Progress in All Areas

All of the streets in our neighborhood look like this one. Really, they do. The tree canopies bring welcome shade and beauty to our walk to and from the office.

 

Here you can see John enjoying his perfect meal: ham and cheese sandwiches with chimichuri sauce and a tossed salad with vinegar and oil. He’s in heaven. Janice enjoys trying new foods from the many panaderías throughout the neighborhood. We’re pictured at our dining table, living room and glass doors to patio are behind us.

Two weeks ago we took the bus then train to the Tigre neighborhood for a boat tour of the waterways. If you look really closely you can see part of the Buenos Aires skyline in the distance down this stretch of the river. The ride was cool and we were in the company of several other missionary couples and one embassy couple. Just a nice, relaxing day.

 

Last weekend the King Fahd Islamic Center had an open house which included displays and a tour. We arrived at the Mosque at a good time, not many other people. We were introduced to Sheij Mohammed Mutkhan Al Ruwaili, Imam of the center, who discussed the Islamic faith with us for several minutes and invited us to observe their prayer in the main area of the mosque which holds 1500 worshippers, 10 in attendance. All very interesting. He isn’t quite ready for baptism, nor did he convert us, though he tried. As you can see, Janice decided to redecorate our apartment in the Arabic style, you know how much she likes red. Okay, this isn’t our living room, it’s a display at the cultural center.

This week we attended two events, thanks to our position here. On Tuesday evening we attended the review of a book written by Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim intellectual living in Pennsylvania. Yes, its Muslim week for us. He expresses his views of ‘Islam is the only way’ through teaching humanism, acceptance of all. Interesting combo. What impressed us most was the building next to the Casa Rosada on Plaza 25 de Mayo, the room in which we gathered (picture on left above), and our assigned seats in the second row. The second event was the Annual Prayer Breakfast in the Hotel Alvear Palace (picture on right above), near downtown. We enjoyed praying with community and religious leaders from here and from Chile and Paraguay. Quite lovely. Below left are the two of us with retired opera star Oscar Schiappapietra and his wife. He elevated us with his rendition of 'Amazing Grace' and 'Ave Maria'.

 

It feels good to be learning and advancing. Let’s slow that learning down a just a little bit. We have learned small parts of much. We are learning the neighborhood including the correct store for extension cords, the store for light fixtures, the store for hangers, the one for salt and shakers, the one for meat, etc. We found the street with stores that specialize in fabric, the street with furniture, and the one with clothing outlets. We even found some of the above when the stores were open. We can somewhat use the office phone, Microsoft outlook, a Samsung cell phone, a Spanish keyboard, how to get your gas turned back on, and how to bath and wash your hair in a roasting pan. These all are, of course, important skills. We feel we are making progress and building good relationships.

God be merciful unto you, and bless you; and cause his face to shine upon you; Selah.

                                                                                                                Psalms 67:1