6/13/11

Hello again from a new area in Argentina and a new awesome gringo!!!!! I got TRANSFERED TO TARTAGAL!!!!!!! Which is actually less than an hour from Bolivia, so crazy. Perico was so nice having 2 grocery stores and knowing the area-like perfectly. I am now with a sweet comp. and I get to "kill him'!!!!!! This means he 'dies' at the end of this transfer so he is ready to work hard with me to baptize this whole area. Man he is amazing!!!! He has 23 months on his mission and has been district leader twice, along with zone leader, it is so awesome.
Well this morning woke up at 6am, out the door by 7am and my bus left at 8am. The bus ride was 6 and a half hours but I was with a sweet Columbian Elder so I got to practice my spanish a ton with him, it was awesome. We talked for 2 hours-just straight fluent spanish with no problems. This launguage just seems so easy now it is so awesome, what a blessing to be here and already feel pretty comfortable with the launguage.
It was so hard to leave my last area because of the members and my converts though. The last time I cried was when I left you all in California. But yesterday, familia mendez made a giant cake; familia coppas made a giant cake and 3 members bought me red bull energy drinks-haha. No matter where I go the devil still tempts me with those drinks, I swear. Anyway, saying goodbye to the members and to my converts left me and them in tears but when I got on that bus leaving behind elders and all my progress for 4 months, I realized I am ready to move and do this in my next area. This new comp. has a lot of time on his mission but he is so glad I get to take over once he 'DIES'!!!!! and I kill him. This means gifts, gifts and more gifts. When you 'kill an elder' you get first dibbs at everything they don't want so not only do I have to learn this new giant area in one transfer, but I might move up meaning the senior comp. or better yet, district leader. The president in my last interview said I have the potential but it all depends on the new president in July. It would scare me quite a bit to move up but also be such an honor.
Well I have a feeling these members are gonna give me a lot of gifts on my mission and you may ask why? Well, one member has this orange chevelle super sport or SS. hE HAS KEPT IT RUNNING FINE but it needs an owner because he only wants it for 17 more months. He said for me to come back after my mission and I can have the car for free!!!! He also says he will keep it in the same condition when I get back!!!! So awesome, I mean a chevelle SS. so Erik or whoever comes down here with me, we have a car for fishing and racing. It has a 250 in it now and a 4 door and orange, I love it.
I've realized what is important to get along with people and to be a good missionary and that is LOVE!!!!!!! It sounds so simple but when you love like CHRIST DID AND DOES, THINGS ALWAYS GO RIGHT!!! I cried to leave the members because I love them and they loved me. In my time in Perico we reactivated 12 inactive families, baptized 2 and knocked over 350 doors. These are not just numbers because now that we baptized Diego-the whole family of 12 is reactivated and Patricio now is taking his girlfriend to the temple the end of this month to be baptized. Salvation and an eternal family are the 2 things and the 2 biggest gifts. Always be thankful for what you have and where you live because it can be so much worse. Stay strong, love one another and keep me in your prayers. I love you all... the one and only ELDER DARBY