Middle Distance Runner

Woah! How is everyone doing?? Things over here are just going great. It still blows my mind how fast weeks pass by, but here we are again.

So, remember last week (at least I think it was last week) I was telling you all about the new Bible Videos that the church has out? Have you watched them yet? We invited a couple investigators to watch the Christmas fireside (they played it a week later in our stake because the other week was stake conference). Anyways, the fireside is where they showed a little bit of the videos they´ve made and our investigators absolutely loved it. They both said it was their favorite part. And when we went by later one of them told us she wants to come to church. We hardly ever hear that, but it´s like music to the ears. Not junky radio music either, we´re talking Jonsi, Passion Pit and Tokyo Police Club kinda music here. Turns out those videos really work haha. I don´t know who´s in charge of them but if I could I´d give them a shout out and let them know what they did helped change and investigators attitude towards church. I can´t wait until they come out with more.

How is the Christmas season treating all of you? It just keeps getting warmer and warmer down here but we´re loving it. Christmas time also means Christmas packages, and when there´s almost two hundred missionaries receiving those packages you gotta get a little extra help to pick it up. The senior missionary and Elder Falcon are usually in charge of getting the mission´s mail every Tuesday, but since we´ve been getting like 30 or 40 packages at a time they´ve called in for backup. So the last couple weeks Elder Ostler and I have gone with them to help carry everything. Since we´re getting close to Christmas and we stuff all of the mail into a bag that looks similar to that of Santa Claus, we thought we´d play the part. We put on a couple of the Santa Claus hats and gave M&Ms to the workers there haha. I wish you could have seen me crossing a major street in downtown Mendoza with a giant back of mail on my back and a bright red Santa Claus hat on my head. The picture I sent has us holding the packages that came that week, but in the past we´ve gotten way more than that. (From left to right it´s Elder Packer, Elder Falcon, Myself and Elder Ostler).

The title of the email has to do with some goals we´ve made this last week. We basically all want to get into incredible shape and have bulging 8 packs haha. So, I set the goal to run at least four times every week and to cut down on some of the sweets. Usually in the morning we run about 2.2 miles, but since today was P-day and we had more time we ran 5. On the 30th we´re making plans to run like 9. I was dying at the end of the run today so I don´t know how I´m going to survive that run but it´ll be fun and rewarding....after it´s over. Elder Ostler and I have adopted the phrase, "our future wives are going to love us." haha. It definitely helps with the motivation factor.

We had interviews this week which was really cool. It was my first with President Avila because the last time things got hectic and we just never got around to it. He is such an inspired man though. It´s really a privilege to have a mission president like him. I also found out that I will be getting an Argentine driver license. I am stoked out of my brains. It is going to be so legit. I mean how many people get to do that?

And lastly, but not least...ly, I get to skype you guys!!!!!! We found out a couple days ago that the Area Presidency had approved it, so we´re all pretty excited about that. Church is only an hour long so I´ll be ready anywhere after like 10:30 my time. You just give me the word and I´ll be on. If you want to look for me use my mission email.

I hope you´re all enjoying this holiday season. Don´t forget about Christ!

With all the love of an Argentina asado, (which I am going to go eat right now)

Elder Lousnbury