Letter to Atkinsons

Written letter received 9/13/2010  :)

 

DEAR FAMILY,

HOW'S IT GOING?  I'M DOING WONDERFUL HERE IN ARGENTINA.  THE FLIGHT OVER HERE WAS REALLY LONG...I WAS SITTING BY MYSELF FOR 3 HOURS IN DALLAS WAITING FOR THE FLIGHT.  SOME LATINO PEOPLE KEPT COMING UP AND ASKING ME THINGS IN SPANISH BECAUSE OF MY TAN SKIN AND MY SPANISH NAME TAG.  I HAD TO KEEP SAYING, "NO HABLA ESPANOL" HAHA  I DIDN'T MEET THE OTHER ELDERS I WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET TILL 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE PLANE TOOK OFF.  THE FLIGHT WAS ABOUT 10 HOURS AND ALL OF US TRIED TO SLEEP FOR MOST OF THE FLIGHT WE DIDN'T TALK TOO MUCH.  THE ELDERS I MET NAMES ARE ELDER SHAW & ELDER HENDRICKSON, THEY''RE PRETTY COOL.  BOTH ARE FROM UTAH, AND NEVER TOOK SPANISH EITHER.  ALL THREE OF US ARE COMPANIONS TOGETHER AND I'M THE SENIOR COMPANION.  THE FOOD HERE HAS BEEN PRETTY GOOD SO FAR.  MY FIRST MEAL HERE I HAD A BEAN & BEEF STEW WITH COW TONGUE.  IT DIDN'T TASTE BAD, BUT IT WASN'T GREAT EITHER.  ON FRIDAY, WE HAD AN AMAZING BBQ, IT WAS A STEAK EMPENADA AND A HUGE SAUSAGE.  THE MTC HERE IS TINY!!!  IT HAS ABOUT 50 MISSIONARIES HERE TOTAL, ABOUT 20 OF THEM ARE WHITE.  THE REST ARE LATINOS THAT DON'T SPEAK A LICK OF ENGLISH.  SO WE'RE LEARNING SPANISH PRETTY QUICKLY HERE.  WE'VE LEARNED TO BEAR OUR TESTIMONIES & PRAY IN SPANISH ALREADY.  WE HAVE TO PRAY IN ESPANOL FOR EVERY PRAYER.  THE LATINOS ALWAYS CALL US "GRINGO LOCO" WHENEVER WE WALK AROUND THEM.  GRINGO LOCO MEANS CRAZY AMERICANS BECAUSE WE GO AROUND AND ACT ALL WIERD BY SINGING AND DANCING ALL OVER THE PLACE.  HOW'S YOUR EVERYDAY SCRIPTURE STUDY GOING?  I'M GETTING REALLY EXCITED BECAUSE NEXT SATURDAY WE GET TO GO PROSCELITING!!!  EVERYSATURDAY FROM NOW ON WE WILL GET TO DO IT.  IN SPANISH IT'S CALLED "PROSELATISONO" (that's what his writing looks like :)  WE'LL GO TO PROSILITE FOR 2 HOURS ON SATURDAY :) .  THE LATINOS THINK I LOOK LIKE EMINEM SO WHENEVER I WALK BY THEY CALL ME EMINEM OR SLIM SHADY.  IT CRACKS ME UP!!  THEY JUST POPPED INTO MY ROOM AND YELLED "SHADY!!".  MOST OF THEM ARE EITHER FROM CHILE, COLOMBIA OR MEXICO.  I'VE ALREADY LEARNED TONS FROM THE TEACHERS AND FROM THE OTHER MISSIONARIES HERE.  THE MAIN THING THEY'VE TAUGHT ME HAS BEEN DON'T GIVE UP, KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET IT AT THE START, TRY YOUR BEST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, JUST HAVE FUN.  LINDSEY & SHAUN, I KNOW THAT BEING AT SCHOOL ISN'T FUN...JUST KNOW THAT IT MIGHT TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO LEARN CERTAIN CONCEPTS AND HAVE FUN!!!  MOM & DAD THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS.  I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I CAN FEEL THEM IN ACTION DOWN HERE!  I LOVE YOU ALL.  

LOVE, ELDER ATKINSON

PS.  I WAS ABOUT TO SEND THIS TO YOU GUYS BUT I HAD SOME PRETTY COOL THINGS GO ON THE PAST COUPLE DAYS THAT I WANTED TO TELL YOU.  YESTERDAY WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE DONE PROSCELITING BEFORE!  WE WENT OUT TO A PLACE CALLED "HURLINGHTON", WE WERE OUT THERE FROM 10 AM TO 5 PM.  IT WAS POURING RAIN THE WHOLE TIME.  AS A COMPANIONSHIP WE GAVE AWAY 10 CHURCH PAMPHLETS AND ONE BOOK OF MORMON.  I THINK WE DID PRETTY GOOD FOR ONLY BEING OUT HERE A WEEK.  THE ARGENTINIANS TALK SOO FAST!!!  WE COULD BARELY HEAR ANYTHING THEY WERE SAYING.  WE WOULD JUST KEEP NODDING OUR HEADS AND SAY "SI" ALL THE TIME. HAHA FOR OUR FIRST TIME, WE WERE ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE OUT FOR A COUPLE HOURS, BUT BECAUSE WE WERE PROSCELITING AN HOUR AWAY THEY KEPT US OUT THERE AS LONG AS THE OTHER GUYS.  WE ARE SOO PUMPED TO GO OUT AND DI IT AGAIN NEXT SATURDAY.  THE SPIRIT HERE IS AMAZING!  ALL OF THESE ELDERS AND SISTERS HERE, THEY ARE SO FULL OF LIFE AND ALL ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE GOSPEL AND ARESO EXCITED THAT THEY CAN SHARE IT WITH THE PEOPLE HERE.  BECAUSE WE ARE ABLE TO TEACH THE GOSPEL WHILE WE ARE IN THE MTC, IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET BAPTISMS BEFORE WE EVEN GET TO OUR ACTUAL MISSION.  ONE COMPANIONSHIP HERE ALREADY HAS A BAPTISMAL DATE SET FOR ONE INVESTIGATOR, AND ANOTHER COMPANIONSHIP IS GOING TO CHALLENGE THEIR INVESTIGATOR PRETTY SOON.  ALL OF THE STORIES OF THESE ELDERS JUST BEARS TESTIMONY TO ME THAT I KNOW THAT THIS IS WHERE I'M SUPPOSED TO BE :)  I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE ANWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD THAN WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW.  THIS IS DEFINITELY A VERY DIFFICULT WORK, BUT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A MAJOR BLESSING IN MY LIFE.  I CAN TELL WHY SO MANY PEOPLE CHANGE FROM BEING AN IMMATURE PUNK INTO A MAN WHILE THEY'RE HERE, YOU HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY HUMBLE AND WORK YOUR BUTT OFF EVERYDAY!  I'M SORRY FOR THE SHORT EMAILS...WE ONLY GET A HALF HOUR AND THE KEYBOARD IS A SPANISH ONE SO IT'S PRETTY DIFFICULT.  I'M TRYING MY BEST TO SPEED UP.   LOVE YOU ALL.

LOVE, ELDER ATKINSON