Email Letter - 22 October 2008

Hey Family,

So first things first...I GOT TRANSFERED! I’m going to a place called Reconquista, Santa Fe. It’s a place that not many missionaries get to go because we only have one zone in Santa Fe so the odds aren’t very good that someone will go. I’m pretty excited but I don’t know what to expect. I hear that my new companion is a nerd and doesn’t really like sports at all. So we are pretty much complete opposites to say that least. It’s going to take some getting used to but it will all work out.

That’s pretty crazy to hear about Chris. Is he home then? What are the odds? I didn’t think that something like that would ever happen to me or any of my friends. He’s going to be okay then?

So Sunday was mother’s day here in Argentina and we got invited over to a member’s house for lunch and the food made me sick. I haven’t been able to keep anything down and I just feel weak. I thought that I was over the sick phases of my mission but I guess not. It didn’t help that it was 110degrees yesterday and we were out walking around. It made it a lot worse I think.

The weather is so weird here. It was hot yesterday and it rained overnight and now it’s cold. It’s the most rain that Chaco has seen in a very long time. They needed it here and I’m happy they got it but it didn’t have to be so much.

So like I said I’m moving and I’m sick which made last night a very long night. I had to finish packing and it just made things more difficult when I had to throw up or go outside and use the bathroom. Needless to say I didn’t get much sleep so I’m hungry and tired and just not feeling my best.

On top of that I won’t get to my area until around 11pm tonight. What a long day of just sitting on busses. I guess that’s the life of being transferred.

I’ve been talking so much about wanting to leave and now that it’s happening I don’t want it to. We have some really good investigators and I have a feeling that they will get baptized soon and I won’t be there to see the fruits of my labor. I’m sure that I'll have some success in Santa Fe though and that’s why I’m going there.

I better get running because I’m only done with stage one of three in my transfer. I love you guys. Take care!

Tay

Email Letter - 15 October 2008

Hey Family,

It has been so hot this week! Everyday but today has been around 100 degrees. You all know how much I just love the heat so you should know that it’s killing me. It doesn’t matter what time of day or even night, it is always hot and humid. It’s even worse when you have to walk around in a shirt and tie around your neck but it’s something that we just live with. It’s part of the work.

We have been teaching a lot more as of late and we’ve been getting a little bit of help from the members in the form of references and we have one member that is willing to help us with lessons when she can.

It’s transfers again next week and I’m not going to say anything because every single time I say that I’m going to move and I stay right here. I have decided to take a different approach this time and just not say anything. I’ve given my goodbye testimony like four times in sacrament meeting and I’m hoping to not have to give it again…in this area.

So story time…
Yesterday we were walking to an appointment and I felt something on the back of my neck, assuming that it was just a bug like always I grabbed it to throw it off and it stung me! It was a bee and it hurt. I killed the bee with my fingers and pulled out the stinger and started to feel the pain. My neck started to stiffen up and its still kinda sore today but again…the life of a missionary in Argentina.

Well that’s all for this week but I love you guys. Take care!

Tay

Email Letter - 08 October 2008

Hey Fam,


So things are going well here and I loved Conference! It was so amazing. It’s a lot different down here for sure but it still gets here and it’s nice to get advice and comforting words from our leaders. It was cool because in the first session on Saturday two of the three from our area presidency took part in the session. Pres Bowen said the prayer and Elder Adukaitus spoke. We were also all really excited when they announced the building of the Cordoba Temple! I think everyone in the whole world was surprised and excited about the ROME, ITALY temple so I won’t go into that. Ha-ha.

It’s been a good week here, we found some new investigators and we got a couple of references from members and other Elders which should turn out to work for us really well and it’s really exciting. A couple of interesting things have happened in the last few days and they go as follows

1- I was cleaning up the pench and I found a little lizard under my luggage. I guess that pretty common here so nothing to worry about. We enlisted the help of our neighbor to help us get it out and everything is fine now.

2- We got the pench fumigated yesterday so that should help with the bugs and stuff that again are very common down here.

3- My companion and I started running 3 times a week a few weeks back but plans have changed on that one, we are now running to our gym everyday but Saturday and Sunday to go lift and work out. How cool is that! I’m for sure excited about that and I’m hoping to lose some of those lbs that I’ve put on. I’m ready to turn it into muscle.

Things have just been going well. Like I said we have a few new investigators and are working on these contacts to get more. It’s starting to really progress and I love it. We have been making some good contacts that aren’t too far away from the church and they seem really excited to listen. We went out contacting the other day and we clapped this house and a girl answered the door. Her name is Vanessa and she lives with her mom. We asked her about her religion and why she thought that there are so many these days and her response was...¨well we are catholic but we don’t really do anything¨ we laughed with her and she invited us in to talk to she and her mom. They are really nice and ready to listen and I hope they get baptized. I’m just happy to be where I am right now and ready to keep working with the people in Villa Angela. That’s all for this week but I love you guys.


Tay

Email Letter - 01 October 2008

Dearest Family,

It sounds like things are going well and that everyone is staying busy…but that’s football season in the king household. Things are going well down here as well.

We had interviews with President Del Castillo yesterday and they were great. We also worked on our contacts. We are trying a new thing in our mission and maybe in the area or even the world but we are starting to use the pass along cards along with the pamphlets. Now the pass along cards are really just for the states and Canada but we figured out a way to make it work. It’s another way to speed up contacts in the street. President is really stressing that we talk to everyone that we see and not just clap houses.

We have practiced lots a different ways to do and we had an awesome practice with the Assistants to the president yesterday. We are practicing just going straight into doctrine because we know that on the streets people don’t really have a ton of time to just sit and talk to us. It’s been really effective in getting us working more and finding more people in a more efficient way.

Last week was Service Day for all of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay which is our area and we cleaned up a school. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work and it was so hot but it was cool to work all together as a Branch and not just us to missionaries. We worked hard and got a lot done.

It has been a good week and I’m looking forward to General Conference this week. We have had a lot of investigators say that they will come so I’m excited to see if they really will. The Area Presidency made some cool invitations for us to hand out and that has made it nice to invite people and a lot less work and money for us because now we don’t have to make them.

This hasn’t been a really busy cool week because we haven’t really been in our area so this email is short. I love you all. Take care and I’m sure that I'll have more to write next week.

Tay

Email Letter - 24 September 2008

Hey Family,

So this week has gone by so fast. We have been really busy doing lots of crazy stuff to get ready for meetings and conferences and lots of other things. On Monday we had zone conference which was...well a lot different to say the least and not a lot of people liked it. I mean it was good in a lot of ways but at the same time it was horrible because we didn’t eat and we didn’t have all of the zones we usually do so we didn’t get to see everyone. It was good because it moved to a smaller room in the church and we all got to participate a lot more with all the things he was teaching us. It’s just a change that we will all have to get used to.

Then yesterday my comp and I did divisions with the zone leaders. It was a lot of fun to work with an elder that was just excited to work. And when I told him that it was my ¨cumplames¨ which means that I just finished another month in the mission! I’m now 1/3 done with it all and it’s going by fast. It was just a fun day full of stories and hard work out in the heat.

We have started having some success this last week with getting into people’s houses and I’m enjoying the work. I hope that it continues. I’m getting excited for general conference and we are having a district priesthood meeting this Sunday with one of the counselors of the mission to talk about mission plans in branches and wards to help make the work progress. I hope that it all goes well and helps the members work a little bit harder to help us out.

Oh cool story...last night I was in Saenz Pena with Elder Hemmert one of my zone leaders and he woke up to a noise in the middle of the night and saw a man standing outside the window!! Uh scary! He decided not to wake me up but he sat there for a minute wonder whether or not he should go try to catch the guy. After a few minutes he decided that he didn’t want to risk it. So when we woke up in the morning he told me all about it and the power was off. We went outside and wires had been cut and they had stolen the motor for the water. So we are without water to shower and without electricity. It was kinda weird and a little scary but it’s all good. They should get it fixed and be alright. I’m just glad it’s not my area!

I’m gonna run for this week but I love you guys! Take care.

Tay

TK & President Del Castillo

At Zone Conference with the new President.

Email Letter - 17 September 2008

Hey Fam,

So things have been going really well down here and a lot has happened in the last week. The first thing is that I have started running in the mornings! It makes me feel good and I have talked Elder Adams into running with me and not just watching. I’ve realized that I need to get into shape now and not decide to when I get home.

I got a blender last week and we have enjoyed making shakes and there is an elder in our zone that worked at jamba juice and taught me how to make strawberries wild which is just amazing. It’s a wonderful thing to have and probably one of the best buys I’ve ever made in the mission. We have been eating with our dueno a lot. I’ve talked about him before, his name is Lucho and he’s just funny. All we have is asado which is just argentine bbq. We just eat steak and it’s great. He always tells us that there is nothing better in life than steak and coke. He`s on a quest to eat asado everyday for a week. His wife always gives a crap because she says that we eat so much asado that we won’t be able to walk anymore. That’s why I have stated to run. We haven’t eaten it with him every day but two of them we have and it’s been great. He wants me to send his love to you

Now that I have gotten all of that out of the way I’ll tell you how things with the work are going. We started contacting in a new area again that’s close to the church and we are finding lots of good people that seem like they are willing and ready to listen. We are going to work with them and keep trying to find more new people that we can teach and bless. I feel like we are getting close to the people that we need to find and I will keep praying that we do so that they can be as blessed as we are in our lives. I love this gospel and I know that it can bring many great blessings into peoples’ lives as well. I have felt so many blessings in my life because of this church and that’s why I’m here, to help others to feel the same.

I am very excited to keep working in this area. The other day we were walking to the church after making a few contacts because we had our weekly meeting with the branch president to talk about things that we can do to make things progress and one of the little kids from and old investigator family chased us down. When I realized that he was running after us we stopped and started to talk to him. I looked down at him and he said ¨my mom lost her Book of Mormon and she wants a new one so that she can keep reading¨ you don’t know how happy I was to hear that! I opened my bag and gave him one to give to her. We dropped this family about 3 months ago and it was sad for me because they are awesome. It’s the Benitez family, I don’t know if you remember them but they are so awesome and I was sad to leave them but she started working two other jobs so that she could take care of her six kids so we didn’t have time to teach her. They have been to church and activities and I know with just a little help that they’ll be ready to be baptized. He asked us when we could go by the house to teach them again and he told me that his mom stopped working one of the jobs and she’s home at night every night. We went by and set up an appointment. I’m so happy and I can’t even explain it. I hope that I can tell you soon that they are getting baptized.

At first I was mad that I was staying here and then this happened. I know now that I’m supposed to be here and I’m happy. I gotta run for this week but I love you guys. Take care and tell titan hi for me. Love you!!

Tay

Email Letter - 10 September 2008

Hey Fam,

So this last week was pretty fun. On Sunday we decided to take a trip out to Saenz Pena for the baptism of a guy that I know really well. It’s actually a pretty cool story. This guy’s family was baptized in January but he had a phobia about leaving his house and so he couldn’t go to church and couldn’t be baptized with his family. He has been in his house for two years and finally overcame it and started going to church and they baptized him on Sunday. He was so happy and we were all happy for him.

That night we went to a party with some members of a different branch and so there were six elders at this house with a bunch of members, we started to get bored so we livened it up a bit. We were trying to think of what we could do for a cool video and not tell the members what we were doing so we came up with someone was going to get slapped in the face. My comp volunteered and I volunteered to slap him. So one of the elders started filming and he went around the whole room asking people’s names and stuff then he went through all of the elders and ended with me and my comp. my comp turned his face and I gave him a good slap in the face. Oh my gosh we were all laughing so hard we were crying. The members were at first shocked at what had just happened that they didn’t started laughing until like 5 seconds passed. It was great. We didn’t tell the members that it was planned so they think that I was just mad at my comp or something. We are so funny I know.

After that we went outside and you guys don’t know this but there are always horses just wandering in the streets so my comp decided to mount one and we got some good video of that. It was a fun night.

We have been trying to come up with things to do when we get bored and we are all in the same area and last week we made a video called ¨the black ninja¨ I can’t really explain it but I’ll be sending it home pretty soon.

As you know we had transfers today and by now I’m sure you have guessed that I didn’t move once again. That means that I will be in my first area for at least 7 ½ months which is 1/3 of my mission in the field. I am kinda burned out in this area but I will just have to suck it up for another month and a half and keep working. It will be okay I think.

I’m excited to contact that area that I had mentioned about a week or two ago and I know that we will finally have a baptism this transfer. I am staying here with Elder Adams again so no new comp either. It will be a good transfer I think. I just have to look at it as a good thing that I’m staying here and that the lord has a purpose for me here. I love you guys. Take care.

Tay

GO14

Hot, Sweaty, Having fun? - It's hard to tell from this pic TK sent his little sister, but I'm guessing he's having a good time.

A fun item of note - the ball is imprinted with GO14, and TK's number is all sports he played was 14. How fun is that?

Email Letter - 3 September 2008

Family,

So not much has really happened this past week. We were out contacting a reference and it was in an area that I’ve never been and I was looking around and there were just tons of young families outside or out walking in the street and it was crazy. I looked at my comp and said we are coming back here to contact. He agreed with me because I’m the one that’s really in charge and we will be heading back there tomorrow I hope. I’m excited about that but I’m worried that we will find some awesome families and then I will get transferred next week. It will still be way awesome but and the same time I would love to work with them when we find them.

So I just kind of mentioned that we have transfers next week and I’m excited but a little nervous. I feel like it’s my time to move but at the same time I thought that last time and I stayed so we will see. It would be nice to move so that I can get to know other parts of Argentina and other members and missionaries as well. It is a different experience when you have no idea whether or not you will stay or go.

So this Friday my comp and I are in charge of doing the Fe En Dios...faith in god for the primary. I came up with this cool idea to buy preach my gospels for all of the little kids 8-12 years old and we are going to teach them how to use them and teach them how to talk to friends at school about the gospel. It’s a lot different when you don’t have a ward or stake to buy them for everyone and you have to do it but it makes you feel better I think. I’m so excited to teach them and show them how to use what I think of as more scriptures. It really is an amazing book that I know will bless them and their families. I also came up with this cool idea to put a picture of my comp and I inside of the cover with our testimonies about how the book has blessed our lives. It’s such an awesome thing. I hope that it goes well and that they understand everything that we are teaching them.

Just a quick update on that family that we found a few weeks back. They mom has been working more than she and we had thought so we haven’t had many opportunities to teach them. We call and go by to check up on the girls and make sure that they are reading and praying and I still have faith that they will get baptized even if I’m not the one to do it.

That’s pretty much all for this week. Know that I think about you often and that I love you all. Thanks for the support. Take care.

Tay

When Winter turns to Spring

You jones for a motorcycle ride and wish with all your heart that the President allowed this form of transportation.

Email Letter - 27 August 2008

Family,

So this week has been an okay one. It has started to get a little warmer because spring is right around the corner so it’s now anywhere from 95-110 degrees in our area with lots of wind that blows the dust up and it’s just horrible. We walk around eating dirt all day and it’s not my favorite thing but what can you do.

So it sounds like Josh’s farewell went awesome and I’m so excited for him. It seems like so much is going on and I’m missing out on all of it. I guess things can’t stay the same for two years.

Things are going well and we found a couple more people that we can go back and teach but none of them are really promising investigators but its people that are at least willing to listen so I’m excited about that.

Things are going well with my comp but he of course we still have our moments where I wanna strangle him.

The members are starting to give us more references and that is always so much better than just clapping houses because its people that have some idea of what we teach. It’s nice to finally have some help and it’s another thing that I’m excited about.

We have transfers in two weeks and I really think that I’ll be leaving this time because 6 months in one area is a long time and I’m really ready to go. Tomorrow we have divisions with our district leader and I’m excited because I’m staying in my area this time to do them and we are going to teach that awesome family. I’m planning on showing them the DVD of the restoration so that they can feel even more just how real and special it is. I hope that it goes well. It’s still been pretty hard to find really good promising families other than this one in our area but we are trying some different ways of finding good whole families that are ready to listen and to accept what we have to offer (eternal life) what a great gift.

It sounds like you are all staying pretty busy this with football and dance and work and booster stuff and just everything and it just sounds like a regular football season and I’m sad to be missing it. I know that I say that every week but I really do.

There is an elder from my zone that is going home in two weeks and it’s funny to hear him talk about what he’s going to do which includes getting married in November. He’s crazy but we love him. I hit 7 months on Quin's birthday last week and it’s still crazy to sit and think about how fast it has gone. I’m happy to be here and I feel like I’m learning so much. I love you all very much. Take care.

Tay

Hanging with the Zone

Watching the Olympics

Email letter - 20 August 2008

Family,

so it has been an okay week. After we got back to our area last Thursday morning I started listening to the tape that you made for me and guess what, it broke! Just my luck right? I got to listen to the whole first side all the way through which means that I just missed listening to dad. It’s rather unfortunate but what can you do? This started one of the worst days of my mission. After that it was all downhill, I won’t go into detail about everything but the night ended with me getting into a remis (taxi) and ripping my pants on one of the pockets. It was a long day to say the least. I’m just glad that we have nice members that are ready and willing to fix stuff like that.

I do have some good news though...WE FOUND A FAMILY TO TEACH!!! I’m so happy. It is just a lady and her two girls who are both teenagers. We invited the girls to seminary and they went and loved it. That’s a good sign. The mom has tons of good questions and really they have had a sad life. We taught them about the restoration the second time we went and again they had good questions. They read everything that we gave them and when I left that lesson I could tell that they were sincere and that they would read and pray. I know that if they do it they will get their answer. It has been so long since I have been this excited to teach someone.

We had our interviews with President Del Castillo yesterday and they went well. He is just so up front and open about everything which is pretty cool. At one point in the interview he looked at me and told me that I looked like a leader and he could tell that I was just be looking at me. I thought that that was pretty cool and I’m excited to show him just how right he is. (I hope that didn’t sound cocky) after all I am in the Lord's work. Ha-ha.

I’m pretty sick again, I know what a surprise. It’s really starting to frustrate me that I can’t get over this sickness but I'm hoping that it will pass at some point. I’m really sick of being sick. It sounds like everything is going well and that you’re all getting excited for football season to start. I am too but it’s a little different for me this year because I won’t be there to watch from the sidelines like I usually am.

I was also happy to hear that dad's 40TH birthday was a blast with and ice cream party and a bunch of people singing. I’m sorry I missed it.

Today we went to the zoo again because we have lots of new people that didn’t go last time and when we got done taking pictures and walking around we played ultimate Frisbee again and it was so fun. I’m happy to have my knee brace so that I can start playing the way I want to when we're all playing together. Well fam, I love you all very much and of course I miss you as well. Take care all.

Tay

Email Letter - 13 August 2008

Hey Family,

So things have been going well. We just had zone conference in Resistencia and it was great. It was our first one with President Del Castillo and his wife. It was a lot different for sure and we all miss President Shakespear but change is good. He is a lot more outspoken and up front with us about things. He asked us all at one point if we believed that we could have more baptisms, and of course we all said yes and then he said ¨Good because if we don’t do it who do you think will, the Jehovah’s Witnesses.¨ we all laughed so hard and then said that we could take care of it. He gave us lots of good ideas about a lot of things. He focused mostly on how we could get members to help us more and how to reactivate families. He is a funny guy. It was a great conference and I have a lot more knowledge of how to go about doing things that can help me be a better missionary.

After that like usual we went to the mission office for a few minutes so that we could get packages and other things like that...YES I FINALLY GOT IT!! Ha-ha. Thank you very much! I actually used one of the knee braces today when we played ultimate Frisbee as a zone in Saenz Pena.

Next week we have interviews with president and I’m excited to get to know him a little bit better. Not really a lot has gone on as of late and I wish that I had some families that I could tell you about but at this point I still don’t. It’s tough sometimes but I’m hoping that we can get back on track soon and get things moving again.

I’m excited for the boys to start football and school as well. Time is going by so fast and I just don’t realize it. When you sit down and think about how I’ve been here for almost 7 months it doesn’t really seem real. I still get homesick sometimes like right now when I think about dad and Quin's birthdays among many other in the family and birthdays of friends but I know that I’m here for a reason and its okay to miss a couple.

I’ve been a little under the weather the last few days but I think it’s just the fact that I’ve never really gotten over the sickness I had in the MTC. It’s not too bad but it’s just annoying sometimes. Overall I’m doing really well and I know that the lord will bless me if I keep doing his work. I love you all. Take care! HAPPY BITHDAY DAD!!!

Tay

Email Letter - 06 August 2008

Hey family,

So things are still a little tough here for now but it’s pretty hard for our whole zone to find people right now so I don’t feel quite so down for now.

In the last few days we have found out some pretty cool things about our area. For example: we found out that there is a golf course!! I was way excited about that so we are going to look more into that and maybe hit it up in a few weeks.

The second cool thing is that we found a dry cleaners!! How cool is that! It seems as though we can find just about everything but people that are willing to listen. We´ll just keep pushing along though.

This Sunday we will be traveling to Saenz Pena and early Monday morning we´ll continue on with the rest of our zone to Resistencia for our first zone conference with our new President. It will be a little different but I’m hoping that I’ll still learn a lot. We´ll get up on Monday morning at about 4:00am and leave around 5:00 in order to get to the conference in time. Then we´ll travel back to Saenz Pena and get there at around 11:00pm or midnight. It’s going to be a nice long day but usually it’s well worth the trip.

We´ll just stay in Saenz Pena and do divisions with our district leader on Tuesday and then have P-day on Wednesday as well. It is going to be a lot of time away from our area which really isn’t that good but we have to do what we have to do. I’m excited because I’ll be getting my package as conference as well.

I think it’s funny that school is just starting in the states but they just finished their winter break here. Ha-ha.

It’s a little different down here but it still feels like our summer in Utah which just doesn’t make sense. The people in my area were very happy to see me stay and they always talk about how much they will miss me when I leave. I think it’s because I’m just different than most people, as you all know oh so well. I like to make jokes with them...to the best of my ability of course and I’m just social while trying to get the work done. It’s a lot of fun here and I’m sure that I’ll miss it when I leave as well.

So other than that nothing really big has happened this week. We´ve just been trying to find people to teach and spending lots of time clapping houses. I hope that all is well at home and that my dog gets better. Take care all. Love you lots.

Tay

Email Letter - 30 July 2008

Family,

So I didn’t get transferred. Our new president wants everyone to stay in their areas for a lot longer than Pres Shakespear did. It’s a little weird that I´m going to be in my first area for at least 6 months but it’s possible that it will be even more than that. I had almost packed all of my things and spent the last two days saying goodbye to the members. Ha-ha. Oh well I guess we’ll just have to do it again in a month and a half.

I’m going to be staying with Elder Adams as well. We heard that there were only 30 changes were made out of the usual 100. It´s sure a lot different and it didn’t take President Castillo a long time to change things and I’m sure that there is more to come.

So last weekend we had a huge 3 day rock concert in our area and there were so many weird people from all over Argentina walking around drunk and just messed up. It was so funny but just so sad at the same time. We handed out a few pamphlets on the word of wisdom and I hope that they read them and change their lives. There were so many signs saying that it was the biggest party of the year. Our house is more than a mile away from where it was but it kept me up all night one night because it was so loud. Some of the members said that it was pretty good though. I think that the biggest issue that our little town had was trying to find places for the people to sleep. It was a good opportunity to try to get some references for some other elders in other missions in Argentina but we couldn’t even do that because everyone we found didn’t want to listen.

There really hasn’t been anything big that has happened in the last week other than we had a lot of going away lunches and parties for me that were all in vain. Ha-ha. It was really funny to be honest. I’m sorry that this is so short and so boring but I want you all to know how much I love you. Take care.

Tay

Email Letter - 23 July 2008

Family,

I Finished 6 months today!! It’s crazy how fast time is going for me and I wonder if it’s the same for all of you. Sometimes it seems to go by kinda slow but then I sit there at think about things are it has gone so fast. Tonight I will be burning a tie...of course not one of my own because you all know how I cherish those but my comp is giving me one of his to burn. What a nice guy and guess what! He didn’t have any accidents this week. Woo hoo!

It’s fun to get all of the updates on everything that is going on with all of you every week and I feel like I’m missing so much. I however don’t like to hear about how bad my poor little puppy boomer is doing. I hope everything works out with him and that he’s just fine.

So next week are transfers and although with President Shakespear it would be for sure that I’m moving we´re not so sure how the new president operates so we´ll see. It’s nice that everyone thinks I’m leaving and I’m milking it for all its worth because it’s getting us lunches everyday and I love it. It’s saving me money and its good food.

All and all things have been going well and we are still trying to find people to teach. We have been doing a lot of contacting without a lot of success but we will continue to do so and I’m sure that we´ll find someone that is ready to listen. We have been having some good success with our inactive members and we will continue to work with them as well. It is really hard to look at all the youth that go to seminary but don’t have the desire to go to church for one reason or another. There is one boy in particular that doesn’t understand why God lets bad things happen to people if he knows everything. They are just so thick headed and it’s really quite sad that they don’t even want to listen to an explanation. They just lack the faith that they need to be strong members. I guess that it’s just a little bit harder when you don’t live in Utah being surrounded by good influences. But just like with all the rest I have faith that they will figure it out in time and do what’s right.

I have been studying the talks from general conference and there is a part of President Uchtdorf´s talk from the priesthood session that hit me and that I love. He said...¨remember, the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of the gospel truth.¨ how cool is that. I love you all and pray for you as well. Take care.

Tay

Email Letter - 16 July 2008

Hey Family,

So to start of this week’s e-mail I’m going to tell you all a little story...We were on our way to Saenz Pena this morning in a remis (a remis is just a taxi basically) anyway we were on our way here and all the sudden my comp rolled down his window and I smelled something foul so I asked him, Did you pass gas? And he said yeah so I just shrugged it off but a few minutes went by and I asked him if he could roll up the window because there was a girl in the car that was cold and he said ¨dude I just crapped my pants¨ I just kinda looked at him in shock for a second and said that we only had about 20 more minutes to go until we were there so if he could hold the rest it would be good. About 3 minutes later he rolled down his window all the way and said that it was too late and that he had let it all go. How sad for him but how funny for me and the other missionaries.

When we got out of the car and walked into the pension (house) of the other elders he went straight to the bathroom and was in there for about an hour and a half just cleaning everything up. Needless to say it smelled so bad. All and all it was sad for him but oh so funny for me. Something I’ll never forget.

Other than that event this week has just been so slow. We can’t seem to find people to teach and it’s just depressing. I feel like I could be doing so much better here but I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. We have transfers in two weeks and I think that it’s my turn to go. We obviously don’t know until the night before but I have been in this area for a long time and it’s really time for me to leave.

This Sunday I am giving a talk about missionary work and I’m excited about it this time because I can speak better and almost get what I want to say out in a way that everyone can understand. I’m going to be using quotes from preach my gospel and tell the members that they really need to step it up and help us out.

We just helped our branch president come up with a branch mission plan that is going to do wonders I think and really help to stress the importance of sharing the gospel with your friends and others that you meet so that they can have the same joy as we have in our lives. I hope that my talk will help them to progress and understand that it’s important for them to get the blessing of being a missionary in their homes as well. It’s an exciting work and I’m happy to be here doing it. That’s all I have for this week but as always I want you all to know how much I love you. Take care.

Tay

Email Letter - 10 July 2008

Hey Fam,

So last week on Thursday we met an ex-elder that is here visiting from the states with his girlfriend. They were so nice and it was fun to visit with them so much. The girlfriend didn’t know any Spanish so the elder was translating everything for her all the time. She was happy that she could speak some English to us while they were in villa Angela. They were so nice and they both bore their testimonies in church on Sunday, she started to cry. Ha-ha. On Monday we had a family home evening with them and with the branch president’s family and it was really fun and really spiritual. Whenever elder Harris would talk (that is the ex-elders name) I would translate for her so that she knew what was going on. It was fun and surprising that I was able to do it.

Also last Saturday I bought some hair clippers and buzzed my head down to 3/8in. which just looks so good. I actually like it...sometimes. On Sunday I joined the choir in our branch as well, they heard me sing one time and so on Sunday they cornered me and told me that I had to sing in the choir. Ha-ha. I don’t mind but I don’t feel like I can sing all that well, I guess they think otherwise. They sad thing is that I don’t think that I’ll be in this area next transfer so they won’t have me singing with them for much longer.

Yesterday was Independence Day here in Argie land and it was just a lot different than it is in the states. When you’re in the states you see flags and red, white, and blue everywhere but here you see a flag every few stores and they don’t seem to have a ton of pride. Other than that it was pretty much the same minus the parade.

We are in Saenz Pena and we went to one branch and had a bbq which was so good! We just ate chicken and rice but it was good. Then after that we went all the way to the other side of town and played soccer with another branch for like 6 hours. I’m not a big soccer guy but it was a lot of fun. It got pretty heated when it was members vs. elders and they beat us pretty bad but I’m surprised that there wasn’t more blood than there was. People were pushing and throwing elbows and just beating each other up. We had the strength but they had the skills. It was a lot of fun and no hard feelings between anyone...I don’t think.

It was a long day and I’m really tired and sun burned pretty bad but it was just a lot of fun. We aren’t having a lot of success in our area but I’m still trying to keep my comp going and we are working hard. That’s all for this week but I love you guys so much and as always I think about you often. Take care.

Tay

ps. here is a pic of me playing paddleball with my new haircut.

Email Letter - 02 July 2008

Hey family,

So things are going well and we found a new family the other day that we started teaching! I’m so excited because it has been a long time since we have found a good family. We just taught them about the restoration of course because that’s the start of it all. It was sad to see that my comp still can’t really teach all that well and I basically have to translate for him. It’s a tough situation to be in but I’m working on it as best as I can. I do all that I can to keep him animated as much as I can but he’s hard to keep up and smiling. I don’t really get why he’s so down all the time. I really feel like he doesn’t have the spirit with him because of all the worldly things on his mind all the time but I’m trying to work on that as well.

Today we met our new mission President, President Del Castillo and he is just so nice and so excited to be here. It was a really fast interview and I didn’t really get to talk to him all that much but he is just so busy right now seeing as how he’s only been here for 2 days and he’s trying to meet all of his missionaries so he doesn’t have a ton of time.

It’s hard to be gone at this time of year because it’s when we do the most family stuff I and really feel like I didn’t take enough advantage of that as I should have when I was there so it makes it that much harder. I really am so happy here though and as much as I want to be home this is such a great work and such a great thing to be doing...changing people’s lives.

So it’s really good to hear that everyone is so busy and that everyone is doing so well. I can’t tell you how happy I am that Jord is going back to school and its crazy how huge all of the boys are getting. I starting to put on some pounds but I’m trying to keep it to a low number. We eat a lot of pasta and don’t have a ton of time to exercise which is not a good combo. I have been told that the average missionary here looses about 15-30 pounds every summer which should help me out some. It’s just because we sweat so much that it just falls of like nothing. It’s not really the way I’d like to lose it but I guess it works. I just hate the heat and so it will suck.

Anyway I feel like I’m just rambling on with this one so I’ll just take off. I love you all so much. Take care and know that I think about you often. Tell the rest of the family hi for me at the reunion. Love you guys.

Tay