Email Letter 30 November 2009

Hey Fam,

So it sounds like Thanksgiving was a hit. I’m very happy to hear that. I woke up on Thanksgiving and looked at my comp and said... “Its thanksgiving” and he looked at me and said... “Thanks for reminding me” it was funny. I felt bad for reminding him about his family since he just got here but to be honest after that I think we both just forgot about it all and went on out to work. It was just a normal day for us but it was a good day. It has been super hot here and the power gets cut sometimes during the night which makes it so much fun to try to sleep because that means that the fans don’t work and neither does our air conditioner that’s from the 70s that only works half the time anyway. You just roll around like you're in a swimming pool of your own sweat. It’s really nasty but it’s so true. We couldn’t sleep very well last night and I told my comp that he just needed to get used to it and he looked at me and said that it’s impossible to get used to it. He’s oh so right but I think that I can go without two months of sleep if it means that I can sleep in my waterbed again!! Ha-ha.

Like I told you all last week that we had a baptism and here are the promised pictures...

It was a pretty fun day. He was confirmed yesterday and he’s just super awesome.

To be honest nothing else has really happened this last week. Nothing ever really happens when you’re out in the middle of nowhere but we try to make things fun. We have our interviews with president del Castillo this week and those are always fun but other than that again this week with be another boring one. Next week is my birthday though! How cool is that. I’m not really that excited but it will be fun anyway. Well Fam I love you guys and I think about you often. Take care!

Tay

Other fun pics...

This is my friend Victoria.

TELL ME THAT HE DOESNT LOOK MY PETER PARKER FROM SPIDERMAN!!! Toby McGuire

He fell asleep.

Email Letter 23 November 2009

Hey Fam,

So it’s been a pretty good week. Last Friday we had out zone conference in Formosa and it was a lot different. There is a new way that the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve want things to be taught and it was a little bit disappointing because it just wasn’t the same as it used to be. For example President del Castillo can’t get up and teach us doctrine from what he has studied like he has always done. He can’t just give us answers; we have to answer our own questions. It’s like a group discussion. Its different and he admitted that he doesn’t really like it because he doesn’t feel like he can teach us anything because that’s just not what he’s used to but we are all very supportive of the first presidency and we will learn to use it better and better every time. It was a very very spiritual conference though. At one point president asked us all to stand one by one and bear our testimony which is something he’s never done. It invited the spirit though and I think that we all loved it.

Yesterday we had our district conference and right after we had a baptism. I forgot my camera so you’re going to have to wait for pictures until tomorrow but it was very cool. We baptized a kid named Juan and he’s 20 years old. He’s so cool and he understands so well. He’s going to be a great asset to the church and the branch. We are all very excited and we are trying to find the people that are ready to listen so that we can help more people come to unto Christ and his true church.

Elder Hansen is progressing very quickly. He has learned a lot and is catching on to things pretty fast. I think he just needs a little bit more common sense and he would be perfect. Ha-ha. I think that it’s just from the shock of being here in Argentina because it’s just so different. I remember when I first started like it was yesterday. I was just so tired all the time from trying to understand and work in the heat and everything but it comes with time and he will figure it out.

Things are moving along and I find myself just loving the work and the people. It’s going to be hard to leave and just thinking about how I just have 9 weeks left is crazy!! It kinda makes me sad and happy at the same time. Its bittersweet but I really don’t think that it has hit me yet. I hope that all is well and know that I love you and think about you all often. Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tay

Email Letter 16 November 2009

Hey Fam,

So it’s been a good week. We have been working hard and trying to get some baptisms going on. We have been going through some rough times though with all of our investigators. It seems like they are so close and then they just fall away. It has been really hard for me. We will keep on keepin on though and see what we can get done.

To be honest there isn’t really anything to tell you. Not much has been going on. Things are good with my new little boy and he is learning quite quickly. We spoke in church yesterday and I’m not sure what the branch presidency was thinking making my comp speak in his second week here but he did a good job. I helped him write it out and he did well. He speaks so softly because he’s pretty shy but he got his point across. He spoke about missionary work and I spoke about talents and how all of us have certain ones that the lord has given us and we will lose them if we don’t work to get perfect. The lord wants us to progress and if we don’t he will take what he has given away and give it to someone else.

To be honest there hasn’t been anything big going on and I am out of things to say. I love you guys and I hope all is well. Take care and just think...10 more weeks!!!

Tay

Email Letter 09 November 2009

Hey Fam,

So this week has been pretty hectic for sure. On Tuesday night we found out about transfers and as it turns out I was so right about what was going to happen. Elder Hogge left to Resistencia and I’m training!! I finally have a kid. His name is Elder Hansen and he’s from Cache Valley.

We are completely different as I’m sure you can tell from the pictures but it will be fun. He’s kind of a nerd and is super shell-shocked and it’s hilarious. You can just tell he is so scared and worried about everything. He seems a little clueless and sometimes I have to tell him something like five times before it clicks in his head but it will be all good. He doesn’t know any Spanish. I honestly don’t know what they teach anymore in the MTC because I’m pretty sure I knew a lot more Spanish before I got here. The members are trying to help him out though. I made him sit down with a ten year old kid and teach him about Joseph Smith just so that he could practice. I remember my first week or two in Argentina so I feel for him but it’s just really funny. Sometimes the members will mess with him and start talking Guarani which is a language from Paraguay. It’s pretty hilarious.

It’s still really hot here. It got up to 117 degrees the other day and the sun was killer but it rained pretty hard the other day and it’s been cloudy so the heat is bearable...for now. The weather here is just weird. Overnight it just changes from no clouds at all to rainy and humid with the streets covered in water to the knees almost and then the next day back to super hot and no clouds. I just don’t understand.

Overall things are just going normal. We have a few people that are getting close to baptism and I’m getting pretty excited. I’m doing everything possible to make sure that President has to open an area next transfer by trying to baptize a bunch there as well. I think that’s what keeps me going. And it’s pretty good incentive for me I guess.

I love all of you so much and think about you often. It’s not too much longer until we will all be sitting together talking about all the fun things that have happened over the last few years. Pray for me and know that I’m praying for you. Love you!

Tay

Email Letter 03 November 2009

Hey Fam,

 Well as you know once again I’m writing a day late. Let me explain...yesterday was our p-day as you know but it was also another holiday here in Argentina. It was “Dia de los muertos” or day of the dead. It’s not the Halloween but they all go to the cemetery and stuff like that. I don’t really understand the whole concept but that’s just what they do. Since it was a holiday the cyber was closed and we didn’t have any way at all to write. Sorry!

Today we are on divisions and we went out the Indian colony that is here close to the zone leaders area and there is a family there that has to cougars as pets

This is just one of them but it’s pretty sweet that they can say they have little cougars like other people have dogs!! It’s nice to know that most of you are not alone in being BYU fans because it would seem as though they like the cougars as well.

We did some service on Saturday and we helped the Hermana make some lunch afterwards...nioquis (gnocchi) are my favorite of course...

The food turned out great!

So now that I’m not in Libres I’m not with my little friend Karren anymore. On the bright side of things I have found a new little friend and her name is Cinthia

 

She’s the cutest little thing isn’t she!

Well on a side note I just went and threw up. Ha-ha I thought you all might want to know that. I think it’s just because of something I ate because the other elder that I ate the same thing with isn’t feeling very good either.

So tonight are transfers and I’m pretty excited. I think that I might train and that would be awesome since I haven’t done it yet.

We have been having a lot of success lately and we have a baptismal date for this Saturday. She is an awesome 23 year old girl and I think that I’ve told you about but we are so excited for her. I’m not sure that it will happen this Saturday because we still have a few things to teach her and not very much time to do it in especially if I have to train because I would be out of my area for 2 days with traveling and stuff but if it’s not this Saturday it will be the next. The lord has been blessing us like crazy and I can’t explain how blessed I feel. It’s been over 100 degrees the last few days and it has been killer but I know that because we keep working through it the lord is taking care of us as we take care of his work. It’s only getting hotter and hotter as we go though.

I love this work and I love being here. I miss you all and I know that this is the Lord's work and that we are all being blessed because I’m here. Take care and I’ll let you all know what goes on in transfers and the baptism next week.

Tay

P.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER!!!!