Some Disappointment and Some Choice Experiences

January 18, 2010

Dear Mom, Dad and family,

How is everyone doing? I hope well. I have heard a little bit about this earthquake thing, but really not too much. On Wednesday I was out working and some guy came up to us and was very upset. He told us about Aati and how it was destroyed and people were dead. I really didn’t understand too much and didn’t know where Aati was, so it didn’t really bother me too much. I just figured it was just another crazy local drunk telling us his version of some sort of a bible story. Then the other night, we had a member tell us all about Ati and then I realized it was real and that they were talking about the small island of Haiti. It’s incredibly sad and to be honest, I’m quite glad that I’m not able to watch it on the news or really see any coverage. It’s really a disaster of the signs of the times. I’m happy to hear that our church buildings are some of the only things that were really left standing and I’m also glad that no Mormon missionaries perished. I’m sure I will learn more about this disaster on Wednesday at our special zone conference and temple day in Montevideo.

Well, so yeah I’m really excited for Wednesday. It’s the first time I will go through the Montevideo temple. This week is going to be another crazy one because it’s again the last week of the cambios. I have planned two large service projects this week and I’m very excited to go out and do some real manual labor. My health is good, but I do fear that I’m going to have a relapse like you said, but hey don’t worry too much about me. I’m in good hands and I’m trying every day to live as obedient as I can. I know in the end, all will work out in my favor.

Besides all that, this past week was another week of a lot of failure. None of our investigators are progressing and I’m contacting houses looking for new investigators in a place where everyone has talked to the missionaries before. The baptisms that we had planned have now fallen through, so that was quite disappointing. But I know that even though it’s been tough, I have gained much from this all and every moment for me has been a learning experience. We did find two new investigators that are pretty good and I feel that with time they will eventually begin to progress.

Last night, I had a very strange experience. My comp and I were quite discouraged and he wanted to head back home for the night about an hour early. I was somewhat in agreement, because all of our appointments fell through and we had met all of the goals we had set for the week. But then I had this strange feeling that we should get on our bikes and circle around the block just one more time. I suggested it to my companion and he said okay, why not. We went all the way around the block and then started to head for home. All of a sudden, this white car pulled in front of us and stopped. A man jumped out and said, “Hey please, do any of you guys speak English?” I said, “I do a little bit”. This guy said, “Hi I’m David. I’m really lost and I need you to help me”. I was shocked! He was the first guy I had ever heard speak English in Sarandi. I said, “Where are you from?” He said, “Virginia” “What? Virginia! Yeah buddy; you’re a long way from home.” He said, “Wow! You speak English a lot”. Well anyway, it turns out that this guys a divorced millionaire and owns a medical supply company. He just thought it would be fun to get away for a while, rent a car in Montevideo and go for a 36 hour drive through Uruguay. I guess that’s what you can do when you run out of good things to spend your money on. I helped him find the best hotel in town and then took him on a tour of Sarandi Del Yi. He loved it and he ended up teaching me. We talked about life and a lot of interesting things. It was probably one of the most interesting experiences of my life. My poor companion was just along for the ride. He couldn’t understand any of it and he told me when we finished that he was really confused and very scared, ha ha ha. This guy was very neat. As we were driving, he stopped the car to go over to a group of teenage kids and started doing magic tricks. They were good tricks and at first the people thought he was crazy. I thought he was crazy. Now my companion thinks people from America are all really crazy. But soon people flocked to him and after about 15 minutes of him doing magic tricks, we got back in the car with him and continued on our tour. He explained that he too is on a mission of service and whenever he has the opportunity to make someone happy or forget about the stresses of the world for a moment, he feels good and this is what brings him happiness. Strange I know! Everywhere I went, I translated Spanish for him and I really came to a realization of how far I have come in four and a half months. He asked me how many years I have been speaking Spanish. I told him four and a half months. He laughed and called me a liar. Anyway, I explained to him a little about the gift of tongues. I shared Mosiah 2:17 with him and we talked about service. I helped him find his way and then because of time we called it a night. Strange, huh? You just never know what’s going to happen or who you are going to come across next in this life. I guess that’s what’s so beautiful about all this. It’s about our experiences.

Thank you family and friends for all your support. I pray that you will all have a safe and wonderful week. Love you all.

Elder John P. Sluder

Dad, I will be leaving for Montevideo Tuesday night because of the bus schedule and staying in Durazno over night like I usually do. While I’m there I need to buy some supplies at the distribution center at the temple. I need garments and maybe, if I can, also buy some of the church videos. My bike is fixed 100% and financially I’m doing just fine. I don’t want to use my church money for these extra things; I need it to pay bills. I have about 30 dollars American in my account right now. Maybe if you could add a little more, that would be great. I don’t get too many opportunities to go to Montevideo and the church distribution center. I really do need some new garments, so please if ya would help me out. If you can, just send me an email and let me know what you think. I kinda need it before Tuesday at 7:00 pm my time. (Last chance I’ll have to use an ATM) Also, the camera from the U.S. is definitely better. Everything here is $250 plus and isn’t nearly as good as what my camera was. Love ya thanks.