Climbing Mountains & Teaching the Gospel in Uruguay

August 2, 2010

Dear Family,

Well how’s it going? I'm doing alright for now. Another week has passed and we seem to be coming along just fine. Today we had an awesome p-day activity. We climbed the Cerro Verdun here in Minas. At the top is a giant Virgin Mary. Yes, it’s another Catholic icon, but that's what they put here on the tops of mountains.
I have included several pictures.

First is my district; from right to left is Elder Lopez from Paraguay, Elder Mangleson from Centerville, Utah (he will be finishing his mission in about four weeks), Hermana Bull from Arkansas (also about to finish her mission), Hermana Kleinman from Orem, Utah, my companion Elder Thornton, and of course me.

In this photo you can see the city of Minas behind me.

 Here is one of me and Jose Merola. Jose is probably the coolest guy I’ve met here in Uruguay.

And here is one of the Virgin Mary shrine at the top of the hill.

We have set a marriage date with our investigators Federico and Virginia!!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO. They will get married on the 10th of September and we will probably baptize them on the 11th of September. Were baptizing a whole family and I can’t even describe how awesome and happy I feel. The next changes will happen on 23rd of August. I fear that I will be long gone for the wedding and for the baptism but I still feel super good about it. I am planning though to ask the president for a fifth change in Minas, but considering that I have already served here five months, I highly doubt that he will say okay. Four changes in one area is rare enough, but five is really just unheard of.

We definitely had a much better week. My reimbursements won't be here until Friday and I had to pay bills right off the bat, so I didn't get the chance to really use my monthly allowance for anything. I did take some money out of my account so I can eat for the next few days. Sorry. But thank you so much. I'm really trying to just be super cheap and so far having to take responsibility for all the small stuff has been really killing me.

Well I love you all. I'm doing great and I'm having a blast. Don't really have anything to else to tell ya. Thanks for the information on the people and please send my concerns for Kolby Crampton. That is just unbelievable.

Love ya!

Elder Sluder