HEY!!

Hello there everyone!

Wow. It´s been a crazy couple of days. I´m pretty tired, but we have had a really good couple of days. I generally start off with my news about what we did on Pday; but seeing as for the most part, normal Pday things got shot down by the zone leader meeting in Resistencia, I don´t have much to say about that. So, I´ll tell you all about what Consejo was like. We got up early, really early, and got on a bus that left at 5 am. :) The best part of the bus was that it was a bed sort of thing. Basically a seat that just reclines farther back than a normal seat so it´s easier to sleep. We got to Resistencia, ate some breakfast, took care of a whole bunch of paperwork, and ate some empanadas. They bought them from a different place this time, and they really weren´t as good as last time. But, free food is free food. :) Then the consejo started. It was a really good one. We went over the goals of the mission and some new goals that the Area has for us. Then we went over some ways that we can be better leaders. Then we talked about what doctrines were set forth, or cleared up by the First Vision; there were a lot more than I had thought. Then lunch, a few hours of waiting and then a bus that got us back here to Formosa at about 2 in the morning, and here we are now! :)

I had an interesting experience on Friday. I had to do a baptismal interview for a lady who didn´t speak Spanish. She speaks Guarani. So, I had to have a translator in there with me, and that on top of the fact that she was really old made for an interesting interview. It was really weird having to try and talk through someone. As far as baptisms go, the zone is still doing well and we are having a really successful February. We got a little Argentine flag in Consejo because our zone completed the goal. It made us all pretty happy. :)

Transfers!!! It was an amazing day spending all day in the terminal. I got there at 5 Am and left at 11 at night. It was crazy. Me and my companion ended the day really tired, and really hungry. But, at least all of the missionaries that needed to come through we able to do so without any big problems. There were a few who came late and missed their buses, but it didn´t cause us any huge problems. We worked around it pretty well. We had three people leave our zone, and they were replaced by three mini missionaries. The mission is running a little bit short. Next transfer the gaps will fill in. :)

This coming week we have baptisms planned. The Salto family! I´m really excited. They are an amazing family that was really prepared to receive the gospel. The Mom had had some doubts about getting baptized, but in Church on Sunday the teacher for gospel principles gave a lesson that completely took away all her doubts. There are two cool parts to that story, the first is that she thought we had made him teach that class on purpose, when really it was just the next one in the book. And two, we finally have a teacher for gospel principles!!! That means that the missionaries don´t have to do it now!!! We are free from another chore! Don´t get me wrong, I like teaching but I prefer being able to just sit with the investigators and help them through church than try and teach at the same time. The zone is still doing well. Everyone is happy and ready to work. We have zone conference this week as well, on Friday, so we will be getting that ready to go. I love this job!! Being a missionary is one of the most tiring, but best things that I have ever done!! hmmm... what else can I tell you...
Well, I´m kind of running short on time!! I´ll tell you more next week!!!
Love you and miss you!!!
- Matthew