The other day I received all of the probiotic and the jerky. As for the other stuff I would assume that it is with the Funk family still because they flew into Iguazu. I also received the corbata navideña (Christmas tie). This tie has been making it's way through the hands of missionaries here since 1996. I guess this is a tradition but one that few know. Apparently you have to wear it one Christmas and take a photo of you wearing it on Christmas Day. You then send that photo to the other wearers of the tie. You then pass the tie on to someone else for the following Christmas. It is a Snoopy Christmas tie and it's really ugly. Elder Dickinson just went home and handed it down to me. He was my first zone leader. The zone conference is this Friday and we will again be traveling in cumbi to Capital. This time I'm going to take pictures of Walmart just for dad.

We taught a total of 60 lessons this last week. We've found a bunch of good families. We hope to see a few baptismal dates set pretty soon. We clapped a house the other day and a woman opened the door. At first I thought the woman said we already have that (speaking of our pamphlet) and she closed the door. She actually said that someone else was coming. I don't know how I mixed that up but it all worked out in the end. We spoke with another woman, after the first one, that told us she had always seen the missionaries walking by but that they never spoke with her. She always wondered why. We gave her the plan of salvation pamphlet (I can't remember how to spell) and she told us that this was exactly what she needed right now. Her husband is in the hospital with blood pressure problems and she's pretty worried about him. We will be going back to speak with her tomorrow.

After this contact my companion reminded me of what he said previously. He said that sometimes he thinks it's better that we don't clap each door right next to the last clapped. He thinks skipping is sometimes a good technique. It made me realize that not every house in my area has been clapped even when it feels like that. I'd like to wish a happy birthday to Nate and Nathan. I'd also like to wish a late happy birthday to Danny. I hope that everything is going well for all of you.

Love you all.

Chau,
Elder Hunsaker

Strikes, cold weather in Belgrano

Well we had transfers today and I'm still in Belgrano with Elder Patton. We are pretty happy to have another transfer together. I hope to have a baptism this transfer. I don't know if you all know about the strikes that are going on down here. The government decided to raise taxes on something and now there are a bunch of truck routes cut off by the farmers. We were told by Pres. Shakespeare to have a week supply of food storage. The prices on the foods will most likely start to rise. They are all ready running low on gasoline. It's a very interesting time to be in Argentina. Because of all this we had transfers a day early so that people might have a better chance of making it to their new areas. It is difficult to travel with random route cut offs. We are hoping that Pres. Shakespeare with be able to make it to his final zone conference this next Friday. The work has picked up here in Belgrano. We found a man yesterday that was an investigator about 2 years ago. He remembers a lot of what the missionaries taught. When we first spoke with him he said that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be Mormon but that he would like to start investigating again. My companion and I are praying that this is his time and that we are prepared to bring the spirit into his life so the spirit can touch him. Hopefully the families that are coming down don't have any problems bringing the package through customs. I doubt they will. The cold weather is pretty much here and it is making it hard to speak with people at night. I've come to find that it is much harder to be excited to work when it is freezing cold outside. I have no idea how Darren and Danny did it. I can't think of anything crazy exciting that has happened recently so this will be the end of my letter. I love you all and hope all is well. Hasta Luego (Until Later),

Elder Hunsaker

Mother Hen's Input:

Dear family & friends,

I read about the strike a while back. The government placed a higher tax on the export of soybeans and sunflower seed products. The whole world is dealing with the inflated prices of grains, etc. We have alternative fuels and floods that are affecting our prices. If you want to learn more about the strike there, I found this reason article that shows the escalation of this problem. MOM

Argentina farm strike flares again after crackdown

Bella Vista - District Meeting

We spent our day in Bella Vista again. This time we were at the house of some members. We had a really tasty asado. I tried papaya or some type of mango. It wasn't all that great. We played football with a member. He didn't quite understand that you can't throw the ball whenever you want. Elder Rapp (the Branch President here) explained all the rules and things after we played. They were drawing plays on paper and everything. It was really funny. We had the monthly district meeting where all the branch presidents come and receive a little talking to from the district presidency. In our branch we have a lot of less active members. We also have a slight problem with pride and gossip. It is really hard to motivate the members for long periods of time. I really hope that they come to the conclusion that if they work extremely hard now things will be easier as time goes on. My companion is about to hit his year mark and can't hardly believe it. I've got a bit of time until that moment but I'm sure it will fly by as well. We have had a little bit of success in finding new families to teach. Thanks for finding the SD card reader for me. I can't wait to receive it so I can send you photos from the past couple of weeks. Thanks to everyone for sending me emails this week. I wished I had more time to write back more than a few lines. I'm continuing to try my hardest to be exactly obedient so I can receive the blessings from doing so. I know Heavenly Father blesses those that try and do. I'm thankful for all your letters and love. Gracias por todo lo que hacen ustedes. Con amor, (translation - Thanks for everything what you do, with love)

Elder Hunsaker

Milanesa Research (Thanks, Mom!)

Milanesas (plural of milanesa) are a common meat dish mostly in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay as well as in other American countries at a lesser extent, such as Mexico, where breaded meat fillet preparations are known as a milanesa (In Portuguese, the beef version is called bife à milanesa and the chicken version is called frango à milanesa).

Homemade milanesas.

The milanesa was brought to Argentina from Central European immigrants, its name reflecting the original Milanese preparation cotoletta alla milanese, which is similar to the Austrian wiener schnitzel. [1][2]

A milanesa consists of a thin slice of beef, or sometimes chicken or veal. Each slice is dipped into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt, and other condiments according to the cook's taste (like parsley and garlic). Each slice is then dipped in breadcrumbs (or occasionally flour) and shallow-fried in oil, one at a time. Some people prefer to use very little oil and then cook them in the oven as a healthier alternative.

In Argentina and Uruguay, milanesas are frequently served hot with fried or mashed potatoes, this dish is known as milanesa con papas. They are often used as a sandwich filling, with salad. Lemon juice is also commonly used as a seasoning. Their low cost and simple preparation make milanesas a popular meal.

"Milanesa a la napolitana" with French fries.

By adding tomato paste, mozzarella cheese and sometimes ham, Argentines created a dish called "Milanesa a la napolitana" (Milanese alla Neapolitan). "Neapolitan" was taken from "Neapolitan Pizza", which has these ingredients, but results in a peculiar name since "Neapolitan" means "from Naples" and "Milanesa" means "from Milan".

Milanesa Kaiser is variant eaten in Chile (where normal milanesas are also eaten) that have a layer of melted cheese between the beef and a layer of ham.

In Mexico and Southern United States milanesas are eaten in some regions, but in a torta (a sandwich made with bolillo or telera buns). Avocado, onion, chilies and refried beans are commonly added, and in Northern Baja (due to American influence), it features lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise like a traditional sandwich. A milanesa "Memela napolitana" is made with a thick fried tortilla with a milanesa on top, with ham, tomato sauce and grated cheese. In Mexico, milanesa usually refers to the preparation method, any type of meat that is pounded thin, breaded and fried might be referred to as a milanesa. While eating milanesa in a sandwich is most common, it might be served as a main course as well.

Teaching the Gospel in Five Minutes

Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 19:45:4o

Well I spent my p-day in Bella Vista playing soccer on the shore of the Paraná river. After our little outing by the river we as a zone ate at some place with a really big Milanesa sandwich. I wasn't able to buy a cable for my camera because Walmart Argentina isn't like Walmart in the states. It would be good if you could get an XD card usb port adapter thing instead of a cable. Just ask Darren and he'll know what that is.

I'm doing well here in Goya. My soccer skills are progressing along with the language. We've started doing lots of short 5 minute lessons in our contacts with people. It works out really nicely and allows us to bring the spirit to the people that we contact. Doing these types of contacts we are finding more people to teach. President Shakespeare with be leaving on June 30 I think. He has one more zone conference and that's it.

The weather has been cold and rainy. Elder Patton has been dying with all the cold air. Given that he is from Boca Raton, Florida and has never felt air colder than 62 degrees or something like that. Those parasites that the Halls have are with them because they served in the ghetto South American countries. Just kidding! I heard a story about the water in Paraguay from a sister missionary in my branch. She said there were actual worms that came out of the faucets. Nasty!

We've been teaching an elderly couple. They are really nice to the missionaries. We tried setting a date with them for a goal of being baptized. He told us he would set the date and that he's not going to die anytime soon. He's like 75 years old and telling me he's not going to die soon. huh. I explained that any of us can go home to our creator when he needs us. He understood that and we committed him to select a date by our next visit. I hope he follows through with his promise. They are a really interesting couple. They make little cigars and sell them for 10 cents. My comp wants to make a cigar just so he can say he made one. haha.

Oh ya, the reason why I pulled money out was because I had transfers, divisions, and some other refundable costs and when the end of the month came we hadn't received any money and we were broke. I was drinking powdered milk and if I had that orange juice mix from bishops store house I'd have been drinking that too. haha. It wasn't that bad but I did need extra money. Also, I can't buy Reese's in the Walmart here. I hope to send photos soon. I have quite a few. I love you all and I hope all is well with those people that I don't ever hear from. HHMMMM...Melissa, Danny, Ben, Tricia, Jen, Nate, Steve, Shawn, Darren. I know your lives aren't that busy.

Mucho amor. Chau.

Élder Hunsaker

P.S. I almost forgot to mention that I ate carpincho milonesa for lunch yesterday with a member family here. It was really good. It has the texture like pork but taste nothing like it. Maybe it taste a little like it but I can't remember what pork tastes like. Love you all. Hasta Luego