Hello from BA!!

Hey everyone! 

So I couldn´t wait for today to write to you, so I wrote letters to you all at least every other day. So I´m going to just copy those for most of this letter.

Mom said to eat a healthy dinner (actually her words were a 'good dinner´) (this keyboard is really weird, I have to keep switching from english to spanish to english in order to get the punctuation right :S)

Anway, dinner ended up being an Arby´s sandwich from the airport. I was too shaken up to try somehting new, and that was what I would have eaten had I gone to Utah to be picked up by Oma and Opa. At the airport in Atlanta, there were 23 other missionaries. 20 sisters and 3 brothers. Two of them are above 6 ft. tall, and the other one was Kel´s height, and his name is Elder Kelly. I think that is a foreshadowing that Kel will look super short compared to all of his companions.

Right when I got off the plane I started to have a runny nose and it hasn´t gone away since. It has been joined by its friend the cough that sounds 3xs as bad as it actually is (so it isn´t bad, but it sounds like it is). 

Also, as we were walking up to customs I had my carry on balanced on top of my rolling suitcase, two purses on my shoulders, and carrying my other 50 lbs suitcase in my hand, one of my purse´s handles broke :O. So I tied them together and made a makeshift handle. I need to get a new one, but I don{t think I{ll be able to shop until I leave the CCM (MTC in Spanish). 

Speaking of the CCM, it{s really funny, because the sign says [Central de Capacitation de Misional] and whenever I see it, I think it says [decapitation] :D.

Anyway, we made it safely to the CCM, where I sent you that heartfelt email :P. My senor companion is Hma. Adams. She{s from Alaska and is part Native American part Tahitian. People keep on speaking to her in spanish, because they think she{ll understand. 

Thursday was pretty crazy, but by the end of the day I had enough time to start to crochet a passport pouch which I actually did need. I haven{t finished it yet, but I{m almost done.

So, I know you{re all wondering about the food and if I{m eating or not. Every morning we have cold cereal!! But we only get one bowl, so be grateful. I usually need a fruit and some bread to go along with it. We have beef for lunch or dinner every day and either chicken or pasta topped with meat for the other meal. I have eaten everything of my plate every day (besides one day when it was either a firm, soggy, piece of cornbread or a cake made of crushed pasta. But I still ate a thrid of it). Other comfort zoned that I have stretched: I turned off the light at 10:30pm and walked back to my bed in complete darkness and even managed to climbe the ladder without incident :D. And, on Saturday and spider fell from the ceiling onto my lap and the only thing I did was say [Oh, that{s gross] and brushed it off (and then I killed it). Also, I have been speaking in spanish to the other Latinos here. We have two Latina roommates and two sisters besides Hms Adams and me. The past two nights we were actually talking to them for too long and turned of the lights at 10_35 instead of 10:30. Oops...

Friday felt really rushed and confusing. The teachers kept getting confused as to where we were supposed to go, and kept giving us books and papers to study and fill out. Hma Adams and I managed to make a goal though, to learn 10 phrases and 22 words ea day plus one scriptures or other paragraph (ie, first vision). We{ve done well with the scriptures, but are behind on the phrases and words. 

When I first got here I was intimidated by the sentence [Somos misioneras de la iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias] but yesterday I learned, [Y caunda recibir estas cosas, quisiera exhortaros a que preguanteis a Dios el Padre Eterno, en el nombre de Cristo, si no son verdadera estas cosas; y si pedis con un corazon sincero, con verdadera intencion, tenienido fe in Cristo, el os manifestara la verdad de ellas por el poder del espiritu santo; y por el poder del Espiritu Santo, podreis conocer la verdad de todas las cosas.]

Sorry, I really wanted to tell someone that, even at the risk of being a show off. 

Also on the first day, we taught our first [investigator] in spanish (she was our teacher). It didn{t go very well, but it was pretty good. We{ve taught her 2 more times since then, and she{s committed to be baptized. 

Two things I{ve loved that my mission pres and his wife have said: [The gospel isn{t weight, it{s wings.] and [Whereever truth is found, the dust of the battle may be seen.] Yeah!

For exercise almost every day we{ve played volley ball, although it{s really crowded because that{s where everyone who doesn{t play soccer or basket ball goes. But yesterday Hma Adams and I finally had the guts to join the Latinos in their game of basket ball. Playing with the fam really helped me then, because I could be aggressive enough to play, but not enough to be in awkward situations with the elders or hurt the hermanas who didn{t really play. 

On Sunday it was more relaxing. We had an hour to walk around the temple which is literally ten steps out the door of the CCM (and is in my mission, apparently!!) and take pictures. But I can{t send you the pictures because the computers at the CCM are connected and there would be too much happening if we all sent our pictures, so you{ll have to wait for a few more weeks . sorry. Anyway, Sunday we had cake for dessert, and the elder 2 people in front of me took the last chocolate one, so I had some strawberryjello-cheesecake which was delicious. 

For sacrament meeting, we were in our own room for the [Americans] but only had 3 elders, so they did some fancy moving around and handing off during the sacrament. Unfortunately, once one of the elders ran into the other and everyone started giggling. It was funny, but I tried not to laugh because I thought it was cool that they were trying so hard to help us get the sacrament. 

As far as weather goes, it{s super sticky becase of the humidity and is usually overcast and windy, although we do have sun for at least some of each day. (I apologize for the typos, but time is short :S). The temple is gorgeous, you should look up a picture. We{re going through it for a session today which will be amazing. 

That{s it for now. I love you all!!

Sister Tova S Biesinger

Argentina Buenos Aires South Mission