ALMOST FRONT ROW SEATS..3RD ROW BACK I'LL TAKE IT..9/10/12

THERE I AM WITH THE ARMY OF HELAMAN

(Third Row Back Second One Over From The Left)

Well Hey All!!!

 

So I am sorry I won’t be able to send pictures, until I figure out how! The computers here are terrible, we have to come to a Cyber and pay to use them, and they are just awful!!!
 

This past weekend was the rededication of the Buenos Aires Temple!!!! President Eyring, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Ballard had a special meeting with us Friday Night and they shared amazing Words of Wisdom with us!
 

On Saturday we hopped on the train to the office, and got on a bus and headed to a soccer stadium to participate in the Cultural Festival! That was absolutely amazing!!! They had a bunch of youth in the Church from all over Buenos Aires do the different cultural dances, they didn’t do the tango though... probably too sexy for an LDS event right? But then all the missionaries from all 3 Buenos Aires missions marched on to the field singing “Called to Serve”! It was absolutely amazing, and I got some camera time, so look for me on the LDS.org video when they make it!
 

This past week has been better!  I am starting to be able to speak simply, but I am also learning that allot of the ways I thought were right to say things, are actually very wrong! But it is a learning experience right?

 

One thing I realized they eat allot of here.... eggs, and mayo... kill me now, my least favorite things in the world! BLEHH!  I do love this thing called Milanesa though, it is kind of like Schnitzel and they put it between rolls and it’s like a little sandwich!

 

There are soooo many dogs flooding the streets, Florence said the “Dog Days” were over, well I think they just started for me!  But I do love the perros, they flock to me and want love, that’s all they want, is to be loved.  Being without a dog since the 9th grade I feel like I have an obligation to give them some love. I have a big Rottweiler who lives outside  my apartment and I named her Marie Antoinette she is my favorite perro.

Again my Companion is Elder Delgado from TIJUANA and he looks like a Mexican Baryden Draper!! HAHA

  

Elder Delgado and I have a baptism coming up this Saturday, with a little girl named Eliana!  Her family is a less active family and she wants to be baptized! She is soo cute, and she just speaks the most adorable Spanish! An  LDS  member’s family has been helping me out with my Spanish lately too! We go to their house allot, they feed us a ton too! The moms name is Romina, she is not a member, but basically comes to Church every week and knows so much. She can’t be baptized yet because her  husband isn’t divorced from his other wife yet and they live together, he is a member and he is great! I guess it is really hard to get a divorce here! But I love their family so much!

 

Her are the Top 10 answers to your Top 10 question mom!

 

1) Yes, I got my packages!!! I loved them thank you! They have been here for awhile looks  like you sent them in April!
 

2) I didn’t get any sheets, I usually just sleep in that blue thing when it gets hot.
 

3) No bugs or mice yet, lots of mosquitos, the dogs here love me!!!! They flock to me and I pet the ones that look like they don’t have disease! HA
 

4) I live with 2 other North Americans Elder Young from Sandy and Elder Wilson from Saint George, Elder Delgado has been a member for quite sometime
 

5) I really like everyone, the only thing I don’t like is Elder Delgado walks soooo fast and it is  

     hard to keep up with him!

6) I don’t eat breakfast and eat a huge lunch, and don’t eat dinner.... which is going to change. I didn’t buy groceries last week but I am today, we buy them at a little super market.

7) Yes Elder Palmer got his insoles!

8) Yep, hot water, and twin beds.

9) Yep, we hand wash our clothes.

10) I have a card here in Argentina but we draw the money out cause where I live they don’t have  credit card machines
 

Yes Misty, I will be 20 in a month from, October 8^th, yesterday, crazy huh?  My apartment is decent, they say it is one of the better ones in the Mission, so Lord help me! HAHA As I said before the language is hard to learn right now, but the food is pretty good!  I love and miss you too!  Hope Nate and the kids are doing well!  Love you!!!
 

Also Mom, Riley and Chelsea have a really good idea.  They are gonna put on facebook and twitter a request to send me birthday letters to our house and then you can send them all in a box to me! Will you work with them on that?

 

Well we shall see what the week ahead of me brings, I hope I don’t die from Mayo poisoning....

Love,

Elder Draper

 

BUENOS AIRES TEMPLE RE-DEDICATION 9/9/2012

BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA RE-DEDICATION SEPTEMBER 9,2012
PRESIDENT ERYING
ELDER BALLARD
ELDER CHRISTOFFERSON

                            

BUENOS AIRES WEST MISSIONARIES ATTENDING TEMPLE RE-DEDICATION
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012
(Elder Draper 5th row up 2nd over from left)

President's Wife Sister Carter Writes:  Elder Eyring also spoke to the missionaries about the urgency we should feel as we are making the Kingdom of God ready for Him. He told us that all the things we do should contribute to this effort, and that we need to pray about where we can make the biggest difference for good. He spoke very personally about his prayers last night asking Heavenly Father if he had done ALL that he was supposed to do yesterday. He felt a great desire to read the hearts and touch the life of every missionary. It was such a powerful sentiment and you truly could feel the depth of his desire. I am quite sure that he achieved it.

When we finished with the meeting, we, along with all the others present, had the opportunity to shake their hands. As we gathered outside, my husband noticed three golf carts and said to me that he thought we were going to have a photo opportunity. Sure enough, a few minutes later we did. Elder Eyring was so cute. When he saw everyone snapping pictures, he pulled out his phone and started taking pictures of us!

  

 

Celebración Cultural de la Juventud SUD, estadio de Independiente. Buenos Aires - Argentina
(Cultural celebration of the LDS youth, Independent Stadium  Buenos Aires - Argentina)
September 8, 2012
Argentina Missionaries Sing "Called To Serve" 

This cultural event was held on Saturday, September 8 in Stadium of Club Atlético Independiente. More than 2,200 men and young women danced different dances along with the children's choir music. It was a historic show of appreciation of the members of Argentina for once again having the Temple in the country. Missionary work is that the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints in the world. This cultural event was held on Saturday, September 8 in Stadium of Club Atlético Independiente. More than 2,200 men and young women danced different dances along with the children's choir music. It was a historic show of appreciation of the members of Argentina for once again having the Temple in the country. Missionary work is that the growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter day Saints in the world.

 

   Esta actividad cultural se realizó el sábado 8 de septiembre en estadio del Club Atlético    

   Independiente. Más de 2.200 hombres y mujeres jóvenes bailaron distintas danzas, junto con
   la música del coro de niños. Fue un espectáculo histórico de agradecimiento de los miembros   de Argentina por tener nuevamente el templo en el país. La obra Misional es la que logra el

  crecimiento de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días en el mundo.
 

SETTELING "INN" IN THE BARRIOS 9/3/2012

Hola, Hola Hola,

 

Greetings from Argentina! Yes I have finally made it to the land of my beloved Evita and I am so thankful to be here!

Well we barely made the plane to get to Buenos Aires! Our flight from Miami into Dallas was delayed several times because of Hurricane Issac and so we landed in Dallas at 7pm. Our plane to Buenos Aires was leaving at 7:10 so we looked at the board and it said still boarding the plane after it had been delayed 1 hr 15 mins waiting on us to arrive! We ran to the gate as fast as we could, just missing the hatch being closed, we got on the plane!

To my very much surprise, Hermana Cahoon and Leavitt were on board and started crying when they saw us, that meant my entire District while at the MTC was Argentina bound minus Sister Andreason, who went ahead of us in July, it was sooo good to see everyone and I too almost got.. well... moving on.

The ride there was tough, it was a full flight and I was like cramped like no other with nowhere to put these legs of mine. Movies were playing all around me, I must admit, I did watch a little of  Snow White and the Huntsman, not clue though what was being said, but the film looked pretty good! I mean really, that don’t offer blinders just headsets right!

We got to Buenos Aires and headed to the temple the same day! We got a special tour of the temple by the architect that redesigned it, it is so pretty inside! They basically re-did the whole thing! It was a long day as we did theintialsas well and then met up for dinner that night with the Latin Group, they split us into 2 groups as there are 22 of us and it was just easier to handle everything this way I am sure!

We went on a tour of Downtown Buenos Aires the next day, and I am kind of sad that it isn´t a part of our Mission. It’s like NYC and I love it! We get to go there when our Mission is over for like a tour etc., so much to see there it is truly beautiful that much I can tell from the short time we were there.

HOWEVER, yes I am now in Merlo! My area is called Altos de Merlo which translates into Merlo Heights... sounds fancy right? Nope it is actually pretty poor... I think Alabama was a palace compared to this place, we do have a nice pension (place where we live) though as the locals’ houses are so small and quaint the people here live in like cement boxes. No carpet etc. I don´t know how they do it! Oh wait.. I´ll be doing it the next 18 months haha!

I saw Elder Mitch Call at transfers! It was really exciting to see him!

My trainer or Papi, is Elder Delgado! He is from Tijuana Mexico! He speaks a little bit of English, so thank goodness for that! He is very patient with me which is good because I cannot speak the language at all. I do understand everything really well but I can´t speak; imagine that after no Spanish in Alabama!

The members are really nice here! They feed us allot... and I meant allot! They fill your plates with food, and I can´t like eat it all, so I am gonna have to adjust to that as I am not gonna gain that weight back, forget that! Haha

The mission is different.  I don´t know what to think of it yet.  I just need to get used to it because things were run differently in Alabama, I need to do as President Carter said, forget everything I knew in Alabama and learn here.. soo yaa. The mission is driven, it is great to have goals though. There are just so many adjustments I will be making, I am sure it will all come in due time.

Well not much else to update besides that I am alive, well for now, how long, I don´t know! Ha

The computers here are awful so hope you get this, it seems to be taking forever and you haven't responded, although I know you are there that’s the email I opened up to thanks! We are just gonna have to play everything by ear and will figure this out together!

 

Well I love ya´ll and I hope to hear from ya´ll soon! I hope everything is going well en El Estados Unido (United States) Cuidense!

 

Love,

Elder Draper
 

PS ( If your sending things you will want to address it to address below...pass along please mom) Dear Elder is still available for free and is delivered I hear, once a week about every 7 days, I also hear packages take at least 4 weeks (hint hint I am looking forward to my Birthday Oct 8th mom). Be sure to wrap in brown paper like the BAW blog says and seal with Christ Pics and mail as directed:See BAW Mission blog for complete details.

 

La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias

Elder Wade Draper
Mision Argentina Buenos Aires Oeste
C.C. 92
1702 Ciudadela
Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

MERLO BUENOS AIRES WELCOMES ELDER WADE DRAPER 8/22/2012

 MERLO II BUENOS ARIES WEST

  WELCOMES ELDER WADE S. DRAPER

     AUGUST  TRANSFERS 2012

 

Merlo II Coordinaces
 

34°39′S 58°43′W / 34.65°S 58.717°W / -34.65; -58.717
Country	Argentina
Province	Buenos Aires
Partido	Merlo
Founded	August 28, 1755
Elevation	16 m (52 ft)
Population (2001 census)
• Total	244,168

Merlo is the head town of the eponymous partido of Merlo and seat of the municipal government, located in the Greater Buenos Aires urban area.

The city was founded by Francisco de Merlo in 1755 and rebuilt by Juan Dillon in 1859.
Merlo is divided in two distinctive regions: Merlo Centro, a middle class district clustered around the train station; and the working class and barrios..  Merlo II is located in the working class.barrios. 
 
Wikipedia Argentina Working Class:
(or lower class, labouring class, sometimes proletariat) is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs (as measured by skill, education and lower incomes), often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes. Working classes are mainly found in industrialized economies and in urban areas of non-industrialized economies.

When used non-academically, it typically refers to a section of society dependent on physical labor, especially when compensated with an hourly wage. Its use in academic discourse is contentious, especially following the decline of manual labor in postindustrial societies.
The term is usually contrasted with the upper class and middle class, in general terms of access to economic resources, education, cultural interests, and other goods and services. The cut-off between working class and middle class is more specifically where a population spends money primarily as a lifestyle rather than for sustenance (for example, on fashion versus merely nutrition and shelter).

Wikipedia Argentina Barrios:
Life in the barrios of Argentina is a struggle for most and living conditions are often precarious. The main disadvantage of living in the barrios in that it presents very cramped living condition with only the basic facilities available. People living in these areas lack running water, proper sanitation and face high risks of crime. Lack of schooling and a full educational offering are also problems. Garbage disposal is inappropriate presenting their own health risks. People built their own poor structure houses from provided government grants.^[3]

The Reconquista River (Spanish, Río Reconquista^[1]) is a small river in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Together with the Riachuelo, it is one of the most contaminated watercourses in the country. The Reconquista is part of the Río de la Plata basin. It is born in Marcos Paz, Buenos Aires Province, and flows across 18 municipalities, emptying in the Luján River. Its drainage basin has an area of 1,670 km², and is populated by around 4 million people.
The river carries about 33% of the total pollution drained by the estuary of the Río de la Plata, taking into account both industrial and domestic waste. There are about 12,000 industries in its basin, 700 of which dump their waste into the watercourse without controls. Studies have found nitrites, nitrates, ester-phenols, PCB, and heavy metals. These pollutants can cause hepatitis, skin reactions, gastrointestinal problems and eye infections.

The administrative and commercial center is around the main avenue, Avenida del Libertador General San Martín. This tree-covered avenue stretches seven blocks from the railway station to the historic district and has few buildings reaching over two storeys in height.
Merlo is bordered by Moreno and Paso del Rey—both cities in Moreno Partido—and the Reconquista River (northwest), San Antonio de Padua (north), Libertad and Parque San Martín (east) and Mariano Acosta (south).

The origin of Merlo goes back to the town of Villa San Antonio del Camino, a hamlet clustered around a ranch-house belonged to the Spanish landlord Francisco de Merlo and which had been founded as a result of the recurrent Araucanian raids throughout the eighteen century

Francisco de Merlo's Coat of Arms.

Francisco Javier de Merlo y Barbosa was born in Seville, Spain, on August 11, 1693 and died in Buenos Aires on April 4, 1758. Merlo arrives to Buenos Aires in the early 18th century and made a fortune and became part of the Buenos Aires upper class; Merlo served as notary public in the municipal government or cabildo of Buenos Aires. He also was a laity member of the Third Order of Our Lady of Mercy. He married Francisca del Toro in 1713 and they had eleven children. After widowed he married María Teresa Gamiz de las Cuevas in 1748, who gave him a son.
In 1729 the notary public Francisco Sánchez Botija dies in Buenos Aires and his last will was his fortune were gave to his compatriot, friend and compadre Francisco de Merlo with the condition that a sanctuary were built to his memory and fifty masses were celebrated every year for the absolution of his soul.
With that fortune Merlo bought many haciendas in the western countryside and by the middle of the 18th century he established a large state between the upper Reconquista and upper Matanza rivers, seven leagues (35 km.) from Buenos Aires.
Merlo built his ranch-house on high ground overlooking the nearby Camino Real del Oeste, a road that linked Buenos Aires with Lima, the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. At its side Merlo erected a private oratory, fulfilling the last will of his compadre and it was consecrated to saint Anthony of Padua and the Immaculate Conception.
For many years the oratory served as parish church of the huge and almost unpopulated Parish of La Matanza.
He also established one of the first schools outside Buenos Aires in where the locals could learn to read and write; the school was entrusted to the mercedarian friars.

In the second half of the twenty century Merlo experienced an important influx of immigrants from the provinces and the old town sprawled over the countrisyde and the farms were replaced by housing for residents with a lower range of incomes.

 

HEAT WAVE...HURRICANE...DELAYED FLIGHTS..HE ARRIVES BUENOS AIRES ARGENTINA "I AM HERE" 8/28/2012

 

After serving 5 months in the Alabama Mission waiting for his visa, Elder Wade Draper arrives in Buenos Aires Argentina.  He flew from Birmingham in to Miami where he had multiple delayed flights due to the impending Hurricane Issac and several tornados. American Airlines had canceled 468 flights for Monday and it was "standing room only"  at the airport as the Republican Convention had also been postponed and many were stuck at the airport with last minute reservation issues.  He arrived at the Birmingham airport for a 6am flight and was finally able to leave on a 5:15 flight to Dallas but would have missed the 7:15 departing flight to Buenos Aires had many a prayer not been answered.  Thanks to American Airlines the Dallas plane was delayed 1hr 15 mins waiting for our Missionaires.

In the meantime a GRAND reunion occured at Dallas Forth Worth International as Sister Leavitt and Sister Cahoon just received their visa notification late last week and the others did not know they would be seeing them in Dallas.  Sister Fernely, Elder Neilson and Elder Draper had been praying and fasting for several weeks that they would not get left behind.  Sister Andreason in this District, arrived in Buenos Aires with the last transfer, so now they are all there!  It has been a GREAT DAY for all Missionaries and parents !  Thank you Heavenly Father!

Elder Wade Draper's #1 Fan,
Mom

PARTING IS SWEET SORROW GONNA MISS YA BAMA!! 8/25/2012

THIS FAREWELL I LEAVE TO ALABAMA..8/25/2012

...Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing...

I COME TO THE WATERS 8/25/2012




 

D&C 20:73 The person who is called of God and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall say, calling him or her by name: Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

 

 

" He's Got You and Me Brother in His Hands, He's Got You and Me Sister in His Hands,

 He's got you and Us Mom in His Hands"

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"

 

 
 

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope ya'll are having an outstanding week! My past week has been very good!  We have been going to visit Andrea and her family just about every night preparing them for their baptism this Saturday!  I am so excited for them.  As I  have been watching them progress over the past two weeks, I realize to the full extent my purpose in this Mission Field.

If anyone hasn’t heard this is my last Pday in the USA and the Alabama Mission as I leave for Argentina one week from today August 27th!!!! I am quite sure this will probably be my last email from Alabama however, I am actually really going to miss it here!!!  Elder and Sister Curtis, one of the Senior couples here, approached me yesterday at Stake Conference and told me how much they wish they could keep me here and will miss me, and I truly felt they will!!

This past Saturday we had a day of service! We started the day by cooking Andrea's kids breakfast.  We made butterscotch chocolate chip pancakes, hash browns and sausage! They really loved it! We then went and mowed a member’s lawn and it started to pour rain just as we got finished, so we were super lucky there.

I did receive the ties thank, I loved them all!  Dad what is your plans with that 1965 CJ5 jeep you bought (picture you sent a little hard to see)?  I’m  loving all the red Mazda’s down here, still looking forward to one of those someday! And when you said you bought 2 pigs I thought, are you serious, glad you mentioned they were for the freezer, I could not imagine them fitting the neighborhood décor!

We had a really good Stake Conference this past weekend.  We got to hear from 2 members of the Quorum of the 70, Elder Koelliker and Elder Lansing, they both gave some great talks! We have a Multi Zone Conference with them this Wednesday, so that'll be exciting too!

We are going to the Mall today so I can get an Alabama shirt etc, We are all going out to Chili’s for our last Pday lunch before I leave.  I have really loved serving in the Birmingham Alabama Mission, and I am going to miss it dearly!  I do plan to come back after I return home from my Mission and visit some of the Member’s and the recent converts!!

This next week is gonna fly by, I just know it!  It will be equally as crazy getting the Baptism ready and preparing all my things for the trip to Argentina.  Well the next time ya'll hear from me will be in Argentina!  I don’t have my intenirary yet Mom, but I don’t think it will be Delta, I heard I fly to into Dallas, not from Atlanta straight to Buenos Aires like we thought. I’m guessing I will meet up with Elder Neilson. All I really know for sure is that we have to be at the Mission Office at 4:30 in the morning that day!

Have you heard anything about Hermana Leavitt or Cahoon? We are still praying they will hear something this week. The Elders and I in our apartment had a fast for them this past week.

I' ve attached a photo of another lost soul that I saved this week "Henry". 

Well, I have less than 2 minutes, which means the computer will shut down at will, these are not the most sophisticated electronics so if it logs of I am sorry!  I will call home Sunday evening between 6 or 7pm, can’t wait to hear everyone’s voice.  I miss you all wish me luck this week!

Love,
Elder Draper

 

Terminando con otra semana de carzy (WRAPPING IT UP WITH ANOTHER CRAZY WEEK)

Hey Family,

Hope this finds everyone well! Lots going on this week so let’s get started.

To begin with Mom, I won’t get my travel information/plans until I leave, so hopefully by August 27^th HA.. I have no idea what will happen with that, but I am sure I will have a layover somewhere, I hope, so I can call home!! !! I still have my MTC calling card mom, so no worries there!   I will l get to call home August 26^th in the evening so everyone be around then ok!! I  plan on sleeping the whole trip, I could use a god nap, these past few weeks have been crazy but the best since I have been out!!

Unfortunately, no baptism this past week! We had to push it back to the August 25th as anticipated because we didn't get to meet with her much last week because she was getting ready for her kids to go back to school, however since we pushed it back, we have her and her 3 children committed where as we only had her and one of her children committed before! We are so stoked to be baptizing the four of them as a family, I am so excited they are great folks! She came to church with us yesterday and enjoyed that.  She has been having some trouble with her wisdom teeth, so on Saturday night after we visited her, we biked down to a store and bought a bunch of chicken noodle soup and took that to her after church yesterday.  She was really appreciative of that and very surprised was thankful she could eat that.

We are also teaching a Minister right now.  She is the nicest lady! She is black, and is in her early sixties! She loves talking with us, and says that "ya'll are mens of God" she is really the sweetest lil' thing ever and I just adore her as she does us.  She has a strong gospel testimony and respects the work we are doing and is open to listening to everything we have to say.

But ya, how crazy is that about Elder Tolman being mid-transferred!? It was really a shock and probably one of my saddest transfers; even if we were not Companions I looked forward to laughing with him at the end of the day in our apartment.  Even on down days he had a way to make things lighter! He is just so neat and I, well enough said.  However Elder Ingersoll is a hoot and it is nice having a good ol' Highland boy in the house.  Last night we talked for a minute about LPHS and the good ol' times we had there it was allot of fun!

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN CHICKEN SWIMMING IN "GREECE"

...Now You Have We (Elder's Made It) And It Was SOOO Good!...

8/14/2012

Last night we tried out a recipe that Andrea (the investigator who we brought soup to) gave us her Fried Chicken recipe, so Elder Crowther and I fried chicken last night! It was sooo good! The batter was like amazing! I'll send pics next week cause I forgot the battery to my camera today!  Mom, can you put a little extra in my account so I can send some stuff home by mail today and buy a couple things here from Alabama to take with me, like a sweatshirt.  We are also having a movie night tonight for Andrea and her family so I would like to buy Little Caesars and treats for them, they really have nothing and I would like to have a little something special for them tonight!
These next 2 weeks are going to get even crazier… Elder Crowther and I promised that we were gonna work extra hard, even with the pending baptism’s, to push through these next 2 weeks here and try and set up some baptismal dates for the Elders that come after we leave!  I am super excited to get to Argentina, FINALLY but I feel sad for Sister Leavitt and Cahoon and we pray here in the apartment for them each day!  But it will be sad to leave here in many ways; this past transfer has been the BEST ever!!

Well I hope all is well back home, miss and love ya'll!!!!

Love,
Elder Draper PS ( You bought a pig?)