Comodoro Rivadavia

Whoa!!!

       So much to write. So much to say, but as always, no time.

  It looks as if madre already knows a lot about where I am. Could you send me the Comodoro Rivadavia Wikipedia page. I love wikipedia! I am in Los Kilometros area. It´s in the outskirts of town. The University is in my area. We are South of the Airport. My area is one of the largest in the mission as well which makes me happy because I do lots of walking. 

There is tons of construction here. Tons! Lots of dirt roads, trash in wierd places, unfinished houses, and it looks like the city planners are on drugs. It´s a petroleom city that is growing because of the $$$ petroleum brings in todays world. Lots of people work out in the windswept plains of Patagonia. Since you guys recently visited the windswept plains of Wyoming, you know exactly what this place looks like. 

Remember, the equilvalent latitudes are border of Canada to the Grand Canyon. From Neuquen to Comodoro was an eighteen hour bus ride. There are more areas five hours South. (30 hours from the Northernmost area in Neuquen to Puerto Deseado). Remember buses are slow so I went from like SLC to Los Angeles. I saw lots of bushes, sheep, and Guanacos.

       DOGS!!! So many dogs. Many missionaries have holes in their pants from being bitten. I saw a device advertised that makes a sound we humans cannot here, but dogs can and run from annoyed and terrorized. Search out this device Please!!!  What Neil said about his companion and his German Shepard really does happen! I remember you sending packages with food to Neil. I don´t want food. I want dog zappers. Lots of them to share or sell to other missionaries.

       We have one ward in my area. They recently built a new building which is very pretty. Attendence is very low. There is a recent convert who is blind. The Bishop pìcks him up from his house since his parents are anti-learning about the gospel (like almost everyone here). There bought him a Book of Mormon in Braille which he has almost entirely read. 

People here are.... not very friendly. I love and miss the Mexican people. It seems like White people are closed to anything spiritual and lamanite people are very open to the Gospel. This mission does not Baptize as much as the Utah Provo Mission (where a ton of converts are Mexicans). People here need the Gospel, but they run from it. Yesterday "look the missionaries are coming, get in the house"!     Uh, I´m really busy" Busy doing what I say"? "Resting".   Well the truth is I´m atheist. Why I say. The lady says, Oh I studied Biology in the University. Wow, aren´t I impressed. She has solid proof that there cannot be any God. 

           I could go on for days with stupid excuses. I just think it´s hilarious to see fifty year old people run away from me. I never thought I was that ugly. Everyone here is white except for the occasional Bolivian or person from Jujuy. They all have black hair and look different and consequently I stand out. People say random English phrases to me which I can hardly understand. Mostly everyone has moved here from somewhere else for work.

           My companion, Elder Sander, is the Bomb. He is from a city in Uruguay on the border of Brazil. He is completely obedient and likes to work hard. He is as tall as I am. He is a great teacher. Also, even though he is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, he always speaks with me in Spanish. I spoke Spanish before I ever came on the mission, but now I am speaking it so much that I am learning tons and tons of it and am even beggining to think at times in the language. I still have a lot to learn.  

            We taught a little lesson on the beach yesterday which was cool. It is cold here. Down to negative one Celcius. No worries thought because I have heated water and internal heating. Much more comfortable that chilly Paraguay with no internal heating or hot water to be found. 

The missionaries here used to hand wash their clothes, but now we have washers. The amnemities here are just like the U.S. Patagonia is not what I thought it was. The CIty is about the same size as La Cieba and the nieghbourhoods like El Sauce. Not the poverty you see in Central America although some people are very poor. There is money here.

        In retrospect, I cannot believe all that I learned in Orem. I had a great experience there. Missionary work is very similar in these two places.

      That´s crazy you people are going on vacations I would love to go on without me. 

          I could share my testimony but I won´t because I do that a thousand times a day and it sounds lame anyways in emails.

          I must leave now. I love P-Day. I forgot to send pictures. Too bad. Maybe later. Be good people and work hard. I now leave to enter elementary school( A world of rejection). Nobody loves me here but I am used to that. I will continue to bother them until they gain some desire to repent and learn about the gospel, which will make them have wonderful happy lives or something to that effect.

        Hasta la vista,

     -Elder Shawn Reed