Week 23 (5/25/10) Email to Mom

Mommy! Haha I'm looking forward to seeing Sam's video. I have a video of my own to show you guys. Its about family history. Elder Maxfield and I read in Preach My Gospel this week as we were reading about finding people that family history is one of the largest hobbies in the world. We thought that was kind of funny. So we made an infomercial of me in my stupid idiot voice. Haha. Hopefully it will let me send it. It's weird to think that school is getting out already. Time is going quick! This week we worked hard again. We were assaulted with several problems so we're hoping this week is a little smoother. Our phone has no credit so we can't call anybody other than missionaries, one of our pipes sprung a leak so we had to deal with that for 5 days before the guy could come fix it so we had to set up a series of dishes and things to lead all the water into the sink. The lock on our door broke so one night we couldn't get into the pench and had to call a lock guy to come fix it and install a new lock before we could get in. The last three days we have been without electricity and the power company is closed today and tomorrow for the 200th anniversary of independance. We ran out of water today and won't be able to get more water til the power is back because our water pump runs on electricity. Its hard managing our time and knowing what to do to use our time effectively. This week I feel like we used too much time walking to and fro. This week I'm hoping that better planning and a new focus on certain things will help us be more effective with our time. These last couple weeks I have had a lot more responsibility but I like it. I have grown a lot. I didn't really learn a lot from my trainer and now I'm learning for myself. It is like I am the senior companion. I have to take the initiative and decide what we're going to do and where we are going to do. Its hard sometimes because I'm still really new and there are some things that I'm still having to get used to. My Spanish has improved a LOT in the last couple weeks. I'm really learning a lot and I'm happy where I am.
I know that the Lord is here with me here in Argentina. He is teaching me the things he wants me to learn and I hope I can be ready for what he has in store for me. I am so blessed and I can feel the relationship I have with my Heavenly Father developing. I feel more like I am really speaking with Him when I pray and I feel his hand in my life. These last five and a half months have gone so fast and when I look back on it it is hard to believe how much He has taught me. Early on the language was really hard for me, I would get frustrated, I was impatient. Now when I look at it, I have only been here for a little over 3 months and I can speak really well. That isn't the only thing I have learned either. The Lord has blessed me so much and I have a lot to be grateful for, a lot to do to show my gratitude. I owe Him so much. I am really glad I still have 19 months left to keep accelerating and do all I can to be what he wants me to be, to do here in Argentina what He wants me to do. I am excited to be here and look forward to the time I have in front of me.
I love you Mom! Thanks for all your support. I like your Book of Mormon study plan it should be good for you. I'm currently working on Preach My Gospel. I sure love you guys! I look forward to getting the tape.:)
Love, Elder Woodside

Week 22 (5/17/10) Email to Family

Mom and Dad and Sam!
I'm feeling a lot better this week! This past week I worked harder than I have the whole mission, but that is not something I am not willing to do. My new companion has just over a year in the mission and this is his first transfer as senior companion. His Spanish is pretty much at the same level as mine is so I am basically senior comp this transfer. It's more responsibility, but I like it. He's kind of having a hard time since he has been here so long and the language is still a struggle for him and guys below him are training and all that stuff. Its really good though. I have a LOT more responsibility and I love it. I am able to do a lot more work and I am growing a lot more. I have felt myself grow a lot this week with the language and maturity-wise in the mission. I feel like I have been here a lot longer than two transfers. There are only 4 out of the 20 missionaries in my zone that have been in the zone longer than me and 5 of those 20 have less than or the same amount of time as me. I don't feel like the new guy at all anymore.
One of the Silva kids, Ronel - 9 years old, had a fecha bautismal con el Elder Sobré pero la fecha pasó y Ronel nos dijo que no mas quería bautizarse. Esta semana él me dijo que quiere que me se bautice. Sacamos otro fecha y su hermana mayor, Miriam - 23ish, nos dijo que Ronel no quería que el Elder Sobré le bautice. Haha. El tenía vergüenza también cuando le enseñamos con todos sus hermanos. Entonces vamos a enseñarle sólo. I have always felt a different kind of love for him like a little brother so it will be good to teach him and get him baptized. I didn't like how Elder Sobré treated the situation so business-like. It didn't really seem like he cared, he just wanted the stats. So that's two baptisms that should be happening for sure this transfer. Also we met Gabriel at church this week and he is a really good guy. I think he'll get baptized this traslada también. His friend gave him a Libro de Mormón 3 years ago and this past week he was going through his stuff and when he found the book he really felt like he needed to go to our church. The book had the bishop's phone number in it so he called the bishop and told him he wants to receive the charlas. The bishop told him to just come to church and meet us and we'll go from there. He's a way nice guy and seems very interested in finding out more. He seemed really humble and happy to be there. I gave him a folleto de la Restauración and he wanted a Principios del Evangelio to read before we meet with him on Wednesday at Hermano Cardozo's house. It will be great getting to know him and to see his progression. This transfer is looking like it is going to be a good one. I'm excited! Oh and today I went to the United States! YEAH! USA! I had to go to the capital to do a Declaración Jurada because my Passport says Matthew Paul WOODSIDE and my FBI Clearance form only said Matt Paul WOODSIDE. It was kind of a bummer because it took up most of P-Day but it wasn't too bad.
It was funny this week we were painting a school and it is the school my bishop's daughter goes to so he was there painting too. At one point we were painting side by side and he turns to me and says, 'Lastima de Elder Sobré eh?' Which basically means 'Shame about Elder Sobré huh?' We looked at each other for like a second and then we both just busted up laughing haha it was pretty funny. I like my bishop, he's a good guy. Its good to know that he knows how it was for me and that he cares how I'm doing. I am feeling a lot more comfortable here and I'm happy to get to work now. It was great talking with you guys last week. Oh and I made chili finally this week and it was AMAZING. The best chili I have ever eaten! We felt it the next day though haha. Especially since our stomaches aren't used to American food. It was great. Todo bien here. Statistically our week was pretty unsuccessful, but we met some good people with good potential and we are laying the groundwork for the coming weeks. It's gonna be good. Better look out! I gotta go but I love you guys all very much. Mom, make a tape to send me so I can hear your voices again:). Gotta go. Chao!
Love, Elder Woodside

Week 21 (5/9/10) Email to the Family

 Hey familia! It was SO great talking to you guys yesterday!! I feel like the genie at the end of Aladdin right now. I'M FREE! Wahoo! Shoving Elder Sobré into the black genie's lamp and flicking him across the river into Uruguay. 'Itty bitty living space.' Chao! I'm with Elder Maxfield now and I am stoked for this next transfer. I'm excited. Elder Maxfield is from Salt Lake and is the middle of 5 boys. He's excited, I'm excited, I think this transfer is going to be a lot better. He's a really nice guy and as of now I think we're going to get along just fine. Last night after I called you guys, I went back to Hno Cardozo's house and we waited for Elder Sobré. His wife put the kids to bed and there wasn't really anything to do in his small house so we watched TV. I saw the last two and a half minutes of that Suns-Spurs game. It was intense for a bit there. I haven't seen basketball in forever! Anyway it was late and Elder Sobré hadn't showed up. I didn't expect him to be done saying bye to everyone until around ten thirty-eleven so I didn't think anything of it until it passed eleven. We waited longer and I asked Hno Cardozo what he wanted to do. He said lets wait a bit longer. He's got the cell phone so he could just call. I imagined in my head Elder Sobré sitting in the pench by himself packing, completely oblivious to anybody but himself. Hno Cardozo had to work at six this morning so he was already up way past bedtime. I told Hno Cardozo about the situation I imagined in my head and -its midnight now- we decided to go to the pench to see if my 'wild' imagination was correct. If not we'd head back to his house. We got to the pench and the lights were on. I rang the doorbell and Elder Sobré came to the door with a stupified look on his face. I just looked at him like "you got something to say?" He said 'you were sleeping.' I said "what? At Hno Cardozo's house?" No,' He said 'No, in your room.' He said that they took a remis to Hno Cardozo's house and it looked dark so he assumed I wasn't there and that they had gone to bed and when he got to the pench the door to our room was closed so he assumed I was in there asleep. And that was as far as his effort took him. Past MIDNIGHT. Pero, ya fue. A new day has dawned and for that I am happy.:) There is a lot of work to be done in El Cruce and its time to get busy. The future is bright. My zone is looking good too. It is really young. We will have three brand new missionaries. There's me, an Elder with a transfer less and one with a transfer more than me. We lost 3 District Leaders. Also there are a lot of Yanquis. I think we may be able to make a push for the zone activity to be ULTIMATE! YEAH! I really miss that rush that comes from playing some good Ultimate. Falling in love with it over and over again. Squeezing passes into tight spaces or just chucking it up because I know Pete will catch it. Playing games late at night whatever kind of games they be, if my brothers are there, I'm in. I sure love you guys. Our family rocks! *Whistle whistle click click* ¡Esah! I love you guys. I appreciate all of the support and love you guys give me. Chao for now until next week.

Love, Elder Woodside

Week 20 (5/3/10) Email to Mom and Dad

Hola Mom and Dad!
Not a whole lot to report here. Nothing really happened this week. A whole lotta nothin. We have a baptism coming up this week of a nine year old girl whose mom is a member so that will be good. Our other investigator, Marcelo, has been sick for a long time and passed away this week. He was 40-ish years old, divorced with two kids. It was a sad deal and I hope he accepts the gospel on the other side. It made me realize how fragile life really is and to enjoy every moment that I have. Also the member family that we spend the most time with, the Barrios, are having problems and the Hermana told us something about a divorce. That is a sad deal as well. I love the Barrios and it is really sad to see them struggling and that they are considering divorce. This has made me realize how fragile our relationships can be and how important it is to cherish the great relationships we have and to do what we can to strengthen them. Next time I email you guys, I will have a different companion. There really isn't anything to report this week, I wish I had some exciting story to tell you ha. Quizas next week. I gotta go. I love you guys!
Love, Elder Woodside
Hey Mom, I have another request for the next package...Taco Bell sauce! Either in packets or in a bottle, whatever works for you.:)
Les amo.