Week 55 - Pacheco

This week went really well.  We had interviews with President Zuniga on Tuesday and we had to be there all day to direct everything.  Wednesday we did divisions and I stayed here with Elder Gonzalez and Elder Jackson.  On Friday I went and did a baptismal interview with an investigator from another area.  On Saturday morning Elder Gonzalez got another assignment and went to another area so now its just Elder Velazquez and me.  Sorry the letter is short.  I just don't have much to say.

[FAMILY NOTE: From the video chat]

Something interesting that I learned from Tanner today is that he goes out with members of his ward every day.  He says that they always go out with him every afternoon.  They also feed him lunch every day.  Sounds like a pretty good ward

Tanner, Elder Gonzales and Elder Velasquez

Elder Gonzales, Elder Jackson, and Elder Christensen

Elder Baez speaking Guarani

Week 54 - Pacheco

This week was really crazy. We had a ton of stuff to do. On Tuesday we went to the Mutual and we got to get a bunch of references.  On Thursday we had a zone conference and Elder Velazquez and I taught a part for about 30 minutes about working better with the ward council.  After the zone conference we we found out that we are going to be in a trio for the rest of the transfer. So that's awesome.

[FAMILY NOTE: When we talked to him last week, he said that Elder Gonzalez was going to go home some time that week for personal reasons. But now is he staying. Tanner said he doesn't know why he was leaving or why he is staying.]

On Thursday night I went to do an interview with Elder Jaimes and it turns out the investigator wasn't home.  I stayed the night there with the office elders in their super-nice pension.  On Saturday we were going up the elevator in our building and all of a sudden the elevator stopped and we got stuck in there for an hour and a half.  It was super-funny.  But always we have some good investigators and I am enjoying it in Pacheco, the new area. My companions are awesome and we get along well.

[FAMILY NOTE:  That's all he wrote.  Some info from the call below]

He was transferred to Pacheco on July 9th.  His comps are Elder Valezquez from Mexico and Elder Gonzalez from Chile. Tanner and Elder Valezquez are the zone Leaders.  They have 11 companionships in their zone, 8 of elders and 3 of sisters.  The mission home and office are in the boundaries of their zone, so the AP and the office missionaries, and the nurse and her comp are in his zone.  He says he likes it OK, but he doesn't like that it takes up so much time away from his studying time.  He says part of his ward is super rich and part is super poor, but that it is a really good ward. He says a lot of the members are from Paraguay and Bolivia.

He also got a new mission president the beginning of July.  Their names are Leopoldo and Gabriela Zuniga.  They are from southern Argentina and are fairly young.  They have some of their children with them.  Tanner says he seems nice and that he teaches pure doctrine.

Acosta Family

In the Villa with Elder Gonzales

Trapped for 1.5 hours in the elevator in their building

Huge spider

A kid with his chess trophies

Downpour

Pictures the missionaries have to send in every week to verify that the apartment is clean :)

Pictures the missionaries have to send in every week to verify that the apartment is clean :)

Pictures the missionaries have to send in every week to verify that the apartment is clean :)

Week 53 - Pacheco

This letter is lost.  He wrote it on a random piece of paper and he threw it away and the picture he took of it was bad and he deleted it off of his camera.  So no letter :(

Elder Velasquez from Mexico, Elder Gonzales from Chile, Elder Christensen from the USA 

Trying on Tanner's pants I think?

Diagram to understand the family relationships of a family they are teaching

Impersonation of Tanner by another Elder

Week 52 - Versalles 2

On Tuesday this week we went to meet the new mission President and his wife in the mission offices and they are pretty cool. He talked about how we have to make a lot of sacrifices in the mission and it won't always be easy but in the end it will be worth it.  I think they are going to be really good.

Wednesday we had a district meeting as normal.  Thursday morning we got wrapped up in a move for a member of the ward that ended up taking like 6 hours.  On Sunday night we went to the pension of the Elders from Versalles 2  because Elder Ruston finishes his mission Monday morning.  We made a ton of pizza and food and it was fun.  Sunday was also good because all of Omar's family came to church and they really liked it.  Omar's little sister Carla is getting baptized next week so we are obviously excited.

Tomorrow is transfers so we will see where I go.

Zone Meeting

Missionaries going home

Elder Meza's shoes

In front of a famous Soccer Stadium

Tanner and Angel Huaroto

Alex Guzman, Tanner, Ruben Sanchez

Pizza on P-Day

Elder Meza laughing :)

Week 51 - Versalles 2

This week we did divisions twice.  On Wednesday, I went with Elder Overbay to his area and we basically just contacted all day long.  I am kind of getting sick of the capital.  We contact all day long and still don't find anyone.  Anyways on Friday morning we went to a wedding of some investigators that Versalles 1 are teaching and it was literally a mess, like something that would happen in a movie.  First of all they were supposed to show up at 8:45 but showed up at 9:30.  Then one of their kids who is 5, went in an elevator and pushed a bunch of buttons and then the elevator went up and he got lost for 30 minutes so we were all looking for him.  Then it turns out the wife was getting cold feet and didn't want to get married. But luckily the relief society president had come to support and was like "well you guys have already been living together for 10 years and have 3 children together, eventually you were gonna get married". So then eventually they got married.  It was crazy.

The rest of Friday, I went with Elder Assuncao to Versalles 1 and once again we contacted a ton.  Right now we are teaching Omar's sister who has a baptism date for 20th of July.  And yesterday we found a super interested lady who basically told us her whole life story after knowing us for two minutes.  We have basically had to stop teaching a ton of people because they don't come to church even though they really like that we come over.  After we write today we are going to cook Feshuado (I have no idea how to spell that-that's Tanner saying he doesn't know how to spell it.  I looked it up and I think it's spelled Feijoada) which is like a super good Brazilian food apparently.  Elder Assuncao is going to show us how.  President Zuniga got to the mission on Friday of last week and we haven't heard anything from him so I guess that remains to be seen what changes he will make.