Hello again...

"Our" bakery, (they sell lunch items also), sandwiches,
empenadas, tortes, (notice I didn't get a picture of them)

We like Argentina but we are still getting used to the food. (none of the same cuts of beef and most provided by a butcher), milk in plastic bags, spices are harder to find, less can goods, lots of very small stores on about every block. They do have lots of good pastries though.

My big events have been the video conference area review with the 12 and the visit of apostle elder Cook. He has been here and I have heard him speak 4 times and mom has been in two of his meetings. We even got to shake his hand several times.

they also have some great bread
and this young lady always helps us

Coming to Argentina has its scary parts but also has its exciting parts and we are learning a lot and helping a lot of people.  Joan and I are having a good time being together 24-7 (but then again you may want to verify that with her).  We have made wonderful friends because there are so many wonderful senior missionary couples and humble, sincere members here.

here are the sisters that are working here

The three brethren in the presidency are all from the 1^st quorum of 70 and truly wonderful.  All the senior missionaries are wonderful and each couple is unique with very different backgrounds and doing very different assignments.  Sometimes the couples are assigned here because of specialized skills or backgrounds of the husbands and the wives have to make a job for themselves.  It makes the transition a little harder for them.  Joan has plenty to do in our office but unfortunately I have very little time to instructor her.  She has been a trooper and learning a lot of new computer skills.

May 24 Well, let’s see what I did today.  I found that I did not email in a letter to the first presidency for a stake president change and we were not sure if Pres Gonzalez had.  So, I called the secretary for the quorum of the twelve and talked to him to see if he was aware of this call or seen an email from Pres Gonzalez.  He was very friendly and talked about how they missed Elder Gonzalez in Salt Lake.  He asked about me and envied me getting to work with him (actually I have found a lot of people envy this calling), but he found no email.  So, I e-mailed the letter to the executive secretary of the 1^st presidency and the quorum of the twelve, and copied Elder Christofferson and Elder Soares, and got answers back from everyone but Elder Soares.  Elder Christofferson’s email came right away and the secretary of the 1^st presidency emailed me from his phone.  Who would believe I would be getting emails from Elder Christofferson or the secretaries of the first presidency. 

25 This was Saturday.  We cleaned and did laundry in our multi use washer-dryer (it really does wash then dry but you can only put 3 shirts or two towels in at a time).  I had a Priesthood Leadership Conference I was going to in the afternoon and some of the other adult missionaries invited Joan to go to China town with them for lunch and shopping.  It seems that the China town shops have a lot of spices and food items not usually found in the Argentine stores.

Our dining room, living room and family room w/ bookcase

Elder Fuss and I took a rental car/driver (remis or private rental, cheaper than a taxi if it is a long way and you schedule it early) across town to where the PLC was held.  There are few freeways and the streets are mostly one way with very few stop lights – its first come first go through. (it is amazing that they do not have more accident, but no one gets up too much speed.  It took us about an hour to go about 25 miles.)  It was also their holiday, 25 of May or constitution day, and there were parties everywhere and traffic was very congested.
 

I learned what a PLC, Priesthood Leadership Conference, is although I did go to an early version of it as a Bishop.  Elder Cook explained that in 1964 the 12 could get out to see all of the stakes of the church about once a year.  With the number of stakes in the church today it would take them 28 years to visit them all.  So they invite all the stakes in an area with their bishops to come to a 4 hour training session.  That includes 2 hours of talks and training and a break and an hour 30 min of questions and answers and 15 minutes to conclude which usually ends in an apostolic blessing on those in attendance and their families.  This way they hope to visit about every stake once every 4 years.

Everyone was seated early. Elder Cook, Elder Maynes, Elder Gonzalez, and an area 70, Elder Costa came in together.  Elder Cook and Maynes had flown all night and arrived that morning about 9 o’clock.  Elder Cook said that he wanted to shake hands with all the attendees, so, row by row everyone filled by and shook hands with Elder Cook, Elder Maynes and Elder Gonzalez.  It was very impressive and went very quickly.  Elder Cook had a translator (Carlos Aguiero) that translated his talk to Spanish and translated the Spanish speakers into English for him.  The brother was amazingly good.  I talked to him during the break and he first said, “I know you.”  And then asked if I had been in Argentina before.  I said I served my mission here in 1970 and 71.  He asked where and I said Mendoza in Godoy Cruz.  He said that he was a convert in 1967 in Godoy Cruz and remembered me and we talked about some of the people we knew back then.   He went on a mission to France before they had an MTC for him, so he went to France and had to learn English to communicate with his companions and the mission president and French for his mission all on his own.  He now speaks five languages- definitely a gift and a memory.   They had a “bag lunch” for us and I did not get to mine immediately.  When they restarted all of them had finished and ready to take more notes and I was only half finished.

The talks were great.  Elder Maynes give his in Spanish even though it had been several years since he had had to speak in Spanish.  It was the first time I had heard Elder Gonzalez give a talk.  He is a very comfortable speaker and has a gift to be able to express his feelings and thoughts very well, and so he easily keeps your attention.

Elder Cook spoke of Prophetic Priorities.  The first two were, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to be righteous and worth.  When the 12 were writing Preach my Gospel they put in the section about the attributes of Christ so the young elders would develop a habit of cultivating Christ like attributes by studying Christ and His life.  He said that should be a priority for all of us.  He told the stake presidents and bishops that they were good enough to accomplish their callings and that heaven is as close to you as it is to the 12; that the 12 have to do the same things as they do to get and keep the spirit.

Elder Maynes talked about real or true growth.  That is the current theme here in South America.     He talked about how we must teach doctrine and then add how to practice or apply it. He mentioned how Pres Monson would teach doctrine and then tell a story about how the doctrine had been applied.  He quoted Alma 31:34-35 about how Alma had to bring them back again, so, he even struggled with reactivation.

Elder Gonzalez stated that real growth is key (he uses the word "clave" for key or the nail that holds it all together).   He emphasizes the role the priesthood has to fortify and bless the marriage and the family.  He said sealing of husband and wife creates a family by creating eternal companions but Love is a decision, in fact it is a commandment not a suggestion.  He said the gospel and the church asks of us more always more but with young adults they ask less.  He said we have to be very careful and quoted the last few verses of 3 Nephi 1 about how the Zoramites lead away the children and youth by their lyings and flattering words to join the secret combinations.  He called on the priesthood leaders to neutralize the effects of today’s Zoramites.  He called on them to fortify them in their priesthood quorums and quoted Elder Widtsoe the importance of the priesthood being organized and fulfilling their duties and we shall not fail.  
Elder Costa spoke of the tsunami of missionaries coming and how we must use them.  It has been said that a lot of the sister missionaries will be coming to South American countries.