So, like I said, getting here was an adventure. Did I tell you about the airport? There were just two guys there to pick us up who did not speak English, and we found out later they were not members of the church either, just hired cab drivers. People down here speak so fast. It´s so hard to figure out what they´re saying with the slurred words and Argentine double ll. Most of the natives down here are from Argentina. There are 30 people total, and about two thirds of them are natives. Most of them love American things. A lot of them are trying to learn English or play football. It´s pretty funny. And they know about American sports and politics. I had no idea how much the rest of the world is watching us.
I can see why Elder McComber called this the Black Pearl. Things down here are pretty ´´laid back.´´ Which means unorganized. It took a while for us to get Spanish Scriptures and Predicad Mi Evangelio (Preach My Gospel* in Spanish). Saturday, our third day here, was the most frustrating. I was sick of the lack of organization and focus. But Sunday was awesome. We got to do all our meetings with the other Norteamericano district. They have been here for six weeks. It sounds like we are going to be here for nine weeks? Because we get a new set of Latinos every three weeks...we´ll just have to see, I guess. Everyone here is going to Argentina, Paraguay, or Uruguay. And we are actually the first Paraguay-bound missionaries to spend all nine weeks here.
I cannot complain about the food. It is always great. But one of the Sisters from Paraguay warned me the food will not be this nice when I get out there. It is funny how many things I have had that people said I never would! Ranch dressing, cold cereal. The only thing I haven´t liked were the hot dogs. Those already are not my favorite...and they were weird. Someone told us it had horse meat, but they may have been messing with us. They put dulce de leche in everything.
So, I was called to District Leader. Kinda stressful, but that is okay. I really love the guys in my district, so I will tell you about all of them. Anytime I meet a lot of new people, I automatically compare them to people I know back home or celebrities. So you are going to get some of that. First, my companions. Elder Brown, who I know from Men's Chorus, reminds me of Woody from Toy Story. It's funny, because he says I remind him of Buzz Lightyear. He loves singing--his grandpa wrote I Hope they Call Me on a Mission--and he is from Texas. We are in a threesome, so we call ourselves the Tres Leches. Our Senior Companion is Elder Cutler from Draper. He acts so much like Braxton Lisonbee. I really like him. Then there is Elder Adamson, whom I learn more about every day. Elder Suprise is his companion. Funny story--I hope Sophie, Liz, and anyone else who was in Jazz Band with me in 10th grade reads this. We had a Jazz Band festival sophomore year at Timpview high. Timpview´s band had a singer with an amazing voice. I think she sang Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. Afterwards I decided to ask her for her number, which went well until she found out I was two years younger than her. Well her name was Karlee Suprise, and she is Elder Suprise´s older (and now married) sister. Life´s funny. Elder Suprise is a laid-back, humble guy who is definitely out here for the right reasons. But he knows absolutely no Spanish, so that has been a struggle for him. (We are all in one Spanish class...not the most effective method, but that´s how most of my education felt.) The other two guys are definitely the funniest. Elder Amodio, from Italy, reminds me a lot of Christian Wawro. He makes my day all the time. His companion, Elder Smith, is quite the character. He is sorta like the actor Kevin James. He makes us all laugh all the time. Unfortunately, this is often irreverent, and he doesn´t like people telling him what to do. He definitely has a testimony, but it will be a struggle getting him to be as much of a team player as we need him to be.
Like I said, being a District Leader is not easy for me. But it is good for me. Everything out here is. I am learning how little I know about missionary work, especially the planning. Planning is everything. Well, having the Spirit is everything. Those are pretty much your right and left legs as a missionary. We practice teaching "Raquel" every day, and we are making progress with her. We look at what we taught her three days ago and we already see how we could have done it a lot better. But that´s how it goes right? It will also be easier when I learn more Spanish. Work, work, work. Gotta love it.
I don´t have time to write back to Brittany and Heather, but I hope they know that I love them and appreciate their letters. I love you all, and I miss you a lot more than I was expecting. I am glad you enjoyed Arabian nights! And I am not surprised that Summerfest was an adventure. It always is. Keep me posted on how things are going. I can only email family, but I think that includes Grandma & Grandpa. Again, I love and pray for all of you.
Sincerely Elder Morgan
*Preach My Gospel is a handbook and study guide for missionaries.
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