My life over the past week.

Hey hey hey, yes, I have used this title line before, but what can I do about it....

So, this week has definitely been one of the more interesting weeks of my mission. Well, not really, but a few interesting things have happened during the course of the week. But, as usual, I have to begin by telling what interesting and fun things we are doing on our most exciting of Pdays today. Being that it is the last Pday of the transfer, we are having a zone activity. We are doing an asado, or Argentine barbecue, and... playing soccer. So.. basically a normal Pday with a little bit of meat thrown in the mix. But, nonetheless, I am excited.

Last week, Tuesday to be exact, I had the pleasure of being audited. In reality it was the branch being audited, but, I get thrown into that mix. One of those strange moments that one doesn´t expect to happen in life. Also, part of the whole process is the strange feeling when one realizes that one has forgotten a couple of necessary signatures... The advantage is that being an elder, and new at this whole thing, the auditor wasn´t too unhappy with our branch. Oh well, I will learn, and better my work. That is if I stay in this area after transfers. Speaking of transfers, and branch finances. I have to teach my companion how to work MLS on the computer, because if I leave, there really isn´t anyone in the branch who knows how to run it. And they would have to start the training process all over again.

Moving on to exciting things that have happened in the week. Every once in a while, you see something, something that changes your perspective of things, or your outlook on life. I had one of these moments this week. We, my companion and I, were waiting in the bus stop, eating some ice cream that we had just bought with our monthly money. Then across the street we saw a man, riding on his bike, stop. And start to rummage through the garbage that one of the stores had left out on the curb to get picked up. Taking out all of the cardboard. Why? To try and reinforce the walls of his house. Then, biking to the next pile of garbage, and doing the same. This was something that I had seen before, but it really impacted me this time, and I´m not really sure why. Maybe it was the fact that I was just sitting there eating my ice cream, with the surety, that I had money. That every month, without fail in the mission, the money comes, sooner or later. And if it doesn´t come, a family at home could help me out if I needed it. Something that people here don´t always have. But anyway, that was the experience.

Other than those two somewhat strange moments the week has been pretty normal. We still haven´t had our baptism yet. Macarena wasn´t able to get married last week. It was a little bit discouraging. But, we put a new goal for the 20th of March. I just hope that we can accomplish this goal with her. Our other baptismal dates are still good, two more for the 27th of March.

On Sunday, it was one of those Sundays where the Elders do almost everything. Between the two of us, we gave testimonies, the opening prayer, directed the music, blessed, and passed the sacrament, organized the talks and finances for the next week, and gave the Sunday school lesson. Needless to say it was a fairly busy day for us. But, still, a good one.

It´s been a really good Pday today. We ate some really, really good food that we cooked ourselves, and got to spend sometime together as the zone the way it is now, before everything gets all haywire with the transfers. Haha, this may be my first real transfer of the mission, considering my last move was because of an emergency transfer. So, yes, we will see where I end up a week from today. Oh, and instead of play soccer, we played a ton of ping pong because it was really, really hot outside. Then it's back here to finish up the emails, on to eat a little ice cream, and off to finish out the day working, kind of. We have a branch activity tonight. It´ll be fun.

Questions: I´m doing really well, healthy and happy. I already mentioned the delay in the baptism and wedding, but I am confident that they will happen here really quickly. The weather has been pretty normal - HOT. We did have one day of really bad rain during the night. Loud enough to keep us awake. Haha. We find out about the transfers tomorrow night, and then Wednesday the transfers actually happen and we go to our respective new areas. I´m pretty excited to find out what happens. I´ve kind of already answered the questions about the investigators and branch. The work just rolls on, and life keeps going. Things are improving, steadily and surely. Oh and I watched the man kill his goats because he lives in the house across the street from the chapel and he was doing it during one of our activities. It was almost a forced issue. Hahaha.

Anyway, I have to run again, I love you all, miss you all,
con amor,
Matthew