6th Month Anniversary

Six months ago today we joined the ranks as full time missionaries. It seems impossible that our time here in Buenos Aires is one third over. We had no idea what it would be like to serve a mission, and even though we have experienced some rough times, the good times and good experiences outweigh the bad. We are grateful to be serving and doing what we can in our small way to help the missionary effort move forward in this part of the world.

When we got up this morning we knew we had to hurry a little because we wanted to be to work by 8:00 in order to tell Elder Valente goodbye. We love these elders we work with and we get so attached to them that it is hard to see them go. But they can't stay in the office forever. We just know that when they get transferred we won't see them again very often, and maybe not until the time comes for them to leave the mission. Thank heavens for missionary reunions that come each year. The bad thing is that in our mission, we have a lot of Latino missionaries who will probably never be able to come to Salt Lake for a reunion at conference time.

Elder Valente has a sister serving a mission in Ecuador. He goes home about the same time as we do.

Goodbye Elder Valente. He leaves with mixed emotions because he loved his office job as stressful as it was. But, he will be a successful missionary wherever he goes because he is obedient and dedicated.

The four of us stayed in the office all day and worked efficiently and quietly at our desks. Elder Paz is catching on quickly and if he gets stuck, Elder Valente is just a phone call away.

Some workers came buy to clean up the grounds outside the office for the dedication this Sunday. We have a couple planter boxes outside our door, and they were looking pretty rank and dead, so they bought new plants and now they are pretty and fresh. They told us it was our job to water them. We never knew that. We thought the workers who take care of the church grounds and our little area were the ones who maintained them. But now, we will be more aware of them and will keep them looking good.

Sister Argyle called yesterday and asked Rich if we could come over to the mission home tonight so she could go over the DVD project they make for the leaving missionaries. We have had the President's car at the office all week, so we drove ourselves over there. No remises tonight. While she and Rich worked on the project, I used their grand piano to pick out and practice my hymns for church Sunday. Surely wish the Tigre branch had a piano like the mission home has.

We were home by seven to do the dishes, finish up some ironing, do a load of laundry, and update the days activities. It's been a good day!