Week 48 (11/22/10) Email to Family

Hey guys!

     Todavía no package but we should be getting them tomorrow at interviews. I like packages.:) Indy's squirting the jelly huh? That's pretty cool, all the dogs here squirt mustard. Makin' some mustard! Yeah I heard today from Maxfield that the Harry Potter movie came out. I had no idea it was on its way already. I saw an add for the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of the Narnia books. When does that come out? We played pádel today, Round 3 with Gabriel. It was lots of fun. Today was a holiday so he didn't have to work so he came over to visit us. He's a great guy. Elder Maxfield and I are trying to get him to hook up with a girl from El Cruce that lives in the U.S. because she was born there. Supposedly they are writing to each other and she's coming down for Christmas. We'll see!

     Sunday was a pretty big disappointment. I was expecting to see more investigators at church than I have ever had. 15 different people said they would be there. Not a single one of them came. Oh well, qué va a hacer? The order of my favorited days of the week goes Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Sunday, Thursday. For some reason Thursday is like the slump-day.

     I can't believe Christmas is so close. Almost a month away. WEIRD. I'm hoping I'll be staying with Elder Spencer next transfer so we'll be together for Christmas. I think if we're still together we're going to have a sleep over with some of the other missionaries. We'll see what happens though.

    I don't really know what else to write, it doesn't seem like anything new or really exciting happened this week. We got tile put down and we got a new fridge, I gues that's pretty exciting. Woohoo! The pench is like a completely new place. I like it a lot better now.

     As for the Christmas package I just want some American goodness. I'm looking forward to getting that Bang Bullet game. It sounds pretty fun. It'll be good for P-Day. Also I want you to send me my bright yellow tie. I'll just take it to a dry cleaner here. Also my Oregon tie would be cool.:)

     I can't think of anything else to write. I sure love you guys though. Less than a transfer and we'll be talking. You guys are awesome! Chau chau.

Love, Matt

     

Week 47 (11/15/10) Email to Family

Hey! This week was awesome! We're kicking trash here in El Jagüel. We're having lots of success-still no baptisms-but we're setting a lot of stuff up for the next transfer. We should be having a baptism on the 4th of December though with Ezequiel. He is a 12 year old kid with cancer. He doesn't really like reading but he loves reading the Book of Mormon. Whenever we give them a chapter to read they read it as a family, him and his parents. His parents really like having us over but say that they will not get married, so we're getting Ezequiel ready for his baptism and hoping that seeing him get baptized will help his parents make the right decision. Elder Spencer and I hit 15 lessons with a member present and found 17 new investigators which are both mission records for me. Those are really high numbers. Just in the last month I feel like I have figured out how to manage time better with planning and keeping busy during the day with the things that really matter--working smart. We should be getting even more lessons with members this week. Our investigator pool is the strongest pool of investigators I have had yet and Spencer says the same. We've got a good amount and they're all pretty solid. Things are getting going. Feeling pretty good. I love it. We're hoping President leaves us together for one more, because we're both loving it and with Christmas and our year marks coming next transfer, there would be no better way to spend it. We'll see. I told President today that I'd like to stay for another round with Spencer. This week I'll be doing intercambios with Elder Maxfield which should be pretty good. Who'd a thunk that we'd be working together one more time. I have come a long way since my time with Elder Maxfield. It'll be fun to work another day with him.

     That's pretty awesome that Sam's tearing up the tennis court. Good old Sam Miguel del Potro. It will be pretty awesome to watch his tennis matches when I get back. He'll be a tennis monster when I get back. Good luck beating that kid. That's that Woodside kid. Yeah that's right. My brother. That's my brother. I'm excited to go see his high school matches.

      I can't believe November is half-way over. Time is flying. We are keeping really busy and the days are all slurred together. The transfer is already half way over. We're hoping to be getting our packages tomorrow. Spencer's birthday was on Friday so he's got one coming too. The night before his birthday we were just chilling on our beds and I saw something move out of the corner of my eye but I didn't do anything, it wasn't a big enough movement. Then I saw the movement again, and I looked up to see what it was. It scared the crap out of me, well not really, but it scared me and I quickly said Dude get out of your bed get out of your bed! Spencer bolted right out of his bed and turned back to look at the wall. Surprisingly he didn't see it at first but when he saw it he freaked out. It was the biggest non-tarantula spider I have ever seen. It was HUGE! It was an easy 4+ inches across It looked like it crawled right out of the depths of Hell. Its legs were really long and it had big feeler things in front of its mouth that looked like fangs. It was disgusting. We were both kind of frozen but I went in the other room to grab something to kill it. I grabbed an empty DVD case but decided it was too small and I didn't want it to only half way hit it and have it fall on me or run away so I grabbed an empty cereal box and put it on my right hand like a glove. Spencer snapped a picture and I slammed that thing as hard as I could so that there would be no chance of survival. His carcass fell to the ground and left the cereal box wet with his body fluids. It was a beast. Spencer was still kind of freaked-well we both were a little but he was more so. I said oh butt that beast had a mother and he has to have brothers and sisters. All thoughts of sleep were gone. We were now wide awake. We moved our beds away from the walls into the middle of the room and didn't end up getting to sleep til after midnight. It was pretty crazy. Our apartment is pretty sketchy but we're getting tile put down today and tomorrow. Before it was just a crappy cement floor.

     Everything is going good on this end. I'm loving it, I'm happy and I'm looking forward to talking with ustedes in about a month. You guys are great. I love you lots.

Love, Matt

Week 46 (11/9/10) Email to Mom

Hey mom! That is awesome that Sam is enjoying tennis. That's sweet that he had his first tennis match. Good thing he won, it would be a shame to lose your first ever tennis match to a 12 year old girl! I think it would be good for Dad and Sam to see South America and especially for Dad to see where I have been working. I agree with that. I think it would be good. But like you said we don't have to decide for awhile. Its weird that we'll be talking in about a month. It seems like not that long ago that we talked but at the same time forever ago. I was with Elder Sobré still. Crazy Elder Sobré. It will be good to chat with you guys. I wonder where I'll be next transfer. I think I'll be in a new area. President told Elder Spencer on the phone yesterday that he 'really appreciates the work you two are doing together.' We don't think we'll be staying together because we're both so capable. I'm just going to work hard and enjoy it while it lasts. Next week I hit 11 months. Crazy! Alright Mom I better go. I love you. Thanks a TON for EVERYTHING. I really appreciate it.

Love, Matt

-We can watch movies but only the movies that Hermana Stapley buys for the mission library. I think this transfer it is going to be a fight for Toy Story 3. I'd say don't send it just because I don't know if I'd be able to watch it. Thanks anyway!

Week 45 (11/1/10) Email to Family

 Hey! Everything is great here in El Jagüel! This transfer is going to be the best transfer yet. For sure. I'm in my third transfer here in El Jagüel. I have been here since the start of August and will be here until at least December 6. My companion is Elder Spencer from Logan. We flew to Argentina in the same airplane and we started in the same zone-Quilmes. We get along great. We're working hard, working smart, and we're having a great time doing it. I'm loving it. When I was with Elder Gonzáles it was like we were running full speed in circles-going nowhere, but since Elder Spencer has gotten here things have been clicking. We're moving this crazy train out of the station. We're putting El Jagüel back on the map. We're working hard and progressing with the investigators. Marisol and her marido, Romai, are doing great. We talked with Romai for the second time and he understood the Restoration amazingly. He wants to keep learning more and we've got appointments with him on Tuesday and Thursday night. They are really great people. Marisol already finished 1 Nephi and is now working on 2 Nephi. She loves it. Their son David drew me a picture of Spiderman.

     We found a family last week that had listened to the missionaries before and they didn't seem like they would be that solid, but when we came back the second time they had read 3 Nephi 11 as a family and loved it. They had lots of questions and comments and wanted to get baptized by the authority that Jesus gave his disciples. We didn't even have to ask them about it. They aren't married though so we had to talk about that. Marta, the mom, says she is not going to get married. They love the teachings though so we'll work with them little by little. She says she'll think about it. The 12 year old kid loves it too and wants to come to church and get baptized. His name is Ezequiel. We went to visit them with Hermano Dario, the young men president so it was great. Edgardo, the dad, and Ezequiel are going to come to church next week and Dario told us he is going to help the kid feel welcome and comfortable in the activities. This week Elder Spencer and I put up 12 lessons with members accompanying us. That's the most I've ever had in a week. It's only going to get better because this crazy train is just leaving. We're just getting started. President sent me an email this week that said he is pleased with the progress I have made and that I'm a great missionary and that 'you are going to be able to help us in many ways.' Whatever that means. When Gonzales had his outgoing interview with the President he went with another missionary and I went with Elder Porter. When we went to go get them when they were done. President called me over. He led me down the hall in the mission home. I didn't know what he wanted. He stopped and showed me a picture he had on the wall. It was Subway! I happened to have my Subway pics on me so I showed him my pics and he really liked them. We talked Subway and slot canyons for a bit. It was pretty cool.

     I don't think Elder Spencer and I are going to be together for more than one because we are both so capable so I'm going to enjoy it while I can. We don't really know what to expect with the next transfer. Either way this transfer is a good one. One for the books. I love you guys a lot. Best family ever.

Con amor, Matt