Day at the Mission Home

On the Friday of transfer week, there is always a Zone Leaders Council held at the mission home.  It is an all day affair with instruction from the President, and leadership training. Lunch is prepared and served to the Elders, and Sister Argyle asked me to help her prepare and serve the food.  Nancy, her housekeeper who usually helps her, wasn't available today because she had a son returning from his mission.  

Elder Kroff and I also had a part in the training. President Argyle asked me to explain the importance of the missionaries getting the baptism information to me in a timely manner, with all of the necessary information in it's proper place on the form, and in a readable condition. We'll see how well they listen and disburse the information on down the line.  Rich had to talk about finances, and help the President explain some new procedures that will go into effect immediately.   Then he was in and out of the kitchen smelling the food and helping in any way he could.  

The menu for lunch was a Russian dish called Salanka. Sister Argyle got the recipe from her mother who, with her husband, had served a mission to Russia a couple of years ago.  It was so good, and a very healthy meal.  It is made of hamburger, onions, green peppers, zucchini, 

tomatoes, and cabbage.  It all steams together making it's own juices, and then served over rice. Sister Argyle is all about having the missionaries eat healthy.  They loved it, and we loved it.  

Isn't she cute (the one on the right)!!  Then we served a tossed salad and an ice cream cake dessert that was purchased.  She usually makes zucchini cake, but didn't have time for it this time.  We had a nice time chatting and chopping vegetables.  I was glad she asked me to help.

Places were set for 20 Elders.  The Zone Leaders and Assistants to the President bring their companions to this meeting.  Lucky for the companions as they get to have lunch too.  

They all enjoyed the food and visiting together.  It was fun for us to meet Elders we haven't seen before.  We know the names, but had never met most of them.

After lunch and clean up, Sister Argyle started the transition of turning over all the missionary medical matters to me.  Starting Monday, I will be the one receiving calls from the missionaries on medical issues. I am to use my "years of experience" being a mother to discern if a missionary just has a cold, or if he/she needs to go to a doctor.  I will be in constant contact with the area doctor, Dr. Peterson.  I'm glad I know him from our contact with the senior couples in the area offices.  Rich will have to speak to the Latins, so we are both involved in this new assignment.  There are guidelines I follow, and a whole binder of things to read and digest. Sister Argyle has so much on her plate, that turning this over to us will help lighten her load.  I just hope we can do it, and not ignore something that could turn into a serious problem for the missionary.  But, I am sure Heavenly Father will help us.

After leaving the mission home and returning to the office, we had about a half hour before we were to leave to attend the security meeting at the area offices at Bonpland (the street where it is located).  The meeting was for all the senior couples in this area to discuss safety issues. Cristian Collins was the man in charge who is over the church's security matters for the missions in Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.  He is from Argentina.  He had prepared a powerpoint presentation to address safety matters to be aware of that related to vehicles, driving, banking, ATM's, trains and public transportation, walking the streets, and all kinds of tactics and ways that robbers distract people in order to steal from them.  There was valuable information given and we learned a lot.  We were waiting for the topic of apartment robberies to be discussed, but the powerpoint ended.  That's what we came for!!  So we brought it up.  

We suggested that something be put in place to insure that apartments where senior couples were moving into were equipped with more secure locks to prohibit illegal entry, even if the couple had to take care of getting it done- - - they just needed to be warned about doing it. After some discussion, Brother Collins said the Missionary Dept. of the church should be the ones to take care of that.  We didn't see why the area security departments attached to each mission couldn't take steps to warn either mission presidents, or the senior couples themselves of the potential dangers in the area.

After the meeting, Elder Barton, one of the senior missionaries, came up to us and asked us if we were willing to write a letter of our experience and what was done to secure our apartment after the robbery.  He used to work somewhere with church security.  He has been robbed twice since being here, and he knows someone in the missionary department with whom he has been in contact.  He said he was in the process of writing a letter to him (I think about their experience) and said he would attach our letter and wanted us to take a picture of the locks put on our doors.  We readily agreed to email a letter to him.  We just don't want this to happen to anyone else.