Villa Regina

People,

   I have now been in Villa Regina for two weeks. It´s been a difficult change, but good in that I am learning a lot about myself and others. I´m the second companion of Elder Corvalan. He is a 23 year old Argentine from Santiago del Estero. He´s probably my opposite in everything which made our first week together very hard for both of us. We have gotten used to each other now and are working hard together. It´s nice having a comp who does not speak English. He´s been helping me with my accent. I have a heavy Gringo accent that I have never managed to drop.

 Villa Regina is just like Plottier. I don´t see any significant differences in the place. The economy here is almost wholly based off pear, and apple orchards. Fruit is exported from here to Europe among other places. The ward here is good. It´s quite a bit smaller from my last ward. There are some really good members who are helping us out. Yesterday a member passed by for one of our investigators and brought her to church, without us asking her to do so. That was a big surprise, never having had that happen before. There is a woman here, Hna. Ema who absolutely loves the missionaries. She washes our shirts, feeds us twice a week, and gives us bread. She has been doing such since the time she was baptized twenty years ago. We have found some good investigators. The missionary before me worked a lot with less actives so we continue to do so.

Interesting thing of the week. We had a middle age engineer let us into his house at 8:45 at night to teach him a lesson. That means he is from the higher class of society, without any real need or want to listen to us. That also is a first. Rich people don´t let you into their houses very often, if ever. I still can´t get over it. Maybe there are rich people who are humble enough to listen to and accept the gospel. We will continue to knock their doors.

Today is also a very special day for me. One year from today, the 27th of June, I will be in Utah finishing my mission. That mean a year from tomorrow I will no longer be a missionary. That is crazy.