Week #15 in Argentina

 This month has continued to be a month of road trips as we complete apartment inspections for missionaries in the Northernmost areas in the mission.   We just completed a road trip delivering a contract to San Pedro and then heading to Gualeguaychu to spend the night and inspect the three apartments there.  I have learned that each mission has an area that all the elders want to serve in, mostly because they are so far away and often different than the rest of the areas in the mission.  In the Texas Dallas mission, it was serving in Pecos Tx, in Lima Peru North it was serving in Iquitos and in the Buenos Aires North Mission its serving in Gualeguaychu.   It's a town that supports three sets of elders that is as far north as you can go in our mission on the border with Uruguay.



It had a beautiful cathedral in the city center with artistic paintwork throughout the building, we have always enjoyed visiting cathedrals wherever we travel.  So many small towns have these majestic cathedrals built in the early 1800's that so many sacrificed to build.  We always get interesting looks as we enter Catholic churches as missionaries, but we can acknowledge a mutual interest in Jesus Christ and bringing people to know Him and his teachings.

In the picture above all the detail on the ceilings is paint likely due to the cost involved with trying to that detail in stone as in other cathedrals but the effect is breathtaking, nonetheless.   I admire the painters over 100 years ago taking the time to create these ceilings.

We were eating at a Burger King on our way home and this young man came up to us at our table and asked if he could have some food.   One thing about serving as missionaries is that you develop a tender spot for the people that you are called to serve and perhaps because I miss my grandchildren as I serve I took him over to the order kiosks and bought him a Junior Whopper kids meal.  The look on his face as he received his meal and went upstairs to eat his meal was priceless and made us feel pretty good also.  Hopefully he will have a soft spot in his heart if the young missionaries ever track him down to teach him.  

In a similar vein this one also came up to us with a wistful look in his face as we ate in a Pizza Restaurant along the river in Gualeguaychu.  I will admit he got a few pepperoni and crusts, I have a soft spot in my heart for dogs also I suppose.


I suppose I should also comment on another cultural aspect of Argentina that fascinates us and that is the habit of most Argentinians to drink Yerbe Mate at all hours of the day.   It is most akin to an herbal tea that is prepared in special cups made from hollowed out gourds and special straws with a strainer on one end.



The cup is filled with the dry herb mix and then hot water poured in the mix and then sipped through the straw.   At all hours of the day, people have the cups in their hands and a thermos of hot water and they pour and sip.   After our church meetings members gather in the kitchen and socialize drinking mate.  There are even kiosks around the city that offer hot water for their mate.


And some statues honoring famous people show them drinking Mate (Ha)


Some elders gave us a box of Mate and a Mate Cup (that they signed) and demanded we try it.   It was likely a one and done experience as we didn't like it very much. (the video of us trying it is quite entertaining that has been passed around the mission a bit). They say the first time is always like that and after a few days of drinking it you will learn to love it.   We think we will just stay with our Diet Coke for now.

We began teaching an English Connect class in the Pilar Ward that we attend.  We had 11 students with ages ranging from 18 to likely in their 60's and they were all very excited to learn English for a variety of reasons.   It went well and we will teach a class every Thursday night for the foreseeable future.  It's a great opportunity to get to know Ward members better as it's been challenging on Sundays with how busy they are.   Linda baked her chocolate chip cookies for them which they all loved.   Linda spends a lot of time baking cookies and banana bread for members, friend and missionaries which they all love.

As always, a busy week full of 3 zone conferences and lots of driving but we love feeling useful and blessing the lives of as many people as we can through our service.   We miss our family but feel this has been a great opportunity to serve at this stage in our life.   


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