Last one. March 18, 2013

I love you all so much. ill see you soon, and i cant wait to tell all of you anything you want to know, and then some. be patient with me, i havent broken my habit of talking to much. 

        you guys and this gospel are everything to me. thank you for the love and support that you havent stopped showing since i decided to leave. i will always be thankful.

 Love, 

Elder Bridge

Call me Rengo. March 11, 2013

So that giant tower holds a suprise for anyway who can zoom in enough hehehe. old habits die hard i guess.

     On a totally unrelated note, i hurt my leg on saturday, twisted my knee and ankle pretty good, and i spent the last couple days hobblin about with a broom handle walking stick. That said, theres a sister in our ward with a 2 year degree in chinese medicine, and she did some ankle knee massage, and some acupuncture, and magnet something or other, and the pain has really all but gone away. im still limping, or walkin "rengo"  as they say it here, which sounds cool to me, but its getting better every day.

      Everyone in the ward has been giving me rides, and ibuprofin, and really bad medical advice, that come from years of tradicion and no logic at all. I love them so much. We had a great week of work last week and were starting this week strong. I gotta roll right now, were gonna go kick it with the zone, but i love yall a ton, and you´ll regret that you stopped writing to me towards the end! you know who you are!

    Love,. Elder Bridge

A mini missionary. March 4, 2013

Yesterday morning Presidant called me and said "im thinking about making your companion the new financial secretary, do you think hed do a good job?" and i was like well sure, hes way smart and blah blah last night we went to the mission home and dropped him off with his new comp. They do it half way through the transfer so that he has 3 weeks to learn his job and the old one can leave at the transfer. which leaves me with Samuel Vargas, mini missionary extrodenair. no idea how to spell that.

     Hes from here in Cordoba, his papers are in and hes just crossing his fingers to get sent to Tiujana Norte. Hes got tons of energy, his dads old missionary badge, and hes super nice, so i think its gonna be really fun, it has been so far anyway. So 3 weeks with Elder Owens, and 3 with "Elder" Vargas, who has dated chicks like 5 blocks from our house haha. But hes just so excited and you can tell hes gonna be a stud missionary so ill try to get him real excited. Thats all from me! the work is going good, pretty much nobody writes me anymore so i dont know if anyone is reading this, but im sure at least Aunt Claudia is!

         Alot can happen in 3 weeks, so we arent going to miss a single oppertunity,

     Love, Elder Bridge

Weekly letter to family. February 25, 2013

youre gettin really lazy about writin me fam! i aint dead yet!

 its been a great week. temple is making progress. were goin real hard. love yall!

      Elder Bridge

Future college grad! February 20, 2013

Dear Family,

     I know the title sounds trunky, but it made me think of tommy boy. i got accepted to the lds business college, just found out today, and it said that i will be on academic probation, need to have at least a 2.0 to stay enrolled. itll be tough, but ill give it a go haha. still waiting on hearing from the other schools. so enough about that.

       So I hopped on a train this morning with my district, from la calera, to a little town in the mountains called bialet masse. Elder Henry had been talking about wanting to go there cause he heard they sell cheap hammocks, and its his birthday, so we suprised him with the trip. it was really pretty, a cold and cloudy day, so we were thankful for that. and they did have the cheap hammocks, so he was happy. Im pretty tired and it feels like im at the end of the week and not at the start, so hopefully i wake up tommorrow with a little more energy. But things are good.

     My new companion is a great guy.Hes from sacramento, and his dad is a chiropractor, and were pretty good buds, and hes a hard worker, so were really enjoying the work and itll be a good last transfer.WE spend alot of time quoting movies or singing if were in the penchant. Im really hungry right now.

       I miss all of you alot, i hope everyone is good, havent been hearing from very many people lately, but you are all in my prayers and i hope all is well.

           Love, ElderBRidge

You know the babies gonna love it, because I do! February 11, 2013

WEll i guess its public now that Daniel and Christal are gonna have a baby! i knew first! they told me over skype at christmas, and ive been so excited ever since, but its been hard to keep in. Way cool right?

   Things in argentina are good. My back and legs are incredibly sore. ill tell you why. The houses here are made out of cheap bricks and cement. When they finish doing the walls, the roof needs doing. so they cover the top with bricks and rebar, and plug any wholes with paper, and then we do whats called "the losa". its really hard.

        basically, its two guys shoveling sand and rocks into buckets. 2 more guys making cement with the little mixer, and then a chain of guys getting the buckets of cement up to the roof and pouring it up there. there were twelve of us and it took 5 hours, in the blazing sun. It was really fun though because its always great to see the priesthood in action. a few of the guys were construction workers and it was nothing to them, bolivians are like from another planet when it comes to hard work. then the rest were just dudes that didnt know what they were doing and gave it their all. awsome to see. i was a rock shoveler for a while and then i was up top pouring the cement. very hard, my back just kills. so do my legs. think i might have already said that. anyway, we ate a giant asado afterwards so it was a good experience in all. 

             So i hope everyone is good, mail has been a little weak lately. lets get on that.

    Love, Elder Bridge

I'm meek, but I could be meeker. February 4, 2013

Dear Family,

      this morning, i put on the BELGRANO jersey that the familia castro gave me, and went to where? THE ACTUAL BELGRANO STADIUM! 

   For those of you who dont understand the significance, that is my team. and i got to go in and take pictures, and play in the teams practice field, and play baskerball in the stadium and everything. it was really awsome. the whole zone went and we took some awsome pictures and were way tired but it was awsome fun. Elder Larson and Melendez got permission from Presidant to come chill with us even though theyre in a different zone, and its always great to see those guys, so it was just alot of fun.

     This week has had alot of fun occurances for us, and we had 6 people in church yesterday. not as high as some weeks, but very special people and we were really happy when all was said and done. its gonna be a very busy last couple of months, i tell you what.

      So, love you guys, gotta roll but feel free to sent me a message for next week eh?

        Elder Bridge

Hit it with the rock! January 21, 2013

Hey gang. we got together with another zone today and presidant and the assistants came. we ate choripan and played sports for hours and hours. i went from football to soccer to frisbee and back and forth all day and im exausted. it was way fun though (especially with the soccer shoes mom and dad gave me for christmas.)

        So the p day has been great, last week was great. Im fixin on makin this week even better. Ive got some great friends in my zone and like always, were seeing alot of miracles, so its a really great thing to be a part of. My apartment has a nice roof and ive made a habit to go up and have a nice sit every night. i usually bring a bowl of frozen grapes that grow in our back yard (the grapes, i actually freeze them myself) and ive come to value that little time to think. Things are going well, and our bishop just got back from like a month in bolivia, so hopefully things in the ward will start going back to normal. love you all!

     Elder Bridge

Some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells of notre dame. January 7, 2013

So, Not a single brother or parent wrote me today, so my time on the computer was significantly shorter than i expected. oh well, everyone is good and busy and i know how that is. 

  Im doing really well, my new comp wants to work hard for his last transfer so were gonna try to light it up for his last 6 weeks. 

      I got my christmas package and i absolutly loved it. I loved the shawn white gum, and the candy, and the hackey sack, and the snow in a can (not sure what to do with it) and all the other things! Just loved it, so thank you so much eh?

   Today were gonna go over and play soccer together, imma use my christmas money to buy some soccer shoes, and then weve gota busy night planned ,so its gonna go really well. 

  I hope everyone is doing well! Talk to you later!

      Love Elder Bridge

2013. January 1, 2013

Happy new year fam, 

         Today is gonna be a fun day, every companionship in the mission baptized in december, thats the first time thats ever happened in this mission so everyone is pretty excited. that said, i gotta run, cause were about to go party.

     you only have a couple months left to recieve the blessings that come from writing me! GEt on it!

         Im staying another tranfer by the way, which means im probably gonna finish here, and im happy about that.

         Love, Elder BRidge

Home alone 12, lost in Cordoba. December 17, 2012

    Dear Family, 

        Do you believe in miracles? i started out my application to BYU today, and i barely passed high school! that said, i believe, so lets keep that in our prayers eh? 

      Im wishing you all a merry christmas from afar, and im very happy to know that ill be talking to a good handfull of you in a week! im way excited.

       This Saturday we´ll have 3 baptisms, a family whos parents arent married, but were right their with them as well. the whole family came this sunday and the priesthood just POUNCED the dad, finding a brother to fix his car and everything, i love my ward, and im proud to be serving along side them. they get it.

     Other cool thing is that Elder Larson and Melendez are probably gonna be able to come and chill with us on the 25th, were all going over to the gonzalez home to have an asado and stuff so itll be a really good day, and were almost for sure with the skype, so things are lookin right good.

       I miss you and love you all, this will be my last christmas that i wont be able to at least talk to all of you. for now though, i love ya and miss you and i know that we will be together forever.

       Elder Bridge

 jo jo jo!

My race is not yet run. December 10, 2012

Things are hoppin in La Madrid! Were lookin to have a white christmas down here in the blazing heat, and everyone is working really hard to do their part. On saturday we went to the house of a family we are teaching so that we could sand their walls so they could paint, and the house looks alot better now on the inside. its kind of a depressing little pad but with the TLC theyll be a lot more comfortable.

     i have been trying to keep organized and it is a constant battle for me but im getting better and were seeing some good results. My comp is really coming out of his shell too and i like him alot, we have been getting good work done. 

 This wednesday presidant is gonna dress up like santa again and give us our packages. i already have saras, under the tiny tree i bought and its waiting for christmas. Then after the conferance we are gonna spend the day playing basketball and soccer so it should be alot of fun. 

       Hope everyone has a good christmas!

            Love elder Bridge

Chew your food you're an animal! December 3, 2012

So we went to the zoo today, pretty cool! My favorite was of course the elephant, which is my favorite animal. it was one they rescued from the circus and he is 71 years old! so cool. The hippo was pretty cool too, among others. i find myself without time to send many photos though.

       We worked really hard this week and have alot to be juggling right now, im feeling your prayers and im thankful for the strength they give me. I miss you guys but im not lettin myself miss you too much, were pretty busy you know. Tonight we are going to teach a new family that we started teaching one saturday. they are going through kind of a really tough time and one of the ward missionaries set up a lesson with them, so we went and then yesterday the whole 5 of them came to church, so tonight were gonna go try to get the parents married as fast as possible. less than ten percent of the couples here get married anymore, so its a big obstacle for us, but if we explain why, i have no doubt that they will understand, people always do. 

 Marriage is such a hard, beautiful and irriplaceable part of life, it bottles my mind ( like when your thought are in a bottle) to think of how people would pass it up. i try to transmit that, and since its doctrine, its not hard to transmit. so wish us luck. Familia Gomez is their name, and they need aloooooot of help.

       I love you guys, talk to you next week!

 p.s. the picture was taken right before we did a race up these stairs. i didnt win. didnt even get second. but i did get really tired

     Elder BRidge

Zooin it baby.

This was our tour guide. cool guy, jonny is his name. he called me marc zuckerberg. thanks ya jerk.

And you're great! November 26, 2012

Dear Fam,

Pablo and Alejandra got baptized on saturday, so that was the highlight. Elder Larson and Melendez ( two of the guys coming to virginia with me) got to come over so that Larson could baptize Pablo. hes the one that started teaching him a year ago, so it was pretty special. tons of people were there and it wont let me sent more than one picture.

     hey, im watching on the tv screen a video of a guy  doing the "horse dance" or whatever its called from that gangnam style song. is that as popular up there as it is down here? anyway, time is short. i sure love you guys and hope you have a great week!

But we must be strong. November 19,2012

Hey fam,

   Everythings great over here, lots of fun stuff going on, last week
my comp and i went to centro, i sent some pics to christal. Today were
gonna go play basketball or soccer or something, im not really sure,
but were always down to kick it. Hope everyone has a great
Thanksgiving, it has sure been a while since ive had turkey. There is
a myth that certain families down here make thanksgiving dinner for
the elders, but sadly that doesnt exist in my ward, although my ward
does have alot of other really cool things! Like great people! so they
can keep their feast... one more time at least. The stores are already
selling christmas trees down here, i dont think anyone really knows
why haha but thats one of the many funny things about argentina. My
comp is good, the work is great. My friend Elder Larson taught and
baptized a huge family in this area last week. One of the guys and his
woman couldnt get baptized cause they werent married. Well, this
thursday theyre getting married and saturday theyre getting baptized!
literally the first time in the mission that the lucky coincidences
come my way, but its been happening all the time in this area. You
guys must be praying good and hard. Keep it up!
     I love you all so much.
          Elder Bridge

The sun wont go to bed, so nor can I. November 12, 2012

Its so hot i cant sleep! most of the time. today its cold and cloudy
though, so im counting my blessins.
 in the pic, my comp is on the top row 4th from the left. with the face.
         WEve had an incredible week. 4 zone conferance on thursday,
and then on saturday just a big old baptizm. id love to send fotos but
i dont have a chord. meybe ill get someone to forward me the pic
later(my comp)
 but things are great here. ive never seen a ward so excited about
missionary work and theyre all just pawing to give us references and
have us eat in their house. its kind of like the place i believed
didnt exist due to every other area ive been in haha. way chill.
        Also, my comp and i are in centro today, some plans fell
through so we got permission to just come look around and take
pictures. i think i want to go to this cool art museum thats close ish
and then at 6 it will be back to work, which is A-OK.
     Sure loving all the good news im hearing from up north, im sure
everyone is taking great care of grandma.
             So quick story before i sign off. 15 minutes before the
baptizm and we couldnt find white pants for a kid. frantically running
to a taxi and yelling into my phone at the same time, we rolled over
to the zone leaders area to grab a pair quick. heading back, way
stressed because 10 other things were getting done at the same time,
the taxi man turns up his radio, and what song comes on? "the glory of
love" so all of the sudden, the only words in my head are " i am the
man who will fight for your honor, ill be the hero that youre dreamin
of, gonna live forever, knowing together that we did it all for the
glory of love"... isnt that the best thing to hear before a baptizm?
sure cooled me down.
    love you guys so much, ni saben cuanto
              Elder Bridge

Red like the Chinese flag. November 5, 2012

i got super burnt today, way bad. i feel kind of pretty sick, but it
was worth it, we put like 6 hours in playing soccer and football and
then had a huge water fight as a zone. im in a pretty cool zone.
     i just feel really blessed for the people i have. here, and
there. my comp is great, as is my ward, and i got three packages from
home ( hats off to johnny/aunt becky, brandon bridge, and mother
(which includes the aaron and christal bridge family)
      i love you guys so much. i am praying that we have a great
presidant, and that you guys are all with health, and great food,
which im sure you are.
       Love Elder Bridge

I've had worse. October 29, 2012

 Dear Family,
         Time is limited, but i wanted to tell you all that im great
and that life is good. The mission is throwing some good curve balls
and i think were swinging a pretty good % so im happy. The district is
in my area were gonna go play some basketball and stuff, so it should
be a pretty chill day followed by a good afternoon of work. Our main
problem really has been having time to do all that we need to, weve
been kind of running a little late, but were gonna work on it so
things will be good.
     This saturday one of my favorite investigators is getting
baptized, and the plan is that the next sunday he will recieve the
priesthood and baptize his wife and 8 year old son after church.
pretty fun stuff.
        Well, i miss you all and i hope everything is great. way
excited to hear that KAYLEN IS GETTING MARRIED!
 Also, everyone make sure and visit grandma bridge and tell her i love
and miss her okay?
  Love, Elder Bridge

Family letter. October 22, 2012

just wrote a huge one but it got deleted!
 either that or i took too much time writing and dont want to sound lame.
         standard week. we had a baptism this saturday, a really cool
lady and her son, and it was just a great sunday., the bishop called
me at 11 45 saturday night saying a talk fell through, so my talk
wasnt very organized but i think it came across well. i had help.
             love you guys!
                  Elder Bridge

emails were a LITTLE low this morning. October 15, 2012

Dear Family,
       There is a lady in my ward named Graciela who got baptized a
year ago. She is a ward missionary and just an amazing person. She
works in her sons Kiosko, and hates selling beer or cigarettes, so
when people buy them, she sets it down in front of them and says "you
know this will kill you right? Did you know that its against a
commandment of God? that means that if you want to stop, all you have
to do is put your faith in Jesus Christ!" sometimes she shuts up the
Kiosko to invite them in to pray with her before they go, but most of
the time she just gives them an articles of faith pamphlet and writes
their number down to have the missionaries go to their house. I love
this woman.If she was younger than 65 i think id consider coming back
to marry her jajaja. My ward is full of awsome people like that, and
the proof is in the pudding. the work is great, were way busy, and
itll be a good month.
          Cordoba missed me.
             Love Elder Bridge