#VillaLife

Familia!

First, let me just tell you how excited I am that I finally figured out how to type the #. Spanish keyboards are weird, and have three possible figures that you can type in one key. But I did it! I´m an international computer genious. Dad, you would be proud of me.

So wow, what a week you guys had. It sounds insane. I´m going to be praying so hard for all of you. Please keep your faith in Christ during this time. Know that our Heavenly Father loves you, and though He lets us struggle so that we can become stronger, He pains at each one of our pains. He wants to help you. This life will be worth it. I promise.

So I left Matheu. I´m kind of sad to have left. I honestly was expecting that I would stay, so I didn´t have a lot of time to say goodbye to the members and investigators other than a quick note that we dropped off to some of them on the way to mission headquarters, but I´m so freaking excited for this new area. Elder Valladolid was a great companion, and he´s going to continue with an incredible amount of success in that humble area.

This last week, Andrea who was baptized last week, was confirmed. Antonella refused to wake up even though we passed by to bring her to Church, and so wasn´t confirmed. We were heartbroken, and had a really serious lesson about the importance of the Holy Ghost in baptism, and I think that she really understands this time. She´ll be confirmed this next Sunday, and I´m praying my heart out that she does so.

Before I tell you about this new area, DO NOT LOOK UP ANYTHING ABOUT IT ON THE INTERNET!!! Because it´s all lies on there. You only need to know that it´s all sunshines, rainbows, and butterflies. But seriously, life as a missionary is a lot different than for an American tourist in a villa. The missionaries have been there so long that everyone knows that the missionaires don´t have anything valuable. The areas that I was in before were new villas where that lifestyle was relatively new. These are the experienced guys who know where the money is. And they know that it is definately not with us. :) I´m going to be fine.

So I´m in a place called Juncal in Retiro, Capital. Our pension is tiny, even though we are in the richest part of the mission. But we are going to work entirely in Villa 31, the most infamous of all the Villas. And I´m pumped out of my mind. A villa is basically an Argentine slum, where the people just build sketchy buildings several stories too high to be architecturally sound, and are insanely humble. Missionaries have unprecidented amounts of success there and come to love the people more than in any other area. I can´t stop smiling.

My new companion is Elder Critchlow from Ogden Utah, and we share a pension and area with Elder Zollinger who went to West Point with Elder Witter from the MTC, and Elder Molina from Chile. All three of them are the biggest studs I´ve ever met with an optimism like you wouldn´t believe. I can´t freaking wait for this transfer to start. (Also, ¨freaking¨ has become the only adjective that I know, because it´s the only thing latino missionaries say. Haha)

Father in Heaven has blessed me more than I even understand. A mission is the coolest thing I´ve ever done in my life. Thank you to every person who´s ever influenced me for good. I testify that the Celestial Kingdom will be the most incredible, indescribably transcendent reward that a God can give to one of His children. It is worth more than all of the effort we can put into our missionary efforts.

Hasta la próxima semana. ¡Hurrah para Israel!

-Elder Goff

P.S. I´m pretty sure that Locotorio in Savio stole my camera. :/ I have all of my pictures on that jump drive you gave me except for the 5 most recent, including that double baptism we had. So, no more pictures until I can buy a decent camera. :/ Sorry!