Dear Everybody,

Just like every week, its been quite crazy here in Uruguay! We had lots of anticipation all week to find out the changes. 28 missionaries are going home this week so there are lots of holes to fill, and lots of changes to be made...Elder Rios is going to train in Artigas Barrio 6 and Im going tooo........................................ dun dun dun DUN DUN dun.....

So the American Cup is starting up here pretty soon...its a soccer tournament with all the latin america countries. Each World Cup and American Cup they do this thing called The Album. Its kind of like trading Pokemon cards but way cooler. and adults can play too without loosing thier dignity. haha. so Elder Rios and I jumped in. Basically its a bunch of stickers in the shape of little cards, and you buy 5 for 50 cents, then you go around trading your doubles. Its way fun and an awesome way to do contacts and get into houses. Lots of people do it, but Im worried cuz Im not sure if there are many people who are going to be playing in my new area....which is in...

Friday we went to a couple friends and wished them happy birthday. One of them, Ruben Gonzalez, a less active member. He didnt know we were coming, but we knocked on the door and he answered with a ciagarette and a glass of beer in his hands. We already knew he had problems with that stuff, but his reaction was hilarious. He answered the door and was like OHHH!!! ELDERS!!! YOU CAUGHT ME!!! haha NOOOO!!! then I sang him Happy Birthday in English but I sang the MOnkey in a zoo version. It was funny cuz He had no idea what I said.

Saturday we had a stake talent show. It was way fun! We did a couple funny skits and there was a little of everything. I sang some Coldplay and John Lenon. I dont know if you knew, but Artigas is overflowing with precious stones and rocks. Like all those rocks that you can buy in gift shops and stuff, I wouldnt be suprised if they come from Artigas. 1 out of every 10 people we talk to works in Precious rocks. So there was lots of displays of Hermanos that work with the stones.

Sunday was my last sunday in Artigas, Rider wore a suit to church and passed the sacrament! That was so cool! Its awesome to see them growing. Its incredible the changes they have made in thier life. Maira, his wife, has a talk in church on Sunday! Im so bummed im going to miss it! We went to Rubens house to have a lesson and Claudia, the Mom of that house that totally ingnored us and everything, the one who almost got baptized and stuff...she knocked on the door. It was dark so I couldnt see to well but I was sitting right next to the door. I opened it a little and barely saw her. I think seeing her the other night was even more sad that when she hid from us, because she was completely wasted. I smelled the alchohol as soon as she asked Can I come in? Her eyes were almost yellow, hair all messed up and just looked like a disaster. She couldnt even stand up straight. We let her in and she just started apolagizing a million times to us. "Im sorry I hid from you, that note you left me the other day made me feel so bad" She just kept saying sorry, kept telling us that she is feeling horrible, and then she wanted us to preach to her, wanted us to help her. She said that Lilian (rubens mom) is all she has. We are her only support, that things are really bad with her husband and she is just BAD. Just kept saying that life was BADDDDD. It was so sad. LIlian covered her daughters eyes it was so bad. She started crying and just begged us to come again. My heart breaks for that family. They have nothing. They beg their neighbors for bread. And they were so close to turning everything around. It was probably the saddest thing ive ever had to see on my mission.

Im sad to leave Elder Rios and Artigas, They both have treated me so well. Its hard to leave, but Im excited to get to know other places and people in Uruguay!

Thats pretty awesome that Jennifer and Kyle got married! I never even imagined that! It was so cool to hear about all the cool stuff going on in the last week of school and everything. Those weeks are always so fun. Everyone is so chill. Thats pretty funny the parents called to ask what to do in the rain.

So im definately going to be super obedient Mom!!!!!! because I could be a branch president coming up here pretty soon! Im going to Cardona which is in the zone of Colonia. Colonia is the oldest city in Uruguay and everyone says its really pretty. I will be out in a little pueblito though. All the missionaries are teasing me cuz ill be with my comp and we`ll be the only ones within an hour or so from any other elders. The branch has about 20 members. Im kinda nervous but really excited. Pray for me! =) Im leaving tonight at 10pm to Montevideo. Ill get there about 6am, then ill take another bus to Cardona and arrive at about 9am. So its gonna be a long night. My new comp is Elder Huston. I dont know too much about him but ive heard he is a stud!

I couldnt sleep last night haha

Did you guys here that the world was supposed to end on Saturday? everyone was talking about it here. I guess some preacher said it was gonna end at 6pm. Que Bolaso, no?

This week i have felt a lot of gratitude for the family that i have, for the standards that i have grown up with, and for the parents that I have. I hope you guys know how much I love you, how grateful I feel to have been blessed with the family, ward, friends, and youth that I had. Its really rough in a lot of families, and I dont know what I did to deserve you guys!

You are all in my prayers!

Love,

Elder Kellis

Hey Family¡¡

Yeah, I got stuck with this dumb keyboard again ¡¡¡ the one that does only upside down exclamation points and no numbers . .. only 5 and 6

Anyways that doesnt matter.

It was so good to hear that grandma is doing ok. It was a long week waiting to hear news today. I fasted on sunday for her and the family. Caity you are the best. Thanks for telling me about Obama. and Cheer. and Beef stroganoff. It was the best.

So youre getting ready for the cruise hey?¡ haha mom dont be scared¡¡ theres only been like a million tsunamis lately¡¡ you¨ll never drown¡ besides you go swimming all the time¡¡ hahaha.

Everyone here was watching the wedding too. I saw like seconds of it. I thought that the car could have been way cooler. Like a ferrari or something. But it must have been really cool other than that because everyone is like wow it was so beautiful¡ are all weddings like that in America? uhmm...that was in England...haha

Dad I want your job. Its sick. You get an iPad, an Apple TV, and all kinds of other stuff for free. And you get to wear suits all the time.

We arent allowed to skype because we cant use members houses computers, and so we would have to pay to use a cyber on sunday and thats breaking the sabbath so yeah, its all complicated. You should just send me an iPhone 4 and we'll call it a day haha. No but yeah its a bummer cuz christmas is on sunday too..so all 3 of my calls home, which is 4 for most elders will all be on sundays, but its cool cuz thats a really awesome sabbath day activity and woo hoo. So yeah, Ill call you at 8 my time which im pretty sure is 4 your time. And we´ll figure out if you want to call me right back or what cuz I didnt get a answer yet.

This week we had a really awesome baptism from the zone leaders ward. They have an investigator that is a taxi driver and he always takes all the missionaries to zone meetings and stuff. His wife was already a member. They got married on Thursday and his baptism was friday. It was a awesome service¡ Its cool..here in artigas, the stake president has made it really clear that he wants convert baptisms to be really well planned and well organized, he wants special musical numbers and stuff. So we as missionaries have been working really hard on that, all 16 of us go to any baptism there is in Artigas and support and sing and stuff. In my fist transfer we didnt do anything like that.

We got home from the baptism friday night after a rainy day and these little kids that live next door were pretending to have a war battle with us. So me and Elder Longfellow got our umbrellas and we had a really intense battle. We won of course because we had the new 2011 edition machine gun umbrellas that also serve as a shield when opened. We also had a nice base, the house, and made better pretend gun noises. haha it was really fun.

Me and Elder Rios are working really hard and seeing lots of miracles. Ever since my first couple weeks here in January we have been working with an inactive family, and their neighbors who are investigators, but their oldest boy Lenon is baptized 9 years old. We knocked on thier door every sunday morning for the whole first change and they never went. We dropped them. Then our first week with Elder Rios she asked us how come we stopped coming. We had a really awesome lesson with her and Lenon and they got excited to go to church and then talked to the inactive family across the street and they all went to church yesterday¡ I couldnt believe it I was so happy¡

The weather is getting colder and colder and rainier and rainier. Im loving it so far. Sometimes the rain catches us when we arent expecting it though and we get SOAKED in our shirts and ties and everything.

Well, I cant wait to talk on Sunday¡¡ Love you guys¡ P.S.

You can send something to the gmail account today and it should get here by tomorrow in the district meeting, so let me know what your plan is. but you gotta hurry today before they send off to artigas.

Love you so much¡

Ps, can you send me some cards, like UNO, RAGE, Phase 10 type cards for Pday, and a jump rope for excersices for the next package whenever that ends up being? thanks¡¡

Elder Daniel KEllis

Whats up!

Gosh this week went extra fast with transfers and everything! Elder Rios is such an awesome comp! He trained last change and now we are tearin it up in Artigas! He is from Montevideo, his ward goes to the building on the temple square. He speaks perfect English. He has a girlfriend, nohelia, theyve been together 3 and a half years! She is waiting for him. haha Tomorrow is his birthday! He is turning 20. I want to make him cinnomon rolls but I dont have a recipe. =/ He has about 13 months in the mission. He is a legit pianist. He is short haha. Hes a good friend. He is so humble and loving, but is still cool and funny. his teaching-style is sweet. Much more friendly and less doctrine shoving down their throats dropping the cain. We get along way good, and the mission just took a 180 for me now that I am with him!. Inostra was the man. But we were two very different people. I get to talk more in lessons, I feel much more confident as a missionary and in my spanish! I spent a night

So the 30th we are lookin at a baptism for the neighbors of Lilian! We are way excited! The Trindade Family is the name. They live in a little shack, half with like dried mud crumbly bricks, half with little metal sheets. The kids always ask me about my house, and if my family has a car. The floor is dirt and rocks. But the Dad has already read the BOM two whole times! And her favorite hymn is -Tu Me Has Dado muchas bendiciones, Dios-. or Because I have been given much. Read those lyrics and Imagine thier little house! The kids are so cute! One of them always writes me little love notes shes 11 dont worry. The other always wants to sit on my lap but thats against the rules haha.

So I know I told you about Daniel and Sabrina that everything was all pretty. haha. OH the DRAMMAAAA. So this guy on a moto stops, turns around and talks to us. Turns out its Daniel. Sweet! Rios can meet him and stuff! He lifts up his shirt, and Sabrina had poured something on him and light it on fire or something, his whole front was all burnt. It was ugly. He is the bigger and more violent one, so im worried about Sabrina. )=

We had a surprise Investigator in church yesterday! The Boyfriend of one of the sisters in the ward. She is 25. Her dad is a High Counselor. So anyways. We had an awesome lesson with them! Member missionary work is the way to do it guys! Help out the missionaries in your wards! Talk to your friends and stuff!

Well. I love you all lots! I love being a missionary and I love Uruguay!

-Elder Daniel Kellis