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Monday, November 14, 2011


hola familia
I made it!  haha theres so much to say but no time!  so i´ll just jump right into it.  we landed and had to go through customs.  everyone got through with no problems except me... the lady didnt speak any english and said i needed something else, and i didnt know what... she said i needed a different envelope but i didnt have anything to give her... i thought i was going to get detained/deported... anyways after a while of talking to her supervisor i got into the country.  that was good, we met the mission president outside baggage claim and we got into a big van and we got to drive into buenos aires which was pretty cool.  he said it was the last time we´d see downtown / pretty much anything nice for two years... we stopped at a park and went to the exact spot where melvin j ballard declared the land of south america for the preaching of the gospel in like 1920 or something like that.  it was neat.  then we saw a couple other things and went to the mission home, where i wrote  you a short letter, idk if you got it yet or whats going on with that.  we had dinner in the home, which is super nice by the way.  then we watched a welcome video and went off to the mission office.  i noticed something while driving there... its super ghetto here... haha its like really european but ghetto.  a nice mix i think... anyways we stayed at the office for a while and slept at the assistant´s pench that night about 4 blocks away.  the next morning i went with one of the assistants to pick up an investigator or 2 but none of them were home.  he also told me to take off my watch and ring so we didnt get robbed.  but anyways actually the people were home cuz we saw them move the blinds but they didnt want to come... sad... but the cab ride back was awesome cuz elder godfrey started talking to the driver and the driver said how his mom was sick with cancer and if we´d include her in our prayers. elder godfrey said how sometimes we have challenges and stuff and talked about the plan of savation.  he gave him a pamphlet when we got back and asked if we could pray with him right there.  we did and after the driver said that when he got back to his work he wouldnt take off his sunglasses because he was crying.  we got his info and said wed come by.  his name was daniel.  it was an awesome spiritual experience.

anyways then we went to priesthood meeting and i didnt understand anything... then we went to gospel principles with all the investigators and i understood most everything :) then we went to sacrament and i couldnt understand too much.  it was crazy though the youth speaker was speaking and she fainted. they caught her and rushed her out.  then the next speaker jumped right up.  it was weird she is ok though.  church was pretty good.  so we stayed at the same place and got up monday morning.  we went to the mission office and had a conference thing where we found out our trainers.  my trainer is elder edwards.  he is pretty cool and seems like a hard worker.  today is our pday and so we had to go buy stuff then we came here.  but on our way he contacted an old lady, then we were walking there was a guy sitting outside and he told me i was gonig to contact him.  i got scared but then i did it.  haha it didnt go to well but yeah.  it was kinda funny.  not too hard though i just gotta be bold and pretend like i know castellano. its so hard though... people that articulate and dont mumble i can understand lots of what they say but when they dont (noone does) i have no clue whats going on.  also my pench is gross.  its not the ideal living condition.  but its whatever i guess.  i just will have to get used to it.  it is pretty bad though.  apparently we have a good shower though... like its gross but it works well.  so thats good.  we also have a baday... i have no idea how to spell that, bedea? idk the thing that sprays your bum... its gross too...  so yeah.  it isnt TOO hot yet but its rather warm with the humidity.  and yeah its just really different down here.  im going to get a parasite in no time.  i just know it...  the filter they gave me tastes really gross.  i hear the water is pretty safe where im at so yeah.  also tell everyone that isnt family to dear elder me.  i cant email friends.  for missionary friends i will email mom and you can forward them :)

our area apparently is like one of the lowest baptizing areas in the mission.  we are going to change that asap.  i cant wait.  we are going to work hard and stuff.  everything here is sooo dirty.  haha i feel gross.  Everything here is just crazy.  definitely a different lifestyle.  its going to be interesting but we are just going to work hard, and ima try to learn me some spanish.
if you have preguntas let me know i think i covered everything so far.

Love you all
Elder Skousen

oh yeah also my area is called parque san martin and my zone is called merlo.  also ive been bit by something and im really itchy...

Josh's Mission president keeps a blog you can read it at www.buenosaireswest.blogspot.com

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