Week 72

Hi family
Monday, May 30, 2011 9:36 AM
Hello family,

Well it has been a week since I last wrote. That`s a nice picture of the garden. Hopefully it’ll work for you guys.

Well, this last week went well (to be read better than the previous week). At least we were able to find some more people to teach. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And they are all pretty great too. We found this older couple who are super awesome. And get this.....they don`t drink. don`t smoke. and THEY ARE MARRIED. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We`ve only had one lesson but I`m excited already. Giggles.

Yesterday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting on preparing ourselves to receive personal revelation. It went well and people complimented me on it.

So I received the music. Thanks a ton. But I haven`t gotten anything else because the mail is now even more crazy than usual. I think they`re changing things around or something. So yeah. I`ll keep you guys posted. At this rate, you`ll have to stop writing to me on my birthday. Hee hee.

As far as the whole weather thing, we got a little rain last week and it`s definitely starting to get colder, but I`m holding up pretty well. I don`t have a particularly hard time with cold weather anyways. I have noticed, though, that I have a huge craving for Christmas right now (like from home). Because what happened...last June and July when it was winter here I didn`t need Christmas because I just had had it 6 months prior. Then when Christmas actually happened, my brain didn`t register it at all because of the lack of decorations and dearth of cold weather. In fact I sweated my face off. So now my brain sees it getting cold again and as far as it`s concerned, it`s been 17 months since I`ve had Christmas and it wants one. Sad times.

Well that`s cool about Scott`s internship, but I don`t really understand what ¨computer vision research for deception detection¨ means. Um...my font just changed arbitrarily. What.. Whatever. Cool for him. And yes Holly had communicated to me that she was going to be in London. Fun times.

Oh yeah, so the lady the zone leaders were teaching got baptized on Saturday. We went. It was super good. She`s changed a lot since I first met her. I`ll copy the little thing that they publish in our newsletter so Patrick can try to translate it.
Historia de Conversión de

Hilda Gutiérrez
Ella es una mujer de 52 años, vive sola, y era muy evangélica, a tal grado que estaba organizando una iglesia en su casa, cuando era el momento de orar, ella lloraba y gritaba, al paso del tiempo y ayuda de los miembros comenzó a comprender lo que es la doctrina de Cristo, entendió de que existía una manera más pacífica para adorar a Dios, le invitamos a la capilla, ella fue y llevaba su ropa bautismal, al cabo de 7 semanas, tras muchas charlas de explicarle de la paz y tranquilidad que esto requería aprendió y supo por ella misma la veracidad de este evangelio, llegó el dia de su bautismo, con muchas pruebas y desafíos, su único acompañante (un perro) se perdió, ella dijo: “son pruebas”, con la ayuda de la oración, ella se pudo bautizar!! Y apareció su perro!! Ella es feliz, y tiene un testimonio de este único y hermoso evangelio verdadero.

Elder Llamín
Elder Erickson
Hospital


The zone leaders are Elder Llamin and Elder Erickson in the area of Hospital. Oh good, my font changed back. Yay!

Well, I don`t have a lot more to report. We`re still going strong here, trying to learn as much as possible. I`m really grateful for the chance to be out here. It`s good stuff. Um, so enjoy moving into June. Bt the way, Cy`s birthday is Tuesday if you happen to see him. Oh I guess that would be tomorrow. So yeah.

Have a wonderful week. Don`t eat bugs.

Love always,

DJ

Week 71

May 23, 2011

Woo! We`re still here which means that the world didn`t end on May 21, 2011 like they thought it would. PS: I don`t know if that was a big deal up where you guys live, but people down here were freaking out because some evangelical said the world was going to end on Sunday. Looks like he was wrong.

So Hi,

I am currently sitting in a room typing on a computer. Please take the time to visualize this in your mind. *pause* You may be done visualizing now. Life continues in the same rhythm as it`s been...sadly. But on the plus side, we had a really awesome stake conference yesterday. I think it`s the best one I`ve ever been too, and it really helped me as well, because quite frankly this whole business of working and working and working without anything happening is kind of depressing. There were some really good talks and whatnot, so I was pleased.

We were at district meeting last week and afterwards we were cooking lunch. And my comp wanted to make "tuco" which is the version of spaghetti sauce here with hotdogs. All I could think of was Mark`s story from college and so I refused to let him put the hotdogs in under penalty of being beaten by Nana. :) We just put vegetables instead.

I really do love missionary work. Stake conference yesterday really helped me to realize how much I love it and how important it is.

What is Scott doing for the homeland security? Better question...what is his major/career choice?

Well, ok, basically. This was the news for today (see subject line for date). Hope it was interesting and well-received. You may slap me like a redheaded stepchild when I get home for not sending pictures. Have a wonderful week in this last week of school. Woo hoo! Now Chris will be an upperclassmen. Yay!

Take care of yourselves. I love you (honey) bunches (of oats).

Love Always,

DJ
Hey...wanna buy a sundial?
Monday, May 23, 2011 7:50 AM
I think my emails must be fairly interesting to read. At least you can hear my personality. The end.

ps...4 cool points to whoever guesses the movie the quote comes from in the subject line.

Week 70

Bubbles!
Monday, May 16, 2011 7:49 AM
Dear family,

I am once again writing to you because such is my lot in life. :)

So, the lady I told you about is supposed to get baptized on the 28th. How cool is that? Maybe that`s why the Lord sent me here...so I could pass that reference on to the other missionaries. I don`t know.

We were going door-to-door last night and we contacted this older guy who had lost his wife about a year and a half ago. The poor guy has so much bitterness and resentment stored in his heart and he doesn`t want to do anything about it. He stopped believing in God because she died. It was really sad. I told him that we (as missionaries) had no idea what he had gone through or what he was going through, but we were positive that the message we had would help him, but he doesn`t want to accept help. He just wants to wallow in self pity. I really wish people would be more receptive to the gospel. If only they knew how much it would help them.

As of right now, we really don`t have any solid investigators (still), although we periodically find potentials (that is, people who could potentially become investigators). I`ve never seen such a dearth of success with constant hard work and effort. It`s bizarre.

To answer Dad`s questions...there are about 190 missionaries in the mission, I think, in 11 zones. It`s a pretty large mission. Um, well let`s see.

Those are my interesting stories and details for now. Too bad about the Byrd scholarship. Oots. Hope you have a good week. When does Chris finish school? Enjoy life. Love you guys lots.

Love Always,

DJ

ps...say hi to Travis when you see him.

pps...I apologize for the rather dull and boring email. The important thing is that I`m alive, safe, and well....and happy too. :D

Week 69

Hey there
Monday, May 9, 2011 9:40 AM
Hey family,

Well, it was really nice talking to you guys yesterday. Sadly, everything in the mission seems to just come and disappear (including the mission itself). I am super excited to go back to school when my mission is done but I`m going to work my butt off these last 8 months. The huge goal I have is just giving it everything and going home with no regrets. But I`m not going to lie, I`ll be excited to see you guys and get back to school. So no worries there.

Ok, so you`ll remember that I asked for information on Miguel and Natalia. Well turns out that I got a really unfortunate phone call last night unexpectedly. It was the missionaries, Elder Whitaker and his comp. They called to tell me that Miguel had died. And no I`m not making this up. He was 33 years old and they said he died of an antivirus or something. I feel really bad for Natalia. She is 21 years old and now is widowed with a daughter of 3 years and one of almost a year. They called to tell me so I could write her a letter today. I don`t know why all of my investigators are dying. :( In other news, the branch there is doing good. They are now teaching a relative of Javier and Valeria and the 11 year old son of an ex sister missionary that we were teaching as well is going to get baptized.

Did you ever get the letter to give to Travis? Also happy birthday to Chris. WOOOOOOOOOO! What a stud he is. Word.

The candy survived fine. The bunny doesn`t even look broken. It looks like the two milky ways melted and then rehardened, but other than that, no casualties at all.

Well, other than that, I really don`t have much to share today. Hope you guys have a great week.

Love Always,

DJ

PS: What day is graduation?

Week 68

bear bear bear
Monday, May 2, 2011 7:41 AM
Hello family,

As you may have guessed, I am staying here. And I am staying with my comp which I am happy about. We`re pretty excited to finally get something going here. Obviously the Lord has a purpose for us here. We taught less lessons last week in the entire week than I`ve taught before in one day. It was absolutely depressing, but we are working (for as hard as it may be).

Ok so I want to tell about this funny lady we met. We met her about 3 weeks ago. She actually signaled to us in the street because she thought we were selling perfume. She was carrying some heavy things so we helped her. While walking I started talking about the gospel. She said that she thought that everybody should be in one church so she was getting ready to start her own church. Hm. Anyways, we found out she lived in the next area over so we passed the reference to the zone leaders. They went and started to talk to her. Turns out she is way evangelical and her church idea failed two days later, but she showed up the very next Sunday to church with white clothes so she could get baptized right there. Being evangelical, she likes to participate a lot in the meetings. She goes to church every Sunday now, and has a baptismal date. The zone leaders come back all the time with funny stories of her. It`s awesome.

I forgot to tell you last week that I did get the letter with the photos of Japan and last week I got letter 66, I think it was (the one sent by pouch). We got no mail this week because of changes.

WELCOME TO MAY

I have no pictures.

That`s super sweet about Michael`s mission call. Communicate to him my congrats.

It`s been raining like a small baby here. We`ve had this storm for like four days now. It is the booty, so consequently both my comp and I are stuffed up like huge teddy bears. My comp looked like a corpse yesterday in church. I`ve never felt so unproductive in my life as yesterday morning. It was a Sunday morning, in addition it was a national holiday, and then it was raining and cold. Combine all that with the fact that the Uruguayans are generally unfriendly with religion. It was a terrible morning, end of story.

Hope you guys have a great first week of May.

You know what`s sad....sarcasm doesn`t really exist down here. Frowny face. :(

Anyhoo, have a great week. I love you lots. Give loves to Velvet. :D

Love always,

DJ