Our BUS broke down

Family and friends, salaam,

Our week started well with us inflating our bike tires at a service station while singing out the song Take On Me, which is really popular here. A man nearby heard us and laughed, asking if we were performing for money. Then we also talked with an investigator who had never come to church after weeks of teaching him, and we had planned to throw him under the BUS (break-up speech) to explain to him that we couldn't keep visiting him if he didn't do his part. But in the middle of the lesson I felt the Spirit tell me we were being too impatient, so instead we invited him to be baptized. In other words, our BUS broke down. He even came to church yesterday, which was a true miracle! He understands the requirements of baptism, and he is willing to fulfill it all. Frankly, we were shocked.

The week even ended well, despite the fact that we were going to have a baptism yesterday but then didn't because someone had left the sprinklers on overnight; we had no baptism solely because we had no water in the pipes with which to fill the font. That was stressful, especially when one person started telling us we should have filled the font last night, even though he didn't have anything to do with the planning. Then another woman got all over our case because we didn't have refreshments for the baptism, and also because we didn't tell her about the baptism and thus she didn't bring a cake as she always does for baptisms. A couple of things: first, she's the bishop's wife, so she could have heard it from him; second, it was announced last week in sacrament meeting but she was not in attendance. And, even more confusing than anything else, why was she angry at us for not planning for the highly unnecessary "necessity" of refreshments?! But whatever, I'll restrain myself from killing more small kittens to vent my anger. (I don't actually do that, mind you; it's a joke.)

But, the coolest part of my week, or at least the part I am most proud of, was when I rode my bike with no hands. I have learned how to do that very well, recently, and it has helped me very much in taking notes on important things as I travel. But on Saturday, we were visiting an area very far to the south of Balloffet, a district called Cuadro Benegas, which technically is not even a part of San Rafael (hence, its being a district), and on our way back along the highway I began riding without hands. I rode for a couple of kilometers without hands until we came to a bridge which crossed one side of the split Río Diamante to enter San Rafael, and I continued onto and past the bridge without hands. I kept riding the bumpy, uneven road past La Isla ("Isla" because it's made an island by the split river), the neighborhood of San Rafael that is farthest away, and I continued through a lucky green light without hands. I went onto the other bridge to cross the other half of the Río Diamante, and I made it all the way to the end of that bridge, too, without having touched my handlebars for any reason for multiple kilometers. I made it up the ramp that was at the end of the bike bridge to get back up to street level, still with no hands. Then I crashed into a cement pole. It was amazing. I was not injured in any way, nor was the bike, but it was so incredibly awesome. I have ascended.

But yeah, this week was crazy, and I loved it a lot. Tomorrow, we will have the mission conference in which we will learn about the new mission handbook as well as what will happen for Christmas. I am really excited, especially for the new handbook! I want to see the changes that were made. But I know that, whatever the changes may be, I will be in the best hands, under the best law, which are God's hands and God's law.

With much love,

Elder Hill

Fotos:
Soy tan pobre
Nuestro Thanksgiving
Jazz hands
Somos swoldiers
Evolución del "heel-click" con las Hermanas de Malargüe que terminaron sus misiones
Una "Franken-pizza" con queso, arroz, salchichas, pescado, ananá (piña), y salsa de ají

Otra Franken-pizza con Doritos encima de las otras cosas, menos ananá

Un lugar que vende "chaps"; Inglaterra estaría animado
"Elaborado y envasado por: Poo Alimentos"; no quiero mi salsa de ají con materia fecal