My new area!!!! YAY! Old converts!!!‏

Hello, hello, hello

Well, like I said, and like you all knew, transfers were this week. And I did get transferred. I am now back in Posadas!!! Sort of, its really a small city called Garupá about 20 mintues outside of downtown Posadas. My area is called Santa Clara. It does make me wonder how many areas I am going to have in my mission, seeing as I am already in my third area, and still have 11 transfers left in my mission. The other important landmark of this transfer is that it fell exactly on my 9 month mark of the mission. But anyhow, now comes the time to explain and tell all about how my week has been. Starting with Monday night.

Monday night, we finished Pday, just after I got done emailing you. And then we went to a branch activity that we organized. I gave the short spiritual class about the temptations of Christ, and how they apply in our lives. And then we played around and ate a lot of food. Then we played musical chairs as a branch. It was really, really funny watching some of the older women playing musical chairs. And, in fact, my convert - Marta - won the musical chairs game. Then was a little upset with us that we didn´t have a reward for winning the game. I got a video of it all, that you will all see when I decide to send this memory card home. It kind of turned into my goodbye party from the branch. I don´t know why, but as the activity started I just started to get the feeling that I would be leaving this transfer. So I went ahead and had everyone write in my journal and took photos of everybody and all that good stuff. And that is kind of how Monday night ended for me.

Then comes Tuesday. Tuesday we had lessons with all of our 3 converts in this area. At the Belucci girls house (my first two converts here) they made sandwiches for us and again, for a strange reason it turned into me saying goodbye to everyone. Then also, we had a normal day of work, until Tuesday evening. In the evening the whole zone got together to wait for the Zone Leaders to bring the paper. When they brought it, I honestly thought that they were kidding. It´s like impossible to get to go back to the same city two times in your mission. I´m not in the same zone as I was before, but it is the same city and same stake. And, I get to go as senior companion. My companion is Elder Clark. He is from Sandy, UT. My first gringo in like 7 months. It was weird. I have a hard time talking to him in English, it just doesn´t sound right. Haha. He has two transfers in the mission, just hit his five month total mark. I´m his second companion. His trainer just left to go home. He and his trainer opened the area that I am in now.

Phew, moving on. Tuesday night and Wednesday morning were spent telling people I was leaving and packing everything up. And, yes, all of my stuff made it just fine back to Posadas. Then I went and we ate together as a zone for the last time. Then it was off to the bus terminal for my trip. I left at about one, and a couple of members came to see me off. I took a bus to Corrientes Capital, and then another bus to Posadas. About 9 hours of travel in total. And I got to travel it all alone, with the exception of my wait in Corrientes Capital. The zone leaders were there to make sure I got on the bus alright. I got into Posadas at about 11 at night, and went home. The apartment was... dirty... because when an Elder leaves the mission, they leave alot of stuff in their last area. SO... I cleaned a little bit and went to bed.

So, thats kind of my week. The last half has been getting to know my area, and the investigators and getting to work. I don´t think I have worked so hard as I did these last few days. I´m tired...TIRED!

More information about my area: It´s a branch that shares a chapel with a ward in the stake (a huge chapel). I´m in the presidency again, about 10 people max attend every week. There hasn´t been a baptism in like 6 months; it used to have 35 or so, but everyone changed wards and such. The leadership consists of... the branch President. It´s small enough that we share sacrament meeting with the ward. My area is gigantic, which is alright, because... I can´t go into like half of it after dark. I don´t wear my watch anymore. It´s probably the poorest of all of the areas I have been in. We have lots of work to do, and we´re gonna do it. They have to get their attendance up, or the branch closes. Sounds kind of familiar. I didn´t think there were branches like this that were part of stakes... but I was wrong. But yeah. In my first few days here, we put 3 on baptismal dates already, and we´re going to have 2 baptisms the 27th and a bunch in April!!! I´m really excited about it, and a bit nervous, but that´s alright. Yesterday, I also got to teach Sunday School, and Dad, I also gave the lesson on Isaac and Jacob and that whole story, lesson 10? We focused more on rights of the firstborn... don´t know why... but the President asked lots of questions.

But anyway, that´s my life. I´m happy, healthy and loving it all.
I gotta run. I love and miss you all!!!!!

con amor,
Matthew