Up, Up, and Away!!!

This last week we have been traveling.  We were asked to translate the Mission Presidents' seminar in a beautiful city, San Carlos de Bariloche (look it up on the internet!) where I served 42 years ago as Branch President for 6 months.  Then there were 12 members of the Branch and we met in the living room of the same house where we lived as missionaries.  WOW have things changed!  From a little mountain village of 30,000 it has blossomed into a huge city of 120,000 with a stake and two beautiful chapels.  It is the chocolate capital of South America and of course skiing, fishing, and tourism are what makes this town thrive. We held the conference in a world famous (one of the top100 hotels in the world) ski resort called Llao Llao (look it up on the internet) and it was truly amazing! 

We didn't get much chance to visit my old stomping grounds in the city, but the bus driver made a special pass by the old house where we lived just for me!

The best part of the conference was what happened inside the resort, with 3 General Authorities teaching, testifying, and sharing life stories, it was truly GRAND!  Their wives were just as amazing and we really had a spiritual feast.  I figured out that in the 3 days of conference I translated, with Janet's help on scriptures and references, 31 different talks, presentations, role plays, as well as various discussions and group activities.  I was truly exhausted when it was finished.

The food was so beautiful!  Really!  It was all about presentation, but we ate trout, and deer, and lamb, and chicken, and beef, and sausage and water cress!  It tasted so delicious, but they made sure that it looked absolutely like it was right out of the magazines! 

Here are some pictures of our time there.

Conference Room from the front

From the dining room

Tronador ski mountain behind us

Hotel Llao Llao from across the lake

Area President Walter Gonzalez and Zulma

The BYU Boys--1st Counselor in Area Presidency Jorge Zeballos

Region of the seven lakes

Suicide by Chocolate (name of dessert)

Llao Llao (Indian for a seed meaning sweet sweet)

Love the red carpet stairway (for princesses)

Lamb, deer, or chicken right off the grill

Plaza at Bariloche

Doug's first home and first Chapel in Bariloche

not red then

Picture with Pope Francis from Argentina in

Cathedral

Ride to the top of CampAnario

 

The Translator

 

 

 Wind and flowers at Llao Llao

 

We got back from Bariloche Thursday night and 1st thing Friday morning we flew to Uruguay to check on the CVC program there in Montevideo.  It was a short flight, about 40 minutes across the Rio de la Plata.  We met the Binghams, a couple from Carey, Idaho, who took really good care of us.  They had planned for the other CVC couple, the Hills to meet us for dinner and had prepared a freshly grilled salmon and sweet potato meal with hot rolls and peach cobbler.  It was so good and such a switch from Bariloche food!

 

A couple in their mission had to go home to the States unexpectedly because of gall bladder surgery and so we stayed in their apartment.  Saturday morning we went to the Temple, which was a real treat.  They don't have temple clothing to rent but they do have some they lend, which means it didn't really fit really well, but hey....The little Temple is beautiful and of course we enjoyed being there.  The Temple is located on the "Temple Manzana" where there is a chapel (huge for here), 2 mission homes and a hostel, which is a huge place for visitors from out of the area to stay while they come to the Temple.

 

Saturday evening was a Visitor Center in the Chapel presentation in a ward on top of the mountain for which "Montevideo" was named!  It was a really pretty view of the Atlantic Ocean and the CVC had lots of visitors.  We met some great people!  Isn't that wonderful how everywhere you go, you meet some pretty amazing people?

 

Here are some pictures of our Uruguay trip.

Janet at the chapel on top of the "Montevideo"

Montevideo from the airplane and the edge of the Atlantic

Shoes off, you are standing on Holy Ground!

The Hills, us, the Binghams   CVC couples

Atlantic Ocean from apartment window

 

At Montevideo Temple in the rain

Fort on top of the Cerro, can you see the LDS chapel steeple?

 

Being away from the Area Office for a week has left us with lots to do this week.  We have to film our CVC this next Saturday for the Missionary Dept. in SLC and prepare the script for that, and Sunday we have a Coordinating Council Meeting to plan our CVC presentations for 2014!  That is a lot to do for this next week, I guess we won't have time for trick or treating!

 



Spring in Argentina

Spring has come to Argentina!  Look at the beautiful roses!

 We went out today after our training meetings in the Villa Crespo Ward and walked around the rose gardens without suit jackets and sweaters.  It felt really good!!

We found a fellow who must be related to Big Chief Surprise From Sky!

 

 

We enjoyed General Conference and we watched it on a projector from our little computer at the Area Offices 3 hours later than it was SLC time.  Priesthood Mtg. started at 9:00 and went to 11:00.

There were lots of references to missionary work and we decided that it was a great time to be a missionary. We both really enjoyed President Monson's poem about Timber.  We are excited to have the talks online so that we can re-read and re-enjoy them.

 

We missed being out in the chapels, but got back on the road this weekend with a CVC event last night and a training this morning.  We had a great experience last night with a lady and her little boy who we invited in from the streets.  She spent 2 hrs. talking with the sister missionaries and the R. S. president and accepted a challenge to be baptized.  I was reminded of Elder Andersen's comment in conference that with so many more missionaries working in the missions of the world, the Lord is preparing more hearts to be opened to receive the gospel.  It is true here in Argentina!

 

Our training went really well this morning.  We were preparing the members of the ward for a special event that we have that Salt Lake Mission Dept. has asked us to film.  We are the only Area that is currently using the CVC program and they are thinking about expanding it to other areas, so we will have this one filmed and sent to headquarters to see what they think about what we are doing.  NO PRESSURE!

 

We are also getting ready to do the translation at the Mission Presidents Seminar (28 missions) which will be held in 2 weeks in Bariloche.  I served there 42 years ago and was the Branch President of our little branch of 12.  It is without a doubt the most beautiful ski resort in Argentina located way up in the mountains.  It is surrounded by 7 lakes.  Go on the Internet and look up San Carlos de Bariloche or Lake Nahuel Haupi or Hotel Llao Llao and you will see what we will be doing.  Anyway now there is a stake in that city built on the spot of ground where we lived and held our Sunday meetings.  It will be really fun to return!

 

We also have to fly to Uruguay by the end of October to renew our visas and to check on the CVC couples there, so it will be a busy couple of weeks for us.  We are learning much and meeting some really humble, great people down here.  As I said earlier, it is a great time to be a missionary!