A Grand Hello!!!!!! From Buenos Aires,
I'm writing this message a little more quickly than normal. We have less time today to do this than I think I've ever had before, so this message will indeed be shorter.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of confirming Sebastián in Sacrament Meeting. It is only the second time I have administrated as the voice in that ordinance and it was indeed a privilege. I felt impressed to tell him that through his example one day his family would also join themselves with the church, if he remained faithful. I've been learning more how to follow the promptings of the Spirit, but it is seemingly more prevalent in my mind when I am paying attention to it. Go figure. And I seem to pay more attention when I am giving a blessing of some sort. That is something that I need to work on and do better with. Plus also, I got to play piano in Sacrament meeting yesterday for the first time in Lopez Camelo (or maybe the second, not sure).
Our other investigators are few but slowly progressing. One investigator named Victoria hasn't really been an interested participant when we have visited with her family, but last night she called us wondering when we were going to come next to teach them. Her sister is Barbara, a convert from December. Anyway, she called us, so we made that a priority visit and will be seeing them later tonight.
In other more mundane news, last week my allergies hit me with more force than before. It was as bad as normal on Monday when I wrote you all, but on Tuesday they hit like a train. Elder Tidei told me to stay in bed rather than get up, he told me I looked horrible. A great compliment from a full-time companion... So I stayed in bed for a little while longer. We left around lunch time when I felt a little better, but returned after an hour and a half in the street because my nose would not stop running and it felt like a river was flowing around in my head, choosing as its exit my eyes. So we went back to the pension where I kept a toilet paper roll close at hand to hold back the tide. I was better the next day, so we went back to work. The Ides of March passed without incident, and I completely forgot about St. Patricks day (I hope Grandpa Robinson can forgive me for that). Luckily I was wearing green that day, I think.
I'm reading the Book of Mormon now in Castellano (the dialect of Spanish spoken in Argentina) and the going is a little slower, but I just got to 1 Nephi 17 this morning. I've been finding things a little more fascinating as I've been reading more slowly and understanding things in a different light than before. I'm sure that Dad can help you understand that, having read the Book in German, and Brandon in Mandarin (?). My personal interpretations of certain passages have changed slightly as I have found different meanings, changed the emphasis of certain phrases, and explored a few of the cross-references given in the footnotes.
As always, I want to end my letter to you all by sharing how much I love you. Dad told me in his letter this week that many people are finally beginning to catch that everything he teaches leads back to love. It is so true. In his book for us kids, he wrote something that I found very interesting and have found very true. I don't have the quote in front of me, but it is to the effect of, "Often a servent begins his service to the Master out of a feeling of obligation and duty. But as he performs his duty well those feelings change to feelings of love and appreciation." It's not exact and Dad can tell you what it is exactly, but I think it's between pages 40 and 60, it's been a while since I read that page. Dad, that is a wonderful book and has given me several insights into things I didn't know before, and I hope you won't be mad with me for having shared the story and your personal testimony of tithing found therein. Many of the people I have shared it with are currently paying an honest tithe and were anxious to do so.
Anyway, once again, I wish to express to you my love and gratitude for each of you and the examples you have been to me. I look up to each of you, whether or not I am the taller or the shorter. You are my heroes and I pray for you each day. May the Holy Spirit guide you, may it teach you what is true. I love you.
With all the affection I can send,
Elder Dewsnup
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Elder Matthew H. Dewsnup
Mission Buenos Aires Norte
Gral. Lavalle 1828
1646 San Fernando
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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