Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Playing jokes on the EQP

I am starting to believe that mom is a slight pessimist. I send photos and she thinks that I won´t be sending a letter. I hope everyone enjoyed that letter that I did send. As to the questions asked in the email this week, Q: “Are you just sleeping in your sleeping bag?” A: Yes, I am sleeping in my sleeping bag because the blankets in the pensión are a little bit disturbing and because it is really cold. Q: “Besides your bathroom and bedroom what other rooms are up stairs?” A: There are a total of four bedrooms upstairs, 1. Our sleeping room, 2. His clothing room, 3. My clothing room, 4. An unused exercise room, and the bathroom of course. Q: “Does your bathroom have a bidet?” A: Yes it does and it works too.

That article that you sent me sounds a lot like the mission here in Goya. Transfers have come and gone. However, everything stayed the same. I´ll be with Elder Patton for 6 weeks more here in Belgrano. We are really excited to change our work tactics and put our efforts into more reactivation of less actives. We hope to find more investigators that way too. We have been clapping and clapping but nothing has really progressed in that manner. We have a very small pool of investigators right now but we are hoping for a baptism within that pool. There are a few prospective ones.

Last night the branch had their weekly meeting. In this meeting they share scriptures and then suggestions and oppinions. It is helping to strengthen the bonds between members here. It is working quite well. We assisted the meeting last night and had the opportunity to play a little joke on Hmo. Moratto the elders quorum pres. He was reading with his bifocals that look similar to my glasses so I decided to make a swap. He didn´t read anything for a little while but the time came to read and he scooped up my glasses and put them on. Immediately he took them off and looked at them but didn´t notice any difference and tried putting them on again. He took them off again and then tried cleaning them as if that would help. After the second cleaning process he look at my because I was laughing uncontrolably. He then noticed that I had his glasses on. I had had them on ever since I made the switch. We had everyone laughing last night. It is a good thing that Hmo. Moratto is just a big kid or he might have been mad.


My companion is like a 75 year old man with bladder problems and all sorts of other problems. We were walking home from lunch with Hma. Perez when he had a sudden urge. The urge became something more than an urge and he ended up wetting his pants in the middle of the road. The wet marks on his pants didn´t appear for a little while but then there they were like flowers in bloom. What a sad face and oh so so so embarrasing. It hurts me to walk with him now. And I thought that I had problems. The funny thing is, he thought that he didn´t have “problems”. Poor kid.

At the meeting I decided to take a few photos of the kids in the branch. There are a few photos from other occasions.


I have finally purchased my very first “Argy” deodorant. I just thought you´d like to see what it looks like. It is a little different in shape and everything. It is really interesting.

I have a few photos of stuff in my area.

Some graffiti or something. There are some birds that fly to California from here during the migrating season. I´ll be flying with them some season.

Don´t mention anything about Malvinas when you´re in Argentina. They aren´t very happy about it.

My area from atop the monoblok just like the ones on the other side of those houses.


And you thought I was serving a mission. I´m really just driving trucks all around Argentina and Brazil. Mwuahaha...

Another cathedral. They say that this is a replica of the basilica in rome or something.


Some art engraved in a wall in centro.

My comp could have used this a few days ago. Haha

I hope that everyone is doing well. Thanks for all the emails and the support. My birthday comes up this transfer and I get to celebrate with Elder Patton and a nice big bucket of icecream. I´d to hear from a few people but I won´t point fingers as to who. I just hope that the guilt with be bigger than any one of my fingers. I´ll make sure to take a photo of my shoes and we´ll see what´ll happen won´t we. Love you all and we´ll talk next week.

Elder Hunsaker


Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I have finally met my new president and his family. They are nice and we'll see if I really like him. He is from Buenos Aires and talks just like them. Shhh this and Shhh that. That is how they speak there.

We had a finally asado with Elder Ramos today. He will be heading home in one week. However, he will be making a tour of the mission with his mom in one week also. He said he'd stop by with his mom so that she can make chilean empanadas. I hope she wants to cook.

Now you all know what my pensión looks like and how big it is in comparison with my last. At the moment our shower is broken so it's cold water or nothing for the next few days.

Transfers are this upcoming week. My comp thinks that we'll stay here together one more transfer. I'm not too sure that is going to happen. He has 3 months here and the area is really small.

This next month we should have a baptism here in the branch. We are also going to start having piano and English classes for the branch. Our next missionary/ward activity is going to be a Jeopardy activity with questions, photos, and sounds of church topics. It should be really fun. We will be inviting the other branches to make some small groups so we can have a little competition.

The cold weather has officially come back into Goya. It came with our new president on the day of interviews. It poured all night long and we had a huge thunder storm. I enjoyed it but my shiny shoes didn't.

Speaking of shoes, mine have cracks in the bottom of one pair. I hope that they stay sealed for the next 6 months if that be possible at all. So with that said I may be in the need of shoes sometime soon.

Y bueno, quiero compartir mi testimonio con ustedes porque siento que es necesario. Sé que Dios realmente vive y que nos cuida día tras día. Sé que tenemos muchas pruebas de nuestra fe para que tengamos mas fe. Yo testifico cada día que las familias pueden ser eternas y sé que es la verdad. Este evangelio bendice a todas las personas que lo viven. Les dejo mi testimonio en el nombre de nuestro salvador Jesuscristo. amen. I love you all a ton and thanks for being there.

Here is the translation
Well, let me share with you my testimony because I feel it is necessary. I know that God really cares that we live and every day. I know we have ample evidence of our faith if we are to have more faith. I testified every day that families can be eternal and I know that's the truth. This gospel blesses all who live. I leave my testimony in the name of our savior Jesus Christ. amen.

Until next week,
Elder Hunsaker

Monday, July 21, 2008

My name is Elder Hunsaker

Mom if you wrote your letter in the open office program I can't open it. So if there were questions, I don't know. We have a few baptism dates set for the next two months. Hopefully the investigators can all make it to church so they can be baptized.

My companion has been sick with some stomach virus for the last 5 days. I tried offering him some of my pills but he declined the offer. Because of the sickness we haven't been out very much this week. Things should clear up soon. He spoke with the mission doctor yesterday.

The other day we went to have a book copied in copy master. The clerk that was working filled out a little work sheet for me. When he was filling it out he asked my name and I pointed to my badge and said, "Elder Hunsaker". He then wrote down my name as Jesucristo. My companion took full advantage of this by telling me how blasphemous I am. He wouldn't let it down until we picked up the stuff a few days later.

On another day we went to centro to take care of the finances for the branch and make the deposit. We took the colectivo home and passed by a group of 8-10 year olds. They all started screaming "polaco" as we passed by them. The colectivo stopped just a little ways past them with the back doors still open. The kids made their way to the bus and told us a few unkind things. One of them started yelling "cuatro ojos!" Then they all started. It was funny because I was the only one with glasses on the colectivo. Crazy kids.

I hope that everything is well with all that receive my emails. Love you all. Enjoy the photos. Hasta luego

Elder Hunsaker

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Crazy Argentine Kids

Mom if you wrote your letter in the open office program I can't open it. So if there were questions, I don't know. We have a few baptism dates set for the next two months. Hopefully the investigators can all make it to church so they can be baptized.

My companion has been sick with some stomach virus for the last 5 days. I tried offering him some of my pills but he declined the offer. Because of the sickness we haven't been out very much this week. Things should clear up soon. He spoke with the mission doctor yesterday.

The other day we went to have a book copied in copy master. The clerk that was working filled out a little work sheet for me. When he was filling it out he asked my name and I pointed to my badge and said, "Elder Hunsaker". He then wrote down my name as Jesucristo. My companion took full advantage of this by telling me how blasphemous I am. He wouldn't let it down until we picked up the stuff a few days later.

On another day we went to centro to take care of the finances for the branch and make the deposit. We took the colectivo home and passed by a group of 8-10 year olds. They all started screaming "polaco" as we passed by them. The colectivo stopped just a little ways past them with the back doors still open. The kids made their way to the bus and told us a few unkind things. One of them started yelling "cuatro ojos!" Then they all started. It was funny because I was the only one with glasses on the colectivo. Crazy kids.

I hope that everything is well with all that receive my emails. Love you all. Enjoy the photos. Hasta luego

Elder Hunsaker

Bella Vista

Elder Rapp waiting at the terminal

He still doesn't have a heart (maybe he needs the gospel, Elders!)

Parade for the 9th

The True Tin Man

Thursday, July 10, 2008

More pictures - the card reader has arrived!







I'll post more of the pictures later. Captions to follow later too.



Lots of Pictures

I threw a skittle at my comp while he was drinking and he spilled all over himself.


On our way to the fútbol championship




Stained glass inside of the tomb things

Rides to and from the jail are free today.

Let's play some futbol.

Familia Duarte

Belgrano


Cemeterio Belgrano



Little bit of “THRILLER!”

Wallpaper photo

Río Paraná

Our asado with familia Duarte


Papaya, yum yum



La Cruz in Bella Vista




A Dog

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

July 9th - Argentina Independence Day

So I didn't write one week and Mom calls the office and uses the cover of checking to see if the families dropped off my stuff. I hope that everyone enjoys the pictures. The card reader works really well and I'm happy that I can send pictures again. My mission president has been here since the 30th of June and I still haven't met the guy. I hear he is super excited to be here and that he has a good sense of humor. Someone said he was running around in Resistencia doing contacts and giving pamphlets to everyone. It'll be good to see him. We have interviews with him on the 21st. Today is independence day here. There was a big parade in centro. We didn't go to see it because we were going to play fútbol. We saw a little but it was just a bunch of flags and soldiers.

My comp and I are continuously trying to find new investigators. We set a baptismal date with one of our investigators for August 2nd. We hope to see more success. We finally taught the woman that told us that she had seen the missionaries walking in front of her house for years but never spoke with her. She said that when she opened the door to the house the first thing she saw was Christ on the front of the plan of salvation pamphlet. She needed a message from Christ and there we were. I think it's amazing how we find Christ when we least expect it but when we need Him most. Her husband had recently been put in the hospital for pressure problems. He is doing better now and so is she. She is a really nice lady. We had a few funny experiences with doors this past week. One person tried to slam the door in our face but the door flung back open when it hit the frame. One lady opened her door right when we were about to knock. It scared her half to death as she jumped back inside the house. Another lady came out and screamed, "we don't want any evangelists we're catholic!". I just thought it was funny that she started saying that before she had seen us.

The branch in Centro had another talent show this past weekend. Everyone really gets into these talent shows here. I'll take some pictures of the pensión and send them next week. I can't believe Adam and Sam are now married. That's crazy! Congratulations to Tricia and Sierra. Your kids will have a whole year and some before I see them. Happy Birthday to Jared, Coby, and any child that might have been born without my knowledge. I will now attempt to be a poet====>

"Darren should write me like a good brother should. Darren should write me like a good brother would. Everyone else writes me just like they should. To me it would seem possible that even Darren could." -Elder Hunsaker

I do believe that this poem would have gotten me an A in 2nd grade. Maybe it'll at least get me a letter from Darren. I hope that everything continues to go well back home. Love you all and hope to hear from more of you. Hasta Luego

Élder Hunsaker