31: Sweet Tuna Roll Of Doom

Hola todos, como andan? Todo bien? Bueno, bienvenidos a mi correo esta semana. Recuestense, relájense, y disfruten :)

 

 

This week started off with my first mate adventure. I bought a mate the other week (the cup) and had some yerba that I won from white elephant so I figured this was the week to take the plunge... the first few sips were NASTY but with a little sugar and some time, I don't hate it! I feel like a real Argentine missionary now.

 

 

On a particularly rainy day we were walking to get our lunch from a sweet old lady in our branch who is an amazing cook. All we talked about on the way home was how excited we were to eat this lunch and enjoy a home cooked meal. We got home and opened our bag to find a beautiful meal that was decorated nicely and still warm. Then I took a bite and just about barfed. This thing was sweet bread (like a twinkie) rolled with Tuna, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, and mayo. There are very few things that I refuse to eat, but we definitely threw that thing out and made a pizza. 

 

 

On the technology front, this week has been a wild ride. We put out a few ads about giving chapel tours or about learning about God's plan for us. I have NEVER gotten so much hate. Ohhhhhh my. The things people were commenting on for the first few days were some of the most hateful and profane things I have ever seen. I had to use Google to translate the stuff they said because they don't teach missionaries those words... But it ended up being ok! After a rough start, the ads ended up having a lot of success and we are working hard to contact all the people who said they're interested. 

 

 

In other news, we were actually in Rosario for 3 days this week. Our mission president happened to be in Venado Tuerto on Wednesday and offered to bring us back with him for our leadership council. So we went with him and he dropped us off at an empty missionary apartment in Rosario that had the BEST empanada place next door. We ate so many empanadas yall. And it was so worth it.

 

 

We had a mission leadership council the next day and it was actually really cool! I learned a lot about how the other zones of missionaries are doing and we set goals to improve. The only bad part is that Hna Easton and I were told right before that we had to fill 20 minutes of time talking about Facebook. We decided to make it an open discussion about what works and what doesn't.... and we got absolutely roasted haha. But it's good because we actually agreed with a lot of the stuff they were sharing, and now we have lots to work on!!

 

 

The next day, we had to do tramites, which is just our paperwork we need to legally be here. So 10 Americans pile in a van, drive into Centro Rosario, and wait in a boujee post office for about 48 years until we can sign an official paper and take fingerprints. I don't know what I actually signed or why they took my fingerprints, but if it means I get to stay, I'm not complaining. It took a really long time and we were starving by the end, but the mission paid for burger delivery and I got to spend time talking to missionaries I don't normally see. 

 

 

The ride home was terrifying in our taxi because the Ruta is terrifying, but I'll tell you more about that later. What I'll say now is that it was the hottest ride of my life. 3 hours in blazing heat in a car with no AC, a driver who used his phone the whole time, and Spanish rave music blasting out of the speakers behind my head. By the end we were drenched in sweat and just glad to be alive haha.

 

 

To end my email I'll tell you about one of my biggest struggles. Street. Contacting. I'm not afraid of talking to people, but in Spanish it's so scary. Since our whole entire job as missionaries is to find people who want to hear our message, we should be trying to talk to everyone! But it's so hard for me to talk to people in las calles. It's been something I have been praying about since I got here and this week, it actually worked out. Hna Easton and I had a solid chunk of time where we talked to people and shared a little bit of what we do and set up return appointments!! And I understood everything and I talked and cracked jokes!! It was so fun. 

 

 

So my spiritual thought this week is that God knows your weaknesses and the areas in which you want to improve. But because He loves us a LOT, He's got our backs. With a little bit of prayer, some hard work, and a lot of faith, you can do anything. If I can street contact, literally nothing is impossible haha. 

 

 

Los amo!!!!!! 

Hna Thrasher

 

 

PICS!!

1. Yayyy rain

2. Boooo sweet Tuna roll disaster

3. Yayyy empanadas 

4. Gorgeous sunset (and someone watching Great British Baking Show on their tele)

5.  The scary and sweaty taxi ride. All the windows were down as we went 75 mph through the Argentine countryside 

6. When I fell asleep on the way to Rosario... thanks guys

7. The council!