healthy, happy, hopeful and dead tired

DEAR PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!

Well, there are a few more pictures up!!! This week was actually pretty lame... so check out the pictures. They are probably the best part.

Well, I'm doing great! Fine, fit, hot (as in the "calor" kind... not "caliente"), healthy, happy, hopeful and dead tired. Do I sound like a missionary yet?

This week was REALLY slow with all the holiday... cheer. Or whatever you want to call it. Honestly, people around here party a little too much for the holidays. People were sleeping in till like 12pm every day this week... then they would wake up to eat... then take their daily nap till like 7pm. That was hard to deal with.

We figured a way to work around it though... working. We had Zone Conference this Wednesday and by the time we got home we had to be in the Pinch because of security reasons. All missionaries basically go inside at 6pm on holidays. So we did that and ended up cleaning a bit. I also cooked up some Taco soup from something my mother sent me (THANKS MOM).

Taco Soup in the Mix

That day we also got all the letters and packages that came after Christmas. So I ended up with a package from Windy and Sandie (So now you know I got them) and about 15 letters from lots of different people. Thank you all for remembering me. I loved getting letters... it was great! I'm working on sending letters back out. But it isn't working as well as Id like. Letters are just a little slow... please be patient.

New Years day was the slowest day in history. But I was able to see a new born baby (okay, week old) of some members in our ward. She had an emergency C-section about a week and a half ago. She is doing great and the baby is gorgeous! That was definitely the highlight of the day. This Saturday was really slow also. We ended up walking our area both days without getting in much... And with all this walking my clothes and shoes are holding up wonderfully. I think this week I finally felt what it was like to be a missionary in the States... only we don't have bikes or cars... and we´re talking a different language. Not to bash on the US... Just, well... I hear they go to a lot of houses up there.

Friday we did service for a member... there are photos. We basically went into his yard and cut everything off the trees and ground up to 10 feet. We had one terrible saw and two machetes... Not a lot to work with, but at least machetes are fun. I'm really glad I brought my work gloves with me... and my Carhart pants. Thanks Aaron... They are wonderful. It was really good to go work for awhile. Especially because we did it in the morning and no one was awake yet except these people. And it wasn't too hot either. Only like 80ish. It was nice (I never thought I would have said 80° was nice).

before

after

And that is basically about it. Oh... except of Alan. Well, something you should know is that phones around here are different. They aren't exactly as reliable. So when an investigator says... Just call me... that doesn't always work. We finally were able to contact Alan this week right after we left his house and he came riding down the road on his awesome motorcycle. We had been planning on teaching him about baptism through the fourth Article of Faith... But we asked him if he had any questions before we started... he pulled out his Book of Mormon and told us he had something amazing happen. He was with his girlfriend and opened the Book of Mormon to a random page to see what it said to him. He said the page he opened to talked about baptism. And the Spirit told him he needed to get married and then baptized. So we still taught our lesson... but more off what he said. Because of legal issues around here... we can’t marry him for some time. And he can’t really get baptized before he´s married. So we put a baptismal date for sometime in April. I probably won’t be here... which kills me, but at least he is going to be baptized. I know that one day... probably after this life, I will see him and after we embrace. We will rejoice together... just as it says in D&C 18. He also wants us to teach his girlfriend. But she is outside of our area... so other missionaries are going to her.

Well, that is about it. Any questions? Of course not... there never are. Sad times. Haha, actually... these are happy times. I just hope you don't have any questions that I don´t answer. Like: "Do you have hair on your leg yet?" to which I’d say, "Oh yeah! It is obviously shorter than normal... but long and hairy again." Okay, seriously, got any questions?

Well, I love you all and am working hard. I really am doing well. Thanks for all the support and love that I get all the time. It really keeps us going. Thank you. I’ll be seeing you all sooner then we realize.

All my love,

Elder Tommy Steinkuhler

PPS I have a new address here in Argentina. The MTC address is the same. But the offices here have moved. So if you send letters here to Argentina or packages... you need to send them to:

Quintana 447

1846 Adrogué

Buenos Aires Argentina

instead of the other place. Thanks people. Also, make sure you keep on sending packages and letters through USPS Express mail... otherwise it gives us a lot of problems here. Well, I’m not sure about the letters... just do what you’ve been doing. And if you do it that way... things seem to get here well. Thanks. Love ya.

Two jugs of carbonating Root Beer!!!

an old attic radio