Week 39, Villa Diego, Rosario Argentina

Saying Goodbye to families in Sante Fe....

Now in Villa Diego Rosario, Argentina:

                                   

This is my shower....

And... it has a bucket shower! yippie! It’s basically a bucket and you plug it into the wall to heat up the water and the water pressure is just gravity. ha it’s great. 

Well not really, but whatcha gunna do. 

                                   

FAMILY!

I loved your emails this week! Thank you so much for letting me in on everything! Jenee, you looked super pretty and Dans tux was legittt! Sounds like you had a great Bday and prom! 

Alright so this weekend I was super homesick. haha I knew you guys were all hanging out and Jen had prom and stuff. So I basically was super "trunky."(that’s what we say for homesick) 

So I got to my new area, Villa Diego, in the city Villa Gobernador Galvez, around noon on Wednesday. It's a suburb outside of Rosario. I met my new companion, Elder A. he's from Durazno, Uraguay, he´s way cool. He’s way quiet, but a really good guy. He's been out 7.5 months. So my whole mission I have wanted to have a comp that likes country music but NEVER thought it was going be a Latin! Elder A. knows every single Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum song! It’s great! We’re always singing while walking. He knows so much American music it’s crazy. Anyways, we ate at McDonalds and then took a taxi to the pinch. The pinch is horrible. It's known for being bad... Smells wet, had rats and cockroaches but they said they’re all gone. And... it has a bucket shower! yippie! (I sent a pic) It’s basically a bucket and you plug it into the wall to heat up the water and the water pressure is just gravity. ha it’s great. Well not really, but whatcha gunna do. "This is my TEMPORARY HOME" as Carrie Underwood would say. (Villa means ghetto in spanish. haha). The BRANCH is really great though! It’s funny though because there’s more people that are active in the branch, than my old ward in Liceo. We met the Branch President and the Mission Leader and I really believe this ward has a lot of potential! We just need people to teach! I think were going to do a lots of finding this transfer and I hope to learn how to do it effectively!

Yesterday we had Stake Conference and it was super great! They talked a ton about the family. First a Sister talked about the divine role of a Mom. She talked about how essential it is to have a healthy relationship between the husband and wife and how it’s their role to TEACH their children, worldly things as well as spiritual. Then they talked about temples and the amazing blessing that it is to be able to be sealed for time and all eternity together.  I know that God, though his love for us, has restored that priesthood power through a modern day prophet.  I am so grateful for my family, all that you guys do for me and help me.

The Buenos Aires temple is opening in September, so that’s really exciting. I know that families can be together forever. I know that God wants the best for our families. I know he gives us commandments to guide us. I love you guys so much and thank you for the strength that you are to me. Sorry it was short this week! 

I love you so much! 

Elder Hjelmstad 

Gramma Mary- Thanks for the email! Times flyin by!

Grandpa- sounds like the nba playoffs should be interesting!

Family- LOVE YOU!

P.S. Learn more about the new city Elder Hjelmstad is serving in: 

Villa Gobernador Gálvez

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Villa Gobernador Gálvez is a city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, located on the western ravine of the Paraná River, within the metropolitan area of Greater Rosario. It has 74,509 inhabitants per the 2001 census [INDEC]. It is separated from Rosario, to the north, by the Saladillo Stream. It is the fourth most populated city in the province and the second in the metropolitan area.

The city was founded by an Italian immigrant, engineer Enrico Mosconi, on 25 February 1888 (he was the father of military engineer General Enrique Mosconi, first director of the YPF state oilcompany). Dr. José Gálvez, governor of Santa Fe since 1886, hired Mosconi to trace the railway system that would link this province to Mendoza. For this purpose Mosconi acquired land, and upon authorization by the governor, set up a village, populated mostly by other immigrants from Italy and Spain.

The town was declared a city by Governor Carlos Sylvestre Begnis on 12 April 1962. At the time it had about 18,000 inhabitants. What today is called "Villa Gobernador Gálvez" is in fact an aggregate of three towns: V. G. Gálvez proper, Villa Diego and Pueblo Nuevo. The history of the city is preserved in a public museum (Dr. Raúl Malatesta Municipal Museum), established in 1986 and managed by an association of citizens.

Villa Gobernador Gálvez is divided in about 20 barrios (neighborhoods). It has a public hospital(Anselmo Gamen Hospital) and several minor public healthcare centers, a number of sports clubs, five banks, and two FM radio stations. Telephone and Internet services are provided by a cooperative