I’ve felt very much like a father

I'm super tired. We woke up at 5 this morning to get into the city early and get in line to take out the marriage papers for a few investigators. On the 12th of March they will be married and the 13th they will be baptized!!!! I hope I'm still around. Yesterday their youngest son came up to me in sacrament meeting and asked me if I would accompany him. I asked him where he was going and he pointed at the pulpit to give his testimony. This young, precious child is 6 years old and has never borne his testimony. So I smiled and went with him. He said the church was true and then talked about his parents a bit. It was cute. I then gave my testimony and felt like a father figure. I shared a testimony of the pure in heart and the blessings that come from them, especially children. This week and last I’ve felt very much like a father. All of the young children I know act as if I'm their father. Hmm... let me explain.

Most families here are not very organized and/or separated. So when we teach, we act a lot like a caring father... or uncle or whatever. So a lot of the kids look up to us like that. It also helps that everyone thinks I'm like 30 (My baby face is not working for me anymore). Last week at church one of the girls I baptized came to church with a lip piercing. She couldn't even look at me. When we went over to her house she was so ashamed that she took it out. She even said I was acting like a father. Life is weird as a missionary. The weirdest things happen and the weirdest thoughts go through your mind.

I’d say that my major joys from this week are that this girl took her piercing out, the couple took out all the paperwork to get married, another couple stopped smoking and one of our investigators stopped gambling to be more like Christ. That certainly makes the week great! I’ve been thinking that I should put my highlights of the week in every e-mail so that you all know that I'm happy and feeling joy. I don't know if you can imagine all of these things happening to you in one week, but it is great!

In other news, I bought one of those super noisy and annoying alarm clocks to wake me up. You know the one with the hammer and two bells on top. It actually wakes me up. I don't need to rely on my companion anymore. I bought it in a flea market last week. It works great and is a stylish fire truck red.

I’ve been taking more photos of the skies here and of people. I’ll try to send them next week because I forgot my cable today. I’m planning on making a tie today too... so I’ll let you all know how that goes. If there are any requests... PLEASE send me them. I don’t hear anything from anyone. What do my faithful listeners want?

Love ya’ll (for the Momas)
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler

I write in books

teaching a family

Question: How’s your weight? Are you fat from being fed well, or skinny from starving and walking everywhere?

Answer: I'm getting skinnier. I've walked a lot more and the members have basically stopped feeding us... and I don't cook much anymore. I also drink a lot of water, so I'm not very hungry. So I kind of just drink milk and eat bread/empenadas. Don't worry... I'm healthy. I won’t die of the scurvy.

Well, this week was long. I managed to stay away from all kinds of metal trashcans and bawling fits. However, I did almost die in the heat and my pants don't fit me very well. I also managed to re-sew my shoes and take some fun pictures. I’ve been taking more photos recently. Especially photos of the sunsets. I’ll try to send some home today.



Bad news... people have been getting mad at me. I know that NORMALLY we shouldn't write in books. But when we give away books of The Book of Mormon, I write in them. I write how to pray and where to read. Well, until a few weeks ago... no one has got mad. For the first time ever, this lady blew up at me. And ever since then my companion likes to bring it up when I write in other people`s books. So people have been making it known to me that I should not write in books. And when they see my scriptures, they almost faint. I think it has to be the people I'm teaching right now... not all people. Most people here don't care about books... they are normally dirty and shredded. So a few arrows and words should be okay, no? All well...

teaching a family

Funny little story. Last Sunday we went to a member’s house to eat. They were watching Harry Potter 6 the movie. It killed me a little, but I asked them to turn it off. They saw the sadness in my face and asked me why. I explained how much I love Harry Potter and how much I have been waiting for all the movies and books. They were all excited that I knew what was going to happen in the 7th movie. They asked me what happens, and I explained it... sort of. After doing that the youngest wanted to read the book, but didn't have it. I happen to have a copy in Spanish... that I can’t/don’t use. He wanted to borrow it, so I told him he could... but only after he finished the Book of Mormon. So he grabbed his book and started reading. He is 9 years old. I expected it would be a joke and he’d give up. He said he’d read the book in one week, so that the next Sunday when we ate with them again, I would bring Harry Potter 7. Well, I brought it by but he hadn't finished the book. He was in Heleman 11!!!!! For those of you who know the Book of Mormon, Heleman is REALLY FAR! He said he didn't understand it all, but he will finish it to read Harry Potter 7. BUT WAIT, it doesn't end there. We were telling another family about it and their son (12 years old) got jealous and said... and what about me? I asked what he wanted and he told me a dollar. Well... 1 dollar is nothing, even here. Not to mention I have no 1 dollar bills. So I told him I’d give him 10 dollars if he read the Book of Mormon in one week, and 5 if it took him 2 weeks. I know I'm kind of paying people to read the scriptures, but I don't feel bad at all.

This week was especially hot. I am no fan of the heat, but we will make it through. I need to cut my hair, but I'm afraid that when I do I will burn my scalp with the heat.

Other than that, I don't have anything to say. Because I need to go. Sorry this is short.

I love you all,
Elder Steinkuhler

PS could someone please do me a favor? I would like to write President Richardson, but I don't know what mission he is in. Can someone find his address for me?

PPS No one asked me to write them a real letter... so I'm not going to write anything. Don't complain if I don't send you anything.

My hair is amazing

The first two questions:
How are your shoes? My shoes are good. I just got a pair re-soled. They had some holes on the bottom about 2 inches in diameter, but not anymore.

How is your hair? My hair is amazing... and really blond. It got tinted in the sun so now I'm really blond... and I decided to start doing my hair about a month or three ago... so every day it is parted, and blond... and amazing. But I need to cut it.

First of all... I had chocolate pizza today. Both dark and white chocolate... as well as a pizza with coconut and another with pineapple with black sugar... good times. There are a lot of all you can eat pizzas around here. I didn't eat much this week, so I got my money´s worth.

I’ve got two bits of bad news from this week that Ill share with you... first of all... Trash in Argentina is put into large METAL trash boxes that hang over the sidewalk. I’ve never had a problem until now. You see, I normally glance over at my companion as we walk... they normally are ABOUT my height. Elder Roy is not... So I look down... very down. TWICE this week I hit my head on those darn trash reciprocals. The first time it cut my nose open (don't worry... I healed fast). The second time I grabbed it right in the corner with my forehead. It might have given me a concussion... it hurt and I was bleeding... and this 14 year old young member girl laughed at me because my Spanish got REALLY bad. But there is something about Argentina... all harm done to the body heals REALLY fast... for everyone, it is amazing.

Bad news number two: I'm sickish... my other problem I had when I called home for Christmas has gone away... but now I'm sick with something else... Hehehe oops.

This week was kind of blah... We worked really hard. We had some really good appointments. We are teaching some golden people. All of our lessons are full of the spirit. We are helping people convert themselves. There is just one problem... no one is married. So we will hopefully be getting 10 couples married and baptized here within a few months. We had some really spiritual experiences this week, but I would like to only share 2. Those that The Spirit indicates...

We went over to a family’s house this week. I love this family with all my heart. The father always helps us and the wife is kind of inactive. They got into a debate right when we got there... I shared a bit with them and then got kind of mad. I started saying things that were very harsh. I did not feel like myself, so I stopped talking and listened to the Spirit... it told me I had to stand up and hug the father... and apologize. I didn't want to... but I did it. And I just started bawling. I’ve never cried cried in a lesson. The occasional tear is unavoidable, but I’ve never broken down crying. I apologized and asked if we might do a prayer. The father was praying and started to call us servants of God and asked God to bless us... I lost all control and started sobbing. I couldn’t control myself... and just cried there for a bit as they all worried about me. I don’t know why it happened or why it had to happen to me... but it did. And I felt God`s love strongly with them. Then we left. I didn’t want to stay there because I was just crying, so we left. That Sunday they both came to church and I felt good again. I don’t know what happened... but it was good. I believe and hope I was the tool God needed that day to bring something into their home. There are other parts of the story, but that is all I feel I should share... if you want to know more, ask me.

The other story is this appointment we had at an investigators home... The girlfriend wants to get baptized REALLY bad... but needs to get married. The boyfriend is kind of flaky and wants to make changes, but wants it to be easy. Anyway... we went over and he was sick and didn’t want to talk. So I told him he didn’t have to talk, we would talk and he could listen. He chuckled and sat down. We taught a great lesson about the family using lots of personal experiences and lessons we’ve learned from our parents. The Spirit was strong and we ended on a great note. He then thanked us because he felt great... he always notices the difference there is when we come over and teach. It feels so good to hear that. Simple words of thanks are so good to us.

Anyway, I’m over time and I wanted to just say bye. I love you all and hope all is well. I know I’m well and a lot happier then I was. This week was tough, but thus is life. I hope you all had an even better week then I did.

Love,
Elder Tommy Steinkuhler

PS So, who wants to write me a letter? And who wants a real letter? Let me know and I’ll try to be a better letter writer.
PPS I love you all.

So I climbed up the tree

Well, I’ve got a funny story. So last Monday we did service in the morning. We took the roof off the house of an investigator and left right when some of his friends got there to help him. That night as we were going home we walked past this bag (common article of the street) and my companion heard a cat. So we returned and found a kitten next to the bag. I picked it up... but still heard a cat. I looked up the tree and saw another little cat in the tree. So I (in the dark) climbed up the tree and saved the cat. As I hopped down a group of girls pasted by. They stopped and goggled over the cats. The last one grabbed the cat I plucked from the tree and said it was precious... and left with it, not even talking to us. So... we were left with a kitten. We brought it home and bathed it. The next day we gave it to a member as a birthday present. BUT... the reason I tell you all this:

So that night there was a HUGE wind storm and two really good things happened... the house we did the service for was okay, but if we hadn't helped them they would have been really wet that night. And we saved 2 little cats from certain death. The houses here had their roofs ripped off by the wind. We had 3 investigators loose part or all of their roofs and one investigator that had their whole house fall over (fortunately they were away on vacation). There were a lot of people terrified for their lives as huge plates of metal went flying through the air (that would be their roofs)... but no one in our area was hurt.

And that is about all I’ve got for the entire week. This week has been a running circus ride. A lot of things have happened to us and all of them were weird and/or sad... so I don’t really feel like talking about them. We did have our Zone Conference though and that was great! I love our president. He animates us a lot and gets us going. He also teaches us in these pure spirit lessons that just edify everyone. It is wonderful. I wonder if people ever feel that way when we leave. We’ve had a lot of people tell us that they feel the spirit when we teach and they want to make changes in their lives. We have lots of people who want to get baptized, but ALL of them need to get married. About 20 of them. It is kind of a bummer. But I love seeing the people change and the inner light start to come out. The best part is seeing the appearance of the person change. These people are often dark skinned and dark haired... but when they turn to God, I swear they are whiter and brighter then I have ever been. I love this work and I love being here.
I’ll be honest with you all... I’ve been rather trunky lately, but I have also never been so happy to be here. The feelings of love and hate get stronger no matter what direction you go. As I love the people more and desire more to stay so do the feelings of hate and desires to grow stronger. I know I’m in the right place and I know I’m happy... I just hope you all can see that too.

Sorry this is a short one, I’ve got stuff to do. I hope and pray that all is well.

All my love,
Elder Steinkuhler

he was a very angry little man

The gang and our Bishop Pohl

Elders Coats, Sasanuma, Yo, and Roy

Well, I'm lame... I never leave enough time to write all I want to. So let’s just jump back into this thing about my companion Elder Roy.

Elders Roy y Steinkuhler

Elder Roy started the mission a year ago here in Mayol (my area). It was his first area... well, he came back. He is a funny little fellow. I love working with him. He makes me laugh a lot, which is kinda funny because people told me he was a very angry little man. He has a lot of funny qualities that I’ve touched upon and almost fallen over laughing. For example, he is always tired. So what with the heat and all... he often finds it hard to stay awake in lessons. He often does drastic things to stay awake. The only weird thing about our companionship is that he knows the members and I know the investigators. I almost never go by the members... active or inactive. But he said it was almost all they did when he was here. So every once in a awhile we are walking along and he claps at a house. I think he is doing a contact, but out pops some random obscure member. Ha ha, good times.

Well, the temperature here is murderous. I remember seeing movies about people dying in the heat with bugs flying around their heads and sweat dripping off their faces. I remember thinking that was so weird and only happened in the wild jungles in Central America. Not true! As I whipped sweat off my face and swatted at a fly before clapping a house, my mind returned to that thought and I realized I'm in one of those places. I hear there is lots of snow up where I live. Well, the thought of snow is quickly melted from my mind with the heat here.... IT IS HOT!!! And HUMID!

Well, we found a bunch of really great families recently. One of them is a couple who were taught by the missionaries about 3 years ago. They are great. They know lots about the gospel and are excited to have Elders back in the house.

Another is a couple that lives in front of the last. They are wonderful and interested in finding answers to their questions.

Another is another couple that was also taught by the missionaries... but about 10 years back. I’m not sure if the father can read. But they are wonderful. I’ve fallen in love with their daughter. Her name is Jennifer and she is 8. She and her sisters are complete dolls and have put in a lot of effort to learn my name. They are wonderful!


One last thing... we are teaching a wonderful lady who has been listening to the missionaries for about a year now. She cannot get baptized because she needs to get married. Well, last night as we were heading home, we crossed paths with her. She looked really unhappy. We stopped and asked what was up. She started to expound upon the fact that she separated from her boyfriend that night. They were going to get a marriage license this week... so this was somewhat of a shock for us. We chatted for a bit and then headed over to the chapel. We prayed and as she explained what happened, I prayed and opened up the scriptures. I just randomly picked a scripture and it was perfect. It had her name in it and everything. We read it and she went home feeling a lot better. We are going to go to her house right now. I am so glad that we were where the Lord wanted us to be at just the right time. I hope you were all able to talk to someone this week as well... be that instrument in God’s hand this week. If you were, or had an experience this week... write it to me.

Love you all,
Tommy

I slept through all the fireworks

Another week down... another transfer down... another companion down. The 6 weeks have passed, and a new companion has arrived. Elder Roy is my new companion. He is a wonderful sterling young elder from Nicaragua. The funny thing is that he is RETURNING to his first area. So this is going to be interesting. At least I won’t need to train him in the area. He is a fluent Spanish speaker... with little English understanding. I’d put him at about 5 foot, 110 pounds. Dark skin, black hair, great smile... I feel awkward now. I honestly don't know anything about him... He seems great, so I’ll give you more details about him next week.

This past week was... blah. Everyone was traveling for the vacations and those who stuck around, wanted to spend time with the family that came to visit them. It was rather a slow week for us. Full of hypothesizes about transfers and rain and walking and parties. The end was really sad... it is always so sad to see people leave an area. The investigators always cry and don't understand. The members understand and try to tough it out. I’ll admit it is nothing like home. I don't remember any of the elders that passed through our ward. But everyone seems to remember us... photos are taken and tears are shared... It’s just a sad day. I’ll miss Elder Mortensen.

Well, something cool I wanted to share that just happened to me. I’ve always wanted to give The Book of Mormon to someone while they were reading another book. Today on the train I saw a woman reading a book and just knew it was my opportunity. So I sat down next to her and began to chat. She was reading the first Twilight book. It was too perfect. I explained how it was written in my home city, by a Mormon... I asked her why she was reading it and she said that her friend suggested it. I asked her if she would read a book if I suggested it and she happily agreed. I pulled out a copy of the Book of Mormon and gave it to her. I taught her a little bit about it and took down her information. I’ll be sending some elders to her house tonight. It is so wonderful to see the power God has. He turned my righteous desire into a wonderful experience.

This Saturday we did service for some orphanages. We put in a new floor so that they could sleep in more than one room. We also fixed the fence outside so that strange things don’t come in at night. It was fun to help them out. There were a lot of really cute little kids. The service was planned by our Zone Leaders... but due to weather and other things, it got delayed. Everyone was kind of cold hearted toward the activity when we left, but when we got there and saw the kids our hearts melted and we began to work. We got almost everything done in about an hour because of our desire to work and get the job done. We didn’t teach anything... we didn’t even wear ties... but it was good to serve the Lord in that way for a morning.

I have new goals for this year and new hopes. I’ve talked to my friends and connections and The Lord. It looks like I’ll be coming home in the first week of September. I’m sorry if you wanted me to come home earlier, but it looks to me like the Lord has other plans. I’m excited. I know I’ll really need you all to keep me excited too. I’m so grateful for all the prayers that I get from you all and support in various ways. I’m doing very well and my sickness is basically all gone. I’m excited and ready to go.

I hope that all of you take this opportunity to put goals down for the year. I never understood why we put goals down after new years. Then I realized that it is the best time of year, because we are all still focused on others after the Christmas Season. Now would be a great time for you all to get some goals down on paper and look at your lives. I know personally that it helps.

I love you all and keep you constantly in my thoughts and prayers.

Elder Steinkuhler

PS I slept through all the fireworks... :D

I played the part of Santa Clause

Well... I feel old in the mission now. Every missionary will call home 4 times and see 4 general conferences. By those you can see how much time they have left. I only have one call and one conference left... It`s all over man... I'm basically home. How sad is that?

Christmas was GREAT! I love talking to all of you. I'm sorry I couldn't talk to all. I had to leave early because my ride home was taking off. But the good news is that the car worked fine this time and we got home easily. Well it has been two weeks since I’ve written anything. I guess I should fill you in as to why and then what happened the week before.

My companion got sick... really sick. So we basically didn't leave the pench for 4 days. So... I didn't really have time to write. But I'm here for you all now. I know that you were all waiting with baited breath for 2 weeks to hear about me. I know that you still haven’t opened your presents and all, because you are all still waiting by your computers for my update. So here it is:

Two weeks ago... nothing happened...
Just kidding. We had interviews and also a fun trip to the offices. On Tuesday we woke up at 4 to go out to the offices and get my companion`s paperwork done. That was fun... NOT. I'm still tired from that trip. The really great thing about that week was finding these two great families:

Maria and Cintia are sisters. We showed them the Book of Mormon and taught a really great lesson about why it is important. Then we came back a few days after. Cintia had read the book and felt something. Maria had felt good, but nothing powerful. We taught them about Joseph Smith and what he did for us. Then connected it to the Book of Mormon and what our feelings mean. We asked Cintia to pray. As she did we prayed for her that she might know the truth. She asked God for a surety of his will for her. She stopped for a moment and then quickly finished the pray. The Spirit was so strong with us. We waited a few moments and then I asked her how she felt. It was one of those questions I knew the answers too. Everyone in the room had felt the power of the Spirit and Cintia took notice of that in herself. It was a wonderful chat.

Adrean and Veronica are a young couple. He looks like a metal rocker and she looks like a kindergarten teacher. They are an interesting mix. They had a lot of questions and we have answered many of them. They don't believe in God really, but they know they need something. So they are looking and trying to find the truth. I don't know how to explain this one, but just know that we found a wonderful family who is interesting and growing spiritually.

We also had the Ward Christmas party. I played the part of Santa Clause. Believe you me, I am a great Santa. We also stayed up way to late... a big regret of mine.

Well, this week was craziness. My companion was sick and I was stuck in the apartment all day. Now that everyone knows because my mother had to go and tell everyone... I was sick too. But just sick enough to make me sound sick. Anyway, I got board in the apartment, so I started writing a book with my companion about Dragons. It has been fun. With all the time we spent in the apartment we have got pretty far with it. We needed to be inside the entire time he was sick... then in by 6 PM on the 24th and 25th. We played a lot of funny card games with my Uno cards, and grew together as a companionship. It is weird how when you are together working and together sitting you learn different things. Elder Mortensen is a wonderful elder... but also a wonderful friend of mine now. I really appreciate the opportunity God gave me to learn and grow with him. I often forget who I’m with as I focus so much on the people. It was nice to get to know the man who is always with me.

Just so everyone knows... it has been really hot. I’m dying from the heat. It was a crazily hot week. My companion and I are back in full steam. Life is good and I am happy. I now miss everyone back at home a lot more... but there is nothing I can do about that. I just hope and pray that everyone truly is as well as they sound.

In this letter and especially this time of year... I send you all my purest love. I miss you all and love you all. I am extremely glad to have you all behind me supporting me and cheering us on.

All my love,
Tommy

PS Happy New Years!

I'll be calling home

Well, no update this week... I'll be calling home. It was a complicated week. My comp got sick and I have no time. I'm sorry, I'll try to do better. I love you all... 2 PM home time is when I should be calling home. I'll try to make that punctual. If not... 2:30 at the latest. Love you all.
Tommy

We eat and call a taxi.

This week was CRAZINESS!!!! I hope you all got the photos... there are photos of my new favorite flowers... they are double layered!?!?!?! The coolest dumbest dog ever. A few baptisms. My friends. And the new edition of the Bible that my father sent to me... and I changed a little bit. Well, I got board and gave it a covering (I want to meet the person who looked at a toilet and said... that needs a hat... or furry seat coverings)


So, the baptism was great. HORRIBLE, but great. Let’s just go through the steps. First of all, our bishopric promised to come, but none of them showed up. Well, we went to the church to start filling up the font at about 10:30. I know it takes about 2 hours... so the OTHER elders were going to turn it off at 12:30. We get to our lunch appointment and sit down to eat when my phone goes off and the other elders are screaming that we need to get back to the church (not an easy feat). The member offers to drive us in his car (one of 3 members with cars). We hop in and drive off... then break down. So we get out, try to fix the car... but eventually take a bus and get to the church. There we find that the other elders got there later then we were expecting and the water had overflowed. Fortunately all Argentine chapels are made out of tile floors... so we clean it up and take off back to the lunch appointment about an hour later. On the way back we see the member pushing his car home, so we jump out and push it all the way home... a lot longer then I remembered. We eat and call a taxi. That taxi never showed up... so we run over to a taxi guy and he brings us to the house of the family that is to be baptized. By the time we get there we were suppose to have started the baptism already. They get in the car... and fill it up. So my companion and I RUN back to the church and almost died on the way. We showed up about 2 minutes after the taxi... We get the baptism underway and at this point we notice that the bishopric is not there... so we go on anyway. While we are changing our clothes, we were going to watch a movie... but the controller was locked in the bishoprics office... so Elder Coats sang instead. The funny thing is that NO ONE in the room knew the songs, except Elder Coats... so he basically sang like 4 hymns all by himself. HAHAHA. But it all got done and we were very tired by the end of it all. Baptism days are SO hard.

new apartment mates

the OTHER apartment mate

Fun little story. We went over to an investigators house and she was being visited by a few friends. They were all drunk, but we had already sat down... so we chatted for a bit. We shared a bit with them because they had a lot of questions. They straight up told us that they were not in the condition to receive us, but that they wanted to learn more. So we set up an appointment with the wife of one because she wasn't drunk. On Sunday we came by and she came out with this puzzled look on her face. We asked to chat with her and her husband... and she just says... wow, you came. I didn't think you would come. Anyway, they didn't have time. So we are going back another day. My favorite part of this story is that they told us where the house was by the fact that they have two pigs in the front lawn. Ha ha... I'm teaching pig people. Go figure.

flower power

One last cool thing... we went to church one Sunday and see this man dressed up and looking alert. I figured he was with the other elders... they thought the same. Turns out he just passed by in front of the chapel and walked in. He was amazing. We gave him a Book of Mormon and are going to go by later this week.

Well, I don’t know when exactly, but I won’t be emailing next week. Our p-day is going to change for the next two weeks. I’m excited for Christmas. I don’t know when Ill call... we are going to do a service project as a zone, so I’ll let you know when I find out when the service starts. But for anyone who can or wants to go... I’ll be there... I hope you are too.

Next week I’ll have more time to chat because I won’t be sending photos again. So Ill try to write more spiritual experiences. I love you all.

Tommy

baptism from last transfer

We are the Friendly Giants of Mayol

I’ve been informed that I’ll be completing day 500 of the mission this week. Hiza for Israel. This week was a wonderful one. We worked really hard and got a lot done... but there is still so much to do. It is SO hard to get up in the morning. But it is just as hard to turn around at night and return to the apartment. I find the hardest rule for me to follow is to get home on time. We almost never make it within the right time frame. I talked to the president about it and he told me to be careful. There are dangerous people out at night. Fortunately they all come up to the bottom of my elbow... and everyone knows us... and loves us. Okay, not EVERYONE, but the majority. It is so funny. Elder Jones (from the MTC) was in Mayol for a long time as well. So everyone thinks I'm him, because I'm huge and lovable (and humble). We are the Friendly Giants of Mayol. It`s good being me.

Well, I had some wonderful questions asked to me that I would like to share with all. First of all... I had inquires of how Argentina really is. Well... the baptismal pictures are all taken from within church walls. The churches are not that different from the states. They are a little smaller and have no carpet (carpet is almost non-existent in Argentina). But the homes are mostly huts or small cement boxes. It is very humbling. The roads are mostly dirt and flat. There are often mud holes, and dirt holes... and animals, or carcasses. It is a different world. Some day I’ll come down here again and take pictures of all the... different things. Until that day... imaginense.

Speaking of which... fun little update, I’ll be speaking only Spanish after the Christmas phone call home (ET phone home (Elder Tommy) it just fits too perfectly). Which will be taking place about Christmas Day... mas o menos. Be there or be square.

So, next question: How do you "train"?
I don’t really train. I just kind of be a good example and guide us to do the right things. I teach my companion the rules and how to follow them correctly. I explain any mission specific rules (like no matè). I invite him to be the best missionary possible and then leave him to experiment for himself. I know that sounds a little weird, but it’s true. One thing I’ve learned from all my teachings and all my learnings is that teachers suck! Teachers don’t ever do anything. They can explain new ideas or what have you. The real teacher is the self, accompanied by the Holy Ghost. So I explain and INVITE... then leave him to pick his own path. I try to guide him to the best path if at all possible, but it’s not always possible. So, I’d say training is more of a guiding process. Never should a trainer try to crush what is already good. So I just push here, or pull there. I don’t do much.

All I can think of to say about this week is that it was crazy. We will be having 3 baptisms next week... so we’ve been working our tails off all day, every day. It is kinda like running on a roller coaster, you just try not to get hit by the train as you run around in circles. Hey, that is a good analogy. I feel like I’m running on a roller coaster track. YEAH!!! IM BRILLIANT!!! Anyway, it was a good week. My companion is amazing. He is getting better and better every day. We are working harder and harder every day. We are teaching better and better. My father sent me a bible recently and I’ve been putting it to use. I haven’t taught from the Bible in a very long time. I took an hour to get some numbers back in my head and I’ve been trying to use it daily since. I love the Book of Mormon, and it is hard for me to pull away from it. But I need to help people understand all of God's words.

Noche de Luz was this week. It was the Nativity choir from the mission. It was great!

And... I’m gone. I’ll send photos next week. I couldn’t do it today, computers here suck.

Love you all,
Tommy