May 5, 2015- Cinco de Mayo y el verdadero Día de la Madre

¡FAMILIA!

If you would have told me before the mission that I was going to be in South America during Cinco de Mayo, I would have pictured burritos, piñatas, maracas, and muscaches. Hahaha what a little racist, Elder Goff. This day isn´t anything special outside of Mexico and Mexican restaraunts in the U.S.

Transfers just ended, and a lot changed really fast. Yesterday afternoon, we were teaching a lesson when I got a call from President. I was in the middle of the 12 week training program with Elder Rios, so we weren´t expecting anything to change this time around. President told me that he knew we were in the middle of training, but he recieved an impression to extend a new assignment as a Zone Leader in the Austral zone. I´m not really sure how to be one of those, but luckily my studly new companion, Elder Cunningham is happy to teach me how to do everything, including finances, zone meetings, and riding a bike. (I finally have a bike! If that´s what you want to call it. It might fall apart from underneath me.) Please pray for me, but pray even more for Elder Rios, he was pretty sad about the sudden change. But he´ll do great with his new companion. I love you Virreyes!

My new area is called Derqui, (or affectionately called ¨Barrolandia¨ (Mud-land) by the missionaries who have served there.) Elder Cunningham is from Seattle Washington, and is incredible. I look up to him as if I was five years old again. I´m excited to work in this ward. Judging by the few members I´ve already met, it´s going to be an awesome transfer. There´s a lot of work, but a lot of excitement and willpower amongst the missionaries and the members. As both the First Presidency and President Ayre say, that´s the golden combination. I love the work of Salvation.

I want to echo the words of my brother Elder Goff about the importance of change. Leaving an area as beloved as Virreyes is rough. I´ve come to love the investigators and members of that ward as if they had become my own family members, but I know that God has a plan for us. We never go through something that is so hard that it is impossible to overcome. Change is good because as Ry-guy said, it helps us change the bad in ourselves and become more Christlike. There´s something I gotta do in Derqui to help certain people come unto Christ, and there´s something I´ve got to change about myself that I´ll only be able to do in Derqui. So I´m thankful for the inspiration President Ayre received to send me here. And I know the changes you guys are going through will eventually make us better people. See you on Mother´s Day.

Love you! ¡Hurra por Israel!

P.S. Pictures:

2108 and 2109- The first of May is the Argentine Labor Day, so the ward made a traditional Argentine stew called Locro. It takes over six hours to cook, and two or three hours of preparation. It has everything from beans, to pigs feet, to cow guts in it. And it´s delicious.

2115- I couldn´t go to the Despedida this time, but here´s me eating the food that the Bravo family gave me, slightly sad that I couldn´t see them this time. They´re so awesome.

2125- Some of the most incredible members from Virreyes, and my Argentine Grandma.

2131- The Elders of Derqui: Elder Guy from every state in the U.S., Elder Bassett from South Africa, Elder Cunningham from Seattle Washington, and Me from boring old Utah. :) I love Utah.