Recordando el nacimiento de Cristo

22 Dec 2009

Dear Family,

First of all, I want to ask forgiveness for not writing yesterday. We had our P-day Christmas activity as a mission, got back kind of late, and when we went to the cyber to write you, the page wouldn´t open. I think the server had crashed because all of the missionaries were trying to sign on at the same time. But, we´re taking time now to write.

This Christmas, I believe I´ll be calling around 5 o´clock, Argentine time. I think there is a two hour difference, so it would be about 3 there. But I don´t remember very well. We didn´t change the hour for day light savings time this year. These are my plans for Christmas. First thing, I´ll open the package you sent me (I received it last week). Then, we´ll head out to Trujui to have our Zone Activity in the morning (because all of Argentina is asleep Christmas morning because they celebrate at midnight). We´ll eat tacos and completos (hot dogs with avocado and tomatoes). Afterwards, we are going to go do service for our bishop, cutting a bunch of tall grass (at least we´ll have weed wackers this time instead of do it all with machete). After this service, we´ll go to the church to call. So, I´m not sure if there is a specific hour when we´ll be able to call. If we finish after 5, I´ll probably let my companion call first, meaning that I´ll call closer to 7. And it will be 40 min. as in past occassions. I´m looking forward to hearing your voices too.

In talking with President Benton, he wants to let you know Dad that he understands what you are going through. He had a similar back operation and that it took a good while to heal. He says, just as I know you´ve heard a few dozen times, that it just takes patience. It will all turn out for the best in the end and is more for your spiritual progression than for physical or economical progression. He also wants to know if you know Jim Heck. He is/was head of human resources of UPS and was a counselor in the Bishopric with President Benton in Park City, Utah. To the president´s knowledge, he is inactive now, but would like to know if you know anything about him.

With the holiday season, I´m also trying to get my shoes repaired to be able to last until the end of my mission. I´ve already taken the shoes that had the hole worn through the sole to be repaired. I think I´m also going to have to buy new insoles for them too. And I have a hole in the side of the shoes that I bought for christmas last year. I´ll have to take them in. So, I believe I´ll have to take out some more money from the bank to make such reparations.

Sorry Mom if I haven´t taken pictures of Jardines yet. It really isn´t the lush gardens you might have thought. It is very similar to many of my past areas with half of the streets asphalted and the other half with dirt roads. They make the asphalted roads just so that the buses can pass. And I´m really not sure when I will get around to taking photos of the area either.

Yesterday´s P-day Navideño was really great. We started off listening to the testimonies of the missionaries that are going home today (2 weeks early so that they can be with their families for Christmas), like E´Lloyd, E´Willie, and E´Cumrine. I´ll miss them. And Jessica, I think that E´Willie will be at BYU next semester studying civil engineering. He´s an RM I approve of. I´ll always remember the kindness he gave me on my first divisions at the beginning of my mission. I also approve of E¨Lloyd if you every run across him. So, anyways, then we listened to the First Presidency Devotional. It was great to hear. Then we had a fun competition of asking for references and we had skits. I´m grateful to have a loud voice, because it was really hard to hear the other people. We had some really good laughs.

I know that the Christmas time is to remember our Savior. I know that he is the Christ, the living Son of God. I am constantly testifying of him because it is the knowledge that I value most. I´ll never forget when I came to know for myself. I know this work is the work that God has sent us, imperfect and inexperienced youth, to do. And I know that true joy come in and only through His Son and the commandments that he gave to us. I know that, even if at times I feel like a rebellious soul. But we will move forward always.

Love,
Elder Drake Ranquist