Ninety Nine Weeks

Hello Everyone!

This has been a really great week! There have been lots of small little moments that really made it awesome.

First of all, there was one day that we were headed to the radio but running a little behind, and so we were just barely going to make it (if the bus were to get to the bus stop quickly). As we were walking towards the stop however, someone driving by stopped their car and asked if we were heading to morris (where the radio is located at). We told him that we were and he said that he was headed in that general direction and could leave us close. I thought about it for a split second, then took a look at my comp and we decided to let him give us a lift. It turns out that he lived in the next neighborhood over (where there were other missionaries), but at some point in the past he had listened to them and even gone to church there once or twice. Getting caught up talking with him then, he took us even closer than he originally intended leaving us right where we needed to be (with a couple minutes to make it to the radio station and get ourselves set up and comfortable to begin), even though by doing so he had to make a loop back to where he originally wanted to go. It was awesome though to recieve help from such a cool person though and hopefully he can start meeting with the missionaries again in the near future.

Another day then, as we got on the bus to go to a different part of our area, someone seated waved for us to come over and speak with them. He asked "Are you the missionaries in this area?" We told him that we were, then came his follow up question: "Do you want a referral of someone you can go teach?" - It was awesome. We noted it down and will be going in these next couple of days, but turns out that he was a member in a ward closer to the capital, but had moved there not that long ago from Santa Fe (a different province). Thus, he knew a couple of missionaries in the mission that he asked after, but was just travelling through our area to visit his wife in her work (and thus passing us the referral of someone he knew along the way). It was awesome, and I hope that it turns out well.

This last Saturday too then, we had an activity "Open Chapel", where we had the chapel set up with a bunch of different banners of basic teachings that we share and then go inviting anybody and everyone to come in and learn a little more or at least see what it's like inside. It wasn't my first time participating in one, but it was really cool because a couple of members were able to bring friends along (who really showed a lot of interest in the gospel,). Thus, we will be arranging appointments to be able to go and teach them hopefully this week. There were also some members that haven't been to church in a while that we have been working with that showed up too (and a couple of them showed up on sunday morning in church too. It was really awesome.

Last of all too then, we had a zone conference with Ramos Mejía and Caseros today, and it was a really cool and a really spiritually uplifting experience. There was one thing that was really weird however. Normally in those meetings, those who are in their last transfer (and thus about to finish the mission) stand up to give their testimony. I have listened to many of them haha. What was really weird however was that today they asked me to give my testimony. I never really could imagine myself at that point in the mission (and still can't...), and so it was a pretty surreal experience. 

Other than that though, there wasn't really anything else new this week and so I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder McCollum

Photos:

2538,2539,2540 - As I was looking through some seasoning packets that had been left behind by the former mission president and his wife, I realized that I had grabbed one to make enchilidas. Looking at it, I realized how easy they were to make and so I obliged. They were tasty. They were also the first mexican food I have had in over a year and a half, so I quite enjoyed it.

2542 - A table that we set up at the entrance of the Open Chapel event.

2546 - Today at the end of the zone conference, they took us to a restaurant to eat instead of just ordering food to be delivered to the offices. It was pretty nice and I had some pretty tasty chicken. (The picture includes about a fourth of us who were there).