Monday, January 4, 2010

A Happy Birthday and A Happy New Year

Well, it was kind of a slow week here in Montevideo. The New Years Eve Fireworks display was even bigger than Christmas. Seriously I was scared that one was going to ignite our house or tree on fire! It was CRAZY! It’s like being in a war zone.The people here REALLY like to party for New Years and needless to say, the day afterwards was pretty much DEAD. There was no one in the streets. Everyone was at the beaches, or too hungover from the night before to answer the door. It was kind of tough, but oh well. Gotta work right? It was ok anyways. Although I still get frustrated from time to time, I feel like my patience has improved a whole lot out here.

My Birthday was...well... very special... and different. Though I of course missed seeing you all (one of the blessings of having my birthday right after Christmas) it was a very special day. I sure do miss you all, and it gets tough from time to time, but I just have to remember why I’m here and these feelings leave. Luckily I have friends here who have begun to be my family. We had lunch with a family called Echeveria. They cooked us gnochis and this stuffed meat that was so good. My companion told them it was my birthday and they went out later and brought us cake. The members here are so sweet and kind and have such great testimonies even though the Church is relatively new here. Almost all the members are converts to the Church, even if they’ve been in the Church for most of their lives. They sang happy birthday to me in of course, Spanish, English, Italian, and Vasco (an archaic language that almost doesn’t exist anymore). It was a great day. So know that even though I wasn’t home for my birthday, I still felt close to you all, and the wonderful brothers and sisters of this area are taking good care of us.

I finally get to go to the Temple this week! I’m so excited! I haven’t been since I was in the MTC. It will be wonderful to go in. I’ve had many questions and thoughts on my mind lately. I really need a little bit of time sometimes to just sit and ponder. I know I can’t be perfect. I can just do the best I can. I love all the lessons I’ve learned out here. I hope I can remember them all!

Everyone remember to keep looking for those opportunities to share the gospel. It really is the best gift we can give to someone.

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