Hola,
Kind of boring letters you sent me this week, but it´s okay. It
happens. Sorry to hear about your uneventful week. And sorry to hear
about Florida too. I know that I didn´t want to go, but it´s sad that
something like that didn´t come through. Something that I´ve learned
this transfer, was that the Lord has control of everything. The Lord
can control, that if we´re not being obedient to the mission rules, or
we have a lack of faith in him, the ability to meet or teach certain
people. This last Saturday, we found an amazing family of 6 that are
all interested in what we have to say, so we will be doing our best to
help them arrive at the waters of baptism soon.
Yesterday was a really bad day at church. So, elders quorum
starts. Our high councilman is going to teach the class. He says
"Bretheren, we have over 50 people on the ward records that are all
the age of being elders, but I only see 10 today. What happened to the
other 40? What can we do to help them get back to church?" So, all of
the elders start talking. *Side-note, no investigators showed up to
church yesterday.* Anyway, they start talking. They start giving
suggestions like home teaching, ward activities, and what not. Our
Branch President, President Golinowski who is a mega-stud, says "well,
if I remember right, me and my counselors have been planning ward
activities every saturday for the past 2 months and nobody showed.
Even with notice in sacrament meeting on phone calls, nobody comes.
So, we have ward activities, but nobody comes." The counsilor of the
elders quorum gets a little defensive and starts
yelling....yelling...at our Branch President that he doesn´t delegate
to other people to do this work. He said "Oh, I heard a sister say
that President does it all by himself. Where are your counselors? One
of your counselors isn´t here today, and your other counselor just
sits on the stand with his suit coat looking like a counselor and
doesn´t do anything! They don´t help you and you don´t ask them for
help!" *Side note: This is true, but partly. In our Branch, the
presidency is the only group that functions. Elders quorum is dead,
Relief Society is almost non-existant, and we have two active young
men and zero active young women.* President Golinowski said nothing.
His counselor, who was sitting there defended him and the conversation
went back and forth until we had to go and teach the Gospel Principles
class. After class, an hour later, we noticed that the door was still
shut on elders quorum. Sacrament meeting started 15 minutes late
because elders quorum wouldn´t stop fighting. Okay, at nthe beginning
of the meeting, we had close to 60 people. By the time that sacrament
meeting started, we had an assistance of 39. Some of the elders got
angry, took their families and went home. Sacrament meeting was dead,
the spirit was not present, and it was finally a blessing to end the
meeting and for everybody to go home. It was also a blessing that none
of our good investigators showed up to church, because there was no
good spirit to be had.
This week, we had the worst storm I have ever seen in my life. It
started out with wind that tore a sign out of the ground by our
apartment. Then, hail the size of cat´s-eye marbles. I kept some of
them in the refrigerator. Then it started to rain. We were able to
leave the apartment about an hour later after it calmed down a little
bit. Crazy. The streets seriously looked like rivers, no joke about
it.
Yesterday after church, my companion had to go and vote in
capital, becaue he´s from there. Anyway, we had to go within three
blocks from his house to go to the school where he had to vote. That
was fun. I have never seen a missionary so nervous in his life. He was
praying that he didn´t see anybody that he knew. Haha But, when he was
done voting, we had to get back to Ramos Mejía, where the mission
offices are, and he didn´t know how to get there. So, I called the
Assistants and asked if we could stop by his house so they could call
a car to take us back. I know it sounds disobedient, but it was really
our last option. He told us to go ahead, but then he stopped, and said
that it was probably better that he didn´t see his family. So, he told
me to call his family and ask them to call a car. So, I talked to my
companion´s family while he sat there and watched me. Poor kid...:-)
Ended up not being any car to take, so the Mom told me to go to a
certain area to take a taxi cab. Fun experience, probably not for him.
Okay, I know that you guys see that I did not attach pictures
this week and I´m sorry. We have had a really busy couple of days. So,
to start...you remember my companion Elder Mielnikowicz? Today is
transfers by the way. So, we got the transfer call on Saturday night,
and he had been in my area for 6 weeks or one transfer. Our District
Leader called and told him that he was being transfered! After one
transfer! That´s unheard of in the mission! So, he was kind of upset.
But, my DL told me that I had to be in the mission offices at 9:30
this morning for some meeting. Everybody else had to be at the mission
offices for changes at 10:30. So, that kind of freaked me out. So we
showed up this morning and I went to the meeting. Long story
short....I¨M GOING TO BE A DAD!!!! Hahaha Tomorrow, I get a greenie to
start training. I did not attach pictures because I am on exchanges
with another trainer. At 5:00 tomorrow, I am officially a father. :-)
My Branch President, President Golinowski is a mega-stud like I
said before. They thought that I was leaving this transfer, so they
went out and bought me a birthday/going away present that they decided
to give to me anyway. It is an official Argentine soccer jersey from
the 2006 World Cup. It is sooooooo awesome. And it fits me perfectly.
I love them so much. I´ll get a picture with them and send it to you.
I´m sure that we´re going to go to their house for dinner this week
since I´m getting a newbie :-)
Well, I´m afraid that´s it for today. Thanks for all the support
yuo have given me. I am so thankful for the family I have and all the
love that they show me. Pray that i train an american! Hahaha
Su Elder preferido de todo el mundo,
*Élder Garrett Brighton Rook*
*"Mi proposito es invitar a lodas las personas a venir a Cristo..."*
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