Unexpected Aerial Strike from Crazy Steve // Feb. 5, 2018

Well it has been a complete 2 week turn around here in Goya... but always with a little drama, I mean what is a weekly email from argentina without a little drama. We will start out with the good news. Nahuel Britez got baptised this past Saturday and confirmed Sunday. We found him and his family on the 3rd of January contacting. They have been progessing very fast and Nahuel was the fastest out of his entire family. The mom, Sandra, has to get married so we are working with her on that and Nahuel´s brothers are planned to be baptised next week. Turns out they are a little slower in their ability to learn so we have ti explain things a little more simpler to them. But the mom Sandra has been looking for this message for a long time... but just didnt know she was looking for it. Also, the Zone has made so much improvement. We have been doing a zone tournament to motivate the missionaries to go out and work. We corilate key indicators and obedience with a basic point system. For example, If you find a new investigator=1pt if you wake up on time= 1pt. If you get investigators to church=1pt, etc. And the winner of every weak wins a kilo of ice cream!!! Yeah and the champions of the tranfer will win a free dinner. YEAH!! if you dont want to work to get blessings, you might as well work for food.... It honestly has been a huge difference maker in the productivness of the zone and the numbers show. But now that the issue with missionaries is taken care of, of course another obstical had to take its place. 

**Cue story**

So there is this guy in the branch, his name is Pedro(names have been changed). He is 35 years old and works as a fishermen in which he leaves his family for 3 months out of the year to fish in the mar de argentina. He and his wife has been members of the church for much of their lives and raise their 3 kids in the church. But turns out that Pedro, despite the fact that he seems and looks like a normal guy, has mentle issues and a major case of anger managenment disorder. At least that is what Elder Teves has been telling me for some time. And also turns out that Pedro does not like the other members in Goya... in fact very much dislikes them. And according to the branch president, has caused 3 men and their families to go completely inactive for the way he brutally mistreats, judges, and critizises them. So fast forward to yesturday when I entered into priesthood a little late because we were sending a baptismal record to Resistencia through email, and they were doing a council thing that now they do on the 1st sunday of every month. Well, I sat down and started listening to Pedro, and within 30 seconds Pedro when from talking about sharing the gospel with friends and neighbors, to completely attacking one of the other members of the quorme... Juan. Juan was taken off gaurd and started diffending himself from the unexpected aerial strike from crazy steve.. I mean crazy Pedro. Long story short, Pedro progessed from saying sly, mean, indirect comments, to standing up and yelling at poor juan with a face redder than my 99 VW jetta. Juan stood up, look crazy pedro in the eyes and said, ¨Pedro, you need to see a psychiatrist´´ and walked out. We promptly got up and followed Juan out because he honestly has been struggling the past 2 months and has shown desires of going inactive for the way the members and the leaders treat him. So we went out with him so that he wouldnt feel alone becuase the whole time, The branch president and district president were silent during the whole encounter and didnt do anything. In fact the district president told them to Fix the problem themselves..... hahaha ridiculous, luckly there werent investigators present. But honestly, this branch has a weird feel to it. It is definitly the weakest I´ve been in. Seeing all of the things done incorrectly is frustrating and the way the people here look and critisize each other is incredible. I know it happens in every branch/ward, but I feel like here it is a little stronger. So if there is one thing I would say this week. It would be, Dont be so critical of others. Love them for who they are, accept their imperfections, and try and show them some love and friendship that they are most likely lacking. The 2 greatest commandments, Love God with all thy heart, might, mind and strength. and Love thy neighbor.

But that was my week. We are planning on 2 more baptisms this next week. I hope you all have a great week.