Hello again...
"Our" bakery, (they sell lunch items also), sandwiches, empenadas, tortes, (notice I didn't get a picture of them) |
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 |
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 1st 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 1st 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.
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.
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