Two weeks (mas o menos)

Yes, even senior missionaries have ups and downs. The past week and a half was filled with both. Last Monday we were doing some service helping a member get firewood. Many people in this area use firewood to help heat their houses and will even use it to cook. As I (Brian) was helping to load up our truck with the wood I accidentally hit the back window of the truck creating a gaping hole and cracking the glass. It didn't completely shatter but it's certainly not good. This was not the start to the week we wanted to have. It's now been almost two weeks and we've finally found a place that has the window in stock and can replace it, so this Monday we'll be driving two hours to get it repaired (and paying about $300!).

The week then got better as the new couple that is coming to replace us arrived, the Barlows. They are the couple on the left of this picture. Elder Barlow is the older brother of our mission President, who is on the far right of this picture with his wife. We are super excited to have the Barlows here in Ibarreta! They have known for several months that they would come up here to replace us and decided it would be best to come and spend some time with us before we leave. It's only been a few days and they are already a huge help. It was a shaky start for them. The house they are living in was where a previous missionary couple had lived, but it's been empty for 3 months. When they arrived things in the house were supposed to be all ready to go. But it was super dirty. They spent almost two days cleaning. Maybe after a few months in Ibarreta they'll get used to the dust, humidity and spiders all sharing your house with you.

We continue to meet with Griselda twice a week to help her with literacy classes. It has been one of the best experiences of our mission getting to know her and sharing stories together, we will miss her. Every time we visit she beams with excitement as she shows us her completed tarea (homework) for the week. And she usually shares with us something she has read in the scriptures or the church magazines. This week after our lesson she invited us to stay and showed us how to make empanadas. I think we mentioned one time needing to learn how to make them and she remembered that. It was funny. She brought us into her kitchen and got me (Brian) a seat and then put Martha to work in the kitchen preparing the empanadas. I guess, as the man, I'm not supposed to work in the kitchen preparing food. We told her that we do most of the cooking together, so she let me help with the empanadas.

Last Saturday we helped with a birthday party for Selma Casili in the colonia. She's part of the primary that Martha teaches every week and her family is the core of the church in the colonia. Without the Casili family the church might not have become as strong as it is now. They support so many people in learning the gospel and just being friendly with everyone. The are great examples to us and everyone else around them. The party was fun. They asked Martha to help with some games but they also had some "professional" talent come. They hired someone to teach some dances and entertain the kids for about an hour. After that no one really wanted play games but Martha did do "pin the ears on Mickey". You can see those pictures at the end of this post.

Also this week we had a family home evening with the Rivero family. They are new members that were baptized about 3 weeks ago. They are married with 6 kids, 5 girls and 1 boy (the youngest is the boy and he's not in this picture). They are what some might refer to as a "golden" family. They were ready for the gospel. He told me that when the missionaries stopped by their house he was not really interested but decided he'd invite them back and listen to what they had to say. After that first visit, he knew that the gospel of Jesus Christ is what his family needed. Two weeks later they were baptized. After our visit they gifted us some artisanal crafts that they make. One is a hat that I'm wearing and the others are plate holders. We've received several crafts like this during our time here.

We also said goodbye to one of the missionaries that had been serving here, Elder Cluff. He ended his two years of missionary service and is now back home in Utah with his family. He was a hard worker and the people really loved him. They love all the missionaries!. This group photo was taken at his farewell activity.

A few months ago we found a box of church magazines that had not been delivered to the members. There is no mail service here so the magazines all arrive together at the church. We decided to take the box and hand delivery them to each member. We've done this now a few times and each time we've done it there have been miracles. This past week we took the Barlows with us so that they could meet the members and get to know them. At one house we stopped by the husband was home by himself, his wife had gone for a few days to visit family and his kids were gone for the evening attending their university classes. At first he seemed to be acting a bit different. Martha and I both noted the difference in his demeanor. He invited us in and we sat down to talk. As we sat down he began to share some family history he had been doing and talking to us about his family. We asked questions and as we talked you could see his demeanor change. This good brother has had some struggles with depression and I think us showing up that night helped him pull out of whatever mood he might have been in. It's amazing how the Lord knows his children and opens the way for us to help one another, and at the time we need it.

So, after starting off not so good with the broken window, things got much better! But then I got sick. Some type of flu, or maybe just a bad cold. It was the first time in a year getting sick here in Argentina. It had me been down for two full days. It was horrible. But now I'm feeling better and ready to get going again. This weekend is our district conference and we'll have a visit from the mission president. We are looking forward to it.

We love you all and look forward to seeing many of you very shortly!