Week #5 in Argentina

 We continue to gain understanding of how we can help members, leaders and missionaries on our mission as that is the major part of our calling as MLS missionaries in Argentina.   There are three pairs of missionaries serving in the Pilar Ward and we took two of the pairs to lunch at McDonalds on separate days to ask them how we could help them and from those meetings scheduled a night to go visit newly baptized members and begin to talk about the temple and what they needed to do to begin preparing to go to the temple.  We visited 5 families on Thursday night and below are pictures from those visits.

Thanks to Elder Carter for being our photographer in the foreground of every picture  :)   It's a bit of a challenge to talk about the temple when they are still so unsure of what it means to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints but we want them to get to the temple on a Ward Temple Trip in March so we want to get them thinking about a recommend and planning to go.  Its about a one hour bus ride to the Buenos Aires Temple so it's a bit of a commitment.  We love seeing their excitement over their baptism and learning how to live closer to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

I was impressed that even though we were taking the missionaries to lunch at McDonalds they didn't miss a beat in talking to people at McDonalds while waiting for our food to arrive

We love hearing about traditions that get started and passed around the missionaries..the picture below makes us smile as the Elder on the left, Elder Olson, is one of the Assistants to the President (AP).  You will note the suit he is wearing is about 4 sizes to small for him, this is because this suit is passed down from AP to AP and worn by each of them...no one could tell me how long this suit has been passed down but he wears it proudly, even though the fit is a tad tight.   Makes me smile every time I see him wear it.   The basketball is signed by any missionary that can beat the Mission President in 3 point shooting.

We spent a morning going to visit the Japanese Gardens in Buenos Aires and also the "Barrio Chino" or China town in Buenos Aires.   The gardens were beautiful and gifted to the City by the Japanese citizens of Buenos Aires back in the 1960's and were a very tranquil place to wander.   This weekend is a busy holiday weekend in Buenos Aires where they celebrate the "Carnaval" so the streets of Chinatown were busy..lots of great food (including some very expensive Dr. Pepper) and good shopping for a wide variety of cheap goods.   It's fun to take a break each week and explore the city that we live in.

The last two pictures are carvings from tree stumps in the gardens...pretty amazing to turn dead trees into such works of art.

And lastly, we attended a training for new missionaries in the mission and as part of that training they are taken to the park in which Elder Ballard dedicated the South American continent to the teaching of the gospel back in 1924 and the monument below in the park commemorates that event.  This is a picture of us with President and Sister Jackson.

There were many events celebrating the 100th anniversary of this event and during one such event in this park last year, Elder Renlund planted this oak tree in memory of Elder Ballards prediction that the Church in South America would start off as a small acorn (we call all new missionaries in the mission, "Bellotas" or acorns) but would grow into a strong oak tree as time passed.   (Missionaries leaving the mission are called "robles" or oaks)

Another great week in Buenos Aires, we love it here and we are learning so much, sometimes the hard way but we are learning slowly but surely.  We are grateful for this blessing of being missionaries for our Savior Jesus Christ.