Transfers!

Hey everybody!!

It´s transfer week, but I´ll talk about that more at the end of the letter. So, this week was pretty exciting actually and a lot of stuff happened and we were able to have some fun. So, on Tuesday we were studying and the lights went out, or so we thought. The lights were still on, the AC still worked, but all the outlets didn't work. The breaker box had burnt for those, so we had to fix those. We lost the outlets on Tuesday and they didn't end up getting fixed until Friday which was a kind of pain, but it worked out.

Then, on Thursday we had to travel to Resistencia for the conference to listen to the member of the 70. his name is Elder Nuñez and he was really cool. But, after 2 hours of other people talking, he talked for like 2 hours straight and I was just tired and hungry and I lost him at the end. The first hour of his talk was really cool, but then I just wanted to eat and I was kind of tired of listening. But, it was a good day overall. I got to see all of my old companions in the mission (except for Elder Mauricio who´s already home) and that was cool. They talked to us about a new initiative of the church called "He Lives" and it´s really cool. We´re going to be focusing more on Christ´s Resurrection and what is possible for us because of that. Apparently the church will even have a thing on youtube in a couple weeks about it, I´m not really sure. And we got back that night in time to play volleyball with the branch, even though we cant keep score. But, that was really fun and we met some cool people there and I even saw a couple people from Ensanche.

On Friday we had the English classes and they went really well and I even got a surprise birthday party afterwards. They had snacks and drinks and some cool decorations which was really cool. And, on the way back to the apartment I bought a Hawaiian pizza and it was super good. Then, on Saturday I turned 20!!! Crazy to think that I´m in my 20´s now. I had a good day and I got to have dinner with La Familia Gomez just like I did last year. It was really cool and then I had some more food, pizza, with Darian and Mayra (2 youth of the ward). It was all really good and I had a really good day.

On Saturday I also got a call from the assistants that I would be leaving Sáenz Peña. The transfer calls are always on Sunday, unless you´re going to be a leader. So they called me on Saturday and informed me that I was going to be a Zone leader in Resistencia 3. So, that surprised me. A zone leader basically just talks to like 16 missionaries in a big area and makes sure everything is going well for everyone. We just help them if they call us and need help. We really don't do all that much haha. So, I got to say goodbye to everyone on Sunday and I even got a little bit of time at church to give my testimony and say goodbye. Julio, Gerardo, la familia Ponce, and la familia Alvarenga are all doing well and I hope that they continue even though I won´t be there. They also told Elder Mejia on Sunday that he would be leaving. He went to Corrientes. The mission is going to get smaller, so they closed down one of the areas in Centro. Now there are just 2 elders and 2 sisters.

I got here to Resistencia yesterday at noon and met my companion. Elder Murphy. He is from California and he finishes his mission this transfer. So I´ll only be with him for 6 weeks. It´s also probable that I finish my mission here. We´ll see what happens I guess. I met some of the members and investigators yesterday and they are really cool and I think that I´m really going to like this area. So, it was definitely an exciting week.

The quote this week comes from Spencer W. Kimball. He said, "If we can create a strong, steady current flowing toward our goal of a righteous life, we and our children may be carried forward in spite of the contrary winds of hardship, disappointment, and temptations." It´s a great quote and it just clarifies the fact that if we fill our lives with the good things and good living, the pull of the bad things that take away from our happiness will be diminished. Thanks to everyone who wrote me this week and wished me a happy birthday and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Les Quiero,

Elder Joshua Clarine