May 30, 2011 (ARGENTINA!!!)

Buenas todas!  Estoy en Argentina y el gente aqui habla muy muy muy rapido!!!  [Editor's translation: I am in Argentina and the people here speak really really really fast!]  Lol its crazy! 

So I am doing all right! The people here are way cool! They just don't always want to listen to us which is sad. So after I got off the airplane there were some Elders that met us and we were shipped off to our different the parts of the country! Argentina is awesome! We saw the temple on the way and it was way pretty! Then we took a 4 or 5 hour ride to Rosario. We met the Mission President and his wife. They were nice and we met with some other missionaries that are native spanish speakers who are serving in the Rosario mission. None of them spoke English and so we had to communicate with them in Spanish. I actually was doing pretty well.  I made friends with some of them and ya it was pretty chill. 

The next day they had us meet our new companions and trainers.  I am companion with an Elder Towner. He is way cool and we are getting along great! There are no problems yet! He is a great person and a super good missionary and incredibly good at speaking Spanish. After I met him, we left to go to our areas. My area was a 5 hour drive away in a city called Gualeguaychú. Lol it took me like 4 days just to learn how to say the name. The city is pretty big and we are the ONLY missionaries in the whole city! Lol talk about crazy! There is a ton of walking! My legs are dead! Lol maybe by the end of my mission I can get rid of my chicken legs hahaha. But ya, the city is way cool. 

Our apartment is in the nicest part of town, which is still not nice compared to how we live in America. My companion says that it is like the nicest apartment in all of the mission. So I am grateful that way! But ya we are teaching a family of giants lol. Their name is muller. They are All really tall. Oh and can someone send me an email with pictures of my family for me in an email? I can get the pictures if you send them to my Ldsmaill email. My companion says they are really good to get the people to trust you so they don't think you are a robot or something lol.  Just send me any pictures of things I like to do, of family and everything! That would be great if you could get them to me before next Monday. Our prep days are on Monday. 

So I have gone around with Elder Towner and met the people. They are all really nice! But a lot are just not interested in our message. It's not always like what you hear. People in this city aren't just jumping to the font to get baptized. But we did give a 9 year old girl the challenge to be baptized and she accepted. She should be having a baptism in like 2 weeks. Her name is Sol. Their family is so nice! We went over and taught them the plan of salvation. I practiced my Spanish with them. And lol it is not Spanish down here. lol It is Castellano. They say they speak Castellano, but really it is just Spanish with the double L´s and Y sounding like ´sh´. They actually talk in a very Italian kind of accent. Its kind of confusing because when they say something like ashuda, they really mean ayuda, meaning help but they just switched the sound. Lol so confusing. I feel like I hardly know any Spanish, so it was good to practice with the family of Sol. Their last name is Ortez. And in fact they fed us. They were really poor and this was all they had to give us. Also they were soooo kind and nice that I did not want to be rude. They set some questionable meat down on the table. Also some cooked eggplant and bread........... so I first took a bit of the meat and it had a really weird feel to it and taste but I managed to swallow it pretty much whole. There was still a WHOLE plate left. Lol so I ate it with the bread. I didn't ask what the meat was. Lol I didn't want to know. But finally, the plate was gone. Lol so the father pulled out more. Lol I was dying. Then they asked my companion if I knew what it was. Lol the name is mungdunga.....which is COW STOMACH LINING :P so ya.  I was quite disgusted, but I did not show it because the family was soo nice. The kids were so pleasant and good, so I tried not to offend them. Lol and when I left Elder Towner asked if I liked it cuz I was eating a lot of the meat. Lol I was just trying to get it out of the way. Lol so that is the only weird thing I have eaten so far. The Ortez family aren't members yet, but hopefully we can get the parents married and baptized.

There is sooooo much work to do here! There are about 500 members here and they are pretty much ALL inactive. The branch is not strong at all! Only about 40 members come. We need to do something to get these people back into the church and living how Christ showed us. Living the way Christ taught us is so important! The thing I love is that it makes us happy! When we follow the Lord we just feel happy! When we don't choose the right we feel bad! It's so simple. That is why I want to share the Gospel with the people here, so they can feel the joy we have.  Also to know that they can live with God after this life and He knows each and everyone of us. He knows how to make us happy! I am so happy I am a member of this church and that I now have the chance to share the gospel with the people in Argentina.

Last Sunday I met a man at church. It was his birthday and so he invited us over to his house for lunch and to play some games. It was soo fun! The game was really fun, it was with dice. He is 80 years old and the oldest member of the church here. He is so cool! I loved getting to meet him! I will send a photo of him soon!

So I am doing all right here in Argentina. Things are really tough here and the language is soooo hard. It's only the 5th day here, but I have constantly been busy! Hopefully I can help the people here. I love you all! I know that this is the true church! I know that God loves everyone on this earth! He has provided everyone with the chance to return to live with Him and be happy forever! I am so happy with my family, and I am happy serving! I am super tired, but diligently serving!

Well I've got to go! I love you all! Rachel work hard on Spanish next year so that we can speak Spanish to each other when I return! Paul please beat Zelda Skyward Sword and keep the game so I can play it some day. I love you Mom and Dad so much!!! And Allison and Jon and Stephanie and Ryan! You are the best family ever!!!!! Everyone keep being awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember to keep reading the scriptures and praying!

Elder Christopher Gibbs