...Spun From The Beards Of Shellfish

Family!

Oh good sakes kids! How’ve you been? It’s great to hear the week was all good. Sorry about the shoulder dad but I'm glad that Easter was all terrific and frolicsome and that Molly had a ball.

Here Easter wasn’t as hoppin' (Easter bunny pun intended). Everyone here buys giant expensive chocolate eggs for Easter and watches Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. Oh, and the Ten Commandments, of course (the best part being when the pharaoh asks Moses (Charlton Heston's) to hand over his staff and he replies "Not until they pry it from my cold, dead hands!" Good times. There were little processions here. Like, for example, on Good Friday a man goes around town carrying a giant cross and a bunch of people follow him singing songs. It’s quite the hit.

On Tuesday we spent the day with Elder Murray from Oklahoma. He’s got about 3 weeks here in the mission and he’s a companion of one of the elders in our district who asked if we could watch Elder Murray while he went to Salta to do papers. So we stayed with him and it was fun. It made me so grateful I am where I am now in the mish. I remember the first bit. Man, it was tough. It was really great to work with him.

When we dropped him off the next day, his comp (Elder Solomon) asked if we could help with their "mini MTC". We agreed and the next day, on Friday, we headed back to Ledesma. Elder Solomon needed to do a baptismal interview in San Pedro so my comp went with him and I stayed there with Elder Murray. Elder Solomon said that the missionary’s part of the mini MTC thing was that we would speak for like 5 minutes.  So we were only expecting to talk for 5 minutes and be done. When we got to the chapel it was just me and Murray in front of an audience of like 30 youth.  The Y.M´s director got up and said, "Ok, welcome to the mini MTC, thank you for coming. Now we’ll turn the time over to the elders.” I forgot to ask what subject we were speaking on so I whispered to the leader "What should we speak on?" He said "Idk but I gotta go. You guys will run this show until one in the afternoon...bye!" and he left...It was 8 in the morning and the guy just ditched us. Murray doesn’t speak a lick of Spanish, I have no topic to go on, and we’ve just been abandoned in front of a big group of youth.

So with that, we commenced the mini MTC—out of nothing. I was just trying to think of the things we did in the MTC: Practices, talking about our purpose as missionaries, etc. I got to teach the whole thing and it was actually way, way, way, way super-fun cool. The kids really got into it and I felt really great and comfortable teaching them. After all that, the leader came back at around one o’clock and told me, "Thanks for running the thing Elder, could you also direct the choir?"  I said, "There’s a choir?"  The guy responds, “Of course...but it hasn’t been formed yet and the youth must be in the choir. They are going to sing Called to Serve...And the district president is coming in just awhile to see it." Ahhhh!! So we fashioned up a choir, made parts, practiced, etc. It was like being a regular Sue Sylvester but without the whole “Glee” thing. The district president came and that’s when things all the sudden started to get organized.

They had a little devotional that night and while I was there I saw a kid come in with the district president. It was Elder Rolleli, my mini missionary from Aeroparque. We hugged and talked and laughed and smoked (Ha! April fools). But we talked and he’s been mini-missioning for like a month in Tucumán and Salta, etc. His mission call got lost in the mail so he’s still waiting for it but I get to see him next week for General conference.

The mini MTC was really fun while it lasted, just horribly planned, but it was fun. My comp came back from San Pedro a short while after and we headed back to Yuto. While I was there I got my package from Elder Solomon—the one with the SD card and candy. Thank you so, so much—much obliged.

Yuto is going well. I’m best buds with this member kid named Elias who’s going on a mish soon. He’s awesome. He only loves British and Scottish bands like Travis, Foals, etc.  He works at a store making facturas (pastries) with his dad and they always leave us a bag of them in the window every morning. It’s a good life.

The comp is getting easier but rough at the same time. The kid is nice but just SO INSANLEY PRIDEFUL and has his own schedule and requires more than a little patience. I’m really trying to be the best I can with him. It’s just sometimes he needs a smack in the head. Pray for the both of us. We have some investigators getting close to baptism. This one girl named Paula is possible. She went on vacation to Jujuy Centro and so we are just waiting for her return and interview. More to come on that. Pray for her. Well, that just bout it....questions snoitseuq?

I have heard from my missionary mom group that they are going to start sending missionaries into the country with a travel visa which will allow them to stay for 3 – 6 months while they get their real visa.  Have you heard anything about that? 

• No but that sounds cool. Man, I really want to be a papi. I was told by pres that I was gonna train in Aeroparque but nope no missionaries. I know if I just do my work then I’m doing my purpose but I really want to do something like train. I just kinda feel bummish about that. I shouldn’t though.

What are the members like there?  Who is your branch president?

• They are really good nice folk...A like skippity but nice people. The president is Ron Togerson. He’s a fun guy-- cool guy.

Well famz, that’s about it. I love you guys so much and am so grateful for all you do; you’re all amazing. Well, it’s that time—the World of Warcraft kids are starting to ooze in and that’s when I start to lose my mind. I love you guys so much. Pray that I can be chill this week. Have a great week. I love you, its all good.

Con Amor,

Russ

Our Fair City

Sugar Caned!

This must be the place!