So Much To Tell

Hola from Uruguay! I have so much to say i don´t know where to start. when we left buenos aires we flew to get to uruguay and when we were walking through the airport we saw a missionary with his parents and it was matt harris! what are the odds. Anyways, our flight was cancelled and we had to wait a while in the airport but eventually we got everything figured out and made it to uruguay. some of the missionaries tried to call their families from the phones in the airport but not everyone could get through including me. So once we got to uruguay the president and his wife picked us up at the airport and drove us to their home. they are so nice and i felt a little more at home just being with them and seeing similarities in them because we share the same culture background, more or less. At their home we ate lunch and it was so good, it was like having a real, homeade meal. Afterwards we went to the temple and i did my first session all in spanish. so awesome. We at the churches hostels that night, oh and yes hermana crofts was with me, and then the next day we met our trainers. my trainer is hermana moreno from cordoba argentina but her father is from spain and her mom from lebanon, she doesnt speak much english and we do all our communicating in spanish. the area we have been assigned to is called artigas. it is in the northernmost part of the mission right by brazil so i might be learning some portunol which is a mix of spanish and portugese. on thursday we were the last ones to leave on the bus at ten that night and got to our house here at 6 the next morning. we are opening a new area here in artigas and so its been slow going to start. we havent really even gone tracting yet for various reasons and it has been really frustrating. to be honest i have been really homesick this week, so i will try not to let this letter be too much of a downer. it has been hard though that we havent done much because since i am homesick i wish i could get busier doing missionary work so i could have a distraction. its just been kind of weird because the first day we had to go to the store in the morning and then do our long planning session since it was friday and then hna moreno didnt want to go out because it was dark and then conference weekend kind of threw things off too. but conference was really good and like you said mom, it made me feel good knowing that you were doing the same thing although also sad to see the temple and think that i was just walking by there with dad about two days before i left.

today for pday our zone got together and went to...BRAZIL! How cool is that amy, my sixth country! We just kind of walked around and then ate lunch at a buffet and guess what, it was a lot like rodizio. who knew. its been a rough day though, when we were walking over the bridge into brazil hermana moreno stepped in a pothole and twisted her ankle. she is complaining about it a lot and quite frankly i think being overly dramatic. We have been getting along really well but i dont feel like she has really been training me and today has definitely tested my patience and topped of all of the other emotions i have been feeling. The good thing though is since she says she cant walk the other sisters came over and one is staying with her at our house and the other came with me to do my email and go to the store. her name is hermana flores and she is from ogden but her parents are from mexico and el salvador. she is really great and has been making me feel a lot better. i am about out of time and have really said very much, i was reading your WONDERFUL emails, but i did get a really long letter written with a lot more details about our trip over and the first couple of days. also, if you havent already please send me some american stamps, i am almost out of the ones someone gave me in the mtc and if i have them i can send things through the bolsa and its faster. i still havent gotten your package but tomorrow we have a district meeting and we will get the bolsa and i am crossing my fingers to get stuff. also for future reference i have heard it helps to print off a small picture of christ or the virgin mary of use stickers or something and tape them onto pakcages and people will be more likely to leave them alone. also they say not to send anything over 4 llbs or 50 dollars. Well I have to go, but I love you and miss you and your emails made me feel a lot better. Cant wait to talk to you on mothers day!

So much love, Hermana Casebolt