Weekly Mail!

Hello family!!

It has been a really long week. Lots of stuff has happened since the last time I wrote to everyone. Starting off the week with Tuesday, cause I told you already what we did last PDay or Monday. So, we had planned, as with a number of times already to go to the colony that is in our area. About an hour before we were going to leave we got a phone call from the office. They informed us that in just a couple of hours we were going to have to be going to the airport, to pick up some new missionaries. There wasn´t enough room on the plane from Buenos Aires to Resistencia, so they had to send them to Formosa; two of them. They are/were fresh from the MTC. They had gotten into Buenos Aires about four hours before flying to Formosa. There is one flight a day in and out of Formosa, and the airport is kind of far away from the city, so we had to spend more money than I would have liked on a taxi. We were the first people from the mission they had ever seen. So we went and picked them up at the airport, and then went and waited with them at the bus terminal before sending them on a bus back down to Resistencia. Kind of a round about way to get to the mission home, but, whatever works, works I guess. So we waited with them for a while and then made them do some contacts with us while waiting for their bus. It was kind of a fun experience, but also kind of ate up alot of our work time for the day. Moving on, Tuesday night, the night where we find out about the transfers. At about eight that night all of the zone leaders get an email titled TOP SECRET, which has the new list of where all of the missionaries are and the changes and such. We get that list and then begin to call the zone. It´s kind of a fun process. :)

Whew, now on to Wednesday, probably one of the busiest, craziest days of my entire mission. First, we had to get up and go to the bus terminal to send off some missionaries. They got off OK and then a guy showed up who sells stuff made out of crocodile and snake skin and stuff like that. He lives a little farther interior in Formosa and is always selling stuff to missionaries; to the point where he finds out when the transfers and stuff are to come to capital to sell more stuff. I didn´t buy anything.... yet... But anyway, after sending the last missionaries off in the morning we went back to our area to eat a little bit of lunch, and then we had to be back in the bus terminal at 5 pm. And that´s where all of the fun begins. We sat around waiting for missionaries to come, sending others off and fun things like that. Then at about 9 or so, we started seeing lots of dark clouds and lightning coming in. Looked like it was going to be a big storm. And it was. Lots of wind started happening, lots of it. Then some rain. And then it started hailing!!!! It was a few minutes of hail, and some of it was golf ball sized hail. As soon as the hail started, a bus with some missionaries came in, so we were out in the hail unloading suitcases from some elders and stuff like that. It was crazy, you couldn´t see very far in front of you. Then the hail stopped and the rain and wind continued. And... alot of the streets flooded. We were stuck in the bus terminal. But we got the last couple Elders for that batch and then waited and took a taxi home, leaving the bus terminal at about 11 or so. We got home, and the power went out. The storm picked up again. We went to sleep for a couple hours before having to get up and get back to the terminal by just after 2 am to pick up a couple more Elders. They got in, with some more rain and we got back to the apartment at about 4. We slept a couple more hours and got up at 6 to go back to the terminal. We were there Thursday morning til about 10 and then... went to the post office to get my package!! Then got back to the apartment at about 10:30. So... we were really tired on Thursday. Then... we had to be up Friday morning at 3:50 to get on a bus at 5 to go to Resistencia for Zone Leaders Council. Which was amazing. But, after we got back from that at 3 AM to our apartment Saturday morning. Wow. A tiring time. And that´s not even all!!

Well here we are again at the computer for part 2 of my email. During the last couple of hours we have gone to play soccer and then went and ate lunch. All of which went really well. Now we are just going to relax the last few hours of Pday and not really do much, maybe go and buy some milk to get us through the week. So that´s Pday for today. PDay was changed because of a holiday yesterday. So we worked a normal day.Oh, and my companion didn´t get transferred. :)

So, I left off at Friday; zone leader council. It was really cool, as always we get there at about 7:30 am and then talk with the other zone leaders and get mission materials for the zone and also the travel money we use. Then we have a lunch of empanadas followed by the actual council. Some great training by president, and some practice teaching scenarios. Talking about how as a mission we can baptize more. With the end of.... chicken cordon bleu!!!!! An amazing dinner followed by ice cream and the photo. :) The two photos of me in a suit are from council. All of the zone leaders from the mission and then me and my companion with president. Then we waited for a few hours and then the bus terminal again for the bus to come home. A long, amazing day.

Saturday! A pretty normal workday. Just trying to get stuff ready with investigators so that they can come to church. We worked pretty hard, and then at the end of the night I was able to give another baptismal interview for one of the district leaders, and the lady passed, which makes things even better. :) Then we come to Sunday. We had lots of investigators in church which made me really happy. Then that afternoon we went around with president to check all of the apartments as he went interviewing people. My interview went well. He gave us some advice on how to be good leaders and what his goals are for the mission and for the zone. He also told us driving around that he had been talking with Elder Aidukatis of the 70 and he told him to get a move on things, so... we have to do the same. Hahaha. :) A few of the apartments were a little dirty, but for the most part things went well. Our apartment was spotless. Alot of the companionships, including us, have to buy new fridges and stoves now, so we spent some time yesterday morning price shopping. It got boring fast, I wasn´t meant to shop... Then yesterday, we just worked a normal day, having some good appointments, and then poof, today is Pday. :) Well, I gotta run! I love you all!!!!!
love,
Matthew