Conference Weekend - Saturday, October 2, 2010

This is our fourth General Conference weekend in Argentina. It is one of the things we look forward to the most. Today we would enjoy conference with four new couples. The Grieves were here in April, but all the others are new to the Area Office.

We did our Saturday cleaning the best we could working around the two twin size mattresses we have stacked around in anticipation of our girls coming in a week and a half. Yes, it is getting close. Yippee!!

Paul and Denise skyped us to talk about the girls coming and inform me what the schedule would be with the buddy pass stand by tickets that they have. She is flying to Atlanta with them to see that they get on the overnight flight. We appreciate her willingness to give them the passes and to help them on this end of the trip. We hope all goes well.

We decided to leave home around 11:30 to stop by a panadaria that we have discovered that has wonderful looking bread, empanadas, tortas, and facturas. My pot luck assignment is to bring the bread or rolls for dinner tomorrow in between sessions. We'll buy it today and take it with us because everything will be closed when we get home tonight. Hopefully someone can put them in their office overnight until tomorrow's dinner.

We made our purchase and went on to the train platform arriving just a couple minutes before the train pulled into the station. Good timing!! On a Saturday morning we found two seats together and all the way up to the Capital it never did get very crowded. Strange! Then, when we exited the train and walked across the street to get on the bus, here it came just seconds after we got there. We had perfect connections without waiting which is unusual.

We were a half hour early and the first ones to arrive. We enjoyed the pre-conference video while waiting for the others. Conference was wonderful, as usual, and I didn't have long to look forward to my favorite speaker as Elder Holland was first on the docket. Many of us were wiping a tear away as he spoke.

When the first session was over, everyone did their own thing for the two hour break. We visited for about a half hour, then needing something to hold us over until we go to dinner after the next session, we walked to a panadaria down the street to see what we could get to eat. We bought one empanada and a small pastry, and left hoping to find a park or place outside to sit and eat our goodies. Failing at that attempt, we went back to the Area Offices and sat in their lunch room to eat. Then we walked around a couple blocks in the warm sun and to get a little fresh air and exercise.

After the second session was over and before the Prieshood session, we walk to a restaurant that wasn't opened yet for their evening activity, but opened for the twelve of us to eat earlier. Arrangements were made during in the week and they honored our request.

It was like having a private dining room and we felt so special. They pushed some tables together for us and were very accommodating. The Grieves, Cundicks, and Davidsons are on this half of the tables . . .

with the Hollingsworths, Kroffs, and Lucas' on the other. The menu was in Spanish and English and written at the top of each page was a statement that said that the meals were meant for two people. Wonderful!! Rich and I had planned on sharing anyway because we can never eat all they serve at restaurants. We usually leave part of our meal uneaten.

The food was good, conversation lively, and we finished in time for the brethren to go to the Priesthood session at a church close by, and their wives were going to watch the Relief Society Conference back where we were watching conference - I think. Rich and I hailed a taxi to take us to the train station to make our way home. We couldn't stay because we didn't want to be on the train late at night. It would depend on what time we got home whether Rich would make it to the Priesthood session at our church. He would be late.

We walked in the door at 10:00, so Rich said he would have to read the talks when they come out in the Liahona.

Day one of conference was great and we loved each talk. And, the music was beautiful and uplifting. We searched high and low in the Family Choir from Draper and Sandy for someone, anyone we recognized. No luck! I guess we have been gone too long.