First week in Bella Italia

August 30, 2010

Dear Family,

Well at least I’m still alive I guess. This place sure ain’t the old Minas I’m used to. I now live in the city and life is much, much, much different! This place is a little more bravo than I really thought and we have made a commitment to follow the rules of the mission with 100% exactness so that we have the blessings of the Lord’s protection.

The capilla (chapel) in Bella Italia is at mile marker 12 on the Ruta 8 or (Camino Maldonado). We live a few blocks from there. It’s pretty much in the middle of a bunch of chappes (tin shacks). People here are poor and most of the neighborhood is run on drugs. Our house however is very, very nice. We are pretty much in the middle of the ghetto, but we are protected at night by a 10 ft wall with barbed wire above and pieces of glass cemented into the top of the wall. I don’t have pictures but when I get brave enough to take out my camera (I don’t know really when that will be), I will take some pictures and send them to you.

The barrio apparently had some problems with Elder Young’s old companion and so all I heard yesterday was, “Finally, President Da Silva sent us two gringos who want to work!”

Elder Young is awesome! In the past few days we’ve had tons of success and already have two baptisms planned, one for the 11th of September and the other on the 18th of September. It’s looking really good and the Bishop here seems to be very satisfied. Finally, I have a companion who enjoys following the rules and enjoys being a missionary. It’s been a wonderful week in that aspect. Elder Young has been out 8 months and I am out a year now. It’s pretty incredible and by the time Austin’s sister (Megan Lundskog) gets here, I will only have 6 months left, it will be crazy!!! I’m actually super excited to meet her and with the way things work, there is no doubt that I will run into her.

There is nothing too unique about this area and zone of Bella Italia. All of the missionaries here are Elders. It’s just too bravo to have Hermanas here and its way too bravo to have couple missionaries here. I have a great group of awesome elders in my district and they are all working super hard and just doing the right things.

Here is how things will work when you come to pick me up. I will finish my mission on a Tuesday night here. You guys will fly in on Wednesday morning and when you get off the plane here in Montevideo, I will be free to do as I wish. I will help you get a rental car and we will head out together and tour the country for about a week a week and a half or so. I will probably have to drive because you won’t be able to understand too much. During that week, we will visit with my converts and also probably go to the sealing of Federico and Virginia (my convert family from Minas) here in the temple in Montevideo. So make sure that you are worthy to hold a current temple recommend!!!!!! (At all times) It will be quite a memorable experience, so yeah get excited too.

Well I love you all so very much! I’m doing just fine with money, don’t worry about that now. I love you all so much. I’ll see you all in just a little bit

Con Amor tu hijo
Elder Sluder