Week 50 (12/12/10) Email to Family

Hey y'all!

Christmas comes with a bit of a mix-up of P-days so the next time I will be emailing you guys is January 1. Yes you read that right January 1. It's kind of a lame deal but oh well. The next P-day will be Christmas and I will be talking to you knuckleheads instead of emailing. So that means we need to figure out what the arrangements are going to be. You guys let me know what timeframe works for you and this week I'll figure out what our Christmas plans are and my companion and I will work out what time we each want to talk and next Monday I'll email you guys a quick one to tell you what time to call me. That will be easier and better if you guys call me with a card or whatever from there. We live above a member lady and she has a landline so we'll be using that. Her number is 43893428. I don't know how the national or regional codes work but I'll see what I can find out and let you guys know next week.

So on Monday I worked with Elder Stokes and we went on Tuesday to Banfield to meet the noobs. We walked into the room and President had already interviewed them and assigned the companionships. There were 6 Latinos and 1 American. President named off the companionships one by one. First Elder Boyer...Latino. Elder Schmitt...Latino. Elder Stokes...Latino. Elder Rhoton...Latino. Elder Hendricks...Latino. 1 Latino, 1 American. President calls my name. I didn't think I was going to get the American but now it looked possible. It was down to me and Elder Delgado, the only Latin trainer. It was either Elder Bryce from the United States of America or Elder Wheeler from Colombia. Elder Woodside will be with................Elder...........Austin Wayne Bryce! YEEAAHH!!! It was awesome! Elder Bryce is a great kid. He reminds me a lot of Jake. Just really tranquilo and easy going. Sometimes when I'm not thinking about it it feels like I've got Jake walking at my side. We had a good first week together. Elder Bryce is from Flagstaff, AZ. He's a bit of a country boy. He grew up with horses and cows and all that stuff. We get along really well. I feel like I am learning just as much as he is. Its amazing being with him, because it makes me realize how far I have come since I got here. This Argentina place just feels so normal to me now. I think I will be with him for 2 transfers which would mean I'll be here in Jagüel until February 28. That would mean that in over one year I will have only had 2 areas. Crazy.

Christmas here isn't much of a big deal. Not a whole lot of Christmas spirit here. I kind of like it that way though because I think it would make me think about it more and make me more homesick if I saw lots of Christmas stuff everywhere. I think Christmas here is actually going to be kind of a pain in the butt. I heard the people here for the most part just get drunk and party. Plus we lose a P-day in the long run, at least I think we do. Week 3 P-day will be Christmas and week 4 is New Years Day-both Saturdays. I don't think that they will give us P-day on the 1 and then another two days later on the 3. We'll see. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we have to be in the pench at 6:00 because it's too dangerous after that for us to be out. I think we might be doing a sleep over in Colón with Maxfield and Gaffney but we'll see.

Today we played some frasketball in Monte Grande with some of the other Elders. It was fun stuff. I had to convince them that it would be fun. I think they all liked it so it was good. Then we went to Buen Comer, an all you can eat buffet. It was a good P-day. A good way for Bryce to start of his history of P-days. Its hard for me to imagine going back to the start. Its amazing how far I have come.

I don't really know what else to add. I'll email you guys a quick one in a week. The next time basically that we will be communicating is by phone. I'm excited to talk to you guys. I sure love you guys. 3 days and I'll hit my hump. Woohoo! I love being here doing this great work and time is flying. In no time I'll see you guys stepping off that plane and I'll be looking up at all of you except for Mom. I don't think I have grown taller since I've been gone...just a little chubbier. Just like my big bro. HA. I love you guys.

Chau chau.

Love, Matt

Week 49 (11/29/10) Email to Family

Hey everyone!

Today we had Thanksgiving dinner. A family from the Monte Grande ward prepared it for our Zone. We paid of course but it was a good time. We played some soccer beforehand and then afterwards I convinced the guys that stayed to play frasketball instead of soccer because somebody had a football. They were a little reluctant but because there were only seven of us they agreed and they all enjoyed it. Elder Spencer says he wants to play that for zone activity next transfer. Too bad he won't be here anymore!:( This coming week President is having a meeting to capacitate all of the leaders in the mission, district leaders, zone leaders and new trainers. Elder Spencer has to go because he is a DL and the meetings will be Tuesday, Wed, and Thurs of this week. The zone leaders called us last night and said since I am the best missionary in the zone not going to the meeting, they're going to send me to Las Flores from Tuesday until Thursday since it is too far for Elder Taylor to commute everyday and their area is hurting and needs some help. I was kind of bummed because I think this will be my last week here in Jagüel and with Elder Spencer. Elder Spencer got off the phone last night with the ZLs and told me that and I was pretty bummed. I told him I thought it was stupid because I'm not going to be able to make any difference in three days and that they should just send somebody else. Right after I said that, the phone started ringing. Spencer looked at it and said dude it's President! He answered it and after a second he handed it to me and said here he wants to talk to you! I took the phone and President said he was going to call me to be a trainer because he is extremely pleased with what I am doing. He had to tell me in advance so that I come to the meetings this week. Woohoo! I knew we weren't going to be staying together because of some things President said in interviews on Tuesday. I kind of thought I would be training but Spencer was sure I was the one going. I would have liked to be with Spencer for Christmas but the Lord's got other things in store. When we went to the offices this week we saw the new missionaries' black binders and there were only 7 new Elders-6 Latinos and only 1 American. I'm hoping for that American but I'll probably get one of the Latinos. That's okay with me too. So that means I'll be here in Jagüel until at least January 17th. I'm hoping I'll be here for two more though which would be the 28 of February so that I can see Marizol-we found out this week that she spells her name with a Z- and Romai get baptized. We had a fun Family Home Evening with them last monday. -Oh yeah! The B52s 'Love Shack' just came on. Good song.- We'll see what happens though.

I've got a story for you guys that I think Sam will like. It made me think of him just because of one of the people present. So we were in a lesson with Sebastian. He is a bald man with crooked glasses and he lives in his girlfriend's house with her family. We were teaching them about the Plan of Salvation and we were talking about what happens to us after death. So we explained the Spirit World and how we are in that state until the Resurrection. We read in Alma 41 in the verse that talks about how we will have perfect bodies after the resurrection. So I explained to them that if I lose a finger I will have it back after the resurrection, we won't have any more sicknesses. Then I looked at Sebastian and said and you'll have hair! It was one of those situations where you try to catch the words out of the air and shove them right back into your mouth. I said it as a joke but I realized as the words came out that it was the wrong place and the wrong time. Nobody said a word and then one by one they all started laughing. The 14 year old kid Elvis was dying. I imagined Sam sitting in the corner where he was giggling his head off. Elvis' older brother Miguel(20) was dying too. They are Sebastian's girlfriend, Maria's, brothers and she was laughing too. It was funny, I'm not going to lie, but like I said wrong place wrong time. I couldn't talk for a second for fear of laughing and making him feel like I was making fun of him. Spencer was the same. I tried to start talking again and looked up at what in my head was Sam laughing his head off. I looked away right at María as she busted up again. I couldn't hold it and I started laughing but I quickly got it under control. I looked at Sebastian and he had his head down. I felt bad. I wasn't trying to make him feel bad. I was just trying to make it a more comfortable atmosphere and bring it to an even level but it was the wrong time for that joke. Bald guys don't like when people comment on their baldness. Spencer was speechless, he wasn't getting any words out so I just had to choke down the laughter and move on with the lesson, which wasn't easy! After the lesson when we shook everyone's hands I told Sebastian I was sorry, that I wasn't trying to make him feel bad. After we left we walked about a block away and Spencer busts up laughing. I said what and he said hey you'll have your hair back! We laughed our way to the next appointment. It was a funny experience. Good times haha.

I did intercambios last week with Maxfield and when we were walking to the pench I heard a sound coming from our left as we crossed the dirt intersection. I looked over and instantly my senses spiked. I took a quick step back and I was in slow motion. Maxfield didn't know what was up. He said what are you doing as he turned to look at what I had my eyes locked on. The drumming of the horses hooves got louder. It had it's sights set right on me and it was at a full gallop. I took a couple of steps back and it changed it's course to follow me. I looked for something to step behind. Nothing. My backpack was strapped to my chest so I couldn't pull it off to swing it. The horse had a few feet before something bad was going to happen. Maxfield quickly took off his backpack and swung it in front of him and right at the last second the horse peeled off and ran up the street. I came out of slow motion feeling really weak. My legs felt like jelly. It scared the crap out of me. I guess I won't be throwing apples out the window at the horses anymore!

I got the package today. Exactly one month later so I won't expect the Christmas package til next year! I'm excited to put on my Super Feet! My insoles right now are pretty thrashed. I like seeing all of those FastBreaks! The other missionaries got a good laugh out of the supermonkeys. A Boise State fan started talking trash to me when he saw my Oregon tie. All I had to do was show him one finger. I like getting packages.:)

All is well here for me. I'm happy and working hard. I'll be in my second area still after a whole year! Crazy. I like it here so I don't mind being here for more. I'm excited to train. I feel like I've been ready for awhile. I love you guys. Thanks for everything. Less than a month til we talk! Chau for now.

Love, Matt