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaa. haha.  This transfer is starting a new way with training. Now, missionaries are technically trained for 2 transfers with their same companion no matter what. They get an extra hour of companionship study also during the day. That will make 4 hours of study in total.. wowwwwwwwwww. But, the booklet says something like: at the end of these 12 weeks you should feel prepared, if called upon, to train a new missionary. So I´m sure that will help a lot to get the missionaries started off right!  This last week was really good. We have been teaching Enilda and Rocio a lot. Enilda is set to get baptized. She´s excited, but is having trouble quitting smoking, so we are going to help her with that. Joel, the stepson of  a member, was baptized this Saturday! He is a really cool kid. We have been teaching them for a little bit. His mom wants to get baptized too, but is not married, so is going to have to wait. But she still comes to church every Sunday, and knows the church is true. Elder Seguel, my current comp, Elder Hardy (assistant) and Elder Vanderholm, Secretary, are all leaving the offices this week. It´s gonna be so weird without them. I can´t believe it´s already been 3 and a half months with them here, but it was a fun time.  I´m excited for this new transfer that is coming up. I´m sure it will be full of trials and what not, but I know its going to be a blast! I hope you all have a good week, and that it will turn into Spring for you all!!!!!!

June 1, 2011:

Well…… We just got back from Buenos Aries.. We went in a big van, got our fingerprints taken, got back on the big van and came home.. It was a 12 hour roundtrip… But it was fun.. My group and the one with a transfer less than us went so we had a good time.  This week was pretty fun. We didn´t have too much other than transfers and getting groups like this ready to go to Buenos Aires. The work in the field is coming along great. Enilda is really excited for her baptism, but really understands the importance of it as well. She told us that she is going to be prepared to baptized on the 25^th. She wants to make sure she can be doing everything right before her baptism, so she doesn't fall after. We talked about the importance of not waiting too long to be baptized, but she understands that and wants to be truly repentant before entering into the water. We are finding new people that are pretty interested that I hope I will be able to give a bunch of more details about!!!  Work here in the offices is coming along well. My new companion does his work really well also. He´s a good worker. We get along good too. His names Elder Lugo. He´s from Buenos Aires, and all day today he couldn´t believe where he was. We were 4 blocks away from his sister´s house where he used to live.. haha.  It´s fun being district leader. Not too much to have to do or worry about being in the offices… over the assistants and all.. But I give my little presentation and it works out. Haha… Mom sent me a schedule of all of the events in the next couple of months. I hope you all have room to sleep!! It´s going to be crazy, but I am really excited for all of it to happen!! I know our family will see many blessings come from 2 weddings this summer. I wish I could be there to help, but it´s probably better that I´m just out of the way!! It`s June!!!!!!!!!!! Which means less than 6 months till Christmas Season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 8, 2011:

Well...that was a fun week!!........................ So to start out I guess I will just let you know about the events that took place.  So...I´m pretty sure it was Tuesday but I'm not sure...and we needed to go to the bank, like always to get money...... so I´m just drivin' down our road, about 2 blocks away from the mission home.  I get to the 4th block... look 1 way don´t see anyone coming.. put on the brake a little still don´t see anyone...enter the intersection get a little more than half way through... when I see a different car ramming into my door!... It was really quick, loud and mostly painless...The airbags inflated directly in my ears. Sounded like a bomb...but I still am impressed with the technology that went into them deploying that I still don´t even know how it works...anyway...went side to side hit the airbag really hard...we got shoved over in the road, and the other car, swerved up onto the grass on the corner.  Right as it happened it was one of those moments where I didn't believe that it actually happened.  I was so annoyed!! So we get out of the car, run to the other car, and out of the passenger seat comes a 25 or so year old girl with a baby in her arms..... of course the baby was crying... I called President Villalba really fast to tell him firstly, and then ask what I needed to do.  So we called the cops and an ambulance, no one was hurt, the little baby was fine, didn't even have a scratch or anything.. so then we had to wait until the tow truck could come and tow our car...of course, then after there were a bunch of forms and things we had to send to Buenos Aires...lameeeeee...Then we had to go do another one in the city...anyway...after all was said and done, it was okay... I felt so stupid. I feel like I can give the blame to a lot of other people, but I should have just been safe and stopped. Here in Argentina, in almost all of the streets other than the main roads, there are no stop signs or anything...it's just all off of the right away...I had past that road so many times without there ever being a car, that I think I just got in the bad habit of just going through a little slower...So I accept the blame... even though legally...its theirs...So that was a dumb thing.. but I'm sure you won't have to worry about me driving and getting in anymore wrecks :)...  Then they made me go get x rays of my neck just in case.. waste of time...

Thennnnnnnnnnnn......

Monday night........we are contacting, trying to get into houses (obviously).... and I don't know if you've ever had to clap doors from a mile away... but it always seems like there is more success in actually knocking the doors and talking to them in their face and them letting you in...So, whenever there is an open gate I'll usually take advantage of it.... unless there´s a dog......................So we go to a house and the gate was seriously probably only 8 feet in front of the door, and it was open so I thought, "Well gates open, the doors right there... there´s no dog.......... so I´ll just go knock it."  Well right as I was about to put my fist to the door I noticed a big dog coming toward me on the left side.  So I start to turn to run out and a bigger dog on the right side bites the inside of my thigh!!!!! I start running and in the run he bites my calf!!!!!!! Apparently the pile of wood next to the door was actually the dogs house............................... !!!!!!!!!!!! ugh........ I feel so dumb for both of these things!!!!!!!  Anyway, called the doctor in Buenos And he told me I should get stitches, but I said I was fine so we just taped it together...it is healing now...I'm on some antibiotics to help.


Anyway......So Enilda is coming along great. She is very excited for her baptism.  Shes excited for stake conference this weekend as well. She is almost down to 0 cigarettes. We made a calendar for her to stop smoking for her baptism.  The family of Marta, they are doing okay...they are all just a little too pitiful....but they are planning on coming to stake conference this weekend, so I'm sure that will help them a lot.  Another little family, Miguel and Paula and their little daughter Laura are really cool. He is really good, Paula is a little more closed still. But they love us, and they are really putting the gospel to the test.  I don't think they are married...I'm gonna ask them today...but oh well...

Don't worry, I'm keeping a positive attitude about everything.  After the dog bite, President Villalba told me he would like to give me a blessing of health and that was really nice and got a lot of comfort from it.  I love you all! Thanks for your patience with me. I hope you are all enjoying this June!! It feels like Christmas here, but I know you all have a lot to do right now! Have a good week!