Thursday, July 26, 2012

Just when I was starting to get used to things...

Well, I have been expecting it my whole time here, and it came. I now have a Latino companion and I am leading an all-spanish district. Well, there is Elder Smith. He loves his new companion. Probably the one person here that is wackier than he is. His name is Elder Villar and he is from Santiago. He is by far the biggest guy here, but he runs and jumps around like he´s five years old. It´s pretty fun being in the same room as them. He also really likes rugby, so we talk about that. And he says the snowboarding is amazing in Chile. I told him I´ll have to come visit him someday. We also have Elder Ruiz, a little Peruano (person from Peru) who talks so fast that I cannot understand a word he says. I have to tell people all the time to slow down. But he is really nice, as is his companion, Elder Ferreiros. He is from just south of Buenos Aires and is going to BA north, but he doesn´t mind. He is always happy about everything, so it is great to have him around. We also have Elder Cañiza from Paraguay and Elder Cabeza from Mexico. I really like every Mexican I have met here; they are always soft-spoken or crazy, but very nice either way. Then, of course, is my companion Elder Juan Mendoza. He is also from Chile, and he has only been a member for four years. He knows quite a bit about the gospel from Institute. Unfortunately he is the only member in his family and they do not support him very much. He sometimes gets nervous to talk to people, but when he gets going he teaches very well. Sometimes I just have to sit back and enjoy the ride because I can hardly understand what is going on. It is good to have someone who tries so hard to study and teach effectively. Overall it is a great district; they are all awesome men. Brother Cooper--and others--kept telling me I was going to get mostly trouble missionaries, but I sure haven´t had that yet. My only challenge is just the combined stressed of leadership with trying to do it in Spanish. Not easy, but doable. I have been blessed with a lot of Spiritual help. It is amazing how fast we are all picking up the language. Sometimes I have conversations and I can´t remember if I said it all in English or Spanish. It is great to know the Lord is on our side. This morning I was teaching my district how to lead music in Spanish, and that was fun. Still playing soccer and working out, which is also a blast.

Proselyting last week was also great. It was fun to be doing it with Elder Adamson this time. We had two people (separate occasions) who just happened to be sitting on their doorstep doing nothing when we came by and talked to them who were very receptive. One was an old lady named Savina. We taught her to pray but forgot to tell her to do it out loud. So we sat their for a couple awkward minutes, and then she started crying. Elder Brown started to explain that it was the Holy Ghost, and then he started crying. It was a nice experience. The missionaries who get our referral better talk to her because she is ready. The other one was a man named Dario, and he answered some of his own questions as we talked to him, such as why we don´t use crosses or why the Book of Mormon is needed as a second witness. Unfortunately, we went back to Argelia (the empanada lady), and after reading all of 3 Nephi 11 with her (great to do that with someone for the first time) she said she is happy with her religion. Not much you can do their but testify and hope she tries reading eventually. So there have been ups and downs to everything.

One more fun experience. Last P-Day we bought churros and donuts from a man who was selling them outside the gate. Then Hermana Openshaw bought everyone McDonalds! Elder Smith summed it up best, "If we did this at the Provo MTC, we`d be getting sent home." Haha, it sure is a different experience here. It`s fun to see the new group of Elders, espeically the Norteamericanos, get used to it. There are about 80 missionaries here, so it can be a little hectic. But I sure love it. Cannot wait to get out in the field and teach the people I have been sent to, but I know I need these weeks to be ready for that. I also got another set of Dear Elder letters; that was great. Hopefully next time I get letters from the Joshua Stevens and the Mataus, I will be hearing about where they are going on their missions. I am glad your trip to Mexico went well and everyone had fun. Love you all, and I can`t wait to hear more from you next week.

-Elder Morgan

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