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| Our almost last supper together in Reconquista |
My last days in Reconquista earlier this week were interesting because normally the missionaries aren't supposed to know if they are going to be transferred until the night of the morning before it actually happens, but we were in a situation where we knew a couple days in advance. So we ended up spending a lot of time with the senior missionaries, preparing them to take over the branch and showing them how to run things, and also talking with the sister missionaries and telling them about the people that we were teaching so that they could pass by them and continue their lessons.
We had everything packed Tuesday night because we had to leave at five in the morning on Wednesday in order to take a taxi to the bus station. The bus that I took left at six in the morning from Reconquista and it was a five hour ride in order to arrive in Corrientes. From there, I was greeted by one of the leaders of the area who was spending his day in the bus terminal helping all the traveling Elders get to their destinations.
In Corrientes I had a four hour layover, which is a lot worse in a bus terminal in Argentina than a layover in the airport because in the bus terminal there a tons of people that are always trying to sell you something. And the thing is, people focus on us as missionaries because they look at us and see that we're wearing shirts and ties and they assume that we have money to burn. Even if we had a bunch of cash, we don't want to buy from the guy who is carrying a bunch of old, cold sandwiches around in a greasy cardboard box.
Well, after the layover I had a another four hour bus ride to get to a city called Paso de Los Libres. When I got there, there wasn't anyone waiting for me, so I just assumed that I had arrived first. However, an hour passed by and still nobody came. I thought that maybe it had been possible that I somehow went to the wrong city or maybe got off the bus too soon (because they don't announce anything when they make their stops). The only thing that made me think that I was in fact in the right place was that there was a twelve or thirteen year old boy dressed in a shirt and tie that came up to me and asked me where the other Elder was. I told him that I came by myself and haven´t seen anyone. Then, this boy walked around a corner and I never saw him again.
After just over an hour of waiting, three Elders came: Elders Taylor, Diaz, and Humphries (my new companion). Elder Humphries and I work in a city called Curuzú Cuatiá and so we had to take another bus ride in order to get to our city, but there wasn't going to be one until morning. So, we went out to visit some people with Elder Taylor and then when the night came we stayed with him and his companion in their apartment. In the morning, we had to leave from the bus terminal six thirty and didn't arrive in Curuzù until nine thirty.
We spent some time in the morning unpacking, and getting ready for the day and then late in the afternoon we went out to meet some of the members as well as some of the investigators that Elder Humphries and his previous companion had been teaching. There's a lot of people that we've only visited once or twice, so I'm still trying to learn who is who.
The Church isn't very big here, so there isn't a chapel, but rather the Church owns a house that has been adapted to service the church meetings. Although there aren't many, the members are all really great here.
One of the recent converts to the branch invited us over on Saturday night to eat home made pizza that was really good. The same member then made empanadas for us just last night.
I recently finished the Book of Mormon, but when I read through it this time I started in Jacob and then ended with First and Second Nephi. It was really interesting just to start it that way and then come back and see how it all began and why things turned out the way they did.
I don't really feel like there is a whole lot to tell this week just because I spent most of the week traveling or in meetings, but this week we'll be traveling to Resistencia for a mission conference and once I start to get familiar with the people and the area I'll have stories to tell. But for now I'm out of time.
os amo,
Elder Burt
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