Merlo- Week #37

I love to see the temple.... I went there today!

Hey Everyone!

First off, thank you Grandma Sherry for the package! That is all I got this week, no letters. I thought it was funny that Grandma put Irish Spring soap in the package, but what was even better was that yesterday I ran out of all my soap, and I was going to just have to bathe myself with shampoo this morning before the temple, but because of grandmotherly intuition, I was able to use soap to smell like the rolling hills of my homeland in the temple. Because despite various family arguments, we have proven that we are more Irish than English...sorry Mom, majority rules. Which reminds me, once during a contact I told an old man I was from Ireland, and he started telling me of all the whiskey he has ever consumed and how Irish whiskey is always the best, then I gave him a pamphlet on the Word of Wisdom...also tell Grandma that I LOVE the mango bars she sent...and that she is welcome to send more whenever she sends another package. I always knew I liked Trader Joe’s.

In answer to questions, I am not sure if Merlo is more dangerous...I know a few robbers in my area here, they all stand on corners and they always say hi to me. One time I talked with a few of them, they told me that they wait for people who show fear, or to try to avoid them, and then they rob them, because they know they have something they don’t want stolen, but we always walk right by them without really acknowledging their presence. I turned out my pockets and told them it was because we never have anything, so we aren´t afraid of being robbed, that we just go about our business of sharing a message of Jesus Christ. Then a few told me that they were grateful for our service but already go to the Evangelist church...how ironic...a few evangelists on the corner waiting to rob people.

Well, we just got back from the temple and it was sweet! I love going to the temple. I put all the family names in the temple prayer roll. Also, this is the last week of the transfer already! It went by so fast. It seems like I just got to Merlo. We had our interviews with President Benton and it was awesome as always. I am thinking Elder Arriola and I will be together again for another transfer, because President talked a lot to me about how I can help Elder Arriola, even though I am junior companion. He told me, “Work with him, help him progress, build a relationship with him that will enable you to say in the eternities when you see him, “This is a good man, a man that I had a good relationship with on earth.” I really took that to heart, and I got hit hard with the impressions from my patriarchal blessing that talks about how I will make relationships in my mission that will carry with me throughout the eternities. He also told me to tell my family that I am doing great in the mission, and that the Lord appreciates my work, that He knows my name. Then he was like, “I know, I asked Him.” Then just smiled at me.... it was just a powerful interview, and I just said thank you, but he told me to write that so that my family and friends know.

Also, just so you know, last week was the one year anniversary of me receiving my call-letter saying I was coming to Buenos Aires! Boy, that year flew by. Last weekend was our stake wide baptism service, and we had about 15 planned, but I couldn’t tell you all the things Satan threw at us and the investigators this week, and it sufficeth to say that dates were dropping like flies, and we ended up having only 4...but it was still a great service. Margarita didn’t get baptized. She disappeared for about 5 days, and then reappeared the day before the baptism, and we taught her about tithing, and did the pre-interview, and everything was set, then she didn’t show up for the interview with the zone leaders...and we haven’t been able to find her, she is never home...but we hope to get her in the water this weekend...if we can find her...other than that, Transfer Meeting is on Monday, and my prediction is another transfer with Elder Arriola, but we will see what happens. Oh yeah, I decided I want socks for my birthday...and I don’t know if Argentines get my humor, but I have to admit, it is usually funnier when they don’t.

Alright time is up, so talk to you next week. Time went really fast today, and it doesn’t feel like I wrote very much...I’ll try to get better at that.

Love, Sean

P.S. also I forgot to tell you that President in my interview told me to stop going by Nora’s house, that it was not a situation we wanted to be caught in the middle of, so we stopped.