My Missionary Adventures in Argentina Elder Nate Pendleton: Getting settled in...

Hey Everyone,

My mission has changed a lot and working in the office is really different. To be honest, you learn a lot of things you would never think you would learn on a mission. I am super busy. We don´t have time to study or exercise or even eat dinner, sometimes. Sometimes we have to be in the office super early. I talk to President a lot and I have a lot of responsibilities. I have to make sure we have money in the office. I pay missionaries everyday for certain things. I have to buy materials to proselyte and pretty much every other job in the office depends upon me, to give them the money they need to do their jobs. I can´t believe how much money is spent in one mission! I have to go to banks, pay rents for missionaries, replace lost debit cards, solve financial problems, plan all the meals for all the multizonas and any other event that is held here in Resistencia. I deal with Swiss medical cards and make sure all the missionaries have them, I keep track of the Mission President’s expenses, I have to call so many people and solve legal situations and I have to use Excel to keep it all organized. I have to put all the receipts and all the payments where they go in my office perfectly, then we go out to do missionary work in our area in the afternoon. We set a few baptism dates with some people this week named A, and G, and M. They are awesome! We are hoping for a lot of baptisms. We always have stuff to do and there are perks to being in the office, but I miss just being out in the campo (field).

Resistencia is cool and there are sculptures everywhere. There is a lot more to do and see here. I am also getting an Argentine drivers license soon, so that will be sweet!!!

With all the new missionaries coming into the mission this week, I was really busy doing interviews with the missionaries that were leaving and also with the missionaries coming in. We also had to plan meals and go to meetings and make sure all the missionaries got paid the exact amount that they needed before they headed out to their assignments, there is just a never-ending list of things to do and problems to be solved. I get so many calls a day from missionaries that need help and that have questions about money.

This p-day, I don´t know what we will go see and do. My job in the office is similar to what you have to do, mom. I use the printer so much here, that it is crazy. I am glad that you got all of the report cards printed and all of your jobs at work taken care of. Heavenly father does bless us with the help we need, when we need it.

In the mall down here, there is a Mcdonalds that we ate at. It was really good, and it was nice to taste a little bit of America! Thank you for sending me a package for Christmas and for my birthday, I can´t wait to get it!

Yeah, I was told by Elder Slade that I was sort of related to him through my Uncle Mark, so that is sweet! Elder Slade is awesome! He is such a good missionary and he is a super nice dude. We get along really well. Things are going fine with us here in the mission, it is just hard sometimes trying to feel like a real missionary being in the office and everything.

I will write to Cowley Tuia today! That’s great that he is now on his mission to Guatemala,

I am grateful for the gift that God has given me to push through hard things. This week was just all work, work, work. There is not much time to do anything, especially while I am still in training, I feel so slow on the computer, I sometimes hate it. Everyday, I think about what dad says often, “IF TECHNOLOGY DOESN´T LET YOU DOWN ONCE A DAY, YOU ARE NOT REALLY LIVING!” Haha! Elder Allen really teaches me a lot about my job here in the office and is working hard to get me trained before he goes home. It is just non-stop computer action all the time.

Well, anyway, I love you all and miss you and I hope all is well back home.

Chau!

Love,

Elder Nate Pendleton

Mission office mission crew... (Photo courtesy of Elder Afane)