Love service!!!

Hey guys how yall doing? Sounds like you all had a good week and enjoyed a little bit of time off. This week was changes which I'm sure you are aware of now since I am writing you on Tuesday, and luckily, Elder Bentley and I are staying together!! VAM´ ARRIBA!! Yeah we are pretty pumped about it and can't wait for these next six weeks! It scares me how quickly every change ends, but I'm still loving every day! It is going to be really interesting from now on because our mission expanded and now includes a part of Argentina and Brazil! I can't imagine going anywhere out of Uruguay, but it would be one crazy adventure. Just to be safe, Elder Bentley and I are studying up a little bit on Portuguese just in case. Actually, if you could find a couple of really basic Portuguese things like pronunciation and such and send it to me on the next email to print off that would be great. I understand reading it, but don't really know how to say it and understanding is pretty tough too. Its like I'm a new missionary again!! It would also be crazy if I went to Argentina too because it is the first area that Audrie had and then she left and it became a part of our mission. Crazy right? And such is the life here in Rivera Santa Isabel. Ps dad we live on the street Juan Nuñez 165.

This week has been great though! We did a bunch of service which we loved, been a while since we have worked liked that. Painting mostly, its just that time of year;) It is getting pretty warm, but thankfully it has been raining a lot, so that keeps it pretty cool. We spent yesterday morning, our cleaning day, to mow the front lawn and trim our bushes and trees. Really not a big job, but we only had one machete, so it took awhile, good shoulder/forearm workout though.

It has also been interesting in the bishopric, I conducted church yesterday which was fun and quite an interesting experience. I felt good about it afterward and think I did a pretty good job. The other counseler with me is leaving this week, Elder Berry, he will be missed. The new guy coming in is Elder Bedoya from Bolivia I think. I know him from Cerro, he is awesome and I cant wait to have him here with us. It will just be a big change for us because now we are going to live with two latinos.

Haha speaking of Portuguese, we had a charla with our friend Antonio. Let me just say, he has some profound beliefs about God. He is so smart, and his ideas are almost TOO smart. Thank goodness God is so simple and clear with us. There aren't any secrets. In the transcourse of the charla, in which we would speak English every now and then mixing in spanish, his friend came over and she is brazilian, and so we starting learning some portuguese with her. Then we went back to english with Antonio, then spanish with them both so she understood too. My mind was in such a whirlwind, it was crazy!! Makes me really want to be able to learn this language too.

We have been doing a good bit of contacting as well this week and while we found the hermana of one of our old investigators. She has been going to a lot of churches, including ours, and really wanted us to come by. So we visited her and she has so much potential! I really feel like anyone that can be taught to understand the gospel of Christ would follow Him. Thats what we´re all about.

I also got a small package from you guys this past week with candies, the flag, and matching ties! Elder Bentley says thanks. Me too while we are here, thanks you guys for everything! Keep it up! Les quiero! La iglesia es verdadero, no tengo ninguna duda! Nunca se olviden!

Elder Degn

ps. The district. A bunch of latinos and TWO SOJO BOYS!!!