Preaching In Patagonia...: Tolhuin, Zona Rio Grande

Alright so I had this revolutionary idea to read my journal last night, so I actually know what happened this week. So this carta's gonna be legit.

So first news, not sure if I told you guys last week, but we were able to convince a less active family to return to the church. The biggest miracle is that one of the sons started working extra Saturday nights to be able to get Sundays off, so that's dope.

Next news, Elder Hernandez has got some sick videos on his massive flash drive (1 tera) so now every time I need some animo, we watch a vid. I'm gonna download them onto one of my cards so that after the mission you guys can also enjoy them ;) Plus, I want to watch em for the next 2 years, so that too.

Alright, next, really sick story. One of Elder Wilhelm and my investigators kind of dropped off the face of the earth. So we knocked his door like a million times, and he never answered. So finally this week, we went to his door, and Elder Hernandez said that if he didn't answer then, we weren't going to keep knocking, and although I'm usually way stubborn, I was like yeah alright.

So we knock the door, and he answers, and lets us in! We start talking, and I see this strange contraption on one of his dumpy little tables. So I take a look at it, and it's this magnifying glass that was attached to a bunch of different pieces of random metal. It was really obvious that it wasn't meant to be used as a magnifying glass, and it looked way hard to handle. So I asked him what it was, and he told me that in order to read the Book of Mormon, he needs to use his dollar store glasses while holding this contraption just right so that the magnifying glass focused on the words. I grabbed his Book of Mormon, and opened it to the page he had marked. Page 100. The guy had read 100 pages of the Book of Mormon although it took a mountain of effort to read a single verse, and that's if he can find time to read. There are a lot of losers down here, but there are also super heroes, and he's one of em. So that was inspiring.

Later in the week we went to Rio for a zone conf, and we stayed in the pensh of Nelson and his new comp Elder Guzman. We were all talking, and I said the word cosechar (to harvest), and Elder Nelson didn't know what it meant. So I start trying to explain it to him, and I was like "Usted esta cortando el trigo," emmmm "esta trabajando como un granjero," emmm (You are cutting the wheat, hmmm... you are working as a farmer, hmmm) and Elder Hernandez was like "Bro, just say it in English." I totally forgot that we could just speak English (Me and Nelson) So that was dope.

I already told you about how I got the invite to the wedding the day of the wedding, and it put a lot of trunky on me. All of the Hermanas were oogling over it. I loved the "Man Candy" version that Lamont and Kelly mocked up! You should have sent those out to everyone haha!

After zone conf, we did divisiones (splits) in Austral (Rio) and it was literally the worst experience of my entire life (that's an exagerration). It was close though. The barro (mud) was, I kid you not, over a foot deep, there was biting wind with rain slicing into our faces the whole time, and it literally might have been better to just get a boat and ride it down the streets haha. But I was with a gringo, so that was cool.

Alright, so our totally dope group of menos activas plus friends that I talked about just keeps gettin' better. I think if we baptize this month, it's gonna be one of them. But they totally had an asado for us, we didn't even ask. Love those guys! I ate a lot of organs, oh and Dad I totally ate morcilla (blood sausage). It's not even that bad!!!! Better with arroz though...Then they totally had us over last night, and we ate torta frita con dulce de leche. I'm gonna get so freakin' fat en Tolhuin haha. Also because I'm helping a girl with her English homework, her parents said they want to make us more asado next week. So I think were gettin' some blessings ahora (:

Alright, last part, when I got the wedding invite from the mail folder, I also recieved 3 CARTAS FROM ABUELA. Abuela, think of Will Ferrell for a moment. Now put my face on his face. I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOOOOOVE YOU. The cartas were from May and early June, but they finally got here. Everyone was mad at me, because when they saw letters, they all got really excited, until they noticed that they were all for me. MWAHAHAHA.

Anyways, Abuela, you had some questions, so here are the answers:

First off, I have seen a penguin. There was one swimming next to the boat when we crossed over from Chile.
Second, it's a walking mission, so I'm pretty much a master at walking on icy hills now.
I sleep on a bed sin sabanas, yo uso mi bolsa de dormir en vez de sabanas. That is most definitely spanish. Savanas are sheets for the gringos. (I sleep without sheets and use my sleeping bag instead of sheets.)
The Argentine food is great. We eat a lot of empanadas, gizo, y pastas. I've also eaten pizza, and my personal favorite, SUPREMA... aka milanesa de pollo. Plus, asado when were lucky.
The Argentine accent is way strong, and I've noticed that really I'm speaking castellano en vez de español. You guys are gonna make fun of me at Christmas haha. But yeah, they use vos too, so that really threw me off at first, but now I'm getting used to it.
One more thing about food, I'm pretty sure I already told you guys, but the new pres legalized weed (yerba lol) so now were all drinkin' mate. I'm not a huge fan, but mate dulce isn't horrible. We drink a lot of mate cocino con la gente tambien.
He also authorized us to use tu y vos outside of lecciones, so I'm goin' native out here. As far as how the castellano is coming, MAS VALE, ME VA SUPER BIEN ABUELA!!!! Tengo la sangre ;) En serio Abuela, estoy tan agradecido ser su nieto. Usted es ejemplo muy grande para mi, y su historia de conversión me dio animo seguir buscando los elegidos, porque se que hay personas como usted aca, y yo quiero dar las bendiciones que yo tengo por usted, a los nietos de ellos. LE AMO MUCHISIMO!!!! (My Spanish is coming along great! It's in my blood. Seriously, Abuela, I am so greatful you be your grandson! You are a great example to me and your conversion story gives me the desire to keep looking for people who are prepared! I know that they are here! And I want to give the blessings that I have because of you to their grandsons! I love you tons!)

Alright, now that I've said all that, this huge letter is done. I love you guys soooo much. I'm so inspired by all the things you guys are doing. Mom, from what it sounds like, you totally killed the wedding planning. I love you!!!!!

Never forget that you guys are always somewhere in my mind. Your examples and love give me the animo that I need to seguir adelante. Soy bendecido. Una vez mas LES AMO MAS QUE LA VIDA!!!!

- EL ÚNICO, Elder Jimenez, el hijo preferido de la madre ;)
(The ONLY Elder Jimenez, Mom's favorite son!)