November 8, 2010

Dear family,

Another awesome week. Things are continually improving out here on the edge of the civilized world. The downside to being on the very, very, very edge of the city is that the roads are 98% unpaved. Normally, that is not a problem, but apparently there exists for a few weeks every year in Salta (which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains) a time of windstorms, and if your roads aren’t paved, dust storms. I swallowed so much dirt that every time I ate anything it had the delicious aftertaste of dirt. Dońt worry, after lots of water, mouthwash, and teeth brushing, it’s gone away, but I learned an important lesson: God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt, however, it don’t taste good either, so keep your mouth shut if you are in a dust storm.

More cool news. My investigator Alejandra from my last area and her daughter got baptized this week! The dad who was inactive for about 30 years is also coming to church now and they are enjoying the blessings of the Gospel as a family! Yay! Next stop, the temple!!

Speaking of which, we had a really cool conference with a Seventy (Elder Ayllou, I think) who came here for a stake conference and gave the missionaries a special meeting. He spent most of the time answering questions that we had and then at the end he told us that Salta is going to have a temple. They have not picked the ground or anything yet, but in some future time, when the stakes are strong enough, Salta will have a temple. He told us that a temple is not built with money or materials, but with faith. We need to faithfully strengthen the stakes, wards, and members, and one day we will be able to come back and see the dedication of the Salta, Argentina temple. It was soooooo cool and the spirit was so strong. I can’t wait for the day when I can come back and see the Salta temple dedication. What a cool promise from a servant of the Lord, but like all promises from the lord, it is according to our faith that it happens. (Moroni 7:33) So, lesson learned, let us be in the business of temple building, by faithfully strengthening our wards to the point where the Lord can build one.

Love you all tons!!

-Elder Spencer