Hey mom! :)
How are things on the home front? I can't believe that it is already fair time.......... that is so crazy! I just can't believe it! The fair, that is the first fair I have ever missed.
So yeah, this week went super well! It has been great, and interesting. We have a big area, and well, let's just say that my area used to be a branch by itself......... and right now only like 5 people from my area are active..... that is alot, so it is going to be good, but I am excited!!! But yeah, I am training, crazy right! No, it has been super fun to see, but he is a great kid. Elder Howes from West Heaven, Utah, just a little skinny kid, but he is great. He speaks really well Spanish, well a lot better than I did, that is for sure, he just struggles understanding Argentines but that can be hard sometimes. But he wants to learn and so it has been easy to train so far. I have kind of put him on the spot a couple of times to do some things, like finding people or contacting, but it has been good. He kind of got a little frustrated last night but he is doing better today that we have P-day. It made me remember that the mission is really stressful, but it does get easier with time. So it is great to help because I have already been there and can help him through the hard times, so that has been good, and fun, and interesting, and a learning process for the both of us. Oh, and it has made me remember how different it is here, just seeing how shocked he was. He kind of looks like the new missionary on "The Best 2 Years", to me at least, ha. I will send a picture.
I am sorry you are struggling over there, but I know that you guys will be able to do it because we have done it every year for the past super long time, so there is no need to worry there; some way and some how it always goes pretty good! That is so weird that next week it will already be over! You are going to have to send pictures because I want to see how it goes! i just want you to enjoy every moment of it, because it is great, just to let you know:) Love every miniute of everything. That is sad that dad and JJ can't be there. Don't worry mom, I am doing good, staying healthy and staying away from the big bad dogs, they dont want anything to do with me anyway! The food, well I love it so it is good, but we don't have very many members to cook for us in this area, so now it is my own cooking you have to worry about;)
A little about this week, oh got a quick story about my companion, it is kind of funny. Anyway, so I was telling him to stay away from girls when you shake their hands because here they do the kissing thing on the cheek. So I was warning him about that and then yesterday we were teaching this person, which I will tell about here in a little bit, but anyway she got him, it was so funny, ha, great times ha:) So last Wednesday I had to wake up and travel to Resistencia by myself at 1 in the morning....... but it was good, I got there and got my compaion and we are ready to work now! Anyways, so the next days where good, just got lost a few times trying to get to know the area. But we did have this guy come up to talk to us because he thought we knew people that could get him a treadmill. So we taught him, and he came to church, so we will see how that goes. We got to know some members, oh and that reminds me of this member we have in my area. He lived in the states for 10 years, so he speaks English and he was in a branch presidency over there. Something happened, don't know exactly, but him and his wife seperated and he left his kid and went back to Argentina. He loves to hunt so he showed us all of his photos from hunting in the states, and from hunting here in Argentina, so if I ever want to come back and hunt here I have some connections. Oh, he also has this big cimitor lamanite knife sword thing that is super awesome, and he said he would give it to me if I am nice, so we will see how that goes:) But he is staring to come back to church and is a good guy! Sunday was a good time to get to know the members. What is weird is that here we have a branch of like 40 to 60 people that come every week, and just across the river in the city Brisil, they have a whole stake....... but church was good:) Now I'll tell you more about the story with my companion getting the greeting kiss thing. So we go and visit a family of recent converts and they have a friend there because she wants a blessing because she has really bad depression. She has a really rough life, beat by her ex-husband and lots of other things, to the point of depression, bad. So anyway, we taught her about the atonement and then gave her blessing and we are going to start teaching her, because I know that the gospel is what she needs in her life because it can really help anyone in any situation, but after she kissed my companion in his first week...so funny, but it is all learning. Tomorrow I will be going to Resistencia with the zone leaders because they are having their meeting that they have every month with president and all the other zone leaders, but I get to go because the parents of Hermana Scadlock are going to be there, so we are going to meet them, everyone that was in my group got invited, so that will be good and a little sad too, I think.
That is me this week:) But my studies have been super good! And long, well, I have read chapter 12 and half of 13 of 3 Nephi this last week, but it is so good, lots to learn and lots to underdstand, but it has been really good:) I have really enjoyed it, then lots of the basics, or well the 12 week training program for new missionaries. But it has been so good, I have learned a lot probably because last time I didn't know anything in Spanish, but now I am just a little bit better, ha! But the studies are great, and something that really interested me this morning is in 3 Nephi 13:7 or 8, like Moroni 7:9 ,48, it is talking about praying and not doing vain repetitions, Instead we really need to remember that we are really really talking to God, because really we are talking to God, and he will help us and that I do testify. I do need to get better at offering prayers with more, better, true intention, but I know He is listening and wants to help us. I have a strong testamony of this, it is something we all can do better. Something else I learned with my new companion is to rely on God more, sometimes we get caught up on our own strength, but we do need God in everything that we do!
Mom, I love you and I want you to know that! Tell everyone else that I love them so much, and to have a wonderful week! Enjoy every second that we have, life really is beautiful, and God loves us more than we can ever imagine. Love you mom, have a good week.
Forever and always, your son, Elder Grover
P.S. Sorry I can't send pictures, I don't know why, but something is wrong with the computers here, anyway, love you :)
