hello hello.

Ready for some more changes? The first one isn't too big... so now p-days are switching back to Monday... haha just when we started getting used to the whole Thursday thing, right? Sweeet :) No worries though. P-day is p-day whenever it is... and honestly sometimes I don't like p-days. I think if I didn't have like cleaning and shopping and other stuff to do I would just skip p-day sometimes to work more. 

Change number two... hasn't quite come yet, but this Saturday we have transfers (even though I swear they were just last week). I'm praying like crazy that I don't get transferred from Olavarria... but there's just that feeling in the air that I won't be staying too long much longer... about 3 days to be exact :( haha. Makes me think of Red Hot Chili Peppers "Sometimes I feeeel like I don't have a partner... sometimes I feel like, my only friend, is the city I live in, the city of angels. Lonely as I am.. together we cry" haha, there's a song for everything, right? This really is the city of angels though... and the angels are my investigators, my ward, my missionaries, etc. I love them all so much. One of the things I have noticed on my mission is the ability and blessing I have had to really love people... to be able to see their potential and to just desire with all my heart that they can reach it. It makes me so happy when they make correct choices, and crushes me when they don't. It's been such a testimony builder of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. A question that has been in my mind for the past little while as I have felt so inadequate and imperfect and simply stupid at times (as well as being around some inadequate/imperfect/stupid people), is: WHY did the Savior do it? WHY did He sacrifice Himself for us.. for me? I've heard all my life that it was out of love that He did it... but WHY does he love us? I still don't have the whole answer, but I've realized, especially this last week as I realize that I might leave these people, that if I, being a puny human (<--said with a nice Arnold Schwarzenegger voice), and an imperfect, rebellious sinner, can see the good and the divine potential in these people that I serve, how much more can our Heavenly Father and the Savior, being perfect and knowing us perfectly, see the good and the divine potential in all of us? How much more do They rejoice when we make correct choices, and how much more does it crush Them when we don't?

I'll step off the pulpit before my rant turns into a novel haha, but that's been on my mind a lot lately and it's been a special experience for me to feel and know even just a sliver of the endless love that They have for me and for the people I serve here. I know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us beyond our capacity to comprehend. They are cheering us on and will guide us as we humble ourselves and obey to reach that divine potential. And even though it crushes Them when we sin and rebel, I know it makes Them that much happier when we turn around and make steps towards Them, and that we are NEVER too far away to make that turn and move back in the right direction :) I know and am deeply grateful that these things are true.

I love you all. Thank you for your prayers... send me some tissues for this weekend :'( haha

Elder Jolley

 Passed by to say hi to some members that work in a panaderia (bakery) and they showed us their giant brick oven... let's make some pizza!!

 I've shared before we sometimes go help Cristian in his panaderia for service days, and Elder Tew and have a tradition of "camping" the night before on his balcony. With transfers coming we were thinking this would be our last chance, so even though it was a bit nippy outside we camped out one last time. I had like 6 blankets, it was freezing.

 Pic with Cristian Unzaga and his little fam (Irene and Diego) in their bakery. Love these people a lot.

Did service with Damian and his family yesterday at his wife's grandma's house. Choppin' some wood and other man stuff, woo!.... my back hurts ;) Going from not working out too much to chopping up like 7 trees is quite the workout. It was a lot of fun though, we had a great time. We told Damian on Tuesday about service day and he really didn't want to ask us for help, but we kept insisting and practically begged for service and yesterday we got a text in the morning from Damian saying "So we gonna cut some wood boys? Yessss! haha He said he just invited us cause "We look skinny." ... he's got a point.