One week into transfer 2! 

This week was great. As I told you guys last week, I got paired up with a guy named Elder Baker. We've had a great week and have found some new people to teach and made a little progress with some of our current investigators.

Elder Baker is a great guy. He´s from Montana, has about a year in the mission, and might be the whitest person I know haha. He´s a pretty animated person and could probably be categorized as a musical theater/drama type. I have a personal history of not clashing too well with the drama crowd..so this week has been filled with lessons on patience haha. The Lord is really keeping me on my toes here on the mission. It´s been weird going from a companion who hardly wants to say a word to me, to one who talks my ear off all day. Ha it´s been fun, and I prefer being with someone who can chat. It´s just the times when it´s like 10:45 and I´m in my bed after a long day, and right as I´m falling asleep I hear *hey elder.... which Disney princess would you marry...?* That´s where the patience comes into play haha. I´m really not complaining though cause I know every companion is going to have their thing so... here´s to week 2 everybody! :)

This last week we had some great lessons and experiences. I even had the opportunity to give 2 Priesthood blessings. I gave a blessing of health to Ema (the mom of the girl I baptized) who has been having some back problems that cause her lots of pain, and the poor thing works all day long and raises her kids as a single mother. Hard stuff, but she handles it with humility and it´s seriously inspiring. The other was a blessing of counsel to Gisela. We came to visit Cristian and Gisela one night, and I opened up my scripture case and one of the kids saw my vile of oil and said *what's that *So I explained that its for special priesthood blessings. That caught Gisela´s attention and she looked at me and said *Can I please have one.* I said yes of course. I asked if she had a specific reason and she just said *just for strength and patience in my life right now.* Makes perfect sense... anyone would need patience living with Cristian (love him to death... but he´s a pill). Both blessings went super well and I specifically noticed each time how focused and peaceful I felt, and I knew that the Spirit was guiding me and it made me so grateful to have the Priesthood and be able to help and bless those around me through the power and authority of God.

Fun fact of Argentina: El besito. I already knew about this and expected it before from Brayden telling me, but here in Argentina everyone gives each other kisses on the cheek to say hello or goodbye. I've never been huge on cheek kisses, so my first Sunday was a bit strange getting little besitos from all the hermanos in the ward. haha! As well as old ladies (as missionaries we aren't allowed to give kisses to women... but some of the old ladies get really offended if you don't so sometimes you just have to let it fly haha). It´s really not bad though. The nice thing is that it's not actually a kiss. All you do is touch your cheek to the other person's cheek and make a kissing noise, no lip contact involved :) That makes it a lot more comfortable and at this point of the mish I´m pretty used to it. You only do it to like family and really good friends... so get ready to get some besitos when I get back everybody! haha

This last week, after having to pay for taxis and buses with baptismal interviews and transfers, we ran out of money. That was the first time in my life that I've felt what it's like to not have food.. or money to go buy food. Luckily we get lunch from members about three times a week, but the rest of the days I lived off of bread, powdered milk, bread, some leftover noodles that we had from last week, bread, a couple apples that one of our investigators gave us (so nice), and this stuff that´s made out of flour, eggs, salt, water, and yeast... I think it´s called bread ;) It was a bit stressful, but I was so grateful to experience that because it made me realize how blessed I've been all my life, it´s such a humbling feeling.

Love you all. Happy Birthday to Clare, Kelly, and Linda this week! I love you all and hope you have a great birthday!

Elder Jolley

Mosiah 24: 13-14

 Visited a cool Catholic Cathedral in Centro

 Elder Baker and I at the boardwalk in Mar Del Plata.

Picture on the boardwalk (it's actually just a cement bar the just goes out into the waves a bit... Argentina is creative)