Special Blessing - Thursday, Oct 8, 2009

We were excited to have our zone conference today because we wanted to see the reaction of the missionaries in our zone when the President handed out the bibles he purchased with their names engraved on them. He told them he wanted them to study from it throughout their lives and that it would also be a remembrance to them that they had a part in accomplishing the goal of doubling the baptisms. Everyone was touched by his kindness and generousity.

This wasn't to be a regular zone conference where a great deal of instruction takes place and we have lunch provided, with interviews in the afternoon. After presenting the bibles and speaking to us for a while, he started with the interviews while Sister Argyle gave instruction to the Latins and their companions about the revamped English program that the Latinos are involved in.

To our surprise he told Elder Kroff and I that he wanted to begin with us. We have never interviewed with him during a conference. He talks to us when he comes to the office but not in an official interview setting. However, when we were quite new in the field he would invite us into his office to see how we were doing.

But today he had something else in mind. When we went with him to a closed door room, he said that he was impressed to give all the missionaries a blessing. Wow!! How special! He started with me, and had Rich assist with laying his hands on my head also. It was one of the most heart felt blessings I have ever received. It was not generic in any sense and pertained to me alone with what I needed in my life now as a missionary and as a mother who is away from her family. It was wonderful and well received in every way. Rich's blessing was just as personal and timely dealing with his life and his challenges. What a special way to start the day. I'm sure all of the other elders and sisters were equally impressed and humbled to have a blessing from their mission president. To do this at every zone conference this time around, he will have given 160+ blessings. What a man! He is so totally dedicated in his calling to lead this mission. He gives 110% all the time.

After he was through with our zone, he went to another one in the afternoon. He has been doing two each day this week. Tomorrow is the last of them. I spent the day finalizing the request for supplies and making sure any recently received mail for these two zones got put in the right bin. Between these zones, the elders need to load 13 cajas (boxes) of copies of the Book of Mormon into the van. That's a lot!

Elder Kroff spent the day printing things off for Sister Argyle relating to the English program, plus dabbled in financial matters. I kept looking at the clock, because we needed to leave promptly at 4:00 if possible. I have a lot of things to do at home in preparation for Paul and Denise and Shalyse's visit. We actually wanted to take a quick train ride to Acassuso to our favorite meat market, and across the street from them to a great fruit/vegetable market. We bought some Milenaesa for Sunday's dinner and then have some empanadas ordered from a shop up the street from us. This will give them a "taste" of Argentine food.

Their produce is very fresh looking and appealing. At this place, we take a number and a helper comes to put the items in a bag and then takes them in for weighing. Some things are outside, and . . . .

some are inside. They have most things year round. We took our handy dandy shopping cart on wheels with us so we didn't have to carry the bags.

These two workers posed for a picture. Argentines love to have their pictures taken.

When we got home from our shopping trip, Paul called from the states with news that all the flights out of Salt Lake to Atlanta were filled, so they went to Seattle to see if they could get on a flight there. With Denise working for Delta it is great to have free travel, but standby status doesn't always work the way ones wants it to. Paul said the plane in Seattle was delayed in taking off because of some mechanical problem and they were just about ready to board. However, they would miss the flight in Atlanta that flies at night to Argentina. So they would stay the night there and try for the flight on Friday. So now, they will arrive on Saturday morning if all goes well.

Shalyse, on the other hand, had a confirmed ticket as she needed to get back on time. She purchased her own. She comes in tomorrow morning and will have to make her way to the hotel alone. She called us from Dallas tonight and said she can't check in until 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. We told her we will leave work as early as we can tomorrow and come rescue her. She will wait in the hotel lobby.

Rich has been monitoring the weather condition for the weekend for several days now. For the next two weeks there are clear skies except for one rainy day, and that day is Sunday. He keeps waiting for it to change, as it often does, but rain is holding out for that day. It's not like we are going to be doing regular touristy things on the Sabbath, but Tigre is beautiful and after church we wanted to walk along the canal where the sightseeing boats are. After eating dinner at our place, we want to walk to our office to show them where we go every day and how we get there. Oh well, come what may.