Let Us Give Thanks in All Things

Though Thanksgiving has come and gone, we want you to feel our gratitude for you and express our appreciation for the abundance of blessings we receive each day. We love you and hope you all reflect on your blessings.

Our Thanksgiving was spent in part at the office and mid-day with the other senior missionaries at the Kansas Restaurant chowing down on a traditional meal like the rest of you (and appropriately over ate).

Father Omar Di Mario

Archbishop Siluan Musi, Turkish Orthodox

Our schedule has thinned out quit a bit these last couple of months. We have attended several inter-religious gatherings sharing the unity and faith of our Muslim, Jewish, Evangelical, Russian Orthodox, and Catholic brother and sisters. We feel the love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Affairs sponsored a National Service Day on September 14. Our multi-stake project was planting flowers, yard cleaning, and painting the facade and fence of a national hospital. 400 members volunteered there. Then November 30^th our stake held our semiannual blood donation drive.

 

We have enjoyed attending a tango show at the Borges Theater and an official invitation to the dedication of the community auditorium in the new Banco de la Cuidad. That’s us by the screen in center of the second row, two rows in front of the Mayor of Buenos Aires and the president of the bank.

We celebrated at the Fair for Nations, spending the day with other senior missionaries viewing traditional dances and eating foods of the world. John didn’t pass up the opportunity to have a photo shot with Arabian dancing girls.

 

We bid farewell to several missionary couples but tried to enjoy the process by eating great food. We do miss the Garvins, Brundts, Ashtons, and Zobells.


 

We were guests of the Minister of Religion at the Palacio San Martin for two receptions. The first was in conjunction with the wreath laying for “El Día del Diplomatico.”

 

 

  The second, for “Religious Liberty,” included an interreligious panel and Chopin at its finest played by concert pianist Miguel Ángel Estrella (his wife in the background).

 

 

Here we have the entry staircase to the Palacio Paz which is now the Military Social Club and Museum.

 

We’re thinking of redecorating our home in Phoenix to include a main room like this blue room of the Casa Rosada but with a ceiling like the dome of the Palacio Paz (with frescos in those unsightly empty areas as they were meant to be). It should have an entry staircase like the Palacio Paz, main gate like the Palacio San Martin, with passage doors like these from the Casa Rosada leading to the new courtyard. 

 

 

Actually, we may need to start over in order to construct our own Palacio Sans Souci where we attended the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. As you can see we look right at home in it.

 

Now a normal birthday ball is fantastic. Patriotic, good food, uniforms, beautiful dresses. But this ball was at a PALACE! Can you believe it? I felt like Cinderella. Go on line to see more: http://www.palaciosanssouci.com/

Marine Corps Birthday Switzer Style

 

 

We attended a Family Day activity in Madariaga sponsored by Sister Deluchi, our Director of Public Affairs there. She did an amazing job of organizing. It included booths by many community organizations with presentations by the Governor of the Province. She arranged for a free photo to be taken of each family and had traditional dancing and singing by family groups. The work of the members here continues to amaze me.

 



We made the big move from our apartment in club filled Palermo Hollywood to a much more pleasant atmosphere near the US embassy. We miss our grocery clerk Gloria, vegetable guy Felix and others; but are loving being able to enjoy quiet sleep.

We enjoyed the rich blessing of meeting with Apostles Jeffrey R. Holland  and D. Todd Christofferson. Their words of love and gratitude and encouragement made our spirits soar. We appreciate deeply this opportunity to serve our Savior.

The Work Rolls Forward



Attending interreligious activities fills many of our evenings. We´re in with the in-crowd in that regard and take the subway or bus to a church or presentation location a couple of times a week. Our Hare Krishna friends visited for lunch in the office dining room.


Generally present with us are representatives of the Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, Evangelists, Hare Krisnas, and Protestants in varying combinations. Topics have included the sharing of Iftar dinner during Ramadam, each group’s view of God, views of healthful living, scripture study of two Psalms, and the benefits of building interfaith relationships.



We spent an evening at a Turkish Orthodox Church with our host Padre Omar Di Mario, Chaplin of the Argentine Boy Scouts and someone we see on occasion. The topic centered on the martyrdom of a Christian every five minutes somewhere in the world. [The Muslims were oddly absent from that evening’s presentation. Perhaps the Turkish Orthodox Archbishop forgot to send them an invitation.] We enjoyed Iftar (Ramadan dinner) with Muslim students from Turkey. Their food is very much like Greek food, but better, and they assured it is really Turkish food, not Greek.

At the monthly gathering sponsored by our Multi-stake Director of Public Affairs the topic was Genealogy.

We celebrated the arrival of our Director of Public Affairs, Elder Alfredo Salas. Filled with knowledge of Public Affairs, the Church and members here, computer programs, and Argentina in general, he hit the ground running. His multitasking ensures a whirlwind of welcome ideas and activities. His abilities strengthen our skills and his compliments uplift our self-esteem. We are one with the force.

We were able to help organize seven open houses with our Visitor Center in the Chapel assignment. We enjoyed working with the members, visitors, and ward leaderships in each of the Chapel. The program gives a wonderful introduction to the Church. A new coordinating couple has arrived who are enthusiastically taking the presentation to other congregations. We reached our limit of time and energy and had to let go.

One of John's excursions was to Puerto Madero where The Libertad, pride of the Argentine Navy is at anchor. LDS Bishop Salas, Chief Petty Officer 1, his personal ship's tour guide, took him into the depths of this sailing vessel.

Senior missionary excursions continue, this one at P.F. Changs, others like watching “The Lone Ranger” or attending very Argentine events like the barbeque and folk groups at the Feria de Mataderos.
 A Dr. Pepper miraculously appeared from the US one afternoon. John felt a divine presence about him (note the halo)
                                                                     as he slowly savored his favorite drink.



Never one to avoid adventure,
John mingles here with the
 “Stay out of Syria”
group one afternoon.

John walked the length of Puerto Madero one Saturday afternoon. This area used to be lined with dilapidated warehouses. Now it is the residence and eating place of the rich and famous.  

 

 



The monthly Ladies’ Luncheon generally includes a small service project. One was newborn blankets and hats; our last one was bagging homemade cookies for a school for homeless kids. Yes, of course we had to sample the cookies! What a treat it is to get to know these marvelous people. How do I get them to all move to Phoenix? Actually, a large portion of them are from Idaho Falls, perhaps we should move there. 

  

 

The Church held a dedicatory meeting for the new LDS Institute building, a small restored  mansion in the Belgrano neighborhood. I remember with fondness the little old house that was our institute building in Flagstaff. No resemblance whatever, except for the warm spirit.

 

“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another.

                                                                                                                              1 John 3:23