Well, I can't believe how fast that was
for Jake to get engaged. . . I don't think I want to come home. I'm
scared for marriage! ha ha! I like being a simple missionary. Anyway,
this past week was actually really great! I enjoyed it a lot! It turned
out a lot different than I expected, but it was great! If you are
planning a package, I would enjoy a jar of peanut butter, I'm having
cravings for it more and more. What I really want though is beef jerky!!
Oh man!!! The members always say that was one of the best things that
the missionaries have brought from back home and I am having some
serious cravings for some of that! The contacts can wait. I won't need
more for a long time. Maybe I'll go through the rest of the mission with
the ones I already have! Who knows?
Mother, get your foot fixed!! I understand your
pain.
My foot has been bothering me lately because I've been walking a lot
with the broken bike. We also had to run to a lesson because we were
really late and it was far away! My poor shoes are starting to look
pretty old now. I've been trying to take care of them a lot but since I
now wear them everyday, they're starting to break down more. I bought
some new shoes and they hurt my feet worse and I can't return them . .
.so I just stick with my one pair.
So I had some exciting news this morning. . . I,
Blake Cowan, am actually gaining upper body muscles. Yeah, I know, a
miracle, right? Well, I officially did 80 push-ups this morning without
stopping! I just about died, but I'm getting a lot stronger from doing
bits everyday! I also have been running in the mornings at six, waking
up half an hour earlier. It's great to work out again! I have probably
missed that more than just about anything besides people. So I feel
better about myself.
Well, now to the missionary work. So throughout the
week we have been teaching the group of girls everyday except for the
weekend. Unfortunately. they didn't attend church, but they are
progressing very well! They have been always so excited for everything!
My companion, Elder Haynie, likes to teach them because he feels like he
can talk to them better. The poor guy makes no sense in Spanish, though,
sometimes. I am always reminded at how much the Lord blessed me to let
me speak the language so quickly. Anyway, Elder Haynie is speaking
better, now he understands a lot, almost everything. I hope he gets it
down and is able to train next transfer. That'd be way cool!! :) Then I
could be a grandpa for almost a year and maybe be a great-grandfather! ha
ha! I'd be the first.
Well, Jefferson has been very odd this past week. He
has a way of making people hate him. The poor kid left everything and
to make things worse, everyone hates him! I'm not sure if he's quite
telling the truth all of the time. But he has decided to move to Brazil
with his Grandpa so that he can have support there. He just has to earn
the money for the plane tickets. He said he'll have it in a few weeks,
though. I hope he'll be of some use here in Chascomús and that he'll
also be able to go on a mission someday.
We found Mirtha this week. I've been praying for a
person to come along that is very prepared to hear the gospel and she is
that person! She is the grandma of Ludmila, or mother of Yolanda
Ferreyra. We met her the other day and took out a baptism fecha without
any delay! She came to church yesterday and loves learning about Christ
and how to improve her life. The previous week she was kicked out of her
house and was sleeping in parks on the benches and whatnot. She's a very
shy woman and wants to do what's right and just listens intently to
everything we tell her. She is a great lady and she'll be baptized as
soon as the temple dedication and stake conference is over. I'm very
grateful that the Lord has prepared her and put her in our path.
On Tuesday, the zone leaders came and did the
baptism interview for Ludmila. She passed!!! We are actually going to
baptize her on Thursday because her family couldn't come on Saturday and we
have permission to baptize and confirm on the same day on Thursday. Her
dad, Javier came to church yesterday to be able to baptize her and he
bore such a sweet testimony and he was very grateful for my comp and me.
He kept calling us amazing and angels and was in tears thanking our
Heavenly Father for the opportunity to baptize his daughter and now his
mother-in-law who wants to get baptized. It was a great moment that made
the trials worth it!
So, the zone leaders, Elder Beltran and Elder
Espinoza, were a great help to our area! We were able to teach a lot of
lessons and to be able to receive some great counsel. Elder Beltran and I
were together for the day. He told me how President was planning on
calling me as a zone leader and then they asked him to let me stay one
more transfer in Chascomús because they wanted a good district leader
because these areas in my district are very difficult. SO I stayed!
That's why I felt like I was leaving and then at the end of the week I
knew that I was going to stay. It was cool hearing about that, though.
Elder Beltran was giving me all types of advice and everything to
become a zone leader and to be a great missionary/leader. He helped me
out a lot! And to top it all off, they both cooked some amazing chaufa!
That's a Peruvian dish that's SOSOOO good! It's basically a tastier form
of fried rice! I loved it!
At sacrament meeting we were a total of 35! That's
my second best number! I'm so glad! The members are having more desires
to come to church and to help out more. They're starting to see that we
work hard and are trying all we can to help them! I had to teach the
Sunday school class again. It wasn't the best lesson I've given. I tried
my best, though, with a 5 minute preparation! After church, I had to
stay
for a HUGE, LONG meeting with Presidente Martinez and Hermano Ariel
Tartaglia, They came to review all of the finances of the past six
months in Chascomús and I, being the secretary, had to be there. It.
took. forever!!! And I was SOOO hungry! Ha ha! So to sum things up, I
have to go fix a ton of the sheets and get a bunch of signatures and
such. Yay for more work!!! :)
Ok so this week we are going to travel a ton!!! I am
so excited though! We have district meeting on Tuesday in Dolores and
the hermanas are going to cook some American chicken alfredo! Yeah!!! ha
ha! :) On Thursday we have a baptism!! YEAHHH!!!! On Friday I get to
visit my old area, Tomás Flores and I get to go to a fireside with
President Eyring, Elder Ballard, Elder Christofferson, and the area
presidency. Talk about being treated right!!! YEAHH!!!!!! And then on
Saturday we have the Cultural event. Maybe it'll be on the BYU channel
or on internet and you might see me and 600 other missionaries entering
into the soccer stadium of Independiente singing! Yeah!!!! On Sunday we
have the re-dedication of the temple! :) YEAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can you tell I'm excited?
Anyway,
I'm so pumped for this week, month, and transfer. We're also going to
have stake conference, president interviews, and general conference
coming up! This is amazing! After general conference, things should calm
down, though. SOO pumped!!! :)
Well, I got to go. Thanks for the letters and
stories! I always love getting notices from home! I miss you all, but
the mission is way too fun and amazing to give up for you. Sorry! :)
Mom, these blue eyes are just going to have to torment you a bit longer.
You'll see them within a year though! I love you all! Good luck with
everything this coming week! Chow chow!!
Love,
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