Some of the elders at the special zone conference. The "new" Elder Carrillo is on the back row, far left. Elder Wilkinson is front row, second from left. Although the sun is shining on Eric and Elder Petersen, I am sure you can recognize them both, front row, fourth and fifth from the left.
Recognition for the two baptisms in February by President Villalba 
A close-up of the card Eric is holding in the above pictureHey, how is everyone!!! Glad to hear from you and that you're all doing good.
Mom, I'm glad you received the email from the Lamoreaux's!! They're an awesome senior couple, and we loved talking to them, mostly because they are Americans, ha ha. After we met them in church and talked in English for a while, we got to ride home in their Chevrolet Trailblazer, with air conditioning, working doors, and a suspension (just a couple of things that don't exist in an Argentine car) which was awesome. I felt like I was back in America!!! They promised us lunch, which we're very excited about, and they even wanted us to come over to their home last Sunday and email our families!!! It was quite a temptation but of course we told them we can only email our family on P-day. They're awesome people, though.
The special zone conference was probably the funnest thing I have done on my mission so far. We took the 4:00 a.m. bus on Wednesday morning so we could be at the Mission Home in Rosario by 8:00 when it started. (It's a 3 1/2 hour ride.) It was really fun, although one of the Argentines on the bus kept swearing at us in really bad English. A lot of people here don't like that we are from the States, because they think that all Americans are greedy people, and are mad because we don't share our money. I only tell you that so you can understand what it's like here. We get yelled at a lot, and asked for money daily (I rarely understand when people yell at us as they drive by though, because they're speaking really fast and I don't know the "bad" words.) But there are also the Argentines who LOVE us because we're from the States, and they give us lots of food and drinks when we pass by, and just want to talk to us. The only problem is, they don't want to hear the gospel, they just want to talk with Americans. Anyway, it's a fun mix of being loved and hated.
When we got to Rosario, we took a taxi to the mission home, in which we all thought we were gonna die about a hundred times, because the driving in the cities is the craziest thing you have ever seen! We got there safe, though, and played games like Capture the Flag (the mission home has a huge backyard) and sports and had an awesome lunch, and we watched the movie "Hoosiers" in Spanish. We had lots of good tallers (workshops) as well, and had a very spiritual testimony meeting that night. There was another zone there with ours. I took two showers that night, because of how awesome it was. Here is a prime example of how I've already become somewhat Argentine. When I first got to Argentina and came to the mission home, I thought the showers were dirty and kinda lame. But after having showered out of an ice cold bucket, or dumping water from a pot on my head, the mission home showers were a dream. This is why I took two, and then two more the next day. Also, my comp Elder Petersen spent one hour in his shower, ha ha. I noticed while in the mission home that the older elders have already become more Argentine, because of living with Latins and living in this culture...after a while you get used to it. So anyway, the special zone conference was the bomb, and we ate really good the whole time. We didn't get home until 11:30 p.m. on Thursday night.
Also, we got the Standards this past week, even though we couldn't work the two days because of the special zone conference!!!!! Also, we got on the list of the top 5 companionships with the most contacts in the mission!!!
On Monday, Elder Wilkinson ended up having to go the hospital, and now he has to stay in the penche for a week or more because he has pneumonia. Don't worry about me, though, because I am fine, I just have a small nagging cough and still a little bit of clogged ears, but otherwise I am in great health.
You asked about a typical Sunday, so I'll give a brief explanation of how Sundays at our church go down. First, they're way different throughout Argentina. Some churches are just in somebody's house, and some are very nice. Our church is VERY nice. It was built about 4 years ago, so it's very pretty. The outside is much prettier than our church back home. The inside, however, is...well...Argentine. No air conditioning, just a bunch of fans. Also, unlike the States, there aren't decorations, because they'd get stolen. For example, even the microphone, they use it on the pulpit, it is removable, and every Sunday after Sacrament Meeting, the branch president takes it off and goes and locks it in a drawer. Also, the mics don't really work. It is really hard to hear what the people are saying because the microphones are so bad. Ha ha, last week Elder Petersen couldn't hear very well and in the middle of someone saying a prayer, he said "Amen" very loudly!!! Everything is bolted down. You'll never see couches, or decorative flower pots in an Argentine church. The outside, however, is fantastic. Lots of beautiful trees, palm trees, a nice field to play soccer, etc. Also, all churches are surrounded by a prison-like fence, and all windows have bars (as does every Argentine home.) Sacrament meeting is pretty typical, except that the people aren't quite as reverent during the meeting here.
The culture here is very interesting, and the city Rosario has the most Italian influence of anywhere in South America, and it's VERY noticeable. There are many people here who are pure Italian, but speaking Spanish. They still talk in the sing-songy Italian way, and the people use hand gestures that are Italian as well. It's a lot of fun, most of the people here are awesome and way nice.
I am out of time now, just want you all to know that I love you, that the work is going great, and that we're having a lot of fun! I am so glad for the opportunity to be a missionary and to teach people the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thanks for all your support and everything that you do!
Love,
Eric
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