April 22, 2013: This is our first day at the Provo Mission Training Center.  We had gotten up about 4 am to finish collecting and packing.  Megan got up and drove us to the airport about 6:20 and it was a fast trip through the airport (Joan packed hair color in her carry-on and though she was going to lose it).  We only forgot a  few items.  Needless to say, we did not get breakfast and we hurried through airports and shuttles to get to the MTC.  There were almost 100 senior missionaries in our group and it was impressive to hear the assignments they had.    

After the meetings, we ran and got a few items at the bookstore (badges in Spanish and such) and we ran into Sister R McDowell.  Later, at dinner we ran into Ben Williams from our YSA ward who was leaving in the morning for his mission in Virginia. He was so excited to see us.  We had gotten close to him and had been very encouraging to him.  We had our first real meal of the day and I enjoyed it (grilled Chicken breasts with gravy, mixed veges, red potatoes, roll and I tried a couple other items including splurging on three ice cream novelties). (we did gain weight in the MTC)  

It was a full day (really month since we got our call Monday March 25– usually with only 3 - 5 hours sleep each night trying to get everything done: requirements as shots, visa paper work, finances- credit cards and auto pay, house improvements & repairs, buying clothes and other necessary items for 2 yrs, packing, farewells, a year’s worth of birthday parties for grand-kids  instructions, finish my book – which I sent off last Friday to Deseret Book; finish, organize, and mail the blessings I had given in the nearly 1yr 8 months since I was called to be a patriarch, ward sacrament talks on blessings of living prophets, setting apart, getting kids here and having joint activities, etc).

The day had its touching, spiritual moments.  Sitting with the elders and sisters and feeling their spirit and excitement, seeing friends and making connections with the other senior couples, being grateful for our call to serve with Elder Gonzalaz, etc.

Today has finally come to be a full time missionary the excitement, worry and concern of what it will be like has all disappeared as the sweet spirit comes over you when you hear a young sister missionary call out your name and come and give you a hug and express joy for seeing someone she knows in a sea of white shirts and name-tags. When you walk into the cafeteria and the most beautiful sound of music coming from a table at the far end of the room with sisters and elders from islands in the pacific singing. Tears come to my eyes and confirm to me we made the right decision. 

April 24, 2013: Yesterday we had some good instruction on teaching and were told we that today we would be teaching an “investigator” about the restoration. Everyone was nervous and worried. We had time to have some instruction and then we were taken to our cubicle to meet our investigator.  His name was Donald Durant.  I looked at him and he looked like George Durant and when he spoke it was George Durant.  It was such a thrill for me I could hardly focus on what we were doing.  Playing the part of an investigator, he told us his wife had died and he had sold his property and moved to a new city where he had another place but he didn’t know anyone there and so had gotten very lonely and started drinking wine. It was quite a challenge keeping up with him because he was trying to move us all around the map of topics.  After we finished he asked where we were going and we told him.  Then I told him “you are someone special” and asked if he was the man that gave that talk and he said they would shot him if he told.  I hugged him and told him how much I loved that talk and he hugged me again real hard and I cried.  The supervisors confirmed that it was him.

We meet a senior couple that are friends of my sister, Janet.  We got pictures with Elder Huges and Cara Dodini both from hour home ward

Apr 26:  Our last day at the MTC and our practice session was to take on the role of an inactive couple that we knew.  We had a very Tender Mercy experience with the couple that took on the role of our Missionaries.

We left the MTC and Joan’s sister, Jean, took us to her house.  Christina (Joan’s niece) took us to dinner at James’ new restaurant.

May 1 We survived the all night flight to Buenos Aires.  The couple (Elder & Sister Raymond) that picked us up got us to our little apartment.  We are on the 7th floor.  Everything here is locked apartments complexes.  We had empenadas for lunch. We met the presidency and they are wonderful people that have given their all to the Lord. The Raymonds then took us shopping to a Jumbo store and it really was Jumbo but surprisingly expensive.  We unpacked and crashed that night with the sound of the city of Buenos Aires coming through our windows.  (Partly because today was their labor day and so a holiday and people were partying.)  The office was also closed and so we had the day off.  Great bit of luck to help us get ourselves more acclimatized.

 We sleep in, made a late breakfast and then went with the Raymonds and a couple from Canada to look at the Japanese gardens.  It started to rain so off we went in the closest bus and eventually found a nice restaurant where your mom and I shared a steak dinner with grilled onions, rice, French fries with a fried egg on top, calabasa (like a mashed sweet potato or pumpkin), a grilled green chili, and thick piece of grilled cheese, and of course bread and a Fanta.  I had to mention it because it was quite amazing.


May 4 was Saturday and we went with another of the Senior Couples to a famous Buenos Aires Cemetery.  The picture is me standing next to Ava Peron's crypt.  We then on for some shopping in the park next to the cemetery with lots of street vendors.

May 5 Sunday we rode a bus to our ward.  Actually a very strong ward and they were preparing for their ward conference next Sunday.  They caught Joan and put her in the Choir singing in Spanish.

May 7  I ran the agenda, computer and took minutes as the exc. sec for my first area Presidency meeting as the executive secretary.  We started off the day with a weekly devotional they have for all the employees and missionaries.  Elder Zeballos was the assigned speaker and I will describe his talk in next week’s entry. 

That afternoon the area presidency had a video conference practice session with SL for their area report.  Elder Christofferson was in attendance on the SL side.  It was very interesting to work the slides for the Presidency and hear them answer questions from Elder Christofferson.

9 May  Yesterday I was in another practice (for the area SAS area review) teleconference with Elder Christofferson and we will hold another one tomorrow.  Today was felt harder because we could not get anything done.  Joan had to stay home to be in the apartment for some painters that painted one room, and at the office they took my computer away to set it up for me so I was not able to work on the mounds of requests for boundary changes and new bishop requests that come in daily.

14 It was my second area presidency meeting and it was my turn to give the spiritual thought - in Spanish.  And what thought could I give to 3 Elders from the first quorum of seventy? 

Elder Zeballos’ devotional last week was about perfection. He described how we should look at it as a way to stretch ourselves and grow as we do our best under the circumstances that we are placed under.  God loves us, knows our circumstances and wants us to help us succeed.  He inspired everyone whether as missionaries or employed by the Church to understand that what they do (analogy of Paul’s body of the church) is important and we can be perfect in our effort if we love the Lord.  He spoke of how JS translated Mathew where Jesus is fasting 40 days and he calls on ministering angels to go help John the Baptist who was in prison (vs. himself as in the King James).  Christ was concerned about others even in his weakened, needy situation.  It got me thinking that when we think of perfection we think of something impossible and requiring very hard work.  Yet from my experience with my own family gatherings, when we think of making a great dinner party for our family, we want the best meat, best vegetables, the house and yard cleaned and setup for the activity because we look forward to being together and enjoying a delicious meal –we want everything just right or perfect.  During all the hard work and preparation, we look forward to it and even anticipate the joy of being together, having a satisfying meal and interacting with ones we love.  Perfection should be looked at in the same way.  We do not have to think of perfection as this mountain we have to climb but this great event we are preparing for to be together with our Heavenly Parents and we are doing our best in preparation to have a delicious supper with Christ, God and the ones we love – or in other words, we should think of perfection as doing our best in preparation for a great feast with those we love.


Here is our neighborhood supermarket.  Every block has either a supermarket, panadaria (bakery) or Verduras (vegies and fruits) or carniceria (butcher).