Month Half Gone - Monday, May 17, 2010

Sleep was not consistent last night as I woke up several times thinking about home and our children, but when it was time to get up I had no problem. We followed our morning routine and did what missionaries do. Characters we have come to know in Fire of the Covenant are meeting severe freezing conditions with some dieing and others suffering blackened fingers and toes due to frost bite. It is heart wrenching and brings tears to our eyes. How did they do it??

I spent a good part of the morning receiving medical calls. The Argentine doctor who fixes ingrown toenails is causing me frustration. One elder has been back three times and the doctor just keeps snipping at it, and then has him come back a week later. After the first time it became infected, so he is trying to clear that up before he continues and tells the elder that if the infection won't clear up, he will have to operate on it. Well, I thought that is what is suppose to happen -- cut the silly thing out once and for all. Maybe the doctor is drawing this thing out so he can collect for an office call each time the elder returns. I told Elder Davis to tell the doctor to be aggressive in getting this resolved. And, to numb the toe before cutting on it. Poor guy!

I sent in our Book of Mormon order today and will have to be creative to find convenient spaces in our supply room to stack them. The zones didn't need as many last month, so I don't have as many empty spaces to put them. I always order the maximum that is allotted to us because I never want to deny missionaries from having what they need.

Things were a little hectic early on in the morning for Elder Peterson who was making a miriad of calls to get missionaries lined up to get their legal work done at Immigrations. Elder Hales worked with Silvio, who came to the office, to take care of apartment issues. But then things seemed to settle down as lunch time approached.

All four of us were in the mood for Chinese food today and decided to call our little order out place for a delivery. After carefully selecting three or four entrées, we called to find out that on Mondays they close at noon. It was 12:45 p.m. What's up with that?? Plan B had us ordering two pizzas to be delivered. They were super and hit the spot just fine.

Every Monday the cleaning guy comes through our office. He is hired to clean the bathrooms in the church and our office. He speaks some English so I get along fine with him. Rich is picking his brain about the national holiday next week which is "25 de mayo." We understand that there are activities and celebrations up in the Capital, so we might take off part of the day and go explore. The President even asked us on one of the previous holidays that came along why we didn't take the day off. Well, we might just do that this time.

The afternoon moved along swiftly and pretty soon it was time for the elders to take off. I followed them out to get a parting shot. I'll do anything for a blog picture, and they just tolerate my picture taking. I tell them it is for their mothers who want to check up on them during the week.

We didn't have anywhere to go tonight -- no appointments or meetings, so we just spent a quiet night on the computer, doing this entry, talking with Marianne on Skype, and before the sun went down watched the workers pour cement from wheelbarrows to make the third floor of the torre (high rise apartment bldg) across the street from us. We are enjoying watching the progress of this construction. Rich is documenting it in pictures as they work along. Earthquake proof?? Doubtful!