Elder Benedict's Argentine Adventure: Feeling way grown up!

19 September 2015

So this week I have felt way grown up, like I'm not near as childish as I was before. It’s kind of an interesting thing the changes that happen on a mission, one minute you are nothing—just being a missionary teaching, and then all of the sudden I feel like the world needs me to be doing stuff and it’s a big thing! I don't know— I just feel like I'm older then 19 now.

On to the questions!

Do you have a mobile phone?

Yes I do have a cell phone. But I usually don’t pass out the phone number because I don’t want to be getting calls on my cell phone from the states, but the office phone is like connected to the states, so its cool if people call me on that!

Why do you call them kids? Are they not Elders just like you?

I call them kids because I like to differentiate them from me and the other office elders. I just say kids because usually they are younger then me in the mission and I don’t know…it just kinda comes out that way. They are Elders and Hermanas just like me, but to me they are just children who have no idea what they are doing and are just following me!

What is Grido?

Grido is a ice cream shop that is huge in this country! You walk in, drop 2 dollars and you get a 3 scoop in a cone, and it’s awesome! So we went and got ice cream for everyone, photo included!

Line for Grido in San Luis!

What kind of stuff did you buy Erica—the lady who stayed late to help in San Luis?

I bought her candies, gum, alfajors juice, kinder eggs, mints, and just like a random goodie bag. I have bought a lot of friendship in San Luis, like I really just would buy random food for everyone that was helping me there even though they were just doing their jobs — its nice to help people like you, and so I did it!

How is Ariel doing? We have been praying for him!

Ariel came to church this week on his own and is doing better! He is still struggling so keep praying, but he is a little better!

Did you feel the earthquake that you had in Mendoza on Monday—it was a 4.5 magnitude at 7:38am. Did you feel the earthquake in Santiago Chile?

Ya we felt the earthquake it was kinda fun, but we didn’t feel one on Monday we felt one on I think it was Thursday night!

What kind of Face Razors? Disposable? Refills?

Just the Gillet razor ones. I don’t really have any more and my real face razor got stolen when I was in the offices, so I've been using kinda crappy ones for now! But like they are the bottom of the list!

I have been keeping a list of things that you have asked for—anything else?

Um…I want anything that screams America—like an America tie that just looks American, like a bald eagle, or like a flag, that would be way cool! A marker, like a silver sharpie that shows up on black, more of the thick pens I like the 1.6 crystal pens. I’m not sure if I need anything else, but really more then anything as many ties as you can fit in the box! :) and I'm not going to lie I will open it as soon as I get it!

Military me!

Saturday I just wrote a ton of people and kinda burnt, a gal friend from Washington wrote me so I chatted with her for awhile it was fun to catch up, but she told me I have to go to Washington to visit her now, I'm not sure how I'm going to make that one happen, but we shall see!

Sunday the day of rest! The parents cooked us roast and it was way awesome!

Monday I took a Bolivian to his consulate so that we could go get his back ground check and it was weird to be working in a consulate and just be talking to the people working through the banks doing things that just seemed way out of my league, but whatever I guess I'm now like an adult and have to do big boy things!

Tuesday we did tramites for 2 people because the third was in the hospital for back pain, I sent her home on Thursday, but I was going to get her legal because where she is from in Argentina its even harder to get legal there then here, so I tried but couldn't get it done. But my other boys I got done, but again had to take another Bolivian to the consulate! It was kinda fun, but weird! Then I got to talk to the secretary for the mission Neuquen about some stuff for our mission and it was kinda fun, they are the mission that was just a little less illegal then us before I got in here! But now I'm destroying them, and we talked about what I was doing and what they are, and he wants to do what I did. So we will get to that!

All the work in San Luis for these papers!

Wednesday we got brand new computers that are out of this world!!! I love them so much they are way better then what I ever had at home—50 cm and a touch screen all in one with speakers and memory and fast and its so awesome!!!! I’m like a kid in a candy store on my computer really its great! Then I went and paid 8870 pesos worth of fees and took them to migraciones and got my papers back from them so I have even more people legal now! So that’s fun! But really it was an easier day, I got to talk to elder Rodriguez more in Neuquen and to talk about a trip plan, and then I called my boss and talked with him about it and he said he thought it was a good idea. Then I started working on a plan for that and got that going good! We put on my old pajamas that are huge and we fit 3 people in them, and we just laughed and had so much fun this night at the apartment.

New computer versus the old one, the new one rocks!

Thursday I got more fees paid and got more papers from migraciones. But I screwed up big time. To leave this country you need a habilitacion de salida or to pay 60 dollars and then they give them a paper that says they can leave the country, but for the Elder I was sending home that day I had forgotten to do it, so I got to the airport and they wouldn't let him on the plane, so I called everyone I knew and couldn't get it fixed, so I got his ticket changed to Saturday so I could get him the paper he needed. But the guy who changed the ticket is one of my friends so he changed my ticket for free and I didn't have to pay the 150 dollar fee to get him to change planes... I don't know if you've noticed, but I throw around a lot of money! Then that night I put a girl on a bus to Neuquen to go home to her family, so in grand total I've sent home 12 people in my 10 weeks in doing what I do, so that’s kinda crazy, but it happens.

What I do when I've given up on the day, and just need a little minute!

Friday I took two people to the Chilean consulate to go do some work to renew an ID card for one and get the background check for the other, but the consulate was closed due to the Independence Day of Chile, it is the 18th of September so I got a little screwed up there, and then when I took them to the terminal to buy the bus tickets I couldn't find my debit card, this is how I pay for the tickets I buy at the terminal and without it I'm done for...but I had gone to the bank early that morning to get cash so I used the cash I had pulled out to buy the tickets for the Elders and then I went to the bank and the card was in the ATM thank heavens, just like I always used to do at home, it was kinda nostalgic for me really! Then I went and got the paper for the habiltacion de salida and then I went back to migraciones when I had it paid and got it all done in time. I don't know if I've explained this well, but in this country everything closes at one in the afternoon so that people can go eat lunch and be with there families. Well in what I do nothing ever opens after that, like the banks or official buildings or anything. So when I say I do all these things—all of them get done before 1 o’clock. Then I got home and played on my computer too destress. Then called Neuquen and we got a plan really firm going on like buses and the hours we are doing what. Currently I'm waiting for a list of all the people he plans on doing and then I'm going to finish all the planning! Also I took care of some stuff for my San Luis trip and I am getting ready to take 36 people this time instead of 26, so it should be interesting! Pray for me! I'm going to need it! Also to finish the day we cleaned the crap out of the distributions elders office and it was a blast!! We had a burping contest that me and my comp killed at, and then a did a power cling with my comp holding him from the but, that was like a 170 pound power cling so i felt like a stud! It was a way fun night!

Saturday I took Elder Toledo home and then we just played soccer. I have a hermana who’s mom is Korean working in the same ward as me, so I convinced her to cook us Korean food today and it was awesome — it was like a teriyaki lettuce wrap and it was to die for! She is way cool and then I've written, played soccer, and just been us!

I love my comp!! This is maybe the first time in my mission where I'm companions with a kid that I honestly want to be friends with him forever. He is a huge stud and he is just so funny, and we just go together well!

So thats been my week! Fun, big and crazy!

I love you guys be safe!

Love, Jayson!