One down. One to go.

Has it really been a year?  I can remember it like it was just yesterday -- Nathan dropping me off at the MTC, at precisly 1:09pm.  La verdad que sí, el tiempo está volando.  I´ve got to put on the seat belt and hang on for dear life.  We celebrated by making brownies and empanadas.  The empanadas turned out really well.  Be warned; I´ll be able to cook like a true Argentine by the time I get back.  Get Excited.

 

One of the highlights of this week was our Zone Conference.  It´s always a great opportunity to learn from our Mission´s leaders and see other elders in the mission.  President Heyman gave an amazing talk on the Holy Ghost.  He broke it down into three categories:  A God, The Power of the Holy Ghost, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I´ll spare the details, but it would definitely be a study worth your while.  It really opened my eyes to what the Holy Ghost really is and what it does.  Sister Heyman worked her magic again, making chocolate chip cookies for everyone.  Mmhmm.  You just can´t beat Sister Heyman.

 

Things are going great here, in Goya (the second largest city in the Province of Corrientes, 100,000 people).  I´ve been in this area so long that I really don´t remember everything that I´ve told you.  So, if you have questions about my area, tell me!

 

I´m on page 505.  I bet I can finish the Book of Mormon before Matt finishes the Old Testament.

 

From the elder that´s getting pretty good at shouting things in Portuguese,

 

Elder McMurray

GFL.

So... transfers came.  and went.  I´m officially a Goyano For Life (GFL).  Thus meaning that I will be here, in the Belgrano Branch for at least seven months.  Kind of crazy, right?  As you might have expected, Elder Snelson stayed as well.  We are excited for another transfer of success.  Nothing can bring this patota down.

So soccer has come to an end?  My heart goes out to you, little brothers.  Undefeated the entire season and then losing a heart-breaker at the end is such a sour way to end the year.  It reminds me of our loss in a PK shootout my senior year... It still burns.

This week was a Benjamin kind of week.  Benjamin Aguirre, is officially the newest member of the Belgrano Branch.  Unfortunately, he isn´t the oldest.  At 76 years of age, he got beat out by Amelia (80).  He really has been a treat to teach.  He´s a very simple guy that always says something that you weren´t expecting.  He knows how to make you smile.  I had to laugh a little at his baptism, though.  He definitely did something that was a first for me.  Due to some complications with his leg, getting him completely submerged in the water was a little tricky.  It must have been four times before he got all of the way under the water.  But what made me laugh was that for some reason, he felt the urge to repeat the baptismal prayer as it was being said.  It caught me a little off guard.  I´m just so use to hearing only one person.  And because it was such a task to get him under the water, he kept saying little things like, ¨Oh, here we go now,¨ before going under.

All I can say is that we have the best apartment owners ever.  Their son, a member of the Church, is a jack-of-all-trades.  He´s already fixed several things for us.  The other day, he heard us dribbling a basketball.  And as a result he told us that he would sadder a hoop for us and put it up.  Just this morning, he came over with a legitimate basketball hoop.  And because all houses in Corrientes are made entirely of cement, he drilled a few holes on the side of the house and put it up.  How cool is that?!  I´ll have to send you pictures of it.

Well... I´ve been making a late surge.  I´m on page 478.  Another two weeks or so and I´m done.  Any challengers, still?  While reading in Mormon, I never quite realized just how much love he had for his people (the worst of the worst people.)  It really helps me to see every person as a child of God.  It also helps me realize that God loves me just as much as the next guy.

OOxxOXXxOOoo,

Elder McMurray

ps so I bought the hair clippers..only like $45.  Not too bad, I guess.

Elder Snelson, Silvia, Ryan

Chorizo...great sausage. 

Elder Snelson, Benjamin, Ryan

What´s cooking in the Olla in Goya?

It was a lot of fun talking to you guys last night!  It sounds like everyone is doing well.  Mom, it sounds like you had a pretty Super Mother´s Day.  I liked the Backstreet Boys Mother´s Day song.  It´s pretty catchy.  Oh, and yeah and somebody mentioned the new grill.  I´m excited to cook Argentine-style on it -- Get excited.

This week has been fairly standard.  The big news of the week will have to be awarded to Moving Day.  Saturday morning, we officially changed apartments.  Seeing as I´ve been here for about 6 months, I´ve been able to see the entire process through.  I had no idea that a mission to Argentina required a minor law degree.  We first had to find a new place to live.  Then we had to talk business.  I won´t lie, it was rather fun negotiating the details.  Luckily, the contracts for housing are fairly standard here in Argentina.  After sending the contract to the mission office, we received the approval of it.  I was feeling pretty good when I pointed out 3 errors in the contract before I signed it.  Maybe I should look into a Law Degree and a minor Spanish, when I get back...

Anyways, back to Moving Day.  The move was fairly easy; we don´t really have many personal belongings, nor did the apartment have much other than beds, a fridge, and our wardrobes.  Moving trucks are referred to as ¨Fletes."  Basically, an organization of pick-up trucks.  After only 2 hours, we had moved out and moved in.  We paid the dude and his two sons 150 pesos...I knew it was too high of a price...but my companion was fine with it.  We found after that it should have been 50ish pesos...

This weekend we have another baptism!  Benjamin is a 76 year old champ.  We are really excited for him.  Apparently I have some connection with the oldies... :)

Well, I´m on page 449.  3 Nephi 18:28-29 is a real eye-opener for the Sacrament.  It definitely gives the Sacrament a new meaning for you.

I love you bunches and oats,

Elder McMurray

Bautismo. That´s right.

I´m not sure how I managed it, but I forgot to tell you guys that we were lined up for another baptism this last Saturday, the 5th.  Silvia Fernandez is the newest member of the Belgrano Branch.  She lives next door to the Church...literally.  The Church and her house share a wall together.  She´s great.  That´s really all I need to say about her.  I think I forgot to say something about her baptism because she has been the easiest person to teach.  She has been a very faithful Christian her entire life.  She knows the Bible up one side and down the other.  We really didn´t teach her much at all.  My favorite part about her has got to be her smile.  She´s not afraid to show. (A rarity, at times, here.)  She even bore her testimony in the Fast and Testimony meeting at Church yesterday.  I know that Heavenly Father has some big plans for her in the Church.

 

Caroline, you want a funny story about one of my companions?  Well I´m not sure how funny this one is, but here ya go...

This week, my companion found himself with a rash.  A BIG rash.  Like covering the entire body with red splotches, big rash.  I had to laugh a few times as he took some of my suggestions...  He´s been wearing gloves so that he won´t scratch himself.  Right before he took some Benadryl, I warned him that he was going to get sleepy (this knowledge coming from the countless times of mom breaking out from allergies.). Well... he was getting pretty good at mastering the old ¨sleeping while sitting in a chair¨ trick.  I hope that was sufficient, Caroline.  Please don´t shave my eyebrows off.

 

This week, I´ve been reading in 3 Nephi.  For all of you chasers, I´m in Chapter 11.  Read 3 Nephi 9:14.  The hands are ALWAYS extended.  Remember that.

 

I love you all,

 

Elder McMurray

 

ps My hairclippers died this week.  The motor just died.  Conveniently, right as my companion finished cutting my neck line.  Should I buy a new one, Mom?