Monday, June 23, 2014 2:07 PM

Living the life in Quilmes

Well things here are pretty crazy... yes the world cup does affect the work... especially in Argentina and even more especially when Argentina plays. When Argentina plays the country stops. Right now they are working their way through the groups and so there are three games a day and wherever we go there is always a game on and there is always a game on at 1:00, the lunch hour, so we have been forced to watch some futbol (soccer)..... It is kind of fun though and it gives you something to talk about with everyone at least. This last week was kind of tough. It is always hard to go from somewhere where you knew everywhere and everyone and you were the champ of the area, to go somewhere where you don’t know anyone and you have new responsibilities. Elder Suarez had a companion that died right before me (finished his mission and went home) and that kind of disanimated him because the guy that left was super trunky I guess haha. But we are getting better and getting more excited and little by little working more. There was also pretty much nothing when I got here, just one family of investigators and a few recent converts but that just makes me more excited to just make the area explode!! Just faith and a lot of HARD work and I think anything can be done. The ward has some really cool members and some really rich members too. There is a patriarch (who is also ex mission president), also an area 70 and the stake president in my ward so it is aful (don’t think he is really saying awful but not sure what he is saying). The area here is kind of weird because there are a lot of super rich parts and then we went into a part that was the poorest I have ever seen in my life! It is also kind of weird going into some of the member’s houses and their houses are like even fancier than our house! Well Elder Suarez and I are getting along alright and getting to know each other a little bit better. Our zone has a bunch of new missionaries and a few old missionaries. Including an ex assistant that is ending his mission training (he is from El Salvador and a super capo) then there are about 5 missionaries from the same group that got here with me, including Elder Richards! So that is pretty cool. Our ward mission leader is a cool recently returned missionary. The assistance (attendance) on Sunday was 131! That is a lot for Argentina! The one family that we are working with is pretty cool and Elder Suarez told me that they have changed a whole bunch, and they all went to church on Sunday asi que todo bien! I’ll end with a little experience. Like I said the week was tough. I don’t know anyone and I feel like just a step behind everyone else. Elder Suarez wasn’t super animated and I felt like I was annoying him. It was hard for me to talk in lessons because I just felt like I didn’t know anything! Then on Sunday I really tried to focus on the sacrament and later they gave me the opportunity to share my testimony as I was new to the ward. As I shared my testimony it was like all of those feelings melted away. I got my confidence back. I could talk with people. I remembered really why I am here. I am very grateful to our Savior Jesus Christ and the very uncomfortable sacrifices that He made for every one of us. I love you all very much.

un besito,

Elder Benjamin Andrew