ASUNCION, PARAGUAY

Hola!

During the day on Friday we went to see "Monday Falls".  The desk clerk at the hotel told us it was just straight ahead from the hotel a few miles. .... Well it definately was not straight!  By stopping and asking many people directions we found our way there .  Below are some of the pictures from that wonderful visit to this very beautiful park and falls.

 Very, very beautiful mango trees!  my favorite color of green........These trees were breathtaking...

After our Friday night session, we left for Asuncion early Saturday morning.  Hermano Vidal in Asuncion called us in Ciudad del Este to make sure we were okay and told us to be sure to leave early on Saturday morning and the traffic probably would not be too bad.  We took his advice... and the traffic was still alot but definately not as bad as Thursday!

We arrived in Asuncion around two or three and used our same method of finding this  hotel... asking people!  Our hotel was great... and very restful.

Sunday morning we walked to church .... it was only about four blocks away.  We met with Hermano Beraud for about and hour and a half then attended church in a small branch there.  We met dear wonderful people who were very welcoming to us... here is a picture of this wonderful chapel and some flowering shrubs close by....

There are flowering shrubs everywhere in Asuncion

On Sunday evening, Hermano Vidal came to the hotel and we met with him in the library area.  We had an amazing visit with him and loved meeting him!  He had called to check on us throughout our time in Paraguay.  He was very thoughtful of us.  We visited with him for over an hour...... then Hermano Grau came and we had a great visit with him.  These three men are very dedicated to their callings and are extremely friendly and warm people!  We loved this experience!

On Monday morning, we drove to the temple and church office building.. which are in the same complex.  Brother Beraud gave us perfect directions and we found our way perfectly!

At the church office building, it is fairly small, we met with Elder Di Giovanni, the area seventy.  He was very welcoming and so happy to meet with us.

We spent some time on the temple grounds.... we were very impressed with the great simplicity of the temple.... it is truly lovely.  It is very small, and the grounds are very beautiful.  The wooden doors seem very much in keeping with Paraguay.... we enjoyed this experience very much.

After some quiet moments ... and talking of our marvelous experiences and how wonderful we felt , meeting these wonderful people of Paraguay... we headed back to the airport for our journey home.

This last picture is  of an amazing musician in the airport who sat and played his Paraguayan harp  for two hours while many people were waiting for flights...

PARAGUAY

Hola!

We have just returned from our first visit to Paraguay!  We spent five days there meeting with our three AAA's (assistant area auditors) and also Elder Di Giovanni the area seventy.  We had a wonderful and very meaningful trip as well as some adventure thrown in!

We flew into Ascuncion on Thursday afternoon, November 15.  The flight is about one and a half hours from Buenos Aires.  So it is an easy flight and not too long which we like!  We were told that Asuncion has a population of around 2 million people.... it is a very old city and there are many, many beautiful old Spanish homes as one enters the city on the main street.  One fact about Paraguay that we learned early on is that nothing is marked with a number..... not homes, or businesses or anything!  Therefore, our use of the GPS was very limited.  

After our arrival we headed straight to the Avis car rental booth and rented a car as our first destination was in eastern Paraguy.... a city called Ciudad del Este.  It is on the immediate border of Brazil..  It was a six hour drive on a two lane highway!  This was part of the adventure!  We encountered every form of transportaion on the road:  double decker buses coming from the famous Iguacu Falls in Brazil, carts pulled by oxen, enormous trucks carrying agricultural goods, trucks piled high with .... many things... motor bikes carrying 1-3 people plus groceries..... cars, and cars and cars..... It was chaotic!

However, the countryside was very, very beautiful... flat with many, many mango trees, and flowering red and pink trees.  It was amazing.  The mango trees were loaded with wonderful almost ripe fruit!

There were also many artistically set up fruit stands.  It is watermelon season in Paraguay!

After a "hair raising" 6 hour drive...  (Michael enjoyed the drive!... he was driving!)  we entered Ciudad del Este.  (City of the East).  I can hardly describe the experience!  It was like entering one of those very chaotic cities in an "Indiana Jones" movie!  No traffic lights anywhere, people, cars and motor bikes crossing major highways at every point in the road!  The roundabouts, of which there are many, were bumper to bumper...... experiences.... people entering from any point they could.... We drove almost over the bridge to Brazil.... but quickly turned deep into the city instead.... we found our way out and after making several stops to ask directions, at various points in the city, and two hours later just before the fall of night we found our hotel.... We learned from the stake president there that this city is close to the largest "black market" in the world.... everything is traded there, weapons, drugs, anything you can imagine..  There are armed guards everywhere.... many with large rifles...... 

Anyway, not to get carried away with the description of the city.... but it was indeed fascinating!

Our pupose for going there was to meet up with one of our AAA's and help him give a training to the stake president and bishops and counselors and secretaries.  This was the first time we met Hermano Grau and he brought his wife which was great.  There were about 24 people in attendance so it was wonderful!  Below is Michael giving his part of the instruction on the auditing program.... he gave it in Spanish and did superb job!  The next picture is of Hermano Grau.... (I have to get better at getting close up pictures of these wonderful people!)

After the meeting we visited with the stake president some more and really enjoyed getting to know him.  He is from India, but ended up in Paraguay as a young man working for a large company.  He married a Paraguay woman and has two children.  He told us a little about the city but mostly told us how very dangerous it was and told us we should not wander around there unassisted by someone who knows the area.  Anyway, he wouldn't let us drive back to our hotel alone, (which we had finally figured out the location) so he had somone "lead " us back.  He was very concerned for us which was really thoughtful.  Our hotel was behind a protected gate with armed guards.  We had to show our passports each time we entered.  

The members that we met were so generous and kind... and it is always a very uplifting experience  to meet them.... We left early the next morning for Ascuncion to meet with Hermano Vidal, and Hermano Beraud, and Hermano Di Giovanni.... Our meetings were set up for Sunday.

It is really late and my eyes are blurry... but I wanted to get this up.... I will add some more pictures tomorrow of the Asuncion temple and countryside of this very beautiful South American Land!

Everyone loves a coke!

Provincia de Tucuman

Hola!

In our previous post we talked about the two days of trainings we had in San Miguel de Tucuman.
We had one training on Tuesday night, the day we arrived.  Our next training was to take place on Wednesday evening at 8:00 at the Tucuman West Stake building.  Because we had all day Wednesday free, Axel suggested that we take some time and head into the mountains to see the Inca ruins from the 1500's and also see some mountain villages and enjoy the fresh mountain air. We left early in the moring and headed out! On Thursday morning, before taking off for the airport at 2:00 pm, we saw some other sites around San Miguel de Tucuman, including the "el Monumental Cristo Bendicente" which was situated very high above the city.  We also learned that San Miguel de Tucuman is the place where Argentina received it's independence on "el 9 Julio de 1816"!  We had a wonderful day and embraced every moment.  Osmar and Axel were amazing guides  and while driving around in the car, we were able to talk and get further insight into our training sessions.

En San Javier - Monumental Cristo Bendicente.

Behind the statue.

Ciudad Sagrada de los Quilmes.

Osmar, Michael and Axel.

Michael and I at the ruins:  Ciudad Sagrada de los Quilmes.

(Sacred city of the Quilmes)

At San Javier ; the Cristo Bendicente

Abrazios!

San Miguel de Tucuman

Hola!

On Tuesday of this past week we traveled to Tucuman Province, which is northwest of Buenos Aires.  We traveled with two people from the MSR (membership statistics and records) department.  We took a plane from the national airport in Buenos Aires.  The two people that we traveled with are thirty something and the nicest people ever!  Osmar and Axel.    We were scheduled for two trainings; one on  Tuesday evening and one on Wednesday evening.  Our plane left Tuesday morning around 11:00 and the flight was about one hour and forty-five minutes long . Osmar and Axel brought several pieces of luggage as their training sessions involve people sitting down at computers and learning the church software program (MLS) for tithing, membership records, fast offerings, and many other purposes.    They packed up about 12-13 laptops and all of the equipment that goes with them.  When the session begins, bishops, counselors, and clerks, are seated at long tables with an up and running computer set before them.  

Our first training was in the smaller town of Concepcion about an hour out of Tucuman.  We were scheduled to meet with the leaders of  the Argentina Concepcion District.  We met with the district president, branch presidents, counselors and secretaries.
We also had scheduled a few audits to do.  Above is Michael and Osmar joyfully working on a couple of audits and below is our very devoted AAA (assistant area auditor), Miguel Gonzalez who traveled a distance of several hours to meet us there. Concepcion and Tucuman province are part of the territory he is responsible for.   The training went until about 10:00pm.  At that point the district president had someone bring in a wonderful meal from a local Panaderia.  Fresh sandwiches, empanadas, and three luscious desserts! We visited with people and introduced ourselves around, and ate the food and had a wonderful time.

We met a couple of young missionaires; one from Uruguay, (just newly out) and a boy from Utah who had been out a while.  The elder from Utah is temporarily filling in as a branch president until a new one can be found.  We talked with them for quite a while and gave them lots of cheerful encouragement in their temporary assignment.  

We visited with the District President and his counselor and secretary in the office for a while to review the status of their audits and the needed follow-up on a few audit exceptions that needed to be resolved. We listened to them and encouraged them.  We have some follow-up work to do to help them get better internet access and a few other things.  

This particular district is filled with wonderful giving people .  They were very gracious to feed us and visit with us in such a warm and friendly manner.  

We left that evening with our hearts filled with gratitude and joy from such an enriching experience.

Abrazos!

San Nicolas

Hola!

A few days ago we traveled northwest of Buenos Aires to do some training with MSR (Membership Statistics and Records) in San Nicolas, Argentina.  We are partnering with MSR to do training of clerks, bishops and stake presidents.  The drive was about two and a half hours.  This was our first time to "check out " a car from the area office and along with the car we checked out a GPS.  This amazing tool guided us out of Buenos Aires to San Nicolas and back again right in front of our apartment in BA!

We arrived in San Nicolas around 5:00 and checked into our hotel then headed right to the stake center to meet up with Diego and and another staff member arriving at 5:30 just as they had started the first training with the new stake clerk.  The MSR staff brings in computers and goes through all of the computer programs where the donations and fast offerings are recorded and reports given.  It is very helpful to those who are new in particular.

At seven we set up tables and chairs in the gym and setup about 12 computers as well.  About fifteen bishops, counselors, and the stake presidency arrived around 8:00.  We were greeted very warmly by each and every person that came in.  It is a wonderful experience to be greeted by an Argentine in such a warm and friendly manner!

Diego gave a great presentation that lasted until 12:30 am!!  Questions were being asked right up until 12:30!  It was a wonderfully engaging session and it was great to be a part of it.  We had a meeting with the stake audit committee chair and he was very interested in talking with us and working out a few of the problems they had had in the past.  

We went back to the hotel and arrived there around 1:00 am.  The place was alive with people eating and visiting.  Argentine people eat late!  We had not eaten dinner so we split a sandwich and sat in a great relaxing spot in the hotel lobby and had a taste of a fabulous dessert!

I know some of you family members want to see pictures of the people we work with and I will be sure to include that in the next blog.  I didn't take my camera to the meeting.  Sorry!

Our drive to San Nicolas was great!  It was wonderful to see the Argentine countryside and get a feel for a different part of the country.  Oranges are in season now.  There are a few  orange trees a couple of blocks from us in BA and they are laden with fruit.  On the road we saw many, many fruit stands filled with hanging bags of oranges and lemons.  We stopped at two of these fruit stands  and bought oranges, and a few herb plants for very few pesos.

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We will be traveling to Salta this week for a few days.  I will take pictures of the wonderful people we work with and share them on the blog!

Abrazos!