A Strange Saturday

We woke up today to clouds, rain, and cold weather. The forecast said so, but we were hoping it was wrong. For the first time in the two and a half months that we have been in Buenos Aires, we have a free Saturday with nothing on our agenda.  Nope, nothing to do.  It seems strange.  So we started out by cleaning our apartment.  Now with three rooms, that doesn't take long.  We did take a break and talk to Paul and Denise on Skype.  At home, Rich would go to his brother's house at 7:30 a.m. every Saturday to have hot chocolate with them.  It's been a tradition.  So to keep it going, they talk, with their drink in hand, at 10:30 a.m. our time, and 7:30 a.m. Tooele time. 

Rich took our sheets, towels, and bedspread across the street to the Lavadero to have the laundry service do them.  My washing machine is really small and only holds three days of underwear and white shirts.  So I wash frequently at home.  With the humidity here, it takes about one and a half to two days for things to dry on my clothes line rack which, of course, has to be set up in the living room. 

We wanted to take a train ride to one of the close by communities (still within our mission) to see what was there.  But, we didn't want to go and be miserable if the weather didn't cooperate. So, to test it out, we decided to walk over to the Farmacia and get a couple prescriptions filled.

We have been going here ever since we came.  They are really friendly and try hard to find the kind of medicine we want and cater to our needs.  No prescriptions needed . . . . just the name of the drug, and we buy it over the counter.  

When there is not one of the male pharmacists there working, they lock the store and have this window open where business is transacted.  It is a security measure, for sure.  All other stores and eating establishments have security guards present.  Seems like a boring job to have, but it is a necessity here.  

She was most happy to accommodate us in having her picture taken.  We, Americans, probably seem strange to some people because of the odd things we choose to capture in a picture.

We picked up a few items at Disco, the grocery store next door to the Farmacia, (the one where Rich broke the glass door with his head), and then came home.  

It was too cold and wet to go anywhere else, so I decided to make some rice pudding.  We thought we would spend a quiet evening not doing much, and then the phone rang. It was Elder Miranda telling us that at 8:30 p.m. tonight, he and his companion were having a baptism at our church.  Should we go, we thought?   Of course, we are missionaries.  We need to support them and the new convert.   It was a husband and wife who were baptized.  They belong to the branch that meets in our ward building.  So we won't have any contact with them.  But it was still nice to be there and show support.  President Argyle was there also.  He was the one who interviewed them for baptism. 

After it was over, the Elders asked us if we could take them home in the office car.  President Argyle had suggested it, because it was late and past the time they were suppose to be home. Walking would have made them really late.  We are so glad we took them.  We were surprised at how far away they lived.  It really made me appreciate missionaries and the sacrifices they make in serving these missions all over the world.