Week 1?

We think we have been in Argentina for a week but it seems much longer.  When our boys were on a mission they would say the days are like weeks and the weeks are like days. That is exactly how we feel.  

It's been a very strange first week.  We are assigned to work in a town called Ibarreta in Formosa province but our little house is not ready yet.  They say it's quite old and needs work to update the electrical and plumbing. I guess that's important (haha).  

In the meantime this past week we followed President and Hermana Barlow (the mission leaders) to a stake conference in Posadas, Misiones. It is a beautiful coastal town across the Parana River from Paraguay.   The stake conference was great. Martha is getting used to the Argentinian accent but was able to understand most of the speakers.  At the conference we met a group of American youth on humanitarian aid trip. They were fun to watch and observe.  

After the stake conference in Posadas we left for Iguazu Falls, which is about 4 hours away.  Iguazu Falls is like Niagra Falls on super steroids!  Iguazu is gigantic.  Niagara is like a drip from the garden house compared to Iguazu.

Visiting Iguazu made me think about the creation of the earth and the vast beauty God created.  Before coming to Argentina we made a trip to visit my brother Dan and his wife Laurie in Susanville.  They showed us all of God's beauty right in their backyard.  So many awesome places all around them. When I think of these creations I think about how much God loves us as his children and that he created this earth for us to enjoy but also to learn and grow. He also created this earth so that His son could come down to earth and pay the price for our sins so we can become perfected and sanctified in order to return to God's presence. I know that God lives and loves each of us as his children.  He knows us and wants us to have joy in this life.  The Book of Mormon teaches that "men are that they might have joy." 

We hope and pray that you all find joy!  

Yummy milanesa napolitana (mi favorita) 

Posadas (along el Rio Parana). This river goes south all the way to my old mission in Rosario. 

Our hotel in Iguazu.  It was like a jungle (get it because Iguazu IS a jungle?)

And here are all the obligatory pics of Iguazu. We have so many more. There is no possible way to depict this place in a photo. You have to experience it LIVE (en vivo)

 

That's a monkey!

We took a boat tour of the Falls. They actually drive you directly into the Falls. We got soaked from head to toe.  It was so much fun! Not at all like the jungle cruise at Disneyland.  

This is a coatí.  These guys are all over the park in Iguazu.  

These are our mission leaders. President Brad Barlow and his wife Angela Barlow. They are awesome!  We loved hanging out with them for a day.  This is lunch at a parilla.