Adios Echesortu, hola Alberdi! Kenny’s week 43

 

You've probably noticed this email came earlier... Pday has been switched around to Saturday now since I’m serving as the new Secretary to the Mission President! It is a fixed time, so I will be here for six months.


Transfers came and went, and now we’re in a place called Alberdi! About 10 minutes south of Echesortu, but pretty close nearby. 

As the secretary, I am in charge of keeping everyone legal in the country, and organizing all the travels/expenses of the missionaries, from taking taxis on divisions (splits) to riding in buses to zone conference or leadership meetings, it all goes through and is organized by the secretary. I also coordinate interview schedules,  answer all the emails coming into the mission, and I am about to get my international drivers license so I can help provide logistical support for events. This past week we took chairs and tables from one building to another to set up for a meeting, things like that. I’m also the tech troubleshooter— fixing computer and printer issues. Right up my alley!

Luckily I’m being trained by Elder Madsen who was the previous Secretary, so I've got a little bit of help until I’m thrown into it solo. 

Fun stuff:

- It started hailing out of the blue one day. Super weird, and those ice chunks were HUGE

- We’re in a missionary trio now, so we have three of us instead of the normal two. More powaaaa! Also, Elder Carter was one of the missionaries in my District when I started the Mission in Carcaraña, and now we’re in the trío together so its EPIC

- We have arguably worse pensiones (apartments) that we live in as Office Elders, it’s actually hilarious... We were cooking rice and had no good lid/one with a handle... just like the good ol days in Venado Tuerto haha

Other than that, we’re working left and right with mission logistics and the proselyting, it’s awesome! We do in-office work all day till 3:30pm, then personal studies for half hour before we head out to work with people.

The weather is really nice here as we’re moving into Fall- it’s ideal. Hope life is well with everyone, thanks for your support, prayers, and messages!

Élder Chalk
PS Looking forward to watching General Conference next weekend!







Uncle Christopher’s reply:

Dear Elder Chalk,

                You’re the mission secretary, congratulations!  I’m so happy that this assignment is ‘right up your alley,’ that will make the work so much more enjoyable.

                So you’re in charge of visas, in-mission travel, interview schedules, external communication, and you’ll be personal transporting some missionaries as a driver.  That’s so cool!

                I had to update my ‘mapo de los viajes de Elder Chalk’ see below and was laughing to realize you’re moving in a circle.  I’m sure that’s not literal, but did make me smile when I saw it.

                I feel like you’re just getting out of summer over there and it hailed? That’s crazy.

                Glad you, Elder Madsen, and Elder Carter are getting long.  Blessings!

                How are you back in an apartment with limited-handle/-lids?  That’s not right, particularly if you also don’t have oven mits!  ðŸ˜Š

                Enjoy the new schedule, night time is probably the most productive teaching time so it sounds ideal that you get out from 4PM onward.

                Photos of the week: you with your companion and mission map (I love maps, can’t you tell?), a sad pot/lid combo for all the yummy food, watching a sweet guitar solo on a phone, walking through the store with your companions while talking a phone that looks like a bag of food, & your companionship on exchanges with Jesus (classic church art).

                We love you, we support you, we’re on your team, take care of yourself, and keep your eyes open.

 



 

Christopher Schmutz-Parente

Project Manager | Subsea Projects North America

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