Hola from Argentina! This week was another great one.....and just as a forwarning, there are probably a bajillion spelling errors in my emails because this computer is in Spanish it puts a red squiggly line under every single word, and I dont have time to go back and read it to find them.....sorry more editing for you to do.
Here in La Paz, everything is quiet and peaceful. And we are working a ton with less actives. Some years ago, the Rosario mission baptized a ton of people....and retained very few of them in the church...and so now our President is very concerned with retention and it feels like we are working in the the aftermath of all those baptisms....working hard to reactivate people who once had a testimony but just need a reminder and invitation to come back. Its a bit of detective work to find some of them, but its fun! Throughout each week we rally as many menos activos as we can and get them all excited to come to church, and on Sunday leave for church about an hour early to go pick some of them up. Yesterday it felt like we were waking up all of La Paz by clapping outside some of the members houses....when you start clapping, the nearby dogs start going nuts, and when one starts barking he can get them all barking and its just a domino effect. We were able to get quite a few people to church yesterday though, which is awesome. The rain first and foremost was cooperative, and the branch is starting to grow ever so slightly.
The church isnt very strong here in La Paz. There was one big branch about 3 years ago, so they split it and now have 2 fairly weak branches. We like to explain to people that the church is a hospital for people to go and get spiritual healing....but on the same side we need nurses and doctors to help take care of people. So we are really trying to help this branch grow. People have callings, but dont fulfill them, if people are asked to give a talk....they might show up if its convenient, but the drive to show up in order to fulfill a commitment doesnt exist here. There is just a different attitude about church here...that its important to go if you can, but if you cant (cant meaning you would rather sleep or cook) that its okay to skip. Its frustrating to work with this aspect of the culture....but we have also been mighty bold these last 2 weeks...reminding them of all the blessings they arent reciving and are never going to receive unless they go to church. We show our genuine love and care that we really do have for these people....share 3 Ne 18:1-12 that talks about the sacrament or Moroni 6:9 which explains that sacrament meeting is never boring becuase it is directed by the spirit....and that each message every sunday is the exact lesson that we need to hear. Its a slow struggle, but we feel like its growing. We go to the mutual activities to show our support for the youth programs, are holding weekly noche do hogars, and if you have any more ideas to get people to the chapel please share.
In other news.....sunsets here are beautiful. And the mornings are the best, becaause its not too hot and a lot of people are still sleeping.
Schools here are worth basically nothing. Most kids have school in the morning or in the afternoon....but not usually both, and never during the siesta. So each kid has between 3-5 hours of school. Schools also arent divided by boundaries....a family chooses a school like you would a doctors office or somehting. All the teachers and kids have to wear uniforms, which are white lab coats over normal clothes. It looks like Argentina is breeding a bunch of mad scientists! The playground area outside the school is a patch of grass surrounded by a barb wired fence. I am not even kidding when I say that the first time I saw kids in thier uniforms just walking around in the grass outside their school....I legitimately thought it was a juvenile detention center or something. Their schools and playgrounds literally look like prisons.
Mayonnaise is served with EVERYTHING and salads are lettuce with vinegar and salt or oil. They have the funniest condiments.
When we get groceries, we have to get 6 bags of milk.....SIX! The bags are about the size of a powdered sugar bag....and we just go through them quick. My favorite treat is chocolate milk (they sell Nesquik here) and that helps our milk storage move along. For breakfast we have corn flakes because thats the only cereal that is affordable here (everyone just drinks mate...so breakfast foods are interesting to find) and we just sprinkle sugar of the cereal and milk to make it sweet.
We have scheduled lunches wiht members every week....and we eat SO MUCH MEAT. So much. Its all really good, but I think for Christmas I am going to splurge and buy some real lettuce to make a real salad. I really miss fruits and vegetables. Also bread is served at every meal. So we eat a lot of bread, meat, and pasta. Its excellent. I just wouldnt eat their salad here, its not too good.
After one member meal last Sunday....we were getting ready to share a spiritaul thought. I had the verse ready to read, Mosiah 2:41 which talks about the temporal and spiritual blessings from keeping the commandments (ahem...going to church!) and handed the book to the member named Pepe and asked him to read it. He gets up, goes to his bucket of glasses, dumps it out, and starts trying on every pair. I told him, Its okay....I can just read it! But he was determined, and when he finally got to the pair he wanted he started reading.....it was just really funny to see this old man trying on all of these glasses. I dont know why he just keeps the ones he likes out, but it was a funny experience anyway!
We are going to Rosario tonight for an Hermanas conference with President. I am really excited! We will be back Wednesday morning, so a nice fun little adventure. Its a long ways for us, so its a big deal when we travel.
I love you all lots! More than all the chickens and roosters who run in and out of peoples houses (some during lessons and member meals!)
Hermana Withers
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