So starting on wednesday, we had lunch with the bishop for the first time since I got here almost 3 months ago, but we arrived a bit late because we were waiting forever for the bus, 3 of them passed and none of them stopped for us, I could tell the first one was full but I think the other 2 just hated mormons or something. Anyways that evening we had baptismal interviews for emiliano and rocio, they are cousins but their families seriously hate each other for something that happened 5 years ago. I can't remember if I mentioned it in my email last week or not but they can't even be in the same room together so they were really mad that we scheduled the baptism for the same day. It wasn't our fault, the kids picked the days. But thankfully we were able to get that all figured out, emilianos baptism was set up for the 2nd, and rocio for the 4th.
On thursday was when we got a call from a family saying that their son has been acting very strange every night for a long time and can't sleep and that he has to sleep with the mom, and that on Wednesday night at 4 AM he was hearing voices calling him from outside, so he got up and went out but there was no one and then he got really scared. So they called us to give the boy a blessing, and I also thought it would be a good idea to bless the house too because they never had done it. It was the first time I have had to do it, but ever since that moment they said that nothing else has been bothering him and that he sleeps like a log!
On friday there was some more interesting stuff, we were teaching this lady named sandra, we were trying to teach her the law of chastity but she just wouldn't stop talking, she was telling us this really long story about her life, but the main idea was that she hates the man she lives with, they aren't married and she has tried to tell him to leave but he won't leave and she said she saw him walking around with a big knife the other day and she thinks that he's going to try and kill her. I was like what the heck! I told her to call the police, and to kick that guy out because she owns the house. I hope she did it and that she's okay, but Im not sure because we haven't been back there yet.
On saturday we celebrated new years eve with the other elders from the area next to ours, we went to a members house in their area to have BBQ and it was super good, we ate way to much though and I felt way sick after. They shot off a ton of fireworks, and on the way back there were a ton of drunk people in the streets trying to talk to us. it was funny and everyone offered us drinks but we said no thanks and just kept walking. It reminded me of my second day in argentina, which was also new years eve and it was a really similar evening but the main difference was that im a lot happier now thanks to the fact that I know how to speak and I also know which foods are good and which are gross. Its crazy to think that that night in Ituzaingò was already a year ago..
On sunday we had church bright and early at 9:30, we had permission to sleep in a little because we got back at 1:30 am, but I had to get up at 6:30 anyway because bishop had called me the night before and asked me to give a talk the next day, and I had to prepare it. That is definitely the most annoying part of the mission...you cant ask people to give a talk the night before, but they do it to missionaries all the time. Church was good, I was surprised 40 people showed up, I was expecting less because everybody stayed up late the night before. It was still not very many people though, because normally there is more than 100.
On monday we had our first baptism of the month, for emiliano, and like I said before his family has a lot of problems and they get mad really easily. I have been yelled at over the phone by them multiple times, and there has never been a baptism with this many problems. They were really making a big deal out of it and it made it difficult, the baptisms are supposed to be something simple. Jesus just went and got baptized in a river with no ceremony at all, but these people wanted cakes, balloons, blue flowers, music, a video with pictures of him, and a musical number performed by the missionaries. On top of all that, the janitor people changed the locks on the church building, and nobody could get in to fill the baptismal font before the baptism started. everyone was freaking out, especially the boys mom, so bishop broke a window with his hand to open a door from the inside, his hand got super bloody and it splashed everywhere. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There are still blood marks on the ground next to the window. Also, the kids grandma got mad at me because the white pants I gave them didn't go down past his ankles. Thankfully, it all worked out somehow. The musical number I was nervous about because my companion would have had to sing a solo while i played piano, but thankfully 2 other missionaries showed up from the other ward 10 mins before we had to sing so I handed them a book and said you are singing in 10 mins and surprisingly they agreed to do it and it turned out well.
And lastly, today has been p-day, we went to the temple in the morning, then walked around the city a bit. The missionaries from south america wanted to go to Mcdonalds really bad so we went there.
Here is a good scripture in 1 corinthians 10:13.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I like it because its true that there are lots of temptations, at times it might seem impossible even to resist, but It becomes easier when we remember that God will never let us be tempted more than we can handle! There is always a way out of the situation.
Keep the Faith!
Con Amor, Elder Christensen
The pictures are of the temple, the 4 of us in the district, and the kid who got baptized along with some of the many elaborate decorations.
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