I love the smell of burning garbage

So i have almost been here for a month and I´m still experiencing a lot of ¨firsts¨ this last week. Por ejemplo, this last week was the first time I used my American debit card, and it was also the first time that a machina ate my card. No big deal. But I would like to dedicate this email to the ¨firsts.¨

This last week, I experienced my first marriage proposal. My sister told me stories about this but I forgot. But thanks for the warning, Em! So we were in calle on our way to a charla and this drunk guy proposed to me and my companion. I didn´t understand him so I may have nodded my head. That´s usually my response, smile and nod. I´m just grateful that I have a companion that saves me.

Another first experience for me was teaching a former nun. That was one of the coolest charlas ever. I´ve never even met a nun before, not to mention a former nun. I´m not sure if she´ll progress but it was still pretty cool.

Another first for me in Argentina is that we reached the triple digits in the weather. Or in South America temperature, we hit the 40´s! It was so hot!! Good thing I´m from Arizona or I´m not sure I could hack it. But the good news is that I´m not longer the skinny, little white girl but the skinny, little red girl. Feliz día!

Another first was the day after, we got rain. Now, i normally love rain… Rain has to be one of my faovrite things in the world! The Carpenter´s song ¨Rainy days and Mondays¨definitely did not apply to me… until now. I still love rain and welcome it always, just as long as it doesn´t come on Sunday mornings. We had about 10 different investigators that were going to come to church with us but only ended up with 2. And each one of their excuses was the rain. It broke my heart! But it´s all good, we´ll just have to do better next week.

For the first time, I have seen an insect that is bigger than my face. Possibly the coolest thing ever and it comes with a funny story. It makes me seem like a heartless person but it´s funny so i´m going to share it with you. so we were in a charla yesterday with recent converts – a couple called Valeria and Ezequiel. I love these people so much! So my trainer has a huge fear of bugs, mostly flying ones. anyways, there was this huge moth about the size of my face. ( Quick sidenote: the word for moth and butterfly is the same in castellano – mariposa. Wierd!) anyways, i´m not a huge fan but i can tolerate them. but my trainer started freaking out and Ezequiel thought it was funny and wanted to get a video of it on his phone. So we had to go get our stuff which was right under the mariposa. And the horrible person that I am I only got my stuff and let my companion get her own bag because i wanted to see what would happen. (i´m still working on that whole thing called charity…) So right when she was right under the mariposa, Ezequiel throws something at the mariposa and it starts freaking out and then Hna. Brown starts freaking out. It was possibly the funniest thing I´ve ever seen.

Anyways, I´m just loving the many wonderful ¨firsts¨in my life! I´m excited because I´m understanding more and talking more and people are noticing it too. I love it because I´m actually part of the conversations now! And I love meeting new people and teaching them more about the restored gospel and the Book of Mormon. I love helping the work of the Lord. El Reino de Dios o Nada!

Les amo,
Hna. Ellsworth