Not Only in our Dreams!

                          Elder Navas and I on the bus to Santiago for Zone meeting last P-day
8/31/2015

So here's the big news of the week! On Wednesday morning in a casual call to Elder Sargent (MTC companion and current secretary of the mission) ordering more pamphlets of the restoration for our zone Elder Sargent stopped me mid-sentence and said "Elder Pierce! you'll never believe what Presidente Parrela told me right now!" me: "what?!" him: "Presidente moved the transfer date in December from the 22nd to the 15th" At this point I was thinking oh great, for sure we will leave the mission in the middle of the transfer in January or something crazy like that because I can't go home any earlier than the 23rd. But then Elder Sargent continued, "So Presidente Parrela asked the mission department about us and they gave the OK to send us home on the 15th too!" I was speechless... I'm coming home on the 15th of December! 

To be honest I had some mixed feelings... it means that not "only in our dreams" but in real life too I'll be home for Christmas! and without the crazy rush that I was imagining on Christmas-eve. But that also means that I will serve my mission for 1 year 10 months and 23 days, only from 2014 to 2015, which feels a good bit less than 2 years at the moment, but this wasn't my decision and they didn't even ask our opinion , so I just have to accept the will of the Lord in my life and for my mission. But then comes back to excitement I'll be home for Christmas! And its was officially official when I got the "email da morte" (email of death) today telling you when you the date when you will go home. It's super weird to think that the end is really coming soon but then again we don't have much time to think here in my area haha.

Half of our zone

Last week's traveling went well and this week will be just about as busy. I took lots of pics of us on the bus traveling to Santiago for "Part I" of our Zone Meeting

                                  my old friend and companion Elder Alvarenga is in our zone

                                                       On the way back to Santo Ângelo 

thats how pretty much all the trip goes...

and of this creepy mannequin named Juan that the missionaries of Santiago have in their house where we slept Monday night. It was quite funny when I went to the bathroom and saw that black figure with a knife in its belt in the shower, everyone died laughing when I yelled, haha good laughs.

                                                   how we found "Juan" when we woke up

And of course we can't go on an exchange without buying something good to eat and taking pictures :) 

This week we have "Part II" of our Zone Meeting here in Santo Ângelo and the other elders from Santa Rosa will come down to join with us. Then obviously to take advantage of the timing I will stay here in Santo Ângelo with the District Leader in Santa Rosa to do an exchange an Elder Navas will be off to the other area. Crazier yet will be the next day on Wednesday when Elder Navas will have to go from Santa Rosa all the way to Santiago to do a baptismal interview and probably wont be able to get back here to Santo Ângelo until Thursday morning because of the darn... timing of the buses to get back. And all of this while I'll have to prepare the baptism of one of our investigators, meet with the Mission leader, finish teaching the last lessons, plan with the bishop certinho, plan the baptismal interview etc. Pretty crazy that with all of this traveling and stuff we still have to get our own work done too!

Anyway I love you all and have a great week!

Elder Pierce