Catching Up - Oct. 25 & Oct. 26, 2010

Monday, October 25

After a good weekend, we were ready to dig in at work and get caught up on all things pending. When I sent the letter to the parents telling them about the mail problem, several came back with incorrect email addresses. I called the various elders to verify their parent's email and made the corrections as needed. Then I resent the letter.

Elder Peterson took a group of elders and their companions down to San Isidro to the correo to show their passports and sign for the package that came to them and is being held up in customs. Signing their name will allow Elder Peterson to go tomorrow to claim those packages. It was P-day today so it didn't take these elders away from their missionary work to come in to the office today. Besides, if it is a package from home, they will do anything to get it.

My order from the Distribution Center came and I was so glad to get it. The man in charge of filling the orders was on vacation with no one to step in for him while he was gone. Then when he returned, he still didn't do it and finally found it under a stack of papers. He said he gets so confused because there are so many missions. For Pete's sake!!!

So Elder Davis and I filled the bins with the supplies that the missionaries have ordered and got them ready for the President to take with him when he conducts their interviews. That was my big goal for the day.

Tuesday, October 26

It is no longer dark in our room at 6:00 when the alarm goes off because it is getting lighter outside early in the mornings now. Our morning routine hasn't changed and we still make it to work by 9:00. However, Rich went up at 7:30 to meet Elder Peterson and Elder Mamani who were going early to customs to get in line to claim packages. He needed to give them some money to pay for the fees assessed for holding the packages. The line starts forming really early even though it doesn't open until 10:00. Elder Mamani is a brand new elder that is spending some time in the office with our missionaries. Rich came back home after meeting the elders so he could walk with me up to the office. Awww!

It was a good day at work as we both accomplished a lot. I finished entering the bulk of my baptisms and now have only a few left that will straggle in.

Elder Davis helped me box up the mail and supplies to send to the South. I was amazed that it only filled five boxes when usually the number is ten. Rich left to pay some bills and returned to other financial matters on his desk. We liked being busy and checked things off as we accomplished them.

We won't see the Gulbrandsen's this week until possibly Friday. They are at the Mission President's Seminar in Pilar which will go until Thursday afternoon. All the Mission Presidents and wives from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina meet twice a year and usually an Apostle meets with them. That would be a special experience.

On our way home, we stopped off at our neighborhood grocery store that we like to patronize. The couple who run it are Leonor Esther and Pio Francisco Mendizabal. Several months ago when we first started going there, Rich left his scripture bag and Mr. Mendizabal took it to the church because he didn't know where we lived. When Rich caught up with him at the church, the bishopric members that were there were talking to him and had showed him around the church. Rich walked home with him and all the way he kept telling him that he felt such peace while in the church, that he had never felt like that before. So, we had the missionaries stop by his store and talk to him, but he said he couldn't get involved because he can't come to church on Sundays because he had to keep his store open. We have remained friends with him and we shop there for various items from time to time.

Last week when we stopped by, he told Rich that he didn't understand God's role here on the earth. He kept asking "Where is God?" He didn't understand why his mother-in-law remains alive when she is in her 90's and ill and wants to die, and then a young mother or father dies and leaves children behind. He said that before we leave, he wants Rich to sit down and answer that question for him. Rich said he would be glad to talk to him about it. So Rich has been getting his thoughts together and will set up a time when we can address his concerns. Hope it goes well!

We have met a lot of good people here in Buenos Aires.