Letter from Resistencia Barrio 4 - 27 December 2011

Dear Family,

Merry Week After Christmas! I didn´t know this when I called on Sunday but yesterday was oficially a holiday so, as always, our Pday was moved to today.

Christmas was nice. It has been over 100 degrees here in Resistencia (with humidity!) but on Christmas Eve a storm moved in and it was cloudy and rainy and dropped at least 20 degrees and stayed like that through christmas day. Hna. Griffeth and I were pretty happy.

I have more to tell about Christmas but I am actually out of time!
It took all my time to upload the photos. Here are a few explanations:


Many of them are old and from Goya. The photos of me standing in a field with horses and walking down a dirt road with Hna Da Silva are from my last few weeks there. The picture of the baby in the tub is also from Goya can go with the email I wrote about that day we found Sandra sitting by the side of her house reading her Book of Mormon. That is her baby Bruno I wrote about who was sitting beside her playing in the tub. The one with me and the little girl giving the thumbs up is also from Goya. That is Dalila, one of the most amazing little girls in the world.

All the Christmas ones are self-explanatory and can probably go with the email I wrote last week about our tree and ornaments and stockings. Or with the email I am going to write next week about Christmas/New Years. There are pictures of our christmas dinner too, which I will write more about next week.

The one of my feet is just to impress you with HOW INCREDIBLY TAN I am getting. But that doesn´t need to go on the internet because my feet are gross.

The one with me next to a map is just to show off our hard work. We made that entire map and it took days. It also gives you an idea of what I look like after working for 6 hours in 107 degree heat.

Okay. Gotta go!

Thanks for the emails and the SONGS! I am thrilled.

I love you,

Brooke

Letter from Resistencia Barrio 4 - 19 December 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

The trees are shaking with cicadas (or some other loud buzzing bug), the mangos are ripening (the other day I watched as a group of kids picked the green mangos from the lower branches of the tree and chucked them at the taller branches to try to knock down the riper red fruit which always seems to first appear just out of reach for some reason), the air is full of smoke from the constant explosion of fire crackers and the smell of asado (argentine barbecue), the streets are littered with half-moon watermelon rinds and bees are bathing in the sweet nectar, meanwhile small plastic swimming pools are popping up in every yard and children are happily splashing and bathing in the (sweet) cold water, santa is playing his saxophone and even the smallest corner kisok is stocked full of packaged sweet bread. What does all of this mean? Christmas is near, of course!

So far I am enjoying my summertime Argentine christmas. Like I said above there are lots of santa statues in stores and street corners and for some reason he always seems to be playing a saxophone. I was heretofore unaware that santa played the sax but...I like it!

The work is going well here in Resistencia. We are working hard and meetings people and things are looking up. Last week we got a reference from the elders for a man that lives in our area. His name is Julio. We passed by his house several times and he never answered. The last time we passed by one of his neighbor´s, Ramon, saw us leaving and said "Julio isn´t answering? Here let me try!" and he proceeded to knock yell ("Julio! Julio!"), slam windows and, finally, push the key through the key hole. Julio finally emerged. He is going through some rough times, it seems, ever since his girlfriend left him. He doesn´t get out of bed much. But he had been reading the Book of Mormon which the elders had given him when they met him on the street. We are just starting to teach and work with Julio but I will keep you updated on how it goes. I have a soft spot in my heart for him. and for Ramon who helped us get him out of his house and who is also listening to our message.

Last week Hna. Griffeth and I bought a little Christmas tree for the equivalent of $5 and we have been decorating it little by little this week in our rare snatches of down time. I made a popcorn string and Hna. Griffeth has been making really cool origami ornaments. We also bought ourselves some stockings and are going to fill each other´s stockings with little gifts.

Yesterday we watched the re-broadcast of the first presidency christmas devotional in our chapel here and I loved it. It is nice to remember the true spirit of Christmas and to be spending this Christmas visiting people and teaching and singing and praying with them. I can´t think of anything better. I know the savior lives and that the atonement is real.

Merry Christmas,

Hna. Parker