Found: Canadian money in Argentina

Well, we have no photos this week.

unless of course you would like photos of my gas bills that I have to send to the mission office.

This week we had a pretty great time- we found three great new investigators (Milagros y Daniel, y aparte Gisela), we had three investigators come to church, and today we are going to eat asado. It's just all round good.

Alright! Well, I don't know exactly what stories to tell.

Hm, here's one- an investigator in another area- colonia bombal- found out that I was from Canada when I did the baptismal interview for her and said that she had found a ten dollar Canadian bill in a university textbook, but that it was way old.

It was one from 1981 or something like that. It was real, though, had the raised printing and everything. It was quite goofy. Who'da thunk? I bet it's worth a bit more than ten dollars if you could sell it to someone who collects old currency.

This week we had a lesson with Gisela in the bishop's house and that was quite great. I just appreciated how important it is to have members contribute their thoughts and testimony to be able to strengthen the teaching that we impart.

Well, have a good week everybody, we're off to eat.

Elder Backstrom

Argentina experiences a second winter!

Sorry, there are few photos this week because it rained last p-day so we did basically nothing. (Due to the big earthquake in Chile, apparently the seasons got pushed back because the ocean currents were affected dramatically or something to that effect- pretty crazy! it's like it's winter again [Argentina winter, which is more like fall])

But on another note it was a great week! quite fantastic to be honest! We had a companion exchange with colonia bombal, a very agricultural area that is one of the few in the mission where we use bikes- it's a place dominated by immigrant families from Bolivia and Peru mostly, lots of people who work in la cosecha (and make a lot of money doing it, too!) they have the biggest trucks of anyone here. A lot of people are racist against them though, because they consider them uneducated or something because they are willing to do that hard work with their hands. Ironically, they have their reward- farm work pays well, and, while the rest of the county suffers economic shrinking pains, they, and their families, are fine.

Hm, we also had a way cool miracle this Sunday- A young lady named Gisela arrived at the chapel after some friends in university invited her. We had no idea that she was going to come, but apparently her friends had given her a Book of Mormon and found out the address of the chapel so that they might invite her to church. One of the bishops' daughters, who has about the same age and is also in university, sat with her in the meetings and they seemed to get along quite smashingly so we planned to meet with her to share our message in the bishops' house on Saturday. Quite the occurance!

​Here is a picture of a mate cup or  matero that I obtained in the supermarket recently. Mate is a traditional herb infusion drink (composed principaly of the mate herb that grows close to the borders of Brasil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, but usually with several other herbal additions depending on the type of  yerba that you buy) that is drunk hot from the matero using a metal bombilla (straw-type thing); the mate is prepared placing the herbs directly in the matero and pouring boiling water onto the pile of yerba that should be about half of the matero. sugar can be used or it can be drunk bitter. the wood used in materos is porous, so that with time, it goes absorbing the flavour of mate and contributing to the flavour of the drink as well.

We're not allowed to drink it while in the mission, so, for home....

Anyways, I hope you all have a great week! later everyone!

Backstrom

Photos from El. Backstrom!

Alright, here we go, read, set...

  

PHOTOS!

yeah, that's right, this week is super many fotos week. because finally the computer has granted itself to recognize the usb.

In other notes, I've found a new passion: journal writing. this and past weeks for about the last three to six months I've been going much more journal keeping, and have enjoyed many new insights into the learning experiences I have that only come as I write them down. it's been quite phenomenal. Since 4 this week much didn't happen of too much note, I thought that I would mention that, since it has been something ongoing.

(Wow amigos se nota que estoy viejo en la misión- hoy abrí mi correo y tenia solo 6 correos, la mitad de los cuales eran informes de los oficinas... son pocos los que perseveran hasta el fin escribiéndome fielmente)

so, I am now going to put the photos here, however, they need to pass through the machine first and that takes a while...

so! dancing bear:

there are some zoo photos and some photos of my new and old hair cut and some other photos of things that are important like dulce de leche and pumas. sorry if they don't all arrive, it's not my fault.

El. Backstrom Does Not Like Holidays

Well, I've got double bad news- one, it's a holiday here, and that means that everything is less conveniente, and two, the computer does not read my camera, so all the rad photos that i had to send are going to be postergated one week more.

On that note, I'll write a fast weekly email. This week we had a very notable experience, when we encountered once more a former investigator that we had not seen for more or less a month and a half, and she told us of several difficulties that had occurred recently in her life that she felt were indications from God that she needed a change of pace and to focus more on her family. That was pretty cool.

a ver...

Well, we were going to make an asado today, but then everyone backed out and was like, "let's go to the zoo" so we're going to the zoo instead, which I am not super stoked on:

1. because i'm hungry
2. because it has been WAY COLD these last few days and today it's all of 13ºc outside

...  but whatever, zoo it shall be.

​Elder Backstrom

General Conference

Well, everyone, it was conference weekend! which is very very exciting since conference is only once ever 6 months. I had a lovely time in general conference, the messages were very inspiring and I found that one of the strong themes, "keep the Commandments", was very beneficial and relevant.

This week was also transfer week. Nothing happened o sea, we both stay where we are.

But back to conference! Two less active families came to different sessions of conference. That was really great!

Also, I personally got a lot out of the conference. My favorite talk, I believe, was Elder Bednar's closing talk, when he talked about the teachings of President Faust, President Hinckley, Elder Wirthlin, Elder Perry, President Packer and Elder Scott. I think it really is true, that the older these wise men grow, the more solid and valuable their teachings become- as Elder Bednar put it, the learning of a lifetime as a servant of God. That strength of testimony was particularly evident to me in President Monson's priesthood session talk, "keep the commandments". He spoke directly and powerfully of the importance of keeping the commandments- something so simple, but so essential for our eternal well-being...

I was very grateful for all of the teaching imparted in the conference especially since in that same moment I decided to put some goals for my life- and many of the talks imparted valuable wisdom for a wise way to live and apply the gospel to make it work in my life.

Moving on from the conference, this week I learned that Elder Sims, (serving in the Uruguay Montevideo mission) went home because of a concussion- and so, that leaves only elder Harris and I as still in the mission from our small 5-person MTC group. of course in different missions, he is in Bahia Blanca, but we end the same time. Still, I felt a little sad since elder Sims has been sending me his weekly email for a long time now, and vice versa, and now he is home... However, there is not more than to continue on.

hmm, well, I have to go, since I still have to go to the bank today for the rent, but, in this email I left you all a photo of.. Peanuts! I love peanuts. guess how long that little bowl lasted me. less than a week.

AH! yes, almost forgot. this week I did two exchanges with rodeo del medio and colonia bombal, the two other areas in the district. colonia bombal is a very rural zone, with lots of agriculture (and ironically the richest people in the province- agriculture pays way good here, but there is like a mental block for the people from doing it.) rodeo is more centro. but they were cool experiences (in colonia bombal I was with elder Debono, from Australia... it was super funny to tell people that they had got the only two English-speakers in the whole mission who are not from the states!) and in rodeo I was with elder Bravo, who is brand new and from Buenos Aires.

alright, later- have a good week all-

Elder Backstrom

Weekly Email from South American Man

So, hello all of my correspondents!

I write you briefly today but with good reason! There is a holiday this day in Argentina (day of the commercial employee) and, as the name of the day suggests, all of the commerce (including most cybercafes) is closed! And this one will close very soon!

So in the light that I have about 4 minutes to write no mas, so, I hope that everyone has a good week there in Canada etc. This week will be the week of general conference, which is always very exciting, apart form being a great spiritual experience.

Apart from that I am doing very normal, really nothing new to report, this next Sunday we will receive transfers so next week I will already know what happens, and boy do the months pass by flying! it goes by very fast, far too fast. However no one can stop time.

I have had headaches and removed them via Beethoven symphonies this week.

I really don't know what else to write, since I am going so fast...erm... this last week it was way  hard to find people because there were about 4 holidays and so everyone was partying. bah.

hmmm hmm hmmm ah yes this week the other elders did a prank on my companion and jumped out from under the tables when he walked into the apartment to scare him. They would have got me too, but I stayed behind talking to the landlord for a moment. However I think the funniest part of the little prank video is the jackle laugh of elder Almeida who did the prank.

Well have a good week everyone. Congratulations to everyone in my family who is getting married before I get back from the mission.

Backstrom out.

Earthquakes! and weekly letters.

This week a 8.4 grade earthquake struck just off the coast of Chile about 240 km north of Santiago, the capital, at about 19hrs (7pm) on the 18th. Here in Mendoza it was felt strongly as well, although nothing fell over. The initial shaking lasted about 3 whole mins and was followed by other smaller repetitions until about 1 in the morning the next day. That was an exciting and not really too startling experience, but apparently the earthquake was so strong that it was felt all the way to Buenos Aires. Only one person died and that was because he was running down the stairs so fast he fell and hit his head and died! ouch. There are no earthquakes in BA, so...

This week I have made a special effort to write a lot more in my journal. It has been a really great experience, since I have also had the opportunity to re-read some of the things that I had previously written, and that was fun. I felt a far greater appreciation for journaling and want to do it more frequently to avoid sort of empty time in the backwards-looking mirror.

I haven't got any photos this week, sorry- the computer is being stubborn anyways- but I do have a fun story.

So this week I went to send two letters. I had previously bought stamps to be able to put the precise amount of payment necessary- 29 ARS$, in the form of two ten peso stamps, two 2 peso stamps,and a five peso stamp- and subsequently the price went up to 36$. (face-palm) so now I have to wait in line to pay the seven extra pesos, right? So I go to send the letters, and the lady says, well, seven pesos each then... And then, instead of printing out a 7$ sticker with the magic sticker machine (Which I know she has because she used it for the postcard that I also sent) she goes to get extra stamps, and not finding place for them on the front of th letter, puts them on the back-but wait- the best is yet to come- instead of puting on one five peso stamp and one two peso stamp, she puts three two peso stamps and one one peso stamp on each letter! it was pretty funny. Also I had never seen the one peso stamp before, it has a little flower on it.

This week we visited a new family- Maxi and Jaqui- Maxi is a member and his girlfriend is not. They are both quite receptive- but I have made a terrible, terrible discovery- both my companion and Maxi are world of warcraft addicts! they started talking at the table, and Jaqui and I were just sort of left there sitting and watching the two super nerds talk in their special language. yeah, world of warcraft is pretty bad, it takes lives... Be glad that I just like Mario, parents...

Anyways, that is this week in the life of elder Backstrom.

Farewell all!