Well this week has been a long, amazing and difficult week. I cannot believe I have been in the field for a month but at the same time I still feel like I just arrived. I love being here though. I feel like I am at home, well as much as you can be, and the culture is a part of me now. The area we live in is mostly inhabited by Argentines but the areas we work in are mostly inhabited by Bolivians. But we experience a little bit of both cultures.
Here's the lowdown...
Paula is a 14 year old girl who is ready to be baptized. She is going to get baptized this week and that's awesome. She is really strong and comes to church on her own. She's had some problems with her alcoholic father but he is allowing her to be baptized. It is a miracle because for a week we didn´t hear anything from her or her family, even if we stopped by.
Marcela is the daughter of Elizabeth, a recent convert. She is 10 years old just like McKenna! She's awesome and their family is the best. We love going over there to teach and just be with them. They love to have us over. We always have hot chocolate because they think 60 degrees and humid is freezing cold like the next ice age. They always laugh at me because I tell them I'm kinda hot haha. I can´t wait to send you some pictures, but I'll do that next transfer because I don't want to carry my camera around.
We have a new investigator family that is progressing like crazy. They are a member referral and they have been having the hardest time. The dad is really inactive but he is super cool and loves to have us over. He and his girlfriend are going to be baptized after their marriage in early Julio. They committed to get married and she is really interested in the gospel. She is solid! She follows up on her commitments and she actually has the Book of Mormon out on her table to read instead of in a pile of stuff somewhere in the house. I can´t wait to see them tonight, they are awesome and have the cutest 3 little daughters. They love to climb all over me hah.
We have been working with inactive members and strengthening the ward this week. The ward is really getting stronger. We had 4 investigators at stake conference this week and a member of the Quorum of the Seventies (don't know how to spell his name) talked at stake conference along with Pres Benton. I love President Benton. He is so enthusiastic and loving.
Haha...a ward member drives a school bus. So he came around and picked up everyone in the ward and drove them to church. It felt like we were in the 70´s on the Partridge Family bus. Totally rad!!! The members were all having a great time, I loved it, it was tight.
Ahh, I have so much to write about. On a normal tracking day we always pass by the rich high rises and it's always surrounded by old people. They never want to listen so we call it the ¨Old People Street¨. We have to walk through it to get to the real tracking area with the people. So we just contact them and try to be super nice and have a good time with them, even if they always say ¨Yo soy Catolico, o, Estoy Ocupada..¨ We always here Ocupada/o. The word of our lives here in the mission.
I always hear this cart guy come around with a microphone yelling, "We have chickens, eggs...". It's super annoying. I saw a Beagle that looked like Ollie, too! The bishop's house is soo sweet because out of nowhere I found a Bob Marley CD. Soo sweet. I remember the first time I passed their house. It was bumping Bobby. We have a dog too that roams around the streets but he always ends up in the pench walkway. We see him about a couple times a week.
Well that's about it for today. I always want to say more but I gotta save some experiences for after the mission right?! I´ll send some pictures with this email. The pench is super small, as is the shower. The pictures will make the pench look a lot bigger than it really is, ha!
This work is true, it's hard but Salvation isn't cheap. You see miracles everyday and the lives of people change. I can´t believe it has been a month. Time does fly and you have to take every moment to do your best while on your mission, but still have fun. That's one thing I have learned to do, work hard but also find a way to have fun even when it's with someone you don't relate to at all. This gospel is true, I have had too many experiences already in my life and especially on my mission to deny the truth. Always read the scriptures, pray and live a good life and have fun! This gospel makes you happy. It really does.
Hope everything is going well in the ward and back home. Give everyone a shout out for me and thank the Hambrechts for their letter.
Can you send some pictures of Las Vegas? All the members here want to see more pictures of Las Vegas and my family.
Gracia!
Much love, Les Amo
Your Son
Elder Shepherd
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