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!!!!!