Keeping Busy

Saturday October 24, 2015

So this week has been crazy full of stuff, because I hated last week so much I decided that I was going to plan this one really well so that I could work more, because I hate not working! We made it out and taught some and I got some tramites done and I have made some tight friends with some younger missionaries that I really like! So its been a really good week for me! I love my job I really do! I can’t wait to see how it changes when I start doing it in the States. Everyone here I've been able to make friends with and now I just feel like I'm part of a family, they know me and I know them and together we are learning how to do this better and better and how to help each other! I love it! I honestly would love to just go from mission to mission doing this for a long time, and thats what I'm hoping I get to do when I get to the States and start working! I’m kinda excited for that to happen really! 

To the questions!

• How is the weather for you now that you are going into Spring?

So it’s absolutely freezing today, like really really cold! We went shopping and we could see our breath, good thing I have my llama sweater! :)

• We have been praying that you will have the time to read your scriptures…Was it a better work for you? Your dad and I listen to a conference address and the scriptures each morning as we drive into work. It is kind of nice.

I have been able to find more time, really I just need to make the self-conscious effort to do it and then it usually happens, so don’t worry too much!

• Did you get your package yet?

Nope, I haven't, I'm honestly not sure it will ever come, I think its just straight stuck in Buenos Aires forever... I don’t know.

• Busy Week or Slow Week?

And its been a really fast week I've loved it!

Monday was mostly office work, making paper slips ready for the other stuff I need to do, and just making everything ready for the week — it was good because I was making sure I had plan after plan of things that needed to be accomplished so I got a lot done, and then I fixed all the bad programming, I had in some stuff I was working on and then I also got 6 people legal for the next two years, got it all finished for them! :)

Tuesday was a huge road trip to San Luis to drop off a paper for one of my kids that was illegal that I had to take to San Luis with me, so we got the paper there, ate some great hot dogs, and the then we had to drive to Alvear, so we drove there to drop off a contract and I got to talk to all my old friends there and it was awesome!! I think I'm going back the week after this one, I'm pumped!!! Then when we were driving home we picked up some of my friends, Elder Castro and Elder Long and it was way fun to just sit and chat and just screw around with them for the 2-1/2 hour drive home! So in total we drove I think 7 hours that day, we had two drivers so it was nice and split, so it was a blast!

Wednesday I did tramites with some of my best friends in the mission…there is this Elder Long I think from Cali or Provo, I don’t remember.  I love his comp too—Elder Agyin a full blown black kid from Cali, it was so awesome because I way love them, in a non-wierd way. Then I got them back home, and tried to figure some stuff out with the police to no avail, but it was good all the same. 

Thursday — I’m going to be honest I really don’t remember what I did this day, I think I went and did something in migraciones and worked on stuff here, but nothing really special or specific. I did work on something pretty important, I recieved an email that one of my missionaries anticidentes are spelt wrong because his middle name was spelt wrong. But in reality it’s his passport that is spelt wrong. I think it’s so funny because that means him and I need to go to Buenos Aires to fix it…he has been using this passport for awhile and no one has checked to see that it’s wrong until we did, because we can’t do any legality work unless he has this work done so it was way funny! I’m going to Buenos Aires this next Wednesday to do that work! 

Friday just more work, trying to get stuff done for the Buenos Aires trip and just working on everything I need to so that I'm good at my job! It’s been a good week, I did more then I have written here, but to be honest I just can’t remember it all—it slips my mind! 

Saturday I went and bought some stuff for my bosses in Buenos Aires and just worked on some minor stuff and wrote the family! Just preparing the next week! 

So I'm good and happy and doing better this week! I'm going to be gone Wednesday night and Thursday day until like 9 and then I’ll be back, but I'm going to have a sweet trip in front of me! I honestly can’t wait! It’s going to be so fun! I’m living for the trip right now! I found the tickets and flights we are going to use today and I'm pumped! Hopefully I'm there for me time, but we will see…all the same I have to go back for another kids passport, so we will see how it all goes from here! 

I love you guys a ton and don't stress mom I'm going to take a ton of photos to send you! 

Love you to the moon and back! 

Love, Jayson!

My mind rejects stagnation...

Don’t worry, I got you pictures this week, I have got your back! This week honestly was really hard for me, I just didn't do anything, and I'm not good at that at all! I need to be working, “My mind rejects stagnation, give me problems, give me work." Get the quote or call Jesika she will know! But ya other then that I'm good, really tired as always! 

Double Date Sweaters ;)

To the questions!

• Did you get to go and teach again this week?

We went out Monday, but then we didn't really make it out more then that, we are weird and should have gone more, but we didn't. We worked instead.

• Did you schedule time in this week to read your scriptures? I have only read once…I need to try a little harder to be a little better!!

I honestly really struggle to read my scriptures daily, I work a full time job and sometimes its easy to forget, and when the time that I have set apart is in the morning is when I normally have to be working. So I miss a lot of days and it makes me sad. I did better this week with my ponderize scripture, it helped me a ton! 

• Dear Jayson, Please stop driving SOOOOOO fast…just because you can, does not mean you should. I keep praying for Heavenly Father to keep you safe, but I think you need to do your part too!!! Please!!

Ha, I'm careful when I drive like that, but I am slowing down — I don't want to die nor kill anyone!

• Do you know the date of when you will be out of the offices and back to sharing the gospel out in the field?

I will probably be out the 27th of December. So soonish! 

• When I talked to the shipping people, they said the package would be delivered directly to the address. What did I do wrong?

I think what went wrong was just the quantity of things in it, and if it had the razors and too many ties, like clothing and drugs are hard to get in, I don't know if it had razors that too probably didn't help. I did talk to Elder Vilche like I said in my email to you earlier in the week (which was way weird by the way, like weird ;)) But I'm just not sure he will do it, its not priority to him, but he told me that if I want I can just send them directly to him in Cordoba and he will get it there and pull it out. I don't know why it’s stuck in Buenos Aires, but I will keep trying for it! But it might never arrive, I don't know why they say we need a broker. You should ask the company, because it even says that their broker was notified, I don't know its weird. I don't get it really!

I went to Cordoba

To my week!

Saturday night we went to a baptism and it was good! After we had a party and ate cake and talked with our two hermanas they are way sic, we have a black hermana and thats way not normal, we only have two black people in the mission and they just barely came here! Way fun to get to know a new culture from the states even!

Sunday normal day…Ariel came to church and that was cool and then we had roast with the Warners and it was way yummy! Then that night we had the normal meeting!

Monday this is where the week got hard and way boring—I had nothing to do, I went from crazy over drive to nothing to do. I tried to just get office work done but I ran out of things to do, so me and Elder Bingham went and worked and it was fun.

Pictures from when we went to Uspallata

Tuesday I went and payed bills and did some more stuff for the last San Luis trip and got all accounts and budgets taken care of and again was bored, but in the night time had to go work on something I don't remember!

Wednesday I went and got the ceduala de identidad for a Chilean that I had been working on from the consulate with him, and after that had nothing to do. I've done too much work in the last two months that now when I have nothing to do it sucks! I don't know maybe I'm just weird, but I miss the craziness!

Thursday we went to a a place called Uspallata to go check on the house they had there. It wasn't a very nice one, but its such a small town that there really isn't a new place to put them in, but we are going to see what we can do! But it was really high up in the mountains, and me and Elder Romero thought it would be cool to go to the border of Argentina, so we started heading towards Chili, its about a 50 minute drive to the border from Uspillata and so we didn't see a problem in it—but as we were on our way we got a way bad feeling that we needed to go back the both of us at the same time, we said it and turned around. I don't know why we both felt that we couldn't keep going, its not like it was bad, but we trusted God and went back. I’m not positive why, but I think God protected us that day by telling us to go home. 

Friday I did 4 peoples tramites and that was about it. After we finished that, I did have to travel to a place called Laville with Elder Romero because I love him. It’s fun, we don't listen to music, we just talk. Like Uspallata we just talked for almost 4 hours straight, it’s fine we just get along really well and talk about life! It’s awesome!

Saturday we played soccer and went to a green market and it was way fun and hipster and now just writing! So yupp! Thats my life! It’s fun! 

You should write me back! I love you a lot! Be safe and enjoy life! 

Love Jayson

Transfer Week--keeping busy

Honestly if you ever wrote the mission email I would handle it as a secretary I think, not as me, I think it would be funny that way! I almost sent out an email to all the parents when we had the earthquakes, but there was no way to do it, so I didn't in the end, but I think it would be cool to send one to them. I will see if I can figure out what to do with it! 

I loved conference as well, the talk by Randall K Bennet was my favorite, it was during priesthood session and he talked about repentance in such a way that made it seem so possible and he talked about how the only time we truly fail is if we decide to not take another faithful step after we fall…I loved it! I assume you haven't heard it yet, and if not I would suggest you do it now! It was soooooooooooo good! All of it was awesome though even more that I watched it in pajamas for 2 sessions due to it being p-day and just enjoying it in the offices! 

On to the questions:

• Are you done with getting everyone legal? If not….how many more do you have to do?

I really will never be done getting people legal, people are always expiring and I have to get them renewed, and then I will always be receiving new groups from the states that I  need to get done as soon as I can! So I'm working on all that, but of those who are currently illegal I have like 15, but I have about 15 that are about to expire in the next month! 

• Did you get to go out and open the mouth this week?

I did! We had newbys come this week and I got to go out with a black kid!!!! It was so awesome!! He is honestly one of the biggest studs that I think our mission has! We found two promising families and we taught a good lesson to Ariel and he spoke really well for having so little time—I love it! Way fun day of work really!

• How often do you talk with President?

I talk to President every other day I would probably say, sometimes more depending on the week, but thats a safe guess!

• What are you doing to make sure the next secretary is better trained than you were?

I have a lot of stuff planned to make my hijo better trained then I was, but mostly I'm going to actually explain what I think he should do, instead of just telling him to do it! But he will have it way easier then me, because I've cleaned up most of the mess that has come in recently so when I get out really his job will be easy! 

• Did you get to see Elder Hamideh and his family?

I did get to meet the Hamideh’s it was nice to talk to them! So what happened is you were too slow at getting them the package — like my comp Elder Bingham who only knew for three weeks got a package with them just because they took it over sooner, but its cool I don’t care—it’s not really a problem.

• Did you get the girl home with the stomach biopsy? Is she okay?

So Larios is fine, but it was just scary when she was crying and we were so far away from any adult supervision! I was the only kind of person in charge there so all decisions had to come from me, so I was just a little out of my mind worried because it was all on me, but she was fine don't stress! She is now serving in an area close to the offices where the nurse can keep a close eye on her. 

Sunday — conference, thats about all I did! I  also worked on the bus tickets I needed to buy that week so that I would have that little part out of the way and done with. Really it was just calm listening to conference.

Monday I had to run to migracions to get little slips of paper for everyone who was going to leave the country, and I also had to have papers for another group of kids so that they would stay legal for another 3 months. Then I had to drive to Justo Daract and back in one day. It’s a four hour drive to there, and then I had to go all the way back, and in Justo Daract you are like 5 minutes from the cordoba border and so we decided to go touch it! That was really cool really! Then we went home, I’ll be honest I drove faster then I have ever driven in my life during that trip so that was kinda scary, but we made it and got everything done that we needed to so we are good! 

Tuesday I had to go and drop off everyone who is going home at the airport at 3 in the morning and had to get them all through check in—it was kinda hard to wake up, but it was good we got it all done. So after that I worked in migracions for a little while and just got everything else done there, I accidentally didn't send someone with there congratulation papers so I need to get that done, but other then that all was well.  We then went and picked up all the newbys and it was fun to see them and just chat with them for just a minute, really just a nice little experience for me! I love newbys!

Wednesday we went and just I don't even know… oh, I talked to the guy in charge of buying my tickets and he passed me some of the stuff I needed, but some stuff he screwed up bad on, but it was fine I was able to work it out with him, then I don't really know what else I did, but I did go out and abrir la boca with the black kid it was so awesome!!! I loved him!

Thursday I spent 5 hours in the terminal just putting people on buses getting them tickets, making sure they all got on their way and to their areas, and then in the night I sent even more people back to their areas with their new companions. It was fun and hard, but all through the day I was tired still.

Friday I decided it would be a good idea to do 3 peoples tramites that day and it was a long day because I needed to get them done before next week to get one permanent residency, because he actually lives here in Argentina so I really did him a huge favor because if I wouldn't have done it it would have never got done—he would have had to wait 2 years. So I got all that taken care of! Then I shaved my tummy and legs that night because I've decided hair is bad! ;)  — no I just did it because the waxing lines of hair I had were gross, and then I just needed to get the legs done again. 

Today nothing special—just chilled! I'm going to go take a nap now. I think because I'm tired, but other then that its been a fine day! 

I love you! I’m happy, are you happy? Be happy! 

Love, Jayson

Basically I can do hard things

So basically nothing truly went right this entire week! Through the week I have gone from plan A to plan Z it feels like, and in the end it worked more or less! I just ran and worked like crazy all week, but first the questions! 

• So were you bored this week?

I was not bored this week, far from it! 

I did get most everyone legal, but like not quite. I missed five people I had planned due to some mad complications.

• How did Elder Jacobsen do? Was he able to get around okay?

At first it was hard and we took taxis for him or sent him with my boss Elder Vilche who had a car, but the second time we went he had a wheelchair so it was way easier!

• Where do you go for General Conference? What is it like for you?

I am watching it in my office in English and it is awesome! I love conference!

Saturday night we went home and we waxed our chests kinda... It didn't work so well, we didn't really know what we were doing so we ended up with mad amounts of wax just stuck to our stomachs and we just ripped it off…just small piece by piece, but I think it was way fun, it hurt so bad, but at least I did it! When we got it to work right it wasn't that bad, but how we started it was hell.

Sunday we went to church and I came back and got everything ready for San Luis. Then when I finished that because we failed at waxing, me and my comp Bings shaved our legs, it was way fun and not near as painful. Then I felt a women, I felt like I was breaking rules touching my own legs…it had been so long since I had felt that kind of thing. It was awesome! Then I got everyone here and set up to sleep and was ready for the next day!

Monday I couldn't sleep due to the overwhelming feeling that I wasn't ready for San Luis so at 1:50am I finally got up and went and showered, then we were out by 2:30am to the offices and it was all good. I then got to the bus I had rented, but it was two seats less then I had planned, so I was freaking out like what do I do with these two kids who are stuck here at two thirty in the morning… and so i sent them home. From that moment on nothing went right! We got to the hotel and got some breakfast and put the bags away and went to the first tramite place, the lady told me that she wasn't doing the step I needed to do until later that night. I was like crap, okay next step then, we got to that place and I had a friend in the police station who is way helpful and she wasn’t there and so I was a little out of place on that one, and then it took us forever there. Then the place I go to get passport photos taken was closed too, I had to go to a different place. After that we had lunch and I was told by my boss that migraciones  would be closed for the next two days because they wanted to go out and look for Chinese people in the markets so no one would be in the offices for me to go and get the work done with anyways. So I had to call President, call the buses I had rented, call the people in the zones, and explain it to the people with me, get permission, and then we still had to finish another step, honestly the most important step, and then once we had finished that we jumped on the bus or big van I had rented and went home. I was up working until two in the morning finishing lists and emails of people going and what I was doing for the hotel and other plans I had made! It was a rough day.

Tuesday I got up and went over to the terminal for the buses and I started trying to trade tickets and it was a pain just trying to have everything be how I wanted it to for when this next group made it back, but it was fine after working through a couple logistical problems I finished that and we were all fine. Then my boss Elder Vilche showed up to Mendoza and wanted to go to the Mendoza migraciones and get some stuff fixed and I was like, “Oh goodie more fighting”, and so we went. They talked, I just sorta hung out, but I learned some stuff and I know how I'm going to do some stuff that needs to get done, so i just need to get it done. Then my boss and his wife took me to lunch, we had a good time together and we just talked about girls and life and plans I have and what I want to do. Elder Vilche is a big deal in Argentina and he told me that if I do go home and work for the church he would love to have me covering the South American area from the states so I could help from there! That was really cool! Then I just worked and planned for the new trip I was making on Thursday and trying to buy tickets and the bus renting and all that jazz. Then I had to take people to areas and there are very few hermana areas here close to Mendoza and I had to put 11 people in areas for two days, so I was driving 45 minutes just to put hermanas in an area, and it was a little harder. But then at night around 10pm I crashed into bed and was out.

Wednesday I worked more on planning started getting all my papers together, called people about when we were leaving, started to notify the people in charge, pulled out more money, and just went about doing all the things that had to get done before the next day. To make things even more complicated when we all got back that night from picking up people from 45 minutes away called San Martin I was trying to find everyone beds  because we also had a leadership conference that next day, so my office was loaded with hermanas and elders and I was just running around trying super hard to make it all work. In the end I just was like whatever… do whatever you want and called it good! So then I finally got home at 12:15am because 2 idiots missed their bus and had to come down to Mendoza instead of just going strait to San Luis. Whatever I'm not that mad, well actually I am, the ticket was in English and Spanish and they still missed the bus. Hmmmm…. angry Jayson.

Thursday I did sleep a little, but not a ton like an hour, and then I was gone again on the buses to San Luis, we got there and everything actually worked, it was awesome, we got peoples tramites done and it went great! Then I forgot a passport, so I called Mendoza because I had 3 people coming in and they could bring it for me, it turns out I forgot other papers for this kid anyways, but hey at least I tried right? Then we had lunch, I got the hermanas on a bus, then I took a  nap, and then we went out and opened the mouth, well I didn’t, I went with Jacobsen and we went shopping we got llama jackets and mates and some jazz music and it was really fun for us, at least I enjoyed it! Then it was just the elder and we had to wait in the terminal for 2 hours alone with a hermana because we had another coming, we just chatted with this girl for forever and we felt really apostate, but it was fun! The other girl showed up, she had just had a colonoscopy and a biopsy in her stomach and had traveled for 4 hours in a bus and she was hurting a ton, I knew about the colonoscopy, but a stomach biopsy no, so I felt way bad. We got back to the hotel and gave her a blessing and it was really good! Then we went back to the room and just thought of plans to get her home in a worst case scenario. It was stressful really!

Friday we finished everything fine, I got everyone done, I have to go back to get paperwork on Monday, but it shouldn't be too bad! A 3 hour drive there and back and then I'm done so I just need to finish! We had the best milinesa, it was so good and then we went home on the buses. After that I just got people going home to areas and trying to get them there quickly, and then I just worked on putting in all the numbers in the computer so the area could see the work I did! It was awesome, I felt so good about everything I got done this month, because honestly it was a ton of work and somehow I still was able to get it all done! Now I just need to keep it going! 

Saturday just watching conference and cleaning up messes from the San Luis trips… it was a really long hard week!

So basically I can do hard things if you didn't know, I’m sorta a boss now! My goal is to keep my mission under 20 people illegal from here on out, but we will see how I do. It’s kinda hard, but I think I can do it! I love you mom, I'm being good and strong to the best of my abilities! I’m loving conference and can’t wait to see what priesthood session brings! 

Love, Jayson

P.S. My bad I really thought I sent this last night, but I felt the need to get on and check this morning just to see — good thing I did too huh? ;)