Jimminy Christmas it's been a long week. I didn't even have time to write even a sentence in my journal about all that has been going on, so we'll see how this whole "inform the fam" thing goes.
Let's start with highlights and after I'll get to details and funny stories if there is time.
- Elder Paleka is currently back in the celestial kingdom (Hawaii) and I am here with my new companion Elder Ortega from Uruguay.
- The recently new left hand man (me) of President Marcitos Cifuentes was just made the right hand man AND is now training the new left hand man.
- The left hand man is great, but is almost impossible to understand sometimes because of his super low voice and "busta rhymes" - worthy dialog speed.
- I haven't been with a Latino companion for almost 10 months..
- ..what is sleep? ;)
Ha ok first off, sorry I couldn't write on Monday. Usually when transfers come around our schedule gets flipped upside down and I end up "flying by the seat of my pants" (<--not really sure what that means, it's just one of my mom's sayings that I heard growing up). Overall it's been a lot of fun and as always I loved being able to spend time with the missionaries that left this last week including my companion Elder Paleka and some other good friends like Elder Killinger, Elder Tucker, Elder Petersen, etc. We had the "last supper" in President's house on Monday night where we ate the BEST asado I have had here (cooked by Hermano Pedro), had Sister Cifuentes' homemade baked beans and scalloped potatoes, and a salad :) yum. We were all laughing a lot and really enjoyed our time talking about mission memories and hearing animal noise impressions from Sister Winn from Idaho, followed by President giving his "dying pig" impression, and ending with Elder Tucker's Southern Ebonics impression. Can't explain how that all ended up happening, but it was hysterical. Sad to see some of them go, but I'm excited to have welcomed the new comp Elder Ortega, the new Elders in the office (Elder Acosta and Elder Ocampo), as well as the 10 new missionaries we received this transfer. That's always a highlight to welcome them and see the fresh curiosity, humility, and excitement of a new missionary.
Out with the old and in with the new. Elder Paleka and Elder Ortega (Paleka gave me a Lei with the color of his island, Kauai)
Elder Paleka "going through the veil"
Last week for our P-day we went as a zone (the office) with President and Sister Cifuentes to a beach named "Pe Huen Co" about an hour away from here (Bahia Blanca has zero nice beaches). Not the prettiest beach in the world, but we had a great time goofing off playing sand-futbol, passing the football, and wrestling around. I accidentally gave Elder Alvarez a head-butt to the face, and I totally pinned Elder Frischknecht to the ground... just in case you guys were wondering (I'm coming for you Ryan and Brayden..).
Found a crab :)
Post-headbutt
Some futy on the beach
Just wanted to give you guys a preview of the sick beard I will be growing when I get back.
Road trip with the Latinos
Dream team
Me, Frisch, and Alvarez
Funny stories:
President and Sister Cifuentes give me a lot of crap for being a perfectionist/organized/systematic/indecisive (just like a good majority of the people in my life... haha). But anyway, so yesterday at a leadership conference I was helping Sister Cifuentes cut brownies before all the missionaries left and I did something (can't remember what) that wasn't very perfectionist and she goes "Elder Jolley! That wasn't very systematic... I know I make fun of you for it, but don't go changing!" I just laughed and said sorry and we kept chatting. She asked where I get it from and I just told her I grew up with Teri Jolley as my mom ;) So she told me to tell you thanks mom for teaching me to be organized. She goes "so you can blame you being an assistant on your mom, because you being like that is part of the reason we need you here." haha so thanks mom :)
Yesterday was probably the longest day of the whole week. Finishing up transfers as well as trying to get everything to run smoothly with the leadership conference was pretty chaotic. Luckily everything worked out how it needed to in the end, but we had a few close calls. One was that the conference ended about 25 minutes before the first bus taking 11 of our missionaries had to leave. So I had to pull a fast and furious in the truck through the city to grab tickets, pay the arriving taxis, load up the 11 missionaries all in my little ranger and book it to the bus depot. Ahh! On the way we realized that one of the people in the count was Sister Sanchez that apparently just wanted to come along for the ride, because she wasn't even going on that bus! haha. So we made calls to figure out where the missing Sister Flores was. We tracked her down and got her there JUST in time to catch the bus. Sometimes I wish I could be a fly on the wall to watch what we do as missionaries cause when we pulled up to the bus station all the missionaries were running around like chickens with their heads cut off to catch their bus. It probably looked so funny haha.
Well that's the sum up of my last week and a half. I'm probably leaving out a lot, but as usual I can't pack it all in. As I laid down in my bed last night after finishing up the day I looked back on this past week amazed and grateful as I noticed how much the Lord's hand has an influence on what happens and how things work out. Even though I lost a lot of sleep and had a pretty full plate of things to do, plus the emotionally and mentally draining things like saying goodbye to good friends and helping missionaries solve problems, I noticed how I much I was really lifted, strengthened, and guided to be able to do all that was required of me. Only last night after the conference was over and my to do list was done did it all hit me and I walked into the house like a zombie haha.
Love you guys, abrazos y besitos
Elder Jolley
*Us office elders after transfers*:
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