Hola from Argentina!
I hope everyone has had an amazing week. Hopefully it was better than the one we had here. It was one of those weeks where nothing really works out the way you want and you just have to keep telling yourself to keep going trusting that things are going to work out. We didn't have much success, but there were some highlights. Here they are:
On Wednesday we had interviews and a training meeting with President. It was a really good training. President Gulbransen is one of the best men I have ever met. He pretty much just radiates love where ever he goes. He is an amazing example of applying the gospel is one´s life and being filled with the love of God for all men. My interview with him really helped me because I was feeling a little downhearted but he lifted me right back up. And in the training meeting we watched a powerful talk by Elder Holland and then we talked about the importance of working with the members. It helped me get a better vision of what we need to do in this ward. The real measure of success of a person (be it missionary or anything else) isn´t in what s/he does by himself, but in what he helps others to do. We can work all our life on our own projects but we won´t get nearly as much down if we don´t have other people help us. And if we don´t have other people help us we are denying them the opportunity to grow and to learn how to do it.
Other than the training with President the best part of the week happened on Saturday night. Last Saturday we were walking down a street on the way home to eat lunch when some guys sitting at a table drinking wine called us over. I ignored them but my companion went over to talk to them (I don´t know what he was thinking, talking to drunk people doesn't usually turn out well). But one of them said that he was a less active member and but us each a choripan (a really good Argentine sausage in bread type thing). This Saturday (a week later) we saw them on the street again and stopped to talk but they didn't buy us anything. But later that night we were walking through the local villa and heard someone yell my comp´s name. It turned out to be one of those guys at the table that invited us in and showed us around. He is really nice man; an alcoholic but has desires to stop drinking. We talked about the gospel with him and how God can help him stop drinking and we told him we would come by his house on Sunday morning to go to church together. He accepted and was really nice. He even gave us a wooden doll house that he built! We have no idea what to do with it but we couldn't say we didn't want it so we took it. I´ll have to send pictures of it next week. Sadly when we went on Sunday morning he wasn't home. But I felt the spirit really strong as we talked to him and I´m sure he can stop drinking and change his life if he accepts Christ in his life. And we are going to help him on the journey.
That´s all the really exciting news. On Sunday there was a Boca vs. River soccer game so there was NO ONE in the streets or willing to talk to us. Boca won 2-0. ¡DALE BOCA! It´s awesome how into soccer games everyone gets here. We knew every time there was a goal and when the game was over because a ton of firecrackers would go off and everyone would be yelling. Too bad we don´t do that in the states.
Well that´s all I got time for. Make sure you all keep swimming this week and don´t give up no matter how fast the water seems to be going in the opposite direction. I´ll talk to you next week.
Love,
Elder Gardner
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