Elder Russell Allphin: Dia Del Amigo

Oh, well hey there!

How goes it? Glad to hear this week was most excellent and fantasmic semana.

This week was full of fun stuff but on the work part was kind of a bummer. It was, and still is, suuuuuppppeeeerrrr hot all the sudden and everyone has been dodging us this week. It was bad! I’m praying we have a good week this week, though.

We had some good, fun birthday stuffs this week. We started out the festivities on the 20th with what we do every day: Work. Since this week was kind of a bust, we didn’t have a lot of success that day and we were walking the whole time. After much and much, and even more walking, we headed to the Millians for the Dia del Amigo party. We did a white elephant gift exchange and I got Daniel ***** who is in the branch presidency. I had absolutely no clue what in the heck to get him. I did the best I could and the best thing I could think of getting him I got: A Rolling Stone’s wallet—you know, with the big, ugly Rolling Stone’s tongue on it. Argentina is like the king of tacky, crappy dollar-store trinkets so I had nothing to go on. Turns out he loved it! Poor guy. The party went off well. We had a cake and everything and they sang Happy Birthday (Spanish then Engrish). It had a stirring, even eerie resemblance to the Chinese guys singing Jingle Bells in the Christmas Story—it was nice. As per birthday tradition here, you have to bite the corner out of your cake. I did it only to get pushed into the cake (and I still have butter cream up my nose). My white elephant gift was an address book. You can imagine the overwhelming and unquenchable joy that filled me when I found out I was the lucky son-of-a-gun to get—an address book! Naaaahhh, I was nice and was grateful for it (or I may have thrown it on the floor, stomped out of the house, and stormed back to the pench only to find Jake Ryan sitting by my window holding a cake with 16 candles on it).

Good birthday! F’reals. I I thought I was getting my birthday package at zone conference but it turns out it was another package you guys sent me. It was the one with dad’s mission tie and all the other cool jazz. Even though it wasn’t the b-day package, I was so happy to open it on my birthday—what a great gift. I proudly wore that tie all day.

Funny you said you noticed the clock at exactly 5:10 p.m.* I was kinda having a bum day: Super hot, nobody home, comp talking about how stoked he is to be going home. I just wasn’t having that great of a day. I was sitting in a chair kinda by myself and I noticed it was 8:10 p.m. (which made 5:10 p.m. in the States). Just then I had this feeling that “it’s all good” which was very nice and I knew everything was all good and well.

The next night our neighbors decided to have a party. This is the mentality when it comes to parties: "Let's see, we have 1, 2, 3, 4...14 people here. Ok, now we need enormous amounts of boxed wine and crappy 80´s music blasting at 100 decibels and let’s do it until about 4:30 a.m. " So that’s what they did. When they played the Hot Rod mob-scene song, we thought it was pretty funny....that is until about 4:30 a.m. when we could feel the walls and windows shaking from the music. Luckily (and hopefully) that was a one time deal.

I have been more than super studious when it comes to the scriptures lately. I love my study time and this week I’ve made it a goal to read a chapter in the New Testament everyday along with the habit I already have of reading a chapter of the Book of Mormon every day. I’m also trying to find at least one thing in every chapter of each book that I like. I’m writing them down in a notebook and there's just so much good stuff. It’s so cool the things you can find. So many good examples and stories, it’s great! Other than that, that is the news for the week. On to the Q´s...

Have you had any sleep walking fun on your mission?

In the MTC a little bit. I walked out of the room once and fell asleep for a couple hours in the hall but woke back up and went to my own bed. Other than that there is really "no deal with the lobsters".

Can you understand the things they’re saying on TV?

Yeah, sometimes. The sopas talk really fast along with the talk show people. But like, the overdubbed cartoons and stuff, I can understand them for the most part.

Did you have zone conference?

Yes! It was a very nice conference. We learned some good stuff. We learned to be more optimistic and such. It was a relatively fast conference, though. They are usually really long but this was quick because we are getting a new Area Seventy and, from what I heard, I think Pres had to go run and pick him up at the airport.

Do you ever go on splits with the ZL’s

In my last zone, yes, we had divisions a couple of times but here not yet.

What do you like best about teaching?

Everything. I love teaching something now because people can actually understand what I’m saying—that’s what I really love (both language wise and gospel wise)! When someone actually gets the importance of making a commitment it is just soooo cool. We have a couple of legit investigators that have that: Where they see the importance of something. That’s what I love.

What’s your favorite thing to eat these days?

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡Milanesa sandwiches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! With chimichurri sauce—and celery mayo—it’s so stinkin' good. We have a place by our pench that makes a really good sandwich for 15 pesos. Awesome!

Well fambilliys, it’s been good once again. I love talking to you and getting letters from all you guys—thanks so much. Make sure you tell Grandma Molly I’m so thankful for her letters as well. They are always so nice. Oh, and also tell the ym/yw thanks for the letters too. I totally forgot that about 2 transfers ago I got letters from the activity day girls. Tell 'em “thanks” as well. Except for the girl who hoped that I was having fun in Chile—how dare she strike the royal hand! Anyway, I digress. I love and miss you guys so very much. Have a super awesome week. Pray we´ll have some success this week and that all will be well. Thank you so very much. Until next time, I love you. It’s all good!

Con Amor,

Russ

P.S. I do have a list of things I would love for future packages if that’s cool. Mac & cheese (I promise I won’t call you guys to make it for me...that’s what comps are for) melatonin, peanut butter. And do you think you can send me like a scanned pic of my baptism. I have an idea for that. I can put it on my memory card and print it off in Centro. Thanks! I love you!

P.S.S

I'm sending some pics. This was the party. The kid in the leather jacket is my friend Gabi. The other picture is the soccer field in the neighborhood.

*A note to explain. Russ was born at 5:10 in the afternoon. It just so happened that on his birthday last Friday, we were in the celestial room in the temple and noticed it was 5:10. We talked about that in our letter to Russ this week.