So, first off, you´re probably all wondering why I´m writing on a Saturday instead of on a Monday like normal. Well, you are about to find out...
This week started like any other normal week, on p-day we went shopping to buy ourselves Christmas presents since I didn´t get too many letters or packages (hint, hint). Probably not too surprising that I bought myself a sweet zippo style lighter. On Tuesday we went to work like nomal and as we were walking to a lesson I got a phone call that changed my life. The asistant called me and told me that I have been called to a new area in the mission. That new area is in Virreyes, and also happens to be the mission offices. That´s right, you read that right, I´m an office elder. I am the new coordinador de viviendas (living coordinator). So the asistant told me to get packed and be at the offices at 9 the next morning.
I get here on Wednesday and got right to work. I am replacing an elder that has been here awhile, his name is Elder Unrau. There is also the President´s secretary, Elder Johnson, and his replacement, Elder Nielsen, here in the offices with us. My first day Elder Unrau stated showing me how everything works and what I am supposed to be doing. Basically, I will be in charge of all of the apartments in the mission. I have to find new ones, make the contracts to rent them, deal with the owners, call people to make repairs when things break, make sure rent gets paid, etc. It´s pretty crazy. I authorize the spending of tens of thousands of dollars every month. Wow. Talk about responsability. And it´s a lot of making phone calls every day. I don´t even like making phone calls in english, and I know nothing about contracts and rent and stuff; how am I supposed to do this in Spanish? But that´s ok. One thing I´ve learned in the mission is that I don´t know how to do it. That´s the point. I can´t rely on my own knowledge of what to do. I need to rely on God. I think that´s the reason why callings are always changing in a ward. Once we think we know what we are doing we no longer rely as much on the Lord and He sends in someone new who doesn´t know what he is doing.
I think one of the reasons I got sent here was because in my last interview with the mission president he asked about my family and I mentioned that Dad works for google. So he asked if I knew how to use a computer and I said yes. Kind of funny story: When I got here everyone was talking about dropbox and they were all really surprised that I already knew what it was. And in our first office meeting with President (he was in tierra del fuego until Friday) he asked me if I knew how to use google docs and I said yes. So he put me in charge of setting up a mission account and putting stuff on google docs. I was surprised no one else knew what it was. I guess I know more about computers than I thought.
We also have an area with people to teach and everything. But we start teaching and stuff around 5 or 6 everyday. The ward is amazing. The members just come up and ask us when they can accompany us to a lesson and we teach a lot of lessons in the church building. I´ve never worked in a ward as good as this one. So I´m pretty excited about that part, but we only teach for a few hours a day so I still have no idea who any of the investigators or members are.
We have our p-days on saturdays since none of the apartment businesses and places we deal with are open on weekends. So from now on (until most likely the end of my mission) I will be writing on saturdays. And when you send me a letter or package I will get it immediately (hint, hint). This is all pretty crazy, but I am way excited. I´ll learn a lot of new skills and tools I never thought I´d learn on the mission. I´m kind of wishing I had watched more of ´The Office´ before. Now I understand it a lot better.
Love you all. Hope you have a great New Years. Read the end of Alma 51 and the beggining of Alma 52 to celebrate New Years
Atte.
Elder Gardner
Coordinador de Viviendas
Misión Buenos Aires Norte
oficina:4506-4201/02
fax:4506-4517
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I got a hint that something was up when I received the following e-mail on Friday, but I didn't know what until I got Doug's e-mail today.
Dear Gardner Family,
Elder Gardner is now working in a position where he will need to be able to drive here in Argentina. To be able to do this, he will need an international driving permit, which can be obtained from a local AAA office. We are sending you a picture of Elder Gardner that you can print out (2” x 2”) and use to get the international permit. A good place to print off the pictures would be in Kinko´s or Wal-Mart. We are also sending the signed form and a copy of his driver´s license. If you take the form, the picture, and the copy of his driver´s license to AAA, you should be able to get the permit.
Because of mailing delays, we would appreciate if you could to mail the permit as fast as possible so that Elder Gardner can start driving right away. Please let us know when you have sent the permit.
Fed-Ex and DHL would be the fastest carriers to send the license alone. Thank a lot for all your help and support of the missionaries!
Sincerely,
Elder Nielsen
SECRETARIO DEL PRESIDENTE
Misión Argentina Buenos Aires Norte
15-3775-0866
4506-4201
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