A Sixth Month Celebration

The weather is warming up here in Venado Tuerto.  We've had some really beautiful weather.  And the spring blossoms have come out everywhere, right outside our garage door as well!

 As we drive around town, we see some beautiful trees.  That is one thing V.T. has a lot of - trees!

 With the warmer weather we've been able to go out on our bikes and do errands and a few visits during the day on them.  Usually we are too busy to go by bike, however!

  

With the warmer weather, the Ochoa garden is flourishing and floundering.  It's a learning curve and she is learning by trial and error.  We have just gotten so busy that it is hard for us to pass by very often to her place.

We started the gathering meetings with the BYU PathwayConnect program.  Every Thursday night at 8:00 pm for one hour we facilitate a group of 28 students in a virtual gathering.  We led the group the first night, but each week one of the students is responsible to lead the gathering.  It is a very effective way to help the students learn English better.  Our group is amazingly helpful to one another and very supportive.  The students that have led the course have done amazingly well.  Of course, the students with the stronger English skills have been the ones leading so far.

September 18th was our 6 month mark on the mission.  We decided we needed to have some sort of celebration.  So we hooked up with our friends the Garretts, who are serving in Rosario at the mission office and did a trip into the city and a sleepover with them.  The weather was beautiful and we had a fun time.

Rosario does not have as many tourist sites like Cusco did but Rosario's claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of the Argentinian flag.  So they have a big monument honoring that event.  So of course we had to visit there.

It's a big plaza area with two sections.  Here Sister Garrett & I are in the walkway leading to the first section of the monument.

 The first part of the monument is the big covered area with columns called the propylaeum and across the top is the title of the national anthem - Oid Mortales el Grito Sagrado: Libertad, Libertad, Libertad!

Sort of a long title that translated means "Hear mortales the sacred shout: Liberty, liberty, liberty!"

Inside the propylaeum is a memorial to the unknown Argentinian soldier who has died defending liberty with a flame that burns continually, I believe.

 Then you have this big huge plaza area that is between that and the actual monument to the flag.

Below are some close up photos of the tower part of the monument.

 On one side is a statue representing the Atlantic Ocean.  The other side has a statue (the one below reclining) representing the Parana River which flows through the city and out to the Atlantic Ocean.

 The top photo here is the back side or street side whichever way you look at it of the monument  and the bottom photo is the plaza side of the monument.

Inside on the bottom level are various items of interest.  

 The bottom photo shows the corner stone and the photo above represents the revolution of May 10, 1810.  The crypt of Manuel Belgrano is housed in the base of the moument. Manuel Belgrano is considered one of the liberators of Argentina and created the Argentinian flag.

They have an elevator inside the tower that takes you up to the top of the monument.  There is a small walkway around the monument so you can get a view from all four sides.  Here are a few of the views.

 Rosario sits right on the Parana River so they have a very nice river parkway that goes for quite awhile.  After visiting the monument we took a walk along the river and the park.

Below the monument under the propylaeum is the Honour Room that displays the flags, national flower, words of each countries national anthem, and dirt from that country for all the countries in the Americas.  It was pretty impressive.

 Here are some photos from the riverfront park.  It's a very nice place to walk, jog, or hang out.

While down by the river, we ate lunch at a restaurant that served river fish.  I wish I had gotten a photo of our plate when they brought it out!  It was a huge fish filleted in half with the head and tail still on it.  The meat had a good flavor and it was definitely plenty to eat.

Rosario is a colonial city.  This is reflected everywhere in the architecture.  Wrought iron balconies are abundant.

Stately buildings were plentiful.

And of course you have to have a Catholic cathedral.  Although after Cusco, the Argentine cathedrals are pretty plain and simple.

The parks had a definite European feeling.

Here is a photo we saw of the park in front of the cathedral years ago ...

 And here is a photo of the same park showing a different angle but you can see how much the trees have grown up.

Having fountains in the middle of the street definitely helps bring out a European flair.

Spring was evident as we walked around.  Here are blossoms next to the fountain that I thought were exceptionally pretty.

 We also visited another famous park in Rosario, Parque de la Independencia (Independence Park).  But by the time we got there it was getting late and we had a limited amount of daylight so we didn't get to explore it a lot.  It is a huge park and one of the areas is a very large rose garden.  We are a bit too early in the season for roses to be out so we are going to miss taking in that site.  We visited the lagoon and fountain area.

See what I mean about limited light?  When we first got there, people were out in paddle boats for a bit before it got too dark.

Apparently this park is a popular site for wedding shoots.  I can certainly see why.  It was a very beautiful setting.

We spent the night with the Garretts and ended our day having ice cream loaded with fruits, strawberries, blueberries, and bananas.  It hit the spot.  And of course, it was great to have friends to visit with.  We are the only missionary couple in Venado Tuerto.  I guess we were spoiled in Cusco to have two other couples serving in Cusco at the same time we were, along with another couple in Abancay we would see from time to time.

The next morning, Saturday before heading back to Venado Tuerto we tried to take in a flea market, but it was Dia de la Primavera (first day of spring) and it was a holiday so the flea market we wanted to visit wasn't open early.  We managed to find another one that was small and was more like a community garage sale without any artisan vendors.  We had hoped to do some souvenir shopping but no such luck.

When we got back to Venado Tuerto, we were able to attend the baptism of Dario Arevalo.

L to R:  E. Williams, Dario Arevalo, Pdte. Facundo Roldan, E. Pertuso

Dario is a fruit of our Talent Show project.  He is a classical guitar instructor and became familiar with the church on May 25th - one of the countries holidays.  He was walking by the church and heard music and decided to come in and see what was going on.  They invited him to play and were impressed with his abilities.  This was right as we were organizing the talent show so an invitation to participate was immediately made and the elders started visiting him.  He ended up being one of our finalists who participated in the district level show.  He was well fellowshipped by the members and he had a miraculous experience with his health.  He has been insulin dependent for some time but at one point when the doctors were checking his numbers they told him he no longer needed to be on insulin.  He saw it as a blessing from God for his efforts to live God's commandments and choose to get baptized.  This all happened after he had committed to be baptized but hadn't been baptized yet.

We've had three families we've worked with disappoint us with moving away from the church rather than fortifying their commitments to live the gospel.  It is hard when we see people we have learned to care about and love make decisions that take them away from the covenant path.  Two of the families are part-member families.  We haven't given up on them but we are concerned and worried where things may go from here.

One family, we held a Noche de Hogar with them and they seemed to have come to their senses and may be back on the road to attending church again.  They invited us to an asado the weekend after the FHE and talked like they were committed to activity.  They have been attending church since.  But it is still a fragile arrangement we feel.  The mother's testimony definitely needs strengthening.

But on a brighter note, the Farias family is doing well.  They've seen the hand of the Lord help them resolve their housing problem in a way that far exceeded their expectation.  The way was open for them to move into a home owned by Bro. Farias' cousin.  It had been abandoned for awhile because it has some plumbing issues.  The owner agreed to let the Farias live in the house RENT FREE if they would simply pay the taxes on the house, and do the fix up and maintenance.  They will still have to pay their utility costs.  However, this is a far better arrangement financially as it did not require them to put up first and last month's rent which would have been a hardship for them and the monthly cost will turn out to be minimal once they fix the plumbing issues.  The other big blessing is that the house is located in the Rama 1 area so they end up staying in the same branch.  But not just in Rama 1 area, but directly across the street from one of the strongest families in the branch - the Sanchez family.  He is a counselor in the branch presidency and has served previously as the branch president and his wife is as sweet as can be.  They will help fellowship the Farias well.  Bro. Farias who is inactive with word of wisdom problems has been stubbornly holding out from returning to activity while his family has one by one returned or joined the church.  The members did a great job helping the Farias move within a two day window and when we visited with them once they were settled in, Bro. Farias was much more friendly and open to us like never before.

Here are some of the family in front of their new home, along with the elders - Wolz & Thorpe.  There is a nice patio area and an additional building (photo below) with clothes line already in place and a lemon tree!

It is set back from the street and it is going to be a very nice place to live we do believe. 

The amazing thing was their son, Damian, who is extremely shy and only recently baptized, came to church the Sunday after their move, which was fast Sunday due to General Conference coming up and actually got up and bore his testimony!!  He waited until the last minute but he snuck in there.  It was an extreme act of courage and it was painful to watch as he attempted to express himself, but it was also very powerful to watch him act in faith.  We love this family! 

L to R:  Carolina, Griselda, E. Wolz, E. Thorpe, Damian, Jorge Farias

We brought them Sunday dinner and the elders dropped in to say good-bye.  They were just hours from leaving to head home to the states.  That Sunday morning, the members sure expressed a lot of love for these elders.  E. Thorpe had served in Rama 1 two years ago when he was a brand new missionaries.  They loved seeing him again this last transfer and seeing the growth and changes in him.  E. Wolz had also served in Venado Tuerto previously but in Rama 3.  Both elders were very upbeat and positive missionaries.  We liked them both even though we only got to work with them for 6 weeks.  The branch all got together for a group photo after church.

The last Saturday of September, the 28th, Dave had his second opportunity to perform a baptism.  He was caught off guard when he was asked by Emiliano, one of our English students.  We knew he was a non-member and that he has been involved in church activities, etc for about a year as a school mate of his had been a member missionary.  But we didn't believe we had played a big role in his conversion and figured it would be someone else doing the baptizing.

 L-R:  Valentino Alessia, E. Topham, Emiliano Baudino, E. Rhoades, E. Sessions

L-R: E. Rhoades, Hna. Rhoades, Melissa Raies, E. Sessions

There was also an additional baptismal candidate at the same time, Melissa, that had attended one of our FHE's with her mother.  We don't know her well, but we hope to start working with her and help her move along the covenant path.

September 30th was transfer day.  Four missionaries from our district finished up their missions and headed home.  This time next year we'll be doing the same.  (for those of you who are tracking that sort of thing)  I think there are a few grandkids that applies to.  Maybe some of our kids as well.  :)

Spiritual Thought for the Week:  Russell M Nelson - "Joy and Spiritual Survival"  October 2016

"The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.  When the focus of our lives is on God's plan of salvation...and Jesus Christ and his gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening - or not happening - in our lives.  Joy comes from and because of Him.  He is the source of all joy... If we look to the world...we will never know joy...[Joy] is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ"