Christmas Week

I'll be honest Christmas day was just normal we didn't get home until like seven thirty-ish because we visited our branch president and that was nice! We just chilled as a group of four talking and having a nice little night as we listened to a ton of fireworks it was a blast really! We have some families who do okay at taking care of us, I have two that i love—family Burnet in the picture and family Franco so they are way cool and I love them. I don't think we really do anything for p-day i think I'm going to cook or sleep or something, I'm still waiting for the rest of the cookbook and the measuring cups! ;) and thank you I love getting Spanish compliments they are the best! 

Monday we had to travel to Centro of Mendoza and it was fun, but a lot of driving and it was just a lot in a bus in less then a week, but it was fun to chat with some old friends I haven't seen from the MTC so thats nice! 

Tuesday was the Christmas party and it was fun we watched President kiss his wife and that was way funny, so ya and we just had fun. There is this a lady named mama Rasteli to me and I love her. She cooked the food for the party so i just went and helped her and talked with her. She is my mom  when I'm with her she just tells me all the time that I need to tell you good things about me, but nah she is just a sweetheart! She asked for your email i don't know if she used it, but she has it! Then we were on buses again for forever!

Wednesday on Christmas eve we weren't allowed to leave the pens (apartment) if we didn't have appointments because it was dangerous and everyone is drinking tons of beer and shooting off tons of fireworks, it was just weird. That night we went and had dinner with family Burnet, I sent a picture I think and i love them! We are trying to reactivate the husband, the blond one and its going very well so I'm happy with them!

Thursday we didn't get to leave the pens so we went and helped a member do a Christmas tradition and then we went and cooked our tacos included in picture form and it was just a sad waiting for the call! Then i got to talk to you it was way dope! I liked it a lot when me and tay talked about Lex in Spanish and you guys didn't know so that was way fun for me! Then we just chilled afterwords.

Friday was just a day normal and we had a fun family night with family Burnet and another investigator and it was fun! I just love that family, they are just funny and we just mess around.

Saturday, again normal day of hard work I think we biked more then ten miles that day because we gave the pedometer to a walking elder and he got four miles in his area walking and teaching two lessons so thats like he was only walking for two hours and we bike forever and I tested some distance by walking places first and we ride pretty far everyday, and WOW is my butt sore! But Saturday we just taught menos activos (less actives) and I was just tired. I hate everyones excuses its just tiring—they know they need to go to church and we can supply a car, but they still wont go. I hate it!

Sunday, church and some other meetings for a mission plan for the rama and the rama is way burnt out so its hard to get anything going but we are trying and we need to reactivate some serious priesthood and get this work going!

So thats what my week was! I’m way tired from biking and we started this thing called Body of a God and its like six months to sexy, but way freaking intense, I’m way tired but way good! I feel like I really worked out this morning so thats awesome!

I’m doing good but miss you way bad—let me know how everything goes this week with everything and I’m always praying for you guys! Be safe and happy!

Love, Elder Benedict

First week in Alvear General

Yes it is way dumb to make me leave my companion when he goes home in two weeks, but it’s okay I like it here too! I was there for 12 weeks so it’s not too much stress, but I’m good! I don’t know if I will love here like I loved there, but I do like it here! My comp is Brandon Glenn Perez and he is a good kid from Arizona near Mesa and we have a four man apartment and its way great! We have a kid elder Houghton who is way freaking dope that I love a lot and elder Charca de Peru  who is way dope! He is always trying to learn English and I love helping him! I love all my new friends a lot! Dad has the info about biking and yes its awesome! Its Alvear General not Dos—silly, that’s just my area of it! I haven’t recorded my talk for you yet, but I will and I will send it next week! I try to always think in Spanish and sometimes I have to change my grammar in these letters so its English and not Spanish. But I don’t always think in Spanish I still speak a lot of English with my companion! Requerdos are things that remind us of Argentina! I think the word is recorditorial or something like that in English, but I don’t know!

Monday
I  sorta told you how I was with all these dying missionary’s and just burnt a fool and then we just went way hard at the area and then said goodbye with Alberto and Stella and they didn't believe me but it was true and they gave me a thing to remember them by--so that’s cool!

Tuesday
We went and said goodbye to everyone and that was fun and I loved it, but also I got robbed! I was walking with Elder Evans at five to noon and someone told us to go over to them and so we did and  I started to explain what we share with them, and then his friend asked for the time, I told him--he pulled out a knife and told us to give him our phone and everything we had, they were new to robbing people so it was fine, they took my watch and chap stick though so I could use a new watch—hint,hint! And ya that was exciting!

Wednesday
I lent a wardy my carry-on bag and he gave it back to me Wednesday at six ten so I finished packing and then just hurried and went to the terminal for my trip. Alviar is about 6 hours south of where I was and is south east corner of Mendoza so that’s cool! I just chatted with a hermana and felt like I was going to hell for a few hours and then we just sat and waited for ever it felt! But then I was here, then me and my comp left and my area is way big and way
confusing!

Thursday
We taught two new people and they were Marcos and Lucus so that was way dope! I’m in the city, but I also have fields about twenty minutes away by bike when we push--so they were out there, we have more luck out in the fields and stuff so we spend more time there!

Friday
We were on the radio here and sang some hymns and preached and it was cool, way dope!! My companion was in charge of it so that was cool! He has 9 months in the mission right now, and has been in this area for as long as I have been in the mission so that’s funny! We then had a ward activity where we sang and that was good too!

Saturday
We found another person out in the fields and they were good so we have one kid with fecha (a baptismal date) now so we are way cool! We had a young men’s activity where I took two young men out with me to teach three families and that was good and fun--so ya I can do this all on my own at this point I don’t even need a comp--I’m too cool for comps ;)

Sunday
We had church and it was good other than that nothing really happened--all our plans fell through and we talked to a lot of people! Yup the mission life!

That’s my week I think! I love you guys a lot! Don’t forget to send me what account I’m supposed to use to call you guys from Skype because I still don’t know okay! Let me know like right now!

Love you all so much!
Sincerely, Elder Benedict

Sad about Transfers

I’m really struggling right now with everything; I don’t know how I can leave all that I have come to fall in love with in my last area. I loved Municipal so much and I love the people there so much, but I’m  trying my best to be okay. It’s just hard for me to know that all the close relationships I've made and have, are just going to end here soon its way weird for me. My new area is called Alviar Dos and it is more south and a little bit colder there... my comps name is Elder Parez, but he is a gringo I also believe that I will be in one of the only biking areas in the mission which is exciting, but it’s going to make it harder to talk to people and contact.... this week was way amazing and I’m way sad it is getting ruined by transfers...

Monday: I have pictures of my journal for you.

Tuesday. We taught Gladis and she is crazy, but I will probably never ever see her again so that’s weird and sad. Then we taught hermana Corfield and she is good and trying to be better and she thanked us a lot for helping her come back to church and God and learn more of what she needs to be doing!

Wednesday: Elder Evans birthday and I have a picture for that day too!

Christmas Photo

Thursday: It hailed! We had stones about the size for the tip of your finger like if you had a ink print of your pinky and it was way cool and just a nice change that I loved a lot but other than that that day wasn't super special or anything!

Friday: we had a Christmas party for the ward and it didn't end till one in the morning and it was way fun we had to leave at 10:30pm but the ward went hard until one o clock--our ward is way cool, and it was just way fun to see all the ward and have a good time chatting and having fun!

Saturday: We did some service for a hermana and then just did normal work, nothing special or cool, but rain and that’s always way awesome!

Sunday: I had to give another talk on missionary work and I will try to record it and send it to you guys it was good, but I had prepared ten minutes and only had four so it was a little rushed and it was just hard but way good, I got a lot of compliments on my Spanish, oh and then when I was at the Christmas party a guy thought I had a year in the mission by how good my Spanish was! So I felt way cool for that and ya that was about the week. This was the night I got the call that I would be leaving my beloved Municipal and it was sad for me, that’s okay I’ll just have to deal and prove that God has a plan for me by going and doing some serious work for him.

Foto de la Conferencia de Zona      

Honestly today has been way hard I bought me some good requerdos and happy stuff like that, but I’m way sad that I have to leave my area. I get to say good bye to everyone tomorrow, but I should be okay. I love you mom more than I can say I’ll let you know how it all goes next week, and hey you should run to the five dollar tie lady and see if she has that blue and brown paisley tie that I bought forever ago. I have a friend here I want to give it to someday so see if you can find me one! I can’t wait to get all the packages and  most likely is Christmas is this next Tuesday the 23 or the 19 I don’t know yet! Love you lots!

Love, Jayson Benedict

First confirmation and he was nervous!

So this week has been crazy hard and good and we did fine—to answer your questions first!

I’m all better, no more sick and now just do what I can--we didn’t rest lots to get better we just kinda pushed through and waited for the sickness to go away! It has been way HOT, but God blesses us and makes it possible for us to sleep! We did way fun things--we sloughed part of district meeting, meaning we went fast and then went and got ice cream, then later we had a calzone to celebrate the baptism and then this morning we woke up at three in the morning for a activity for our ward!  It was way fun  and I love the boys in my ward, we have seven kids preparing for missions and they all look to us as examples it’s just crazy! This morning we had a fireside by a river side by a fire and it was about missions and I got to bear my testimony of the work and the blessings of it! It was just awesome-- then after we had an asado or barbecue kind thing for like two hours, we were just talking and having a good morning! It was way dope!

Elder Benedict and Elder Peters

Monday: All citas fell through but p-day  was just calm and nice and relaxing! We just chilled really!

Tuesday: We had an investigator named Alijandro and he needed the plan of salvation because he just asked a ton of questions about where we were, what we did, where we go--so we taught it and it was great. We can’t find him anymore but if we can we think he is really going to do great!

Wednesday: We taught some families in the morning and then just had a way long night until the intravista interview for Alberto happened and he is all good and ready.  We explained about the priesthood and he is excited for it all!

Thursday: We did service for hermana Alveres and then that night we had no lessons or nada, but that’s fine we just got to walk a lot and try and find more people! A lot of what we are doing is “El is la dadiva and its Criste is the gift” and its way good except for Jehovás witnesses--but good all the same!

Friday: We had zone conference meaning we just sat in a room all day and learned good stuff.  We didn’t get back to our area until eight o’clock but it was fine. We talked a lot about working with members! Always, always, always have Elder references when they ask! We need them!

Saturday: Baptism day! It was a great service! Elder Evans did the baptizing at Vetos request and it was all good and nice and happy! I really think this kid is going to go far and do good things for the world and continue my work when I end the misión!

Sunday: Confirmation day! I had to do the confirmation and I was way nervous! I didn’t want to screw it up for anything, especially because you speak in tu for a blessing and I don’t know tu, I barely know usted and some vo’s so that was exciting, but I was told I did good--who knows! Then that night we taught one of our talker s and it was good weird, but good!

I don’t have much else for this week but I freaking love you and know God is blessing you for the service me and Taylor are giving! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Be safe and happy!

Love your son,
Jayson Benedict

We were really sick this week

To the elders I sent this to, just take pictures and read it throughout your week, that and I want your weekly letters so love me back!

Today is the first time letters have made me cry in public, but it’s not a sad cry, well it is, but it’s more of a remembrance of my life and you guys and just how much I love you! It’s been kinda a hard week because yes I have been sick and it has been rough--but the thing about being sick in the mission is nothing changes, you still hurt and don’t want to move and want to be babied ,but you also don’t want to go to hell, so you want to work hard and not waste the Lords time so it is hard! I did sleep better this week. I prayed pretty hard that if the Lord was gonna make me sick it was only fair that he would cool down my area and make it so I could sleep at night and he blessed me! I didn’t sleep great, but I slept good enough! :) Of course I have fun! I just usually don’t think of that on p-day, I think of all the stuff that is about people that week, not the random stuff we do that’s fun, but I’ll try to do better to include it for you! We talk a ton about Elder Evans going home and just all the fun stuff we did and we laugh and just have a good time, we don’t really have time to just do stuff randomly that is fun, while we walk we try to kick rocks through each other’s legs because all the roads are crappy and have tons of rocks for us to use, that’s pretty fun! ;) It’s the simple things ma! My dog bite wasn’t bad at all, it was just a little dog it was just weird and scared me! Hermana Corfield is coming to church all the time now and she is awesome and its way great! Gladis is crazy and not good, but we keep trying! Pray for Gonzalo and Gladis and Alberto and me and Elder Evans and all my bros and Taylor and all the missionary’s you know--we all need it!

Everyone thought I was crazy for petting a monkey!

Tuesday: I was so sick and out of it the next couple days that I honestly don’t remember much and my journals are super confusing, but it was fine we lived, I worked hard! But we taught Corfield that day and she was good and happy and we helped her with some stuff so that’s awesome!

Wednesday: All our plans didn’t even talk to us this day and it was way hard for sick me to handle it, but that’s fine. That night we taught a guy named Gonzalo and he is awesome! He is a huge, he has all the Lord of the Rings books and all the Histories of Middle Earth and the Hobbit and he has read them all a lot of times, he plays World of Warcraft and is just super nerdy! He is awesome! I’m not sure if he thinks of this as investigating or just learning, but he is awesome!

Elder Evans, Enzo, Elder Benedict and Franco

Thursday: I don’t have anything for this day it was rough and long and Elder Evans was starting to get sick so it was rough! All plans just didn’t happen!

Friday: This day we were barely able to get abrir la boca, a contacting thing we do as a key indicator and it was just rough Elder Evans wasn’t as tough as me and we went home way early morning and night so he could sleep!

Saturday: We did service for hermana Alverez and then that night we had a ton of just dropped lessons and people who didn’t want us and Elder Evans was just done and had some major bowel problems so we just went home like a hour early!

Sunday: This was the best day of the week, a Mexican who lived in the states for most his life invited us to help him teach his boys how to play baseball so we did and it was awesome! I got to hold a baseball and a mitt and bat and just play catch and talk about the gospel it was just a good little gig so I liked it a lot!

It was a really super rough week for us and we did not teach much at all but that’s okay we are doing good, and that’s what matters! We didn’t do anything for Thanksgiving and that’s fine! I’m happy here don’t you worry! I know the cry thing sounded intense, but it’s not I was just emotional, I’m on my man period okay? Don’t judge!

I love you so much be safe and happy and I just really love you!

Elder Jayson Benedict

My mom raised me right to love Halloween and I really do!

That pumpkin got me through some lonely nights!

Dad, 
Going from summer to summer definitely sucks,  but that’s okay I’m a big boy and can handle it, I miss the snow a ton and I want to go boarding so bad, but with the heat and me being so close to the mountains I see motorcyclists in full gear heading out all the time and I burn to go riding super bad! Did you fix my bike? We made peach cobbler for Thanksgiving so that was cool I guess but that’s pretty much it on that one! My clothes fit okay, my brown pants don’t really, but I still wear them because I need them. I weigh 185 now so yes I’ve lost quite a bit of weight--that is wearing my church clothes and shoes and everything so ya its awesome!!! I love it I feel thinner and I think I look hot! If you write me a little individual thing like this always I promise to respond in suit! I really do miss you a ton! Blood sausage is weird and so are people here, so I just roll with it, but ya it is awful--look it up online the insides look way freaking gross and it smells like dead things. In lessons I can speak fine, I know lesson language and I really can speak pretty good now I just need to keep practicing and keep working and I’m going to be a pro! Tell mom I’m fine, but of truth--I really, really miss you guys... I want to walk into your bed room and just come wake you guys up and lay in the middle, and talk for a while and wait for you to try and just over heat me! I’d kill to do that—I’m not even kidding that sounds awesome! I love you dad and I’m sorry about work I will pray for your interviews, which one do you want most? I want to know if I can help other than prayers. So ya  I love you, be safe and go have way to much fun for me! Love our baby girl to death too!!! 
Love your son, Jayson Benedict

Finally sent some pictures!

Hey I have so little time because I have been trying to respond to everyone’s letters so this isn't going to be my greatest letter, but you got pictures so be happy-ish ;)

Monday: We played ping-pong with a ton of Latins and just chilled, it was nice. Then we had a lesson with Alijandra y Pablo and it was fine, but I don’t think we will be teaching them much longer, they don’t read the Book of Mormon enough or pray to know it’s a requirement so we may have to give up for this moment. Its really sad for me, they just don’t understand how important this is no matter how we explain it.

We made homemade chili and scones

Tuesday: We made chili and it was cool and exciting and I felt like a champ! Ospaldo dropped us also and he doesn't really want us as much on his one day off to teach him so that was sad. We taught Hermana Corfield and she is coming back to church and increasing and it’s just really cool! Then we saw a dog get hit by a car and die, it was one of our good friends dogs so it was sad.

Wednesday: We got dropped by another lady, then we taught Gladis and asked if she would pray and that night she did and the next morning she said that Joseph Smith was a prophet and its good, so we shall see how that goes...

Thursday: We did some service for a lady and then that night we taught a guy named Amilcar who isn’t super interested but it was good! I also got bit by a little dog this day-- it was interesting!

This is the familia Echagary and I love them--they are my parents here!

Friday: We had that asado with the Echagery’s and it was awesome! They are really just my parents here and we love them so much! Whenever we pass by they just want to love us and the hermano prayed for us as his sons, so it is just cool! I tried blood sausage that day, it’s just blood and onions and some spices and I did not like it!

That is a piece of asado and I counted it as my Thanksgiving!

Saturday: A kid gave me a personalized painted trumpo -- kind of like a top here and it was cool and nice! That night we had no luck with anything!

Sunday: We cooked scones again and got a really good reference we think! That night we had no luck with anybody.

We made cinnamon rolls

Questions:

• How are you doing? Healthy? Happy? Motivated?
I think I’m getting sick and I’m always tried! I couldn't sleep last night worth anything but I’m good!

• What kind of work do you have to do on your Visa?
Visa work is just a lot of sitting and then signing something real fast, but it takes forever!

• How old is Alberto?
 Alberto is 12 and great!

• Is Gladis 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 years old-ish?
Gladis is probably 67 or something like that!

• When does Elder Evans (die) go home?
 Elder Evans goes home on the 29 of December he is taking Taylors gift home for me and hopefully he can ship it!

• What did you cook this week?
We mostly just cooked scones twice, no bake cookies, and banana bread!

That's total for me.

I love you a ton!!!
Give Jes, Tay and other Tay all my love and keep singing to the baby for me!

Elder Benedict

First Baptism!

So it has been a great week! And I’m doing pretty good! What did Kema and Becs come talk to you about? I miss them so bad!!!! Tell Tason that if he is close to the border he needs to find Raul--he is moving to Chili for a few weeks, to two or three months for work, so he has kind of dropped off our radar, but he promised to read his Book of Mormon we gave him while he is gone. If he does he is gonna either come back baptized or be ready at the least! Let’s go through the week before I spoil all your questions! Oh, and if that package is from me you, do not dare open it!!

Monday: We made banana bread that p-day when we got home and it was freaking bomb! I love banana bread so much and it was just nice to have a baked good in the house! We taught Alijandra and Pablo about the importance of reading and we are going to teach them again tonight and hopefully get them a fecha (date) for the 20th so that should be good! Also there were two super sluts of Argentina that were super gross, when they saw me and Elder Evans speaking English they said in Spanish, “Why don’t you come back to our place to talk about God? We will make you sin.” I have never been so afraid of Argentine women as right then!

Tuesday: I got my first besito on a bus, it’s the Argentine greeting and its where they touch cheeks and make a kissing sound, we aren’t supposed to do it but it happens to us sometimes. This girl knew English so I talked to her and her brother and she just did it afterword’s, honestly a weird experience, but I mean I’m pretty hot and these Argentines want these blue eyes, Lexy better beware ;) We then taught Gladis and she is crazy and just talks forever and ever it seems, but that’s fine we try and teach a little at least!

Wednesday: We really didn’t do much -- I had to do visa work and we didn’t really even finish that, but we did teach some menos activos (less actives) so that was way good!

Thursday: This was my three month exactly in the mission day! Woo-hoo, look at me! So with that we made cinnamon rolls they were pretty good, but not even close to moms so I’ll try again some other day! That and we planned a lot of the stuff we had to do for the baptism!

Friday: First thing we taught Raul and that’s when I found out he was leaving us and I was all kinds of sad, but its good he will come back and the next batch of chikos can get him! Then I almost fell asleep in some lessons because I’m so freaking tired all the time, but that’s okay! We then taught Alberto and his friend Maxi and we are hoping to start teaching Maxi’s family too and help them so I hope it all goes way good with all of that!

Saturday: We spent all morning trying to invite people and just get people out to the baptism and it was fun and then that night was the big moment and it went great! Franco and the family was forty minutes late but it was fine we still got it done. It took his brother Enso three tries but we got him in that water and he is now clean! It was great, the grandparents gave the talks and we just got to watch it all unfold! It was great! After words we celebrated with pizza and drinks! It was awesome!

Sunday: His parents didn’t even come to church to see him confirmed and we were way bummed, but that’s okay, then it was the primary program and it was way good! I liked it a lot, it’s the exact same but in Spanish and I was so focused on trying to understand the words I missed the bad singing! It was great!

So ya it was a good week for me and I am content with it all! Quick question, why and when do you dead head a flower? For Christmas I need more journals, baking soda, and an apron with maybe messages, or something--maybe the yellow one me and dad wore back when I was home?

 To answer all your questions:

• My feet are doing really good and I have one blister, but I’m being careful! 
• I don’t stay cool!! I’m just hot all the time and sleeping is so hard in the heat, we just have a fan we use to help and frozen veggie bags! 
• We walk everywhere we go unless it’s to Centro then we take a bus. The buses are a little sketch but good! We can walk to all of the parts of our areas in a day easy, but it just a lot of walking. 
• We smell rotting trash, they have ditches on every road and they have dead dogs or trash and just nasty stuff in them and sometimes they stank way bad! 
• I shop to cook so I ask people where I can find stuff and it takes us about forty minutes to do it! We try to spend less than 200 pesos per week, so it’s hard when Nutella is 60 pesos and six eggs is 10 and stuff like that but I do good! 
• Mendoza is not a ton different from home it’s just more ghetto and Spanish! 
• In our yellow house I have a desk to study and eat at and all that, and then we have a small sleeping room too! 
• My Spanish is good, I can talk to people on my own and usually just handle people now! 
• Alberto is getting baptized on the 6th of December and he is really excited, but he does what I did during sacrament and just lays on his mom! 
• You will get pictures from me when I get a SD card converter to USB--it should be soon  I hope! 

So that’s all I got! I love you tons and spoil my baby girl while I’m gone, okay?

Love Elder Benedict


Dad,
Being here in this country gives me such a realization of how fun you are!! People don’t get to do squat here and have to beg from the age of three. So to think of all the great things I’ve done is a little crazy... that and I just miss you--I miss your weird smiles when something happens and you would just make a big wide mouth face and it would always just be a classic dad thing and I miss it a lot. I think of stuff like that a lot and it really makes me miss you guys!

I’ll be honest the Holy Ghost doesn’t yell that often at least not to me. I would much rather live in Utah-- Cali is cool but I’d prefer Utah, and I think you should downsize--go buy a house or live with grandparents for a while and that will be fine, you would still be close to all of us and it would be perfect. I really will miss our house, but don’t worry about it! God will always provide a way for us. I have no doubt that with our prayers and fasting it will come out great! If there is anything I can help with from here let me know, I’d love to do it!

Dad, I really miss you, just please know that.  I wish I would have got to spend more time with you while I was home, but I can’t change that now, but know I miss you and think of you lots! 

Be safe and happy!
Love, Jayson

Sent Christmas Gifts--but don't open yet!!

I don’t have a ton of time but your guys’s weeks sound awesome!

Monday: We had to teach some chastity... awkward... and that’s really all we had that happened that day!

Tuesday: Last day of visiting the mission nurse--the foot is perfect and ready to go. We did intercombios and I was in another area. The elder had no plans for us and we somehow still got into three houses, his area is way nicer than mine and a lot more humble...

Wednesday: So every single plan we had fell through so we just walked a ton and did what we could to try and work... but that night I got to see a gal from my district who had to visa wait and that was cool. Then a random Hermana who just arrived here said ¨Hey your Jayson Benedict and live in Layton¨ . I was so confused! It turns out she served in our ward and had read my plaque and then came to our mission. So that was cool!

Thursday: We made empanadas and they were so good, we used Nutella and dulce de leche and appels and cookies --it was so bomb--but super fatty!!!  Then we had a lesson with Raul and he liked what we taught so that’s good, we’re gonna teach him the restoration this week and get him a baptismal fecha(date).

Friday: We taught a lesson to a less active member and she is like “Ya I’m coming to church”, and then doesn't. People here are just to freaking flo-ho lazy and it kills me but that’s fine! This night we had a six week training and I got to see my whole district and talk to them and t was really just super cool and I loved to talk to them about everything we've learned.

Saturday: We had a full mission conference where Elder D Todd Christoffersen came and talked to us and he spoke perfect Spanish, I got to shake his hand and it was just super awesome! I loved it a ton! That night we taught Alberto and he told us that he is way excited to get baptized!!! We are pumped!

Sunday: We had stake conference with an area seventy and it was good! I zoned out a lot, but it was good! I forgot it was Sunday when I woke up and might have done my exercises as usual--that was embarrassing. That night we had Francos interview and he is getting baptized next week!!! Yay!!! We are super pumped!!!

• So that’s my week and I’m not looking forward to the heat of the next couple weeks -- it’s gonna be rough! 
• My depression is good and gone--don’t stress I’m handling everything just fine. 
• Yes there is a Bro email where we chat when we are all on, it’s really nice. 
• I’m in a ward that has like 700 members, but we have about 70 people who come to church each week, which is a ton. Lots of places have like twenty people there so it’s a nice ward. 
• My favorite food is milenaza napolitana or parmesan chicken-- it’s a very common food and I love it. We had rice with oyster bits in it that was disgusting one day.
• I don’t know how big my bed is but it probably couldn't fit two of me shoulder to shoulder. 
• We live about an hour and ten minutes from the offices and from presidents house it’s about 30 minutes.
•  We just go to the stake center and play soccer or shop or stuff like that.
•  A Hermana does our laundry.
•  I do know my mom loves me tons!

Hey I would love a cheesecake recipe or the cheesecake cupcakes we make recipe... please! For Christmas I want chocolate, pictures, a SD card converter to USB so I can send you pictures, and  I don’t know what else...

I love you tons mom and tell dad he is amazing! I sent the Christmas package, it should be there in two weeks they said, but no opening it until Christmas, it was pretty pricey so you’ll have to wait until next Christmas for more things from me, but ya-- you are welcome. They wouldn't let me send Taylor’s gift so when Elder Evans dies he will send it to you.

Love you forever!
Elder Jayson Benedict

My feet are really fine, don’t worry about them!

I don’t have a ton of time so this may be a little brief. Don’t hate me, my camera is being super dumb so I won’t be sending pictures today, but yes I went and bought calabasa and carved pumpkins with elder Evans and it was awesome I needed it a lot, it helped keep me sane. This week we cooked three things--ham friend rice (I don’t have a wooden spoon so that was rough) and it worked kinda. My rice was too wet and wasn’t too great, but I ate it for breakfast all week so no problem. Then we made no-bake cookies that were pretty good, we just didn’t use a lot of peanut butter. Then we made French toast casserole, it was pretty good, I burnt the bottom bad and I’m not sure how to fix that, but it was bomb--so it was real good week for cooking. I’m kinda awesome!!!!

Monday, all the plans fell through and it was a lot of walking all night, it was just a super tranquillo day and we just had a chill day!

Tuesday: Feet were fine and we are not worried about them, she over exaggerated how bad they could be Sunday-- they are just crazy! Ospaldo, Alijandra and Pablo didn’t show for our lessons, but we rescheduled Alijandra and Pablo and got them later. We taught a crazy guy who is already in heaven or hell--he can’t really understand us...

Wednesday: Our miracle Cilvia didn’t show for her lesson and that was rough but we had a less active and she said that just in our visit she wanted to start coming back to church and we were pumped! Then we taught an inactive family Ibara and they really needed what we shared with them about the purpose of this life. Then we taught Franco about prayer and he attend church, that was cool! Then we taught the family Alfaro and they are English and it was so funny, Elder Evans couldn’t remember doctrine words in English and I had to help him with words and good grammar and I just went ham and loved it!

Thursday: We got stopped on a the street and a lady told us she wanted to get reactive and that she wanted her son to be baptized also, so that’s awesome! Then a Mexican in perfect English stopped us and we chatted with him forever and it was fun, but we missed our second appointment with Gladis, we couldn’t teach her all week due to scheduling, but then we had Alijandra and Pablo and it was good. She doesn’t believe in heaven, he doesn’t believe that it’s the only true church so it’s weird, but good!

Friday: Teaching Estella the lady who stopped us about her son was awesome! She has taught him how to pray and they already read the Book of Mormon so we are going to baptize him the sixth of December! Every investigator has to come to church three times before baptism,  so they are long fechas (dates), then that night we taught a crazy less active about faith and then Franco about the law, but we got Francos brother to join us and come to church so that was just freaking crazy and way awesome!

Saturday: We had a lesson with Raoul and he is weird he thinks he just needs a girlfriend, not God, but we tried with him it was weird though! Then that night everything fell through, we had a random plan playing in the plaza and it was cool, the drummer was bomb, then  it’s been cold now I’m in a sweater right now so that’s awesome. I prayed to God this week that he would cool down the weather for me before Sunday and it has gotten cold because of the prayer of faith. I know it’s real and it has been awesome!

Sunday: We had both Franco and Alberto at church which is more investigators than ever, then Estella and Albetro liked it but that night we had dinner with Echagery on accident, they treat us like their kids and are awesome, but its fine we wasted a lot of time with slightly strong members, but they need help too, they are not married but its fine and we help them a lot to progress.

So that was my week and it has been good! It is getting hotter and it’s fine. I told you about prayer, sleep is good now--I like the cold!

Those with baptism dates: Franco, Albverto, Gladis, Cilvia, Ospald,o Cloudia, and family, and the familia Alfaro. So its eleven people but they won’t happen it’s just a "goal".
I don’t want to tell you my release date because I will tell you later, mine is even before Dillon’s I think… fine you can know it’s the 26th of July at least that’s what it says on my preaching card.

That was my week and I love you a lot!!!!!
Love, Elder Benedict

P.S.
My area has a fun fact, we have had no baptisms in over a year--child or adult and I’m going to change that! Yah God is really cool and I guess he trusts me or something so it’s great!! God is incredibly cool and I’m loving what I’m doing! My feet are really fine, don’t worry about them! I think God has got me in his hands, I have faith of  that, and so should you! “And how great was there joy for having suffered for the name of Christ”.  I feel the same way! I love you guys!!!!!

Worried about the blisters

A se que como siempre empazo con la semana y comenso con sus praguntas

Lunas: Hoy.. Just kidding I’ll write you in English!!! But it would be cool in Spanish! So Monday after Pday which we got home late and had to go shopping after six, I repented don’t worry, and we got to our first appointment late and had to bounce quick and cancel everything else because of a ward mission leadership training meeting, that was good and I got some homemade bread which was awesome!!!

Martes: I tore off my huge blister this day and it looked really bad, I’ll send you the picture in another email, and walking was way rough, but at a meeting I showed it to a missionary nurse and he told me it was possibly infected and I had to start working on them to keep them healthy. I’ll send pictures of that too. Then we had to heavy hitter lessons one with Alejandra y Pablo--they were good and they read the part we left for them.  Pray for them to progress and to know this is the only true gospel!

Miercoles: We taught the lady who talked for days named Gladis with a neighborhood priest and he was a huge help and she seemed to like it, but when we passed by yesterday she said that we had some 'fighting' to do about the Book of Mormon, so tonight could be interesting. That and when I put my effort in and don’t zone out I can understand Spanish, and that’s awesome!!!

Jueves: I was burning for home a ton that  night, I just really miss you guys a freaking ton... and it’s really hot here so that’s not awesome! But we deal with it by showering and fans and not wearing clothes. but this day we had about an hour until lunch and all our plans fell through and we knocked a door and she let us in and we taught her the first lesson and got her a baptism date and it was way cool. We could see her getting baptized so I’m pumped! We have eight people with dates for baptism--people will accept fechas but never progress to them so we just keep trying!

Viernes: So the week declined hard from Viernes to today we didn't have any lessons but one and that was Bello, a less active who just works while we teach him so its weird, but it helps him and I get to stop walking so that’s nice! We also made plans for all the things we wanted to cook like ham fried rice. I think I have everything I need, but we need some recipes!

Sabado: I didn’t sleep at all the Friday to Saturday night so this day was rough, and that night we had Stake Conference and it was hard to be in the moment and not thinking of you! So that was rough! We had a lesson Tuesday with Ospaldo I didn't tell you about, so we started teaching him and asked if he had prayed about what we said and he said not really but I don’t need to. I’ve listened to you and it all seems good and right and that I agree with so it must be true! I was pumped and we get to teach him tomorrow so pray for us please and him!

Domingo: President was at Stake Conference and him and his wife had to look at my feet and they are worried so I have an appointment with a mission doctor lady and will probably have one with a real doctor too... So that sucks but we’re good and I’m doing fine, they hurt but I’m good! I had real conversations with the priests in my ward on Sunday and it was awesome! I can communicate with people now so I feel pretty good here! I do have days where all we do is walk all day on my blistered feet and I just want to come home and be with you guys again and be loving that little baby girl, but here is good too, the people are good, and investigators are going! So I’m good!

I didn't really get to cook much this week so that was a bummer, but this week I got some big plans! I already told you about our new investigator, and there are names throughout this whole email pray for those names please! The blisters are bad, people think they are going to get infected and I’ll need surgery to get them clean so they are pretty worried about it, but I can still walk and work so I’m good! My stomach is good so no stress there! What surprised me most is houses here, we have areas of houses made of nothing but cardboard that people found and tarps... So those are weird, but cool. But that surprised me. There are a ton of random starving dogs everywhere. Everything is always dirty so I don’t really like that... But ya its good! Weirdest thing is people just plopping out a breast and feeding their baby while they are just chilling in church or on the bus or just anywhere, the random dogs getting it on is weird, children smoking weed, it’s all a little weird! Fashion is pretty similar, but super sluttly, we call them snakes and rats it’s fun because no one knows what we say about them! The church house is like home with more screaming babies, but its fine! I write you from an internet cafe so its 20 pesos to write you every week, but its fine! Everyone has phones, but not everyone has a computer in the home, as in most do not. The envelope does get taxed, but not huge like forty pesos or something like that so don’t stress about it I want packages. Christmas presents I want: pedometer, medical scissors like your pink ones, rubber scraper with the red handle that I used all the time, your large recipe book, and a bread knife or just a good knife for cooking would be awesome! Yes I know when  I am coming home, Mikes is August 11th, but mine is before that by a lot. But you don’t get to know yet! I love you mama! I need you to get Jesika a baby shirt for Nella that says I get my looks from my uncle or my missionary I don’t care!! But that would be dope!

Love you tons and be safe!!!
Elder Jayson Benedict

Pretty Good Week

So this week has been pretty good.

Monday: I burnt a fool(totally homesick) for that stupid baby! I want to meet her, and every baby girl that I see I just talk to the mom and talk about Jes and its crazy and it makes me burn a ton. But we also got an investigator who will be baptized on the fifteenth of next month and that’s awesome!!! He is nine so it doesn't totally count because his brother has prepared him a lot, but pray for the familia Gomez because we want his parents to come to church with him so that they can be active again and get the whole family there! It’s a neat little thing we are doing!

Delicious Hawaiian Pizza!

Tuesday: We went and got some awesome facturas before service, Argentine pastry for breakfast and then we sanded some paint that we think was lead based and we are all gonna die from and then we painted afool and it was awesome!!! I’m tall and had to paint all the high stuff--that was rough! But it was good!

Wednesday: This picture sums up Wednesday!

Thursday: That is when I did all my cooking and that’s like it--we walked a lot!!!

I made these because--why not!!

Friday: We knocked over one hundred doors and that was rough, we had so little success that day, but that’s okay I guess.

Saturday: We got a reference of a lady and we went over to her house and she talked for 50 minutes before we even got one word in, it was crazy. She reminded me of you ;) and it was hard to teach her because of all the wild tangents and I just zoned out way hard.... but our landlord gave us empanadas and some dope cake that was freaking amazing! I love Joquin (Wakine) and he is nice to us...I really want to ride his motorcycle super bad!!

Sunday: I gave my talk and people said it was good! I hoped you liked listening to it. I have the worst gringo accent but I’m hoping to fix it as time goes by! Sunday was the Dia de la Madre and I burnt super hard and I wanted to call my mamma, but I have to wait until Mayo and then I can!

We made Peach Crumble--it's awesome!!

So I could use a picture of the recipe for cinnamon rolls that includes the dough. Me and Elder Evans want to make some soon. What is this about going to Cali to look at houses? That scares me a freaking ton... I would still fly home to Utah I hope you know and live with Kyle and them for a while, then just live on campus... but I don’t like thinking of that ...it hurts, but if we must we must. Amber died? What?

You asked me what food I missed last week, I miss Reese’s and all American chocolate, Mike and Ikes, Hot Tamales and all brands of American candy, there aren't really chocolate chips here... and I don’t really know what else....but ya, that’s my week!

My Zone of Gringos!

 Let me go answer your questions now!

• How are you and Elder Evans getting along this week?
We get along great really, he might go to Weber next August and you should invite him in for some food and talk--he is way dope!

• Do you go on splits with other missionaries in your Zone?
We were going to but we had emergency transfers of some elders in my district so it hasn't happened yet!

• Are you in downtown Mendoza?
Yes, you could say it’s downtown Mendoza.

• When you say Municipal—is that like Forest Hills or Peacefield Neighborhoods?
It’s not like either neighborhood, it’s more like where great grandpa lived--it’s not that nice.

• What is your apartment like? Please take pictures so I can get a better idea of what your living conditions are like in the apartment.
I have yet to see carpet and I really don’t see nice tile that much. We don’t have much dirt floor, but concrete floors are normal and its way weird and people’s houses are really small.

• I love to see your face!!! Send pictures if you can!!!
 I’ll send you pictures of the pens next week with me in them--I promise!  I will get lots of picture of my face next week I promise!

• Are you teaching any families that we can be praying for?
Pray for Alijandra and Poublo, Ospaldo, Famila Gomez, Cloudia Emilza and Jose Luis, and Roberto and Rene but mostly Alijandra and Poublo  and Famlia Gomez!

• How are the language skills coming along?
The language is good, its coming and I’m doing good I think! People tell me I speak very good, but it’s hard because I speak weird so they don’t understand me a lot! But we get it all taught and done good!

• Are you HAPPY? We are praying that you are!!!
I am happy, ready to come home, but happy! It’s gonna be a long 22 months ;) Its good and hard stuff! I love you a ton mom and miss you guys a lot! Give Nella my love and tell Jes and Tay I’m way proud of them! I got some Christmas shopping done for you guys today and I think you will like the stuff! I should send the package off this next week or week after that! Depends on how long it takes to find Jesika and one other thing I need to get done-- so who knows!!!

I love you guys a lot and you are freaking awesome!
With all the love I have!
Elder Benedict

P.S.
I’ll do better with pictures next week! Be safe and really show Nella my picture and get her to love me okay???
I love you! Gots to go now!!!! But I love you guys a ton!

Hey dad,

I feel like I have been neglecting you and I want to stop doing that! I miss you like crazy, and all this talk of motorcycles makes me miss you a lot too!!! But I like it, its cool here and to see it! Pushing back Derik’s motorcycle had to be awful and I’m sad of the fact that I couldn't have beat you home during that ride ;)

But really dad, I’m worried about you, I pray for you every night and I have complete faith that God will help you. Everything at work, all the activities you have to plan, and the new baby girl, and your two men out on missions... I know that God will help you as I pray and you do, I have complete faith in the power of my God. That went a lot different then what I planned to say but that’s okay. I just want you to know how much I care about you dad and how much I miss you! I really miss getting to sit and talk with you to just enjoy your company and get to just chat. I miss it a lot! I just wanted to make sure you knew how much I care about you and bear my testimony that this work is real and God is real and through the prayer of faith all can be made better. I love you dad. You are so amazing and I just want you to know I believe in you and I love you with all my heart...

Your son, Jayson Benedict

I'm a freaking Uncle!

Me and Elder Evans get a long super great, me and him are honestly already pretty tight we talk everywhere we walk and we just have a way good time!!! I don’t have any pictures of my area-- it’s hard to take my camera out, I don’t want it getting stolen, it looks really expensive!!! Municipal is actually Elder Irelands last area I think or one of his lasts! It’s way dope we have two visja´s where people make their houses out of nothing but garbage and plastic and what they can find but it’s a pretty nice area, but people are just never home so that really sucks but we try :) The other night I woke up at 1am after I fell asleep around 11:30pm and thought I was on deaths door because of how bad my stomach hurt, but I just laid and tried not to think about it and it went away around 5 in the morning so other than that I’ve been pretty good with my stomach. I’m sleeping much better this week then I did last week but I wake up a lot during the night but I sleep-ish! I am now up to ten blisters on my feet in three weeks here!!! Oh yaaa!!!!  Going way too hard in the mission life ;) But really they are not a problem that much-- I can handle it and I just walk like an old man! I don’t really miss food things, I miss Chinese food a lot!!!  Going to China Hill my last night was a good call!!!! I don’t really miss too much, our pens (apartment) should get gas this Wednesday so I will be able to have more than cereal for breakfast, but its good here!!! Last night I had a 20 minute conversation with my landlord with only some difficulty so it’s coming! El don del linguas es reál! and God helps me a lot!!!

Elder Evans and Elder Benedict

So this week!
Monday: We just stayed home and chilled and it was so nice we took a nap and I tried to write some letters, but failed! I bought me a local team jersey! I’ll try to send a picture!

Tuesday: We had meetings but there was a guy on a bus and he spoke English to me and I taught him about the first lesson, shared the First Vision and gave him a pass along card-- it was way cool! We also had milanesa and people make it like Parmesan chicken and it is so good!!! I loved that, the beef one was nasty, but chicken was good!

Wednesday: More meetings and then work after studies, we had a lesson with a family I love, but they feel like all churches are true if they follow Christ, so that is really hard but fine!!!

Thursday: We had two whole lessons and that was nice, but they were less actives so... but they count too! One family gave us these tiny fruits and they had three mongo seeds in them it was like there wasn’t even fruit there, but that’s fine! The other family talked for days and it took us an hour to share a fifteen minute lesson...but good day!

Blisters inside of blister

Friday: I got a way bad blister that day and popped it and it hurt like a beast, but I was fine! We taught a guy but he was all kinds of not interested and I zoned out pretty hard. We had another lesson that day with Ospaldo and he was interested and really a great investigator, but when we tried to put a baptismal date with him he felt pushed and it hurt the spirit, I hate trying to place fetchas after the estoration but Elder Evans says its mission rule... Whatever... I’ll deal.

Saturday: We had a lesson with an inactive crazy family in the morning and they were all too tired to talk so we just got to share it all!!! It was way nice! We made these cool deserts with a family for the ward party that night, like crab cheese wontons but with strawberry jam and we used  pieces of bread paper that is cut in fourths after deep frying them they got a sugar glaze and they were great! The ward party was awesome and a success, but while playing soccer with the kids I rolled my ankle so bad I thought I was gonna die but it’s getting better now!

Sunday: Our ward is super young and they are great still, but I never can hear a thing on Sunday. I only fell asleep during leadership meeting so that’s good for me!!! All our plans always fall through so that sucks but I’m doing really good and trying really hard!

We have been hearing about this world wide disease that started in Africa and I was wondering if you knew anything about it! I’m a little freaked out about it, but you guys don’t perchance know anything about it do you?

Baby Nella

I’m a freaking Uncle!!!! You have no idea how trunky those pictures made me of Nella I want to be there so bad and helping her. She looks beautiful and I want to love her! Tell her Uncle Jayson loves her! Lex said she tells people she got a new niece too and I’m like wooo hooo!!!! Haha!!

I’m doing good and being happy and working as hard as I can!


I love you and should be sending dad a ton of pictures!!!!
Love you so much!!!
Elder Benedict

P.S. I am so jealous of dads biking and I miss that a ton!!!


Jesika and Taylor
Congrats on the Baby, I didn't have time to read your email but will try to later!!! I love you guys so much!!! Be happy and give her so much love for me. She looks like an angel and this uncle and brother is happy and proud and sad that I am missing that beautiful little girl... I cried as I wrote that, but know I'm happy and cant wait to get to know her when she is two!!! I love you guys a lot!!!

Seven Blisters on my Feet!

So I will answer all your questions at the end and see if I don’t answer any more then you asked! This week has been hard for me we have had to do a lot of missionary work to finish and other necessary things.

Lunes-- after writing you and moping for a little while I talked to Hermano Echegary in Spanish for like twenty minutes and it was really cool that me and him could even communicate because I don’t speak great yet but somehow I did!!! It was awesome; the gift of tongues is super real!! We went and played soccer with other missionary’s and that was way fun. Two elders Elder Moita and Elder Veater convinced me they were Latinos but they are both from Cali they are sweet kids and I really just love my entire zone! We also went and had a visit planned with Alujandra and Poulo and we got there and they were working so we helped them for maybe an hour, answered a ton of questions about our church and our beliefs on birth and abortion and then after that we went in and talked to them about part of the restoration it was awesome and one of my first real teaching experiences! More about them in other days-- I’ll get there!

Martes-- so on Tuesday I had to go do Visa work so we had to take the buses for two hours and go do that for like three hours we barely made it home for lunch with a lady in the ward. Every day we get fed by the ward members, certain families have certain days and so we just make our rounds. Our pension or apartment is nice but it doesn't have any gas for cooking right now so we just have cereal and then lunch at about one o’clock and then since we get home at about nine, we don’t eat dinner and if we do it’s just a small snack. We had a lesson with a man named Chrisitan and I thought it went really well, we gave him a Book of Mormon and we got him to promise to pray and all the good stuff that has to happen, but after words Elder Evans told me what I had feared, he had told us he wasn't super interested he was catholic, but wanted to listen out of pity because he sees us working so hard all the time, but that’s fine. If he does what he said he will, he will still feel the spirit and we may have a chance!

Miercoles--we had interviews with President this day and so we took a bus back and forth wasting more hours and the interview was fine he is a good man and he just wants me to focus on being happy and all that jazz. Really I just need to stop thinking about you and Lex so much and I will be fine. Dang did she look good in that missionary gram you sent me! Dang, I’ve done good!!! How did I score her???  That night we had an interview with a lady for baptism for one of the elders in our district Elder Evans is district leader and he had to go do it. But it was cool to see that conversion is possible!!!!

Viernes--so this day we just wanted to go out and invite everyone to conference because who can teach better than the prophets’ right? That was cool to teach and we had three lessons in one day!!! It was crazy! Of course all of them were less actives and already members, but I didn't care we got to stop walking and actually talk to people!!!! We had one lesson with Hermano Bello though and he was just such a bum he doesn't want to go to church anymore because it makes bad things happen to his family and life. But he was really just being lazy so that’s fine I’m not gonna worry about it, we will keep working with him. He was a bishop and should have tons of faith, but some people just lose it....

Sabado--tons of rain!!! It was so cool! We went out street contacting and had to run home because it started pouring rain! Then we walked to the stake center in the rain and it was all kinds of awesome!!! It made me miss dancing in the rain with Lex and playing in the gutters with you a ton, but its fine!! I got to just sit for six hours that day for conference in the stake center, don’t worry they had a greenie room for all the green-gos! We also got to see the baptism so that was awesome!!! I don’t know if you noticed but Elder Cook told me I need to get married pretty quick so I don’t know what I’m doing here (insert winky face, but Spanish keyboards) and that night when conference ended at 11 o clock at night I was just thinking of you guys having Chili’s without me and I burned like a beast because I couldn't stop thinking about how good that stupid dessert sounds!!!!

Domingo--we again got street contacting done in the morning and people were sort of rude but I guess they had places to go so I shouldn't worry about it! Sundays do not feel like Sundays, they are just another work day but conference was way dope!!! I was bummed that I couldn't have Sunday lunch with you guys in the middle of the sessions and I was actually pretty hungry we didn't have lunch Sunday because we were way out of Municipal which is my area! But I loved conference! We got home planned and went to bed!

Over all a good week! Elder Evans first name is Dwitt and he is from Arizona he is twenty and will be dying with me. He goes home on the twenty sixth of December, bummer for him but kinda cool!  He entered the MTC the 13th of February the same day as Tason I think, but he doesn't know him. His birthday is the tenth of December and he is dope. He played soccer and tennis and plans to go to school on scholarship for tennis. He is a little trunky but not a ton. Down here we call trunkyness burning and its fun we talk a lot about home and movies and songs and stuff but it doesn't hurt me to bad!  He served in the offices for 8 months and I’m one of his second sons, the last one had to go home for testicular problems... But ya he is awesome. We are like 7 on the friend scale we’re tight but not super! I do still like the food but it’s fairly repetitive... that’s fine though. I eat meat off bones and I struggle but I do good enough that they don’t notice! We have hot showers at night, but in the morning we got nothing but I don’t worry about it! When we get gas in the apartment we will have showers that are warm but its summer now-ish so I want cold. I’m sleeping okay so ya that’s good.... and yes I used my oils on my feet, grand total I have seven blisters all on just two spots of my feet I’ll try to send dad the pictures! It’s rough but they are better now!

A dueno is our landlord so he is cool he actually asked us about the church this week and we shared some of the restoration and gave him a foillata... pamphlet.  I think. He is a good guy but makes sure we take good care of the house! Our area is probably like the size of Layton, but a little smaller we walk a lot but it’s more like 8 to 10 neighborhoods so we do good! The language is coming good and it’s awesome and it is only getting better, but when people ask me questions I have nothing so I just try my best. I’m doing good I burn a lot but I’m doing good and miss you guys like crazy! I’m bummed Nella isn't born yet and I need a picture of Jes sideways to see her belly!
 
I love you lots!!! Write me!

With Love Elder Jayson Benedict

The mission is awesome!!!!

I don’t have very much time so this letter is the letter you get and you don’t throw a fit! Lexy didn't write me so I hope she isn’t dead, but don’t worry about that!  I love it here--the mission is awesome! The MTC was hell, but here is awesome!!!!

My area is called Municipal and me and Elder Evans are in charge of about five pretty big neighborhoods, we walk all day and it is awesome! So let me tell you about my week!

Monday when I got off the phone with everyone I felt pretty good, but after sitting on that plane for just three of the 11 hours I felt awful and didn’t know what to do. I felt sick and was unhappy and didn’t sleep a wink eleven hours of trying, but no luck I just sat there for days.... And i thought a lot of negative and that was bad and I am sorry... but that flight was hell. But that was fine I loved talking to everyone and Lex said some stuff that made me super happy!

Tuesday I saw a friend in the Argentina MTC and that was cool Andrew Bell was there, but I didn’t get to see him, but I loved seeing the temple no luck on going in, but seeing it was freaking awesome!!! Then we finally got to go and fly to the mission, and President Goates is nice and he likes family a lot and I think me and him will get along just fine, I don’t love him yet, but I don’t really know him and he doesn't really know me yet so that’s fine.

Wednesday I told the president everything about my time in the MTC--how much I hated it and how bad I felt and he wasn't worried, he promised me an awesome trainer and that everything would be better here, he promised. We got to see a monument and that is where the picture was taken, that wasn't my district, but that was some of the greeenies with me! I love the food here, that day we had pastel de papa and I loved it-- try and find it, it’s like a pie with meat and then potatoes and then like a glaze of melted marshmallow and cinnamon. It’s super good!

Thursday, this is the day I got to meet Elder Evens and he is a stud and I love him, he makes me happy and he is just a really stellar guy. He sings a lot just randomly, and we talk a lot about musica and all the things of home, not to make me bummed, or him bummed, but just because. We try not to think of the sad things just good and we sing a lot it helps me a ton, he is a huge blessing in my life! We did some abrir la boca open the mouth that night and I learned I knew none of the language and it was scary, but I am getting a lot better. We get 1800 pesos a month and it goes forever and we have bagged milk its really weird, we also have a Walmart and I love it. We get to walk everywhere and my feet are tired.

Friday-- Milanesa is awesome, the chicken one is way good and the food all around is awesome. I’m sleeping really bad every night, but I just had not a lot to say for this day, but we walked and tried all day and no one was home or interested it was rough but fine.

Saturday I got super sun-burnt from walking and being outside all day and that’s awesome! So  I’m getting all kinds of tan and it's hot here! My first lesson was Friday and we taught a less active about prayer and how it is important still and he came to church so that was awesome and really cool! We bought empanadas and they were freaking delicious and then our duieno bought us a pizza and I loved it! We have some food now in the pensh our house and that’s no normal, but it’s awesome. Reese’s peanut butter cups are like gold here so we had one of those too.

Sunday we had two less actives come to church which was awesome and way cool!  I might have slept through every meeting except gospel doctrine, but I’m so tired it’s hard not to.... We got fed so much spaghetti that day I thought I would die....but that’s fine. We had to speed teach  lesson 1 to a family and they were talking, laughing and super irreverent--it was impossible to feel the spirit and I didn't like that much, but its fine we will get them next time and do better.  It wasn't really our fault, but I felt bad, but my language skills are coming.

I’m gaining confidence and happiness every day and I’m loving it here! I love this place and my mission! I don’t know my address and will send you pictures next week! Much love dad and mom!

You guys are awesome-- know that your son is doing good.
Sincerely, Elder Benedict

Random question, did Elder Ireland call you?