¡Hola!

¡Hey, hey, hey!

Well, this is try number 2 to send an email home. Hopefully this one will go better than the last one did. In explaining what happened it will help to explain a couple of mom´s questions relating to the exact state of a few things here in Goya. First, the river is still... maybe, maybe not. It´s still really, really high, but hasn´t really grown any in the last little bit. Barring some extra water coming from upriver, or a couple more major rainstorms, we should be fine. And if not, it´ll make a great story to tell everyone when I get home, and when I email. But, I doubt it will happen. As for the light and power. There are still random cuts throughout the days. I am fast growing accustomed to having to enjoy electricity when we have it. Which is exactly the reason that this is try number two to email. Try number one was eaten by the loss of power that we experienced a little bit ago. The problem still remains, and the people aren´t really happy about it still. It doesn´t help us either, because the people are unhappy when we come and knock on their doors if they haven´t had light or power for some time. Supposedly the new trasnformer/generator that got sent from Buenos Aires made it to its destination and some of the stuff will be fixed soon. Then... they get to start on trying to replace all of the cables and stuff.

I´m going to answer all of the questions first, or at least the ones that I can, and then will talk about my week a little bit. The weather... is rainy. Rainy. My problem is money. I have to go to Corrientes Capital to do some paperwork, no idea what sort of paperwork, but, that will eat some funds until the mission can reimburse me. But, I should be alright. Pday today, due to the rain, will just be a relaxing, eating ice cream and watching a movie in the chapel sort of day. I´m kind of excited just to relax a little bit. Transfers are next Wednesday. There is a chance that one of us will leave, but I really doubt it. I think that we are in for another transfer together. And then in March, one of us will leave the area. As to which one, I have no idea....

Alright, those were all of the questions, for now anyway. The week.... was a better one. The owner of the chapel (Marta) is still going to get baptized the 30th of January. Some of the members started telling her that the end of the world was coming and she got scared and wants to get baptized now! Haha!!

This Sunday was the first Sunday that we haven´t had to do, or teach anything. We could just be there. And enjoy it. We finally were able to get 5 men in Elders quorum.  A man who has been inactive a while due to an injury to his wife finally came back and we put him in the Elder´s quorum presidency his first Sunday back. This Sunday as well, our Elder´s quorum president said that he wanted to come back and get things going again in the Branch. President Martinez is starting to get a little bit more excited again. Deep down he really doesn´t like having Elders in the branch presidency. Because he says he will get two that work hard, and then two that don´t and it kills the branch again. So, our goal in the Branch is to reactivate two bretheren who can help out in the Branch Presidency and then baptize some more. We also have another man who has been a faithful member for like 30 years. But, due to a long string of things, hasn´t ever been ordained an Elder. He will be ordained next District Conference. :) He can´t read, and just listens to everything. He likes to have people read him the scriptures. And goes to the chapel two hours early every week to help set everything up. A member who helps us an incredible amount. The branch, is definitely one of the more interesting rides I have been on in my life, but it will get better. We finally got the few that we have to go out and make visits, so attendance was up again this week. The goal is still to have an average of 40. I think once we hit forty again we will all die of shock. Slowly but surely....

As for investigators and such. We have a few that we really hope start progressing. A man named Rafeal, who finally read a part in the Book of Mormon, and now wants to listen more, and we hope to put a baptismal date with him this week. A woman who a month ago lost her 20-yr-old son in a motorcycle accident, and didn´t understand why God would do something like that. We taught her the plan of Salvation and she is really interested. And through her, her two other sons, one who is a taxi driver friend of ours, have gained a little interest, so there is potential. We were teaching another woman, but a number of circumstances in her home led to us not being able to keep going back. (Her husband beats her, and hates us) We have some other families that have potential, but we are still waiting for them to decide whether or not they really want to keep hearing from us.

Other news - We kind of shifted our focus in teaching over the last two weeks. Before we had just been teaching all of the doctrine, and waiting for it to sink in. The last little while, we have really been focusing on Church attendance, and getting people to read the Book of Mormon. It worked and we were able to have some investigators in the chapel this week. We also had Bible Class again this week, I taught!! It was pretty fun. I´m actually learning alot about the Bible, and why it´s so important to have other scriptures as well. 

Well, that´s all that I have for this week. So, I have to run. Adios!!!!

Love,
Matthew