Hello Family & Friends! 

It's been a month since my last update on Nate, so it's high time for another one! Nate has been out on his mission for a little over 4 months now, and aside from being hot most of the time, he seems to be getting along really well.

We got to Skype with him on Christmas Day.  He looked healthy and very happy, and we had a great visit.  We were able to set up a 3-way Skype with Skibby in Spain, and it was fun for Skibby and Nate to talk to each other.  After Skibby signed off, we had a little more time with just Nate.  Here are a couple of pictures we took during our Skype session:

Nate spent the first few months of his mission an area called Cabin 9 on the outskirts of Rosario.  Peter and I Googled "Cabin 9" (and various other similar-sounding names and possible spellings), trying to find it on a map of Argentina, but we were never successful.  We thought Nate either didn't know the real name of the place he was living in, or that Cabin 9 was just an odd name the missionaries had dubbed this area.  Then, about a week ago, Peter was at work researching information on the internet about areas of the world affected by the Zika virus, and he found the following map:

Zika Virus Map.  It's hard to see, but directly west of the bolded word, Rosario, (and just west of the large curved road) is CABIN 9.

Lo and behold, Cabin 9 is a legitimate place after all!  Nate said that Cabin 9 was a very poor, smelly town.  He wrote, "It smells bad cause they have sewage ditches on the sides of all the roads, and there is stagnant water with rotting garbage in it everywhere.  The water turns white a lot.  Then the dogs don’t help the smell, dead or alive, (I’ve seen 3 dead dogs on the side of the road at this point).  So it’s yucky + humidity."

All the homes Nate has seen are built of cement and have iron security bars in the windows.  Nate reported that he and his companions have had a bit of a cockroach problem in their home.  On Tuesday, January 2, 2018, he wrote, "I’ve been torching cockroaches a lot cause it feeds my pyro side and somebody needs to get rid of them.  It involves my candles that I’ve been buying for some reason, and the bug spray.  I just use it as a flame thrower and destroy all signs of life.  It’s a good thing our house is cement, or I’d burn it down.  PS. cause it is cement, it just radiates heat through all night. This week was really hot.  It is the summer cycle.  It is hot and hotter and then death for a few days with crazy humidity, then everything just breaks apart in a big storm.  That storm hit Sunday, so it was cool yesterday, but it is supposed to be hot again today.  Friday was death, and it was even too hot to sleep outside.  I soaked all my sheets in water and hosed myself down and tried to sleep in front of the fan.  I had to keep soaking myself though and I just couldn’t sleep."

Nate was fortunate to work with many different investigators in Cabin 9.  He said that some didn't really want to progress, but there are others who were sincere.  He wrote, "1^st Javier’s family.   Javier has a daughter who is 14, and she has been investigating the Church for a while now.  Javier has been great in her conversion process.  Every time we go over there to teach they are ready, and treat it like a big deal.  She gets baptized in a week.  2^nd Manuel & Maria's family.  As far as I can tell this is just a good family.  They like to see us, and I believe they are seeking truth.  Manuel & Maria have been together for about 20+ years, and have a mess of kids of all ages.  They aren’t married yet, but they are going to get married at the end of the month, and then they will be baptized.  Very kind people.  Manuel & Maria's whole family wants me to confirm them, so that will be a lot.  It is cool to give Priesthood blessings.  Also we have a new family and I have high hopes for them.  Lots of young kids and they are all cute.  The mother is just genuine and really wants to hear what we have to say and learn.  So that is rare."   

In a later letter, Nate wrote, "An investigator that I really like is named Monica.  I kinda think she likes us to visit just for company, but I also know she has a good heart.  She is probably about 50+.  She always gives us little crackers, or a cup of soda.  I can just tell she likes me.  Her deal it that she just doesn’t want to get baptized.  She said it’s not for her.   I have given her lots of scriptures to read that I feel apply to her very well, like, 2 Nephi 28:29-30 (for her not wanting to seek more of God’s words/blessings, cause she was content), Mosiah 18:9-10 (for her wanting to do/be good and not want to be baptized).  I’m not expecting a grand change in her, but I’ll enjoy visiting and trying to help.  She is a saint in her heart."

Nate continued, "The big problem here, and I think most everywhere else too, is that many investigators aren’t ready to dedicate their lives to this.  They don’t really want to change, and definitely don’t want to work.  (I do see why, it’s very hard though).  Most people here will also say they believe in Christ/God, cause why not, but they don’t apply it.  Most also can’t really read and that makes it lots harder to tell people that the LDM [Libro de Mormon] is so important.  Predominant religions are Evangelical & Catholic."

Nate taught a young couple with an 18-month old daughter.  He wrote, "She (the 18-month-old) is funny cause she always wants what I have in my hands, but only for a second.  So to keep her happy I’m always handing things to her, then she’ll hand them back.  She is growing up in a very different world than we did.  She crawls around on dirt and cement, and that’s all just fine.  Anyway, they (the parents) took the lessons for a long time, but when I got here they had stopped cause they felt too pressured, and the Evangelical Church was easier, but they came back around and are scheduled to be baptized next week.  They are firm too cause they already had interviews.  Only the mom can read a little, but last we checked, she was reading a little with her husband every night, and that was a pleasant surprise."

Regarding the language, Nate wrote, "My Spanish has come very far by now.  It is crazy and cool, and I can say something, and not know what language it was in, but I know what I said."

  

On Monday, January 8, Nate told us in an email that he had been transferred to a new area called Las Delicias.  We found this location on the same purple Zika virus map above.  It is southeast of Cabin 9, just east of the large curved road.  Nate wrote, "It seems to be a little more of a city than Cabin 9.  The pension is very small.  We have a rough place to live, but I guess that means I'm in Argentina.  My companion is from Ecuador, so hopefully I’m speaking Spanish perfect by the end of the transfer." 

On Monday, January 15, Nate wrote, "There is a big nice church in our area, and it has a basketball standard outside, so I’ve been excited about that.  We don’t get to go to the church on Sundays though.  We attend a casa de oracion.  It is just a house.  In total we had 7 people yesterday.  I did all the Sacrament.  And opening and closing prayers.  We also have ping pong in our big fancy church and I love to play that.....  I ate candy I found on the street.  I’m also sick.  I made a cat friend.  His name is Manny....  Someone said I spoke Spanish in a Brazilian accent, and I think that’s great."

Okay, that about wraps up my update on Nate.  I'm sorry it is so long.  In the future, I will try to write more frequently, and that will make my updates shorter!