Week Three in Argentina!!!!!!!

September 23, 2012

Hola!

This week we formulated more of a specific plan for our assignment here!  As Area Auditors we are responsible for 27 Assistant Area Auditors in four countries;  Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.   Each Assistant Area Auditor is responsible for a region and is responsible for the training of stake and local people who perform audits and take care of the tithing and fast offering funds of the church.  It is now our responsibility to train the Assistant Area  Auditors and visit them and lend them all of the instruction and support that they need to carry out their tasks.  Michael has begun communicating with many of these AAA's through phone calls and emails.  We will hold a AAA area wide two day training during the first part of December.  This will be held at our area office here in Buenos Aires and we are in the process of putting this together!  We are very much enjoying the process and are learning a great deal.  The purpose of the audit program of the church is to protect and assure the wise use of church funds and to protect church leaders who handle the funds.

We are also preparing to go to Salt Lake City in October where we will receive training from the Church Audit Department.  It will be a two day conference October 18-19 after which we will return to Buenos Aires.  So it will be a very quick trip!  All of the Area Auditors from around the world will be there to receive training as well.  There are about 15-16 couples who perform this duty on a volunteer basis as Senior Missionaries.  We met one couple in the MTC who are Area Auditors in the South America Northwest Area, Elder and Sister Casos.  They are natives of South America.  She is from Chile and he is from Peru.  A very sharp couple and we are looking forward to seeing them in Salt Lake City.

This week our friends, Mike and Judy Bigelow will be returning home to Olympia , Washington.  We will be taking their apartment on Thursday as they walk out the door to the airport to leave!  They have made a big impact here especially helping other Senior Couples who are new.  They will be greatly missed and we have tried to get together a few last times this past week before we have to say our goodbyes!

Yesterday they wanted to show us a few more sites in Buenos Aires and the pictures are below.  We took the bus and the Subte to arrive at our destinations!  It was great fun!  After a day of traveling from one part of the city to another , we purchased homemade pasta  and two sauces from an amazing pasta shop (there are many of these scattered around the city)  and shared a wonderful meal in Bigelow's apartment.  The pasta we bought was ravioli, and  the sauces were a pesto with chunks of pecans in it, and a tomato cream sauce.  Both were amazingly delicious.  Mike Bigelow bought a wonderful apple dessert for us to finish off the meal!  It was a great day!

This morning we met the Bigelows in front of their apartment at about 9:10  and walked to their church where we will also be attending.  It was a wonderful 10-15 minute walk through a beautiful neighborhood with lovely homes and a few embassies , one of them being the Italian Embassy.  We were very warmly greeted in the ward with an abrazo and a kiss on the cheek!  The Bishop and many people who greeted us were so friendly and happy that we will be in the ward.  We will soon approach the Bishop to see where we can help and we will hopefully be assigned some families to visit.   Mike and Judy were greatly loved here and it was wonderful to see these people embrace them and feel so thankful for their friendship. The Bigelows gave short talks all in Spanish .  Judy has done really well!  Her efforts have certainly inspired me!

 This is the front of Eva Peron's "home".  It was painted this pinkish color to represent all of the blood that has been spilled for Argentina.

                                                          This is the back of the palace.

  This is a very imposing statue of Christopher Columbus at the back of the palace.  It was amazing!

 There are two soldiers who guard the tomb of General San Martin, the most famous Argentine general of all time!  He freed four South American countries, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Ecuador.

We ate in this beautiful food court; these flowers were fresh and were gorgeous!  Our food was great!

Mike/Dad is not really blind; he just looks like it!! It was a warm sunny, sunny day!!

 We went to "La Boca".  This is an area of the city where the "Tango" originated.  There are many restaurants and tango dancers everywhere plus many, many artists selling their wares.  Judy and I loved it!  The two Mikes didn't share our enthusiasm!  This was a colorful building with models of Eva Peron and two other famous people waving on a balcony!  La Boca is very safe during the day but very dangerous at night!

Les mandamos un abrazo!