Letter 4/11/11

Hello,

Kind of a bummer week to report this week. We were supposed to have 4 baptisms, but one by one, they all fell within two days of the baptism. We were kind of sad. But, we´re going to have a great transfer coming up. Oh yes, I am staying in my first area still. By the end of this transfer, which starts today, I will have had 6 months in Moreno. Whew! Long time. But, it´s going to be awesome. We have the possibility of having at least 5 baptisms this transfer. I´m so excited! My comp from the MTC, Elder Alkema, is moving into our Zone! He´s such a stud! We´ll have to do a special exchange this transfer. Haha

I prayed for Paige on the day of the ACT, and I´m sure she did well. If not, it´s not a big deal. You can always head to a community college for a year and then go to a University afterward. But, I pray for you everyday, Paige, that this gig in Alabama goes well.

I know, the time here is flying by! It´s so weird that it´s already been 6 months! But yes, we are definitely working hard and losing ourselves in the work.

We were pretty bummed to find out that none of our baptismal candidates were going to get baptized. One of them called us two days before the baptism and told us that she didn´t want us to pass by anymore because she felt pressured into being baptized, we only talked about baptism one time, and that´s when we challened her to be baptized. The other two were having problems with one of the three-headed dragons, of which are: The Law of Tithing, The Word of Wisdom, and the Law of Chastity. I won´t say which one of the laws they are having traouble with, but I will say that they are boyfriend and girfriend... And the other baptismal candidate didn´t want to get baptized right now because she said she didn´t feel it was necesary. Uhhh... ¿Por qué? (Why?). But, we´re hoping that the three of the four will get baptized this transfer. So, we´re pretty stoked.

Not much to write this week, I´m afraid. But as transfer goes on, we´ll have a lot more to write. I love you all so much and I will talk to you later!

Love you!

Elder Garrett Brighton Rook

Moreno, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gaucho (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡautʃo]) is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil. In Brazil, Gaúcho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡaˈuʃu]) is also used to designate people from the state of Rio Grande do Sul in general.

The word gaucho could be described as a loose equivalent to the North American "cowboy" (vaquero, in Spanish). Like the North American word cowboy, Venezuelan or Colombian llanero, or Chilean huaso, or the Mexican charro, the term often connotes the 19th century more than the present day; then gauchos made up the majority of the rural population, herding cattle on the vast estancias, and practising hunting as their main economic activities. The word "gaucho" is sometimes used to refer to chimichurri, a steak sauce common to Argentina.^[1]

There are several conflicting hypotheses concerning the origin of the term. It may derive from the Mapuche cauchu ("vagabond") ^[2] or from the Quechua huachu ("orphan"), which gives also a different word in Spanish "guacho". The first recorded uses of the term date from around the time of Argentine independence in 1816.