Juan de Garay, Rafaela: Lots of Dogs and Perfume and Bikes!

Yay! it finally arrived! Wednesday, September 9, 2009 - first letter from Argentina

Hello Family!
I´m not sure how much time I have but not much. I do have an hour to write the family but i had so many to read today!! phew! haha ok thanks so much for your letters though! I really appreciate it.
Ok Mom only send packages to the mission home and ONLY through USPS. ONLY. ok good and yeah that sounds like the right book! ok and for my scripture Alma 36:24 im pretty sure. I can only read it in spanish right now but i think it is the right one.
and ok, send everything to me, pckgs, snail mail to the mission home addres..
ok i think thats it!
ok argentina is wonderful. The people are so nice! Mary you would love it, THERE ARE DOGS EVERYWHERE!! haha running around all the streets. and everyone owns one too. seriously you can´t believe it until you see it. everyone wears lots of perfume, but so far it all smells good! bread is delicious here. we buy facturas (donuts kind of) they are so delicious esp when they are filled with dulce de leche. ok and there are lots of bikes and motorcycles, its cool! i like it here a lot.
ok except for the fact that i don´t understand very much. it is tough to understand anyone!
luckily i have an amazing!! trainer. Her name is Hermana Burns and she is from texas and she is beautiful and smart and a hard worker! I am so glad to have her as my first companion in the field. We live in a small apt called a pension. and we shower out of a bucket! haha im used to it already though.
we try and talk to everyone on the street, and we constantly have teaching appointments. it is really cool! I was scared about loving people but its super easy. I can´t explain it. I pray all the time. It is really tough to teach and speak and understand and explain in a totally new language! in the mtc we could just say ok whatever let me just tell you in english. but here, you cant! a lot of people we teach though say my spanish is good and they understand well! but i cant understand them! Chruch on sunday only 12 people were there, it was definitely a different experience. oh my city is Rafaela and my area is Juan de Garay.

It is apparently very clean for Rgentina, and peaceful. it is very cold here some days. I have a good coat though! but yeah i keep thinking its about winter but its nearing the end of winter here!
The other day we were sharing a spiritual thought with some non members that are the kids of members, Erika and her kids. ANyway, ok this is really embarassing, but I was trying to teach the 1st vision, and I couldn´t say what i wanted to really and the kids were laughing, anyway i started crying cuz i felt silly! But I calmed down quickly and had faith that i could do it and i continued teaching and I know that was the Spirit giving me strength to continue on.
I know that this is the true church. I know that baptism with the power of God and enduring to the end is the ONLY way that people can return to live with God! I know i can live with my family forever and I am so grateful because I love you all more than anything! I know that this is the Lord´s work and that He is doing it and I and all other missionaries are just here helping it along. I know that if I work my hardest everyday I can help a lot!
I love you so much and miss you. But I love this opportunity and I love helpìng people find the truth in their lives!
Love forever. Hermana Dunford
Good job Curtis with your work [he was telling some friends about the plan of salvation in the locker room after football practice and one of them later asked him if he could go to church with him, so Curtis picked him up and took him on Sunday], and the rest of you too! And mary good luck with your job [she got a second job at Red Robin]!
PS We went to the hospital today for my companions fingers, they are broken. we were there for five hours. very different experience. four and half were just waiting

ok bye i loveyou better letter next week i promise! there is no time to do anything

here! loveyou!!!