Musician

7 Jul 2009

Dear Family,

Sorry, but you´ll have to wait another week before I´ll send photos home. This computer doesn´t have a good USB port. They switched me to two other computers and either the keybord wasn´t working or acted as if CTRL was pressed down the whole time, so I decided to stick with this computer. So, I´ll send them next week.

This week we had the baptism of María Amparo Coyoche Benitez! As you know, we found her about a month and a half ago. We went to wish happy birthday to someone in the family and found out that it was her 9th birthday. We did all we could to try to reactive as many of her family as we could so that she could be baptized. Ciris Cáseres, a 20 yr. old, who was baptized in November (so he is a Priest preparing for the Melchizedec Priesthood), baptized her. It all went really well, even though the attendance was low.

Why was the attendance low? Because of the great fear of “Gripe A” or the Swine Flu. There are many cases here in Buenos Aires, but I haven´t yet heard of any cases here in Castillo—at least among members. But, it has seemed for the past few weeks that in every house that we go to, at least one member has had a fever. It is amazing that of the four missionaries in my apartment, only I got sick about a month ago and then recovered rapidly. All the kids are out of school. They were getting ready for Winter break and with the outbreak of the flu, the state decided to cancel school one week before and after the break, so everyone is out for a full month. In this stake, all activities and meetings are cancelled except for Sunday classes. In other stakes, such as Castelar (5-10 min. drive from here, one train station) even those are cancelled. I don´t know what I´d do as a missionary if none of my investigators could go to church for a month. “In a month will be your first opportunity to come and participate in the true church of Jesus Christ!” I can´t see myself being able to say that instead of saying “This Sunday…”

I´m a bit sad that our best investigators moved back to Peru yesterday—David and Berta. We found them only about two weeks ago. We contacted Berta in the street and she said that she would like us to come to help work out some problems with her and her husband (we never again heard or saw that there was a problem). We went and she was sick, but accepted us and listned to us anyways. Her husband was really interested. We went back another day and she was better, but her 1 yr old daughter was sick. They fulfilled all of their commitments (which is rare) and we visited them with a member from Peru. They worked in the same community (at different times, so they didn´t know one another) and talked about a man who lived in a house he had built in a tree which they had named Tarzan. They told us they were planning on moving back, but weren´t sure when exactly. And what really surprised us was that they said that they were already used to us coming twice a week to visit. That was only our third lesson! What surprised us even more was that we found them in the street on Saturday and David asked me, “You didn´t leave us something for us to read to prepare for the next lesson last time. What did you want us to read?” I replied, “You can start reading from the beginning.” He responded, “Oh, ok. I´m already in chapter 25.” They came to church on Sunday and loved it. I hope they´ll be able to unite themselves with the church in Peru easily. We´ll send their address to that mission. I´ll send pictures next week.

This week my companion has really begun to focus on learning English. He asked his girlfriend what she thought of him going into military school, which means they wouldn´t be able to get married for four years. He received a reply that she would support him completely with going into the military on the condition that they go to the US (her brother is in the US Air Force). He doesn´t know for sure if he will do that, but he feels compelled to learn English. So, I´m speaking with him in slow English as much as possible. It is difficult. It is much easier to communicate in Spanish, but he is progressing. It is like I am training a new missionary that can´t speak the language.

I wish good luck with the Eagle Scout project with Jonathan. I had an overwhelming amount of people come to mine to do a small job. I hope that he´ll have the same response. In this mission, I´m becoming known as a musician as well. More as a singer than as a pianist. I´ve sung bass in the past two transfer meetings and in some zone conferences. It is ice that I have the ability to read a part without the need of accompaniment. I think the French Horn taught me to have that ear. I just wish I could have a better tone with my voice and learn how to sing higher without it sounding strained.

I wish the best for you all. I know that you will have God´s guidance.

With love,

Elder Drake Ranquist