Meaningful Experiences -Fri & Sat, Nov 20, 21, 2009

Friday - November 20

An email from President Argyle got our attention immediately. It came yesterday and told us that the four of us in the office and the two assistants and their companions were to be to a meeting with the President at the mission home today at 9:00 a.m. And, that it would last approximately three hours. Really??? Why? What kind of a meeting? Various thoughts and questions were racing through our minds. We had never been called together before for such a meeting. We all assumed that he wanted to share with us what he had learned at the Mission President's Seminar held prior to the missionary conference that we all attended with Elder Bednar.

We wondered how formal in dress this meeting was to be. Meetings held at the office don't usually require a jacket for the elders, but always at the mission home they have been worn. He told the elders to dress their very best. So, the meeting started out with suit coats, but then he told them they could take them off as his air conditioner for the living room was not working at the moment.

I knew the meeting would be conducted in Spanish because of the three Latino elders, but he was thoughtful of me and had planned for Hermana Argyle to sit by me to translate. It was wonderful to know what was going on.

The main reason he wanted us together was to have us share with him what we learned from the conference, and he wanted to teach us what he learned from Elder Bednar these last few days. He also wanted to practice on us as he prepared to teach and inspire those missionaries in the South who were unable to come for the special conference. He was leaving tonight to go South for zone conferences. Those missionaries always miss out on special meetings or conferences because they are so far away.

Because none of us in the room had the opportunity of asking Elder Bednar questions, he allowed us to ask questions of him in this meeting. Then he taught us what Elder Bednar taught the Mission Presidents regarding how to teach with the spirit, and we reviewed some things we heard in our meeting yesterday.

Elder Bednar basically said that we as teachers need to "get out of the way" with so much lecturing and disbursing of information and let the spirit take over. We need to do less talking and more listening and observing. Missionaries need to get the people talking and expressing what they understand about the discussion. Most of the time the investigator is clueless as to what he is suppose to learn from what is being said. In a discussion when one companion is through with his prepared part, he is to listen and observe when his companion takes over. Elder Bednar said, "Don't you dare check out of the discussion when your part is finished. Don't think about what's for dinner, or what to write in the email. You listen and observe what is going on, and the spirit will let you know what needs to be taught or clarified."

It was great to meet with President Argyle today and recap our experience with an Apostle. Our meeting actually lasted until 1:00 p.m. and no one seemed to mind.

We decided that on the way home we would stop at McDonalds and treat four of the elders to lunch. The other two already had a luncheon appointment, so we told them we would take them another time. The elders were thrilled to have a quarter pounder and fries. Their tight budget doesn't allow them to eat at McDonalds. Wouldn't you think we would have taken a picture? When will we ever learn?

We returned to the office and the President called Elder Kroff with a matter of importance that needed to be addressed before he went South. That required us to stay at the office until about 6:00 and then return to the mission home to obtain the President's signature.

On our way back to San Fernando and home, we decided to stop off at Carrefour and do our weekly grocery shopping. We had the car so would not need to call a remise to take us and our groceries home. Finally when we got home, we were ready to be there. It had been a long day.

Saturday - November 21

We couldn't believe it when we woke up to RAIN. We were most frustrated because all week we had our Saturday planned out to go to Puerto de Fruto, the big flea market in Tigre to do some Christmas shopping. Our plans to go last Saturday got cancelled when the President needed Elder Kroff's help that day, and since he wouldn't be home this weekend, we knew nothing involving the President would stand in our way today.

But the rain is a real issue for outdoor shopping!! It was suppose to be sunny and nice today, and then this sneaked up on us. We were soooo disappointed. And it wasn't just a drizzle. There were periods of heavy rain, and at one point we had some hail for a few minutes.

So, our day was spent staying indoors, cleaning the apartment, and working on late journal/blog entries. AND, we had no water for most of the day. Something happened with the pumps in the water tanks down in the basement of our apartment building and there was not one drop of water from around 11:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. We had to use a 5 liter bottle of purified water that we have on hand to flush the toilet. It would have been a good day to be out of our apartment, but no such luck.

We did have a prearranged appointment this evening to go with Elders Paz and Coria to the home of Carla Benetiz for a discussion on baptism. We have been one time before and she wanted us to return with the elders. Carla and her husband and two children live with her mother and two brothers. Her mother is a member but has been less active. Her two brothers are being baptized next Saturday night. Carla has been having the missionary lessons, but her husband is not interested. We have not met him as he has been at work each time we have been there.

Standing on either side of Elder Coria are Matias on the left and Franco on the right. They will become members next Saturday. The mother, Sister Mirta Giupponi is seated by Elder Paz. Carla and daughter, Guillermina on the right. They are a nice family and we feel so comfortable in their home.

Carla is with daughter Guillermina and son Alex. Her little girl is sooo cute. She is so friendly and wants to sit on my lap and talks up a storm. Carla was fasting today so she could get an answer if she should be baptized. She wants to, but doesn't know if she should do it without her husband and he isn't interested right now.

Carla has a pizza making business. She makes them at home, but we didn't get the story of how she sells them. But they served us pizza, chorizo (sausage) on bread, and a cake with peaches and whipped cream on top. Wow! We didn't know we were going to be fed.

The elders wanted us to help with the discussion, so Rich talked about baptism and they asked me to bear my testimony on the importance of baptism in my life. I related it to having the Holy Ghost with me to prompt me along the way as I raised my children. She liked that. Elder Kroff translated.

Tired, but satisfied, we went to bed happy. Hurrah! The water is on.