Rafael Castillo- Week #17

I almost died trying to wake up an hour early this week. Also this past Sunday was mother's day in Argentina...I know random right? I contemplated calling home, but figured you would want more notice haha. Martin, the guy who read the Book of Mormon in 4 days disappeared and we haven't seen him in 3 or 4 weeks, we go by his house almost every other day, but the neighbors say he hasn't been around for a while.

So our three fechas dwindled down to one this week. Ciris is the only one who came to church, because it was Dia de la Madre, and the others wanted to stay home. So we might be able to baptize them next transfer, but Ciris is the only one of the brothers who will have enough church assistance to be baptized the 8th. So we were walking in the street on our way back from Ciris' house and Elder Shields was like, "He is going to be your first convert, right?" I said yeah, so he replied, "Ah yeah! You gotta be the one to baptize him!" So that is pretty sweet, my boss senior comp is going to let me be the one to actually baptize him. I heard there are a lot of senior companions that take advantage of having young companions, making the excuse, oh well you are going to have a lot more opportunities, so I am pretty excited for that.

Sorry if this spoils your fun, but Lacey already told me in an e-mail that you had TAYLOR MORRIS FOR DINNER!!! How sweet is that? Did he sing for you? Send me a tape of him singing!!!! Just kidding, but seriously...He was my executive secretary! Also I saw him in the MTC right before I left. Also I am glad to hear that you are going on splits with the Elders, Dad. I didn't realize how much the members move the work forward. There is a statistic in our mission that like 65 percent of member references gets baptized. Everybody's homework is to start to get to know your neighbors and build friendships with them, and then present them to the missionaries. In our conference with Elder Nelson, we were told that there are hundreds if not thousands of people in EVERY area of EVERY mission who are ready to hear the gospel and be baptized. So why are some areas harder than others? Because the missionaries don't have the support of the members, not just in feeding them and loving them, but in working with them.

So we went on splits with the Zone Leaders this week, because Elder Shields is district leader, so we do it twice a transfer (WOAH that song that’s like Everybody hurts, and Everybody cries, that Dwight from the office sings in his car is playing right now in the internet cafe...I am laughing out loud while typing and attracting strange looks from Argentines...) anyway...so I was on splits with Elder Woodmansee from Oceanside, CA and we were with a menos activo family, and by menos activo I mean less active...and we were starving, and she comes out with like some crackers no mas. So we eat them, and Elder Woodmansee is like, oh my gosh I need more, so he asks her the most brilliant thing I have ever heard. "¿Hermana, como se hace tortas fritas?"(Hermana, how do you make scone like treats?)BRILLIANT!!!!! She then puts on a little demonstration and we eat the spoils of it! I need to remember that one.

So we also had interviews with President Benton, which were only supposed to last 15 minutes, but mine lasted 45...he was dropping the cane the whole time. Just kidding, we were just sitting in there swapping stories and it was pretty sweet just getting to know him a little better. He told me that Elder Shields and that the Zone Leaders said I am doing really well with the language. Both Zone Leaders said that I speak way better than they did when they got here. Elder Pollock, my zone leader last transfer, said that I speak better than any new elder he has ever heard in the mission. Then a member from the stake high council visiting last Sunday thought I had like a year in the mission already. Not going to lie, at first it made me feel really good, but now it is getting kind of awkward. You know when people just don't stop complimenting you and it gets a little over the top, yeah I don’t like it, so I have decided to mess up on purpose, just kidding. But seriously, I still have so much to learn, it isn't even funny.

Well, it has been super hot here, but today was a huge hail storm and it is still raining, so it cooled down today. Also, Elder Fox and I have decided we have never heard more random news than Tampa Bay being in the World Series...also get it together Colin Powell!

Love from another continent,

Sean