I'm getting transferred

Dear Family:

Freak, I'm not going to be home for Christmas. I'm just sitting here, smiling. I don´t live for cyber anymore, but I still love it. I always think about home during this hour, obviamente. It just breaks my heart about missionaries not getting mail. So so sad. Spend the money you would spend on me on them, please. Thanks for the $100.  That's a ton here. 400 pescitos. I am honestly the most blessed kid in this big mundo. Just I have no idea.

The mission is good. Even though every day is not fantastic all the time. It still just rocks. The only 2 years of my life I can wear Christs name over my heart and represent Him. Even with all the rejection and business down here, it is still awesome. Elder George helped my realize a portion of that yesterday. I loved hearing about the Duke Butler stuff. It´s weird that the world is still spinning and we as missionaries almost hear nothing about it.

Sorry about sounding so ungrateful about the mail last email. Wow. Sorry about sounding mad about getting so much mail.

I got the sheets, I love them!!!!!! and I will have to try out those handkerchiefs. And I did receive a present, the twisty tripod thing. I love it!! And the cliff bars are also a hit! Elder Gonzalez and I love them. Thank you mother, for everything that you do, for your life, for everything that you have become. Thank you so much my mother for all of your support, prayers, and help. Thank you mom, I love you. I just got so excited to talk to you soon. It's going to be so much fun. I forwarded you some confusing email that I didn´t understand.

And Dad, thank you dad for your email. I love reading your words every week. It is just so you. I want to be a dad just like you some day. I think about you in Japan sometimes. And those discouraging journal entries you would write occasionally (alot). You are just a tank. And speaking of which, I really want to show Elder Gonzalez that picture of you, just ripped, in the spandex holding the newspaper. Anyway, thank you dad for showing me the ropes as a youngster. Thank you for everything you have taught me. I love you Dad.

The rootbeer was great, and was sent to Elder Gonzalez in a package. Just 6 regular bottles of A&W rootbeer. I'm going to finish mine today and give some more to Elder Crossa because he just dies for it!  I'm good on peanut butter, still have maybe 6 jars. I love peanutbutter. But they have dulce de leche here which is incredible too. Because I am close to the offices, I received mail again this week. 3letters ish and 11 colored envelopes. Haven´t opened them yet. And I love the tree, Harrison you are freakin huge. When I get home (I'm not burning yet) I want a 10x10 ring on the green carpet. With a rope around the perimeter, and pillows. Then Jefferson will be the ref and we will go at it. Wrestling, just like the old days.

I hope you boys practice your piano every day. Every day. You will be happy later, I promise. I double double promise!

Yeah, I can't watch Jonny's deal.  Bummer. And yes, I lived with him for 8 months. Amazing, I understand. Wow, I would love to hear it though. Hopefully its not playing in the background during the Christmas call. Don´t have Boston playing either. Or Rush.

And I figured our how they made spirit of radio dad, you beatbox into a fan. Just a side note.

And um, my fourth transfer starts today - and I'm getting transferred.  But I'll get to that later.

The mission schedule has changed. The alarm clock now rings at 7:00am and we go to bed at 11. It was sweet the day they changed it because we got 30 min of extra sleep. They always do this in the summer time.

So this last week of the transfer was good. Elder Gonzalez and I went running five out of the six mornings. It was awesome. I have become such good friends with Elder Gonzalez. He is such an awesome guy. Actually our whole pench is so tight. We all love each other and mostly get along all the time really well. We have so much fun, Elder George being the main source of the laughter and I'm happy to hear that Harrison still laughs his usual way, like a girl.

On Tuesday Elder George and I rocked it. We taught a record of 5 lessons that day!! It was awesome. One lesson we taught was standing up with Maria in her vegetable stand. It was so sweet! It was our second lesson with her. So Tuesday was just full of teaching and testifying.

We have a really good Bishop here in Sarmiento. He is really a gem. Elder George says he's the best Bishop he's ever had. He's like an Argentine Robertson, and he has white hair. I love that man, Bishop Marino. His wife is a gem too. I'm sad to be leaving him.

One of our investigador we found in the area book is so awesome. Or was so awesome. We had our 3rd lesson with her this week and found out she is MEMBER.. Wow. She fooled the missionaries before us too, and some how as we were reading her teaching record in the area book we missed the part that said she was actually a member. So that was pretty funny. But she doesn´t want to come back to church really. Sonia is her name. She just has the best laugh though. I loved the lessons we had with her. She always gave us agua frescito.

We did ehhh, not so hot with receiving references this week. We were about to receive one and contact 2. But the 2 we contacted I think cold really blossom.

6 months. Just crazy. One fourth done already. that night we were thinking how to celebrate, usually you burn a tie . . . but as we were walking home we saw these guys playing basketball right in this ¨court¨next to our pench. Elder George didn´t have the gumption to ask them. So I did, and they were thrilled with the idea. So we put our fundas on the ground and started playing. Shirt and tie and everything. We didn´t even unbutton the top button or anything, but after about 20 minutes we were so sweaty and our shirts were all untucked. But it was FANTASTIC!  Elder George is a baller.  Their main guy playing was about Brennen's size and not even as good as him, but this 15 year old (huge for his age) kid held his own and was so good, he was really good at driving. The other kids playing were just a bunch of little guys. The best play was Elder George was driving in and the good Argentina kid, David, planted his feet to block Elder George. Elder George saw his legs spread wide open and bounced the ball (and actual basketball) right through them to me and I was able to easily lay it in. It's so fun! And afterwards, we were so sweaty! Then we went home and had some sprite and factuas to celebrate. Yay 6 months.

The investigator situation in Sarmiento is alright. No one came to church, but that's ok I guess because we had nobody committed. Everyone told us before that they had another obligation. But Sara, Antonio and Lina are still hangin on. We had an intense lesson with Lina about the plan of salvation. She doesn't believe in a resurrection or eternal life or anything. It was an awesome, intense lesson. We rocked it, Elder George and I, testifying and teaching, "President Monson . .. if a man dies will he live again . .. I say that he will live again!!!"

And Antonio still has a baptisma fecha, reads the book of mormon every time and understand it so well. And Sara, she´s doing alright.

But yeah, no one in church. We actually had stake conference. It was pretty good. The best part was a legit Argentine choir. They were all color coordinated and actually sounded good! Real good and I haven't  heard music in a long time. 6 weeks. (Elder George has some Cd's, but really ehhh)

And at church talking with one of the awesome office elders, Elder Miller, was a lady that looked oddly familiar. I finally figured out who it was and went up to both of them and started talking to them. It was a lady that Elder Hinojosa and I opened the mouth with months ago in between sessions of General Conference. She actually came up to us crying and saying how much help she needed. We taught, talked, and testified to her for a good while, then handed her address over to the office elders. Well, she is now investigating the church. It was really cool to see her at church.

Saturday was a really cool day. We went exploring to a part of the area that I have never been to before. Its mas o menos campo. Not city. It was so so so cool. Felt like we were in Brazil or some type of wild jungle. And then we found this one lady and had a lesson with her. She said she had been wondering if there really was a God recently and 100% recognized us an answer to her prayer. Such a cool experience. The lesson was under a big tree, outside her less than humble house, on a bench. It was really cool how God used us to answer a cry for help from one of His daughters. A sweet experience that I wish I could spend more time on but what came next I need some time on . . .

Interviews with President were FANTASTIC! Just a holy man of God, President Lindahl is. I know that he loves and cares about me so much.  He asked me if I was ready to be senior companion.  I'm ready for whatever. He told me that, no promises, but that he wanted me in San Juan, (where your skin just boils) with a young Latin. I was so excited. And I still should not know my transfers yet, but because Elder George got a phone call last night that he is training!!! President also told him where I am going.

I am being transferred to San Martin and am going to be Senior Companion!!!!!!!! Wow! Senior comp! My companion is Elder McClain, from NJ. He has 1 transfer less than me in the mission. He is starting his 3rd transfer today, he has not had a Latin yet. O my gosh I am Nervous!

So I am the big dog now. I'm senior comp. I know more Spanish than my companion. Wow, I am ready to learn and grow. It will be so much fun. Rivadavia is where I am going. There are 4 elders in that ward and all of us are greengo. I am really going to have to step up my game. I know that I can do this. My language study has improved this week and I met my goal of reading out loud 50 pages from the book of mormon.

O, President Lindahl also told me that if Amanda gets permission, I can call her!!!!!!

Anyway, I'm comp mayor, just a little scared pichon sitting here, but I'm ready.

I'm excited, because Elder Hinojosa is going to be my new ZL!

Well it is about that time.

Love, Elder Ostler