Neuvo Presidente!

Well alrighty then. This week was a little crazy and all over the place. I feel like we were kind of running around everywhere, but yet again, I’m really learning a lot and growing in the gospel at the same time. 

So last Pday, for the afternoon, I was on divisions with Elder Dressen from my group from the MTC. We got to the mission at the same time and it is really fun to see how well other missionaries get work done and learn from them. He and his comp were in town because the entire country had a strike on Monday for the collectivos here. So they were stuck in Rafaela after transfers. Thankfully the strike didn’t last very long. We visited a few people and found one lady that has a lot of potential. It’s going to be fun with him in the Zone this transfer. 

Tuesday morning we had to go back to the dentist to finish the work on my root canal. And of course, our Uncle Adrian accompanied us. Apparently, last time they drilled into my face, it was basically only half of the entire process. She only had time to take the pain I was having away. On Tuesday, they finished the work, and not going to lie, this time it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. The treatment took close to 3 hours and by the end, we didn’t have much time left in the morning, and after having my face drilled into for 3 hours straight, I wasn’t feeling pretty. So we took the little time we had and I rested a little in the pench. Luckily, I was feeling much better after studies, so the afternoon was actually pretty good and fun. We visited Hermana Soledad and it was really funny because when we showed up, she was really, really happy to see us. We hadn’t visited for about a week and she thought that we had left the area and were gone for good without stopping by to say goodbye. So we had a good laugh about that. Both of her daughters were there and told us that they had received calls from Soledad. Apparently, she was crying about how we had left her forever. So it was good to see her. Afterwards, we talked to Matius, the kid that we usually visit once a week. He is such a boss and really smart and funny. We reviewed a lot of what we had taught him before, and he remembers close to everything. Then we shared a little something aobut Samuel the Lamanite and he really liked that story. Its always a good time when we teach Matius. 

Wednesday in the morning we had to go to the terminal to buy some tickets for our colectivo ride to Santa Fe that night. I had Tramites on Thursday and we had to travel Wednesday night. But that morning, we by to see Mauricio, a kid we are teaching in 2 de Abril. He was once really close to being baptized, but ended up backing out for some reason. But now, we are trying to reteach him all that he learned before and prepare him for baptism again. We taught him about Prayer, and somewhere in the lesson, we asked him, “Would you rather speak to God or to Messi?” and he said Messi. But then said, “Wait no, it doesn’t matter, because Messi is God.” Messi is an Argentina futol player. Crazy Argentines. That night, we talked with the really sweet old lady named Neli. She is really interested in what we have to say, but always seems to be busy. But, she also says that her grandson is interested too. So, we are hoping to get in a lesson with the two of them and get two people taught at the same time. That night, we traveled to Santa Fe and stayed in the Office Pench which is always a good time. Especially this time, because I was doing tramites with 2 or 3 other elders from my same group from the MTC. 

Thursday morning we woke up at 4am to travel to Rosario. It was a pretty long day full of traveling and waiting in Tramites offices. It was pretty lame over all, but it was nice to have time and talk to guys from my group that I have only seen once since the MTC. We shared all sorts of stories and experiences and it made what would have been a very lame day into a good day. We also ate some really good food in a Peruvian Restaurant. I got a kind of steak thing with rice and it was spicy and amazing and delicious.

Friday morning we had to get our money for the next transfer from the bank, and it sadly took close to all morning because there were long lines, and when we finally got to the ATMs, they weren’t working for us. So we had to go to other banks and then take the money all they way back to the pench. But, we still got some contacting done, and met a few people that we hope to talk to with a lot. One was a kid who we hope to bring to our English classes and the other a lady that works as a nanny for a family. Both have a lot of potential and we hope to stay in contact with them. For the afternoon, we made contact with a reference that we had received from the other missionaries here. His name was Jose and is a really great guy. He told us that he used to be really crazy into drugs and had even lost his family and house because of his addictions. But, he finally decided that enough was enough and that he is finally changing his life. He tells us that his family is the most important thing in his life and that he hopes to find a church to help him change his life for the better. How happy were we to hear that! We can’t wait to see the great steps that he makes with the Gospel. We also had a lesson with Gabe. We had a really long lesson, taking close to 3 hours, and taught the Commandments, specifically The Word of Wisdom and Law of Chasity. He told us that he is going to try his hardest to keep these commandments, but that it is going to be hard for him. We promised him that he can do it, especially when he is focusing on prayer and reading the scriptures. He is a really good kid and can definitely feel the spirit when we go by. 

Saturday. In the morning, we had a blessing to give to a young man and his mom. The guy had an accident about a month ago that put him into a coma. He was been in stable condition, but has been bed ridden and unconscious for over a month. So we gave him a blessing of health to help him recover faster and return to full heath. We also gave a blessing to his mother, who is having troubles keeping after her son and work at the same time. Oh, and on top of it all, she also has cancer and has to take care of her own health problems. It was a very spiritual experience and we were happy to help others. That afternoon, Argentina played in the Copa Mundial (World Cup) against France. Sadly, they lost and the entire country was sad and angry. Literally no one was out in the streets during the game that was also during the siesta. It was fun to see how crazy the people go when Argentina scores though. Literally, people freak out and scream. Crazy stuff. That night, we visited the Fernandez family and they aren’t doing the best. They have all been sick for a while now and haven’t been able to go to church for a few weeks now. But, we talked with Ariel and we had a good 10  minutes together. We hope to see them in church this next week and will be visiting them often to help remind them of the meetings. 

Sunday was Fast Sunday and we fasted for a few reasons. First, for Gabe so he can have more help and strength to keep the commandments that we taught. Second, for the guy in the coma. That he can recover soon and his mom can have more peace. And lastly, that we can be lead to find more people this week. We also had the opportunity to bear our testimonies and I bore mine on the Prophet and how I know that he is the President of the Church and that Jesus is acting through him. After lunch and studies, Elder Robinson had a really bad headache, so we had to stay in the pench for a little bit so he could rest and nip his pain in the butt. Then we visited with the Familia Palota and also Emiliano. All are doing really well and we had a good time with all of them. Then, to end the night, we stopped by Gabe and watched the Because of Him videos. they are so powerful and amazing. I love Jesus so much!!

So yeah, a pretty good week I would say.  We will meet our new Mission Presidente this week at District Conference, that is exciting.

On thing that I decided to work on is the power that I teach with. It seems that I have kind of gotten into a routine of just saying words during lessons. But, I’m trying to work more on testifying and preaching with the power of the holy ghost. I really saw the difference when I focused on that, and can’t wait to see the things that happen this week as I work even more with this goal. 

To end with my testimony, I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ and that we can be blessed every day for our actions and obedience to the commandments and laws of God.

Thank you for everything you guys do for me and for the church wherever you are. 

Love you all,

Elder Haley

Ciao

American Street sign.  La Plata means The Money. I am holding a peso

Police car?

artwork from Elder Robinson

Empty streets during the World Cup game vs France and siesta

Sunday dinner.  We cook well!

Gabe!

Lion's Club in ARGENTINA!

Amazing spicy food!

Mural with Book of Mormon

World Cup hat and jersey

Nitendo?

We tried to make homemade rootbeer with the extract you sent.  We tried to use soda water...but it didn't work out very well.  Dry ice is impossible to find.

Sunday fun.

Teaching the Tree of Life