Scary Night

Last night I could not get warm, even under the super thick blanket that is on our bed. My feet stayed cold all night and I woke up several times during the night being uncomfortable. Rich's body heat helped, but I didn't want to put my cold feet on him for fear it would wake him up. Our apartment was chilly when we went to bed and with the freezing day we had yesterday, I guess I just got chilled clear to the bone and couldn't come out of it. Boy, did the hot shower feel good this morning.

Today was just about as bad. We didn't have rain, but there was a cold breeze, and the temperature dropped into the 30's and probably stayed there or in the low 40's all day today. I had to wear my coat in the morning for a while until the office got heated up really good.

When the elders came in, did they ever have a story to tell. They got a call last night at midnight from one of the assistants who told them that there were two elders that never reported in at the end of the day. The rule is that each companionship calls the district leader after 9:00 when they are safely in their apartments for the night. Then, the district leader reports to the zone leader that everyone is safe and at home.

When these two elders did not report in, they could not be reached by telephone either. So the district leader went to their place and pounded on the door. The neighbors heard the racket, but no answer from inside. Finally, he had to call one of the assistants to the President and he, in turn, called President Argyle who is still down South with his family having a little vacation after the zone conferences. Other people alerted were Bro. Collins from the Area Security, and the bishop who started calling to find out who the elders had been visiting during the evening.

The reason our two elders were called is that Elder Valente has keys to all the apartments in the mission. He was told to go over to the apartment and open it up and see if they were inside. So Elders Valente and Nelson had to get up and drive about 1/2 hour to the elders' apartment. Once there, the key they had didn't work in the door. So they pounded and pounded and tried everything to get inside. Finally, they had to kick the door in. The elders were in bed asleep and did not wake up until the light in their room was turned on. They said they had called the district leader's number and left a message on his voice mail. But the message did not appear. One elder was distraught about the whole thing, but the other one was a little unconcerned and didn't see what the fuss was all about. They were safe.

Elders Valente and Nelson could not get over that the missionaries could sleep through all the racket. Their cell phone was in the living room plugged in and on silent. No wonder they didn't hear the calls. They should have had their phone in the bedroom with them. They didn't take much ownership for the upset evening. Our elders got back home and in bed at 3:00. Needless to say, they were a bit tired today. They said all kinds of things were going through their minds. We have had quite a few robberies in our mission the last few weeks, so they had them pictured laying in a gutter somewhere, or kidnapped, or dead in their beds. They were freaked out to say the least. But, all is well thank goodness!!

Today, I received an email from President Argyle stating that a sister missionary who is scheduled to leave in September, is going to leave a month early and could I rearrange her flight plan, get necessary letters and the certificate ready. Wow, I haven't done anything like that before. I knew whom to email to make the change, but when I sent it, a notice from her came right back saying she was out of the office until Monday. She gave a number to call for emergency service. I called and spoke to a nice gentleman who connected me with the right person in travel. There was room on the flight I requested, so the switch was made. I was so proud of myself for accomplishing that task.

This copy machine is being replaced tomorrow. We are getting a new one that will have a dedicated line to the fax on it. Right now, people call and we have to switch them over to do a fax. I am just learning all the technical things on this copy machine, and now I will have to start all over again. But, we are happy to get a new machine. This one has had some issues lately.

While I held the office down, the elders took Elder Kroff with them to WalMart to purchase some pillows and blankets for the incoming missionaries. We provide a nice blanket and a new pillow for each missionary when they arrive. We collect blankets when a missionary leaves and get them washed and bagged ready to reuse. But the pillows are discarded. So each new missionary gets a brand new pillow. Of course they brought back some doughnuts with them.

We were pleased and surprised to get a call today from the orthopedic doctor that Rich went to last week. He was calling to see if he had the MRI on his leg yet. We told him when the appointment was and he made him an appointment for August 3 to come back to see him with the films. He said he wanted Rich to be off crutches by then. So I guess this injury does heal some with time. He told the doctor that he mainly uses the crutches now when he walks to and from the office. He doesn't have to use them in the office or at home anymore, although his leg is still tender and feels weak. We will be glad to get it back to full strength.

We are grateful to be here on this mission and so thankful for the love and support we get from family and friends back home. We are happy to be doing what we do and hope our contribution will allow the missionaries and President and Sister Argyle to focus their attention to the main purpose of missionary work, that is to find people ready to hear the gospel and be baptized.

Life is good here in Buenos Aires.