Here We Go!

Posted 8/19/09 - I´m here! I didn´t think that it would ever happen, but here i am sitting in Argentina as a missionary! I know some of you know, but for those of you that don´t, my first area is called Munro. It includes Munro, Florida, and another city really near by that i can´t remember the name of. My companion is Elder Poteet, and he´s awesome! He´s Canadian, and his family lives in Calgary, Alberta. He only has about 5 months left in the mission (until about mid December).
When I got off of the plane in BA, my voice was completely gone. I could hardley hear my own voice. I think it had to do with being sick, and making so many phone calls at the Airports. Anyways, that made my first few days quite interesting! We stopped by the temple/mtc here in BA to pick up the native´s who were entering the field with us, and then went to the mission home. We had some orientations, interviews w/pres Argyle, lunch, and then they brought in the trainers! We got to know them for about 20min, and then we headed off to our apt by remise. (it´s like a taxi, but not really). It was crazy how fast we got into the work....not 5 min after we got in the remise, elder poteet was talking about the gospel with the driver. I think that is one of the things that it so amazing to me, how much we talk to complete strangers, and even MORE amazing to me is that some of them allow us directly into their house, or allow us to accompany they back to their homes to talk with them about the gospel!
When we got to our apt, we dropped my stuff of, and then went to the bank to get some money, went to get my groceries for the week (that was weird, having to shop for myself for a week), and then went and dropped stuff off. It´s weird how they sell the milk here. ít´s not in jugs, or containers like they have in the states, they come in plastic bags, and you just cut open a corner. to store it, they have small pitcher like things that you keep it in. The people here are great! (maybe it´s because i can´t understand what they´re saying to me yet). Elder Poteet said that i´m blessed right now to not be able to understand what some of the people in the streets say to us....maybe i don´t wanna learn!??! Anyways, the first night was crazy. President Argyle challenged all of us new missionaries to challenge somebody to baptism. I was nervous all day, and started getting even more nervous when it was getting to be later in the day, that i wasn´t going to meet the first goal that i recieved here in the mission, but then we went to the house of a new investigator, and elder poteet had me challenge him to baptism, and he accepted!!!!! I felt so good, first that he accepted, and second that he understood my invitation to BE baptized!! We have lots of investigators, and it´s hard to watch some of them that know this gospel is true, but don´t take the time out of their lives to apply that knowledge to bless their lives. We are working with Sebastian and his wife Paula, who have a daughter named Milagros who is having surgury on her feet this friday. Claudio y Claudia are living together, and working on getting married. Claudio has a son from a previous marrige that´s about 11 yrs old, and they just had a child together about 3 months ago. Horacio is a new investigator. We got his name/info from the Bishop, Obisbo Hidalgo, and he already has a copy of the book of mormon, but wanted help understanding some of the things that it was saying. We helped him out, and started teaching him the first lesson. Another set of people we´re teaching are Willy and Susan. They´re both from peru, and haven´t lived here long. They´re both about 19, and recently had a baby. They both seem to have real interest, and we have set baptism dates with them. The only thing we need now is for them to get married so that they CAN be baptized!
As far as a typical day here, we get up at 630 and work out until 7, then shower and eat breakfast. at 8 we start studying, and have an hour of personal, companion, and language study, and then we leave for the day. we have an hour for lunch (usually from a member), and then back to work until 9 (930 if we have later appts). We plan for about 45min each night, write in our journals, and then go to bed. We walk about everywhere. if we take colectivo (bus), it´s for one of the really far ends of our area, or because we need to get somewhere really quick. There is a train station about 100yrds from our house, but we´ve only ever used it 2 times. (the train is actually cheaper than colectivo).
If anybody DID send anything through mail or dearelder.com, like you dad, let them know that i only get those at zone conferences once every 6 weeks...so if it´s here by then i´ll get it, otherwise it´s another 6 weeks....
I need to buy something that converts SD card to USB port so that next week i can send you some pictures...sorry, i should have sent that SD card from the MTC home with that postmart package...my bad.
Until next week....
Love to all,
Elder Denton