Elder Parker Spanbauer: Week 39 Antofagasta

Dec 5, 2015

So this week has been kind of crazy..... I had about one day to say goodbye to as many people as I could before I left to the mission office. I said goodbye to all of our investigators and only was able to say goodbye to a few members. It was sad because we had a few people that were going to get baptized this month but I wont be there to see it. I was really nervous to go the office because I thought it would be really serious and maybe even a little boring but so far I love it! The Elders here are incredible! They are so freaking funny haha. I love Elder Morales. He kinda reminds me of like David Archuletta or something haha. I have two companions because I’m getting trained by Elder Maki and Elder Morales is being trained by Elder Hortua. There are seven of us in the pension (house)!!! It’s a party! I love living with the Assistants and the other office elders. Especially because we live in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom Hotel room! It’s the best missionary house in the mission! Our view is amazing. I have about 2 weeks to learn how to be the Historiador and Comisario and normally a missionary has 6 weeks of training. I basically have to buy all of the bus tickets for every missionary every time we have transfers and I also have to help construct the mission newsletter that comes out every month. I have a ton of responsibilities but I really don't want to list them all down and I'm sure there is even more things I have to do that I still don't know about. So it looks like I will be driving the mission vehicle here pretty soon because no one here knows how to drive manual haha. I will have the opportunity to travel with president when he visits all of the cities of the mission. I am excited and a little nervous but I think I’m going to learn soooo much. That is the update for now, just so everyone knows, my Pday is Saturday now because it’s different for the Elders in the office. Here are some photos! Love you all and wish me luck!

I honestly don’t know all of my responsibilities yet. I know that I will be doing two jobs now though because before there was a Historiador and a Comisario but now they are just combining the two and it will basically be me. I kind of feel unqualified but I think I can do it. It is a lot of computer work and I have to print off a ton of stuff for the incoming missionaries as well as the missionaries leaving the mission. I have to organize lunch for all the missionaries when we have zone conferences with president and I will be traveling a lot with president. I will be driving the mission truck soon! I think so anyway. I have to do so much crap haha but I’m ready to get started. It kind of feels like a job and then we leave to work in our sectors at 5 everyday instead of 4 like before. It’s really cool though. I think I will love it but I also think it will be stressful. Anyway, that’s about it. I will have to include more details next week. Love you!

Oh and yes, I received the two packages. I haven’t opened them yet because I want to do it at Christmas. They are Huge! haha You guys seriously spoil me haha. Now that I’m in the office, I will get packages sooner. I don’t know if I mentioned it in my letter but there is 7 of us living together including the president’s assistants. It is so cool and I don’t think it’s a temporary thing because the elder that left isn’t coming back. He has to get surgery and only had 3 months left in the mission anyway.

Elder Spanbauer