Letter 5

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We are happy, healthy and strengthening our testimonies of Jesus Christ.  We are grateful for his gift to all of us.  We know the gospel is true and that each of us can touch another’s life with a kind word, hug or a smile. 

It is great to be in the mission field during the holidays.  The missionaries are great.  We have a new appreciation for these young missionaries.  They work so hard and are dedicated, teaching and following their leaders council and reaching out to so many.   They are valiant and an example to all.  It is amazing their energy and willingness to serve.  Parents you should be so proud of all they do.  Being here we realize more and more what they do.  They are amazing!

One of my favorite sayings is “Gratitude is the Hearts Memory”

Today my heart has such a full memory of all those good things and life. 

We are so grateful.

We were able to attend the Buenos Aires Temple with the Area Missionaries and the Presidency last week.  They are all such great examples, talented and in the place they each need to be.  Each leaving loved ones at home and knowing that sometimes loving is leaving.  Hard to do but so important to understand what truly is important in this life. Each couple striving to do all that they have been called to do and much more and helping to bring others into the gospel.. 

Sunday night we attended a Christmas Cantata.  The music was wonderful and such talent.  We love Christmas music and so fun to hear our favorites sung in Spanish and knowing what they were singing. 

The sisters went on a field trip today to see red carpet and Christmas decoration and visit one of our couples who are archiving the area history items .  Fun day.  The senior couples have much more leeway than the younger missionaries.  So we have quite a few activities planned for the holidays.

We are excited to share Christmas with the sister missionaries from our ward.  Their request was mashed potatoes and gravy.  I think they get a lot of rice and beans.  What an easy request.   We even made ice cream cake roll, one of our family favorites.

Still getting use to what things are and not being able to find normal US things.

But finding favorite Argentine foods.  Fruits and Vegies are amazing.

Will close for now with our love and prayers for each of you to a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year! 

Buenos Aires Temple

Area Presidency and Senior Missionary Couples

Letter 4

Hi!  The time is going by quickly and here it is two weeks and I haven’t written.  We have been pretty busy and are learning more each day.  Loving the people and the experiences.  Although I wonder sometimes what is going on. Ron is my rock.  He is taking such good care of me and making the experience even better.

I am studying Spanish and catch words here and there but never realized how vulnerable and helpless you can feel when you really don’t understand what someone is saying.   Especially when you want to.  It has given me time to reflect and learn from these beautiful people and also put life into perspective.

I am so grateful for the faith I have and the understanding that I am a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father, also for the understanding that he loves each one of his children and only wants the best for them.  Today as I set in Relief Society I thought about the many things that the Argentina culture teaches.

They greet you with a hola and a hug and kiss on the cheek.  A smile to let you know that you are not a lone and that you are welcome.  They greet everyone that way and it’s fun to watch them go around the room. 

They are very dedicated and bring their friends and family with them.

We have the experience of working with the open chapel program which is very busy this time of the year.  It is like an open house where people can come in and see what goes on in the church.  Each ward and stake in the area plan an event  during the year where they can welcome their neighbors to come and see.  It can be very effective and touch many lives.  They have a banner of Christ in the chapel and banners in the cultural hall with missionaries explaining the basics.  The tour takes about 10-15 min.  The organizations set up rooms to show what the benefits for families are.  It’s fun to be a part of this and see how they can touch the one.

Also today was our primary program.  It brought a sense of love and calm to me knowing that no matter where you are that the little children in the gospel are learning the same songs and principles. It is so fun to watch them on the stand, smiling at parents , grandparents, friends and members singing their hearts out, and melting ours.  The music is universal.  It is fun to sing the songs in Spanish.  I can put many of the words to the music and love the Christmas songs.

Last Saturday night we had a big event in the park for the Light of Christ.  Was so fun with balloons for kids to write and attach notes on and let them go, beautiful choir and digital choir.  So fun to be there with the other missionary couples.  They are each so great and such an example of love and devotion.  Love there examples and humor. 

The temperature is getting hotter.  89 yesterday, lots of humidity.  They say it will be hot through the middle of February, sometimes into march. 

On Saturday we went to Recoleta to the artisan fair and to the cemetery.   Fun to see their wares and the cemetery is hugh and amazing.  We will go back when it’s not so hot.

Well I will close for tonight.  Our love and prayers are with you all.  We hope that this holiday season finds you remembering, serving and loving others.  What a wonderful time of year to celebrate Christ and all that he has done for us.  It’s true!

Abrazos,

Fourth Missionary Post

Sometimes I have a stupor of thought

   In keeping the poems alive

But we’ll work on keeping them going through,

   Even though it’s only followed by five.

A “Light the World” program in a nearby park

   Got the season started off right.

They had lots of singers, a big screen too,

   And balloons headed up in the night.

We did a a training in a far away ward,

   Each visit is never the same,

And got the privilege for fighting the herd,

   As we drove home in the driving rain.

We met a couple who were called serve

   To run the the kids treks down here,

They run from January  to April,

   Then are off for some months of the year.

A solitary home on a far away farm,

   Few groceries out in the sticks,

They asked us if we would like to help,

   And all that I thought of was “Ick!”

We are getting better with our good old stove,

   Even though the racks are wavy,

Helen really hit the spot,

   When she made hamburger gravy!

Then even taking the next step up,

  We had an ice cream social,

She baked a cake, got some ice cream here

  And made an ice cream cake roll!

They have had some artisan fairs nearby

   Where craftsman showed off their wares

We got some great looking Nativities,

   To bring Christmas into the air!

We continue to love the people here,

   A couple named Castro came,

 And taught us about loving and serving and such

       Would that all of us could be the same.

  Getting closer to Christmas,

         hope all there are well

  If you have some good Christmas stories,

        We’d like to hear them, tell!