Slow but good. Life in Uruguay

hey everyone

So this week was pretty slow, but still good.

Tuesday we had district meetings in the morning and went back home at 2ish. But after that we found a sheet of paper of future investigators, some people who give their address and name, which they do just to be nice here. We found a bunch of phone numbers with some of them and we needed to check our emails for something from the zone leaders so we went to the church and called about 17 numbers, most were fakes, but we found one lady that kinda sounded interested so we might visit her later.

Wednesday we did a lot of proselyting pretty much all day because we didn't have anything to do. We got a couple of futures, and we talked to this crazy guy, (well he talked to us) for about an hour about basically capitalism, and how 12 year olds here shouldn’t have cell phones. haha and he like  threw up in his mouth while he was talking to us then swallowed it back down and kept going, it was pretty funny.

Thursday not much happened, we did some proselyting and went to Maria Esperanza’s house, and basically just sat there for a while waiting for Lucas because he said he was going to come.

Friday we had lunch with Washington who gave us a lot of food afterwards. It was good food, it’s called gizo, but that fed us for 3 days. After we walked outside of the town for about 40 minutes, and found a random house with a huge driveway. We walked up to it  and talked to the woman there and she said she is ¨catholic¨, which everyone says but they never do anything at their church. I gave her a pamphlet and forgot to write my number on it, so if anything is going to happen there we will have to walk all the way out there again just to see.

Saturday we had a good lesson with Gonzalo, the guy who needs to be married still. I thought that we should read Lehi’s vision with him, and either he was crying at the end or he had sparkles on his eye from his kids, but that’s about it.

Sunday we got a call from Maria Esperanza asking us what time we were coming over, which he didn’t know about but we went over at 6. She made us hot chocolate and bought a bunch of wafers too, so we basically just chilled there for a while then went home. Then we made calzones which were amazing, idk why but they tasted soo good.

Then today we had a zone activity at our church, so we just played soccer all morning, then we made calzones again and now I’m here writing home. 

That was my week, hope ya like it. 

Elder Grigor

                                  "The river got destroyed in the flood" 

                                         "deep fried alfajores"

                                         "the sweet shirt I made" 

                                "We made Calzones! They were so good!!!" 

                                 "Just thought you might want to see my face!" 

This week was awesome!!!

So this week was awesome! 

Tuesday was p-day, every last p-day of the change is Tuesday so that the Elders can say bye to people on p-day after they find out they're leaving. So we chilled in Las Piedras with Elders Anderson and Montiel. So we just went looking at some stores and ate ice cream, I ate a half kilo.

Wednesday was changes for everyone and so we got some new people in our zone. We found out that day that we had a multi mission conference on Thursday so we got prepared for that. Our investigators that really wanted to get baptized are in a tough situation. She is still married to another man but left him 17 years ago, and he won’t divorce her just so that she can legally marry the other man. So they can’t get baptized until they either somehow get enough money to hire a lawyer then 6 months later get a divorce, then get married or buy different houses which I don’t think will happen so we might have to drop them.

Thursday we left at 5:00 in the morning to catch a bus there, and I met some of Pierce’s old companions. They are awesome, I was laughing the whole ride there and back. And at the conference we met the new area authorities, and I saw some of the people I was in the MTC with. I also met Elder Nielsen, the one from Calgary Sister Stasiak’s nephew. He is huge, like 6’4, 230 probably. He’s in the West Stake in the ward by the temple I think. 

Friday we both slept past our alarms and woke up at 8, I was really tired and I’m getting a little sick so I liked the extra sleep. Then we got a call at 9:00 wondering if we were close to the zone conference we were having that no one told us about, so we missed that. But we went out and found an old investigators of 10 years, who is in a wheelchair and that’s the main reason we think for him not getting baptized.

Saturday was Pierce’s birthday so I bought him a cake, which is really good but really rich and bought him a matte cup. So then we went to the Enchanted Forest after a sweet lunch at a members house. While we were inside, we were talking to some elders on the phone about how we’re gonna see a werewolf, then a dog out of nowhere comes sprinting after us, so we took off and looked back and he was gone. The other elder’s didn’t believe us. Then we had a party at a less active ladies house hopefully she might start coming to church now, and Lucas the boy there is pretty interested in the church, so something could happen there.

Then Sunday nothing really happened because everyone we tried to go to had company over because it was Mother’s Day, so we explored the old castle thing it was pretty cool. Then we came down to Las Pierdras Sunday night again for p-day. That’s pretty much it.

Love you guys, 

Elder Grigor

Elder Grigor hanging out at the playground on p-day 

They found an enchanted forest 

Lunch at a member's home 

Celebrating Elder Pierce's Birthday 

We found an abandoned castle 

I got to talk to my family!

Hola,

So Monday last week was p-day and not much happened that day we just got home really late because we missed our busses

Tuesday was just a normal day, I’m not too sure what we did that day. 

Wednesday - we went to the hospital because Elder Salas was sick with something. I’m not sure what but we went to save his companion Elder Ruiz. He had been there since Sunday without much sleep and he hadn’t bathed. We were the relief team. Then some members came over to say hi and took me for lunch because I needed a companion and Salas had lunch from the hospital. They gave me some money for lunch, and we had some money left over so I split the money I got with Elder Pierce and that paid for our bus tickets. 

Thursday was normal, we taught some lessons and figured out one of our investigators isn’t married and the "wife" was not officially divorced form her husband 17 years ago. So we don’t really know what to do there, because he really wants to get baptized. 

Friday was our last district meeting of the change, so it was a zone meeting, we did it all together and had a big party. Then me and Pierce went home and we were trying to find an old investigators house and a Swedish woman who spoke english called us over and started talking to us wondering what we do. She had a lot of questions just out of curiosity, she didn't really want anything to do with religion. But I gave her a pamphlet with our number on it if she ever had anymore questions she could call, hopefully she decides to read it too.

Saturday we had a mission activity at the church, which canelones and our zone leaders came to with their ward mission leaders, and the ward mission leaders gave talks and we had some food after.

Sunday I got to talk to my family on Mother’s day- that was sweet! The camera on the computer we got wasn’t working so we grabbed a tablet from a member and just kinda used both, switching off half way through with our families. 

On Monday in the morning I was pretty sad thinking about home and all the things that I won’t be home for, but it’s ok, it’ll all be fine! We taught diego and lujan, and are trying to figure out a way to help them. We customized a sweet shirt for me, I will send a pic next week, it’s still in progress but it’s sweet. 

Yea that’s pretty much it! It was a good week lots of teaching, and we got a bunch of referrals from members, so we might have some new investigators next week.

I love you so much mom!  I don’t know if you know how much. I don’t ever show it, but I love you so much! Happy Mother’s Day !! 

Love you, 

Elder Grigor 

Elder Grigor with his zone 

Playing Soccer in Uruguay 

My awesome lunch 

Visiting Elder Salas 

San Jose, Uruguay 

A typical lunch 

Thanks for the package!!! 

Treats from home 

Uruguay countryside 

Homemade Beavertails!

Que Pasa Wachins, 

Alrighty this week we had a lot go on. Monday we went on divisions with the zone leaders since we were staying in the oblisco house. Then we had our district meeting Tuesday, came home and put on our sweaters because it started getting cold here. The buildings aren't insulated here, it’s just concrete so it gets cold in the buildings too. I really need to get some gloves and a toque. Then we made beavertails for the first time that night. It was really quick and we put powdered sugar on them, they were pretty good. Then Wednesday we taught some lessons to our investigators, a lot weren't home, or just ignored us. Then Wednesday night we made the better version of beavertails. Thursday was more lessons and again not many were home, mostly because I think they all work until 7 at night then don’t get home until like 8. Friday was the Oro conference so we woke up at 4:30 to catch a cold bus to Montevideo. 

We got a sweet breakfast, it was a scrambled egg burger, the eggs were cut into square patty things. Then the conference started, it was a lot of role playing things, and talking about health, then we had stroganoff for lunch.  We had more of the conference, then we finished and went to tres cruces (3 crosses) a huge mall with a bus depot kinda thing attached to it. So we got a bus ticket and went and got McDonalds, which was amazing to have. But the fries weren't salted, because for some reason down here if you serve anything with salt it’s illegal. If you ask for it that’s ok, but they don’t serve it. Then we got home at 10:30 and went to bed. 

We went to go buy cereal for the week, and found an old investigator who we don't know his name, but we call him Michael jackson. He had been taught by Pierces comp before Pierce came here like 2 times. So we had been trying to find his house and almost gave up, then he found us and told us that he’s only around on weekends now and to come by on weekends and gave us his address. Pretty sweet, the Lord helped us by me craving Nesquik cereal, and we now have a new investigator. Then we had our fireplace on in our house because it’s getting pretty cold, so we heated up the house for a bit, we’ll probably do that again.  Then Sunday we had lunch with some members and they gave us a reference for their friends who they gave a Book of Mormon too. So we checked in on them and they said we can come by during the week. So we got a new investigator and a future investigator in 2 days. I’m so glad to see this happening because not much has happened in Santa Lucia for the past little while, so we’ve been working a lot with the ward to get them to find references, because street contacts don't really work here. Well yea, pretty fun week, and can’t wait to see you guys this Sunday!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Grigor

Homemade Beavertails 

Beavertails !! 

"We made them. The first attempts were not great, 

but the next ones we made were so good" 

Elder Grigor enjoying his hard work! 

McDonald's - a big treat for him in Uruguay 

Elder Grigor enjoying food at McDonald's 

Making a fire because it is getting cold there now

This is what I am supposed to be doing

Hola Todos,

This week was pretty normal. Tuesday I’m not really sure what we did, the days are starting to blur together, I’m gonna have to start bringing my journal to these so I can remember. Oh, we got put on red alert that day for a tornado, so we had to stay inside most of the day. We could only be out if we had something or somewhere to be. So we called all of our appointments and no one was available so we couldn’t go outside. Wednesday we had a lot of lessons and one of our investigators came up to us in the street and poured out his heart of how he wanted to be baptized and go to church. So we went by the next day and he said he wasn’t sure if he would go to church. My comp said people do that all the time, tell you how they feel then they don’t do anything afterwards. Thursday was a normal day but we saw a Mexican stand off between three dogs, all looking back and forth at each other then we walked over and they all looked at us, looked back at each other and took off, it was soo weird but pretty funny, Friday we had an interview conference with our mission president. We were taught a bunch of lessons and had interviews with the president about how things are going and got fed lunch, which was rice and rotisserie chicken. It was good to have something from home for once. We are supposed to have another conference thing with the president this Friday too. Then it was a less active members birthday so we went over there and had pizza, which here is just cold bread and sauce and he gave us a whole one for the next day. So Saturday we cooked it up at the church after buying some cheese in the Fereria, which is just little markets that open up every Saturday. We watched Prince of Egypt at the church, ate pizza and drank tap water because we were super thirsty, so hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me. On Sunday I was introduced in church by giving a talk, so I talked about Alma the Younger and how even the worst people can change and realize the truth behind our church. We went to Elder Anderson’s house Sunday because today is p-day and we have a district meeting tomorrow, so instead of making 2 trips for p-day and the meeting we decided to save money and came down last night. I am having a really fun time down here, I miss home a lot but I wouldn’t go back until my call is up. It finally hit me that this is what I’m supposed to be doing and I had a super calm feeling. And now when I think of home it’s only good  memories that I can share, and I can’t wait to make more throughout my mission and when I come home. Time is going so fast here and I feel like I have only been out for maybe a couple weeks, which is good. I just wish it would stop raining here. 

I love all of you and can’t wait to talk to your faces in two weeks!!!

Elder Grigor 

"A pretty big spider that we saw" 

"So much studying, I always feel like my head is going to explode"

"This ice cream was amazing. It was only 73 pesos,which is like $2.30 US" 

Looks so good!!! 

It has been raining like crazy here

Hola todo,

This week was crazy. So it has been raining like crazy here, over the week it'll rain crazy hard for 20 minutes then let up but it'll rain almost all day, every day.There’s one family that we teach and there houses are a pretty far walk from the city, and them and their cousins all live together. There are four houses, three together then a big ditch thing, it’s like a hill but inverted, I don't know how to say that. But on the other side is another house and it is now completely cut off from the others because this small valley thing flooded, so now they need to take a boat to get to the other houses. I believe I have a picture of it. 

On Monday it was pretty normal, just p-day, taught some lessons I cant really remember what happened. Then Tuesday we had a district meeting then intercambios (exchanges) afterwards and I went with Elder Ruis, I don’t know if I took a picture or not but it was cool to see all the other investigators he had. Then Wednesday we changed back and we had lunch at the second counsellors house which was awesome. He’s the second counsellor and he is in a wheelchair. Some people from the Liahona were there taking pictures of him and us having lunch. So in like a year I think I’ll be in a Liahona!!!! I’m gonna be in a magazine! I hope they don’t cover my head up with a bar code. Oh and before that we were waiting for a bus to go out to his house because it’s in a pueblito (small town thing) and the second counsellor for the stake saw us and gave us a ride! Then I’m not too sure what happened on Thursday. It’s just been raining like crazy here. So we are going to members and less actives houses, but not many of our investigators are letting us in because it’s a bad time or something else. Most of our investigators are not progressing and nobody talks to us in the streets right now because they just want to get out of the rain and don’t care about anything else. Friday and Saturday were pretty much the same, I cant remember too much other than the river is crazy high now. On Sunday they still didn’t introduce me so I don’t know when they will do that, I cant understand most of whats said, but I can pretty much always understand gospel terms because that’s all we did in the MTC.

Today we had a zone activity, we played soccer for a bit, ate, then played circle of death with a volleyball; everyone just volleys until someone messes up then they go in the middle and we get to hit it at them until we hit them. Then we played gringos vs latinos in soccer and we were killing them 4-1, then they caught up and we lost 6-5 but that’s the closest they have ever come. 

This is a long one so I’ll wrap it up, yo amo esta mision, finalmente me dio cuenta yo debo estar aqui! Tambien am otodos de ustedes, 

Love,

Elder Grigor

Just a little clip showing how much it's been raining 

The rain keeps coming

Elder Grigor smiling even though he is soaking wet 

Two thumbs up! 

Being goofy in the rain 

Elder Grigor with his companion 

A typical meal in Uruguay. Justin does NOT eat vegetables. So this is a big deal for him!!! 

My Spanish is getting better

Hola!

So this week went by really fast, like it felt like I just wrote you guys. But it was a good week! Monday we went to "noche de hogar" (family home evening) at the ward mission leaders house and had some "tortas fritas", which is just like a scone thing, or a beavertail just without the toppings, so just the dough fried in fat. And now I really want some beaver tails. Then Tuesday was pretty funny. We were teaching a lesson at Maria's house, where all the kids hang out. We heard this weird noise, it went on for about thirty seconds. We were all looking around trying to see what it was and then we all see this cat sneezing, and the sneezes were within 1/4 of a second of each other for like 30 seconds. Haha it  was pretty funny. 

The next day we saw a lady on a moto get hit by a car, well we heard it, then walked by it. They weren't going very fast, but she got pretty banged up. There were a lot of people there to help her out and an ambulance. 

We had another district meeting on Wednesday and I understood almost everything that the Americans were saying in Spanish. I just can't understand the latinos, but I'm getting better. 

 

On Saturday not much happened, I can't really remember it too much, just that we walked a lot. On Sunday I was supposed to get introduced to the ward but they didn't do it, and it was also Fast Sunday. Today we went to the river and messed around for a bit, did some hiking. The rain here made the river super wide now, so there's only a little bit of beach now. I'll try to send pictures. 

Well everything is good here, food is great but I wish there was more meat, meat here is expensive suprisingly even though there's more cows here than people. But it's mostly noodles, or rice meals. I'm sure after a while that will get old. In the MTC we got sooo much meat, but here meat is more expensive than in Argentina.  

We have lunch with the members because they eat dinner here at like 9pm, so we do breakfast and dinner on our own. This week we have a lunch everyday, but next week I don't think we have any, so we will have to see if anyone will have us over. 

Thanks for sharing about Erik's experience about whether to accept a scholarship at school or serve a mission. It just shows how the Lord knows what we want and what comes from faith.

I'm starting to get used to everything now, except writing home for only an hour. I can never fit everything in.

Thanks for all the pictures this week. I loved them. Haha Adelaide is so funny. Hey dad- we all need to wear our onesies when I get home.

Anyways that was my week, it's been fun here teaching but our investigators are not really progressing too much, I hope that changes. 

Love, 

Elder Grigor

Elder Grigor taking a selfie :) 

We call this horse Bruno Mars 

It rained so much!