Called to Serve!: First Week in the Field!!

It´s about time huh!? This has been the longest week of my life! I had been traveling from Monday morning at 4:30 till Friday morning!! haha I am at the end of the world!!!! freakin Rio Grande!! It´s the most southern mission in the entire world!! I love it though!

My companion is the little 5´4 guy from Peru. His name is Elder Salas. Not a lick of english but i´m glad for 2 reasons. 1. It will help me learn the language so much faster and 2. if i don´t want to talk or he doesn´t want to talk.. the language barrier is pretty big right now so it´s all good! haha He´s awesome!

There are 9 areas in our mission and they are so incredibly far apart!!! It took two full days to travel from Comodoro to Rio Grande! We flew from Buenas Aires to Comodoro and then took a bus everywhere else. The bus´s are HUGE but sooooo sketchy. They played three Rated R movies all in english with spanish subtitles so it´s just awful. We ask every time to switch the movie and they are so prideful it doesn´t even cross their mind. We then had to take a massive boat that carries cars and busses over this sea of water to get to Rio Grande! That was amazing!!! Saw so many dolphins!!!!!!!! Someone said they saw a penguin but i missed it:( Our Mission Presidents wife was showing me pictures of the penguins and there are so many!

Not gonna lie..i was a little discouraged last week because this isn´t spanish!!! it´s freakin castijon! haha some people are way prideful about it too! I honestly love the language so much! I just want to talk to everybody and as long as they stick to talking about sports, weather, the gospel, and themselves and their circumstances i´m fine. It´s when they start talking about other things that i don´t understand anything!! It´s very poor where I´m at.

Apparently i´m in the ugliest part of Argentina! But guess who else is in my area! Tres!!!! Of all people I´m in the same area as my cousin! Elder Tarwater is a big name down here too! Everybody freaks out when they hear we´re realated. I room with 4 Peruvians that don´t know any english! haha you know this church is true if i can still be happy in these circumstances!

I feel so bad for the members here. Church attendance is so low that they have to rent out an old pizza shop to hold church! All they want is a chapel and we have hundreds in Utah! And don´t even think about a temple! The cost to Buenas Aires is enough to make you sick! I had to speak yesterday in front of everyone in church! i was asked to be the presiding testimony during the opening hymn. It went very well though. Spoke for like 7 minutes and just really tried to convey to everyone that i´m there for them and to help get a chapel! The kids here are sooo funny! All play soccer and do work! We play all the time! Nobody believes I´m only 19 or that this is my first week in Argentina! THERE ARE SO MANY DOGS!!! oh my it´s insane!!! They don´t do anything though. All just a bunch of muts. Some are way sweet though.

I love to teach so much! When teaching i can actually speak their language!! The FOOD IS BOMB!!! so much meat and pastas and bread! All so good! It´s crazy though.. everyone is literally living in shacks pretty much with 1 to 3 rooms but EVERYONE has dish with a huge flatscreeen inside it doesn´t look right but everyone has it!!! Our pension is tiny. 3 rooms for the 4 of us! Oh and that wind is gonna kill me! It's so windy!!!

Be grateful for everything back home! Be grateful for grass and trees! be grateful for a working bathroom and TOILET PAPER. gosh... haha I love the people here. I´m so down to talk to everybody and i kinda have to pull my companion along sometimes..or we´ll just post at a members house for a couple hours. I just wanna WORK!!!! This week I´m teaching english classes so I´m stoked about that.

I´m so happy i´m here! At times i think....why the heck am i here? but i quickly think of the eternal plan and these people NEED to hear the gospel. the less actives NEED to go to church! I want you back home to receive blessings! I could never say i regret giving it my all but i can regret not. So I´m gonna work work and work some more. I love you all!!!! Especially you mom!! The family unit is pretty strong here and i love that!!! Makes me miss you like crazy! Thank you for all the support!!!!!!!!!!! I´ll try to send some pictures right now:)

Les amo,

Elder Lamb