Matt's email 7/12/2010

Thanks everyone for the emails. It was great to hear from all of you and to know that everyone is doing well. It is also great to hear that everyone is keeping busy and not sitting their lives away. Man what a great family. This week was pretty good here in the good ol Godoy Cruz. We had interviews with President on Wednesday and he told me that Elder Benitez was going to be transferred. Apparently a snake (girl) in our ward was always trying to talk to him and he thought that she was cute and it was a distraction for him and so president decided to move him. I think it was all part of his plan to do anything he could to leave the area and he used it as an excuse but it´s all good. My new companion is named Elder Guzmán and he is also an Argentine. He is honestly about 99.8% gay. He takes 6 bottles of stuff with him when he showers and he walks and talks like a gay person but what can I do. He teaches really well and had a lot of success in his previous area so I´m hoping he brings it along. I have a hard time being serious with him because I don´t want him to fall for me so I´m just setting up my iron barriers. He is great though and I´m sure things are going to change. President, once again, really opened my eyes in our intervies and he gave my a bunch of tips and advice which was really good. He is an awesome man.
Anyways something pretty cool happened this week. On Tuesday we found 2 new people to teach, neither of which progressed, but then last night we did divisions with the zone leaders and one of the zone leaders and I found 10 new people. We have a goal to find 10 a week and we found them in an afternoon. It was awesome. It was also really useful to have the soccer game to help us. We would just tell them that we didn´t have tv and we wanted to watch the end and they all let us in. It sure did make for some great conversations and we met some really interesting people. I also found out that there is a neighborhood like 100 yards outside of my area that is one of the most dangerous places in Mendoza. A few years ago the people that live there shot down a helicopter. Pretty cool huh? They also stole the steeple to the church when it was under construction, and shot an Elder about a year and a half ago. Luckily the bullet hit his Book of Mormon and didn´t enter in his body. Yeah it was pretty cool when I found that out and now we make it a goal not to pass by that area anymore. Don´t worry the rest of the people are half way normal and I don´t think they would do anything like that. But the moral of the week is that the Lord really does answer prayers and He protects His missionaries.
Today we are going to some massive mall on the other part of the city to walk around and eat some legit food. I´m way stoked for that. I absolutely love P days but they always end too quick. Thanks again everyone for the emails. I¨m sorry I can´t reply to all of them right now but I will be writing letters one of these days and sending them away so be patient. I really do appreciate all your support, advice, help, love and examples. Keep on keepin´ on up there in those states. I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love
Elder Burr